INSID E: C AMPUS CHRISTIA N LIFE P REPA RES FOR SEA SON OF LENT. S E E A3
FEBRUARY 11, 2016 | VOL. 93 NO. 11 | EST. 1924
THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
Grammy nominee to perform at celebration By MATTIE WINOWITCH Editorial Assistant
Waynesburg University will celebrate the 167th anniversary of the granting of Waynesburg College's charter on March 22, and to celebrate, there is a special guest performing during the third annual Charter Day concert. The artist performing this year is four-time Grammy nominated Christian music artist Natalie Grant. Two years ago, the inauguration of President Lee was on Charter Day, and a concert with Michael W. Smith was held on campus to celebrate. President Lee liked the idea, and every year since a Charter Day concert has been held in conjunction with the celebration. “It’s basically our birthday,” said Mary Fox, event planner for the university. “It’s a birthday celebration of the institution, if you want to put it in those terms.” Every year the university attempts to get a well-known CHARTER >> A2
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RETURN OF THE CUPS
Senate brings back Eberly cups Student displeasure leads to overturning of cost-cutting move By BRENDAN KEANY Op-Ed Editor
It is finished. The cups are back. Last Tuesday, the Waynesburg University Student Senate passed a bill to purchase and provide cups for the highlyfrequented coffee bar located on the first floor of Eberly Library. “We passed a bill that reinstated cups,” said Student Senate President Mike Merten. “We will be getting a set amount of cups that will not exceed $800 at this point.” Senate had previously stopped buying cups for the bar to cut budget costs, but overwhelmingly negative responses from the student body prompted a reversal of the “Students were expressing decision. “I voted ‘yes’ extreme dissatisfaction when [to reinstating cups were removed and cups] because I overwhelming support for see it as my responsibility to their return.” NICK CORDOVA represent the Senator students as best I can,” said sophomore Senator Nick Cordova. “Students were expressing extreme dissatisfaction when cups were removed and overwhelming support for their return.” Also decided at the meeting was the issue on what kind of cups Student Senate would purchase. “We are getting poly-paper cups, which are the waxcoated cups, and they should be a little thicker than the ones we had previously, so they should be a little better at insulation,” said Merten. “The cups should be back within the month, I believe.”
Senate debated the decision on cups for two weeks, and there was some debate during last Tuesday's meeting. However, the decision was made by a clear majority. Of the 17 who voted, ten were in favor, five objected and two abstained. Nevertheless, there were those on the student governing body that did not feel as sure about the decision. Shon Meade, a sophomore senator, abstained from the vote entirely. “I abstained because I saw the whole cup situation from both sides,” said Meade. “I saw that people wanted the cups back, which is Student Senate’s purpose, to basically serve the students.” “As for the other side,” he continued, “Senate would technically be going back on their word of getting rid of cups. We got rid of them to become more ecofriendly and save costs, but now that we brought the cups back, we’re going back CUPS >> A4
At a Student Senate meeting last week, senators voted to replace disposable coffee cups in Eberly Library within the next month, eliminating the need for students to carry their own mugs for coffee. The vote reversed an earlier Senate decision to remove cups in an effort to save money, which was met with oppostition from the student body. Jenny Schouppe, Yellow Jacket
Among Christian schools, Length, location make German WU has low debt burden internship a unique opportunity Staff Writer
Waynesburg University is once again being recognized as one of the top colleges for affordability in the country. The Top 50 Christian Colleges & Universities with the Lowest Debt Burden were recently named by Christian Universities Online, and Waynesburg was listed as the 12th best-valued school in their listing of nationwide universities and colleges. According to the website, the list attempts to present a ranking of Christian colleges and universities whose class of 2013 graduated with the lightest debt burden. The pool of institutions for the ranking was limited to schools which are members of or member eligible for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. Matthew Stokan, director of Financial Aid, credits the work of the administration to receiving another award. “I think it’s a credit to our institution, credit to the leadership more specifically, to the leadership of President Lee and the administra-
TOP 50 CHRISTIAN COLLEGES AND UNVIERSITIES WITH THE LOWEST DEBT BURDEN Student loan
WaynesBurg named
12th
Best-Valued school
92%university,” ranking tors here at the said Stokan.1,666 “They make a concerted effort to 1,532 keep our costs a low as possible and in doing so, you want to have an affordable education, but you always want to combine that with the quality. ” ranking WaynesBurgs Stokan said this award shines light onto the difference of Waynesburg’s faculty compared to those of bigger size around the nation. “My experience would be the quality of our faculty. When I refer to the quality not necessarily to the degrees they have earned throughout their academic career, but more importantly to their commitment to our numBer of schools ranked
By JOHN LYDIC
default rate
national avg.
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students,” said Stokan. “Our class class sizesof are relatively small graduated with and that affords our faculty the opportunity to get to know students and work with them in more of a one-ondeBt Burden one basis than larger schools. Not only their ability to work close to students, but they have a true commitment towards the student success that may be unique to our school as opposed to a number of the larger schools.” This ranking comes after Waynesburg has been named to other rankings for affordability, as well as a topvalue school in the country.
2013
lightest
RANKED >> A4
By KIMMI BASTON Executive Editor
Jess Bish has never been out of the United States. She has never lived on her own. She doesn’t speak any German, and she has never worked in a controller’s office. All of that just changed. At the end of January, Bish left her home in Pittsburgh, Pa., and moved into an apartment in Degerloch, Germany for a six-month stay. During that time, she is interning at the Bosch headquarters in Stuttgart. “So far, everything has been very overwhelming, but exciting,” said Bish, a junior international business major at Waynesburg University. “It is difficult to adjust to being in a new place, let alone a new place where I do not speak the language, but I’m making it work.” As an intern at Bosch, Bish is working 35 hours per week in the Controller’s Office for Electric, Hybrid and Gasoline Cars, one of the departments in the automotive division at Bosch. She will be using Microsoft Excel to
create a variety of financial reports and then learning what the reports mean and how they fit into the structure of the company. The internship is providing Bish with a unique business experience, which she believes will be beneficial for her future in business once she learns the ropes. “The internship is giving me a taste of what it is like to work a full time job and
what is appropriate in an office setting,” said Bish. “I will be able to use my experience, both in office etiquette and in skill, and apply it to a job that I will have in the future.” Though the job itself is something Bish hasn’t experienced before, it is far from the only challenge facing her as she begins her European journey. BOSCH >> A2
Prepare for Assessment Day
Each February, the test, and juniors will university takes a day take a critical thinking off from classes to test. Students can find conduct Assessment the whole univeristy's Day Activities. schedule in The activities T H E W U H O W - T O the public that take folders on An occasional series place are myConnect, different for every class in which there is an level and almost every Excel file lists the time department, so there and location of each test can be a lot to juggle. for each student. Freshman will be Students should completing a freshman also seek out their survey, sophomores department's individual must take the required schedule to learn about math assessment additional activities.
COMMUNITY RALLIES FOR TEEN
THE RESULTS ARE IN
After experiencing a stroke on the basketball court, one Waynesburg Central student continues to progres through a recovery filled with support from family and her entire community.
This week's In the News section reveals the winners of the New Hampshire primary election and elaborates on political happenings since the recent Iowa Caucus.
See B1
COACH CHRISTNER FINDS FIRSTS Head men's basketball coach Mark Christner's Yellow Jackets have defeated Saint Vincent on the road and Thomas More, both of which are first-time accomplishments for the coach in his sixth season. See C1
See B3
INSIDE
ENGAGED AND IN COLLEGE Several of Waynesburg's engaged couples share how they balance being a college student while getting ready to say "I do."
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Campus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . A1–A4 Region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1, B4 Editorial/Op-ed. . . . . . . . B2 News Digest. . . . . . . . . . B3 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C1–C4 Arts & Life. . . . . . . . . . . . D1–D2 Entertainment . . . . . . . . D3–D4 Copyright © 2016 Waynesburg University 51 W. College St.Waynesburg, Pa. 15370
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February 11, 2016
Nursing Department welcomes new faculty member in sim lab By TEGHAN SIMONTON Copy Chief
This semester, Waynesburg University’s Department of Nursing hired a new faculty member, Eve Weaver, as a simulation lab instructor. Weaver, a Waynesburg University graduate, now teaches practical skills for dealing with real-world patients to the next generation of nurses. She said that her previous affiliation with the program was significant motivation for her to apply for the position. “It was a wonderful opportunity because I received my education here,” said Weaver. “It was like coming home to me.” According to Weaver, she cherished her Waynesburg education, as well as the relationships established with faculty members with whom she now works directly. These include Dr. Nancy Mosser, chair of the department of nursing, and Melany Chrash, assistant professor of nursing. “Dr. Mosser was a mentor
to me whenever I was in the program, so I still look to her not so much as my boss but as my mentor. She’s everything,” said Weaver. Post-graduation, Weaver went on to accumulate 17 years of practice in the nursing field. According to Mosser, Weaver’s vast career experiences and education were key factors that set her apart in the hiring process. “[Weaver] had an extensive background in nursing education,” said Mosser. “She brings a wealth of experience to the role.” However, it was Weaver’s impressive knowledge of the simulation lab environment, in particular, that prepared her for her role at Waynesburg University. “[Weaver] has responsibilities on the sophomore and junior levels, especially in the simulation lab,” said Mosser. “She has worked with highfidelity simulators and simulations for many years, and her expertise has enhanced the lab experience for the students and faculty.”
Michelle Keith, Yellow Jacket
Professor Eve Weaver joined the Waynesburg University nursing faculty this semester and is using her simulation experience to work with the sim lab. Weaver’s position as the simulation-lab instructor is unique from traditional classroom settings. Simulation is an important part of the nursing education, according to
Weaver. “I do all of the nursing skills and simulation. I run the 3G simulator to help get students prepared to be in real-life situations,” Weaver said. “Being in
that simulation environment prepares them for things that they’re going to see that they wouldn’t traditionally see until they are on the unit actually working.” According to Weaver, she was glad to be back in Waynesburg, especially with her unique opportunity to return as a faculty member, rather than as a student. “It’s just been an unreal experience to come back, not as a student but as an employee and see how well-received I’ve been. So just the feeling of being part of a family—it’s like I never left,” said Weaver. Originally, Weaver is from Hundred, West Virginia. Not only was she enrolled in Waynesburg’s nursing program but also returned to complete her Registered Nursing Degree in 2004 and also received a master’s degree. She started as an educator in 2009. Weaver’s most recent position prior to the university was as a clinical manager for Amedisys Home Health, where she oversaw the nursing staff, the therapy staff and 150 patients.
In addition to this, Weaver was the simulation lab coordinator for Westmoreland County Community College. On a professional level, Mosser believes that the addition of Weaver to the department has had a positive impact on practices with the simulation lab and the learning potential for students. “Her simulation background has provided for well-developed simulation experiences for students, and the operation and functioning of the simulation lab has improved dramatically. Students and faculty are really excited about using the lab now, thus enhancing their educational experience,” Mosser said. Weaver accredits her smooth transition back into the department to her coworkers. “Everybody in the nursing department has been welcoming and has been very helpful,” said Weaver. “I am very blessed to be part of Waynesburg University in a different capacity. I feel very grateful – thankful.”
WU graduate transitions to job in Admissions Blood bank seeks to meet quota with drive at Waynesburg By TIMMY KAISER
For the Yellow Jacket
By RJ LEISIE and REBECCA VOGEL Yellow Jacket Staff
The Central Blood Bank held a blood drive on Thursday, Feb. 4. The event took place in the conference room on the third floor of the Stover Center. Students and faculty members from Waynesburg University participated in donating blood. The blood is used according to the medical needs in the Waynesburg community to save the lives of cancer, transplant, replacement, surgery and trauma patients. “The need for blood is constant,” said Megan Lakatos, marketing specialist of Central Blood Bank. “There’s no substitution for human blood.” Human blood is in high demand. The donations that were collected on Feb. 4 will go on to fill the large quota of blood needed daily by Central Blood Bank. “We need about five hundred donors a day,” Lakatos said. “One blood donation can support up to three lives.” According to the official
website of Central Blood Bank, children with cancer, prematurely born infants and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from all types of blood, meaning anyone could make a difference for these children. Additionally, cancer patients along with transplant and trauma patients need platelet transfusions just to survive. “A lot of cancer patients get blood products and platelets,” said Jennifer Shiring, nurse director of Waynesburg University. Donating blood serves to save lives and help patients everywhere. When one donates blood, the blood itself is separated into three different parts according to the Central Blood Bank: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. For every donor, each decision to donate can mean the difference of life and death for up to three adults, children and infants. The type of donation was “whole blood,” which is the DONORS >> A4
Upon graduating college, many students struggle to find the right start to their prospective careers. For Kyle Digiandomenico, admissions counselor at Waynesburg University, he looked no further than the place that shaped him in his preparation for his career. A 2015 graduate from Waynesburg, Digiandomenico received his undergraduate degree in psychology. He is currently working towards his master’s degree studying clinical and mental health. He was also hired full time as an admissions counselor. “I wanted to get my master’s degree here so I decided to stay,” said Digiandomenico. “We have a phenomenal Masters in Clinical and Mental Health. On top of that, a job opened up and I applied and got it.” After graduating from Bridgeview High School in Bridgeview, Ohio, Digiandomenico settled in on Waynesburg for his college experience. According to him, after four
years, all the lesunique place, if you sons he has learned give it a chance and have prepared him have an open mind for life after college. you will leave here “ The biggest a very different perthing I learned at son than when you Waynesburg was came. I’m proof of that we all have a that.” purpose,” said DiAccording to his giandomenico. “I colleagues, Digiloved the idea of Digiandomenico andomenico’s four helping students years at Waynesfind their purpose. We all burg has put him in place to have some sort of talent, skill, succeed in his current line of or gift, and if fostered in the work. appropriate environment that “He knows so much about skill, talent, or gift can be used the university,” said Shari to bring Gods kingdom here Payne, vice president of enrollon earth.” ment at Waynesburg UniverPart of his job as an ad- sity. “He understands the mismissions counselor is giving sion of the institution and that prospective students an idea helps him because he lived it of what life at Waynesburg and learned it, so it just comes consists of. According to Di- naturally for him because he is giandomenico, the things he a product of it.” learned during his times as a Payne also believes Distudent, especially as an Ad- giandomenico’s personality missions tour guide, helped is what sets him apart in his him in the early stages of his work. career. “He has such a great passion “Everything I tell students for Waynesburg and I’ve never is the truth because of my seen him without a smile on experiences,” said Digiando- his face,” said Payne. “Bar menico. “I always end my none, Kyle is one of the most meetings with families by passionate and enthusiastic saying that Waynesburg is a admissions counselors that
I’ve worked with, and we’re so happy to have him on our team.” Along with his personality, according to Payne, he has an outstanding work ethic, and she thinks that will bode well for him in the future. His main tasks include meeting with prospective students, processing applications and building and maintaining relationships with families and schools. “He never stops asking questions about the job or the university,” said Payne. “He really loves this place, and I think in his interactions with prospective students and families it really shows.” Digiandomenico claims his already great view of the school has only grown since he graduated and now works for the school. “It has certainly changed my view,” said Digiandomenico. “I see a different side of the university. A lot of things that didn’t make sense make sense now. I have a greater appreciation for the people that are still at the school and even those who aren’t. I also thank God every day that WU brought me on.”
Bosch: Foreign internship offered for second year Continued from A1
Charter: Campus to celebrate 'birthday' with musical guest Continued from A1
artist to perform. According to Fox, by having events like this, students can come to understand the celebration better. According to nataliegrant. com, Grant has been named the Female Vocalist of the Year by the Gospel Music association five times in a row. Her most recent project, “Be One,” was released Nov. 13, 2015. She has also had multiple No. 1 Billboard hits. The event will be held the day before Charter Day, Mar. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Roberts Chapel. According to Fox, tickets will be released on TicketLeap, which is an online box office. Tickets will be free; however, they will be required at the door for entrance. We release tickets so that students, faculty and staff have the first opportunity,” said Fox. “Everyone on campus who wants to participate is given the opportunity to do so.” There will be posters around campus with infor-
mation about the event and how to reserve tickets. Every student will be getting a student email with a link for the ticket website, and more information will be available on myConnect as the event draws near. Tickets can also be scanned via phone at the doors, so printing is not necessary. Beyond the concert, the Charter Day celebration is about remembering the beginning chapters of the university. By raising awareness of Charter Day, students can better connect to the history of the institution, according to Fox. “Charter Day is an internal celebration, even though we invite people from the community along with donors and alumni,” said Fox. “But it’s a celebration here on campus, so I really like that students feel like it’s for them, along with faculty and staff. Just the idea that we get to bring someone nationallyknown in and students will get to hear her live in person and in their own chapel is exciting to me.”
She spent her first week in Germany finding housing, and now she has to adjust to the lifestyle changes that come with living in a new country. “So far, the biggest adjustments have been the time change and the language barrier,” said Bish. “I know very few words in German. It’s also strange being completely on my own for the first time. I have to buy my own groceries, ride the train to work and pay my own rent. It’s a small taste of what life will be like after college.” Bish is also nervous about being far away from her family and friends for six months. This is only made more complicated by the fact that communication has to be adjusted to a six-hour time difference. “I miss everyone a lot, and that’s been the hardest part for me so far,” said Bish. Though the obstacles are numerous, the internship is an extremely beneficial experience, according to Mary Cummings, vice president for Student Services and enrollment at Waynesburg. Cummings is largely responsible for forging the connection between Bosch and Waynesburg University, a connection that was born when Cummings worked at Carnegie Mellon University in the Carnegie Bosch Institute. As part of a leadership program at the institute,
Photo courtesy of Jess Bish
Jess Bish, a junior international business major, is interning in the automotive division at Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany for six months. participating international executives were split into teams and assigned an organization to work with. One team was assigned to work with Waynesburg University and were tasked with tackling one of a number of global challenges. In this case, the Waynesburg team addressed the issue of preparing students to work in the global environment after college. One team member was an executive at Bosch and when the idea of international internships came up, he was willing to try it. “They had never had an American intern, and so we put together a trial and had a student go last year,” said Cummings. That first Waynesburg student to intern at Bosch was current senior Jerry Lawman. After his experience
concluded, Cummings said she conducted reviews with both him and Bosch executives. “They [both] had positive reviews, so we agreed that this would be an ongoing relationship,” said Cummings. Cummings said one of the key components of the internship is that it illustrates the ‘big picture’ of business. In terms of the specific office Bish is working in, Cummings said the industry of parts for gasoline engines is being threatened by the upsurge in popularity of electric and hybrid cars around the world. “This will be a big picture for [Bish] to realize that while she might be sitting on a computer working on an Excel file, where she fits in the big picture of business is very strategic and it’s an important and interesting
time in the industry,” said Cummings. Cummings encourages any international business major who is interested to approach Career Services or a professor in the Department of Business Administration and apply for next year’s Bosch intern position. For Bish, it took several months to move through the process of applying, securing the internship and preparing to move to Germany. Though it wasn’t easy, she said taking part in the internship opportunity is, overall, exciting. When she’s not working, she plans to travel to a number of different European cities and sites, including places she has dreamed of visiting her entire life. “Now that I’m here, [the process] was completely worth it!”
