PASQUINO
April 24, 2018
Volume 97
Number 4
Hannah Nesselrodt Named Outstanding Student of the Year By Staff
Dr. Jennifer Orlikoff presents Hannah Nesselrodt Outstanding Student of the Year award.
Hannah Nesselrodt earned the 2018 E. William Noland Outstanding Student of the Year Award. She received a cash award and her name will be inscribed on a permanent plaque in the Administrative Building. Five students were nominated for this prestigious award: Nesseltrodt, Aaron
Smith, Sara Sredy, Alexander Bowlby and Andrew Haines. Nesselrodt, Smith and Sredy’s names were selected to be inscribed on the Duke Anthony Whitmore/Henry Louis Gates Jr. Academic Achievement Wall. Nesselrodt, a Petersburg resident, is a biology major with the goal of attending the WVU School of Medicine. She is a member of the Rotaract Club, Life Science Club, Campus Crusade for Christ Club, Catamounts Against Cancer Club, and Cross Impact Club. She is an active member of the Petersburg Church of God where she volunteers as a video/music technician, counselor for the Petersburg Regional Junior Youth Camp, assistant counselor for Regional Senior Youth Camp, and a facilitator for church fundraisers. She has been a
patient care assistant at Grant Memorial Hospital. Aaron Smith, a journalism major from Romney, serves as the editor of the “Pasquino” college newspaper. He is the founder and manager of POParazzi, a popculture and entertainment website. He is a published author of two youngadult fantasy novels. He volunteers with the Hampshire County Committee on Aging, The Embassy Theatre and the Hampshire County Development Authority. He is featured in the Allegany Magazine’s “40 under 40” edition. Sara Sredy, from Somerset, Pennsylvania, is a biology major. Through Messiah Lutheran Church, she volunteers in a variety of activities. She also volunteers with Interact Club, Somerset County Mobile Food Bank, Somerset
Hospital Giving Tree Project, Patriot Manor Nursing Home and Somerset County Humane Society. At PSC, she is Life Science Club Secretary, Catamounts Against Cancer vice president, and a member of Campus Crusade for Christ and Cross Impact. Alexander Bowlby is a pre-pharmacy major from Maysville. He is a math and science tutor at the Academic Success Center, raised money for the Christmas Angel charity program with the Life Science Club, and prepared the sets for West Virginia Theater East. Andrew Haines, from Springfield, is a psychology major. Through his involvement at Springfield Assembly of God, he volunteers with the youth group, Vacation Bible School, Sunday School and summer camp.
Printing Problem Plagues Penny-Pinching Pupils
By Cody Brazil, Editor Free printing was a luxury offered to PSC students for the last two years; a new printing fee was introduced in the 2017 Fall Semester. This policy, introduced by the WVU Morgantown campus, has put a hindrance on some students’ abilities to print assignments and to print study material. The individuals most affected by this are the students. Some students have trouble submitting assignments that must be printed. Printing costs 6 cents per document and can only be paid through Mountie Bounty. The minimum amount of money you can add to your Mountie Bounty at a time is $10. This raises problems for some commuter students who often don’t even carry their student IDs. “It wouldn’t be that big of deal if I
could pay with coins, card or something. But I literally have no other reason to add anything to my Mountie Bounty,” said PSC sophomore Kaitie Brown. The Mountie Bounty minimum seems to be an issue. While on-campus students can use their Mountie Bounty to do laundry and other necessities, commuter students don’t want to throw ten dollars into an account when they don’t even know if they’ll need to use it all to print. PSC sophomore Lexi Woods used to print out PowerPoint slides to aid her in her studying, but she feels that she cannot afford to keep up her study habit with the fee in place. “When you have multiple classes that all use PowerPoints, it really starts to add up, and now I just don’t print any-
thing,” said Woods. The printing fee has been felt campus-wide by students and faculty alike. Most professors have had to give up their personal office printers. Some professors have become more lenient in how they accept assignments because some students can’t afford to print. “I’m not sure that saving a few dollars is worth the inconvenience,” said Professor Ruth Upton. She has had to start accepting her students’ assignments through eCampus, but she still feels that the fee is unfair for some students. English Professor Steve Oberlechner has started making accommodations for students because of the fee as well. “I’ve had to become more flexible on deadlines and make exceptions for some students due to financial issues,” said Oberlechner.
