02.10.11 Yellow Jacket

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Vol. 88 No. 15

51 W. College St. Waynesburg, PA 15370

Satellite campus to relocate in fall as lease expires

By Alex Hinton Editorial Assistant

Photos by Lisa Jaeger

(Top) Nick Farrell tries to convince members of the Department of Communication that he should receive a scholarship during Merit Day, which was held Feb. 5. (Bottom) More than 250 high school seniors visited campus Saturday to compete for departmental scholarships and tour the campus.

MERIT DAY

Students compete for scholarships

By Rachel Davis Staff Writer More than 250 high school seniors visited Waynesburg University Saturday, Feb. 5 to compete for a variety of scholarships, including departmental, Bonner, leadership and Stover Scholar.

Each department had different activities planned, such as the Department of Communication.

Fifteen prospective students participated in a variety of tasks to become one of three scholarship recipients.

The students were split into morning and afternoon groups, which completed the same tasks.

Both groupings were required to write a 350500 word paper about why they want to pursue a field in communication. Then a rotation was completed from a student and professor interview panel, reading from a script on the teleprompter and drafting a two-minute speech for the ending public speaking activity.

The students were required to tell about

Sometimes change can be a good thing; this is true for Waynesburg University’s Southpointe Center branch campus.

The upcoming changes for Southpointe will include a different location, more classroom space and a brand new building this fall.

Waynesburg University holds classes for its graduate and professional studies programs at four different sites, one of which is Southpointe.

“With our current lease set to expire in November 2011, we began the process of searching for a new

By Amanda Silay

See MERIT on A3

WU celebrates Black History Month Staff Writer Troubled by the history books of 1926 that disregarded America’s black population, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the son of former slaves, founded a week in February he called Negro History Week.

Fifty years later, it expanded into Black History Month. In the midst of the month, Waynesburg University’s Black Student Union has filled a calendar with activities to honor an 85-year-old undertaking.

“We’re just trying to figure out what this campus wants to experience

See SOUTHPOINTE on A3

Governor change could impact education majors Staff Writer

By Carrie Maier

location as well as the option to renew at our current location,” Dave Mariner, assistant dean of Graduate and Professional Studies said.

For the past 10 years, the Southpointe Center branch campus has been located at the Summit Corporate Center.

It will be moving to a new building in Southpointe II called Embassy Park, according to an article in the Pittsburgh Business Times.

Southpointe’s commercial real estate agent, NAI Pittsburgh, aided with the search throughout the South Hills, including poten-

and trying to create awareness toward diversity,” said Zac Northen, advisor of the BSU. “We came together to create this list of events.”

Northen said planning began in August by an executive board of elected student leaders that took “ownership and responsibility” for the events of

Black History Month.

“Last week we brought Amena Brown,” said resident director Emily Jensen, who was involved in “getting things set up and pointing out suggestions.”

Spoken-word poet Brown kicked off Black See ACTIVITIES on A2

Teachers and students will potentially see some changes to the education system.

According to Associate Professor of Education Frank Pazzynski, when Pennsylvania elects a new governor, the education system is changed in some way.

In November 2010, Republican Tom Corbett was elected the new governor of Pennsylvania.

It is a politically charged mess and consequently never stops, said Chair of the Department Education Diane Woodrum.

“In 2008 new mandates for field experience were added, which requires students to obtain 200 hours of field experience before they can start student teaching,” Woodrum said.

Every education class requires 15-20 See STUDENTS on A4

Service, conservation focus of Who’s Your Neighbor Week

By Rachel Brown Executive Editor While students always have had a hand in planning Who’s Your Neighbor Week, they played a slightly more significant role this year, according to Bonner Coordinator Sarah Brandstetter.

“Eight of the 14 events

are truly the ideas of students,” she said.

Students join faculty and staff members on the planning committee, which begins to plan the week six months to one year ahead of time.

The week is held once each semester to focus on serving the community.

The combination of activ-

ities and speakers is called Who’s Your Neighbor Week, which, this semester, will be held Feb. 1318.

“The idea behind Who’s Your Neighbor Week is to look at the issues facing our communities, bringing to life the issues people face and talking about [them],”

Brandstetter said. “We need to be aware of what is happening around us and have an understanding of it.”

Each day has a different topic, which fits into an overarching theme: thirsting.

According to Brandstetter, the group came up with the week’s activities

first. The theme was an afterthought.

“We had some really great opportunities to bring in speakers,” she said, mentioning Naomi Tutu and Lisa Sharon Harper. Tutu is the daughter of the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu, and will

SPORTS

ARTS & LIFE

REGION

The women’s basketball team faces two nationally ranked teams this week.

See Page C1

Waynesburg will host two camps for high school students this summer.

Chris Hardie will run four marathons in four days to raise money for Relay for Life.

INSIDE Copyright © 2010 by Waynesburg University

speak at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Alumni Hall.

Harper is the current Executive Director of N.Y. Faith and Justice, an organization that seeks to unite the church and end poverty.

“Lisa talks about God in politics, poverty, faith

Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-A4 Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1, B4 Editorial/Op-Ed . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2, B3

Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C1-C4 Arts & Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D1-D3 Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D4

See Page D1

See WYNW on A2

See Page B1

YELLOW JACKET

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Campus

CHAPEL

Princeton professor explains historical significance of spirituals

By Eric Bost Staff Writer Dr. Luke Powery from Princeton Theological Seminary reminded Waynesburg University students at Tuesday’s Chapel how there is joy in suffering.

As it was the second week of Black History Month, Powery decided to explain how slavery inspired the spiritual music that provided the African slaves with a temporary escape to their current situation.

“For slaves, song was a sign of life,” Powery said, “It was a refusal to give up in the face of death.”

He said that slaves, called black bards, sang a musical story about the pain they experienced, and without suffering nobody can have a relationship with

Dr. Luke Powery spoke at Chapel Tuesday about finding joy in suffering. He used African American slaves as examples, citing their rich history of spirituals as bringing them closer to Jesus.

Photo by Amanda Rice

God. “We can’t come and gather, praise and worship without acknowledging pain,” said Powery.

He explained that the slaves endured levels of pain, such as

being de-humanized and being viewed as beasts, as property to be sold or as entertainers forced to wear rope neckties.

Powery explained these songs’ meanings, comparing it to today’s

world.

“Life is not a bunch of sweet smelling roses. The black bards call us to remember the suffering of those forgotten,” said Powery.

“The stories of the unknown teach us that

black history is human history.

“Maybe we can learn from and love the one who died on the cross.

Suffering is real, part of the Christian life, but the hope still brings out and teaches us that

hope does not disappoint.”

He described these songs as musical sermons and said that their meanings still hold true today.

“These songs were created in the past but their message is so true in the present, and their suffering is so great that you see many of the [songs] connecting with Jesus,” Powery said.

The slave’s felt that Jesus went through the same experience they did, therefore understanding their situation.

“For the slave, Jesus was the personification of the slaves own suffering,” said Powery.

Part of the slaves suffering was the loneliness that came with living on a plantation.

See POWERY on A4

HPV immunizations Education students to offer free writing, to be given Feb. 21, reading clinics for community children March 21 on campus “

By Brandon Reed

Editorial Assistant Later this month, the nursing department will give out free HPV immunizations for both men and women in the Student Health Center.

The immunizations will take place from 12:30 p.m. until 2 p.m.

Feb. 21 and March 21.

HPV is related to head, neck and penile cancer as well, said nursing professor Melany Chrash.

HPV is the human papillomavirus and has been linked to certain types of cancer, mainly cervical according to www.HPV.com.

Posters and handouts are posted around campus listing different statistics about HPV. The posters say that 75 - 80 percent of males and females will be infected with HPV in their lifetime.

The posters also say that the most common way HPV can spread is through genital contact

WYNW scheduled Continued from A1 and justice,” Brandstetter said.

“She looks at how poverty and education reflect each other.”

Harper will speak at Chapel and again at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center.

“Each day, it’s something different,” Brandstetter said. “We’re looking at [thirst] from a biblical perspective. We’re

Waynesburg University will host a free Reading and Writing Clinic for local youth seeking individualized help with literary skills. The clinic will be held on the third floor of Miller Hall on the campus of Waynesburg University each Monday and Wednesday from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. The Clinic will begin Monday, Feb. 14

with someone who has the virus.

Professor Chrash is in charge of the immunizations and will present at both dates.

According to Chrash, Waynesburg University was able to get 100 vaccines from the state health department through President Obama’s recent health care reform bill.

“A typical HPV vaccine can cost $500, so this can be a real money saver for a lot of people that may need this vaccine,” said Chrash.

This is the first of many steps to help make Greene County and the campus healthier, said Chrash.

Typically, HPV immunizations are given between the ages of nine and 12 before an adult becomes sexually active, she said.

“We don’t know what your partner is bringing to the table, so we are trying to help keep our students as safe as possible,” said Chrash.

History Month, speaking at chapel and performing at an Open Mic Night on Feb 1. Luke Powery of Princeton, also spoke on Feb. 8 at chapel.

Both performances were set up by the BSU. “All BSU students are very eager to have an influence on campus and to do things well,” said Northen.

The next event is the Ethnic Food Fair, which Northen said the BSU did not set up but is avidly

thirsting for God and what that looks like physically, mentally and spiritually.”

In addition to the speakers, the University will host a thirst banquet at 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Stover Campus Center.

The idea of the thirst banquet came from students, Brandstetter said.

“It’s a cross between a hunger banquet and poverty simulation,” she said.

During a hunger banquet, participants are split into groups and the amount of food they receive is based on their level of poverty. A poverty

simulation is more interactive.

“Students actually will have money and can get a job, go to the bank— almost like they’re living in those [different] situations,” Brandstetter said.

A reflection period will follow the banquet.

Brandstetter said the planning committee also tried to involve all aspects of the University during the week, noting the partnership between the group and the University’s basketball teams.

“It’s a first,” she said.

At both the men’s and women’s games, a water challenge will be held to

Activities planned Continued from A1

It was so rewarding to see...how excited they were to share their improvement of literacy skills.”

Sara Phillips Senior Elementary and Special Education Major

offered by Waynesburg University education students.

“The Waynesburg University Reading and Writing Clinic is very individualized and offers a support service to local families,” said Dr. Joan Henderson, clinic coordinator and professor of education

and will run through Wednesday, April 20.

Students in kinder-

garten through sixth grade are eligible for the one-onone tutoring instruction

participating in, which takes place Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. on the second floor of Stover.

That same day, Dr. Joonna Trapp, chair of the department of English and Foreign Language, will be presenting “God Struck Me Dead: Rethinking the Conversion Narratives from the Works Progress Administration,” in honor of Black History Month.

Trapp said the presentation is a collection of narratives by former slaves in the early part of the 20th century in an attempt to preserve their memories.

“They realized that we were about to lose a

whole generation of knowledge,” said Trapp, echoing Woodson’s initial fear 85 years prior.

Events continue with a movie discussion of “To Save a Life” on Feb. 13.

Following the film five students from the BSU were selected to attend the Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh from Feb. 18 – 20.

“We’re really thrilled to do a lot of things,” Jensen said. “There’s so much.”

Northen said, though he could not single out a particular event, the Gospel Explosion set for Feb. 27 to close out the month was the most involved task.

“As advisor of BSU, I kind of pushed them toward bigger events,” Northen said. “The Gospel Explosion, with some students from other universities coming to campus, is going to be great.”

The majority of events can be found in the student activities calendar.

“I am highly supportive,” Trapp said. “I encourage everyone to attend these events.”

Moreover, Waynesburg’s activities over the duration of the month show Woodson’s efforts to bring attention to the history of a population once ignored by textbooks.

educate students about the importance of saving water.

Brandstetter urged stu-

dents, faculty and staff to take advantage of the week.

“Come out and check

out one or two or three of the events,” she said. “It’s educational and fun at the same time.”

See CLINICS on A4

Thursday, February 10, 2011

YELLOW JACKET

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Campus

Jubilee Conference ‘could change everything’ Program

By Jason Logan Staff Writer “It could change everything.”

That is the slogan that the Coalition for Christian Outreach has dubbed this year’s Jubilee Conference.

The CCO is a campus ministry that works with churches, colleges and other organizations to help form students into adults who live out their Christian faith in all aspects of life.

One of their missions is that of the Jubilee Conference.

The Jubilee Conference is an annual Christian event held in Pittsburgh that focuses on college students and their application of Christian values into their lives and future.

Waynesburg University Chaplain Tom Ribar stands behind the importance of this event in the life of any college student.

“There is no conference like it, and it helps students relate their academics to their faith,” Ribar said.

“I would hope that stu-

Photo by Lisa Jaeger

Waynesburg student Josh Brewer worships at Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh last year. The annual conference will be held Feb. 18-20. dents would attend [Jubilee] every year possible, for it will greatly benefit them every year.”

The conference will be held at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh Feb. 18-20, and college students from across the country will attend.

Waynesburg University will attend with approximately 50 students.

More than 60 speakers

will speak at this weekend, teaching and discussing the public applications of faith.

Students can personalize their experience by choosing a workshop or breakout session featuring a speaker on the major, career or life issue of their choice.

