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Tuesday, April 19, 2011
CRUNCH TIME
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JOHN YEINGST | THE PARTHENON
John Cunningham, left, and Hao Chen study in the Drinko Library Study Center. As finals approach, the Student Resource Center is offering test prep information, anxiety workshops and a quiet-zone for students to study. Finals start May 2.
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Marshall provides resources as finals near BY MARIBETH SMITH THE PARTHENON
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With finals rapidly approaching, Marshall University is providing resources students can use to make the coming weeks a little less stressful. “Student should begin by paying close attention to the course syllabus regarding the final examination,” said Frances Hensley, senior associate vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of Undergraduate Studies. Hensley said students should create a schedule for studying that will allow enough time to study without having to cram. “If you haven’t started studying yet, start now,” said Sarah Craiger, student resource specialist. Craiger said students should not wait until the night before to cram because it will lead to stress, and it will be hard to retain everything. She also recommended making a schedule so that students can see what they have left to do in the semester. “The Student Resource Center can provide helpful information about organizing a schedule for an exam and using time management for finals,” Hensley said. “During the week, we offer a test prep and anxiety workshop before finals,” Craiger said. Craiger said the workshop would provide information
on how to study, which effective strategies to use and how to deal with test anxiety. The workshop will take place in the Student Resource Center on April 26, 27 and 28. Craiger said the Student Resource Center will open up their conference room and make it a “Quiet Zone” for students during the week of finals. Students are welcome to study or work on final projects there. “If students are fretting about getting all of their projects and studying done within the time frame they have left for the semester, we can do one-on-one time management sessions with them,” Craiger said. Craiger said the Student Resource Center has much information and material on how to make the best use of your time. If a student would like help with planning everything out, then they can bring their syllabi and assignments to the resource specialists in the Student Resource Center and they will help. “Students may also want to check into the tutoring center in Laidley Hall for information about tutoring sessions in a particular subject,” Hensley said. “As tempting as it may be to skip class, please go,” Craiger said. “This is the time when instructors usually start giving details about finals and giving tips about projects and study guides for exams.” Maribeth Smith can be contacted at smith1526@marshall.edu.
Marshall University’s department of housing and residence life is thinking green. Over the past year, the department has put more of an emphasis on being environmentally friendly to make Marshall a greener campus. “We have had an increased focus on recycling and reducing our carbon footprint,” said John Yaun, director of housing and residence life. Yaun said all the chemicals in the cleaning supplies used to clean the residence halls are environmentally friendly. Educating residents on what they can do to help the residence halls be greener is an important step. “We’re trying to create a conscience within the students about conserving energy,” Yaun said. Residents can help by simply recycling or even turning the water off when they are brushing their teeth. “Things that people don’t really think about are the things we’re trying to bring into focus,” Yaun said. Marshall Cooper, sophomore integrated science and technology major from Athens, Ohio, said she doesn’t feel the university is doing enough to be environmentally friendly. “I do not think Marshall is doing enough to be environmentally friendly,” Cooper said. “They have made somewhat of an effort to become more environmentally friendly with the help of an environmental group on campus that initiated the green fee and the Greening Marshall Committee. I feel there is more that the University can do itself to promote environmentally friendly living — like approving a composting program and putting solar panels on some of Marshall’s buildings.” The environmental issue has only recently been brought into the nation’s focus and it’s relatively new to See GREEN I 5
know on Facebook.
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Create Huntington uses warm weather to its advantage THE PARTHENON
Now that the weather has taken a turn toward spring, Create Huntington volunteers are working to make the city of Huntington even more beautiful than before. Create Huntington volunteer Thomas McChesney said the group has a few different projects going on around the city. “We have teams who are planting flowers in parks and public spaces around town,” McChesney said. “We’re primarily focusing on Harris Riverfront Park and Heritage Station.” Another initiative of the group is to improve the
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appearances of the tree boxes throughout the city. McChesney said the group plans to remove weeds from around the existing trees and shrubs in the boxes. “There will be annuals and other plantings put in those spaces,” McChesney said. “Those will be maintained throughout the year.” Create Huntington volunteers are also helping to beautify Huntington in other ways. They have increased their efforts to pick up litter and remove graffiti from the city. “There is a graffiti removal team who is working with the city to identify the graffiti in the downtown business area,” McChesney said.