Oberlechner has felt the weight of the fee in his creative writing classes where he would traditionally have students come in with a copy of their work for all of their peers. But due to the implementation of the printing fee, his students have been wanting to email their work to their peers. “Whether it’s the author or the reader at some point someone will have to take the responsibility to print out the document,” said Oberlechner. Although the printing fee is seen as an inconvenience to many students and faculty, it has resolved an immense waste problem on the PSC campus. “Before students had to pay to print, there was a ridiculous amount of waste,” said the PSC Library Technical Assistant Nicholas Gardner. (Continued on page 5...)
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CAMPUS NEWS
PASQUINO
April 24, 2018
PSC Offers Students Jobs PSC Students Engage in Diversity Among Peers By SeVohn Hunter, Contributing Writer
PSC students SeVohn Hunter (left) and Lucy Litten (right) work as Student Ambassadors. Photo by Potomac State College
Finding a job in college can be difficult. Thankfully, Potomac State College offers a variety of jobs for many different interests. PSC offers Federal Work Study jobs. Federal work study is a need-based “self-help” aid program which allows students to earn money by working up to 20 hours per week. MoutaineerTRAK is the best resource for finding an on-campus Federal Work Study job. After logging on to MountaineerTRAK using your MIX username and password, simply select WVU Keyser Campus. This will show all available jobs on campus. Many work study jobs are office assistants who complete tasks like making copies, organizing files and other basic office work. There are also other interesting positions. A student assistant for athletic training helps the athletic trainers of PSC sports teams during games and practices. Student assistants for marketing and communications write press releases and take photos for PSC public relations. Game workers help out athletic events on campus for many different sports. PSC also offers on-campus student employment jobs. Student employment
is for those who are not awarded Federal Work Study. Student employment jobs pay $8.75/hour. Resident Assistants are chosen through an application. Duties include attending activities on campus, organizing floor meetings, and completing work-related duties and tasks. RAs must meet academic standards at all times and are compensated with a scholarship that pays for their room and board. Another campus job opportunity includes Student Ambassadors who make calls to prospective students, answer questions they may have and schedule tours or meetings on campus. Ambassadors are also trained to lead tours. "I really enjoy the Student Ambassador Program because it's an excellent opportunity to encourage others to come to our college,” said Lucy Litten.
“It has taught me how to talk with people and work on a team, and I definitely plan on coming back next semester.” - Lucy Litten Dining services offers many positions on campus, both work study and student employment jobs. Workers for dining services prepare and serve food. “The student worker positions are competitive due to the number of applicants. While no experience is necessary, we look for students with good attitudes and stress the importance of dependability,” said Food Service Manager Brian Olden. The Academic Success Center hires student employees as tutors. There are also student employment jobs offered at the farms and the equine facility. With so many work study and student employment jobs to choose from, finding the perfect one should be a breeze.
By Molly Browning, Editor Potomac State College encourages its students to embrace diversity and explore new cultures, and that was the ultimate goal of the Diversity Ambassador Initiative. This initiative challenged around 24 PSC students from different religious, racial and ethnic backgrounds to get to know each other over the course of five weeks. Before the program began, the volunteers participated in a questionnaire to compare compatibility. Students were then partnered and spent the next five weeks together. Through the program, participants gained points from doing activities together like eating meals, studying in the library or just hanging out. “We’d do things like play video games and just talk about what we go through in life and the struggles we have had to overcome as individuals,” said PSC freshman Canyon Hunt. Founder of the program, PSC Activities Program Manager, Dr. Edward Brown, stated that this initiative challenges stereotypes and fears. Brown also said that this program has a lasting impact on the students, whether it be in their casual social lives or in the workforce. Participants learn how to work with diversity and “take down barriers and stereotypes to get to know someone,” said Brown. “I think the program went very well,” said PSC sophomore Serena Redman. “I would have to say that my favorite part would be getting to know someone and how different they can be.” Being bi-racial, Redman said the initiative really stood out to her. “It got me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to really get to know some-
Through PSC Diversity Ambassador Initiative, students from different cultural, ethnic racial backgrounds interacted to break down stereotypes. Photo by Potomac State College
one for who they are, and not what they look like,” said Redman. “I’m an introvert,” said PSC senior James Beall, “so the program itself made me get out there and talk to someone I hadn’t before.” Beall stated that through this program he and his partner became friends and continue to do things together. The initiative also helped to knock down the cultural barrier between rural and urban students. “There’s a cultural divide between urban and rural, so the program is really beneficial in that sense,” said Beall. “To bridge that gap we definitely need this program because it brings people together in a friendly environment. It encourages people to get to know ‘other’ people. I really hope the program progresses every year. We need it to.” Brown is seeking funding for next year; he hopes that it will continue at PSC campus and expand to other college campuses. He will be presenting the program in Morgantown to WVU campus administrators and other institute observers at the Student Success Summit.