February 11, 2016
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WU Chaplain plans Lenten Waynesburg students to travel devotion series for Chapel to Pittsburgh for annual retreat By JOHN LYDIC Staff Writer
As the Lenten season once again approaches, Waynesburg University is preparing activities for the students. Rev. James Tinnemeyer said that Waynesburg is ready and excited for the season, and it that time leading up to Easter in chapel on Tuesday at 11 a.m. At the service, students will be handed a daily Lenten devotion entitled “God’s Abiding Love” by Henri Nouwen. Tinnemeyer said that additional copies will be available around campus for anyone to pick up. “It’s a great devotion filled with scripture, ins i g ht f u l t h ou g ht s an d prayer,” said Tinnemeyer. On Wednesday, Feb. 10, Lent began with an Ash Wednesday service in Roberts Chapel at 4 p.m. In t he fol lowing six weeks of Lent during Tuesday’s chapel, Waynesburg
will focus on the themes of drawing closer to God and receiving the new life that He offers. Tinnemeyer said students on this campus have a unique opportunity to celebrate their faith through this season as a community. “It is wonderful how students have gathered around the devotion books that we have handed out,” said Tinnemeyer. “They read them individually and in groups. They tell me how much they like having the communitywide emphasis of study and prayer. It is wonderful to see students living out their faith in real and meaningful ways.” Derrion May, senior biology major, said Lent has become a part of his celebration. “Traditionally I didn’t celebrate Lent growing up, but since I have come to Waynesburg, I have strongly considered what is the purpose of Lent and its importance of leading up
to Easter,” said May. “I hope to dive more into the word of God and read passages based around the season of Lent.” The development of the students and the way they grow in faith is what has Tinnemeyer most excited. As the Lenten season begins, Tinnemeyer has one main goal for all the students. “I hope that we all draw closer to God,” said Tinnemeyer. May believes that the experience is truly unique at how Waynesburg brings its mission full circle during the Lenten season. “I am not aware of too many universities which acknowledge Ash Wednesd ay,” s aid May. “Wit h Waynesburg professing a mission of faith in all areas of our community, it’s amazing how students from a variety of backgrounds and denominations can come together to celebrate the ultimate sacrifice Christ made for us.”
By SHON MEADE Managing Editor
Waynesburg University has had a tradition of faith since 1849, and every day students find new ways to grow their faith in God. The university is offering students another Christianbased opportunity to attend Jubilee, a conference held in Pittsburgh for college students looking to restore or refresh their faith. According to their website, “Jubilee is a life changing experience that teaches you God really does care about everything you do, and you get to witness a small portion of a rising generation of passionate believers gather together in faith as they grow and prepare to take on the world.” This is the 40th anniversary of Jubilee, and Waynesburg University has been participating since the very beginning. This year the event is taking place over the weekend of Feb. 19 to 21 at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The event itself draws over
3,000 students from over 120 different colleges with 40 of those students representing Waynesburg this year. Jubilee is organized by the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), an organization that Waynesburg University has a lasting relationship with. Russ Schneider came to Waynesburg University as a member of the CCO and continues to work for them through the Resident Director position in Thayer Hall. His job with the CCO is to recruit people to come to know Jesus and attend Jubilee. According to the CCO’s website, “The CCO calls college students to serve Jesus Christ with their entire lives.” Schneider does just that while at Waynesburg. “Jubilee is one component that I am responsible for on the University’s campus that no other staff on campus takes part in,” said Schneider. More than 50 speakers will be in attendance over the course of the weekend. Students have the option to go to them all or not.
The fee for the event has gone up as it rapidly approaches. Early costs for the event were $219, but if one were to purchase tickets on the day of the event, the price would be $289. However, money shouldn’t be an issue when it comes to Jubilee according to Schneider. Scholarships are available, but there is more than that. “There are people out there who want you to go, and we can make it work,” said Schneider. “The event itself can have a large impact on college students.” Schneider, who is originally from New Jersey, attended Jubilee through the CCO at Arcadia University where he attended college. He attended the event during his junior and senior year and regrets not going prior to that. “Jubilee was definitely a way that God transformed my life, and I wouldn’t be here without the use of that conference,” said Schneider. “Its worth going to at least once.” JUBILEE >> A4
Students reconnect spiritually at retreat Education alumni to
return to campus, share insight with students
By TYLER WOLFE
Photography Editor
In Western Greene County, a small group of Waynesburg University students spent Feb. 5-7 getting to know their peers better on a spiritual and emotional level. The second annual Kairos retreat was a success, according to student leaders and participants who didn’t have a single negative thing to say about the weekend. “I knew I was going to enjoy the weekend, just from hearing positive experiences from my friends who went last year,” said Katie Kondrick, sophomore history major and participant. “I definitely think my expectations of the retreat were met above and beyond. It felt amazing just being able to rely on God, making it a really amazing experience.” The concept of the Kairos retreat is to ‘be in God’s time,’ which is what Kairos means in Greek. The retreat was held off campus this year at Windy Ridge Camp and Retreat Center, which was a refreshing change of scenery for students. “From a leadership stand point the retreat is to create an experience that is safe and open, a place that is truly open to the love of God,” said Amy Hawley, junior criminal justice and psychology major and a student leader for the retreat. “We put the weekend
By ROB MCKINNEY
For the Yellow Jacket
Photo courtesy of Anthony Conn
The student-led Karios retreat weekend allowed students a chance to connect with one another over the common ground of their Christian faith from Feb. 5-7. completely in God’s hands, and it definitely defied our expectations, too.” The itinerary of the trip is unknown to the participants prior to the trip, and to some extent during the trip as well, though some students think the trip is all about secrets. But that’s not exactly what the leadership is going for. “We don’t want it to be a cult or something that is separate from the school,” said Hawley. “Its not so much a secret, just that we keep the content private so not to ruin the experience for people who choose to go in the future.” This trip has a direct correlation with Waynesburg University’s mission statement: Faith, Learning and Service, specifically the faith
aspect. “As Christians, as individuals, as Waynesburg students, we are called to make our faith the foundations of all our actions,” said Paige Carter, junior prelaw major and student leader. “It is important to reflect on our faith as it serves as a springboard for effective service and leadership in our vocations.” Carter went on to say how having God at the forefront of our lives equips us to be effective in all we do. Having this trip and having a group of students reflect and grow their faith for a weakened strengthens their faith, and their faith will pour over into the other aspects of their lives. This is the only type of trip like this offered at
Waynesburg University, and students hope there are more to be offered in the future. “It would definitely be positive if they had more opportunities like this,” said Hawley. “Jubilee is great trip that the school has started to go on, but we could use more spiritual growth trips like Kairos.” The retreat helped build and strengthen long lasting relationships with friends and peers though self-reflection, community and intentional conversions. “I believe it’s necessary for students here to get to know each other on person level, not just putting a name to a face,” said Kondrick. “The trip is a great way to strengthen the community here on campus.”
New location offers Stovers new experiences By MATTIE WINOWITCH Editorial Assistant
The Stover Scholars visited the Lehigh Valley from Feb. 5-6 for the first time to put Waynesburg University’s mission statement of faith, learning and service into action. Dr. Lawrence M. Stratton, the director of the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership, led 18 Stover Scholars in a series of events, which included meeting the president of DeSales University, meeting a local judge and going to the Liberty Bell Museum. They also worked directly with local boy scouts during a merit badge event. “The Lehigh Valley is a strong economic part of Pennsylvania. It is a region that is invariably overshadowed by the Pittsburgh region, Philadelphia and the state government in Harrisburg,” said Stratton. “By visiting, Waynesburg students and the Stover Scholars are introduced to this other re-
Photo courtesy of University Relations
Waynesburg University's Stover Scholars traveled to the Lehigh Valley from Feb. 5-6, where they visited with WLVT studio's Executive Producer, Laura McHugh. gion, and it’s an outreach for prospective Waynesburg students.” Taking trips is not a new concept to the Stover Scholars. Visiting new places and meeting important members of society is part of their program, such as regular visits to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., With numerous
trips and handshakes under their belts, making this trip different could be a challenge. “The trip is similar in that we [met] with business leaders, members of the media, religious leaders and legal leaders. That’s the major similarity,” said Stratton. “The difference is, in Washington, D.C., we met with national
leaders, but in the Lehigh valley, [met] regional leaders.” According to Stratton, there are many benefits to meeting regional leaders versus national leaders. Stover Scholar and freshman nursing major Christine Dawson agreed with this point. After STOVER >> A4
Education Department alumni are returning on Wednesday, Feb. 17, to share their work experiences with current department students, as well as those with undecided majors, who want to learn more about teaching and the education department as a whole. All of the alumni attending the event are under five years removed from college and live relatively close to campus. These graduates include secondary education teachers Bethany Henry and Ashley Hull, among many others. Some of the graduates are professionals who may not have had a significant job immediately out of college. “We looked for graduates whose career path may not have been ‘graduate today, job tomorrow,’” said Chair of the Education Department Yvonne Weaver. “We were thinking about students we know and what they have done, to be in the job they were in today.” Ashley Hull is a secondary education teacher with an emphasis in mathematics. Hull graduated from Waynesburg University in 2012 and is currently employed at Mapletown High School. Hull plans to encourage students to learn what it’s like to be in the real world and help them figure out if teaching is the right career choice. “I would like for students to understand what working as a teacher is like after graduation and what to expect when applying for jobs,” said Hull. “I hope [students] will be able to get the answers to their questions and decide if teaching is the right path for them.” Another area of focus for Hull’s discussion will center around motivation and not giving up on perusing a teaching career. “Teaching, and even getting a job in the first place, is a lot of work and there will be extremely frustrating days,” said Hull. “If teaching is what these students truly want to do, then I would encourage them to follow their dream.” Hull and Weaver are hoping to educate not only the students but the professors as well. “Professors might find there could be areas of improvement in training students to become teachers,”
said Hull. “For example, things we wish we would have known before getting hired.” Weaver has a similar message in how professors will be affected by the event. “The professors will have a chance to interact with students they know,” said Weaver. “It’s an opportunity for faculty to hear what graduates learned from Waynesburg and how that made them the person they are today.” Considering the fact that the education professors at Waynesburg University are years removed from public education, professors will also learn the changes in the
“I would like for students to understand what working as a teacher is like after graduation.”
ASHLEY HULL
Education Department 2012 graduate
public teaching curriculum and the modern teaching methods in the field, according to Weaver. This event is intended to benefit both current education students and undecided students who may find an interest in the education field. The education department hopes that each student will take away something from this event, even if they have an undeclared major but an interest in education. “We hope [students] will learn from the graduates and learn how those graduates took what they learned from Waynesburg University and transferred it [skills learned in class] into their profession,” said Weaver. Students are excited at the opportunity to speak with graduates and some in particular have specific questions they want to ask. “My expectations are very high for this event, there are many different kinds of teachers [who will be at the alumni event],” said Shawn Hughes, sophomore mathematics secondary education major. “I want to know how teachers overcome their first year of teaching and all the struggles along the way, and how they stay motivated.” According to Hughes, the education majors are excited to see alumni return to campus and share their stories to aid in students’ growth and learning.
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February 11, 2016
'Red Brick' serves local nonprofits with public relations work By JACOB MEYER Sports Editor
In l ate Janu ar y, t he Waynesburg University student-run public relations firm Red Brick Communications was awarded national affiliation by the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Red Brick is one of 26 national affiliated firms out of more than 100 members, according to the PRSSA website. The work the firm does is unique from most of the other national affiliated firms, according to Jordan Mitrik, firm director and senior public relations major Jordan Mitrik. “The mission of Red Brick and what we strive to do is we connect it with the mission of Waynesburg,” Mitrik said. “We take what we learn in class to serve others in our faith, and that’s at the forefront of all we do. We know the work that we’re doing is bettering the lives of the people in the community.” Mitrik said many other firms—at schools much larger than Waynesburg—have for-profit clients. Richard Krause, chairperson for the Communication Department and PRSSA faculty advisor, said it is important to the mission of the firm to take on nonprofit clients. “We made a very deliberate decision here, because of the mission Waynesburg University has, to take on mostly nonprofit clients. We do not charge them for our services,” Krause said. “We have nonprofits mostly from primarily Waynesburg, but also the region, who are badly in need of public rela-
tions services but do not have budgets to be able to pursue that.” Instructor of business and communication Pam Cunningham, who works closely with the 27 students who work with Red Brick, said the services the firm is providing to its clients is important, especially since all of them are nonprofit organizations. “There are lots of opportunities for them that they’re unable to take advantage of because they don’t have the manpower or the skillset, and that’s what our students [give to them],” Cunningham said. “I always say public relations is like a superpower. We have this ability to give them this superpower that sort of gives them the ability to be the best in their field, whether it’s a competition or just being known to the community.” One of Red Brick’s clients, the Special Olympics of Greene County (SOGC) is reaping the benefits of being a Red Brick client, according to James Tanda, board member and instructor of criminal justice. “The one constant that’s been with us side by side from the beginning has been the folks at Red Brick,” Tanda said. “We can do a lot of stuff, but until we get the word out and get the attention out to the campus, to the campus and to the region, we’re not really going forward. They helped us do that.” SOGC started back up in 2013 after a few years’ hiatus, and without the help of Red Brick, Tanda said the Special Olympics of Greene County would not be succeeding in
Jenny Schouppe, Yellow Jacket
By completing Public Relations work that serves nonprofits in the Greene County area, Red Brick Communications focuses on serving the community. The firm, a subset of the Public Relations Student Society of America, is one of only 26 nationally affiliated firms in the United States.
its mission as much as it is now. “The work from Red Brick Communications to support everything we’ve done so far has been tremendous,” Tanda said. “We wouldn’t be able to do anything had they not come on board and shown us their support.” The students who work for Red Brick Communications do not receive class credit, internship credit or anything from their work, said Cunningham.
Mitrik said where his job and the rest of the work Red Brick does really “hits home,” is looking at the success of the Special Olympics of Greene County, which the firm started working with a year ago. “Seeing people who are less fortunate happy, and knowing that you were a part of that, taking something that was nothing to something is better than any possible check, class credit or award that we can receive
from anyone,” Mitrik said. For each client, around a handful of students are focused on specifically one client, whom they work solely with. The firm performs different tasks for its clients: writing press releases, brochures, social media content, special event planning, website content and creating other content for them. “The organizations that we work with don’t really have a PR team in place, or a staff
of marketing professionals. They are low in numbers in terms of staff, and a lot of organizations don’t think PR is that important and put that on the back burner,” Mitrik said. “We are important to them because we are helping them in the area that they kind of are lacking in or aren’t as strong at.” The five clients Red Brick serves include the Special Olympics of Greene County, the Salvation Army Greene County Service Center, the Chamber of Commerce, Greene County Tourism and the Business Club to assist in its fundraisers for Kurt Detwiler. “When our clients start to learn the importance of public relations and what it can offer them, they want to hold onto [it] and they want to jump on board with us,” Cunningham said. “As each piece is given to them from us, they can see what it’s doing for their business.” Mitrik said what being a PR practitioner is about is being invested in your clients, which is something that Red Brick has been able to give to all 27 students. “It’s all about getting to know your client through and through. I could be working in sports, or medicine or with an institution or with a nonprofit. It’s all about being passionate and believing in it,” Mitrik said. “If you don’t, then you’re going to hate it, and you’re going to hate your work and what your organization stands for. I think that’s an attribute to the firm members that they kind of have that Christian mindset knowing what the right thing is.”
Stover: Students build skills, interact with pros Cups: Paper cups to Continued from A3
only being a part of the Stover Scholar program for a few months, she has already learned a lot from the various trips, and plans to learn even more in the Lehigh Valley. “I have learned so much since I have become a Stover Scholar, both about the importance of the constitution and its implications in the world today, and about moral leadership in general,” said Dawson. “It has been really invaluable to be able to meet with so many influential people, and to learn from their experiences, and how we can apply those experiences to our lives.” This pinpoints the value of the Stover Scholars’ trips: experience. By broaden-
ing their physical horizons, metaphorical horizons could be broadened as well. This trip to the Lehigh Valley is just one example of how the Scholars benefit from the program itself. Planning for this trip to the Lehigh Valley was not solely completed by Stratton. He received help from a Waynesburg University alumnus named Bill Coles who has never even met the Stover Scholars. For him, the entire trip was formed around a merit badge day for the local boy scouts in the area. Coles, who graduated from Waynesburg in 1969, came up with the idea of the trip based on a personal scouting trip in which he became devoted to becoming a merit badge counselor. “Because I knew that the
Stover Scholars had been involved in Merit Badge University on campus, I thought that maybe we could involve them in the event in the Lehigh Valley,” said Coles. After working out the details with Stratton, the trip was born and other events were added to the itinerary for the sake of the Stover Scholars. By working with the local Presbyterian Church and meeting religious leaders, learning new things from multiple different venues and helping out with boy scouts in the area, the Stover Scholars fulfilled the mission statement of the university. After planning the trip, Coles had a few hopes of his own for the outcome of the event. “My desired outcome of this event is to have a suc-
cessful Merit Badge day for scouts, to get the Stover Scholars and Waynesburg University to reconnect with the Lehigh Valley, to see students from that area getting recruited and to see a new troop started from the church we [worked] with,” said Coles. The trip offered skills to the Stover Scholars that could carry them into their professional lives. “While on this trip, the Stover Scholars [developed] their teaching and leadership skills, and carrying out the merit badge sessions,” said Stratton. “They [developed] their critical skills of engaging with these high-level executives along with business and religious leaders, as well as developing their own sense of community within the program.”
least one hundred ten pounds, and had received a flu shot in order to be eligible to donate. “I normally try to take part every time there is a blood drive on campus,” junior Ben Neff said. “It’s for a good cause, and I always feel like I just did something to help out the community whether it is local or not.” Every semester the university holds a blood drive and lasts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. An average of 10 people were in
the conference room at time, whether they were donating or waiting to donate. For some, it was their first time giving blood. “I never really gave it a thought, but my friends kept asking me to join so I decided to,” said junior Douglas Karan. “After going through the process of getting registered, it was pretty simple. If you don’t mind needles, I suggest you donate and help some others in need.”
The Central Blood Bank has over 20 community centers along with fixed mobile sites located throughout the local area. One of the main goals for the organization is to provide the best in class blood products and clinical services to meet the needs of those who are in need.Visit the Central Blood Bank’s official website at centralbloodbank.org for more information about the organization and how to donate blood.
return to the library Continued from A1
on what we said. We basically lost our sense of credibility in my opinion.” Others such as Cordova and senior Senator Parker Kantos were ready to take an alternative route to the cup saga if the bill had not gone through. “If the bill had not passed, Parker and I planned to introduce a bill to eliminate the coffee bar altogether,” said Cordova. “Most opposition to the bill came from senators who felt that the student body had a false sense of entitlement to cups and wanted to demonstrate that free coffee was not
a right.” There is one remaining step for Senate before the cups are back on campus. “All we have to do is order them, so that’s why I say ‘by the end of the month,’” said Merten. Furthermore, Merten wanted to make it known that Student Senate is dedicated to making the best decisions for the student body, and he wants students to understand that Senate will continue to fight for students. “I am glad we are able to serve the students in the best way that we can, and I think Senate’s going to strive to continue to do that," he said.