Ribar, who first attended the event in 1981, has seen the great influence Jubilee has had on his own and other students’

lives over the years.

“Jubilee affected me the way it’s intended to,” he said. “It was instrumental to receive claim of Christ’s lordship in all doings of life.”

WU has attended Jubilee since it began in 1977, and student responses today in regards to the experience are highly positive, said Ribar.

Zach Northen, CCO staff member said, “I have

never come across anyone who said, ‘Eh it’s OK.’ Students really learn what it’s like to honor God.” This is a conference designed to aid students in finding a career path, building faith and applying these lessons to glorify God. “There aren’t a lot of Christians who have thought about a career from a Christian perspective,” Ribar said.

Jubilee is not just a conference for students firmly established in the Christian faith. College students of any background attend.

Ribar said, “I have seen students come without any Christian knowledge and leave with much learned.”

The conference helps those involved understand that studies are not solely affiliated with school and grades, but they are a part of discipleship, said Ribar.

With students and speakers from all over the country, Northen said, “It is definitely a place to encounter what God is up to in the world.”

Senate proposes Constitution wording change • The Student Senate Executive Board proposed to change the wording of the Student Senate Constitution.

The revisions will correct the requirements necessary to hold the position of Social Vice President within Student Senate, said Student Senate President Mike Quinn.

The changes were made because the original Constitution was correct and mistakes were made when it was rewritten; the purpose of the revisions is to fix those mistakes, said Quinn.

These changes are not final and will be voted upon by all of the Senators next week.

Southpointe relocates Continued from A1 tial locations in Southpointe, Mariner said.

“We made the decision to partner with Embassy Park because they are going to construct a brand new building in a very desirable location in the Southpointe Technology Park,” he said.

Mariner said that a

• Student Senate is still working with the Department of Communication and Amy Mina, electronic media major and general manager of WCTV, to get a live feed of Senate meetings on air.

Because of storage limitations, there is a possibility that the meetings may be taped and aired the morning after, according to Executive Vice President of Student Senate Brian Wehrle.

• According to Academic Vice President Natalie George, faculty members discussed basing Assessment Day on completed credits rather than grade level in the future.

• George also said that students will be able to

major advantage of the move is the ability to customize the space to meet the demands of the Southpointe campus branch’s current needs, which includes classroom space and flow throughout the building.

The graduate and professional studies programs will occupy approximately 90 percent of the first floor of the new building, he said.

Pat Sentner, a principal with NAI Pitts-

Photo by Greg Reinhart

Student Senate President Mike Quinn encourages students to donate money to the Relay for Life during the Senate meeting on Tuesday. register for classes starting at 11 a.m. on Thursdays rather than mid-

night on Sunday. They also intend to have more commuter support avail-

able when it is time to schedule.

- Brandon Reed

burgh, said in the Pittsburgh Business Times that because of the new building’s first floor location, it will be more visible and provide better access to students.

“The Southpointe area has been a very strong area for Waynesburg to be able to attract students,” Sentner said.

The new site will be situated adjacent to the Consol Energy building, Fairmont Supply and the new Range

Resources corporate headquarters that is currently under construction, Mariner said.

According to Mariner, Waynesburg University decided to move to its current South Hills location in Southpointe from its original site at Summerfield Commons off of Rt. 19 in Washington County in 2001.

At the time of the first setting change, Dean Joseph Graff led the graduate and professional studies programs, he said.

Since moving to the current Southpointe location, the GAPS programs expanded by adding five classrooms including a second computer lab in 2007, Mariner said.

“We have great signage opportunities and look forward to increasing the awareness of our institution throughout Southpointe and the southern region of western Pennsylvania,” Mariner said.

Merit Day held Feb. 5 Continued from A1 themselves and why they deserved the scholarship.

“It was slightly overwhelming at first,” said Sarah Bennett, a high school senior from Walling Ford, Conn., “but everyone was helpful.”

The morning group consisted of eight students, majoring in sports broadcasting, public relations, photography and advertising. In the afternoon session, seven students majoring in the same areas with the addition of interactive design, were critiqued.

“I never spoke in front of a camera before, and I got to experience what it was like to work in a studio,” said Vince Mediate from Trafford, Pa. when asked what his favorite activity was throughout the afternoon.

During both sessions, current communication

educates students about HIV

By Brandon Reed Editorial Assistant During two lunchtime sessions on Monday in the Benedum Dining Hall, the Pittsburgh Aids Task Force talked about safe sex and the importance of abstinence.

The Department of Nursing really wants to stress the importance of stopping sexually transmitted diseases through abstinence, said Melany Chrash, assistant professor of nursing.

“The overall message of the program is abstinence,” she said.

According to an e-mail from Nurse Director Carol Young, the program, called “HIV: Why me,” was offered because college students are considered a high-risk age group.

Rural Case Managers John Musser and Anitra Branch made the presentation.

Musser talked mainly about the numbers and where HIV and AIDS are most prevalent in Pennsylvania and the rest of the world.

He also talked about the ways HIV and AIDS can spread as well as ways to prevent these diseases.

Branch broke down the biology of HIV and AIDS, mentioning that abstinence is the best way to avoid these deadly diseases.

Branch and Musser both took part in demonstrations designed to teach those in attendance about practicing safe sex and the importance of abstinence and purity.

In addition to the presentation, gift cards to Bob Evans and Hot Rods were raffled off to students who attended the lecture.

students assisted the professors in answering possible questions about student life, the department of communications and the town life. Current students also helped escort group members to the various areas when it was their turn to be critiqued.

“The interview was the most challenging because you had to come up with the answers on the spot but also because you had to be professional,” said Shelby Tabrosky, a future sports broadcasting major from Glenshaw, Pa. “I was pleased with the candidates,” said Kristine Schiffbauer, lecturer in communication. “They had great interviews, presentation of writing samples, public speaking, and work with the teleprompter. The deliberations were difficult. I was also very pleased with the student volunteers that worked with the faculty on the event.”

The notification will come from the admissions office, said Schiffbauer.

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Campus

Stay hydrated and get sleep to prevent sickness, nurse says

By Marisa van der Eijk Staff Writer The cold weather has been affecting the health of both students and faculty at Waynesburg University.

During this season everyone seems acquire some sort of sickness, whether it’s a cold, a flu or even bronchitis.

Dr. Teresa Small, professor of nursing, believes that weather plays a role in the campus health.

“I think [the weather affects health] because it keeps us inside,” she said.

“The cold is definitely a stressor.”

The cold weather is a contributing factor to sickness, but it is not the only factor.

If a student’s body is run-down, then they are

Clinics to be offered Continued from A2 at Waynesburg University. “My students also benefit as they learn how to link assessment to instruction. It helps them to build a strong knowledge base about the reading and writing processes.”

In addition to the benefits gained by the Waynesburg University students and the local youth, Henderson said the clinic is

Students face change Continued from A1 hours, and students are taking an average of

Infographic by Michelle Naymick

more susceptible to pick up a virus.

“Taking care of yourself is the best way to prevent something,” Small said.

Washing your hands regularly, keeping sanitizing wipes readily available, acquiring sleep and

getting good nutrition are all ways to prevent becoming sick, said Small. It is very important to generally eat healthy and take good care of your body.

Germs are known to spread easier in the winter because of the drier air.

Small says that a cold is much more common than the flu.

“Flu symptoms are more severe,” she said.

The cold consists of a runny nose and a cough.

The flu is much more dangerous, according to Small.

valuable to her role as a professor measuring student growth.

“I have the opportunity to observe my students working with children in an authentic setting. I learn as well,” she said.

Sara Phillips, a senior elementary and special education major from McDonald, Pa., participated in the clinic in previous years and said the setting allowed her to apply classroom content in a realworld setting.

“I had to use the knowledge that I learned over the years to assist the

student and make their experience at the clinic beneficial to them,” Phillips said. “It was so rewarding to see how the students grew over the sessions and how excited they were to share their improvement of literacy skills.”

Wesley Loring, a senior elementary education major from Greensboro, Pa., said the clinic also allows Waynesburg University students to develop leadership skills as a result of the invaluable mentoring opportunities afforded by the clinic.

Powery preaches “No one can be more hapless than one who was cut off from family, from language, from one’s roots. Not to have a mother or father, not to be at home? It’s expressing a sense of alienation,” said Powery.

“Home is an affirmation for community.

There was a deep yearning for a shared

three to four education classes per semester.

This affects the freshman class because there is a small number of schools in the area where they can obtain their hours, and many

of them do not have cars to travel far distances, Woodrum said.

“When we are observing we get to see all different kinds of teaching styles, behaviors in children and all

different kinds of classrooms,” Education student Jenn Butschle said. “I do see an issue in transportation, but if the school could possibly provide transportation, that could

Continued from A2

Students often feel sicker when they have the flu, and acquire shakes, a fever and their bodies will begin to ache.

Small said her students are usually very responsible with their work if they are to become sick.

They always make up their work and ask a friend for notes. The nursing department is known for their challenging courses.

“We have a very tight attendance policy,” Small said. Even when students do come to class, she still hears coughing and sneezing.

Carol Young, nurse director of student health services, has seen an increase in the number of stomach problems.

Young has kept herself healthy through the win-

ter months by getting flu shots, she said. Over the counter medicines are always helpful when treating and preventing colds as well, she said.

If a student becomes sick then they need to decide themselves if they are able to make class, they should notify the instructor before they miss class, Young said.

It is very important that students treat their sickness. Cold and flu can often turn into other, more serious sicknesses.

“But first is prevention,” Young said.

Keeping hydrated and sufficient sleep is the key to a healthy winter.

If students treat their bodies right, then they will be able to combat the winter and avoid the viruses.

“Suffering is real...but the hope still brings out and teaches us that hope does not disappoint.”

Luke Powery Assistant Professor, Princeton Theological Seminary

communal experience of the spirit.”

Powery said that with these songs slaves realized that if others could be delivered by God, everybody else could too, including their slave masters.

“What’s love got to

do with it? Everything,” Powery said.

“To give one’s hand to someone else shows that we need each other in the world and it’s a sign of love for one another.

The [songs] help us keep that love ethic.”

help.”

Larger class sizes also pose a problem.

There were approximately 100 incoming freshman wanting to major in education this fall, Woodrum said.

“Overall, however, I think that the amount of hours is appropriate for education majors because that’s 200 hours worth of experience before actually being in charge of a classroom,” Butschle said. “It will ultimately make future teachers more comfortable in front of a classroom.”

Other changes were made to the education curriculum in 2008 with the certification levels students can obtain a degree in, Woodrum said.

“We were actually the first school in the state to initiate these changes to the department,” Pazzynski said.

Students can now be certified in early childhood education, in

middle level education, in secondary education and in special education, Woodrum said.

This is a change from the past certifications for pre-kindergarten to sixth grade and seventh to twelfth grade.

Although the mandate has been in effect for two years now, most schools only started implementing it this year, Pazzynski said.

“Tom’s plan will link student achievement to compensation, as well as expand pathways to teaching and leadership, such as Teach for America, that allow professionals from other fields to enter the education community,” said the Tom Corbett for governor website.

“We do not know for sure what changes could occur, but we anticipate some within the next year or two again,” Woodrum said.

Guest columnist Casey Patterson writes about Chevrolet’s new real time Facebook status update feature.

Read more on B2

Thursday, February 10, 2011

By Natalie Bruzda Social Media Manager Over a period of four consecutive days, one man will run 105 miles in Greene County, all in an effort to bring attention to the second most common cause of death in the United States: cancer.

Chris Hardie, a Greene County employee and Waynesburg University head cross country and assistant track and field coach, will “cross the county” for the fifth annual cancer research fundraiser.

“I think we all pret-

ty much have some experience with cancer,” Hardie said. “My motivation to run these marathons came from two tragedies I experienced throughout my lifetime. It motivates me to want to do more each and every year.”

On Feb. 25, Hardie will begin the first of his four marathons at 7 a.m. in the vicinity of Central Greene High School. “Chris Cross the County” will continue the following day at Ryerson Station State Park.

The challenge will take him to the

Photo courtesy of University Relations

Hardie readies for cross-county run Greene River Trail on the third day and will conclude at Wanna B Park in Carmichaels around noon on Monday, Feb. 28.

“When I first started ‘Chris Cross the County’ I wanted to make sure that I kept it in t h e Greene County,” AmerHardie said. “I want to i c a n make sure each part of Cancer the county, like South- Society. eastern Greene and B u t Western Greene, is while the represented. This will f u n d r a i s i n g give people the oppor- goal has not tunity to come out and changed, the look or cheer.” length of the As in the past four event, and years, Hardie’s goal is to raise $5,000 for See HARDIE on B4

Confusion abounds over agreement made between Lams, WU

By Kaitlin Edwards

settlement for my clients.”

Managing Editor Waynesburg UniversiWaynesburg Universi- ty acquired the building ty and the Lams Garden currently housing the Lams GarChinese den Chinese Restaurant Restaurant reached an last October agreement I have no and has early last idea what’s going attempted week. The to help the restaurant on anymore. I’m closed last still trying to help restaurant Friday and them, but I don’t find a new location will reopen since the again in know what to do purchase. late April because of the K i r k at the cur- confidential King, attorrent locaney for Waytion of the agreement made nesburg C o l l e g e between them.