April 24, 2018
COMMUNITY NEWS
PASQUINO
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High School Students Start Social Media Show By Ryan Cook, Contributing Writer Keyser High School’s Tornado TV (TTV) recently created a 10-part miniseries titled “Locked Out,” available to watch in its entirety on the Tornado TV Facebook page. Filmed over the course of four months (from September to January), show runner Logan Cook, and fellow TTV members Jonathon Myers and Jerrod McGann, used an iPhone and the video editing software iMovie to bring “Locked Out” to life. According to KHS journalism teacher Michael Staggers, who oversees the production of the show, TTV used to be a daily announcement show broadcasted via television to every room at KHS during the early 2000s. Now that the wiring in the television sets has gone bad due to age, TTV has become a web series that still acts as a news show for the school, but Staggers has also given his students the creative freedom to explore their storytelling talents. Cook, a junior at KHS and an aspiring filmmaker, created the 10-part scripted comedy “Locked Out,” a miniseries that acts as a clever excuse for why the TTV crew can’t film in their recording room while they are remodeling it. “I wanted to clean up the room,” Cook said, “but to clean up the room I couldn’t film [in] the room, so I had to have a reason why we weren’t in the room.” The series gets its title from the very reason the crew can’t film in their regular recording room: someone has locked them out of the room, and it’s up to them to find out who. Episode one of the series begins with Cook whistling as he tries to find the correct key to open the TTV room. After testing every key on his keyring with no success, he calls his journalism
Keyser High School students appear in promotional still for episodes of “Locked Out,” appearing on Facebook. Photo courtesy of Tornado TV teacher, Mr. Staggers, to try his luck with the keys. When none of them work for him, Staggers notifies Cook that they have been “locked out” of the room.
At the end of the episode, a mysterious masked figure dressed in black from head to toe appears at the TTV room door and disappears in a flash as soon as he’s spotted! Episode two has Cook bored out of his mind as he sits in class with nothing to do since the TTV room is locked. Before the episode comes to an end, Cook comes face to face with the masked figure again in the hallway after a bathroom break. In episode three, Cook starts to descend into madness as he creates a list of clues and evidence on a whiteboard to solve the mystery of who the masked figure (now known as Nemo) is and why he locked the room. Staggers chose this episode as one of
his personal favorites from the series. He enjoyed watching Cook at the end of the episode kicking and screaming as McGann and Myers drag him out of the classroom. “I also enjoyed the whiteboard in general just because it had a lot of inside jokes and stuff like that written on it that people might not have gotten,” Staggers said. After crying hysterically over their locked room, Cook, McGann and Myers walk out on an interview with KHS cheerleaders outside of the TTV room and decide to go against Staggers’ wishes and hunt down the mysterious Nemo in episode four. Episode five has the TTV crew interrogating three KHS students they suspect are secretly Nemo in a series of good cop-bad cop-funny cop scenarios. McGann sited this episode as his favorite from the series. Episode six of “Locked Out” is packed with so many twists and turns that to spoil even one of those elements
would be a disservice to the creativity of the TTV crew. However, Staggers also cited this episode as one of his favorites because at one point in the episode, the TTV crew visit his former co-anchor from when he was a member of TTV, Keyser Primary School teacher Stephanie Stephen, at her classroom in KPS to seek her help in finding Nemo (pun intended). Cook, who directed every episode of “Locked Out,” said his favorite scenes were the last scenes of each episode. Staggers said Potomac State College students will enjoy seeing a show completely produced by students in their age range. “[PSC students’] humor is similar to I’m sure what [TTV students] have, and they would probably laugh at a lot of the same things that these guys find funny.” With 1,197 likes and 1,247 followers, the TTV Facebook page continues to upload new episodes weekly. Other episodes available on their page include “Mr. Staggers, I Have an Idea,” “The Fazz and the Fureyous” and “Tornado TV 3017.” TTV can be found on Facebook at Tornado TV. Pasquino Writers/Design: Aaron Smith, Managing Editor Cody Brazil, Editor Molly Browning, Editor Contributing Writers: Ryan Cook SeVohn Hunter Zoe Sypolt Matthew Timbrook Contact the Staff Contact Amber Butcher, advisor amber.butcher@mail.wvu.edu