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“Volunteers are helping the individual business and building owners remove the graffiti as part of the city’s overall effort to eradicate graffiti in Huntington.” Create Huntington is a volunteer based group that does many projects throughout the city to both beautify and revitalize the city to attract visitors and potential residents. McChesney said the Create Huntington group does not delegate tasks to volunteers but rather invites people to help in any way they would like to. “People say ‘we want to do these things,’ and Create Huntington helps them do that,” McChesney said.
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Marshall Panel calls for equality and respect for all students BY ERIN MILLER THE PARTHENON
An open panel discussion concerning homosexuality was held last Friday in the Shawkey Dining room of the student center. The discussion centered on acceptance and tolerance by students and faculty towards the treatment of homosexuality at Marshall and how to promote acceptance on campus. “This is a very homophobic campus,” said Kat Williams, American history professor and the director of Women’s Studies at Marshall. “A lot of the faculty members are afraid. If faculty and staff are afraid, then where does that come from? There is no excuse for intolerance on this campus or any other campus, and I feel that starts with the faculty and staff.” Todd Parks, Marshall graduate student in leadership studies, agrees with Williams that faculty and staff play a large role in creating an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance for Marshall students. “I have had three or four different majors in my years at Marshall and I really have seen a difference in the level of acceptance in the different departments here at Marshall,” William said. “My experience in the English department was amazing and in the Spanish
department they were European so, yeah, I felt accepted there too. But unfortunately in the counseling department, there were very mixed messages. And again in the education department they are very traditional. I felt like they thought it’s difficult to talk to young people about being gay so lets just not do it.” Williams said while she understands Marshall is in the heart of Appalachia culture, this should excuse intolerance. “We let ourselves think it’s okay to hide behind this stereotype and for us not to move forward,” Williams said. “I do not want to just be tolerated. I want to be accepted for the person I am.” “I knew a lot of people who are afraid if they came out as gay, that’s all they would be to their friends, to their neighbors and even their family,” said Lauren Angel, another panel member and a Marshall graduate student. “That would become the central part of their identity.” “I felt I had very good reception as a lesbian here,” said Emily Brooks, senior anthropology student. “Marshall has become a very important facet of my life. This doesn’t mean I still don’t get strange looks or negative comments.” Phillippe Georgel, native from France and assistant professor in the biology department
at Marshall, said he believes intolerance stems from three key elements: Education, exposure and beliefs. “The people who are ignorant are always going to be afraid of what they don’t understand,” Georgel said. But Ray Blevins, graduate assistant and director of Marshall’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Outreach program, said one way the campus has moved toward better acceptance for homosexuals is the Safe Space program. Any member of Marshall’s faculty can become a member of the Safe Space program, which will encourage students to speak openly without the fear of being judged by that staff member. Faculty and staff who become Safe Space members will receive a sticker to attach to their door to notify students they are entering a “safe space.” “We have gone from having 20 members of the Safe Space program to over 77 faculty and staff that proudly display a Safe Space sticker,” Blevins said. “But I’d like to have as many Safe Space stickers on campus as we have faculty and staff.” The panel accredited some of the campus’ intolerance to a lack of awareness and to students’ unwillingness to be involved.