Jubilee: Conference Donors: Campus donates blood for a cause to help students link faith to college life
Continued from A2
most common, and one pint of blood was collected. The actual donation process took about ten to fifteen minutes. Central Blood Bank required that those who donated be in overall good health—free of symptoms—in order to donate. This was for one's safety as a donor and for the safety of the future recipient(s). Participants must have weighed at
Ranked: WU students graduate with less debt
Continued from A1
Waynesburg has been ranked in lists from The Brookings Institution, CollegeNET, The Economist and Educate To Career. Casey Wiltshire, a senior finance major, is thankful for the unique opportunity that Waynesburg provides. “Being at a Christian school, such as Waynesburg University that focuses on Christian principles, but al-
lows the education to be affordable means that God has a purpose for me to come and be a part of this school mission,” said Wiltshire. “I feel my life has been changed to live a life of hope and service. Waynesburg has a commitment to faith, learning and service. With these three pillars, one is allowed to pursue a career to their fullest capabilities. Waynesburg helps students have a unique competitive edge that might not be received anywhere else.”
Stokan said that Waynesburg’s success for receiving these rankings comes from the different approach for which Waynesburg takes to giving students a quality education at an affordable price. “I think we do that in a unique way here at the University,” said Stokan. “I think by keeping our cost low, we, in turn, keep student debt lower and more reasonable so that once students do graduate from Waynesburg, not only are their chances of
getting a good job are very high but more importantly with a good job they will be able to pay off their student loan debt. The schools from around the region are taking note of what Waynesburg is doing, according to Stokan. “My impression is they’re not surprised,” said Stokan. “They know we have gem here of a university. They know what we offer quality wise and they are not surprised by it.”
Continued from A3
Austin Anderson, a Thayer Hall resident assistant and junior sports broadcasting major, was hesitant about going last year, according to Schneider. “Someone like Anderson was even weary about going, not knowing what to expect,” said Schneider. Anderson will be going back this year for his second time and is eager about attending. “Many conferences out there are basic, which is good, but Jubilee is one that can bring you up to the next step, how to make an impact in society while being a Christian,” said Anderson. Jubilee is a time for students to become connected with Jesus. “It’s a conference meant for college age students, whether they are Christian or not, to come to know what it means to serve Jesus Christ with their entire lives,” said Schneider. “It’s academics, it’s social life,
it’s family – every area of your life.” While at the event, Schneider and the other staff will be around to talk with anyone who needs it. Though the numbers might be low in attendance for this year from Waynesburg, which usually brings out 50-100 students, Schneider said that isn’t going to be a problem. “We have a lot of quality students – leaders on campus that are going,” said Schneider. “We have [resident assistants], we have [campus ministry assistants], we have people on senate, people that are involved in many avenues on campus.” By having student leaders attend the event, they are more likely to come back to campus and recruit for future events. “Its overwhelming in a good way for [Christians] to see that there is a future for us,” said Schneider. It isn’t too late to sign up, and those who are interested in attending should reach out to Schneider by email at rschneid@waynesburg.edu.
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FEBRUARY 11, 2016 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
Making progress
Fay-Penn Council to celebrate 25 years
Community rallys behind local student after stroke
By KIMMI BASTON Executive Editor
By ANTHONY CONN Managing Editor
On Jan. 25 the McDowell family’s lives changed dramatically as Waynesburg Central High School senior Morgan McDowell suffered a stroke during a basketball game against Beth Center. Since then, a multitude of support has been shown to Morgan and her family, in many different ways. “The cards and prayers are just overwhelming,” said Karla McDowell, Morgan’s mother. “It’s just great.” In addition to cards and prayers, a benefit dinner was held at the Morris Township Community Center in Nineveh, Pennsylvania on Sunday, which brought a “wonderful turn out” according to Sadie Wright, a junior public relations major at Waynesburg University and friend of Morgan. “It’s incredible how the community can come together,” said Becca Nash, who helped plan the event, along with the Morris Township Fire Department. Fundraisers and t-shirt sales are currently underway at her high school as well. In remembrance of the night of Morgan’s incident, Beth Center donated their proceeds from their senior night toward Morgan’s recovery. That night on the basketball court is not one Morgan’s family or teammates will soon forget. Waynesburg Central Assistant Basketball Coach Shakila Kienholz has enjoyed coaching Morgan and said she is a good leader, someone that has been seen
Photo courtesy Karla McDowell
Karla McDowell (left) has been raising support for her daugher, Morgan (right) since Morgan's stroke on Jan. 25. A benefit dinner was held on Sunday in Nineveh, with more fundraisrs to support the family and her recovery still in progress. spending extra time with younger teammates, teaching them the game. Kienholz said she saw Morgan limping on the c o u r t t h at n i g ht , b u t
of knee problems. She suggested she be taken out of the game, but the referees would not stop play. Soon after, she collapsed. “It was really scary. It shook us all up,” said Kien“I feel like I'm in a holz, a senior education nightmare. We went major at Waynesburg. Morgan’s family was from going to games equally as shaken up, and and sports and doing still struggles with the refundraisers for basality. “I feel like I’m in a nightketball and softball, mare,” said Karla McDowand now we're doing ell. “We went from going to fundraisers for my games and sports and doing daughter.” fundraisers for basketball and softball, and now we’re doing fundraisers for my KARLA MCDOWELL Mother of Morgan McDowell daughter.” Karla McDowell wasn’t able to attend because of thought it was a knee in- work but hurried to game jury because of her history after a desperate phone call
from her son. When she arrived, Morgan was laying on the ground and unable to respond to the multitude of teammates and family members at her side. “I got on top of Morgan and said, ‘Morgan, what’s wrong?’ but she didn’t answer me. I could see one side of her face was drawn,” said Karla McDowell. Nurses at the scene suggested she be taken to the hospital under the suspicion of a stroke, so the McDowell family flew to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh where the stroke was confirmed by doctors, who insisted immediate action. It was determined that Morgan had a blood clot PROGRESS >> B4
Waynesburg prepares for Valentine's Day
Businesses adjust menus, products for the holiday By MITCHELL KENDRA Managing Editor
For local business owners of Waynesburg, Pa., Valentine’s Day means a lot of preparation and long days of work. Two shops in particular, Perfect Arrangement and 5 Kidz Kandy, have special products offered for the holiday. Janet Bowman, manager at Perfect Arrangement, said that the business has a busy week ahead of them leading up to Valentine’s Day, sometimes working 12 to 13 hours a day. Bowman said that while a majority of the deliveries will be sent out between today and Saturday, as most people have their orders delivered in advance. However, the store, usually closed on Sundays, will still be open to make deliveries. Kristy Vliet, owner of 5 Kidz Kandy, will also open her store on Sunday, but she has a different story to tell. Vliet said the day before and the day of are the busiest days for her business – at least that’s how
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
(Right) Perfect Arrangement in Waynesburg has been preparing for Valentine's Day. The store has holiday-related treats and arrangements ready for purchase. (Above) 5 Kidz Kandy also has Valentine's Day specials, ranging from chocolate covered strawberries to customized cookies. Both stores encourage customers to order early so that they don't miss out on their specials.
Valentine’s Day 2015 went. Last week, she saw some unusually early sales. “[Feb. 8] wasn’t to o busy, but last Friday [Feb. 5] we had a tremendous amount of candy sales for
way ahead of time, and so I hope it continues throughout the week,” said Vliet on the business of the store. Vliet said that last year she stayed at the store late so customers could pick up
This year, the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council will celebrate its 25th anniversary, recognizing the benefits it has provided the Fayette County community over the years and announcing plans for the future. According to Fay-Penn’s website, the council provides services to clients and the community as a whole, that include local economy development, business site selection assistance, technical assistance, tourism development and workforce development. The council’s Executive Director, Bob Shark, said the anniversary is a momentous occasion for the philanthropic organization, which is focused on business development and subsequent strengthening of the local economy. “Twenty-five years is a long time for a nonprofit organization such as Fay-Penn to be self-sustainable,” said Shark. According to Shark, FayPenn’s official birthdate is Jan. 16, 1991, so January 2016 marked exactly 25 years for the council. The celebration of the occasion, however, will be held on May 19 during the council’s annual dinner. Tickets for the event will be available soon. While he didn’t want to give away everything about the celebration just yet, Shark said the dinner will be a time to reflect on how the council
got to where it stands today and to describe aspirations for future work in the community.
“Twenty-five years is a long time for a nonprofit organization such as Fay-Penn to be selfsustainable.”
BOB SHARK
Executive Director Fay-Penn Council
“For the anniversar y, throughout 2016 we will be announcing new developments and initiatives that we are launching,” said Shark. “During our January Board Meeting, we discussed our redevelopment plans for revitalizing a building in downtown Uniontown and creating a multi-tenant office facility. We also announced development of a business Event Center at our headquarters that will serve not only Fay-Penn needs, but will also be open for use by the community.” Shark said the council has made a significant impact in Fayette County during the last 25 years, and the celebration will also provide an avenue to recognize people who have been the ‘backbone of support’ for Fay-Penn. “Fay-Penn has helped to create or retain about 9,000 jobs, increased annual payrolls by almost $200 million, COUNCIL >> B4
Catholic Schools Week unites faith, knowledge, service
Local students celebrate and reflect on religous upbringing By ANNIE MCGLAUGHLIN Multimedia Manager
Catholic schools in the region celebrated National Catholic Schools Week during the week of Jan. 31 to Feb. 6. The theme of the week was “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” During this week, students and faculty celebrate their religion through masses, observations, open houses and more. These activities are meant to help the student grow and embrace their faith, while celebrating their contributions to their respected parish over the years. Saint John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School, a school in the diocese of Greensburg, held many different events for their students. Starting on Sunday, the school had an open house to show what their students accomplish. During the rest of the week, the school had activities such as Family Night Bingo, School Carnival, Dress Down Day, Care and Share and a special mass to commemorate the occasion. John F. Kennedy Catholic School, located in Washington, Pennsylvania, started the week off with a family mass their orders. on Sunday, following with a “We actually had people reception that included varicalling us saying ‘we are on ous desserts. our way, please don’t close’ All students were involved last year,” said Vliet with with the mass in some way. Then, the school had a differVALENTINES >> B4 ent theme for each day.
Some of the themes of the mass included American Heroes Day, Sockhop and Retro Day, with activities including penny wars, a pep-rally and several trivia games. Principal of John F. Kennedy Catholic School (JFK) Dr. Kathleen Harrington wanted to integrate service, Catholic faith and fun into the week. The service project during the week, with the motivation being giving back to the Genesis project and Washington county missions, was collecting new and gently used winter clothes such as coats, hats, scarves, etc. “We try to make it fun and blend the Catholic background with activities and giving it back to the beautiful community we live in,” said Harrington. Harrington was ver y adamant about the middle school students working with the elementary students during the week’s activities. “The bigger kids love being involved with the younger kids. We tell the bigger kids that they are role models. A lot of the kids were siblings,” said Harrington. “We are very fortunate our middle school kids are connected to the elementary students, it’s a great relationship builder and great way to teach older kids to be responsible and role models.” One activity Harrington was proud to offer was the chance for her students to write handwritten thank you letters to their parents SCHOOLS >> B4
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SPJ BEST ALL-AROUND N O N - DA I LY F I N A L I S T 2004
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Focus on intangibles during election season JACOB MEYER Columnist
EDITORIAL Executive Editor Managing Editors Sports Editor Asst. Sports Editor Sports Convergence Editor Op/Ed Editor News Digest Editor Copy Editor Graphic Design Editor Chief Photographer Photography Editor Multimedia Manager Multimedia Team Copy Chief Editorial Assistants Asst. Advertising Directors ADVISORS Richard Krause Brandon Szuminsky
Kimmi Baston Anthony Conn Shon Meade Mitch Kendra Jacob Meyer Kyle Dawson RJ Leisie Brendan Keany Ryan Schwertfeger Mary Hoffman Whitney Waters Jenny Schouppe Tyler Wolfe Annie McGlaughlin Emily Hackman Teghan Simonton Tim Neral Chelsey Withers Jodie Alexander Luke Goodling Mattie Winowitch Casey Heimberger Autumn Foust
Editorials in the left-hand column represent the views of the Yellow Jacket. Letters from readers, columns, cartoons and other elements on the editorial page do not necessarily reflect the position of this newspaper and university.
EDITORIALS
Assessments await
Students may not see Assessment Day's value Every year, sometime in mid-February, the day comes when schedules are put on hold, and academic departments have meetings with their students: Assessment Day. The students of Waynesburg University moan and groan about the assortment of campus and department activities. Perhaps, for students at least, the only redeeming quality of the day is the cancellation and break from classes. A common sentiment from students following Assessment Day is that it is a pointless waste of a day — and it's a lot of work. Freshmen are required to take a survey on their Waynesburg experience, while sophomores take the math assessments and juniors take a critical thinking exam. Even if some of the department activities are stimulating or produce some beneficial data, the campus-wide exams and tests seem brutal. Though at the first glance, students may find that these assessments may come as a hassle and an annoyance. This, however, isn’t the case. The data that comes out of these assessments help the university better understand what their students are capable of, what their views are and what their experiences have been like while here. Like it or not, assessments are an essential part of the academic experience, whether they are exams and quizzes or events like Assessment Day. It may not be fun or exciting, but that doesn't mean it's not necessary.
February 11, 2016
In the midst of the primary season, it is our job as the American electorate to choose the next person to represent our respective political parties. It seems like a big deal, especially if you watch the news. But it’s not. The President has much less power and influence on the country than we think. The election process and the election of the POTUS is more overrated and overhyped than the NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The hot issues that candidates are asked about and people hold in high regard as the top priorities are things the President has very little control over. Areas like the economy, gas prices, abortion and unemployment rate are things we care about when electing a president, when in reality, the President has very little influence on them. The President of the United States is similar to an NFL head coach. Both rely on hundreds of people to succeed, both don’t have nearly as much power as people think, and no matter what happens, he will get the blame for the bad and the credit for the good.
So here’s my tactic when looking at presidential candidates: I judge their honesty, temperament, qualifications and ability to lead rather than their policies and where they stand on the issues. Now, I’m not going to go overboard here. As a libertarian, I am not going to vote for Bernie Sanders over a more conservative candidate just because I think Bernie is awesome as a person (which he is). For example, Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Carly Fiorina all basically have the same political philosophy on the issues. These four candidates,
though, couldn’t be more different because of the way they portray their positions. Trump is a fear-mongerer, Carson is timid and not polished, Kasich is positive and Fiorina is an agitator. The first question asked in last Saturday’s Republican debate was about the temperament of the President, most notably geared toward perceived national front-runner Trump. His response? Exactly what you would expect. “I actually think I have the best temperament. I built a massive corporation. I employ thousands and thousands of people. I’ve gotten along with LEADER >> B3
Higher education is a privilege, not a right KIMMI BASTON Columnist
In a lot of suburban American towns, moving from high school to a twoor four-year college is the natural progression. The norm. Nobody thinks twice about car ving out that chunk of life to go to classes in fancy brick buildings separated by patches of grass where 20-somethings intentionally gather to drink coffee and read books. In those towns, the high school kids who decide not to go to college are the ones who people think twice about, the ones whom guidance counselors try to lead down a “better” path.
What we (and by “we,” I mean those of us currently sitting in those brick buildings) usually don’t realize is that the mindset in those towns is not reality for most of the world, let alone for much of the country. In the United States, recent reports from CollegeAmerica show that only 40 percent of working age (25-64) Americans have an associate degree or higher. Less than 20 percent have a bachelor’s degree. The worldwide statistics show an even bigger disparity – approximately seven percent of the world’s population has a college education, Bloomberg recently reported. I tell you this not to imply any negative idea about the 93 percent who haven’t been afforded the opportu-
nity to go to college – there are, of course, a whole host of issues surrounding global education that would take thousands of words to even begin to sort out. My goal is simply to illustrate to you that if you are or ever were a college student, you are actually one of the most fortunate human beings. Regardless of your personal socio-economic background, having ever sat in a college classroom makes you so privileged – and I mean that in the most positive way possible. A college education is coveted by many and attainable by a relatively small portion of the population. And yet, I take my status as a college student for granted every day. I can only speak for my-
self, but after five semesters in college, I’m pretty confident I’m not alone in forgetting daily that the major goal of higher education is to turn us into productive adult humans in society. But how much of our time do we actually spend trying to achieve that end? While they’re far from universal, some of the activities classically associated with college students include: watching Netflix, oversleeping, procrastinating, eating and partying. Even if they’re stereotypical, what do those images say about those of us who are lucky enough to be in this position? To be frank, I’m pretty embarrassed when I think about my role in the grand COLLEGE >> B3
A real hug is better
Focus on less commercialized Valentine's Day Love is in the air this time of year. However, sometimes it’s so pungent that it’s hard to breathe. Valentine’s Day puts a lot of pressure on college-aged kids. For those who are in long-term relationships, it can be difficult to think of more cliché ways to express love. For those in new relationships, the stress of picking the right gift can be debilitating. And for those who don’t have a valentine of their own, it can be a time of despair, loneliness and a shopping cart full of discount heart-shaped chocolates. The main thing that everyone should keep in mind during this time of year is not to materialize it. Gushy commercials and insincere Hallmark cards have turned the holiday into a moneymaking scheme. Even scrolling on Facebook for a few seconds provides articles titled, “Cute V-Day Gifts Under $200.” Since when is love based on value? If your significant other will cease “loving” you if you don’t get them the hottest new Apple product, or the most expensive piece of jewelry or whatever else Santa forgot to get them for Christmas, it’s probably not love. True love is in the little things like a homemade dinner or a handwritten note. An evening where you can talk about what really matters, not compare receipts over who spent more on whom. If you’re in a relationship and you find yourself getting caught up in the Valentine’s Day motions, it’s probably not the end of the world. Society makes us this way, but individually, each of us has the power to reverse those norms and put the love back in the holiday. So the next time you walk past one of those $50 life-sized Valentine’s-themed stuffed animals, think about how much nicer a real hug would feel, for free. NEWSPAPER POLICY The Yellow Jacket is the student-operated newspaper of Waynesburg University funded by student fees and advertisements and is intended for the entire college community. The Yellow Jacket is produced by the student staff on a weekly basis during the academic year. The office of the Yellow Jacket is located in room 400 of Buhl Hall. It is the right of the Yellow Jacket to print all material deemed newsworthy and gathered in a fair and unconditional manner. No advance copies of stories will be shown, and reporters' notes are considered confidential. No "off the record" information will be accepted. ADVERTISING POLICY Anyone wishing to advertise in the Yellow Jacket should email the advertising director at jacketads@waynesburg.edu. Ads must be submitted by the Monday before publication date and not conflict with the university mission.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: MAT T MCDERMOT T
Student reflects on powerful Kairos retreat Editor's Note: The following is a brief reflection on the Kairos Retreat by junior Matt McDermott. By SHON MEADE
For the Yellow Jacket
"Kairos" is a word derived from ancient Greek, meaning time. The way that universities across the country define Kairos can only be described by those who attend the event itself. For students like Matt McD er mott, t he most meaningful definition of Kairos is defining it as “God’s Time.” He, and thousands of others across the United States, participated in a weekend trip dedicated to just that — God’s Time. McDermott, a junior media ministr y major, was one of the nine leaders who went on the trip over the weekend. This year marked his second time on the retreat. Prior to experiencing Kairos for the first time, McDermott didn’t think he would get anything out of it. Now he acts as a leader to those who want to go in
the future. “I’ve seen really good things come out of this, when people take that step out with their faith,” said McDermott. That’s one of the reasons that McDermott wanted to help lead the trip this year and get more involved. There was a lot of planning that went into the event, causing McDermott to stress. Getting the message out there and gathering interest in the event was one of the biggest aspects. The hashtag “WUKairos” was circulating around social media as well as the saying “Get Rooted.” All the planning seemed to pay off for McDermott. “You take a lot of time worrying about it administratively,” said McDermott. “You get so wrapped up in it before hand, that whenever you’re there with everyone and see how God is moving in everyone’s lives, you see this massive impact.” This impact was also felt by the other 25 Waynesburg University students who went. The retreat comes from the Catholic Church and
has been adapted to fit the views of Waynesburg and the attendees. What actually goes on at Kairos is kept secret and
“Kairos helps further students' relationships with God, whether they have one already or don't.”