University, T o w n Bruce Wermlinger was unavailDiner.

Borough Manager able for “ T h e comment. only thing I After an inspection of can say right now is that we are very satisfied that the building by K2 engithe best outcome neering, several structurworked out for both par- al issues forced the Unities in this situation,” versity to take action.On said William Mitchell, Friday, Jan. 21, the ownattorney for the restau- ers of the Lams Garden Chinese Restaurant, rant owners.

“The college made a Choy You Yi Zhu and good effort to work with Chenping Yuan, were the situation, and it See LAMS on B4 ended up being a good

“

Photo by Amanda Rice

Tail-wagging fun Waynesburg residents and their dogs gathered on the courthouse steps on Friday to show their Steeler pride.

”

EVA K. BOWLBY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Activities mark Love Your Library month

By Kyle Edwards Region Editor February is a time that people choose to express their love for not only their sweetheart, but their local library as well.

The Eva K. Bowlby

Public Library in Waynesburg is celebrating Love Your Library Month during February.

“The purpose [of Love Your Library Month] is really just to give patrons the opportunity to come by, stop in and express how

much they appreciate their local library,” said Kathy Douglas, Bowlby Library public relations director.

“There are a lot of things that they can do to help.”

Patrons can contribute something to

the library, pay for a subscription to a magazine for the library, purchase a memorial to honor or remember a friend or relative or just plain volunteer their time.

See LIBRARY on B4

Steelers fans blame Big Ben, defense for Super Bowl loss

By Sarah Bell Editorial Assistant Jessica Cole sat in her living room watching the last two minutes of the Super Bowl Sunday night.

The Steelers had possession of the ball, but they were behind six points – if they scored on this drive they could win the Super Bowl.

On a heart-racing drive, the Steelers did not deliver, and the Packers won Super Bowl XLV, 31 to 25.

Cole, of Waynesburg, has been a Steelers fan since she was a child.

She is disappointed by the loss, but she had faith in the team until the last drive of the game.

“I was crushed when they lost,” Cole said. “I had my doubts about them winning, but I never say they are going to win or lose. You just never know what’s going to happen, and the Steelers have been playing good all year.”

Bill Marley, a Waynesburg resident and life-long Steelers fan, was upset by the loss but was impressed with the season overall.

“I was disappointed,

Photo courtesy of Jonah Gollihugh

Steelers fans gathered in Willlison hall for its Super Bowl party excited for what would have been the team’s seventh title. They left disappointed, but optimistic. but I’m glad that they made it as far as they

did,” Marley said. “The Steelers are a good team

and I can only hope for another chance next sea-

son.”

Both Cole and Marley agree that turnovers were large problems and resulted in the outcome of the game.

If fingers have to be pointed to one player who caused the loss: “Ben,” Cole said.

“Ben Roethlisberger was my biggest disappointment; he threw two balls to wide open defenders,” she said.

“He has been playing so good this season and he just wasn’t on his game.”

Marley places the See STEELERS on B4

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Page B2

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Editorial

Don’t deface Campus property should be respected The signs, flyers and message boards across campus are under attack. The mailroom ride board in Stover Campus Center has suffered fake ride requests since the middle of last semester.

The Resident Assistant board in Pollock Hall has also been defaced, its photos ripped, stabbed and otherwise mutilated, but it’s not the only one.

Every time a new flyer or advertisement is placed on the various message boards around campus, it suffers the same fate or is torn down completely.

And worst of all, the walls, railings and even the bed frames of the dorm buildings around campus are littered with the graffiti of inappropriate anatomical “artwork.”

This kind of behavior is something that is expected of elementary school children, yet here it is, rearing its ugly head on a college campus.

The student body needs to take a stand against these indecencies. Students need to stop these hooligans from desecrating their beautiful campus, turning it into a haven for inappropriate drawings and graffiti.

Think about it. That flyer that you just ripped down is the result of someone’s hard work. T hat wall that you just scribbled the male anatomy on now has to be painted over at some point.

The desk you vent your frustrations on in the form of vulgar scrawling will offend its residents for years to come. So, next time you feel the urge to tear down a flyer or draw something where it really shouldn’t be, think twice. And encourage your friends to the same.

Congrats, ladies Women’s basketball team rises to the top The Waynesburg University women's basketball team has made great strides over the last four years.

Simply, they have moved from a struggling team to a winning team. Currently holding onto a 16-5 season, these 14 women are sitting at number three in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

The last time the women's team saw this many wins was during the '94-'95 season when they won 21 games. This year, the team falls only behind nationally ranked Thomas More and Saint Vincent (ranked number one in the division overall).

With just four more games in the regular season, the PAC Championship Tournament will begin on Feb. 22, and for the first time in many years, Waynesburg University will be hosting one of the first rounds.

Several of Waynesburg's women are also individual ranked among the best in the conference. Senior, Elisha Jones is currently the number two offensive rebounder and the number three scorer and rebounder and junior Hannah Hunter is ranked second in assists per game.

All of the women on the team, and Coach Sam Jones, have put in many long hours to achieve such high standings and should be congratulated for the pride they bring to the court and the university. As the season wraps up, good luck and go Jackets!

Keep your priorities straight: laugh “Why so serious?”

Even if you have never seen the Joker creepily repeat this line in a Batman movie, chances are you would have seen this line used at some point.

Although the Joker character would not be someone I would like to meet, he does have a point.

Why are we all so serious all the time?

Even serious situations can have a positive spin on them.

The Super Bowl for example.

I honestly laughed through the whole thing,

KAITLIN EDWARDS Columnist

even though I was slightly disappointed by the conclusion.

How could someone not laugh when you watch your dad jumping up and down as Heinz Ward makes a tremendous catch or watching your mom yelling at the top of her lungs at the television screen as Big Ben threw yet another interception?

One of the main reasons to watch the Super

Expect and embrace interruptions The end of the world was at hand.

Or at least that’s what it seemed like, judging by the screams.

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, the cable died.

In the middle of Jersey Shore.

Everybody scream in unison now. Despite the lack of cable and Internet, people flocked to

Bowl is the commercials, so when I saw the commercial about the kid dressed up as Darth Vader from Star Wars during a car commercial I almost fell off the couch laughing.

I even laughed during the halftime show, but that was only because I thought the singing was terrible.

I’m not the only one who thinks that being happy and positive can have a great impact on your life.

According the University of Maryland Medical Center in Boston, recent studies have been

RACHEL BROWN Columnist

Facebook, complaining how they couldn’t watch the show.

I admit I took great pleasure watching status after status pop up on my iPhone.

Girls in the underclassmen dorms ran from room to room, hoping one television would have miraculously escaped the curse. (None did.) Many of the Facebook statuses used words unfit to print as students cursed Comcast because they couldn’t watch their favorite train

conducted that support the fact that laughing and having a positive attitude can affect your health.

They came to the conclusion that participants who laughed easily and had a positive attitude were significantly less likely to have heart disease than those participants with a negative attitude.

If you have ever seen me on Tuesday night trying to meet a deadline for the newspaper, chances are I am not exactly the easiest perSee DON’T on B3

wrecks on television.

And then Sunday rolled around.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. (My sincere condolences to the majority of campus who are in mourning.)

Finally, it was time for that episode of Glee that Fox had been teasing all game. I’m pretty sure I was more excited for that episode than the actual game, but, hey, my Philadelphia Eagles weren’t in Dallas.

And so, the game ended. The KDKA anchors started to talk, bemoaning the lack of the See TIME on B3

Since when can’t logging on just wait?

“Whoa whoa whoa – you can talk during the game, but not when it’s on commercial!”

One of my roommates explicitly established this ground rule at the start of the Super Bowl last Sunday.

I imagine that it was a familiar sentiment in front of your TV as well.

The Super Bowl ads are always greatly anticipated; yet, it is hard to remember a year without at least one disappointment.

This year, my disgust was bottled up while

CASEY PATTERSON Guest Columnist

watching a Chevrolet advertisement for the new sedan.

Let’s set the scene.

A young couple share their first kiss at the stoop of the lady’s apartment building (conventional cliché ending, right?).

Next scene – the gentleman is driving home in his new car, when he extends his arm, push-

ing a button on the rearview mirror.

The tranquilizing voice of a computerized woman responds, “Good evening, what would you like to do?”

Before the general inquiry is even complete, the man answers: “Facebook news feed.”

Again to the techy copilot: “First post, (insert name): Best first date ever!”

The commercial concludes with that savvy voice boasting about the “real time Facebook status updates.

When the good news just can’t wait.”

Perhaps I stand alone here, but since when can’t it wait? When did our society transition from phone calls and second dates to status updates and relationship statuses?

When did we become so inherently dependent on social networking, that we seem unable to do without?

It is, I’ll attest, difficult to even avoid.

When I was researching See TAKE on B3

YELLOW JACKET

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Page B3

Op-Ed

Don’t take it seriously Continued from B2 son to get along with.

As I am desperately trying to finish this column at a reasonable hour, I have been interrupted no less than 11 times by several different people. In the last 15 minutes.

I am not even sure how this is possible. But it happened.

But it was not a bad thing.

After talking with all these people I was a lot more motivated to finish writing, and my attitude

The world has passed U.S. students In these days of tiger-mother hysteria about raising children with academic backbone, President Barack Obama has weighed in with yet another cause for paranoia.

The president dropped India and China into his State of the Union speech, just long enough to say they are educating their children earlier and longer.

Generally, school days are longer in Asian countries, and vacation breaks, though more frequent, are shorter.

Few educators would disagree that more time on task and shorter intervals away from the classroom are beneficial.

Obama’s clear implication is that if we want to keep up, to hold on to a place of prosperity in an increasingly competitive world, we should be considering these things.

Our kids attend school for 180 days each year, while Germany and Japan average 230 days.

In South Korea, where teachers

are hailed as “nation builders,” school is in session for 225 days each year.

By the time American students reach eighth grade, they’ve spent roughly 400 fewer days in school.

By high school, among 30 developed nations, U.S. students rank 15th in reading, 21st in science, 25th in math and 24th in problem solving.

In an October speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Duncan said, “Here in the United States, we simply flat-lined. We stagnated. We lost our way, and others literally passed us by.”

So while people of my generation might say to ourselves, “we didn’t know much math, and we turned out OK,” We’d be missing the point.

The rest of the world is changing. We need to prepare our children for a knowledge economy.

It’s not entirely bad for Americans that other countries are growing wealthier and better educated.

Having a market for our prod-

ucts abroad is essential to our economic growth, and an educated world is a safer one. But we don’t want to be left behind.

Roughly 1,000 schools, including 800 charters and about 200 traditional district schools, have expanded their schedules by more than one to two hours a day, according to the National Center on Time and Learning. Expect to see more of this.

As Congress moves to reauthorize and rework No Child Left Behind, the Obama administration is pushing for flexibility for school districts to break from established norms.

Mid afternoon dismissal times and long summer breaks are impractical holdovers from an agrarian past, increasingly so, as more homes are led by single parents or two working parents.

It’s time to dust off those problem-solving skills and put them back to work.

This editorial originally appeared in Newsday.

Parents are against showing ‘Skins’ On the third episode of MTV’s new series “Skins,” a high school student takes erectile dysfunction pills and runs naked down the street.

The new show is a hit among middle schoolers, and the actor in the aforementioned scene is 17 years old.

According to the New York Times, MTV is taking steps to edit out some of the more objectionable content in this episode because network executives are worried they may be charged

Take a break from online Continued from B2 for statistics, my hypothesis was confirmed before I even read the article on CNN’s website.

I logged on, and the first item to load read, “Popular on Facebook”.

My frustration continues to grow.

According to Facebook, there are more than 500 million active users, 50 percent of which log on every day.

In total, people spend over 700 billion minutes a month logged on.

In a mobile criterion,

with violating child pornography laws.

A remake of a British series is loaded with teen sex, masturbation and casual drug use.

The conservative Parents Television Council calls it the “most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children.”

Today’s teens have easy access to Internet porn, pay-cable sex shows and other entertainment offerings that scandalize those from earlier generations; MTV isn’t alone in degrading

cultural standards.

Of course, that doesn’t entirely excuse the network, which is breathtakingly disingenuous about its practices.

It claims in a release that “Skins” is meant to be viewed by adults, and to prove it the channel airs the show at or after 10 p.m. Eastern time and has slapped a TV-MA rating on it, meaning it’s theoretically unsuitable for those under 17.

And the notion that a show starring teen actors, playing characters dealing with teen

issues, on a network watched mostly by teens, is actually intended for adults is laughable.

The Federal Communications Commission doesn’t regulate the content of cable networks.

The best and most appropriate ways for parents to protect their kids from objectionable material on TV are to monitor their viewing and to learn to use the Vchip.

This editorial originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

there are 200 million active users, and the trend is that these users are twice as active as the typical subscriber.

Maybe this statistic is slightly more applicable to us: roughly twothirds of Americans ages 18-29 use social networking, according to a 2008 Pew Research study.

Perhaps this next figure should be more applicable: in the 2008 election, 49 percent of Americans ages 18-24 showed up to the polls.