Rabbinical college’s digital project seeks to engage Jews in fun way BY KRISTIN E. HOLMES THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER MCT
WYNCOTE, Pa. — The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College wants to know what members of the Jewish community love most about Passover. The four questions, or snoring relatives? Potato kugel, or arguing relatives? Pick a favorite thing about the seven-day festival, which began at sunset Monday. Then discuss. It’s all a part of a new online game and social-networking initiative called MostJewish. Launched in December, the digital project at www.mostjewish.com is an effort by the rabbinical college to activate Jewish involvement and connection, online and off. “Jews, younger Jews especially, like most Americans are spending more time on the Web, Facebook, and Twitter. We want to be there to help people find ways to express themselves and connect Jewishly,” said Rabbi Deborah Glanzberg-Krainin, director of the project. Mostjewish.com includes a game, a blog, a top-10 list and special features designed to engage Jews in a fun way that can lead to more thoughtful discussion of what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century. The game on the home page serves as a fun way to get into the site. It asks visitors to answer a question and then comment. For Passover, which commemorates the Israelites’ freedom from slavery, the question is about favorite things related to the holiday. But for the rest of the year, the query asks visitors to click on the term that’s most Jewish. Multiple-choice alternatives might be “potato knishes,” “the New York Times,” or Linda Richman’s expression “Talk amongst yourselves” from “Saturday Night Live.” “I thought it was sort of fun and hilarious,” said Jessica Shimberg, a rabbinic student at the college, which trains rabbis and offers a graduate degree in Hebrew letters. “It’s neat to see all these different people from all walks of
life weighing in.” Shimberg, 31, is in the age range of one of the college’s target demographics — young Jews. Studies show many are less connected to religious institutions than previous generations. Many don’t join a synagogue, GlanzbergKrainin said. “They are looking for new forms of religious expression. They are interested in creating their own communities, smaller communities around groups with shared interests, and they use social medial to connect.” The dilemma of reaching young people who are even less inclined to affiliate with religious institutions is an issue confronting all faiths, Glanzberg-Krainin said. On mostjewish.com, visitors also see how many users agreed with their answers to the website question. Once they post, their thoughts are shared on Facebook in what college officials hope will spark discussions around Judaism with the posters and their friends, and then the friends of friends and then the friends of friends of friends. The MostJewish Facebook site has 6,000 followers. Glanzberg-Krainin writes much of the website blog, which tackles a more thoughtful consideration of Jewish topics, such as Jewish identity and tradition. During Passover, there is a special section on the website for memorable stories about the tradition of hiding a piece of matzo during the Passover seder, the holiday meal in which family and friends recount the escape from slavery. During the seder, children hunt for the hidden matzo, the “afikomen.” Memories about being Jewish and connected to family and tradition are the kinds of things MostJewish hopes to get people talking about. MostJewish might eventually team with other Jewish organizations to address environmental, social justice and urban Jewish life issues. In the meantime, it’s the Passover season, and the game is on. Do you love sesame candies, singing off-key or matzo balls that float or sink?
“This campus is very apathetic,” Brooks said. “The staff is apathetic. The faculty is apathetic. The students are apathetic. No one wants to do anything.” The total panel included: Mediator Greta Rensenbrink, associate professor of American history; Shawn Schulenburg, professor in the political science professor; Lauren Angel, history department graduate student; Emily Brooks, senior anthropology major; Philippe Georgel, assistant professor in the biology department; Todd Parks, graduate leadership studies student and Kat Williams, American history professor. According to Rensenbrink, Marshall will soon be implementing a new sexual studies program on campus. The program will be offered as a minor to interested students, although Rensenbrink expressed her hope that the program would eventually grow into something bigger. “I think the discussion went really wonderfully,” said Lauren Cundiff, attendee of the event and vice president of Marshall’s Lambda Society. “It was very inspiring. Everyone got really into it and I think we are really striving to promote acceptance.” Erin Miller can be reached at miller652@ marshall.edu.
welcomes applications for summer and fall 2011 editors.
Available Positions: Executive Editor Managing Editor News Editor Life Editor Sports Editor Copy Editor Photo Editor Web editor
Application deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, April 29 Applications are in The Parthenon newsroom, Communications Building 109. Interviews for all positions to be announced. The Parthenon is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes diversity.