MATT MCDERMOTT
shared mostly between those who attend. This adds to the overall impact of the retreat for those who are going for the first time. It has become a yearly event for students at Waynesburg. Only members of the sophomore class and above
are allowed to participate, meaning that the current freshmen will be allowed to go next year. McDermott felt God’s love work through him over the course of the trip and the leadership role has only added to it. “[Kairos] helps further students’ relationships with God, whether they have one already or don’t,” said McDermott. According to McDermott, attending Kairos allows students to open up to God as well as those around them as relationships are built between those that go on the trip. Kairos is about living deeper into your faith and giving God time. “You’re giving God the room in your life to build a deeper relationship.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor are encouraged as a method to bring issues of concern into the public eye. Letters should be typed, limited to 300 words, signed and include a phone number for confirmation. Letters may be submitted to 400 Buhl Hall, sent to the Yellow Jacket via campus mail or via email to jacket@waynesburg.edu. Letters may also be sent to Yellow Jacket, 400 Buhl Hall, Waynesburg University, 51 W. College St., Waynesburg, Pa. 15370. All letters must be received by 5 p.m. the Monday of any publication week.
February 11, 2016
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Cheat Sheet: Sex trafficking spikes at events like Super Bowl Editor's Note: The following is a synopsis of a recent topic trending in world or national news. By BRENDAN KEANY
For the Yellow Jacket
It has been reported over the years that the Super Bowl produces one of the largest events for sex trafficking on a yearly basis. However, despite this claim, only quantitative evidence actually supports this notion to be true. Nevertheless, simply because there is not a ton of evidence, this does not mean that the claim’s truthfulness should be discounted or disregarded. According to Hannah Albarazi of CBS San Francisco, law enforcement officials were able to identify numerous perpetrators of sex trafficking as well as many of the victims of the globally acclaimed social injustice. The article states, “In Santa Clara County, sheriff ’s deputies arrested or cited 30 men for soliciting prostitution and found 42 potential human trafficking victims during a series of stings in the three weeks leading up to the Super
Photo courtesy MCT Campus
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Corey Brown, right, makes a catch against the Denver Broncos in the third quarter of Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 7. The Broncos won, 24-10. Bowl.” Furthermore, several victims were under the age of 18. According to CBS News, the FBI took a different approach in the effort to crack down on sex trafficking at this year’s Super Bowl. Essentially, undercover cops reached out to women who were selling themselves so that they would potentially turn in their pimp. The article goes on to say
that women are not necessarily targeted in the area of the Super Bowl, but prostitution operations from other areas will oftentimes move with the population influx. “Anti-trafficking advocates say there is no evidence that additional women or girls are forced into prostitution to serve the Super Bowl market,” continued the article. “But those already trafficked may be moved to such events as
their traffickers see opportunities to make money.” Sporting events are always rumored to be a hotbed for trafficking simply due to the number of men who pour into a confined area for a short period of time. However, despite the human trafficking issue, numerous organizers and volunteers in the cities that host major sporting events are taking steps to eradicate the problem.
According to an ESPN article by Richard Lapchick, the organizers of huge sporting events are discovering creative ways in how to spread the news about human trafficking. For example, volunteers provided bars of soap that listed the National Human Trafficking Hotline for victims to contact at the NCAA Final Four. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich ran several anti-human trafficking ads before the College Football Playoff National Championship this year. Those are just two examples, but there are many more about volunteers and public figures attempting to change the culture at huge sporting events. On a global scale, Hope Initiatives compiled statistics on human trafficking, which is now one of the largest and most lucrative operations in the world. The website states that human trafficking has produced an industry that made $150.2 billion on a yearly basis. Furthermore, there 1.2 million children who are trafficked each year, which equates to 27 percent of the total industry.
Despite the idea that slavery is dead, 29.8 million people are currently being used as slaves, which is a number higher than any other single era in history. To put this in perspective, the entire population of Texas (26.96 million according to Google News) does not reach the number of people who are trafficked each year. Furthermore, for the most part, many Americans are under the illusion that human trafficking is something that happens overseas but just happens to pick up around the Super Bowl. According to the ESPN article, a study by the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport revealed reports of human trafficking in 23 cities across 21 states this past year. However, the article also noted the extensive steps being taken to end trafficking due to the recognition and attention it has been given. “But even more importantly, because of the increased attention, there have been new initiatives to combat trafficking across 46 cities in 28 states, just in January 2016.”
In The News: Ten headlines you need to know this week
Editor's Note: The following is a summary of the 10 stories from last week that a college student needs to know.
1. Trump, Sanders win big in New Hampshire The perceived frontrunners going into the first primary in the nation both wound up winning, but by much bigger margins than originally anticipated. For the Democrats, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton getting about 60% of the vote to her 40%. For the Republicans, Donald Trump came in first with about 35% of the vote with John Kasich coming in second with approximately 16% of the vote. The race for third place was close between Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio as all hovered between 10-12% of the vote. The Democrats will face off next in Nevada and the Republicans will face off in South Carolina, both contests on Feb. 20. -Google News Feb. 9 2. Missing teen found dead In a continually evolving story, a female teenager was found dead in Virginia and now two Virginia Tech students have been charged with murder. A CNN report by Ralph Ellis says that the missing teen, Nicola Lovell, was last seen in late January and upon discovering she had not returned home, a search was started that lasted several days. Nicola’s body was eventually found over a hundred miles away from her last seen location. The police were able to arrest college student David Eisenhauer and Natalie Keepers and both were tried in court last week for killing
Ms. Lovell. Police are still investigating the exact cause of death and the motive behind the killing. -CNN Feb. 2
3. Zika Virus concerns grow in America The Center of Disease Control has now released warnings and information for Americans concerned about the growing threat of the Zika virus. According to the New York Times, Zika was first reported in the United States last week when a Dallas hospital reported that a patient claimed the virus was spread via sex instead of the presumed known route of infection: mosquito bites. The problem continues to intensify, especially in Central and South America as Fox News is reporting that the Colombian president has announced that more than 3,000 pregnant women in his country have the Zika virus. -New York Times, Feb. 6 4. Chipotle’s E. Coli outbreak now over Popular restaurant Chipotle’s E. coli outbreak appears to have finally come to a close. Nation’s Restaurant News is reporting that the investigation into the company by the Center for Disease Control is now over and after making some menu and food preparation changes, such a problem should not arise. CNBC reported how damaging the outbreak was for Chipotle saying that their stock went down 30% in the December alone, but since the CDC’s announcement was made, the stock has slowly started to tick back up. The CNBC report by Sarah Whitten also reported that the company will start “inviting customers back to restaurants in February with increased marketing and direct mail offers.”
-CNBC Feb 1
5. Women may be forced to register for draft Two American generals made headlines when they declared that women should have to register for the draft. In a report by NBC News by Corky Siemaszko, the chief of staff to the Army and an official from the Marine Corps both said they wanted to see a change to the draft rules that includes women as potential draft candidates now that all combat jobs are open to women as well as men. Current law says that only legal, American male residents between 18 and 26 are required to register with the government in case of a draft. The amendment to the law is still being discussed in the U.S. Senate. At the Republican debate on Saturday, many of the candidates responded that they agreed with the generals’ recommendations and that if President, they would include women as potential draft candidates. -NBC News Feb. 6 6. FBI investigating Flint water tragedy After tragedy struck the city of Flint, Michigan when reports surfaced of lead contamination in the residents’ drinking water, the FBI has now agreed to join the investigation into how one of Michigan’s biggest cities fell into such a horrible situation. ABC News says that the FBI is working with “a multiagency team” made up of various level governmental agencies to see how the transition of water systems and pipes inadvertently caused the problems. While the investigation is on going, NBC News has reported that Michigan Governor Rick Synder (R) will put forth a bill that would give $30 million dollars directly to residents affected by the
Photo courtesy MCT Campus
Carl Huntere, 48, of Flint, Mich., walks home through the snow from the North End Soup Kitchen in Flint on Wednesday, Jan. 13 where he received a case of free bottled water. catastrophe to cover their water bills they would have had to pay normally. Other water users would get 20% taken off of their water bills. -ABC News Feb. 3 7. IRS computer issues cause headaches According to reporting from the AP, the IRS had some computer glitches on Wednesday that prevented them from accepting online tax returns filed by Americans leading up to the Tax Day deadline. In a separate report by USA Today, the IRS has now said that the government agency is still trying to figure out exactly what went wrong and how bad the outage was, but notes that those who did file electronically will still receive their tax refunds in the next 2-3 weeks. Many services are still not available today, more than 24 hours after the problem was first reported. -AP News, Feb. 4 8. North Korea launches a satellite North Korea on Saturday announced that they have launched an “earth observa-
tion satellite” amidst disdain and with rebuke from many world leaders. The Washington Post writes that South Korea believes that the North is telling the truth that such a satellite did launch and was successful in entering space. The concern is that through such a satellite, the North Koreans would have the ability to use the same technology to attack other countries, including South Korea, Japan, or the United States. The National Security Adviser to President Obama called the launch a “provocative action” and that it goes against rules put in place on North Korea by the United Nations. -The Washington Post Feb. 6 9. Amazon to open 400 bookstores in malls Amazon is known for its online presence but now Amazon wants to have a physical presence as well. An article in Reuters reports that Amazon is starting to open bookstores around the country and plans to have 300-400 stores open in the next several months to a year. Amazon executives however have not confirmed that this is the case. The news was
reported to the press by the vice president of investor relations of a major mall operating company. The news comes as a surprise as it would pit Amazon against big-box bookstores like Barnes and Noble. -Reuters Feb. 2 10. Voice of Bugs Bunny passes away The man behind the modern voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck passed away yesterday at the age of 63. The Los Angeles Times has reported that Joe Alaskey passed away in his New York home after an illness. Writer Jill Leovy says that Alaskey’s niece expressed how much Joe loved his job saying that “He took it so seriously, it meant so much to him — it was a heavy responsibility.” Alaskey took the reins as one of the primary Looney Toons voices after the original voice of many of the characters, Mel Blanc, passed away in 1989. -Los Angeles Times Feb. 4 Information compiled by Ryan Schwertfeger For the Yellow Jacket
Leader: Pick the most qualified College: Be aware of good fortune
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p e opl e for ye ars and years, have tremendous relationships with many people, including politicians on both sides.” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who won the Iowa caucus, when asked about previous statements about Trump, deflected to talk about the big-bad Democrats.
“I am convinced every individual standing on this stage, would make a much better commander-in-chief than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.” Then New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio went at it, mostly about each other’s credibility and history as a leader as a qualification to be President. Rubio did his best LeB-
ron James impression, saying the same prepared political statement, not once, not twice, not three times, but four times. Yes, it is our jobs to vote for not only for whom we align with the most on social and economic issues, but more importantly, to also judge how qualified, honest and loyal the candidates are to doing what’s best for the American people.
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scheme of things. I’m going to call myself a college graduate after four years, but what did I do in those four years? Did I really take full advantage of having the incredible means and opportunity to attend college, or did I waste time complaining and slacking and worrying more about food than
learning? The excitement, entertainment, friends, binge eating, road trips and selfies that add indispensible levity to student life are part of what make a college experience worth having. I know that, and I’m not giving them up. But I argue that those parts of life should happen secondary to things related to the purpose of college: getting an education.
If you choose to take the time – and money, though that’s a whole other column – to pursue a college degree, realize the weight of what you are accomplishing, and don’t take it for granted. If you don’t come out of college being better able to contribute to the world as a whole than you were beforehand, you might have missed something. This is a privilege, not a right. Be worthy of it.
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February 11, 2016
Wildlife demonstration educates Waynesburg area youth By CODY YANKULIC
For the Yellow Jacket
For many kids of elementary age, making a difference in the community isn’t high on the list of priorities, but Kory Taylor is a child of a different nature. On Wednesday, Feb. 3, Taylor and nineteen other children gathered at the Eva K. Bowlby Public Library to hear Wildlife Conservation Officer Bill Lubich speak. From 6 to 7 p.m., Lubich spoke about mammals native to Greene County and the state of Pennsylvania. He also brought in pelts and skulls to display. The event was interactive: anyone who wanted to touch the pelt or skull had the opportunity to do so. Lubich was brought to the library by Taylor. Taylor gave the idea to Family Literacy Coordinator Diana Moninger, who was in charge of planning the event. Moninger explains that Taylor gave her the idea last summer and told her that he felt the community needed
Kyla Wolper, Yellow Jacket
Officer Bill Lubich tought children about Greene County mammals and other animals native to the area. Those in attendance took part in the interactive demonstration, feeling the samples.
the event. With Taylor’s idea in mind, Moninger reached out to Lubich and the planning began. Moninger said she was saving the event for
the winter. “We wanted to do something as an indoor program,” said Moninger. Moninger’s plan was to have an indoor event during
the winter, coinciding nicely with Lubich’s work schedule. Lubich explained that during hunting season his job consists of “strictly law enforcement,” but starting
around February, the Pennsylvania Game Commission starts to do educational programs. Lubich also explained that the programs are usually by a request basis. Moninger was happy to have received support from the community, saying that there was interest in the community and thought the program would be educational for children and adults alike. Lubich was also happy to see the support from the community. “We’re usually not in the eye as much as other law enforcement officials,” said Lubich. “These help the public understand what we do and what role we play.” Moninger was happy with both attendance from the public and the information Lubich presented. “I thought it was a very educational presentation,” said Moninger. Lubich also had education in mind but education of a different sort. “Don’t handle wildlife,” said Lubich, one of his mes-
sages to the children. Lubich also had the intention of educating the community of what different wildlife were native to Greene County, as he displayed a variety of pelts and had several skulls sitting on a table beside him. Lubich would present a pelt or skull for the audience to look at and then give facts and information on the animal. Lubich then made his way around the room, with the pelt or skull he was holding, to let members of the audience touch it. In total, Lubich had eleven pelts and four animal skulls. Of the skulls on display, all were native to Pennsylvania except a mountain lion skull. This may not be the last time a night dealing with wildlife and showcasing them to guests is on schedule for the public library, as the event was well received and attended by the community. “I would very much like to have him come back,” said Moninger.
Local businesses form merchants' guild Valentines: New treats By TIM NERAL
Editorial Assistant
For months, local businesses have worked together to develop the Waynesburg business district. They’ve held meetings, discussed problems with their businesses and offered their counterparts possible solutions to those problems. They’ve held local community events, worked with local charities and organizations and funded holiday celebrations and festivities. All this time, they’ve done all these things without a name and with no structure. Now, that’s changed. The Merchants Guild is now official. “When we gang up together and collaborate, we have a larger pool of funds to get things done,” said Linda Winegar, owner of Artbeat Gallery and secretary of the new guild. Up until this point, the
community worked together to get their businesses known. Before, the community of regional entities had little organization to what they did. With an official guild, Facebook page and board members, Waynesburg establishments have a unified direction. Artbeat Gallery, 5 Kidz Kandy, Ruff Creek Crafts and Purse-n-ality are among the notable participants in the new guild along with B & B Jewelry & Beads, Fisher Antiques, The Fashion Shoppe, Four Horsemen Comics and Gaming and McCracken Pharmacy. “We’re in a field that we’re an important part of the community,” said Winegar. With a central focus and better organization, they say they can make a bigger impact. “Our main goal is to get more people to come to Waynesburg to shop and to
give back to our community,” said Donna Presock, owner of Purse-n-ality and president of the new guild. “We want to give back and help.” Presock’s shop has only been open for six months, but she already has a vision of what she wants Waynesburg to become. “There used to be some little shops, like Howard’s store,” said Presock. “There were more events, more sit down eating restaurants, more things to benefit the kids.” Now, many of those places are gone and Presock and her other members are determined to revitalize, regroup and put Waynesburg back on the map. Presock mentions there’s nothing here for kids anymore with the bowling alley and movie theater having closed down. “We’re doing events like the cookie caper, benefits to
help the food bank, helping the humane society,” said Presock. Upcoming events the Merchants Guild is planning include various Easter festivities, but the closest upcoming attraction is a chili cook-off that’s already being called “Cabin Fever Sunday.” Similar to the great cookie caper, there will be a wide assortment of chili at different locations through the business strip of Waynesburg on East High Street on a Sunday near the end of the month. Both Presock and Winegar said the guild wants to collaborate more with college students and the university itself. As Presock says, when the kids come back to school, she sees more people in Waynesburg then she’s seen in a long time. “If we had events like that and everyone worked together, it would show everyone trying to come back as a community,” said Presock.
Progress: Teen works Council: Anniversary toward recovery after brings several changes medical emergency Continued from B1
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near her brain, and required surgery to stop inflamation. She was transported to UPMC Presbyterian and the surgery began. During the surgery, doctors discovered Morgan has a blood disorder called Factor V, which caused the blood clot. Despite this abnormal finding and repair of the blood clot, doctors do not see a direct correlation to the stroke and are looking for the reason that she had it. " Wh e n w e t o o k t h e breathing tube out, that’s when we found out that Morgan couldn’t talk,” said Karla McDowell. “She can comprehend everything, but she just can’t get it out.” Morgan spent four days in ICU and then started rehab. Now out of surger y, Morgan is the subject of a study to find out why someone her age experienced a stroke, which is more common for older people. She can now give oneword answers and has been able to walk a little distance on her own strength. “It’s not the best yet, but she’ll get there,” said Karla McDowell. “It’s been an experience I hope a parent never has to go through.”
Karla McDowell said they are getting through it together, with the support of family and friends across the country. “We have a prayer chain going in eight states,” Karla McDowell said. “Prayers do work. We’re living proof of that.” Karla McDowell knows that the road to recovery will be a slow one, but she is not surprised by the progress. even though the doctors continue to be. Everyone is taking it one day at a time and relying on prayer in the tough moments. "We may never be at 100 percent,” said Karla McDowell, “but I know my daughter, and she will fight to where she can get to maybe 85 or 90 percent. She’s going to try to get to 100… but it will be a process.” Kienholz agrees, and says Morgan’s performance on the basketball court directly translates to her everyday life. “She’s not a person to give up,” Kienholz said. “She’s going to try as hard as she can to get back to where she was.” As Morgan’s progress increases, Karla McDowell is confident her daughter will continue to fight. “She’s making a comeback like you would not believe.”
added over $8 million to the business tax base and generated almost $1.4 billion in new investment,” said Shark. Through such efforts, Fay-Penn works primarily to grow Fayette County’s economy. It partners with government organizations, fellow economic development groups and private businesses and acts as a ‘gateway' for anything businesses need to grow and become sustainable, according to Shark. “We provide comprehensive, second-to-none business development services through our staff or our
partners to make our clients more competitive in a global marketplace,” said Shark. Fayette County is one of the most impoverished counties in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, but Shark said FayPenn’s efforts will continue to help strengthen the county’s economy. “[In the future] we’ll be strengthening ties with partners to form more cohesion for economic development throughout the county,” said Shark. “This will allow us to be more effective and efficient in getting businesses established here and ensuring our workforce is qualified to do the jobs that are available.”