Some may argue that social networking is an effective way to campaign and advertise, and I am sure that there is some validity to that.

But explain to me then how voters ages 45-64 and 65+ (6 percent of which used social networking, according to Pew) had 69 and 70 percent turn outs, respectively.

My point is this: think about what we’re missing out on. Instead of burying our heads in computer screens, why not do the same in a book?

Rather than immediately selecting to attend next weekend’s toga party, why not elect to stay in and watch the State of the Union address?

Or better yet, do our homework, as opposed to seeking sympathy

through an emoticon in the never-ending newsfeed of statuses?

Our society is now too heavily dependent on social networking – more concerned with the thoughts, trials and opinions of others than we are with things such as the political and economic state of our nation, leading a healthy lifestyle and educating our younger counterparts.

I cannot explain the phenomenon, and I am not sure of a foreseeable ceasefire. But I would certainly like to alleviate the issue. Any ideas?

Just Facebook me.

Patterson is a junior excercise science major.

Time for flexibility Continued from B2 Steelers’ seventh title.

They shoved microphones in front of the dejected players, getting sound bites.

Then they cut to a burning couch somewhere in Pittsburgh.

And then Fox cut back to the stadium, showing the empty stands as the reporters continued to talk about the game.

All I wanted to know was when Glee would air.

And judging by the news feed of Facebook, other people did too.

Thirty minutes later, Fox was still showing images of the nowempty stadium with the same highlights and sound bites spliced between shots.

Still no Glee.

And then the shouting started.

Yes, I yelled at the television, demanding that Glee start that very instant, much to my roommates’ chagrin.

I sat through four hours of football, one awful halftime show and 30 minutes of the postgame show, and frankly, I wanted to watch Glee.

I finally gave up, and my roommates started to watch Harry Potter for the 414th time this semester.

According to Facebook, Glee eventually did air, but I missed it. I still had homework to finish. (Don’t tell me what happens, even if you don’t read this until Thursday. I still probably haven’t watched it.)

I started this column with the intention of writing about how bad

was even better.

Although we are at a difficult point in the semester, don’t worry.

Keep your priorities straight and get your work done, but don’t forget to take breaks and hang out with family and friends as well.

Yeah, I’m exhausted.

Yeah, there’s a pretty good chance that I’m hungry too. And yeah, I definitely don’t want to complete the pile of tasks laid out in front of me.

But everything always works out.

We all need to just laugh some more.

After all, laughter is the best medicine.

television rules other people’s lives. I’m starting to understand it rules my life, too. I’m no different from any other media consumer despite my position in media.

No matter what the show—Jersey Shore, Glee, Teen Mom—a delay in its broadcast shouldn’t cause mass chaos. The fact that it does speaks poorly on us collectively.

We live in a world of instantaneous.

We expect results when we want them, often immediately. We want our news, weight loss, information and even television shows to happen when it’s convenient for us—or at least when it’s scheduled to happen.

But maybe it’s time for a little more flexibility.

Everything is scheduled in America, and people start to get antsy if the schedule is changed. I’m guilty of that.

Some things, like journalism, are dependent on deadlines; however, we can afford to be more lax in others.

So next time the cable dies, don’t run screaming into the hallways.

Next time Glee is delayed for more than an hour, don’t shout at the television or vent via Facebook or Twitter. Use the time productively.

Hang out with your roommates.

Call your parents. Do your homework.

Recreate your favorite scenes from the shows.

Have a karaoke party.

Play a card game. If you’re feeling adventurous, call your grandparents.

Just, for goodness’ sake, don’t unleash your anger on the social media world.

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Page B4

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Region

Pa. power plants fail to dispose of dangerous levels of fly ash

By Sandor Mecs Staff Writer A Feb. 2 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette highlighted a dispute over the disposal of fly ash, one of two ashes produced by the coal burning process, by two southwestern Pennsylvania power plants.

Greene County’s Hatfield’s Ferry power station, owned by Allegheny Energy, was one being accused of poor disposal methods that could and may have already contaminated local groundwater supplies. The primary toxin the article mentioned was hexavalent chromium, a naturally occurring substance in the coal that

Library starts celebration Continued from B1

“We always need help,” she said. “There are a lot of different ways that they can help out and show their appreciation.”

Douglas said that although the main donation that the library receives is books, people donate other items as well.

“People donate their old video cassettes, which we don’t purchase for our collection anymore. Some people donate DVDs, new and old, so we do accept those. If they wanted to donate a subscription to a magazine for the library, we accept that as well,” Douglas said.

“We had one person donate a piece of furniture about a year and a half ago; it just depends.

People will call and offer us things, and if we can use them, we accept them.”

According to Douglas, Love Your Library Month is an event that is celebrated nation-

Hardie runs across county Continued from B1

the number of miles

nevertheless remains in the ashes after burning and must be kept from contact with soil.

Mike Saurborn, a consultant for Flue Gas Desulfurization and Chemistry employed at the power plant, said that the power station burns on average 12,000 tons of coal a day and produces 370,000 tons of fly ash annually. He said that the old dump site for the ash located on plant property was lined with a clay layer beneath which were leakage pipes draining into the wetlands.

“Minute. Fly ash is 40 to 50 percent aluminum silicate,” Saurborn “Some magnesium silicate. If our ash had major

Infographic courtesy of MCT Campus

amounts of chromium, we could sell it to the smelter.”

“...Libraries are individually run, non-profit organizations, and we depend on patrons and donations to keep us running.”

Kathy Douglas Public Relations Director, Bowlby Library

He said that the first two layers of the new plastic liner were 60 mil-

limeters thick and the other three were 10 to 20 millimeters thick, and that by industry standards that was pretty thick. Meg Klein, the associate attorney at the Northeast Office of Earthjustice handling the Hatfield’s Ferry case said that fly ash contamination of the groundwater is not at the forefront of the law firm’s grievances with the power station. Dr. Paul Vaughan M.D., an occupational medicine specialist at Southwest Regional Medical Center, was very familiar with hexavalent chromium and the dangers it poses. He said that while trivalent chromium is a necessary coenzyme in mitochon-

dria hexavalent chromium is, “a simple irritant when in contact with the skin, but when absorbed,” such as being digested in drinking water “has been implicated with having the effect of unstranding the DNA and causing permanent changes in the DNA structure.”

Vaughan stated that the reason he thought that Hatfield’s Ferry and other power stations in the area were probably not holding to their commitments was that the Greene County population has developed grotesquely high cancer rates in the past few decades, far exceeding any national average or norm.

Lams, WU finally agree Continued from B1

informed that they had until 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26 to vacate the building.

An extension was granted to the Choys after discussions were held between the groups and their lawyers on Jan. 26. The final agreement was made between the University and the restaurant on early last week. The restaurant is moving from its present location at 25 W. High St. to 128 W. High St., which is the current location of the College Town Diner.The College Town Diner owner

wide.

“I guess the American Library Association kind of puts out the word,” she said.

“They send out an email reminding us that February is Love Your Library Month. It’s important to us because libraries are individually run, nonprofit organizations, and we depend on patrons and donations to keep us running.”

Douglas explained that the winter months are usually slow for the library, so Love Your Library Month helps to keep things moving.

“During the winter time, we end our story time, so January and February are kind of slow months for us,” said Douglas.

“The snow makes it harder for people to get to the library. The event helps to kind of

remind people that we still have our doors open and that ‘hey we’re still here.’

Raffles and guessing games are just a few of the many activities that Douglas says are planned for the month.

“We have a couple raffles going on for Valentine’s Day and candy baskets,” she said.

“It’s just something special to do during this month.”

Douglas said that the library focuses on trying to get more families to come in throughout the month.

“Some kids will come and bring their grandparents; sometimes the parents will bring their kids. It’s just a great time to get together,” said Douglas.

“We encourage families to come in.”

responsibility of the loss on the defense as well.

“They could have played more spread defense to improve their

covered, certainly has; the last four “Chris Cross the County” events only took place in one day’s time.

“Every year we’ve tried to do something a little different to up

the challenge a little bit,” Hardie said.

“This was the opportunity to do that once more. When you make stuff tougher, donors may give you more support or give you

more money for what you are trying to do.”

To make the challenge even more difficult, Hardie deliberately scheduled the marathons to take place in February,

Steelers fans blame Ben Continued from B1

Photo by Amanda Rice

Lams Garden was closed on Wednesday Jan. 26 and is scheduled to re-open sometime late this April.

James Lyle could not be reached for comment.

The Choys have also worked with Bruce Wermlinger, Waynesburg Borough Manager, throughout the situation.

“I have no idea what’s going on anymore,” said Wermlinger. “I’m still trying to help them, but I

don’t know what to do because of the confidential agreement that was made between them.

Joey Choy agreed to it, but I am in the dark on the agreement.”

The Lams Garden Chinese restaurant will officially reopen on or around April 22 according to the news release.

game,” he said.

No matter who is at fault, Cole was impressed with the strength portrayed by the Steelers in the third and fourth quarter.

According to Cole, Steelers fans are impacted by the loss so much because they expect the Steelers to win big

games.

“The Steelers have won so many Super Bowls already and they are popular throughout America. They have such a large fan base so it impacts more people,” she said. “I think the Packers wanted it more than we did though; that’s why they got it.”

rather than a warmer month like April or May. Hardie’s grandmother died from cancer when he was younger.

At the time, her death did not affect him as much as more recent experiences with this deadly disease.

One of his college running buddies died in his mid-20s, and a high school coach, who was like an uncle to Hardie, died from leukemia.

“Those kind of things catapulted me and got me to the point where I am with this run,” he said.

Despite the difficulty of the goal he has set for himself, Hardie

is self-assured about his ability to tackle the 105 miles ahead of him.

Currently, he runs an average of 50 miles a week, but pretty soon, he will up the distance to approximately 70 miles per week.

“I’m confident,” he said.

“Every one of the challenges I have trained for is a little unique or different.

I’ve been training better for this marathon than I have in the past.

Usually, if I set my mind to something, I’ll do it. And I do not plan to back out unless I have an injury. It’s really about pure grit.”

Three Jacket basketball players were honored for their success on the court and in the classroom.

Read more on C2

Thursday, February 10, 2011 F Rough T Jackets weekend; Athletes break four school records win city still tourney fortunate Wrestlers now RACK AND

IELD

By Nate Regotti

Staff Writer

Dave Floyd Sports Editor

Save for a few cheeseheads here and there, Waynesburg University was a quiet campus Monday morning. No plans to skip class and attend a Super Bowl victory parade. No talk of Pittsburgh potentially becoming the “City of Champions” once again.

The sullen mood, of course, stemmed mainly from the Steelers’ crushing 31-25 defeat to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. Big Ben and company fell short of completing an improbable comeback with a legendary two-minute drive, and “Steeler Nation” was denied Lombardi Trophy No. 7.

Couple that with forward Evgeni Malkin’s season-ending knee injury and the Penguins’ 3-0 loss to the hated Washington Capitals.

Talk about a rough few days in the Steel City.

However, while it may be tough to comprehend right now, Pittsburgh sports fans should feel fortunate. Or as I heard it at Willison Hall’s Super Bowl party after the game, “spoiled.”

Let’s start with the Steelers. Three Super Bowl appearances in the last six seasons. Two world championships. No other franchise possesses those credentials. But forget about the success in recent years even, and look at this season alone.

Many NFL analysts failed to have Pittsburgh pegged as a playoff team at the onset of the season, let alone AFC North Champions or Super Bowl contenders. Of course, Ben Roethlisberger’s fourgame suspension had a lot to do with those predictions.

The Steelers, though, down to fourth-string quarterback Charlie Batch, rallied to go 3-1 (nearly 4-0) without their star signal caller.

Pittsburgh also lost their two starting offensive tackles and a starting defensive end for the entire season, along with a host of other key players for a few games each throughout the campaign.

Yet they persevered.

Sure, other teams like the Packers and Jets dealt with injuries and suspensions, too. But those squads were trendy picks

The Waynesburg University indoor track and field teams were back in action Saturday. They traveled to the University of Mt. Union to take part in the Jim Wuske Invitational.

“Overall, the meet went really well,” said Waynesburg head coach

Both indoor track and field teams are featured in the latest national rankings.

Check out C3 for more details.

Jason Falvo. “I’m really proud of everyone’s performances.”

The day was highlighted by numerous school record performances, including three by the Waynesburg women.

Senior Mikey Macosko

bettered her own schoolbest time in the 55-meter hurdles by crossing the finish line in 9.12 seconds.

“It just shows how much hard work has paid off this preseason,” Macosko said.

Sophomore Jaimee Post

set a new program standard in the indoor long jump with a leap of 4.78 meters (15’ 8”).

“I’m really excited about Jaimee Post,” Falvo stated. “She’s making the strides we know she can, and she’s making them with confidence” The Yellow Jackets also got a strong performance

By Dave Floyd See SCHOOL on C3

Despite the success so far this season, Hunter said there is still plenty more they want to accomplish and that starts this See NATION’S on C2

See JACKETS on C3

Women hoopsters top Thiel, No. 1 next Waynesburg wins third straight, sixth in last seven

By Aaron Thompson Assistant Sports Editor

Photo by Andrew Buda

Sophomore guard Brittany Spencer will have to be at the top of her game as Waynesburg faces two nationally ranked opponents this week. season.