Heat stroke adds to nuclear plant workers’ woes THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN MCT
TOKYO — Heat stroke is posing yet another threat to workers dealing with already hazardous working conditions at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Some workers have suffered heat stroke while working in heavy protective suits in radioactive areas with no air conditioning. As a countermeasure, Tokyo Electric Power Co. is considering setting up air-conditioned prefabricated buildings as makeshift rest
stations for workers. According to the Fukushima Local Meteorological Observatory, the highest temperature in areas around the nuclear power plant complex in April was 72.5 degrees Fahrenheit (22.5 degrees Celsius) on Saturday. Weather data was missing for several days in April due to communication problems. On March 11, the day the massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan, the temperature near the nuclear power plant was 49 degrees Fahrenheit (9.3 degrees Celsius).
Workers in charge of checking power supply and clearing debris inside and around turbine buildings wear protective suits and full-face masks. Because they are not allowed to take off the masks during work, they cannot even drink water. Temperatures inside the suits rise sharply after only 30 minutes of exertion. Most of the air-conditioning system at the plant was made unusable by the tsunami. Only one structure at the plant is air-conditioned, a quakeresistant building where about 250 workers stay at night.
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Football one week away from Green and White game BY JAKE SNYDER THE PARTHENON
Three practices remain for the Thundering Herd football team before the conclusion of spring practice with the annual Green and White game on Saturday. Marshall head coach Doc Holliday said the team is headed in the right direction, but the last week still provides an opportunity to improve. “We’ve just got to get better every day,” Holliday said. Several questions still remain for the Herd as spring practice comes to a close. Who will start at quarterback? Will the offensive line be able to protect said quarterback? Will freshman Conelius Jones transition well to the wide receiver spot? And those are just the questions on offense. The receiving corps should provide a bright spot for the offense next fall; however, throughout the spring, the squad has struggled with injuries, thus leading to the switch of freshman standout Conelius Jones to wide receiver. Jones was expected to compete for the quarterback job. “When somebody goes down, somebody else gets an opportunity,” Holliday said. “It’s important what those young guys do with that opportunity. Some of the young guys have taken advantage of it and will be playing a whole lot of football because of it.” “I really don’t have a problem playing wide
receiver,” sophomore A.J. Graham said. “The move from quarterback to receiver is hard, but I’m making the adjustment right now — I like it.” The quarterback controversy will also continue to heat up with the conclusion of practice as sophomores A.J. Graham and Eddie Sullivan fight to show they deserve the number one spot. The offensive line has been the darkest spot of the Herd during the spring session. However, Holliday said the line has picked it up over the course of the spring and continues to improve. “The one thing I think those guys we have in there right now bring to the table is number one they love football,” Holliday said. “It’s important to them. They’re working extremely hard to be good. As long as they do that they we’ll improve every day.” The defense finishes up spring practice looking like the strong side of the ball. “We’ve got a lot of young guys who have stepped in there and played,” Holliday said. “We’re a lot further along at corner and safety than we were this time last year.” It’s important to note spring practice is merely the beginning of a long road for the Thundering Herd’s success in the 2011-12 football season. However, it lays the groundwork for what could be a positive or negative season for the Herd. Jake Snyder can be contacted at snyder100@ marshall.edu.
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Troy Evans, redshirt junior wide receiver, catches a pass during football practice. The Herd will host the annual Green and White game on Saturday.