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for providing them with a Catholic education. “I’m a product of a Catholic school and appreciate the sacrifices my parents made,” said Harrington. Harrington feels blessed and lucky to be at JFK and her students give her more than she could’ve ever wanted.
“[For] being a new principal here at JFK and for how our staff and students worked so hard for Catholic Schools Week, it exceeded my expectations,” said Harrington. The first National Catholic Schools Week was in 1974 and continues to be a main celebration in Catholic schools across the region.
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a laugh. Both stores offer unique gift options for Valentine's Day, appealing to Waynesburg University students and other Greene County residents. The Perfect Arrangement sells different items from the various flower arrangements to stuffed animals, candy boxes and decorations – B owman says the store has “gifts of every sort.” The business has its usual deals for this holiday but also went outside of the box this year and is promoting a special new gift – burlap and lace arrangements. “Every year we want to come up with something different to give to our customers, and this year it is the burlap and lace arrangement,” said Bowman. As Perfect Arrangement has its special deals, 5 Kidz Kandy has several holiday deals of its own going on through the weekend. Vliet ordered in special holiday packaging to make their gifts “stand out” more to their buying customers this week. Vliet said their strawberries and chocolate covered Oreo brand cookies will be covered in special Valentine’s hearts and placed in holiday packaging. O t h e r it e m s 5 K i d z Kandy are specializing for the holiday are the custom Valentine’s hearts where customers can pick the box they would like and then
can fill it with whatever candy they want. There are also strawberry trees, or “towers,” where the strawberries are placed together in order to resemble a tree. Bowman said Perfect Arrangements has unique gifts, and therefore it attracts a couple more Waynesburg University customers around Valentine’s Day than they normally do. Vliet said that most of the customers coming into the store are the general population, but she does get a notable number of Waynesburg students who make their way down to the store. She said there haven’t been as many Waynesburg students down to the store placing orders this year as opposed to last, possibly because of their busy schedules. “But it could just be that the university guys are waiting until the last minute to order their strawberries,” Vliet said jokingly. Last year there was “a good bit of male students” who came in and made purchases around Valentine’s Day, according to Vliet. B oth the Perfect Arrangement and 5 Kidz Kandy w i l l have t heir hands especially full until Sunday evening, but it’s not something they are angry about. “[I’d just like to add] that we are here to help knock your significant other’s socks off,” Vliet said with a laugh.
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FEBRUARY 11, 2016 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
Christner's team pulls off another upset with win at Saint Vincent WU beats SVC in Latrobe for first time in more than 25 years By KYLE DAWSON
Assistant Sports Editor
Wh e n Way n e s bu r g’s men’s basketball team beat Thomas More in overtime a few weeks ago, sixth year head coach Mark Christner made history, since it was the first time a team under his direction beat the Saints.
Last Wednesday night, Feb. 3, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Christner chalked another milestone off his slate when the Jackets defeated Saint Vincent at the Carey Center for the first time under Christner and the first time since before 1990. The final score of 73-64 was simply the result of an executed game plan, ac-
cording to Christner. “It was one of those nights where we had a solid plan and our guys executed what we wanted them to,” said Christner. “And they did it without fear. We’ve talked about all year how you have to go play and that in our league you can beat anybody. I was really pleased with our mental toughness and we did a good job of executing down the stretch. It was a great win.” Defensively, the Jackets had to deal with covering
three Bearcats, which have been keys to Saint Vincent’s success thus far. According to Christner, the Jacket defense was able to execute its goal of keeping senior guard Jaylon Bell in check and “in front” of them. Seniors Pat Jones and JC Howard scored 20 and 12 points, respectively, in the loss for Saint Vincent. “They have two all-conference guys in Pat Jones and JC Howard and maybe the league MVP so far in Jaylon Bell,” said Christner. “As crazy as it may sound,
From jerseys to suits
we wanted Jones and Howard to shoot and be more assertive and thought that would take away from Bell because when he scores a ton, they usually win.” Offensively, the balance of scoring may have been the story for the Jackets in the win that put them over .500 in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play at 7-6. The victory also served as Waynesburg’s first win on the road this season in one of the loudest and toughest places to play in the PAC. The Jackets would then
By RJ LEISIE
Lindsay Orzechowski, Yellow Jacket
Ben Altmeyer (left), Jacob Fleegle (second from left) and Tyler Miller (second from right) all used to play basketball at Waynsburg University under head coach Mark Christner (right). Now, all three work as assistants for their former coach.
From in-game strategy to recruiting, former players learn coaching ropes as assistants By RJ LEISIE
The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team has new faces on the bench this season that fans aren’t used to: the freshman. However, this isn’t about them. It’s about the familiar faces on the bench, who are dressed a little differently than fans last remember. Waynesburg added two new coaching positions to the team filled with men who were playing at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse just a season ago. Jacob Fleegle was brought on as a Graduate Assistant this year to help head coach Mark Christner’s staff. With Fleegle, Tyler Miller joined the staff this year as well but as a Student Assistant. The third member, who once played for the team, is Ben Altmeyer. Altmeyer is a 2012 graduate of Waynesburg and played in 39 games, 35 of which he started. Altmeyer has been a part of the coaching staff since the 2013-14
season and this year he added the new title of athletic facilities and equipment manager. “It can definitely be challenging,” Christner said. “[Altmeyer] has to be able to balance all the different sports but this is going to help separate him from other assistant coaches. It’s giving him experience by working with the athletic administration.” Altmeyer talked about his decision to come back and help the program. “I have a love for the game and to coach,” Altmeyer said. “There was also this sense of responsibility. I wanted to help [Christner] get the program where he wanted and where it deserves to be.” Fleegle, the new graduate assistant, graduated Waynesburg with degrees in Secondary Education/Social Studies and Political Science. He started 102 of the 110 games in which he appeared in for the Yellow Jackets through four seasons. Fleegle also scored his 1,000th point last season to become the 33rd in program history to accomplish the feat.
MBB >> C4
Strong guard play nearly leads to upset Sports Convergence Editor
Sports Convergence Editor
go on to win again on the road Saturday at W&J, andd stood at 9-6 in the PAC going into Wednesday's game against Thiel Ten different Waynesburg players scored points in the win with senior wing DJ Ritchie leading the charge with 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half to help close out the game, while fellow senior guard BJ Durham added 17 points of his own. Durham hit a three from
As a part of the coaching staff, Fleegle helps Christner with recruiting trips and getting film ready to break down the team and help with game strategies. “I wanted to come back because coach [Christner] has done so much for me,” Fleegle said. “He inspired me to become a coach and has helped me with looking for other grad assistant positions. I just want to focus on these two years here and try to help the program in anyway I can then I’ll see what other opportunities there are.” Christner feels that Fleegle has done a good job of balancing the friendship aspect along with coaching with only being a year removed from playing. “He has done a great job figuring out how to balance those relationships with the guys that he played and now being a coach,” Christner said. “The team has done a nice job of understanding where Fleegle is coming from and respecting COACHES >> C4
For the Waynesburg women’s basketball team, depth at the guard position is one of the challenges that opponents face when playing the Yellow Jackets this season. Waynesburg showed its depth Saturday, Feb. 6, against Washington & Jefferson. W&J came out victorious with a final score of 90-84, but the Yellow Jackets showed that they can hang with anyone at the guard position. “You could say we play a four-guard system,” head coach Sam Jones said. “We have some players that can play the three or four, but they also can step out and play the one or two.” Senior Lauren Blair started it off for the Jackets when she hit three consecutive 3-pointers and led the team in scoring at halftime with those nine points. Blair finished the game with 12 points and six assists. Fellow senior Heather Davis had the biggest game in terms of scoring output on Saturday. Davis went 7-14 from behind the 3-point arc and 8-17 from the field overall, finishing with 23 points and eight rebounds. Davis is listed as a forward with her size to guard the four spot but she showed that she is able to step outside and hit the outside shots. Next for the Jackets are the two junior guards Katie Gehlmann and Kassidy O’Keefe. Gehlmann, who hasn’t put up the numbers she was previously this season, is playing effectively in other areas. Against W&J, Gehlmann scored eight points with five rebounds and three assists. “[Gehlmann] has been working really hard to bring up the other areas of her game,” Jones said. “She is finding different ways to con-
tribute by driving the lane and deciding to take the layup if it is given or to kick out to someone who is open.” O’Keefe is in her second year under Jones, as she transferred in before last season from Slippery Rock University. In recent games, O’Keefe has seen a rise in her numbers in production as she is coming off a double double versus the Presidents with 17 points and 11 rebounds. “Kassidy has been playing at the three position in recent games,” Jones said. “She plays aggressively and is not afraid to drive inside, but she can also pull up from outside and be confident in her shot.” Lastly, is the freshman Monica Starre, who has been coming in as the second option behind Blair to run the offense for Waynesburg. Starre added six points of her own with three rebounds and assists. “[Starre] is a really strong player,” Blair said. “She has stepped up in big ways for the team. Sometimes it can be hard for freshman to come in like she has because you never know how many minutes you are going to get.” Combine all of those numbers, and those five players scored 64 of Waynesburg’s 84 points against W&J. In previous games, those five players have been contributing to the team’s overall performance by finding open shooters and creating looks for others. “It makes us one of the more dangerous teams out there,” Blair said. “Its really nice to have that depth in case someone is having an off night or one of us gets into foul trouble and it’s like we don’t even miss a step in the offense.” The Yellow Jackets look to show off their backcourt Saturday, Feb. 13 when they take on Bethany. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at the Fieldhouse.
Gerber leads women's track at invitational Wrestling brings home By MITCHELL KENDRA Managing Editor
After the bus had problems on the road, the women’s track & field team arrived at Denison University for the Bob Shannon Invitational. The team got off the bus and quickly prepared for the long meet ahead of them. Though the team finished in eighth place in team scoring, the Yellow Jackets competed well, with several career bests by the women. Head coach Jason Falvo said that although the team is talented, it’s their work ethic that helps them improve in their individual events every meet. He said the team’s accountability in practice translates perfectly to meet days. “They just do what we ask them to do, do it really hard
Rose Huwe, Yellow Jacket
Sophomore distance runner Julie Gerber led the Jackets last Saturday at the Bob Shannon Invitational by finishing in first in the 5,000-meter dash. and do a great job, so I’m just super proud of them for that for sure,” said Falvo. On the track, sophomore Julie Gerber took first place in the 5,000-meter run, with
a time of 19:20, and her teammate, sophomore Emily Latimer, finished in second place. Sophomore Elinore Loch finished in fourth place in the mile and was
accompanied by teammates junior Katie Latimer, sophomore Angie Marchetti and freshman Teghan Simonton in the top-10 places in the event. Sophomore sprinter Marla Holland ran well in the 60-meter preliminaries and qualified for the finals. Holland, who also competed in the 400-meter and 200-meter dashes, had her hands full, but according to Falvo, competed well throughout the entire day. Team captain, Rose Huwe said Holland’s performed well in all of her different events. Many different athletes competed well at the invitational, but freshman Cassidy Guiser stood out to Falvo and Huwe both, as she finished ninth overall in the
INDOOR >> C2
six medals from meet By MATTHEW SHINKLE For the Yellow Jacket
On the bus ride back to Waynesburg’s campus after the John Summa Memorial Invitational this past Saturday, the Yellow Jackets brought home some extra bling for their efforts on the mat. Waynesburg had six wrestlers place in the tournament hosted by Baldwin Wallace University. Also, despite only entering in eight of the 10 possible weight classes, the team placed fourth overall in points—ahead of both Presidents Athletic Conference foes, the Washington & Jefferson Presidents and the Thiel Tomcats who finished fifth and 10th, respectively.
Freshman standout Jake Evans and senior Gordan Bieber both finished second in their respective weight classes. Evans went 3-1 on the day, with his only loss coming at the hands of the first ranked wrestler in the bracket. Evans is now 27-7 overall, and 15-5 in tournaments, this year. “Jake’s been steady for us all year,” said head coach Ron Headlee. “He beat a good kid he wrestled against here [previously] at Baldwin Wallace.” Bieber finished similarly in his 133-pound bracket, also losing to the top seed in the championship match. He is now 20-6 on the seaWRESTLING >> C4
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February 11, 2016
Wrestling team looks to overtake Thiel at PAC Championships By CHELSEY WITHERS Editorial Assistant
On Friday, Feb. 12 the Presidents’ Athletic Conference will hosts its annual wrestling championships at Thiel College. The championships will host competitors from Thiel College, Washington & Jefferson College and Waynesburg University. The Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets were picked to finish third in this year’s championships, which is what they finished in the 2015 PAC championships. “When the season started, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy with so many new faces in the starting lineup,” said junior Filippo Crivelli. “Everyone really bought
into our system of wrestling we lost to and instill confiand focused on improving dence and believe they can every week. We used to use go win it.” the excuse of being a young Last weekend the wresteam, but now tlers saw WRESTLING know we have numerous what it takes competitors WRESTLERS TO WATCH: w i t h i n t h e to win.” In the proPAC at t h e Waynesburg jected startSumma Invii n g l i n e u p, tational hostJake Evans (285) Waynesburg ed by Baldwin has two juWallace UniRyan Shank (184) versity. niors, while the rest is Fre s h m an Tristan Buxton (125) Ja k e E v a n s compiled of sophomores took second and freshman. in the heavyweight class. “We wrestled a lot last Going 3-1 with his only loss weekend, and that is defi- was against the No. 1 seed, nitely going to help us as a but all of his wins were deteam,” said head coach Ron cided by a major decision Headlee. “Individually we or a pin. are just trying to get our At 184-pounds, junior guys switched up to guys Ryan Shank went 5-1 with
two wins by a pin and a third by a major decision. One of Shank’s wins was against Thiel wrestler, Marco Crivelli. Shank took third in the tournament. “Our focus for practice this week is to continue to sharpen our technique and staying crisp and focused for PACs on Friday too,” said Shank. “I feel good about how I’m wrestling. I feel I’ve been consistent this season and just focusing on getting to my positions and attack.” Sophomore Tristan Buxton also finished third in the 125-pound weight class in the invitational. Freshman Nick Kusich, the 149-pound starter, took fourth in the tournament. Landor Lohr placed fifth on Saturday losing in the
semifinals at the 165-pound weight class. Waynesburg finished fourth at the Summa Invitational with 107 points. This put the Yellow Jackets ahead of Thiel, who placed fifth with 92 points. “We don’t feel we’re the third best team in the PAC, but without having the expectations from everyone else, we’ll be able to go out there and just let it fly and wrestle to win instead of being up tight and trying to defend a title,” said Shank. The Jackets are currently 1-1 in the PAC with a defeat against W&J and a loss to Thiel. Waynesburg defeated W&J on Jan. 14 in a close match ending with a final score of 22-21. The Jackets
didn’t step back on the mat for a match until Jan. 29 when they took on Thiel. Waynesburg fell short with a final score of 24-16 in that matchup. Currently, the Jackets only have one previous PAC title winning wrestling on Friday and now the team looks to prepare to change that. “I believe in my training, and I know I have what it takes to win I just have to execute,” said Crivelli. “Even though I’m the only one on the team with a PAC title, I also know what it feels like to lose one as well. I’m excited to get the chance to earn the title back.” Start time from Greenville, Pennsylvania, is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Indoor: Sophomore achieves personal Minjock leads men's indoor track & field with broken record best in weight throw at invitational By ZACK ZEIGLER
For the Yellow Jacket
The Waynesburg University indoor men’s track nad field team endured many ups and downs on Saturday at the Bob Shannon Invitational, in which it finished ninth out of 10 teams at the event. The day started with a three-hour delay when the bus broke down on the way to the event. “It was tough because our bus broke down for three hours,” said senior thrower Austin Oberg. “Though, having that setback, as a team overall we played really well.” Once Waynesburg arrived at the event, there were many more positives to go around with two Waynesburg University school records broken on the day. Sophomore Mark Minjock broke the school record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.24 seconds. Minjock took this race like he does any other race, during the season, and for him it paid off. “I ran it like it was any other race,” said Minjock. “I looked at the time and was
thrilled to find out I did it. It gives me confidence that the hard work and effort I have been putting in is paying off.” Even though he's only a sophomore, Minjock has been a leader for this team the last two seasons and so far in 2016 he continues to dominate the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Minjock says that hard work has contributed to his early success at Waynesburg. “A major factor to me doing well has been pushing myself to work as hard as I possibly can at practice and staying determined to run,” said Minjock. “Without hard work, I am not doing my best and that’s something I won't let happen.” Oberg praises Minjock’s work ethic in practice and in events. “It’s phenomenal, seeing the work ethic from Mark, with just being a sophomore he goes hard everyday and is a phenomenal athlete,” said Oberg. “He’s a good person to be around, always happy, which always brings the mood up.” The other record that was broken was the weight throw.
Senior Mike Martin broke the school record with a toss of 14.71 meters earning him fourth place in the event. Oberg praised Martin for his work, not only on the field, but back home as well. “He does a lot of stuff on his own,” said Oberg. “So to see that success from him is really cool.” Martin, a graduate student at Waynesburg University, has to balance his time between a job, classes and track & field. The PAC Indoor Championships are only a few weeks away. “We have to push ourselves to our upmost potential,” said Minjock. “That can only happen with hard work and dedication. With all of the hard work we have put in in the fall, we will be coming in to the PAC Championships in the best shape we can.” The Yellow Jackets have one final tune-up before the PAC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 25. Waynesburg will participate in the Kenyon College Classic on Saturday, Feb. 20 for the last event before the championship event.
erything keeps improving, so in terms of that tangible result, you can see that. 400-meter dash. You can see their The versatile confidence growrunner-jumper, ing; you can see senior Breanne their excitement Prinkey placed g r ow i n g ; e v e n sixth in both the t houg h t he y’re 55-meter hurdles tired, they’re sore, and in the pole they’re still pushvault. ing through and After a rough having some very day of throwing, successful marks in which senior in their events,” Faust Rose Huwe finsaid Falvo. ished in the No. 13 spot Huwe believes the more in the shot put, she was meets the team competes in glad to see her teammate, the better they will get, as sophomore Brittany Faust she has seen the comfortthrow a personal best in the ablity of her teammates imweight throw. Huwe said proving. However, she said that Faust’s best throw came the success on meet day is after two mediocre throws, simply because of the work but believes her positivity the women put in on the throughout the event was days leading up to compewhat allowed Faust to throw tition day. for her personal best. “Everyone’s times are getFalvo has seen consistent ting better and everyone’s improvements like Faust’s marks are getting better, across the entire team since and I think that it’s just the first meet back in early solely because of how hard December, and he said it is we work in practice,” said something he has noticed Huwe. “Also what we do in even when he doesn’t look the weight room, we have a at the meet results. really good lifting program “Well their times, dis- [in place] and everyone tance, marks, heights – ev- gives it their best effort.”