“We know we’re doing something special this season and it feels great,” she said. “It’s the classic underdog story; before this year we couldn’t even

reach .500. No one really believes in us but ourselves, and with hard work, we’re attempting to turn the women’s basketball program here at Waynesburg around.”

Sports Editor With the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships less than a week away, the Waynesburg University wrestling team won its third tournament this season Saturday at Baldwin-Wallace College.

Propelled by a tournament-high three individual crowns, the Yellow Jackets took home the team title at the 25th annual John Summa Memorial Tournament, a six-team event. The Jackets’ 125 team points gave them a 6.5-point victory over second-place Baldwin-Wallace.

Next up for Waynesburg: defending its PAC team championship Friday at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

“I didn’t think we wrestled our best [at BaldwinWallace]; we didn’t have our best effort, and we still came away the winner,” head coach Ron Headlee said. “We beat a Brockport team that’s won it 18 straight years, so for us that’s a good win.”

By going 3-0 on the day and extending his record to 24-2 on the season, sophomore 125-pounder Alex Crown picked up the Jackets’ first individual title of the day.

The bracket’s top seed, Crown wrestled his first match of the day in the

JACKETS 72 - THIEL 50

With the opportunity to play two nationally ranked opponents this week, the Waynesburg women’s basketball team had every opportunity to look past Thiel College this past Saturday.

But they refused to do so.

The Yellow Jackets (165, 9-4) earned their third straight victory and sixth in the past seven games by pounding the Tomcats 72-50 at Beeghly Gymnasium.

The two wins this week give the Jackets their highest win total since the 1994-95 season when they collected 21 victories en route to a Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship.

Junior point guard Hannah Hunter said that this season has been a special one for the team and they are just looking to keep it going for the rest of the

turn attention to PACs Friday

THIEL 69 - JACKETS 55

Men’s basketball dominated in paint by Thiel Jackets outscored 42-18 in lane, drop ninth straight

By Jon Ledyard Assignments Editor

When Thiel forward Aundra Jones threw down a tip-slam with one hand 12 seconds into Waynesburg’s matchup against the Tomcats, it served as the precursor to what was going to be a long day inside for the Jackets.

Thiel (15-6, 10-1) would go on to dominate the Jackets in the paint, outscoring Waynesburg (5-16, 2-9) 42-18 in the See PITTSBURGH on C4 lane on their way to a 69-

55 victory this past Saturday.

The loss extended the Jacket’s losing streak to nine straight games with four games left on the regular season schedule.

“The key thing is putting the quality of shots over the quantity,” said head coach Mark Christner. “I think of our 63 shots, 28 of them were in the paint, so we were doing the right things; we just need to put them in.”

Thiel’s power inside was further proven by their ability to outrebound the Jackets 50-34.

Sophomore guard Blair Rozenblad had 17 points and 15 boards to lead the Tomcats in both categories and record his tenth

double-double of the season.

“Thiel is very athletic, and we had trouble getting back defensively and stopping their transition game,” said junior forward and captain James Allenby. “A lot of times they would miss the layup in transition, but a trailer would grab the rebound and score, so we need to get better at getting back and covering in transition.”

Thiel’s aggressive play inside helped get Waynesburg into foul trouble as Allenby fouled out for a sixth time this season, while playing only eight minutes.

See SKID on C2

Photo by Andrew Buda

Sophomore Aaron Cromwell drives baseline in the Jackets’ most recent home game against Westminster.

YELLOW JACKET

Page C2

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Sports

Crawford named Academic All-District Pair of women’s This year, Waynesburg men’s basketball player Patrick Crawford has seen a big increase in his playing time on the court. He has rewarded first-year head coach Mark Christner by providing outstanding hustle and depth at the point guard position.

However, one thing Crawford has always been known for since transferring to Waynesburg before the 2009-10 school year is being an outstanding student.

Recently, the Columbus, Ohio native was honored for his ability to perform at a high level on the court and in the classroom by being named a member of the Capital One Academic All-District men’s basketball teams.

Nation’s best to face WU Continued from C1 week with matchups against No. 1 nationally ranked Thomas More (210, 12-0) and No. 17 ranked Saint Vincent (19-2, 11-1).

“A win this week would send a message to the rest of the PAC and all of Division III that what we’re doing this year is not a fluke,” Hunter said.

“It would say that we can play with the best of the best successfully. It’s so exciting because we actually get a chance to play the No. 1 team in the nation. Let’s face it, win or lose it’s an awesome opportunity, and we’re going to have some fun being David and competing with the Goliaths of women’s Division III hoops.”

The Jackets have been led by a balanced attack all season, and it continued Saturday against the Tomcats (5-16, 3-9).

After a back and forth first half, the Jackets regained the lead for good when senior forward Elisha Jones connected on a two-point tip-in with 4:45 to go before halftime.

The Jackets held a comfortable 33-25 halftime lead.

Waynesburg made sure to not let Thiel get within striking distance in the second half as the Jackets shot 47 percent from the field (14-of-30), while holding the Tomcats to just 33 percent shooting (nine-of-27). Waynesburg’s defense also did not allow Thiel to connect on a three-pointer all game as the Tomcats missed all eight attempts from behind the arc.

Jones finished the contest with her fifth doubledouble performance of the season, tallying 21 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Hunter added 10 points and a game-high six assists.

Fresh off of a game-high 18 points against Westminster, Jackets sophomore guard Jessi Drayer scored nine points and collected a game-high 14 rebounds against Thiel.

For her efforts, Drayer won this week’s women’s Yellow Jacket Athlete of the Week.

Photo by Dave Miller, ADM Photography

Senior guard Pat Crawford was recently honored for his success on the court and in the classroom.

Crawford was lauded as a second-team District 2 College Division selec-

tion thanks to his 4.00 GPA in forensic science and a much more preva-

“We’re going

Skid reaches nine games

to have some fun being David and competing with the Goliaths of women’s Division III hoops.”

Hannah Hunter Junior guard

Waynesburg won’t have long to celebrate, though, as those big matchups with the Saints and Bearcats await.

This week will be a good measuring stick for how far the program has come in three seasons under head coach Sam Jones.

“Playing the No. 1 team [Thomas More], they are obviously talented, and we are focused on the opportunity to play the No. 1 team,” Coach Jones said.

Hunter talked about a few keys to this week and the challenges of playing Thomas More and Saint Vincent in back-to-back games.

“Our mindset going into the toughest week of the season is that we have nothing to lose. We’re just going to give it our all and try to end up on top,” she said. “Thomas More and Saint Vincent are both great teams so it’s not going to be an easy task.

We have to bring our focus and strive for perfection on every play.”

The Jackets lost their previous matchups with both teams. Thomas More defeated Waynesburg 59-44 Jan. 8, and Saint Vincent topped the Jackets 74-64 Jan. 12 “We are a little smarter team now and more aggressive defensively,” Coach Jones said. “We just need to remain focused on continuing to improve and take advantage of this opportunity.”

Waynesburg took on Thomas More Wednesday, but results from that game were unavailable at press time.

The Jackets will be back in action when they host Saint Vincent Saturday. The game is scheduled for tip-off at 1:30 p.m. at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

lent role on the court. He has seen the floor every game this season as one of the team’s primary backups and is averaging 2.2 points, 1.6 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 15.1 minutes per game.

Crawford is the only men’s player from a Presidents’ Athletic Conference school to pick up the award, which requires a student-athlete to be at least a sophomore at their present institution, be a starter or key reserve and hold a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or greater.

The Yellow Jacket men’s hoopsters return to action Saturday when they host Saint Vincent at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.

players honored Senior forward Elisha Jones and junior point guard Hannah Hunter have been two of Waynesburg’s top performers on the court this year. Their combined efforts have been a major reason for the Yellow Jackets’ 16-5 start.

However, they are also two of the team’s top performers in the classroom, and they were recently honored for their efforts.

Their dedication on and off the court has earned them mention on the 2010-11 Capital One Academic All-District College Division Basketball

teams, which are presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Jones Jones was named a second-team selection and is having a career year for the Jackets.

She leads the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), rebounds (7.5 rpg) and blocks (1.2 bpg). The fourth-year standout is third in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in scoring, tied for See PAIR on C4

Continued from C1 Senior forward Erik Noone and junior guard Luke Baker also struggled with foul trouble, as Thiel got to the line 27 times, including 18 in the second half. “[Allenby] just needs to continue to learn to play defense without using his hands,” said Christner.

“It’s something we talked about all year: getting leverage and using your hips, and he has had some games where he has done it well and other games where he’s struggled.”

Despite the brevity of his time on the court, Allenby did collect five boards but picked up two fouls early on and struggled the rest of the way.

“A lot of time there was contact both ways with Aundra [Jones] and I in a physical battle down low,” said Allenby. “I need to do a better job of getting around him without fouling. He’s a tough matchup because he’s probably the most athletic big man in the conference.”

Despite their struggles in the paint, the Jackets managed to be down only five at halftime against the Presidents’ Athletic Conference’s top-ranked squad.

They shot just 27.8 percent in the first half of play.

The second half wasn’t much better as the Jacket’s shot just over 30 percent for the game, including 4-17 from beyond the arc.

“I think offensively we are doing a lot of the same things we were doing earlier in the season when we were successful,” said Christner. “We have to relax, though.

“On Saturday we rushed shots, and we had plenty of good, open shots early on. Give Thiel credit because they are very athletic and covered well,

Photo by Andrew Buda

Junior forward and captain James Allenby (40) battles inside with Westminster’s Rob Briggs in the Jackets’ most recent home game against Westminster. Allenby fouled out in just eight minutes in Waynesburg’s loss Saturday at Thiel. but we have to keep working and getting better at knocking down those shots.”

Defensively the Jackets held the Tomcats to 38 percent shooting and forced them to go 1-8 from three-point territory.

However, Thiel’s 82 percent shooting from the free throw line was the difference.

“Coach told us this week in practice it comes down to shot selection,” said senior guard and captain Steve Iser. “About 50 percent of the threes we took Saturday were forced, so our strategy

needs to continue to be to take the ball to the hoop and then get to the free throw line and build our confidence there.”

Sophomore forward Aaron Cromwell led the team in scoring with 10 points, while Jeff Young snatched eight boards to lead the team on the glass.

The Jackets next contest took them six hours west to face PAC opponent Thomas More College (11-10, 7-3) in Crestview Hills, Ky., Wednesday. Results were not available at press time.

On Saturday the St.

Vincent Bearcats (15-6, 73) come to town to attempt to sweep the season series with the Jackets after drubbing Waynesburg earlier in the season, 73-47.

“We played very hard against Thiel, not very well all the time, but very hard,” said Christner.

“That’s what this group will do, and that’s what we need to keep doing.

You have to keep coming to work every day and then on game day play relaxed and put everything out there to try and find a way to overcome this losing mentality.”

Thursday, February 10, 2011

YELLOW JACKET

Page C3

Sports

Lohr, Drayer named Yellow Jacket Athletes of the Week

By Aaron Thompson Assistant Sports Editor A pair of first-year players helped guide their respective teams to successful weeks and keep things rolling as the winter season heads toward the postseason.

For their efforts, freshman wrestler Luke Lohr and sophomore women’s basketball player Jessi Drayer have been named Athletes of the Week by the Yellow Jacket sports staff.

Lohr, a Somerset native, was one of three Jacket wrestlers to win an individual championship at the 25th annual John Summa Memorial Tournament. He was named the No. 1 seed at 149 pounds and lived up to the billing by going 3-0.

Photos by Andrew Buda

Above: Freshman Luke Lohr won an individual title at 149 pounds Saturday at Baldwin-Wallace.

At right: Sophomore guard Jessi Drayer grabbed 14 rebounds in Saturday’s game at Thiel.

Lohr beat SUNYBrockport’s Elijah Golding by 6-1 decision in the finals.

Golding, much like

Lohr, is listed as an honorable mention honoree in the d3wrestle.com national rankings.

Lohr has posted an out-

standing 26-3 record this season as a freshman.

Lohr and the Jackets (12-2-1, 2-0) will be back in action when they host

the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships Friday when the Jackets take on Thiel and Washington and Jefferson

at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

Drayer, a sophomore transfer from Mount Vernon Nazarene, has made an immediate impact since joining the team in mid-December.

Drayer collected a game-high 18 points in a 63-53 victory over Westminster last Wednesday before posting nine points and grabbing 14 rebounds in a 72-50 triumph against Thiel on Saturday.

The Jackets currently sit in third place with a 94 record in the PAC and are 16-5 record overall.

Drayer and the Jackets faced a tough task this week as they faced unbeaten and No. 1 nationally ranked Thomas More Wednesday and host No. 17 Saint Vincent Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Headlee hopes for ‘fan-friendly’ PACs Four Yellow Jacket wrestlers ranked

By Dave Floyd Sports Editor

For the first time in Ron Headlee’s three-year tenure as head wrestling coach, Waynesburg University will be hosting the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships.