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CAMPUS NEWS PASQUINO
April 24, 2018
Women Work Wonders in STEM Field Careers By Ryan Cook, Contributing Writer An actress with a love for math. A programmer of the Harvard Mark I computer. A mathematician who helped John Glenn land on the moon. These are a few examples of women who have made significant contributions to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.) Potomac State College hosted a “Women of STEM” presentation on Monday, Feb. 26. Three PSC professors spoke about historical women who have made an impact in the STEM field as part of Women’s Empowerment Week. Math Instructor Candace Lawrence presented a PowerPoint presentation on actress Danica McKellar who portrayed Winnie Cooper on the 1980s TV show “The Wonder Years.” After “The Wonder Years” came to an end in 1993, McKellar returned to college at UCLA where she co-authored the “Chayes-McKellar-Winn theorem,” about magnetism and heat with professor Lincoln Chayes and fellow student
Brandy Winn. She has also written four nonfiction books aimed at encouraging middle school girls to take interest in mathematics. Her four books include “Math Doesn’t Suck,” “Kiss My Math,” “Hot X: Algebra Exposed” and “Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape.” In a short video presented by Lawrence, McKellar admitted that she found herself lost with math in middle school as well. She also explained what it means to her to help girls feel confident in math. “Not everyone is going to have the experience that I did in the seventh grade where a teacher comes in and saves the day, so if I can be that for girls, that makes me so happy.” McKellar can currently be seen on the Netflix series “Project Mc2.” She is also expected to reprise her voice role of Miss Martian on the DC Comics animated series “Young Justice” when the show returns for its third season later this year on DC’s new streaming service. Math Professor Nikki Chandler gave a presentation on Katherine Johnson.
Johnson was one of the main characters in the best-selling book and film adaptation “Hidden Figures.” After becoming one of the first three black students to integrate West Virginia State College, she went on to work at NASA as a “computer” -- a person who computed math problems -- starting in 1953. To illustrate how unique Johnson was, Chandler read a quote from Johnson to the audience. “The women did what they were told to do. They didn’t ask questions or take the task any further. I asked questions; I wanted to know why.” Johnson became the only woman to join the team tasked with calculating the trajectory of America’s first space trip. She went on to do calculations for John Glenn’s trip to the moon. Before he would go through with the mission, Glenn had Johnson run through the numbers and calculations by hand to make sure the new computer systems were correct. In 2015, President Obama awarded
Johnson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. CIS Instructor Mary Beth Moore spoke about Rear Adm. Grace Hopper and Ada Lovelace. Hopper was one of the first computer programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, which was based on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. Hopper joined the Naval Reserve during World War II. She popularized the idea of a programming language based on English words, which led to the creation of the COBOL language (an English-like computer programming language designed for processing business data) and her nickname “Grandma COBOL.” In 2016, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. Moore spoke briefly about Ada Lovelace. Lovelace was a mathematician who devised a series of instructions for Babbage’s Analytical Engine to report calculations, making her the first computer programmer.
Shannon Adams of Orbital ATK helps her daughter launch a rocket. Photo by Cody Brazil
WVU Senior Maria Corrales teaches a young mind about fingerprinting. Photo by Cody Brazil
Abigail Nettles and Juniper Judy have fun interacting with dissected pigs. Photo by Cody Brazil
STEM Attracts Families
What do dissected pigs, lasers, snakes, equines, rockets, LEGOs and drones have in common? The Mineral County STEM Festival! Faculty, staff, students and community members volunteered to present a variety of activities on campus March 24. The festival introduced children in Kindergarten through 12 grade to science, technology, engineering and math concepts through hands-on activities. About 1,000 visitors attended the STEM Festival. Visit PSCPasquino.wordpress.com for more photos.