Continued from C1
Falvo said Huwe’s leadership displayed to her younger teammates is huge because the team consists of a majority of underclassmen. The closeness the team has crafted will be a key factor in the team’s success at the indoor Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships at the end of February. With a number of talented women on the team, Falvo believes the team is in a good position with the PAC Championships approaching. “We know we have a good, core nucleus of people in every event, so to see those [women] continue to improve, it bodes well for us in the future, for sure,” said Falvo. Falvo and Huwe are both excited for the remainder of the indoor season and are looking ahead to what the team hopes to accomplish in the future. The team will have one more meet before the PAC Championships, as the women will head to Kenyon College on Feb. 20 for the Kenyon College Classic.
PRESIDENTS’ ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROUNDUP MEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS Saint Vincent Bethany Grove City Thomas More Thiel Waynesburg Westminster Chatham Geneva Wash & Jeff
Conf. Overall 12-2 16-5 10-4 14-7 9-5 14-7 9-5 12-9 9-5 11-10 8-6 8-13 5-9 5-16 4-10 4-17 3-11 3-18 1-13 1-20
Saturday’s Box Score
WAYNESBURG 66, WASH & JEFF 39 Waynesburg 33 33 66 Wash & Jeff 17 22 39
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Waynesburg Top Scorers 1. BJ Durham...............................16 2. Jon Knab..................................14 Thiel Top Scorers 1. Khari Bess................................25 2. Luke Kochka............................14 Westminster Top Scorers 1. Brandon Domenick.................15 2. Deontay Scott..........................7 Grove City Top Scorers 1. Brandon Grider.......................14 2. Andrew Beckman...................11 Geneva Top Scorers 1. Ethan Adamczyk.....................18 2. Chaese Vaudrin.......................16 Bethany Top Scorers 1. Calique Jones..........................20 2. Javonte’Trujillo........................11 Wash & Jeff Top Scorers 1. Gianni Burane.........................8 2. Brian Graytok..........................6 Chatham Top Scorers 1. Isaiah Brown...........................19 2. Alex Schoppen........................18 Thomas More Top Scorers 1. Simon Clifford.........................23 2. Ryne Callahan.........................11 Saint Vincent Top Scorer 1. Jaylon Bell...............................21 2. Austin Dedert..........................14
RECENT RESULTS
Saturday, February 6 Bethany 74, Chatham 70; Grove City 70, Geneva 61; Saint Vincent 78, Westminster 57; Thiel 80, Thomas More 66; Waynesburg 66, Wash & Jeff 39
UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, February 13 Westminster at Thiel - 3 p.m.; Thomas More at Wash & Jeff - 3 p.m.; Bethany at Waynesburg - 3:30 p.m.; Grove City at Saint Vincent - 6 p.m.; Chatham at Geneva - 7:30 p.m.
PAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS Thomas More Wash & Jeff Grove City Waynesburg Saint Vincent Geneva Bethany Chatham Thiel Westminster
Conf. Overall 14-0 20-0 13-1 18-3 8-6 10-11 7-7 9-12 6-8 11-10 6-8 9-12 6-8 8-13 5-9 9-12 3-11 3-18 2-12 2-19
Saturday’s Box Score
WASH & JEFF 90, WAYNESBURG 84 Waynesburg 18 19 21 26 84 Wash & Jeff 20 17 25 28 90
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Waynesburg Top Scorers 1. Heather Davis..........................23 2. Lauren Blair.............................12 Grove City Top Scorers 1. Kathryn Erbelding...................25 2. Lexy Arkwright........................14 Thomas More Top Scorers 1. Madison Temple......................22 2. Abby Owings...........................22 Westminster Top Scorers 1. Kristine Fromknecht................13 2. Rachel Durbin.........................8 Thiel Top Scorers 1. Jess Vormelker.........................10 2. Hannah Stoneman..................9 Bethany Top Scorers 1. Mikyla Tipton..........................18 2. Hayley Holenka.......................12 Chatham Top Scorers 1. Megan Seig.............................19 2. Katelyn Seig............................11 Saint Vincent Top Scorers 1. Maura Benvenuti....................16 2. Susie Ellis.................................14 Wash & Jeff Top Scorers 1. Beka Bellhy.............................29 2. Amirah Moore.........................14 Geneva Top Scorers 1. Heidi Mann..............................21 2. Callie Ford................................11
RECENT RESULTS
Saturday, February 6 Chatham 64, Bethany 55; Grove City 70, Geneva 60; Saint Vincent 68, Westminster 49; Thomas More 105, Thiel 41; Wash & Jeff 90, Waynesburg 84
UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, February 13 Westminster at Thiel - 1 p.m.; Thomas More at Wash & Jeff - 1 p.m.; Bethany at Waynesburg - 1:30 p.m.; Grove City at Saint Vincent - 4 p.m.; Chatham at Geneva - 5:30 p.m.
PAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Beka Bellhy, Senior G/F, Washington & Jefferson
Khari Bess, Senior G, Thiel
MEN RECENT RESULTS
WOMEN RECENT RESULTS
Team Saturday, February 6 JIM WUSKEE INVITATIONAL Individual Scoring Only
Team Saturday, February 6 JIM WUSKEE INVITATIONAL Individual Results Only, No Team Scoring
Saturday, February 6 JOHN SUMMA INVITATIONAL 4. Waynesburg, 107 pts.; 5. Thiel, 92 pts.; 10. Wash & Jeff, 19.5 pts.
BOB SHANNON INVITATIONAL 8. Wash & Jeff, 28.5 pts.; 9. Waynesburg, 23 pts.
BOB SHANNON INVITATIONAL 8. Waynesburg, 37.5 pts.; 9. Wash & Jeff, 34 pts.
ANDERSON INVITATIONAL 5. Thomas More, 44 pts.
ANDERSON INVITATIONAL 5. Thomas More, 61 pts.
UPCOMING GAMES
Individual YOUNGSTOWN STATE INVITATIONAL 60-METER DASH 1. Benjamin Beidleman, BWU, 7.02; 2. Griffin Peyton, OWU, 7.03; 3. Michael Beidleman, BWU, 7.05; 5. Mark Minjock, WAY, 7.18 200-METER DASH 1. Benjamin Beidleman, BWU, 22.51; 2. Michael Biedlelman, BWU, 22.94; 3. Brian Burnett, OWU, 23.19; 6. Mark Minjock, WAY, 23.43 400-METER DASH 1. Jordan Levertte, BWU, 51.36; 2. Quinton Broomfield, OWU, 52.59; 3. Treshaun Robinson, MVU, 52.71; 15. Matthew Shinkle, WAY, 57.27 800-METER DASH 1. Isaac Mills, CMU, 1:58.37; 2. Mitchell Keller, DEN, 1:58.58; 3. Zachery Cove, DEN, 2:00.15; 20. Matthew Raineri, WAY, 2:11.11 1-MILE RUN 1. George Harter, CMU, 4:27.64; 2. Brady Jeffers, BWU, 4:33.53; 3. Jared Moore, CMU, 4:37.27; 14. Joel Kuzminski, WAY, 4:55.87 3000-METER RUN 1. Curtis Watro, CMU, 8:40.58; 2. John Sotos, OWU, 8:42.82; 3. Nathan Madonich, OWU, 8:54.97; 13. Benjamin McAuley, WAY, 10:05.76 5000-METER RUN 1. Josh Richardson, MVU, 15:31.68; 2. Liam Walsh, CMU, 15:39.56; 3. Evan Milovich, BWU, 15:40.75; 14. Benjamin McAuley, WAY, 16:47.23 60-METER HURDLE 1. Quinton Broomfield, OWU, 8.56; 2. Casey Phillips, MUS, 8.91; 3. Matthew Sheh, CMU, 8.94; 15. Matthew Shinkle, WAY, 10.03 HIGH JUMP 1. Sam Nordquist, MVU, 1.92m; 2. Blake Weidner, MUS, 1.82m; 3. Nick Farley, OWU, 1.82m; MEN POLE VAULT 1. Jonathan Spilker, BWU, 4.57m; 2. Thomas Mansfield, CMU, 4.27m; 3. Dominic Bell, MUS, 4.27m LONG JUMP 1. Rai Walters, CMU, 6.46m; 2. Sam Nordquist, MVU, 6.29m; 3. Stew German, MVU, 6.23m TRIPLE JUMP 1. Chris Lardie, MUS, 12.45m; 2. Patrick Chang, CMU, 12.36m; 3. Eloy Fernandez, CMU, 12.31m; 4. James Steele, WAY, 12.31m SHOT PUT 1. Tyler Burdoff, BWU, 15.69m; 2. Cody Smith, BWU, 14.83m; 3. David Trzcinski, CMU, 14.39m; 12. Austin Oberg, WAY, 12.06m WEIGHT THROW 1. Tyler Burdoff, BWU, 18.02m; 2. Zak Dysert, BWU, 15.73m; 3. Andre Buffington, MUS, 14.80m; 4. Mike Martin, WAY, 14.71m
Individual YOUNGSTOWN STATE ICEBREAKER 60-METER DASH 1. Lauren Willians, W&J, 7.93; 2. Jonah Edwards, KEN, 8.02; 3. Kelsey Nemeth, BWA, 8.15; 7. Marla Holland, WAY, 8.56 200-METER DASH 1. Kelsey Nemeth, W&J, 7.93; 2. Grace Nemeth, BWA, 27.59; 3. Lauren Williams-Wiles, W&J, 27.64; 20. Marla Holland, WAY, 29.45 400-METER DASH 1. Hailey Ferguson, MUS, 1:02.37; 2. Mallory McCormick, OWU, 1:02.58; 3. Rachel Bush, OWU, 1:03.47; 9. Cassidy Guiser, WAY, 1:06.55 800-METER DASH 1. Rose Ciriello, MUS, 1:02.37; 2. Sarah Cook, CMU, 2:24.46; 3. Maeve Christie, BWA, 2:29.10; 9. Elinore Loch, WAY, 2:34.10 1-MILE RUN 1. Emily Grabauskas, DEN, 5:24.79; 2. Samantha White, KEN, 5:27.49; 3. Molly Hunt, KEN, 5:35.15; 4. Elinore Loch, WAY, 5:37.77 3000-METER RUN 1. Elizabeth Snyder, CMU, 10:49.93; 2. Julie Forbes, MUS, 10:53.76; 3. Annie Winkler, MVU, 11:17.19; 14. Becky Marchetti, WAY, 12:59.12 5000-METER RUN 1. Julie Gerber, WAY, 19:20.12; 2. Emily Latimer, WAY, 19:40.69; 3. Cheyenne Hanson, OWU, 19:53.46 55-METER HURDLES 1. Lyndsey Armstrong, BWU, 8.89; 2. Emma Levant, KEN, 9.00; 3. Sommer Farber, CMU, 9.43; 6. Breanne Prinkey, WAY, 9.90 HIGH JUMP 1. Rebecca Fortner, CMU, 1.55m; 2. Kimberly Taylor, MUS, 1.50m; 3. Hannah Mahon, CMU, 1.45m POLE VAULT 1. Nicole Rozsa, OWU, 3.36m; 2. Colleen Hoffman, W&J, 3.20m; 3. Mariah Hicks, OWU, 2.90m; 6. Breanne Prinkey, WAY, 2.75m LONG JUMP 1. Abby Snow, BWU, 5.24m; 2. Amanda Clay, OWU, 5.19m; 3. Erin Kasper, BWU, 5.07m; TRIPLE JUMP 1. Abby Snow, BWU, 10.55m; 2. Devron Martin, KEN, 10.33m; 3. Erin Kasper, BWU, 10.13m; SHOT PUT 1. Kim Gallavan, BWU, 13.34m; 2. Arlesha Cospy, DEN, 12.16m; 3. Kasey Clouse, BWU, 11.98m; 13. Rose Huwe, WAY, 8.92m WEIGHT THROW 1. Kim Gallavan, BWU, 17.35m; 2. Maggie Urban, BWU, 16.75m; 3. Kasey Clouse, BWU, 15.55m; 19. Rose Huwe, WAY, 8.84m
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, February 12 BALDWIN WALLACE MID-FEBRUARY MEET Chatham, Thiel, Saint Vincent, Grove City, Westminster, Wash & Jeff - 5 p.m.-
STANDINGS Thiel Waynesburg Wash & Jeff
Conf. Overall 2-0 9-10 1-1 6-8 0-2 0-8
RECENT RESULTS
Friday, February 12 Thiel at 2015-2016 PAC Wrestling Championships - 5 p.m.; Wash & Jeff at 2015-2016 PAC Wrestling Championships - 5 p.m.; Waynesburg at 2015-2016 PAC Wrestling Championships - 5 p.m.
PAC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Jacob Spearman, Senior, Washington & Jefferson
SWIMMING & DIVING MEN UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday-Saturday, February 10-13 2015-2016 PAC Swimming and Diving Championships Westminster; Saint Vincent; Grove City; Wash & Jeff; Bethany; and Chatham - 7:30 p.m.
WOMEN UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday-Saturday, February 10-13 2015-2016 PAC Swimming and Diving Championships Grove City; Saint Vincent; Westminster; Wash & Jeff; Chatham; and Bethany - 7:30 p.m.
PAC W. BASKETBALL LEADERS
Scoring: Bellhy, 370, W&J; Mann, 328, GEN; Erbelding, 300, GRO Rebounding: Knetzer, 176, WAY; Erbelding, 171, GRO; Mann, 168, GEN Assists: Owings, 106, TMC; Moore, 102, W&J; Moss, 102, TMC Field Goal %: Temple, .439, TMC; Ellis, .422, SVC; Heaney, .379, GEN
PAC M. BASKETBALL LEADERS
Scoring: Kochka, 362, THI; Vaudrin, 350, GEN; Bell, 332, SVCI Rebounding: Rudolph, 176, BET; Ritchie, 154, Way; Swartwout, 142, SVC Assists: Bess, 126, THI; Bell, 93, SVC; Rudolph, 83, BET Field Goal %: King, .488, TMC; Williams, .456, BET; Callahan, .446, TMC
WAYNESBURG ATHLETES OF THE WEEK Bethany at Waynesburg- 1:30 p.m. WCYJ-FM, 99.5 The Hive, WUSN
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
WRESTLING
BJ Durham, Men’s Basketball Julie Gerber, Women’s Indoor Track & Field
Friday, February 12 BALDWIN WALLACE MID-FEBRUARY MEET Chatham, Saint Vincent, Wash & Jeff, Westminster, Thiel, Grove City - 5 p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS
February 11, 2016
Weekly Awards
This week two athletes stood above all others in their sports. Senior BJ Durham and sophomore Julie Gerber led their teams on the hardwood and track, Gerber Durham respectively. B.J. Durham played a big role in a historic week for Waynesburg. The guard scored 17 points in the Jackets' 7364 upset of Saint Vincent, which was the program's first win in Latrobe since before it joined the PAC in 1990. He followed that up with a game-high 16 points in Waynesburg's 66-39 win at Washington & Jefferson. Durham averaged a teamhigh 16.5 points and knocked down seven-of-15 attempts from three-point range. Julie Gerber took first place in the 5,000-meter run, breaking the tape in 19:20.12 at the Bob Shannon Invitational, which was hosted by Denison University. Gerber bested the second-place runner, teammate Emily Latimer, by 20 seconds. Gerber has carried her success from the cross-country season where she was the first Yellow Jacket to run the 2015 NCAA Division III National Cross Country Championships. The men’s basketball team returns to action Saturday as they host the Bethany Bison for senior day. Tip for the game is set for 3:30 p.m. The women’s indoor track team will travel to Gambier, Ohio for the Kenyon College Classic on Feb. 20.
COMMENTARY
Women's basketball down, but not out By CARSON FOX
For the Yellow Jacket
During the most recent women’s basketball losing streak, there is a lot of blame that can go around, and we live in a world infamous for assigning blame prior to fixing the issues at hand. But if the Yellow Jackets are going to make a deep run in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament, they should abide by the teachings of Rafiki from “The Lion King”: “it’s in the past.” If you haven’t taken a look at the recent PAC women’s basketball standings, there’s quite a bit of mediocrity amongst the middle tier. Heading into Wednesday’s PAC matchups, Grove City, a team third in the standings, had an overall record of 1011, while No. 8 Chatham was 9-12. Seeds three through eight are all within striking distance of each other to get the coveted No. 3 seed to avoid a semifinal matchup against the undefeated, juggernaut Thomas More in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Despite the recent losing streak, Waynesburg is right in the mix for that seed as long as it can string a few wins together during the final stretch of the season. Now, 20-plus games into the season and having seen the highs and the lows of this team, there are some conclusions—both good and bad— that can be drawn. The positives can carry Waynesburg to Crestview Hills, whereas the negatives, though correctable, could end up costing Waynesburg in a potential four-five seeded matchup in the tournament like last year. Let’s address the bad news before the good news. Using the loss to Westminster during the losing streak as the prime example, Waynesburg played down to its competition defensively. In the Jan. 27 matchup, the Jackets allowed a porous Westminster offense to shoot 47 percent from the field on 10 more shots taken than its per game average, as the Titans scored their season-high 83 points in that game. It was a complete turn for the Jackets, considering they held the Titans to just 51 points in the home matchup on Dec. 12, in which Waynesburg substitutes played the entire fourth quarter in a 24-point win. Waynesburg continued to struggle on the defensive end against a Grove City team that was coming off three-straight losses, despite the Wolverines best player, Kathryn Erbelding, playing just 13 minutes against the Jackets due to foul trouble. She still was able to score 12 points and record five rebounds before fouling
out. The dam broke during the third quarter of the following game against Saint Vincent, when the Bearcats took a commanding lead thanks to outscoring the Jackets 22-5. Another huge flaw during Waynesburg’s three most frustrating losses (Westminster, Grove City and Saint Vincent) was compounding poor shooting with doubledigit turnovers. On average, Waynesburg shot just 35 percent and turned the ball over 17 times, while missing 13, eight and nine free throws, respectively, in those games. Now for the good. Waynesburg has a budding star in the sophomore for ward Addy Knetzer. Coming into the week, Knetzer was 10th in the PAC in scoring 13 points per game and second in rebounding with eight rebounds a game, while she’s developing a mid range jumper from the baseline and improving from the free throw line. It’s obvious that teams in the conference have taken notice of Knetzer, as most opponents are now throwing multiple defenders in the post to guard her, or they switch to a 2-3 zone to force Waynesburg to shoot from the outside. Thankfully, Waynesburg isn’t afraid to shoot from the outside. Coming into the week, the team had made more 3-point field goals than any team in the conference and shoots better, on average, than all but two teams at 31-percent beyond the arc. Junior guard Katie Gehlmann has proven she can shoulder the load as well, and despite shooting just eight-for-37 during the losing streak, she’s about to face a slew of opponents who she scored double digits against earlier this season. When shots aren’t falling for Gehlmann, senior forward Heather Davis has proven herself during these last five games, scoring in double figures in four of them. For those who missed Saturday’s game against Washington & Jefferson, Davis had arguably the best performance of her career when she shot seven-of-14 from beyond the arc, while snagging eight rebounds. So while these past few weeks have been downright agonizing for a team that appeared to be cruising in the PAC, Waynesburg still has a golden opportunity to get to third in the standings come conference tournament time. The sky is the limit for this team when Knetzer, Gehlmann and Davis are all on fire in the same game. Just imagine the boost Waynesburg will receive defensively in a quarterfinal PAC Tournament game when the crowd is roaring after made buckets by those three.