The tournament, featuring Waynesburg, Washington and Jefferson and Thiel, is set to get underway Friday at 5 p.m. at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

A new format will be in place this year, as two mats will be used for the first two rounds of compe-

tition instead of just one.

“We just think that’ll mean more action,” Headlee said. “I think it’s going to be better for the fans.

“We’re going to try to make it a little bit more fan friendly, keeping everybody there and keep-

ing the action going at the same time.”

Another bonus for Waynesburg students: while the PAC is charging for admission into the event, Student Services is covering the cost for all Waynesburg students wishing to attend.

Jackets host PACs Friday

they were led by sophomore 125-pounder Alex Crown, who broke into the site’s top 10 spots as the 10th-ranked grappler in his weight.

Heading into this weekend’s John Summa Memorial See FOUR on C4

Indoor track and field teams ranked nationally

Continued from C1

semifinals after receiving a bye and forfeit victory.

In that semifinal bout, Crown won by technical fall, 17-2, before scoring a 9-3 triumph in the finals over Baldwin-Wallace’s Jeremy Dombrady.

“I wrestled a kid in the finals I wrestled in the Waynesburg Invitational finals,” Crown said. “I knew I could beat him; I just had to wrestle my style.”

At 149 pounds, freshman Luke Lohr continued his impressive rookie campaign by tallying Waynesburg’s second individual crown.

The former Somerset High School, also his weight class’s top seed, used a bye, pin and technical fall to reach the championship bout.

There, Lohr took down SUNY-Brockport’s Elijah Golding, 6-1, to win the individual title and extend his record to 29-3 on the season. Golding, like Lohr, had been tabbed as an honorable mention nominee in the latest d3wrestle.com national rankings.

Waynesburg’s third individual crown came at 285 pounds, where thirdseeded freshman Brandon Fedorka also went 3-0 on the day to win gold.

After a bye, Fedorka won 2-1 and 12-2 to earn a berth in the finals. In that title bout, the first-year heavyweight scored another 2-1 decision, this time over top-seeded John Wilkinson of Brockport.

Fedorka’s record now moves to 15-4 on the season.

Almost half of the Waynesburg University wrestling team’s starting lineup continues to be featured in the d3wrestle.com national rankings.

Four Yellow Jacket wrestlers were featured in the national website’s rankings, and

The Waynesburg University men’s and women’s track and field teams found themselves ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA Division III Mideast Region according to d3rankings.us.

The Yellow Jacket men received a ninth-place ranking for the indoor season, while the women, who placed second at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships this past spring, came in at seventh.

The Jackets continue through the indoor portion of their schedule on Saturday, when they head to West Virginia University to take part in the Gold/Blue Meet.

Photo by Dave Miller, ADM Photography

Sophomore 184-pounder Cody Catalina battles an opponent in a match earlier this season at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Catalina placed third in Saturday’s John Summa Memorial Tournament, winning by fall to secure the bronze.

“A lot of our guys are still hungry,” Headlee said. “We’ve been preaching to them: these types of tournaments, every time you step out onto the mat, you’ve got to get a little bit better.

“You don’t want to have bad matches. You want to try to get your best stuff going now.”

Plenty of other Jackets turned in strong performances as well. Junior 174pounder Jared Roberts advanced all the way to the finals before being forced to default out due to a minor injury. Junior 165-pounder Jon Sanko, sophomore 184-pounder Cody Catalina and freshman 197-pounder Jake Linn all picked up thirdplace finishes. Catalina and Linn brought home bronze with pins in their respective championship bouts.

“That’s where we need to get a little bit stronger,”

Headlee said. “I know a couple times before we haven’t got places from them, so that part helped.

“Three of those guys got falls in the finals there, so that’s six points; we won by six and a half points.”

Six other Waynesburg grapplers scored points for their team by finishing in the top six. They were freshman Dan Bruni (141 pounds), senior Nick Garber (141), junior Garrett Johnston (157), freshman Sam Lombardo (157), freshman Anthony Bonaventura (165) and freshman Tyler Lewis (197). Garber was forced to exit in the semifinals with a minor injury.

“Some of our young guys getting in there and placing, that’s good,” Headlee said. “For them, it’s probably the last time a lot of them will get on the mat with our depth.”

All focus for Waynes-

burg now shifts toward Friday’s PAC Championships. The Jackets will try to defend their team title on their home mat as Thiel and Washington and Jefferson look to avenge dual match losses earlier this season at the Marisa Fieldhouse.

The event begins at 5 p.m.

“Our goal as a team is plain and simple just to win it,” Crown said. “I’m expecting to us to win it; I’m expecting everybody to step up and do their part.

“I won it last year as a freshman, and I’m hoping to win it all four years I’m here, as a team and as an individual,” he added.

“Both the coaches (Headlee and assistant coach John Yates) have done a lot of great things for the team, and I really think they deserve, the next four years, [to win] it if not more.”

School records set Continued from C1 in the shot put from junior Carly Schubert, who finished eighth in the 44woman field with a heave of 11.16 meters (36’ 7”).

“We’ve really been putting a lot of time in throughout the offseason,” Schubert said. “It looks like it’s paying off, and we are starting to see the results we are aiming for.”

The 4x200 meter relay team also set a new Waynesburg record this past Saturday. The team of Post, Macosko and freshmen Bre Paul and Kayla Shacklock ran the distance in 1:58.15. The time was good enough for a ninth-place finish.

Looking ahead to the outdoor season, Macosko said, “The girls better win PACs!” (the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships).

The men’s team enjoyed a successful Saturday of their own.

Junior sprinter Jordan

Wrask placed 19th in the preliminary round of the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.80 seconds in a 59man field. Senior Trale Merz added a 23rd-place performance in the men’s 55-meter hurdle with a time of 8.61 seconds.

“Our kids do a great job, especially for not having an indoor facility here on campus. We have to do a lot of traveling and overcome a lot of adversity,” Falvo said.

The four-man team of senior Bill Moder and freshmen Aaron Anderson, Ethan Smith and Justin Angotti set a new indoor program record in the men’s distance medley with a fourth-place time of 11:29.93.

Falvo added, “We have very good freshmen that are doing their part.”

It will be “business as usual” Falvo said as the Jackets head to West Virginia University on Saturday to take part in the Gold/Blue Meet at a time to be determined. It is the Jackets second to last event before the NCAA Divison III Indoor Championships in the middle of March.

YELLOW JACKET

Page C4

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Sports

ST. VINCENT AT WAYNESBURG, SATURDAY, 1:30 P.M.

St. Vincent dealing with death of coach

By Brandon Reed Editorial Assistant There will be an awe of respect in the air this Saturday when the Saint Vincent Bearcats come to the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse to square off against the Yellow Jackets in a rematch from earlier this season. In their first meeting this season, the Jackets lost 73-64 at Saint Vincent.

This has been the first season the Bearcats have played Waynesburg without the leadership of their head coach, Kristen Zawacki, who passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on Christmas Day. Kristen Zawacki, women’s basketball head coach and associate athletic director at Saint Vincent, was the only head coach of the women’s basketball team since its inception in 1983.

Zawacki entered the 2010-2011 season as one of 13 coaches in the nation with at least 500 career wins. She was 512-

Pair honored

by CoSIDA Continued from C2 fifth in rebounding and fifth in blocked shots. The Russell, Pa. native is just as successful in the classroom, as is evident by her 3.92 cumulative GPA in athletic training.

Hunter was named a third-team pick, and she is also enjoying her finest season in a Waynesburg uniform. She ranks second on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg), first in assists (4.3 apg) and sec-

“[Kristen Zawacki] was a great coach; she built a very good program. They do what they do very well.”

Sam Jones Head women’s basketball coach

276 in her 26 seasons as a head coach and reached the postseason 23 times.

Zawacki was also able to win nine District 18 titles, four American Mideast Conference titles and make eight trips to the NAIA National Tournament.

Under Zawacki, 14 Saint Vincent players were named NAIA AllAmericans, and 22 players scored at least 1,000 points.

This season, the Lady Bearcats are 19-2 overall and one of the top two teams in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, with an 11-1 record against PAC opponents.

Saint Vincent’s interim

head coach, James Petruska, said that he knew Zawacki personally for seven years.

“She was a vital part in instrumenting her passion and motivation into everything she did to make everyone better at their sport,” said Petruska.

To honor Zawacki, the entire conference has decided that each team will wear patches with her initials on their jerseys.

According to Petruska, Saint Vincent honored their coach with a moment of silence at their first home game following the winter break.

Zawacki had a great impact on those around

ond in steals per game (2.1 spg). Hunter is also third in the PAC in assists and eighth in steals. The native of Hopewell boasts a 3.54 cumulative GPA while studying interactive design.

To qualify for Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore at their present institution, be a starter or key reserve and hold a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or greater.

The Waynesburg women are back in action Saturday when they host Saint Vincent at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.

Tip-off is at 1:30 p.m.

Four Jackets ranked Continued from C3 Tournament at Baldwin-Wallace, Crown is 22-2 and is riding an 11-bout winning streak.

Freshmen Luke Lohr (149) and Brandon Fedorka (285), along with senior Nick Garber (141) joined Crown in the rankings as “honorable mention” selections at their respective weights.

Lohr currently leads

her, said Petruska. “She created the program and was a great role model.”

Waynesburg’s head coach, Sam Jones, said that there will not be anything done to honor Zawacki when the Bearcats come to Waynesburg.

“It’s just going to be a game,” said Jones.

Jones is in his third season coaching the Jackets and has coached against Zawacki four times since he has been here; he has not defeated Saint Vincent yet. The last time the Jackets beat the Bearcats was on Feb. 17, 2007, before Jones took over.

Jones said he has a lot of respect for Zawacki.

“She was a great coach; she built a very good program,” Jones said. “They do what they do very well.”

As the end of the season draws near for the Bearcats, Petruska said they want to remember what Zawacki said at the end of every speech: “If you want it you got to go get it, together.”

the team in overall wins at 27-3 and hasn’t lost in his last 12 bouts.

Since joining the team after football season, Fedorka has gone 13-4 and has won 10 of his last 11 bouts. After a bit of a stumble knocked him out of the national top 10, Garber has looked more like last year’s 133-pound All-American with wins by fall in each of his last two bouts.

Waynesburg returns to the mats Friday when they host the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships.

PAC award -After finishing its season on a big high note this past week, the Waynesburg University wrestling team added one last individual accolade to its collection courtesy of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

Freshman heavyweight Brandon Fedorka played a big role in a pair of Fedorka Yellow Jacket victories this past week. For his efforts, the first-year standout was honored as the final PAC Wrestler of the Week for the 2010-11 season. He is the seventh different Jacket to receive the honor over the 11 weeks it was awarded, which featured 11 different athletes lauded.

Fedorka went 4-0 this week with two wins by major decision. He clinched Waynesburg’s 22-16 win over Division II West Liberty State with an 8-0 major decision, and followed that performance up by going 3-0 at the John Summa Memorial Tournament. He picked up a 12-2 major decision in the semifinals to make it to the title bout where he beat top-seeded John Wilkinson of SUNY-Brockport by 2-1 decision.

Fedorka is now 16-4 on the season, has won 13 of his last 14 bouts and was an ”honorable mention” selection in the d3wrestle.com rankings.

Pittsburgh still fortunate Continued from C1 to reach Super Bowl XLV. The Steelers weren’t. Yet there they were, battling for another title in Dallas this past Sunday.

Most encouraging in my mind, though, was the way in which they won their two playoff games at Heinz Field. It was lower profile free agent signings (Ryan Clark), undrafted players (James Harrison) and later-round picks (Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown) making those “splash” plays for which head coach Mike Tomlin consistently looks.

On the other sidelines, big names like Anquan Boldin and the exiled Santonio Holmes could only watch (or drop touchdown passes in Boldin’s case).

That’s how the Steelers have always done business, and judging by those six rings, it’s appeared to

work so far. Hopefully for the Steeler faithful, that will continue.

Now let’s turn quickly to the Penguins. Two berths in the Finals in the last three seasons. One Stanley Cup. Again, only one team can match that feat.

And while Malkin’s torn ACL certainly will hurt the Pens’ Stanley Cup chances, there is a hidden positive. With their All-Star center on injured reserve, Pittsburgh now has much more cap space to play with leading up to the trade deadline. A top-line winger acquired at midseason, someone’s who’s a consistent goalscorer, would go a long way in solidifying Pittsburgh’s status as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Plus, superstar Sidney Crosby should be returning to bolster the lineup in the very near future.

Thus, despite a tough weekend, not all is lost in the Steel City … at least for two of its professional teams.

Peaceful rallies were staged in Yemen.

Read more on D3

Thursday, February 10, 2011

BSU, Upper Room host movie discussion

WCTV

TV show promotes community involvement

By Sierra Shafer Op/Ed Editor

By Matt Giardina In light of recent violence involving Waynesburg University students on and off campus, sophomore exercise science major, Taylor Franklin, wanted to create a venue that would encourage students to “get along better.”

Hoping to generate a catalyst for dialogue on the choices we make and how we interact with others, Franklin, along with the Black Student Union and Upper Room, chose to sponsor a movie discussion after a showing of the film “How to Save a Life.”