Dwight Howard named NBA Defensive Player of the Year BY JOSH ROBBINS THE ORLANDO SENTINEL MCT
ORLANDO, Fla. — Dwight Howard now has accomplished something Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon never did. The Orlando Magic center won the 2010-11 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award on Monday and became the first player in league history to receive the honor three years in a row. “It’s a great accomplishment,” Howard said. “It’s a blessing. It’s an honor. And I just thank God for this opportunity and just for blessing me with the ability to be able to get stops on the defensive end, block shots, rebound, just do a lot of things and also have this award. “Three times in a row is history. I never really thought about it like that until I saw the awards, but I just want to keep it going.” Howard won this year’s award in a landslide. He earned 114 first-place votes out of 120 ballots cast. Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett finished second. Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler placed third. With Howard patrolling the lane, the Magic completed the
regular season ranked fourth in the NBA in defensive fieldgoal percentage, limiting opponents to 43.6 percent shooting. Individually, Howard finished second in the league in rebounds per game (14.1) and fourth in blocked shots per game (2.38). “I think when you’re in a league with this much talent and you’re able to do anything like that that no one else has done before, that’s incredible,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “He’s certainly well-deserving. The thing I think more than anything with Dwight on the defensive end of the floor, it’s not what he does well. It’s that he does everything well. He really doesn’t have a weakness on the defensive end of the floor at all.” The league gave out its first Defensive Player of the Year Award following the 1982-83 season. Mutombo and Ben Wallace won the trophy four times apiece, but never three seasons in a row. This season presented Howard with additional challenges on the defensive end. The team traded away Marcin Gortat on Dec. 18, leaving the Magic with no true backup center and making it more imperative than ever that Howard avoid fouls. “It was tough,” Howard said. “I just had to do whatever I can. If I had to play 48 minutes, I had to play 48 minutes. Coach put a lot on my shoulders.”
GARY W. GREEN I ORLANDO SENTINEL I MCT
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard battles for a rebound Saturday with Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia during action in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at the Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
Upcoming home sporting events Today Baseball vs. Eastern Kentucky 3 p.m. Softball vs. Morehead State 3 p.m.
Friday Softball vs. Southern Miss 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
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EDITORIAL
Marshall is a campus tolerant of homosexuals In a recent open panel discussion concerning homosexuality on campus, faculty members expressed concerns that Marshall University is intolerant of homosexuals on campus. “This is a very homophobic campus,” said Kat Williams, American history professor and the director of Women’s Studies at Marshall. “A lot of the faculty members are afraid. If faculty and staff are afraid, then where does that come from? There is no excuse for intolerance
on this campus or any other campus, and I feel that starts with the faculty and staff.” “My experience in the English department was amazing and in the Spanish department they were European so, yeah, I felt accepted there too,” Williams said. “But unfortunately in the counseling department, there were very mixed messages. And again in the education department they are very traditional. I felt like they thought it’s difficult to talk to young people
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about being gay so lets just not do it.” If a student wants to come out, the panel of experts who say Marshall is intolerant may convince them it isn’t safe, scaring students in believe that they are alone and there are no options for them. Marshall is a very tolerant campus. Organizations, such as LAMBDA and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Outreach, host many events on campus to bring awareness and provide support for
not only homosexuals but others who are interested in fighting for equal rights . Other possibilities available to students are talking to safe space training professors, who have learned how to counsel homosexual students and protect them. Marshall is a relatively safe campus. Very few hate crimes or violence directed to any particular race, gender or sexuality are reported on campus. Protests, fights, hate crimes or injustices are rare.
CHRIS SEEMAN
EDITORIAL CARTOON I RICK MCKEE I THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
THE DAILY REVEILLE LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERISTY UWIRE
Protecting the dignity of discourse on campus In early 2010, the disruption of talks by major officials was all the rage on university campuses, even as these outbursts inspired greater measures of outrage amongst the broader student body. In January, General David H. Petraeus was repeatedly shouted down by student anti-war protesters during a speech to a packed Gaston Hall at Georgetown University. In response, organizations across campus—from the Georgetown University Student Union to the Georgetown Democrats—condemned the conduct. The next month, Israeli Ambassador Michael B. Oren was similarly assailed, this time by 11 members of the Muslim Student Union at UC-Irvine. The interruptions of “war criminal” and “mass murderer,” which prevented the ambassador from addressing an assembled audience of hundreds, were harshly condemned by the university administration, and the MSU was subsequently suspended as a campus organization. What seemed like a typical story of an overheated campus culture clash took an unusual turn after emails among the MSU’s membership surfaced indicating that the Irvine disruptions were carefully coordinated by the group to prevent the ambassador from speaking—a premeditated plan that involved staggered disruptions by predetermined individuals with cue cards, all directed via text messages. In light of this evidence, the district attorney convened an investigatory grand jury and then leveled charges, bringing the campus controversy into the California courts. Arraigned this past Friday, the students each pled not guilty to misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to disturb a meeting and disturbance of a meeting. Prosecution is a last resort only to be employed when students themselves are unable to respect the opinions of others and the rights of their fellow students. Ideally, even the most impassioned groups would choose to engage in dialogue rather than diatribe. But for those partisan purists not dissuaded by the pragmatic and legal consequences of Irvine-esque conduct, there remains one final objection to such tactics: they don’t work. Too often, we forget that freedom of speech is largely about silence. With that in mind, let us make the Irvine prosecution into a teaching moment about the nature of our nation’s most fundamental freedoms. And let us be reminded what we owe each other as Americans, even—or especially—in the confines of our college campuses.