April 24, 2018
CAMPUS NEWS
PASQUINO
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His Story of Her Story Praises Positive Women By SeVohn Hunter, Contributing Writer When asked what woman influenced your life, most people will say their mother. Five men on campus decided to look past the exhausted answer and dig a little deeper. Derek Artimez, Dr. Edward Brown, Dr. Greg Ochoa, Nick Goff, and Zach Halterman discussed influential women who impacted their lives and careers at the “His Story of Her Story” event. Halterman, a PSC student, opened the presentation with a PowerPoint titled “Impactful Mothers.” His presentation named powerful women in history who are rarely referred to as mothers. He mentioned women like Cleopatra, the ruler of Egypt for three decades; Marie Curie, the famous scientist who discovered Radium; and Olympias, the wife of Phillip II. He also included his own mother at the end of the PowerPoint who he said “helps with everything I need without asking for anything in return and makes a mean cherry cobbler
and buffalo chicken dip.” Artimez followed with a story about Tara Curtis, his Public Relations 101 professor. He described her as one who knew her students’ names and could converse with each of them about their personal lives. Artimez stayed after class every week to help Curtis with cleaning up the classroom. He told her that if she needed anything, he would be there. Because of his generosity, Curtis gave him an interview and eventually an internship with the WVU Alumni Association. This opportunity introduced Artimez to his current career as PSC’s alumni relations coordinator. Criminal Justice Instructor Goff gave a very passionate speech about Senator Susan Collins. Collins was a key contributor to putting down the Skinny Repeal, an attempt to remove the Affordable Care Act, which she was against from the beginning. Goff endured a serious car accident, which led to high medical
bills that were thankfully covered by his health insurance. Later on, Goff was without healthcare for some time, but he was lucky enough to avoid any serious injuries or illnesses. He described Collins as a very strong woman because she stood up for what she believed in and said without healthcare he would not be here today. Dean of Academic Affairs Ochoa talked about his grandmother Vivian Flores. Ochoa’s family moved around a lot because his father was in the military, but he remembers his grandmother visiting everywhere they lived. He shared his many memories with her. Once when he was living with her, he had an internship at the company where she worked, and they would ride to work together every morning. His grandmother taught him to be strong, adventurous and easygoing. Ochoa said, “My nana was there at my birth, and I was there when she died.” Activities Program Manager Brown
ended the night with a presentation on Mother Jones aka Mary Harris. Known as the “most dangerous woman in America,” Mother Jones was a passionate activist for child labor rights and was not afraid to defy the government. She was also a labor organizer for the United Mine Workers and helped unionize southern coalfields of West Virginia. She was jailed many times for her actions against the government, but she never stopped fighting for what she believed in. “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living” is a wellknown quote by Mother Jones. The community members, students and faculty who attended applauded the men for sharing their stories. Jaydin Haskins was a student of Goff’s and said, “I never would have known that he didn’t have healthcare [for a period of time] or how much the Affordable Care Act would affect everyone.” Haskins said that the event allowed her to get to know some of the speakers on campus.
Printing Problems Plague PSC (Continued) Gardner approves of the new printing fee. When students were able to print for free, there was an inordinate amount of wasted materials. Gardner told of an occurrence where a past student tried to print out an article from the internet but could not figure out how to get the printer to work and accidentally printed out 700 pages of the document. “We would throw stacks of paper away all of the time,” Gardner said. He believes that the fee has put a stop to occurrences like this by making the students print more consciously. The fee has also allowed for the school to have better printers for the students to use. Before, PSC had
average desktop printers that one may use in their own home. When students would be printing anywhere between 30,000 and 40,000 pages of paper a month, the printers were not equipped to handle the bulk of documents that would go through them daily. This caused them to break down on a consistent basis. The school now has more industrial printers that can effortlessly print in bulk and even allow students to scan documents into their emails. PSC Executive Director of Campus Operations Harlan Shreve explained that the new fee makes a lot of economical sense, but the school has tried their best to help the students. He
explained that free printing is offered in the computer labs for any student doing assignments, but the school thought it would be in everybody’s best interest to cut back on “frivolous printing.” While the change to pay-to-print can be hard, it is important to remember that this is not a new concept on the PSC campus. PSC has only offered free printing for the last two years while the coin operator in the library was broken. “This whole thing is only hard because of the way that it is happening. It’s just change. Eventually people will forget the luxury and get used to how things are,” said PSC Sociology Instructor Catie Bridges.