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Senior's unselfishness leads to on-court success By KYLE DAWSON
Assistant Sports Editor
When senior forward Nate Labishak steps on the court in a Yellow Jacket uniform, Waynesburg knows what it is going to get. It is getting a bold, brash and loud player that knows how to pump up his team and a crowd. It is getting an unselfish, team-first player that is more than happy to make an extra pass, passing up a good look to get points himself to get other guys involved and allow them to score the basketball, in fact he’d rather see other guys score than himself. “That’s what I enjoy seeing the most: seeing other guys score,” said Labishak. “At a young age, my parents instilled in me that it’s a team game. I like making a flashy pass here or there and then seeing guys like BJ [Durham], DJ [Ritchie], Jon [Knab], Dylan [O’Hara] and even someone like Brennan [Smith] now, and it’s not only them but everyone.” For Labishak, he knows his role on the team, and said he is playing to that, not for the individual recognition and good stats. “I don’t need to be an athlete of the week or recognized by the PAC or anything,” said Labishak. “I like to kind of fly under the radar and help my team win basketball games because to me that’s the most important thing. I pride myself on being a team player who isn’t looking for the points and all that stuff, and if that happens then it’s just a plus to a good day at the office.” “Nate came in a little loud and brash. He’s always ready to hit you with a one-liner,” said sixth year head coach Mark Christner. “His personality is different in a good way, and he cares about his teammates and representing his family and the off the court stuff translates to when he’s on the court.” Christner sees the passion and desire to play through teammates. “If you look around our league and you say ‘who or what teams out of the post spot has a guy that can make plays
Lindsay Orzechowski, Yellow Jacket
Senior forward Nate Labishak (right), is establishing himself as a starting big man for the Yellow Jackets. for his teammates,’ I think we’re right at the top,” said Christner. “In terms of a guy that can make plays for other guys, such as the pass he made to Christian for the big three against Grove City, he is really good. I think at times he could be more aggressive and we’ve talked about that, but he likes to make plays for guys and be unselfish. That’s just who he is.” Coaches talk all the time about getting consistency from guys who are key players on a team and whether or not they “buy-in” to the culture of the program and what it is trying to do. The Munhall, Pennsylvania native appeared in 27 games his freshman season, starting one, in 28 games his sophomore season and in 21 games his junior year, which was cut short by an injury to his hand. “A lot of people don’t know, but when I missed the end of the season last year that was the first time in my entire life playing basketball I missed a game for injury,” said Labishak. “Going back to grade school and through then I never missed one because I was hurt, so in a sense, I didn’t know what to do because it was something I wasn’t used to.” “Nate’s one of those guys who has really bought in to our culture and our way of thinking and that’s really good for us,” said Christner.
“He’s kind of fearless in some respects and he’s been consistent for our team.” Labishak averaged about three points per game his first three seasons but an increase in his minutes has lead to an increase in his points per game. Entering play Wednesday, Labishak has started every single game for Waynesburg. In the midst of his senior season, he is currently averaging seven points per contest and grabbing five rebounds per game. His assist to turnover margin is top 10 in the conference. But perhaps above any on the court adjective while he’s playing, Labishak can be described by another adjective or two: passion and positive energy. “In high school basketball games were a big thing for us and the crowds were crazy,” said Labishak. “So when I came here and people told me ‘yea the crowds aren’t that big or great,’ I kind of said ‘we’ll see what we can do about that.’” His coach, who Labishak has used as his go-to guy for on and off the court needs, said he sees the fire in Labishak. “He always has positive energy and optimism and we need that,” said Christner. “You have your leaders that are leaders because they are good players, good people and good
students, but there are also guys who lead because they aren’t afraid to speak up. You have to find those influencers and he has certainly been one.” Labishak’s basketball career will come to an end in a few months, but his impact on the team and the younger crop of Yellow Jackets may not only have an impact on the court, but off as well as the team heads down the stretch. “He is somewhat of a care free spirit. Nate loves talking sports, whether it’s WPIAL, Steel Valley stuff or the Thunder or whatever, he loves to talk to guys,” said Christner. “He’s welcoming with the guys and not intimidating to go talk to and he’s been open to guys and that’s a big thing.” Christner does not want to look too far ahead, but he— and the rest of the men’s basketball team—is going to miss Labishak when he graduates. “He’s going to have to be good, but more importantly we want to stay right in the sweet spot,” said Christner. “There’s a belief in camaraderie that is important and we want our seniors to have their best years and most are. We are going to stay positive and continue to work and Nate’s optimism surely helps. His impact on and off the court will be missed when he goes. He’s one you love to have and hate to see go.”
Scoring depth vital for MBB during recent hot streak By JACOB MEYER Sports Editor
Last Saturday’s win over Washington & Jefferson marks the third straight win for the Jackets heading into Wednesday’s matchup with Thiel, and the second straight win on the road, after starting the season 0-11 away from the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. The Jackets have now won six of their last seven games in Presidents’ Athletic Conference play heading into Wednesday. At the beginning of the season, the team featured a twoheaded scoring machine, led by seniors DJ Ritchie and BJ Durham. “DJ and BJ have the ball in Lindsay Orzechowski, Yellow Jacket their hands a lot,” head coach Mark Christner said. “Initially, Senior guard BJ Durham led all scorers with 16 points a lot of our stuff was getting in last Saturday's win over W&J. them the ball in some areas, but now we’re able to get Durham has taken more focal point of the offense. through the initial actions and than 15 shots only twice, both “His development’s been there’s been a little bit more of which were in wins for great. He’s a guy who is getbalance.” Waynesburg. ting to the point that he needs In eight of the first 14 games “From the beginning, coach 8-12 shots a game, and that’s of the season, in which the preached that we had a lot of partially him being assertive Jackets were 2-12, Ritchie took talent and a lot of depth,” Dur- and us getting him the oppor13 or more shots. During that ham said. “As the season has tunities,” Christner said. “He’s same period, Durham shot 15 progress, everyone has finally very active; he gives us some or more times gotten into a length and athleticism at that and Ritchie T O P P E R F O R M E R S g ro ove and spot, which is an advantage." shot 13 or more become more The Jackets are 5-0 in PAC times. In the Waynesburg comfortable play when Knab shoots nine or last 10 games, with their roles, more shots; he is averaging 8.6 though, DurBJ Durham: 16 pts, 5-10 and everything points per game on 52.7 perham shot 15 or has been able cent shooting from the field, more times 10 Jon Knab: 14 pts, 6-12 to run a lot while grabbing 4.1 rebounds out of those 14 smoother, as per game. games. W&J of late.” “When Jon Knab is aggresIn the last Both play- sive, it’s a thing of beauty,” seven games, Kodie Hanley: 11 pts, 10 rebs ers are averag- Durham said. “I don’t think though, it’s ing 15.4 points Jon knows how good he can been a different story for the per game, while Ritchie is be quite yet. The potential that Jackets, who have gone 6-1 also grabbing 7.2 rebounds he has is unreal, and he’s only in that stretch heading into per game. As Durham and reached half of it. He’s just so Wednesday’s game against Ritchie take fewer shots, other athletic and able to move so Thiel. role players for the Jackets are well in the air and put the ball In those seven games, taking more shots. in, because he’s so long." Ritchie has taken 13 or more After Saturday’s win over Junior guard Christian Koshots only one time, and that W&J, Christner said sopho- roly, who has eased his way game was the upset win over more wing Jon Knab is some- into playing more than 20 Saint Vincent. Comparably, one who needs to be a more minutes a game, is averaging
5.9 points per game, including shooting 9-15 from the field in the last two games. "He’s a little of a bull in a China shop, sometimes, but that’s good," Christner said. "He knows how to play, and he’s not afraid to get in the paint and he’s not afraid to take a big shot.” Koroly took his sophomore year off for personal reasons. Christner eased the guard into playing time, but now he is establishing himself as a vital part of the Jackets’ rotation. “For him, it’s been patience. He decided to come back, and we accepted him and we went through his stuff that he needed to go through. He probably wanted things to happen quicker with playing more minutes and some of that, but it’s a meritocracy,” said Christner. “You’ve got to earn what you get; he’s earned it, and he’s played well and finished games for us.” Senior forward Nate Labishak has established himself as a starter for the Yellow Jackets this season, as he has contributed to the Jackets in many areas. Freshmen wings Dylan O’Hara and Brennen Smith have garnered roles in the rotation this season for the Jackets. O’Hara is playing 19 minutes a game in a starting role, while Smith has established himself as a do-it-all wing. “I knew when they came in from day one when we had open gym there was something special about them, and about every one of the freshmen really,” Durham said. “I knew especially Dylan and Brennen were going to be very good, and they have come in right away and have made a contribution to his team.” The Jackets will attempt to continue their February success Saturday against Bethany. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m. at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
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February 11, 2016
BASKETBALL WEEKEND PREVIEWS
Jackets look to split season series Frontcourt to play big role Saturday By ANDY STANKO
For the Yellow Jacket
The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team meets Bethany in a pivotal Presidents’ Athletics Conference game with playoff positioning on the line for the streaking Yellow Jackets. Waynesburg entered the week winners of six of its last seven games with signature wins over Thomas More and Saint Vincent, both firsts in coach Mark Christner’s tenure. The Jackets played host to Thiel this Wednesday night in a game played past this week’s deadline. Bethany College is the only other team in the PAC that can match the Waynesburg's wins over Saint Vincent and Thomas Mor, as it enter's the week holding the No. 2 spot in the conference. The Bison used a win over Chatham last Saturday to move to a season-best seven games over .500, while the Jackets victory over Washington & Jefferson pushed Waynesburg to two games over .500 in the PAC for the first time this season. Despite losing the PAC’s scoring leader and conference player of the year from 2014-15, the Bison have nearly matched and will likely surpass last season’s win total and seed for the PAC tournament under first-year head coach Nick Hager. Bethany’s Calique Jones,
Antonio Rudolph, Andrew 11 point lead that that Jackets Williams and Alan Harper all could not whittle below eight made the leap from rotation in the final moments. players to double-digit scorers For Waynesburg, junior for the Bison, giving the Bison Christian Koroly has exfour such threats, compared to panded his role and impact just Delonte Joyce averaging with his minutes creeping double figures a season ago. up towards 20 a game with a The Bison double-figure out-rebound scoring average MEN'S opponents on on the Jackets’ BASKETBALL average, force three-game more turnovers P L AYER S TO WATCH: streak entering than they comthe week. mit and shoot Jacket coach Waynesburg a better perMark Christcentage from ner has been BJ Durham (Sr., G) the floor and masterful in DJ Ritchie (Sr., W) 3-point land February the Jon Knab (So., W) than their oplast two seaposition. They sons against Bethany also have wins PAC o p p o over four of the nents. In 2013, Calique Jones (So., G) top five teams t h e Ja c k e t s Antonio Rudolph (Jr., G) in the PAC were 5-1 to finbeside themselves and have ish the regular season before not lost to a sub-.500 team all winning a home playoff date season. with W&J before falling to The Bison handled Waynes- Saint Vincent. burg in West Virginia back in In 2015, the Yellow Jackets January, 84-73. Harper and were a perfect 5-0 to close Jones outscored the Jackets’ the regular season, and won top scorers for Waynesburg, consecutive home postseason D.J. Ritchie and B.J. Durham, games, including a semifinal 41-27. Despite getting three victory over Bethany to reach double-figure scorers, outside the PAC championship game of Ritchie and Durham, with against Saint Vincent. Nate Labishak, Jon Knab and Waynesburg looks to conDylan O’Hara all adding 10, tinue its February success the Jacket bench was out- Saturday against Bethany. Tip scored by six and Bethany scheduled for 3:30 p.m. shot 50 percent from the floor on the day. Editor's Note: For full covBethany used a 13-2 run to erage of Wednesday's men's turn a two point lead with 8:16 basketball game against Thiel, remaining in regulation to an visit www.theyellowjacket.org.
By ANDY STANKO
For the Yellow Jacket
The Waynesburg University women’s basketball team looks to build momentum and jockey for postseason positioning with a Presidents’ Athletic Conference date in the shape of Bethany College on Saturday afternoon at home. The Jackets navigated the first cycle of the PAC with a 7-2 record, with losses only to the top team in the country in Thomas More and the Washington & Jefferson Presidents, a definitive No. 2 team in the PAC. The Jackets fell upon tough games in the second portion of the conference schedule, dropping rematches to Thomas More, Westminster, Grove City, Saint Vincent and lastly the Presidents from W&J last Saturday. Despite the five-game losing skid heading into Wednesday's game against Thiel, the Jackets entered the week still in position to host a quarterfinals tilt in the PAC postseason tournament, a game ahead of other middle of the pack schools Bethany, Saint Vincent and Geneva. In the Jackets’ first meeting with the Bison, Waynesburg came away with an 8275 victory back on Jan. 9. A total of 82 points marked the second-best of-
Women fall to W&J in high scoring affair By RJ LEISIE
Sports Convergence Editor
The Waynesburg University women’s basketball team looked for revenge against the Washington & Jefferson Presidents on Saturday, Feb. 6, after losing the opening matchup 77-64. In the end, after a high scoring affair, the Presidents defeated the Yellow Jackets by a final score of 90-84. “We did a lot things towards winning today,” Waynesburg head coach Sam Jones said. “We had better ball movement which led to better shots. We took care of the ball when we needed to.” Waynesburg started the game with a 7-2 lead off a layup from sophomore Addy Knetzer, senior Maura Bobby and a 3-pointer from fellow senior Heather Davis. W&J went on an 8-0 run from there. After that, the two schools traded shots and finished the first quarter 20-18 with the Presidents in the lead. The second quarter was much like the first where the two teams traded shots back and forth. Waynesburg senior Lauren Blair scored nine out of 11 points during a small run for the Yellow Jackets. All nine came from behind the 3-point line. When the buzzer went off to send the teams to their
Lindsay Orzechowski, Yellow Jacket
Senior forward Heather Davis hit seven 3-pointers in the Jackets' 90-84 loss to Washington & Jefferson last Saturday, Feb. 6. respective locker rooms, the score was even at 37. W&J junior guard Taylor Cortazzo led all scorers with 11 points. Waynesburg senior Lauren Blair led all Jackets with nine. “Everyone stepped up today that needed to when [W&J shut down] Addy,” Jones said. “We started to hit three ball and we were
establishing a good night for some of our players. That’s the beauty of our team cause we have guards that can step in when our inside came isn’t clicking.” To start the third quarter, it was a similar story as the opening half with both teams going back and forth. The Presidents went on a 13-4 run to open up a
10-point lead. Waynesburg closed in to finish the quarter only down by four. The theme of the game c ont i nu e d to i nto t he fourth quarter. With 2:28 remaining in regulation, Waynesburg pulled within one point after Blair hit two free throws. It would end up being the closest the Yellow Jackets would be to beating W&J as the Presidents went on to win 90-84. W&J senior Beka Bellhy led all scorers with 29 points, going 13-15 from the free throw line. Sophomore Amirah Moore finished with 14 points and seven steals. Way nesburg’s s enior Heather Davis finished with 23 points, shooting 50-percent from 3-point land. Junior Kassidy O’Keefe finished with a double-double, scoring 17 and grabbing 11 rebounds. “Its important to get that confidence back,” Jones said. “I was pleased the way we played overall. I told the team that we looked like ourselves for the first time a couple weeks.” Waynesburg has dropped five straight games heading into Wednesday’s matchup with Thiel, putting them to 9-12 overall with a conference record of 7-7. The Yellow Jackets will host Bethany Saturday. Tip for the game is set for 1:30 p.m.
fensive outing for the Yel- the free throw line, despite low Jackets in conference eleven more attempts. play, along with a 46 perDefensively, Waynesburg cent shooting clip, which is harassed one of the top also the second-best mark shooting threats in the conof the conference season for ference, Haley Holenka. Hothe team. lenka finished with 10 points The Jacket frontcourt had on 15 shots before fouling its way with out. Bethany with WOMEN'S Bethany s e n i o r f o rBASKETBALL in Februar y ward Maura is a changed Bobby scor- PL AY E R S TO WATC H: t e a m c o m ing 22 points pared to even on nine of Waynesburg just a month 11 shooting, ago. Key rotawhile sophoAddy Knetzer (So., F) tional pieces more forward Kassidy O'Keefe (Jr., G) Alexis Naples, Addy Knetzer, Heather Davis (Sr., F) Gabrielle who was in the Nap l e s a n d midst of her Bethany Sami Schott, double-double all averaged spree, scored Hayley Holenka (Jr., G) over 20 min18 points and Mikyla Tipton (Sr., G) utes per game grabbed 14 through the rebounds. first 15 games of the season Bethany outscored the before leaving the team in Jackets in three of the four mid-January. quarters, but Waynesburg Bethany’s roster is down turned a five-point halftime to nine players with two deficit into an 11-point lead upperclassmen and the with a 35-point third quar- Bison enter the week 2-4 ter. without the Naples sisters The Jackets weathered and Schott, including four 21 turnovers with 11 steals, straight losses to Geneva, while the Bethany Bison Thiel, Thomas More and turned the ball over 23 Chatham. times. The Jackets meet the BiNeither team shot the son on Saturday afternoon at 3-pointer well in the first the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse meeting, as both teams with tip-off at 1:30 p.m. knocked down five 3-pointers each at a clip worse than Editor's Note: For full cov25 percent. erage of Wednesday's women's Bethany finished with a basketball game against Thiel, plus-three advantage from visit www.theyellowjacket.org.
MBB: Total team effort needed to take down SVC Continued from C1
the left corner at the end of the shot clock late in the second half that may have served as the proverbial nail in the coffin to the Bearcats’ comeback hopes. Junior gu ard C hr istian Koroly chipped in 12 points. The Jackets also got four from sophomore forward Jon Knab and freshman wing Brennen Smith, five from senior forward Nate Labishak, three from senior guard Ty Negley and sophomore guard Kendall Paige. Both senior forward Tim Plansinis and freshman wing Dylan O’Hara added two points on the night. Long-story-short, all ten players that checked into the game for the Jackets got on the score sheet, a sight Christner said he is pleased to see. “You try to get it away from being a two-man show,” s aid C hr ist ner. “Christian gave us a really nice lift again tonight like he did Saturday, and Ty [Negley] has been doing a good job. I’m pleased with the development of our bench and they are continuing to grow.” The Jackets overcame being outrebounded by 10 and clear height mis-
matches underneath the basket with Saint Vincent possessing size in senior Bobby Swartout, junior Austin Ford, who stands at 6-7, and sophomore Austin Dedert. Waynesburg also shot 14 fewer free throws
“If this win is the highlight of our season, at the at the end I think we'll be pretty upset." MARK CHRISTNER
Head coach
than the Bearcats, but shot 54 percent from the field, which, according to Christner, was a result of getting open. The Jackets would then go on to defeat W&J by nearly 30 points three days later. Christner said he does not want the Saint Vincent win to be the only big win for the rest of the season. “It’s not who we play or where you play, it’s how we’re going to play,” said Christner. “We need to execute our plan and if we do that we will have a good chance to win. We’ll get rest and prepare. If this win is the highlight of our season, at the end I think we’ll be pretty upset.”