There’s always a possibility there are acts of hatred occurring that the public is not aware of, but it could be said that many who have a problem with homosexuality. We cannot speak for the population and say every single person on campus is acceptable of homosexuals, but we can say that Marshall as a whole is accepting of the different people who walk across the campus.
Quran burning response unacceptable, hurts US Muslims
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Pastor Terry Jones is a misguided bigot. The part-time preacher and part-time used furniture salesman has done his damndest to earn that title, using his role as the leader of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., to create more controversy than any poorly funded, 50-member hate group. The trouble began last year, when Jones and his followers planned to burn copies of the Quran on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Jones’ intentions were widely publicized and sparked international outrage, which eventually led to the cancellation of the event dubbed “International Burn a Quran Day” by Jones. Jones apparently could not help himself, however, and decided to preside over a “trial” on March 20 in which the Quran was convicted and executed — by burning, of course. This time, the outrage was real as well. Protests erupted in Afghanistan and Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 people. American politicians and religious leaders scrambled to repudiate the actions of both Jones and the violent protestors, and some went so far as to place the blame for the deaths on Jones himself. It’s an inescapable fact that the violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan was perpetrated by radical Muslims. Unfortunately, the assurance this type of response would result in a probably empowered Jones, who uses the violence committed by Muslims as a justification for his hateful proselytizing. Violent reprisals following perceived slights are not a new phenomenon for radical Muslims, and it would be unwise to write off these actions as the expected response to any affront. So then, who is to blame? Though radicals no doubt represent a small portion of Muslims throughout the world, they are unequivocally responsible for these violent protests. Unfortunately, the responsibility for marginalizing these voices of violence and extremism falls upon moderate American Muslims like Suleiman. The only real option American Muslims have is to lead by example.
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Poll: Best way to fight deficits is to raise taxes on the rich By Steven Thomma MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS MCT
WASHINGTON — Alarmed by rising national debt and increasingly downbeat about their country’s course, Americans are clear about how they want to attack the government’s runway budget deficits: raise taxes on the wealthy and keep hands off of Medicare and Medicaid. At the same time, they say that the government should not raise the legal debt ceiling, which the government must do soon to borrow more money, despite warnings that failing to do so would force the government into default, credit markets into turmoil and the economy into a tailspin. Those are among the findings of a national McClatchy-Marist poll taking the country’s pulse just as President Barack Obama and Congress launch what could be a multi-year debate on the role of government and how to finance it. Obama heads to northern Virginia on Tuesday and California on Wednesday to pitch his long-term budget proposals, as lawmakers from Congress are taking a spring recess, with most in their home districts. On tackling the deficit, voters by a margin of 2-to-1 support raising taxes on incomes above $250,000, with 64 percent in favor and 33 percent opposed. Independents supported higher taxes on the wealthy by 63-34 percent; Democrats by 83-15 percent; and Republicans opposed by 43-54 percent. Support for higher taxes rose by 5 percentage points after Obama called for that as one element of his deficit-reduction strategy last week. Opposition dropped by 6 points. The poll was conducted before and after the speech. Americans clearly don’t want the government to cut Medicare, the government health program for the elderly, or Medicaid, the program for the poor. Republicans in the House of Representatives voted last week to drastically restructure and reduce those programs, while Obama calls for trimming their costs but leaving them essentially intact. Voters oppose cuts to those programs by 80-18 percent. Even among conservatives, only 29 percent supported cuts, and 68 percent opposed them. Public views are more mixed on cutting defense spending, with 44 percent supporting cuts and 54 percent opposed. One dividing line is education: College graduates want to cut defense spending by 63-36 percent. Non-college graduates oppose cutting the Pentagon by 61-36 percent.