Welcome PSC’s Police Dog, Kato! He began work on campus March 16 and is pictured with Officer Cannon. Photo by Aaron Smith
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ACADEMICS
PASQUINO
April 24, 2018
Christian Clubs Create Community on Campus By Zoe Sypolt, Contributing Writer Discovering who you are and what you believe is an essential part of the college experience. When beginning this new adventure living away from home for the first time, many students find themselves searching for friends of likeminded faith for support when facing temptations associated with the stereotypical college lifestyle. Potomac State College has three clubs to help students become more deeply rooted and grow in their Christian faith. Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) is an international organization that was founded in 1951. It is one college organization that’s fighting to decrease the staggering statistic that 70 percent of first year Christian college students walk away from their faith. PSC’s CRU chapter, Campus Hope in Christ, meets for lunch every Tuesday in the Davis Conference Center from 12-12:30 p.m. Professor Vikki Huffman said she was one of those statistics. Although
she did not necessarily walk away from her faith, she found it difficult to devote time to focus on her relationship with Jesus. She became a co-sponsor for CRU when she started working at PSC in 2005. Although PSC’s CRU is much smaller than other college campuses, she described it as a “safe haven” for believers to fellowship together and share struggles and testimonies. They also sponsor a free movie night for students to attend. Recently, the club provided free tickets for “God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness” at the Country Club Mall Cinema. Drew Waasdorp, current president of CRU, joined as a freshman in the fall of 2016. He described CRU meetings as a place where students can be filled both physically and spiritually, as they enjoy lunch and a hear message from local pastors and leaders each week. After Sara Sredy attended the first CRU meeting, she knew the club would
become a part of her weekly routine. “We did a group activity that involved everyone writing on a piece of paper ‘God can’ and filled in the blank,” she said. “It was something so simple but reminded me of how much God does in our lives.” Sredy said that weekly meetings give her a break from academics and remind her to make time for faith in her busy schedule. Cross Impact, another Christian student organization at PSC, is sponsored by the Gospel Life Baptist Church in Keyser. The chapter meets on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in the Heritage Room. While Professor Derick Matlick is the club sponsor, Pastor Mike Wyatt usually runs the weekly meetings. “Our club is a place where students can come and feel support,” said Matlick. “The college environment can be pretty tough on an 18-year-old.” Cross Impact is a way to reach college students with the Gospel and encourage growth. “We’ve seen kids
come to know Christ as their Savior during our weekly meetings. It’s just a great place to give them the support that they may be lacking when they leave their home church and friends,” said Matlick. Christians around campus are not just meeting weekly to revive their spirits. The Campus & Community Ministries Club meets every Monday in the library from 3-4 p.m. It entails a variety of community outreach projects, including taking mission trips each spring, working with local community members, and creating seasonal items for the nursing home. Last year, students spent their spring break rebuilding houses in southern West Virginia that were destroyed by the floods. Local Pastor Lauren Godwin, the sponsor of the club said, “It’s a club where students get to serve others in the community, which is one of the things Jesus called us to do.”
The students involved in the course not only immerse themselves in the history of American filmography but the history of Keyser itself. The renovated theatre retains the architecture from when it was first constructed in 1939 and served the residents of Keyser as the town’s sole movie theater until it closed its doors in 1977. Now, the building has been refurbished and reinvented as much more. In June of 2017, Stephen Settmiti purchased the venue and transformed it into The Indie On Main. “When I saw the old Keyser movie house for sale, I decided to go head-
long into reopening it as a mixed arts venue,” Settmiti said. His goal is to create an environment where students can get involved and experiment with the arts. Students who are interested in the visual arts may wish to take advantage of The Indie’s studio space and art classes. Settimi mentioned that local musicians and entertainers can perform in front of an audience on open-mic nights every Thursday. Fans of cinematography can enjoy cult classic films on the weekends. More information on The Indie can be found at the venue’s website, www.theindieonmain.com.
Cowboy Cinema Course Conjures Classic Charm By Matthew Timbrook, Contributing Writer
The classic film “High Noon” returned to the silver screen at the site of the former Keyser Theatre where, over half a century ago, audiences gathered to enjoy it. This dramatic showing is just one of several cinematic selections that are being studied in a course on the American western film genre at Potomac State College. The course consists of both a classroom portion on campus and a cinema portion in the restored theatre at The Indie On Main, Keyser’s budding destination for art and film enthusiasts.
“This film is a morality play; it’s about duty, honor and community,” Professor Richard Hunt said.