The movie will be shown Sunday in Alumni Hall at 8:30 p.m.

“This is a movie that makes people think about how they treat each other,” said Franklin. “It is an excellent movie.”

Having first seen the movie in high school, Franklin said she was so moved by it she purchased the film. Now, she feels it can serve its purpose again by being shown on campus.

The movie profiles the life a high school basketball champion, Jake, who has everything going for him; beautiful girlfriend, athletic scholarship and popularity.

But after years of pushing a childhood friend, Roger, to the wayside, Roger commits suicide, leaving Jake struggling with the guilt.

As the story progresses, Jake comes to understand what it means to treat others with respect and rely on his Christian faith.

Jake’s story brings to light

Staff Writer

The sessions will aid the students’ understanding of forensic and criminal topics and help them make valuable connections with others in the field, according to the press release.

“Our goal is always to show what Waynesburg’s programs have to offer,” said Alison Chasko, camp coordinator. “We hope to see the students enroll.”

The camp also strives to show students that real crime scene investigation is not like what they see on TV, she said.

Zwinger believes that the camp allows students to get a good picture of what the University is like.

“They get to meet and work with all of our criminal justice and forensic

WCTV has brought to Waynesburg University live sports games, “Live at Five”, “The Green Room”, and now “Are you Smarter than a 6th Grader.”

Amy Mina, general manager of WCTV, created this new television program.

‘Are you smarter than a 6th grader’ was my idea,” Mina said. “The reason why I wanted to do it is because throughout the history of WCTV we’ve never had a game show before.”

Mina also wanted to include the community and promote education.

“We had the initial idea to start the project last semester,” she said. “The plans for the project were set and we just started working on the details two weeks ago.”

Mina said that the only thing that remained for them to do at that point was to find a venue.

“The ideal place would be the Goodwin Performing Arts Center so we could have sound effects, lighting and have a projector,” she said. “Unfortunately finding the date is where we are stuck at. I am currently working with Mr. Powers on scheduling a date.”

Mina already has put together a staff to work “Are you Smarter than a 6th Grader” and is anticipating other matters.

Mina said, “I am producing it; we held host auditions and I am waiting to hear back from the can-

See CSI on D2

See WCTV on D2

Photo courtesy of Alison Chasko

Participants in the fifth annual CSI camp held last summer participated in a variety of activities including investigating mock crime scenes as well as interacting with criminal justice and forensic science experts.

It’s that time

of year again...

Preparations begin for the sixth CSI camp

By Chelsea Shaffer Staff Writer

Waynesburg University has recently announced the dates for its sixth annual CSI camp.

The camp will run from June 26 to July 1, 2011. Students who are entering grades 11 and 12 or are spring 2011 high school graduates qualify to attend the camp, according to a recent Waynesburg University press release.

In the past, the camp lasted for five days and four nights. According to Zwinger, this year’s camp will run for six days and five nights. As a result, the cost has increased from $500 to $600, she said.

The camp is able to offer a few scholarships to See MOVIE on D2 students, which aids the

Dates announced for Sports Announcing camp

By Stephanie Laing Editorial Assistant Play-by-play announcing. Interviewing. Color commentary.

High school students will learn these skills of sports broadcasting at Waynesburg University’s second annual Sports Announcing Summer Camp to be held from Sunday, June 26, to Thursday, June 30.

These students will train with well-known sports broadcasting professionals such as Paul Steigerwald, voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins; John Steigerwald, author of “Just Watch the Game,” and former WTAETV and KDKA-TV sports anchor; Bob Pompeani, KDKA-TV sports anchor and Lanny Frattare, former See SPORTS on D2

travel costs for out-of state students.

According to the press release, “The purpose of this camp is to allow students interested in forensic science or criminal justice to obtain hands-on

training from certified experts in various disciplines of forensic science.”

The students will interact with criminal justice experts in question and answer sessions.

Junior beats the odds, passes certification test on first try

By Amanda Wishner Editorial Assistant In order to be a successful actuary, one must be able to effectively calculate financial probability and risk. However, it doesn’t take an actuary to calculate the likelihood of passing an exam with a 30 to 40 percent pass rate.

Daniel Piett, a junior mathematics major with a minor in both accounting and computer science, is one of the 30 to 40 percent to successfully complete the first of five actuarial exams, administered by the Society of Actuaries, on his first attempt.

“Entering into a job in this field generally only

requires one or two of these tests to be passed during initial hire while the remaining are later taken,” said Piett. “The test I took can be considered half of my required certification to enter the field.” The SOA, along with the Casualty Actuary Society, mandate all student candidates to pass five preliminary exams in order to be admitted into an actuarial society with a “membership through examination” requirement. Topics covered by the series of tests include mathematics, insurance, finance, economics and actuarial science.

“There is a tremendous amount of material on

these exams,” said Dr. James Bush, professor of mathematics. “Most of the problems are non-routine exercises that require insight into the material and creative problem solving approaches.”

All tests are multiple choice and are scored on a scale from zero to ten; a score of six is considered passing. The first exam in the series is known as the SOA/CAS P/1 Probability Test. Piett completed the exam at the Computer Based Testing Center at West Virginia University on Jan. 29.

“The test consisted of 30 questions, took 3 hours See STUDENT on D2

Photo by Amanda Rice

Junior mathematics major Daniel Piett passed the Society of Actuaries test on the first try recently. This is the first in a series of actuary five tests.

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Sports camp announced

CSI camp offered

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voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates and assistant professor of communication at Waynesburg University.

“Our goal is to give those interested in broadcasting, specifically sports broadcasting, a taste of it to see if this is what they want to do and if this is a viable career for them,” said Frattare, who is hosting the camp for the second straight year.

“We’re going to give students an overview of sports broadcasting and what it takes for them to be successful.”

The students will learn specific techniques for announcing major sports such as basketball, baseball, football and hockey, said Frattare.

The camp will consist of nine sessions, with Frattare teaching seven of them. Paul Steigerwald, John Steigerwald and Pompeani will use the other two sessions to teach the students what they think is most important for students pursuing sports broadcasting.

Frattare said he is giving these professionals much lenience with no set guidelines for the sessions they are teaching.

science professors,” she said. “They get to know the campus and meet staff and current students.

They get a really great feel of what Waynesburg has to offer and a lot of them will decide to come to Waynesburg if we have what the area they want to focus in.”

The camp brings in professionals from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the Pennsylvania State Police Department, Chasko said.

According to Chasko, there will also be other speakers and presenters at the camp.

One of this year’s presenters is Kasey Gizler.

Gizler, a 2007 Waynesburg alumna, is an identification technician from the Council Bluffs Police Department in Iowa. She will be running a fingerprinting session for the students.

“It’s a real treat for them to be here,” said

Photo courtesy of University Relations

High school junior and senior students participated in the first annual Sports Announcing Summer Camp held last summer.

According to Frattare, the lectures will teach theory and the students will then have the opportunity to put that into practice and have a good time.

Those eligible to attend the camp are high school students entering 11th and 12th grades and spring 2011 high school graduates.

The registration fee of $500 includes meals, housing and any camp

materials for the five days and four nights stay at Waynesburg University.

Registration will end Friday, May 6, or until the 36 to 40 spaces are filled.

This is the second year Waynesburg University has offered a sports announcing camp.

“Last year’s camp went far better than I was expecting it to go,” said Frattare.

Frattare said that he utilized at least 15 WU

undergraduate students to help with the camp last year.

Ryan Harr, freshman sports broadcasting major, was a student at last year’s sports broadcasting camp.

Harr said that last year’s students learned a lot about sports broadcasting and had a good time.

“It helped me a lot.

Before the camp, I had no idea how radio, sports broadcasting or any of it worked.”

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Discussion to be held Continued from D1 many issues that teenagers and young adults will deal with as they mature, including drinking, dating and violence.

“We’ve all been put in a position where we don’t feel like we’re wanted, or that we belong,” said Franklin, “but everyone should know that they matter.”

Franklin felt that this should especially be true of students at Waynesburg University, as it is a Chris-

WCTV to offer show Continued from D1 didates. I also have a crew assembled for the project.”

Emile Khoury, a senior sports broadcasting sports/information and electronic media major is the director for “Are you Smarter than 6th Grader.”

“I am personally excited to be involved because it is the first game show in Waynesburg history and it serves as a new learning operation for electronic media and TV students,” Khoury said. “It also

“I hope it will encourage students to look around and see who’s with you.

You’re not alone, there is always someone there with you, going through it with you.”

Taylor Franklin Sophomore exercise science major

tian campus.

Matt McNeil, sophomore pre-med major and worship leader for Upper Room, is working with BSU to incorporate the two events.

“As we come to understand that there are people around use who do need help, we can also glorify

God through worship,” McNeil said. “Realizing we need to help others, we can at the same time worship God.” McNeil hopes the movie will encourage viewers to be socially aware of their surroundings and find ways to reach out and help each

important because it can be used for demo reel purposes and it adds to my work experience as senior participating in a quality production.”

Khoury said that the projects opens doors to the future.

“Coordinating with Mr. Powers can lead to more shows in the GPAC and prepares us for cooperating with management in our careers,” he said.

Another objective for the project Mina is toiling with is handing out prizes to candidates of the game show.

Mina said, “As an incentive we are planning on awarding prizes to the contestants, but we do not

have prizes set yet. I am working on getting the local businesses of Waynesburg involved.

It would be great if gave out gift cards out as prizes.

What college student doesn’t love receiving free food and money?”

The new WCTV project will also aim to encourage the involvement of local students in Green Country.

other.

“This movie is perfect for our campus,” Franklin said. “I feel like this year no one is getting along. I really think this [movie] is something that will make a difference if we show it here.”

As for the post-show discussion, Franklin hopes it will foster a save haven for students to discuss their thoughts freely; about the movie and its practical applications.

“I hope it will encourage students to look around and see who’s with you,” she said.

“You’re not alone, there is always someone there with you, going through it with you.”

Mina said, “A thing about ‘Are you Smarter than a 6th grader’ is that we are inviting students from actual sixth grade classes around the area to participate in the game show. ‘Are you Smarter than a 6th Grader’ is basically the same concept of the TV show on Fox, we just had to change the name a bit.”

and was fiercely monitored,” he said. “I couldn’t even carry in my wallet and was under constant surveillance.”

In order to prepare prospective test-takers for the difficult exam, the SOA and CAS offer official study materials, such as a study guide and various online resources.

The SOA also suggests live seminars, flashcards and online courses, citing lack of preparation as a common cause of failure among students.

“I spent roughly 300 hours over Christmas break and into the beginning of this semester studying the SOA-created study guide and several online sources,” said Piett. “There were plenty of nights I was up until 4 a.m. or later studying. I, without a doubt, put more time into studying for this test than all my classes combined here at Waynesburg.” In addition to his study habits, Piett credits

Adam Jack, co-creator of the camp in 2005.

Some features of the camp that the staff believes will be most popular are the opportunity for students to do a downtown surveillance and search warrant execution, burial remains excavation, and a handwriting expert, said Chasko.

One of the special presentations this year is the Innocence Project, which allows wrongfully convicted prisoners, who were later exonerated by DNA, to speak to the students at the camp, Chasko said.

According to Zwinger, he camp has hosted students from a number of different states over the years.

Last year the camp hosted its first International student from the Bahamas.

The staff members are very excited about the growing status of the camp, she said.

According to Chasko, Waynesburg University students are also involved in running the camp. during the week. About 40 criminal justice and psychology students act as camp counselors, she said.

his success to the faculty of the University, who supported him throughout the process, he said.

“I was delighted but not surprised,” said Bush about his reaction to Piett passing his first exam. “I didn’t do very much [to help him prepare]. After Dan had my MAT 315 [Introduction to Mathematical Statistics] course, it was all up to him.”

Piett plans to begin studying for the second SOA/CAS test, known as the FM/2, which tests potential actuaries on financial mathematics.

“This test is frequently regarded as the easier of the two tests, which is a relief for me,” he said.

His future plans after graduating, however, are still undecided.

“I am attempting to pass as many of these five exams as possible over my remaining time at Waynesburg to make myself as marketable as possible,” said Piett. “I’m considering applying for graduate school. There are a lot of paths to choose from, and because I was able to pass this test on my first attempt, I am having to evaluate my options.”

Thursday, February 10, 2011

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Arts & Life

Study finds college freshmen's stress Questions raised levels reaching an all-time high level about financial aspects of college

By Diane Stafford

McClatchy Newspapers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — That first year of college has always been tough.

But tight economic times have made it even harder.

Pressures to pay for college and choose studies that will produce good jobs have stressed this year's college freshmen at unprecedented levels.

In a new report, college freshmen rated their emotional health at the lowest level in the 25 years of the survey.

The data, published by the University of California, Los Angeles, mirrored observations of some high school and college counselors.

"In the last couple of years of the recession, students' parents are more stressed, and the natural idealism and optimism in the young adult population has been eroded," said Rick Hanson, director of student counseling at Rockhurst University and a past president of the American College Counseling Association.

Lauren Sander, a Rockhurst freshman, agreed that new college students were feeling a lot of stress, especially if they didn't have good coping skills.