No matter how the government tackles its deficits and debt, Americans don’t want it to borrow any more. By 69-24 percent, voters oppose raising the legal ceiling for debt. That includes Democrats, who oppose it by 53-36 percent, independents, who oppose it by 74-22 percent, and Republicans, who oppose it by 79-16 percent. Other findings: — Only 44 percent of voters approve of Obama’s job performance, while 49 percent disapprove. That was down from 48 percent approval in January, and marked the 17th straight month that his approval has been below 50 percent; — Only 34 percent of voters approve, and 61 percent disapprove, of the way he’s handling the budget deficit, projected to total about $1.6 trillion this year; — Only 30 percent approve of the way Republicans in Congress are doing their job, while 63 percent disapprove. Underlying it all, Americans are in a pessimistic mood. Fewer than one in three — 32 percent of registered voters — think the country’s headed in the right direction, while 63 percent think it’s headed in the wrong direction. Among all adults, including non-voters, the tally is 31-64 percent, the poorest since November 2007 at the onset of the Great Recession. “We’re going through a period of partisan bickering in Washington, lots of posturing and an economy that has not taken hold the way people want,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College in New York, which conducted the poll. Like every president, Obama is a lightning rod for public sentiments. “I think he’s doing the best he can with very little help,” said Lynn King, a retired public school teacher in the town of Pelzer, S. C. “He needs a chance to develop his programs.” “He’s got our country in the biggest debt that we can ever get in,” countered Jack Millwood, a retired insurance agent in Gaffney, S.C. “I just think he’s overspent on too much.” The survey suggested a disconnect between the country and the mood in Washington, where Obama and House Republicans congratulated themselves for their recent hard-fought agreement to cut spending. That fight took the government to the brink of a shutdown and produced spending cuts of $38.5 billion, or about 1 percent of the annual federal budget. “Just because they came together in the 11th hour, that doesn’t impress people right now,” said Miringoff.
Subsidy system for quake evacuees criticized By Shingo Hashitani THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN MCT
FUKUSHIMA, Japan — “Why can’t I evacuate with my two daughters?” Akiko Sato, 24, a resident of Iitatemura in Fukushima Prefecture, was complaining to a community administrative assistant who had come to her house to explain the village’s subsidy system for evacuees leaving due to radiation leaks from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The village is designated by the central government as being within the planned evacuation area. The Iitatemura village government is subsidizing residents’ evacuation costs in light of the high concentration of radioactive substances detected in the local water and soil. However, the subsidy system’s inconvenient conditions have prompted criticism from the villagers because those most eager to utilize it — such as families with babies — are effectively prevented from benefiting. Under the system, the village pays an accommodation fee of 5,000 yen a night (including three meals) to Iitatemura residents who evacuate to outside hotels and ryokan inns that contracted with the village. The subsidies are paid from prefectural coffers. Those who qualify fall into two categories. One is pregnant women. The other is children under 3 years old accompanied by just one guardian.
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Continued from Page campuses. “I’ve worked at several universities and we talked about it, but it’s nothing like it is now,” Yaun said. Recycling bins are available in the residence halls and the university participated in a lights out hour last month — where residents were encouraged to turn the lights off in their room. The trayless campaign in the dining halls has also conserved food. Yaun said the student efforts made over the past year have saved the university over $200,000 in energy costs. Cooper said Marshall should look at nearby schools for ideas. “I feel that Marshall University could model itself after other schools that are more environmentally friendly like Ohio University which has its own composting program, recycling program, and incorporates locally grown food into its cafeterias,” Cooper said. “Marshall University could also initiate a contest to promote seeing who’s more environmentally friendly among various West Virginia colleges.” Yaun said residents have responded well to make Marshall more environmentally friendly, but there is work to be done. “It’s working, but we have a lot more work to do and we’ll continue to work towards it,” Yaun said. Dalton Hammonds can be contacted at hammonds9@ marshall.edu.
