Men’s and women’s tennis prepare to start CAA Championships on Friday | page 10
Serving James Madison University Since 1922 BreezeJMU.org
Vol. 93, No. 51
Going postal
INSIDE TODAY BALANCING ACT
breezejmu.org
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Increased business leads to need for more space for campus post office
Students to create solutions
Competitors prepare for JMU’s first hackathon Student documentary encourages mental and physical health
By MORGAN LYNCH The Breeze
The new location will be bigger, the mailboxes will be aligned in a “W” formation and the pickup window will be on the right side when first walking in. Post office employees are also excited about the benefits of the move, including the increased speed and efficiency as well as the new additions. While some students and the post office staff are enthusiastic about the move, other students don’t see the purpose. “I have received at least 20 packages from the current post office and I don’t see the need for a location change — it has never taken too long,” freshman marketing major Skylar Mang said. “Transitions could be used for something else because I think
Students who have innovative ideas for fixing real-world problems are signing up for Bluestone Hacks, which will take place from 6 p.m. Friday until 8 p.m. Saturday at the Forum in Memorial Hall. The University Innovation Fellows and JMU X-labs are hosting JMU’s first student-run hackathon. Bluestone Hacks is a 24-hour event in which students in teams of three to five will define a problem, come up with a solution and pitch their ideas to judges in three different categories: food and agriculture, health care and consumer devices and tools. During this time, students can share ideas, participate in coding workshops, observe 3-D printing tutorials and create their final pitches. There are currently 20 teams signed up with registration open until Thursday, April 16. Some examples of ideas that Moore mentioned students could pitch include improved farming techniques, updated medical devices, smartphone apps or enhanced ways to organize the health care system. The first place team will be given $1,000, with $500 awarded to the team that wins in each category. Other prizes include Apple gift cards, a Tely Labs HD Webcam, a Target Gift Card and $500 worth of consulting services for packaging and assembling a product. Other schools in Virginia besides JMU
see MOVE, page 3
see COMPETITION, page 4
NEWS | 3
AIN’T GONNA TIE ME DOWN Marriage rates are on the decline OPINION | 5
KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE SCONE Student creates dining services website LIFE | 8
FINAL HOME STAND Lacrosse gears up for its last two home games of the season this weekend SPORTS | 11
QUOTE OF THE DAY
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Even though you don’t feel bad for these schmucks, the only other character to side with is Laura, the demonic presence who’s torturing teenagers.
”
LIFE | 9
TODAY WILL BE Mostly cloudy
62° / 52° Chance of rain: 30%
ERIN WILLIAMS / THE BREEZE
The post office has seen an increase of 5,000 packages from last year and is moving to the former Transitions room. By CORYN ROMANO contributing writer
Most on-campus students have had to wait in line to pick up a package from the post office in Warren. After years of asking for a new location, the post office is making the move to the Transitions room around the middle of June in hopes of a more efficient layout and faster service, according to Tina Custer, the post offices’ service delivery manager. Although Transitions isn’t a far walk from the current office, the new space will be much larger and will include additional storage space that will be closer to the front desk. The JMU Post Office receives 800 to 3,000 packages a day. The new location and layout
is expected to benefit both the employees and students. “I think Transitions would be more convenient because, right now, the post office is overcrowded,” freshman nursing major Julia Rennie said. “This would be a better use of the space.” The decision to move locations is coming at a crucial time. Last year, the post office received a total of 84,437 packages, a large increase compared to five years ago when it received 58,390 packages a year. With the increase in packages, the post office is beginning to run out of space to store all of the packages, increasing the need to move. So far this year, the post office has already received 5 percent more packages than last year — approximately 5,000 more packages.
A lifelong journey Assistant adjunct professor on her global travels
LIFE | 8 MATT SCHMACHTENBERG / THE BREEZE
Making prom her night Students host formal dress donation drives for underpriviledged girls By DINA MANCO contributing writer
For a girl in high school, there’s one aspect of prom preparation that’s the most exciting. It takes up hours of shopping, clammering about in fitting rooms and searching for the right size while filling her with nervewracking anxiety. This step is a coveted and long-awaited moment for a teenage girl: choosing the right prom dress to make her feel confident all night long. Two senior media arts and design majors, Erin Greene and Molly Hoffmaster, are working to make this process a fairy tale experience for select high schoolers — an experience complete with a red-carpet-style makeover and chance to be on TV via TLC. Greene and Hoffmaster are bringing a Say Yes to the Prom (SYTTP) Donation Drive to JMU – the first college campus to host one.
Through this drive, girls are encouraged to donate prom and semi-formal dresses that will go to high school students at events across the country. Each high school in the event’s area picks about five girls to attend. In March, there were two events: one in Silver Spring, Maryland and another in New York. Other popular locations for SYTTP events are Denver, Los Angeles and Miami. “Teachers and guidance counselors go and select girls based on academic performance and involvement,” Greene said. “They are picking girls who deserve it.” SYTTP is an event through LifeWorks & Inclusion and TLC, both part of Discovery Communications. “[Discovery Communications’] big initiative is to make sure employees give back to the community, see PROM, page 9
COURTESEY OF MOLLY HOFFMASTER
Rachael Griffith (left), a junior nursing major, and Katie Wixted, a junior communication studies major, are collecting dresses for TLC’s Say Yes to the Prom donation drive.