“The Western is the story we tell ourselves about America.” - Professor Richard Hunt The other films being explored in the course are “The Searchers,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence,” “Bronco Billy” and “Silverado.” This selection of films represents the genre that remained popular all throughout the twentieth century and starred famous actors such as Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Grace Kelly, Lee Van Cleef and Clint Eastwood.
April 24, 2018
CAMPUS NEWS
PASQUINO
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PSC and Keyser Focus on Building Community By Aaron Smith, Managing Editor The first day of your college life begins, and you’re excited. As you head to your first class, you’re greeted by unfamiliar faces and quickly find yourself given an intense workload that’s entirely your responsibility. You’re living with a stranger, missing your old bed, pulling all-nighters and finding it hard to make friends in what little spare time you have. It’s easy to get overwhelmed during your college experience. Potomac State College is working to make sure that students stay happy through it all. One of these steps involved looking at students who decided to leave the campus. PSC surveyed students in 2016 and 2017; in both years, the surveys revealed approximately 20 percent of students surveyed who left experienced emotional problems, and 20 percent also indicated they felt alone or isolated. In 2016, 35 percent of students surveyed said they were dissatisfied with social life on campus, a number that dropped to 9 percent in 2017. Pennsylvania-born student Aleeya Mayo said that the social life was one of the reasons she left PSC. Mayo said she missed city life and being close to home. “Potomac State compared to Philly is like a completely different world. In the city I had all of my friends and family, about a million places to shop and eat, but at PSC I didn’t have that,” she said.
“I definitely got homesick a lot, but something that helped with the distance was just applying myself to my school work 100 percent.” - Aleeya Mayo Counselor Kristin Morton had advice for students facing homesickness and emotional problems. “ Understand that homesickness is a very normal feeling
The Indie on Main is providing cultural experiences including art shows and theatre performances for the city and campus community. Photo courtesy of The Indie on Main when adjusting to a brand-new environment and does not mean that there’s anything negative about the new place or one’s ability to fit in there,” she said. “The best way to move through homesickness is to get involved in your new environment. The more engaged one is in building his/her new life, the quicker the feelings of homesickness will pass.” Morton offered a reminder that Counseling Services is “always ready to listen” to students dealing with any issues. Combatting these feelings of homesickness are a high priority for the school. Alumni Relations Coordinator Derek Artimez believes PSC is capable of building a welcoming community that retains students through student life and academics that engage students. “If we succeed in building a true community, then this will feel like a second home to students, relieving some of the strains of homesickness,” he said.
Dean of Students William Letrent has been working to offer activities students will enjoy. Surveys have been used to gauge student interest in various activities. Letrent talked about changes coming in the fall that should help students get involved before classes even start. The fall semester’s Welcome Week will be focused more on team-building exercises and less on academia that some students found “boring.” Students will be grouped with classmates from their WVUe class, in the hopes that students will see familiar faces as classmates on the first day of the semester. Part of WVUe classes include encouraging students to participate in activities on campus. “We are looking at many ways to help students persist from one semester to the next until they complete a degree,” Campus President Orlikoff said. “This includes academic support, advising and mentorship by faculty, student activities, financial assistance,
welcoming facilities and an overall positive campus climate. We want students to feel they belong and are a part of the campus community so they want to stay and complete their degrees. With a degree in hand, students are in a great place to launch into their future.” Making the area more college-friendly is something the city of Keyser is working towards as well. Stephen Settimi runs the Indie on Main, an art house designed to give local artists a venue to share their works with the public. The Indie has worked with PSC in developing a script-writing opportunity for aspiring playwrights and has created a non-profit aimed at providing scholarships to students for the arts. Settimi said the Indie offers students “an exposure to the visual and performing arts that they might normally find in a city area.” Settimi added that students who want more things to do in the area need to get out, participate and make their voices be heard. “There are lots of cultural and social groups in the area. They’re always looking for ideas,” he said. Settimi and other local businesses try to give customers what they want to see, but in return participation is required. He remarked that the Indie has shown numerous films, from classics to recent releases, but attendance has made it hard to justify the licensing fee. The Indie now offers a “BYOM” – Bring Your Own Movie – where anyone can come in and stream what they’d like to see in a private theatre among friends. He added that the Indie tries to support anyone who comes in with a good idea. “We welcome people to come in and say we want to do this. Generally the answer is yes.”