California harbors damaged by tsunami to get federal aid, Obama declares By Shelby Grad LOS ANGELES TIMES MCT
LOS ANGELES — President Barack Obama has made federal disaster aid available to California communities that suffered damage in the March tsunami. The tsunami caused an estimated $50 million damage, with the harbors in Santa Cruz and Crescent City being hardest hit. In Santa Barbara, fierce waves turned the harbor into a tidal pool, sweeping away a barge that was used for the city’s commercial fishing operation and nearly destroying a 200ton crane barge that became unmoored in the tumult. In Ventura, a city sailing dock broke off and at least one boat was lost at sea, authorities said. In Morro Bay, a dock came loose in the waves. California has already declared a disaster in several coastal counties, and the federal aid would come in addition to that. “Federal funding is available to the state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the tsunami wave surge in Del Norte and Santa Cruz counties,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a statement.
18 days until graduation!
PHOTO COURTESY OF YOMIURI SHIMBUN/MCT
A cattle farmer in Iitatemura, Fukushima Prefecture, speaks April 16, 2011, at a meeting in the village on evacuation plans.
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Local actors share talent to perform murder mystery
PHOTO COURTESY OF MURDER AND MERRIMENT
George Snider searches for clues at the Heritage Station murder mystery night. Local actors work together to perform the interactive murder mystery for an audience of students and community members. BY ELIZABETH STEWART The Parthenon
Students who enjoy a murder mystery have the chance not only to be an observer of the mayhem but also to participate in the crime solving. Murder and Merriment is a local group of actors that performs interactive murder mystery parties all across the TriState area. George Snider, creative director of Murder and Merriment has been performing in murder mystery parties for 20 years. “I have always enjoyed it,” Snider said, “and I figured why pay for the rights to others’ plays when I could write them myself and pay the actors instead.” So, six years ago Snider pooled his talent with others in the area to form the Murder and Merriment acting troupe. The murder mystery parties focus on a group of 10 actors, one who has been murdered and one who is guilty of the slaying — while the rest are suspects. It is up to the audience to interrogate the characters and collect clues to solve the classic
mystery of “who done it,” according to Snider. “Each character has a motive to kill the victim, so it’s fun to see who the audience questions the most,” Snider said. The actors are not permitted to lie when asked a direct question, but changing the subject and evasion are not ruled out when being interrogated. “Another great thing about these parties is that it can be customized to any situation,” Snider said. Mystery stories can range from World War II era to a 1980s high school reunion to a modern day setting, Snider said. “Since I write each mystery story, I can really tailor the story to fit whatever and wherever you need,” Snider said. “It’s really fun when the audience gets involved, but the great thing about these parties is that you can get involved as little or as much as you want,” Snider said. Kat Bryant, freshman pre-nursing major from Huntington, has recently gotten deeply involved in Murder and Merriment. “I have only done one weekend of performances, and the first night was really intimidating,” Bryant said.
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Although the actors have a basic outline of the story and the background of their character, improvisational acting is the heart of the performance. “Improving can sometimes be difficult, especially when the unexpected happens, but the audience and other actors are so great that it’s easy to feed off their energy,” Bryant said. Preparation is also key to successfully selling the story, Bryant said. “I am preparing for my next role two months ahead, the story is about two warring mob families, so getting that Italian mob accent down is going to be tough,” Bryant said. Members of the Marshall community who are interested in participating in a murder mystery party can check out their Facebook page for more information. “We’re looking for new talent all the time,” Snider said. Elizabeth Stewart can be contacted at stewart52@marshall.edu.