"Some may freak out way more than they should while they're getting used to how college works and how their classes are going," Sander said.

Although there's not a wholesale "freak-out" occurring on campuses, it's clear that economic pressures are piling on top of the normal life transitions teens experience.

"Freshmen and their

By Claudia Dreifus and Andrew Hacker The Free Lance-Star

Photo by Marci Stenberg/Merced Sun-Star/MCT

Students from left, Beatrice Diaz, Harin Kompella, Michelle Deco pet Sierra at the University of California - Merced. Sierra is among the therapy dogs brought to campus to give students a chance to let go of some of their stress caused by finals. parents are more aware of the student loan debt they are taking on, and therefore more anxious about money," said Barbara Cooke, lead counselor at Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods and author of "Parent's Guide to College and Careers."

"Students and parents are understandably worried about the long-term consumer debt they are taking on for college and how, in a weak job market, the student will be able to repay that debt," she said.

The national evaluation of student stress, quantified in "The American Freshman" report from UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, said groundwork was laid in the senior year of high school as well as in the economy at large.

The report charted an

uptick in the number of students who said they were "overwhelmed by all I had to do" in their last year of high school, when they juggled extracurricular activities, academics and college admissions.

"They're not naive," David Burke, director of college counseling at Pembroke Hill, said of high school seniors. "They hear and see what's going on in this economy. They see parents losing jobs.

They hear they'll have five careers in their lifetimes. They hear about the onrush of talent from China and India.

"Maybe they have older siblings who graduated from college in the last year or two who haven't found jobs they consider appropriate. Then there's tremendous stress about picking an affordable school and being away from home for the first

time."

The UCLA report noted that students who reported more stress also described more alcohol use.

The UCLA study reached 201,818 freshmen at 279 four-year colleges around the country. Its results are said to be statistically representative of the nation's 1.5 million first-year, full-time students. "Stress is a major concern when dealing with college students," said John H. Pryor, lead author of the UCLA report. "If students are arriving in college already overwhelmed and with lower reserves of emotional health, (we) should expect to see more consequences of stress, such as higher levels of poor judgment around time management, alcohol consumption and academic motivation."

NEW YORK — As Andrew Hacker and I began researching our book, “Higher Education?” we were struck by how few questions parents raised when considering the quarter-of-a-million-dollar investment that four years at a private college or university could cost them.

This was, probably, the second-most-expensive purchase they’d make in their lifetimes; yet many decisions seemed to be based on the familiarity of the brand name or the attractiveness of a campus.

After three years of researching our book, these are the questions we’d ask, if we had a highschool student at home: -Does the college make undergraduate teaching its first priority?

Schools like Harvard and Stanford have almost twice as many graduate students as they do undergraduates, and it’s the graduate students that command most of the professor’s time and attention.

-Is the college overrun by administrators?

Yale has 1,050 full-time faculty members and an additional 7,013 people in nonacademic jobs.

So ask: Is it primarily a college, or is it a multiversity festooned with extraneous functions?

-Will professors actually be there?

During a recent year at

Williams College, a third of its professors were away on leave. Your daughter may find that her senior thesis supervisor is on sabbatical in Bologna.

-What’s the president’s salary?

Increasingly, it’s nearing or more than $1 million. This is a good index of whether a school has chosen a corporate model.

Decide whether the person at the top looks and sounds like an educator.

-Who teaches the freshman class?

It may be a star professor (but the odds are against it).

But at most name universities your son will be in the 26th row, with a fledging graduate student handling the discussion section.

-Can you walk in for water polo?

At many colleges, athletes are recruited beforehand by coaches, so others find the rosters are filled.

At the University of Illinois, only 2 percent of its undergraduates are on teams.

The rest have to settle for being spectators.

Instead, parents might consider the honors college at their in-state public university, or the first two years at a community college, many of which are staffed by dedicated professors who like teaching.

Families might also consider a commuter school — $40,000 to $100,000 can be saved by taking the subway.

U.S. students considered to be uninformed to world affairs

By Anne Michaud Newsday In these days of tigermother hysteria about

raising children with academic backbone, President Barack Obama has weighed in with yet another cause for para-

noia. The president dropped India and China into his State of the Union speech, just long enough to say they are educating their children earlier and longer.

Generally, school days are longer in Asian countries, and vacation breaks, though more frequent, are shorter _ no more than five weeks in summer.

Subjects are introduced earlier. South Korean parents, for example, insisted that President Lee Myung-bak recruit more English teachers, so that kids could begin language lessons in the first grade.

Research supports these measures as impor-

tant to kids’ learning. Few educators would disagree that more time on task and shorter intervals away from the classroom are beneficial.

Obama’s clear implication is that if we want to keep up, to hold on to a place of prosperity in an increasingly competitive world, we should be considering these things.

Americans have one of the shortest school years on the planet. Our kids attend school for 180 days each year, while Germany and Japan average 230 days. In South Korea _ where teachers are hailed as “nation builders” _ school is in session for

225 days each year.

By the time American students reach eighth grade, they’ve spent roughly 400 fewer days in school. So there’s a lot of pressure on teachers to cover subjects in a shorter time, and in less depth.

Not coincidentally, perhaps, middle school is where American students begin to fall behind their global peers. By high school, among 30 developed nations, U.S. students rank 15th in reading, 21st in science, 25th in math and 24th in problem-solving.

People who study these trends, like Education Secretary Arne Duncan,

believe that the United States has stood still while others have moved past us. In an October speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Duncan said, “Here in the United States, we simply flat-lined. We stagnated.

We lost our way, and others literally passed us by.”

But we don’t want to be left behind. Some U.S. schools have been experimenting with more time in the classroom. Roughly 1,000 schools _ including 800 charters and about 200 traditional district schools _ have expanded their schedules by more than one to two hours a day, according to the National Center on Time and Learning. KIPP Academy, one charter success story that started in the Bronx, requires parents to sign a contract saying they will not pull kids out for a family vacation.

Midafternoon dismissal times and long summer breaks are impractical holdovers from an agrarian past _ increasingly so.

It’s time to dust off those problem-solving skills and put them back to work.

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Arts & Life

Tens of thousands stage peaceful rival rallies in Yemen

NEWS IN BRIEF

By Noah Browning and Borzou Daragahi Los Angeles Times SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his supporters sought to upstage a “day of rage” against his rule Thursday by holding a large simultaneous counter demonstration across town.

The two rallies drew tens of thousands and unfolded largely peacefully, but highlighted the political unrest sparked by the overthrow of longtime Tunisian ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali last month and the ongoing popular uprising against the 30-year reign of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.

The Tunisian and Egyptian upheavals have fueled people’s demands for political change across the Arab world. There have been calls for anti-government protests Thursday in Sudan, Friday in Jordan and Saturday in Syria. On Wednesday, Saleh vowed not to run for another term in 2013 and said he wasn’t positioning his son as his successor. He also vowed to begin broad talks aimed at reform with the opposition, which has reacted skeptically.

The pro-government rally, which appeared to have been set up hastily the night before, received official logistical support. Soldiers guarding the demonstration route from Sanaa’s old city to its Tahrir Square mingled amicably with the thousands holding portraits of Saleh.

Huge tents and loudspeakers lined the way.

“With our souls, with our blood we will sacrifice for you, oh Ali,” they chanted, in support of Saleh.

The opposition, led by a coalition of well-organized and vocal political parties and organizations, had originally hoped to stage a rally along the same route as the pro-government rally.

Instead, it held its rally in the university district in western part of the capital. A large cordon of anti-government activists formed a human chain to guard against possible pro-government infiltrators. They held banners urging Saleh to “Go! Go! Go!” They held portraits of Mohammed Bouazizi, the 26-year-old Tunisian produce vendor who set himself on fire Dec. 17 after being humiliated by authorities. That act of protest and desperation sparked the Tunisian revolution that toppled Ben Ali and captivated the Arab world.

Protesters in Sanaa described Saleh’s promises of reform as “business as usual.”

Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest nation, faces an insurgency by rebels who call themselves Houthis in the north, a separatist movement in the south and an alQaida threat. Saleh is considered a close ally of the West in combating extremist Islam in the Arabian Peninsula and piracy in the adjacent Gulf of Aden. The Obama administration and the European Union have praised his pledges to reform.

But protesters blamed him for most of the country’s troubles.

1

3

Groupon apologizes for controversial TV ad

Smuggling investigation dropped by Libyans

CHICAGO – Groupon Inc. is reworking its television commercials in response to the negative reception they received when they aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl. The spots marked the first time Groupon ran television ad and were meant to be parodies of television public service announcements.

The Chicago-based startup had hoped to send up self-important, celebrity-narrated PSAs while also encouraging consumers to donate to charitable organizations. Groupon had set up a website, SaveTheMoney.org, that encouraged visitors to donate to causes featured in the commercials.

The company is contributing matching donations of up to $100,000 for all of the organizations but Greenpeace, where donations will be matched by up to $100,000 in Groupon credit.

The problem was that while the ad’s tagline was “save the money,” neither the URL for the donations site nor the names of the philanthropies appeared in the commercials.

MUNICH, Germany – Prosecutors have dropped an investigation into alleged arms smuggling by the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Saif al-Arab al-Gadhafi was suspected of using a car with diplomatic license plates to transport an assault rifle, a revolver and munitions from Munich to Paris in 2008.

Senior public prosecutor Barbara Stockinger said the investigation was dropped over a lack of evidence, as the alleged weapons were never found.

2 Wolves may be removed from protected list WASHINGTON –In the first effort to change the Endangered Species Act in the new Congress, bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate to remove the gray wolf from the list of protected animals.

Proponents say that the national wolf population, estimated at 12,000 to 16,000, has recovered sufficiently.

In the House, the bill has been referred to the Natural Resources Committee. In the Senate, the bill is headed to the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Environmental groups are getting ready for their first big fight of the year.

Those who want to protect the wolves say they’re important because they’re the top predators in the food chain.

They kill and eat large animals, including elk, buffalo, moose and deer, helping to keep their populations under control.

4 South American summit postponed for protest LIMA, Peru – A planned summit of South American and Arab leaders may be postponed due to the instability in the Arab world amid ongoing protests in Egypt, Peruvian President Alan Garcia said Saturday. Foreign ministers are scheduled to gather February 14 in Lima and heads of state on February 16. A decision by the group of 22 Arab countries is expected Monday.

Earlier, six of the 22 countries’ leaders had confirmed their participation with the Peruvian Exterior Ministry. Garcia said he would do everything possible to hold the meeting as scheduled unless he hears otherwise from the Arab League.

5 AOL buys Huffington Post for $315 million NEW YORK – AOL Inc. said Monday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire news website Huffington Post for $315 million.

The deal has already been approved by the two companies’ boards and is now subject to conditions including receipt of government approvals.

As part of the transaction, Arianna Huffington, who is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Huffington Post, will be named president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, which will integrate all Huffington Post and AOL content.

Youth protests in Sudan struggle amid state crackdown

By Alan Boswell McClatchy Newspapers JUBA, Sudan — The student activists call themselves Girifna, Arabic for “we are fed up.”

As angry Egyptians stormed into Cairo’s streets, the wave spilled across Egypt’s southern border into Sudan.

Loosely organized bands of Sudanese youth are entering their second week of a declared uprising against the strongarm rule of President Omar al-Bashir’s National Congress Party.

The methods are familiar. Joining groups on Facebook and communicating through text messages, they launched their protests Jan. 30, chanting anti-ruling party slogans and protesting rising food prices. Their stated aim: the fall of al-Bashir’s regime.

Mostly students and unemployed graduates, they arose in pockets across Sudan’s northern capital, Khartoum, and were joined by peers in

Infographic by MCT 2011

other towns in the predominantly Arab north.

In some cases a few

dozen showed up; in other cases, hundreds.

It raised the question:

After Tunisia and Egypt, could Sudan be next in the Arab world to oust

its longtime authoritarian leader?

So far, there are no strong signs that it will.

As Egypt and Tunisia signaled the arrival of a new age of street power, Sudan is a reminder that the old world hasn’t altogether crumbled.

Not yet, at least.

Although the government has managed to contain the unrest so far, the street revolutions nearby couldn’t have come at a worse time for it.

On Monday, al-Bashir announced that he accepted the results of Southern Sudan’s referendum Jan. 9-15, in which 99 percent in the war-torn region voted to split from his rule and form a new country.

On the first day of protests, riot police and security officers dispersed crowds, beat demonstrators with batons, fired tear gas and surrounded universities to prevent students from heading back onto the streets.

Over the next several days, activists tried to

build momentum, but they have been unable to mobilize against a massive security machine.

Even before the protests began, the state apparatus had begun arresting suspected youth ringleaders. In the days following, it expanded its raids to local journalists and some political opposition leaders.

More protests were called for Monday, but never materialized.

Student leaders still at large are mostly in hiding.

Human rights activists fear what lies in wait for those detained.

“The national security apparatus has a long history of ill-treatment and torture of people in detention,” said Jehanne Henry of Human Rights Watch. “We are calling for them to be charged or released immediately, and for the government to provide access to counsel and family.”

Student activists have yet to receive the broad popular support that propelled the Egyptian and Tunisian revolts.