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PEOPLE PASQUINO
April 24, 2018
2018 Outstanding Staff Of The Year
Mike Cannon (right) presents Dr. Ed Brown (left) with 2018 Outstanding Staff Person of the Year Award.
Photo provided by PSC
Dr. Ed Brown was awarded 2018 Oustanding Staff Person of the Year. Brown’s involvement on Potomac State College campus reflects his work ethic and care for those he works with. Brown leads his work with an “always find a way to say yes” motto. Brown started at PSC in 2016 and has become heavily involved in campus life. Brown is the college’s activities program manager, advisor to the Student Government Association and
“A leader, a problem solver and a friend for all. He’s involved with student activities on campus. He has a calming affect on students.” - Terrie Rogers, Member of the Classified Staff Council
chief advisor to 25 other student clubs. As Activities Program Manager, Brown implements social and eductional activites for a diverse student population to enhance student life and activity on campus. Brown has experience serving as an event planning assistant, a special events cooridinator, a festival director and as a mentor and academic advisor. Brown lives in Morgantown with his wife, Semoa, and their daughter, Millie.
Stoplight to be Stationed on State Street Should Secure Strolling Students’ Safety this September By Molly Browning, Editor
“I used to have friends who’d call and ask me to help them cross the street,” said Steffan Chapman, a PSC student. For some PSC students, crossing 220 from Catamount Place is difficult due to the lack of a stoplight or crosswalk. The closest crosswalk is on St. Cloud Street, a block from Fort Ave. Recent events at West Virginia University Morgantown campus have revealed the urgency and importance for proper student traffic safety. On February 1, 2018 Leah Berhanu, a WVU student, was hit at the intersection of Morrill Way and Patterson Drive near Evansdale Campus entrance. Berhanu was taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. To prevent an accident like the one in Morgantown, the city of Keyser and PSC administration have plans to place a stoplight at the bottom of State street. This light will create a safer, more convenient place for students to cross. Discussion of the stop light began nearly two years ago under former campus president Dr. Colelli, said PSC Chief of
Police Brian Kerling. Construction of the light will be completed no later than the end of September 2018, according to West Virginia Division of Highways’ Kenneth Clohan who oversees the placement of stoplights and other road signs in seven WV districts. Until the light is in place, PSC drivers and pedestrians can take precautions to remain safe. “Actually pay attention,” said Kerling when giving advice to drivers and pedestrians on campus.
In 2015 alone, 3,477 total deaths and 391,000 injuries were due to distracted driving in the U.S. Source: DMV.com Kerling emphasizes that both drivers and pedestrians need to be completely aware of their surroundings. Kerling said he was on Campus Drive recently in the patrol car, and a female was walking in the middle of the road. She had her face down, looking at her cell phone. The female headed straight towards the patrol car, and Kerling had to come to a complete stop before
she walked into his vehicle. Kerling encourages pedestrians to use the sidewalks and look up from their phones. WVU released a list of tips to pedestrians and drivers on how to stay safe on the streets. For pedestrians, WVU encourages students to obey all traffic signals, make eye contact with drivers, show your intentions of crossing and always assume a car won’t stop for you. The safe use of cell phone usage was emphasized within the tips. A study conducted by the National Safety Council in 2015 shows that cell phone usage while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. It also showed that one out of every four car accidents is caused by texting and driving. “When someone else is driving and they are checking their phone, eating or fidgeting with the radio, I tend to feel very nervous and uncomfortable,” said PSC freshman Mariah Boyce. “I’m sometimes tempted to smack their phone out of their hand,” said Katie Shreve, PSC freshman, “it makes me cautious to ride with them again.” Most drivers will acknowledge that
texting or being distracted while driving is dangerous. According to AAA poll, 94% of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35% of those students admit to doing it anyway. “To be honest, I eat, text and talk on the phone while I drive,” admits one PSC student who wishes to remain anonymous. WVU campus administrators are working to protect their students and prevent any more tragic accidents. Kerling stated that last school year signs instructing pedestrians to use side walks were placed on State Street. In Morgantown, University Police recently placed portable signs at busy intersections where accidents have occurred. Morgantown campus’ SGA also held two safety walks near busy intersections to identify where areas may need additional safety measures for pedestrians. “We recognize that all these immediate actions are not permanent,” said Rob Alsop, WVU vice president for strategic initiatives in a WVU press release, “but long-term solutions will take time to investigate and then implement appropriately.”