Coaches: Former WU players stay Wrestling: After solid showing at on to assist Christner with MBB invitational, Jackets look to PACs
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him on both fronts.” The third member of the staff is Miller, who is finishing out his degree in criminal justice. Miller transferred to Waynesburg as a junior from Westmoreland County Community College. After the transfer, he played in 56 games as a member of the Yellow Jackets. “I never really thought about becoming a coach,” Miller said. “When I was first asked I was kind of skeptical but it’s worked out for me. The guys ask me for advice on how to guard a guy that I used to defend or what to do in certain situations.”
Christner can relate since he was in a similar situation at Calvin College. “I was a student assistant when I first started with Calvin as a coach,” Christner said. “So I know what he is experiencing. [Miller] brings another aspect to us knowing the guys, and he makes charts about deflections and post play. He is also fun to have in practice.” If there was one overall message from all four coaches, it is that the main goal is to better the program and get it to where they want it. Just last year, Waynesburg finished second in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference regular season. The Yellow Jackets went on to the PAC Championship
and lost to the number one overall team, the Saint Vincent College Bearcats, who won their third consecutive PAC title. Since Christner’s first season – the 2010-2011 season – when the team finished 6-20, the team has been progressing every year under Christner and the other coaches. He is grateful for his staff and all of their efforts. “I’m just thankful for the wonderful job they had done this season,” Christner said. “They all bring good things to the table and help the program to get better. Its also nice to have former Waynesburg players on the staff because stability is always a good thing.”
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son. Other competitors in the tournament for Waynesburg that finished with points for the team include junior Ryan Shank, who went 5-1 to pull out a third-place finish, Landon Lohr, who reached the semifinals at the invitational before placing in fifth and Tristan Buxton, who won a bronze medal at the 125-pound weight class. While the match was a good showing for the team overall, according to Headlee, the most important thing about the day was getting some matches in for the team.
“We’d been off [the mat] 14 days without us competing,” said Headlee. “So we were just trying to get more mat time for guys… practicing you get so much, but competing is just a different story.” With the PAC Championships Friday, it was very important to get some work in against new opponents in live action, according to Headlee. “I think it’s going to help us a lot going down the stretch,” said Headlee. After a third place finish in the PAC last season, the Yellow Jackets look to hopefully move up in the standings with help from the younger wrestlers they have
–Lohr, Nick Kusich, Shank, Evans and Buxton. Buxton placed third in the Summa tournament, after a hard fought day of competition. “I’m very happy with my team’s performance,” said Buxton. “We all wrestled tough and had the will to win.” Looking forward to the PAC Championships this upcoming Friday, Buxton looks to get off to a hot start and be able to win the 125-pound title during his sophomore campaign. “I am very confident with my chances,” said Buxton. “I have the number one kid in the PAC off the bat, so if I beat him it’s smooth sailing.”
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FEBRUARY 11, 2016 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
Photo illustration by Shon Meade; photos submitted
For some Waynesburg couples, 'I do' doesn't have to wait With wedding plans and studies, students who get engaged in college face different challenges By LINDSAY ORZECHOWSKI Staff Writer
With Valentine’s Day approaching, some couples’ gifts to each other take on a different meaning. Some Waynesburg University students and graduates will make their Valentine’s Day just another stepping point to their wedding day. Olivia Latimer, a senior early childhood major, and her fiancé Jonathan Sandoval, a senior mathematics and secondary education major, started their journey at a young age. “Jonathan and I met in
sixth grade and began dating when we were sixteen years old in eleventh grade,” said Latimer. “We fortunately ended up coming to college together, which has provided both blessings in strengthening our relationship, as well as challenges. No relationship is ever easy, especially when you have something else so important going on, like getting a college education.” During their sophomore year at Waynesburg University, Latimer and Sandoval became engaged after three years of dating. According to Latimer, the
engagement didn’t take her by surprise because Sandoval took her wedding ring shopping and waited for the ring to be properly fitted before he popped the question. The couple went on a nice date, which was a rarity, and Sandoval proposed in front
of an enormous Christmas tree in a shopping center, while reciting a speech that made Latimer cry. Waynesburg University has strengthened the couple as a whole and has allowed them to grow. “I think that if my fi-
ancé and I had met and just started a relationship while we were in college, I certainly would have been more distracted by it,” said Latimer. “However, since we had already been dating for multiple years before we got here, we knew how to work around each others’ lives and schedules and were able to not let ourselves be distracted too greatly by each other and also able to not let college get between our growing relationship.” Their journey may have started at a young age but this is not so for other couples. Other engaged couples met at Waynesburg University. Another couple’s journey started during their freshman year at Waynesburg University, where they met in a biology class.
Emily McDonold, senior forensic science and biology major, and Aaron Palmer, senior sports management major, started dating Jan. 1, 2013. McDonold and Palmer’s engagement met nothing but high expectations. “After about two-and-ahalf years of dating, Aaron proposed over the summer on May 31, 2015 while we were zip-lining,” said McDonold. “We were on a trip to Harpers Ferry, W. Va. with Aaron’s parents and brother and at the top of one of the zip-lining towers with the best view of the Potomac River and that’s when he popped the question.” McDonold, like Latimer, saw the engagement coming ENGAGED >> D2
History club plans return trip to D.C. SAB finds ways to adapt when the unexpected arises By RYAN SCHWERTFEGER News Digest Editor
T he h i stor y club at Waynesburg University is in the midst of planning a trip to Washington D.C. on April 9. The trip, which will give students the freedom to explore whatever sites they wish, was established as an attempt to combat the loss of the freshman year Fiat Lux trip. Michael Merten, a junior history major and student senate president, started the trip last year. “I wanted to bring the cultural experience back to campus that was taken away when the freshmen D.C. trip
was removed the year I came to Waynesburg,” said Merten. “I started the process to bring back the trip my freshman year when I helped to create the history club here on campus. I thought that a trip put together by the history club would be a great signature event for our group that would put us on the map while also filling the void of students present and future of not having an opportunity to go to Washington, D.C.” Last year, Merten said there was a pretty good turnout for the first trip and now Vincent Wise, current history club president, says that it appears they will meet or beat the number of people
who went last year. “There’s a good amount of interest in this year’s trip. I’d say about the same as last year so far,” said Wise. “But we’re hoping to double the numbers as word about the trip gets out to students and interest increases.” The trip was designed to give students the power to determine their own destiny and merely provide them the transportation necessary to get them to the nation’s capital. “Our goal is to solely get you there and back,” said Merten. “The activities and things you do once in D.C. are all up to you. We want to make this as much of a
customizable experience as possible.” The only thing that is mandatory for students, according to Merten and Wise, is a Capital Hill tour, as it has a set time and requires a ticket. “We already know we have different people going on the trip who are interested in going to different museums or sites throughout the city,” said Wise. “We even have a group interested in trying to get a White House tour. So whether you are interested in trying to do that or something else, you can plan it on your own, or if you want to see if
By MATTIE WINOWITCH For the Yellow Jacket
After the snowstorm on the weekend of Jan. 29, the East Coast was scrambling to recuperate. At Waynesburg University, a similar sense of panic was displayed by a department that may otherwise be ignored. The Student Services Department is known for a variety of specialties on campus, WASHINGTON >> D2 such as Student Activities
and the Department of Public Safety. Activities may sound like fun and games, but planning them can be stressful, especially during an uncontrollable event. For Pat Bristor, associate dean of students, it is part of her job to make sure that there are events for students despite the circumstances. She also advises the Student ActiviWEATHER >> D2
Variety of student skills on display at 'Waynesburg's Got Talent' By TEGHAN SIMONTON Copy Chief
Friday, Feb. 5, marked another year for the annual talent event, Waynesburg’s Got Talent. This is its third year as a contest. This year, the beatboxing duo, Dawson Laabs and Stephen Patula took first place in the competition. The evening included several unique performances, including singing, dancing, sign language and spoken word poetry. The show started at 8 p.m. in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center. Laabs and Patula did not perform until near the end of the evening, and the audience laughed at the performer’s humorous introduction. They began to have a mock beat-boxing battle, but eventually put their voices together to form one collaborative beat, yet completely improvised.
Tyler Wolfe, Yellow Jacket
Students who participated in the competition gather on stage as the winners were announced. Jumbo-sized checks were handed out to the winners. The two said that they met during the fall play last semester, when Laabs discovered Patula’s skills in beatboxing. According to Laabs, he could not have competed without his partner. “I’ve always wanted to do it but I’ve never been comfortable with my skills, and he (Patula) is just insane at it,” said Laabs after the show.
Laabs and Patula were surprised and honored by their victory, as the crowd demanded an encore performance. “I feel blessed that we had the opportunity to come in first,” said Patula. Several other performers stood out to voters on Friday as well, such as Megan Cook and Kayla Coughlin,
who performed the piece “Loathing,” from the popular musical, “Wicked.” The duo earned second place in the competition. Cook and Coughlin, both freshmen, are fellow cast members on the set of the spring musical, “The Little Mermaid.” They decided to perform the scene from “Wicked,” saying that they
both love the musical and two-part harmonies, and that they related to the song as they plan to room together next year. Third place was awarded to Cassie Gates, who was the only competitor to perform spoken word poetry on Friday night. Her piece was a call to action, asking listeners to take a stand on many modern issues. “I’ve always written poetry, and I’ve always loved rapping,” said Gates about her decision to do spoken word. According to Gates, her goal in performing the piece was to reach at least one person and inspire them; the competition was only secondary. Evidently, she was successful, as the majority of the crowd stood in unison as she read aloud and the crowd broke into applause when she finished. Julie Wise, graduate as-
sistant for student activities, considered the event to be a remarkable success. “I think it went pretty well,” said Wise. “I was really excited about it. The talent was incredible; I hope the students had a lot of fun.” Wise said that performance-based competitions and events like Waynesburg’s Got Talent tend to be very popular and well-attended by students. “I think because they are their friends; they’re there to support each other,” said Wise. “You can always tell who is there for who. And the fact that they already know everyone, so some of them are surprised by the talent their friends can do, and some are just there for the support.” Waynesburg’s Got Talent saw many unique talents this year and is expected to continue annually.
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February 11, 2016
'The Big Game' paired with Upper Room in the Beehive By ANTHONY CONN Managing Editor
As the Super Bowl captivated millions of fans Sunday night, Waynesburg University hosted an evening of food, friends, football and faith for students to enjoy. Students gathered in the Beehive to watch the Super Bowl, now an annual tradition at Waynesburg. This year, the big game was shown on a large projector screen in high definition (HD), making the action closer than previous occasions. Students had the opportunity to enjoy an array of food, including soft pretzels and cheese, nachos and brownies. “We could have fun here instead of sitting alone in my room,” said Jake Oxendale, a senior criminal justice major. The food and game were sources of fun, but many enjoyed the halftime just as much, despite not watching
Tyler Wolfe, Yellow Jacket
The Super Bowl on Feb. 7 was streamed onto screen in the Beehive for students to enjoy. Refreshments were provided for students to eat while rooting for their favorite team, or simply enjoying the commercials. the halftime show. Also an annual Super Bowl tradition, Upper Room hosted a worship session during halftime for those wishing to partake.
Those students met upstairs on the third floor of the Stover Center for a four-song worship time. Upper Room normally meets in Roberts Chapel on Sunday nights,
but the change in location has not been a problem. “This is one of our favorite rooms to play in,” said Derrion May, a senior biology major. “It’s small, so it brings an
Christian artist does more than just sing By MITCHELL ROSS
For the Yellow Jacket
L a s t We d n e s d a y night, the sound of worship music echoed through Roberts Chapel. Artur MaClellan, a worship pastor and musician, performed a concert for students and staff. MaClellan, accompanied by a few friends, sang original songs “Sing Over Me (Josiah’s Song)” and “Come Home,” as well as covers of popular worship hits such as “Set a Fire” and “Forever.” On this particular February evening in Waynesburg, MaClellan desired to cultivate a spirit of worship among students and help them realize God is worthy of our praise. “I wanted to create this moment, an opportunity for people to sing ‘I’m coming home, where it all began,’ as Scripture says, ‘Restore the joy of my salvation,’” MaClellan said. “I hope that’s what people get out of it, ultimately just lifting their voice to God.” M a C l e l l a n’s t r i p t o Waynesburg University was not by accident. MaClellan came to worship in Waynesburg for the night, in large, because of a friend he met while at Penn State University, Benito Stallings. Stallings, who now works in the Office of Institutional Advancement at Waynes-
but did not know when to expect the proposal. According to McDonold and Palmer, the excitement of the big day can be a daily distraction. Their wedding date is set for May 22, 2016, just three weeks after the two graduate. According to McDonold, their spring break will be very busy with wedding planning. “With the wedding being in less than 100 days, we are definitely getting very excited and anxious because it is getting to the point where we are ready to start our lives together,” said McDonold and Palmer. “There are some stressful times as we are trying to finish up the last couple details for the wedding, like ordering and sending out invitations.” Just like McDonold and Palmer, Rachel Narasimhan, senior biology major and psychology minor, and her fiancé Colin Nelson, a Waynesburg graduate assistant, met during her freshman year during biology class. However, they didn’t start dating until one year later. According to Narasimhan, they have been dating for two years and got engaged last October. “Waynesburg has shaped our relationship by being so
Weather: Spur of the moment events prompted by snow or cancelations
Continued from D1
Jenny Schouppe, Yellow Jacket
Junior student John Wicker interacts with guest artist Artur MacClellan while he is up on stage. Behind is the band that MacClellan works with. burg University, first met MaClellan while in campus ministry. His first memories of MaClellan were that of a young man who connected with those around him. “He had just become a Christian at that point; he had a very powerful testimony. As I got to know him, I saw his gift for evangelism and ministry,” Stallings said. “He loved people. God had him to be one of these people who was just magnetic.” As the two friends remained in touch over the years, Stallings heard about MaClellan’s venture into the music industry and knew Waynesburg was a great
place to help him share his heart for God and music. “He was just starting his music career… he had gotten a number of people to support his work, his kind of side ministry,” said Stallings. “I was one of those supporters, and I knew he needed venues to get more practice.” MaClellan released a single this past year and in the past months has put out a music video to accompany it. An aspiring artist, though, is only part of MaClellan. This past fall, he helped found a church – Harvest Bible Chapel in Annapolis, Md. Through this experience, MaClellan has found
that leading people to God through music is his true passion. “There’s no greater privilege than being a worship leader for a church [and] seeing the lives that are changed through that,” MaClellan said. “We started in September 2015 and have only seen growth. There is really no greater privilege.” Stallings is encouraged to see his friend so involved in ministry and outreach. “I mentored him for a few years and to see him now doing this and talking about church planting, it’s pretty exciting, and I am excited for him.”
Engaged: Couples juggle wedding plans, academics Continued from D1
inclusive feeling to worship.” May has been a part of Upper Room since his sophomore year, playing bass and now leading the team, and has attended the service
supportive,” said Narasimhan. “We are considered young to be getting married, but everyone has been so supportive, excited for us and has been the same way at the beginning of our relationship.” The pressure of a wedding while being in school full time can be daunting but Narasimhan and Nelson have done it. They say that they are lucky to have amazing parents and an amazing wedding party to help them. Narasimhan and Nelson encourage students not to rush relationships while in school. “Don’t feel rushed to get engaged because everyone else is. It’s all about timing and what works for you as a couple,” said Narasimhan. “Marriage is the next step for [us], but it isn’t for everyone.” The youngest couple to have met at Waynesburg University and be recently engaged is Nina Cotroneo, sophomore nursing major, and Ryan Hurd, a 2015 Waynesburg University graduate. The couple met during a social event at Waynesburg University in Johnson Commons. The two had been dating for a short amount of time and, according to Cotroneo, the engagement was a surprise but had been talked about.
“Ryan proposed during our Christmas break trip to New York City,” said Cotroneo. “He popped the question in the middle of Times Square, and it was beautiful and amazing.” Cotroneo has a unique relationship with her fiancé having already graduated and her still being in school. “The time I’m away from my fiancé is whenever I’m on campus or at work but, I get through it by just keeping my mind on him,” said Cotroneo. Some advice Cotroneo would give to other couples on campus is: “Don’t take college stress out on each other but instead make each other feel better by being a support system and by staying positive.” Cody Nail, junior prephysical therapy, and Marlaina Weaver, junior human services major, are one of Waynesburg’s recently engaged couples. According to Weaver, she joined the cross-country team during her sophomore year to be a part of a family and Nail was already on the team. They got to know each other well throughout the season and the December break. “On New Year’s Eve, I came over to her house for a few days and that night I wrote [Weaver] a cute letter in French, which she didn’t
know how to read, and had the English version on the back,” said Nail. “After she looked over the letter, with 10 seconds left before the ball dropped, I asked her to be my girlfriend.” The romantic New Year’s festivities were nearly duplicated on the following year. According to Nail, he wrote Weaver a letter to read out loud and while she finished, got on one knee with the ring and proposed. “It took her a few minutes to understand that this was actually happening and after a few minutes of crying she finally said yes,” said Nail. Weaver said it was like a dream and a complete surprise. According to Weaver, being engaged while in college doesn’t add any other distractions; it actually helps them out with their stress from their running and schoolwork. “It gives us peace while we are together to just think that we are engaged and going to be getting married after we graduate from Waynesburg and start our lives together,” Nail added. All of these couples have shared their common partnership at Waynesburg University and look to the next chapter of their lives upon reaching their wedding dates, whether that is in a few months or within the year.
since he was a freshman. He said he always looks forward to the halftime Super Bowl worship. “It shows how we can worship in the smallest of tasks,” May said. This time of worship is something students look forward to attending. “It shows how awesome God is,” said DeRon Scott, senior creative writing major. “No matter what’s going on, we can come up here and worship.” Upper Room used to host worship in the Beehive instead of showing the halftime show. However, students now have the choice to stay downstairs and watch the show or walk upstairs for music and worship. Between the food prepared, the HD broadcast and the Upper Room session, students had the opportunity to make their Super Bowl Sunday a memorable one.
ties Board (SAB), which is a group of students interested in providing activities and programs for other students on campus. With this role, Bristor has seen many events turn sour. Weather has a large effect on the events that are held on campus, especially when they are outdoors. “When we plan outdoor events like our picnics and different things like that, we have no control – like in April if all of a sudden it’s 35 degrees,” said Bristor. “We always have to have a backup plan.” These uncontrollable occurrences can either cause events to be cancelled, or can cause spur of the moment events to be created in order to satisfy the students. According to Bristor, the latter process involves a lot of brainstorming with Resident Directors and members of SAB. “Performers [can] cancel due to illness or due to bad weather where they’re coming from,” said Bristor. “It’s not just the weather here in Waynesburg; we have to look at the big picture.” According to Bristor, there have also been more ‘unique’ reasons for cancellations. “One time we had a cancellation because the performer that we were going to have here, the day that we decided to sign their contract, that same evening they signed a national contract. And that was Adam Levine’s band [Maroon 5],” said Bristor. However, Bristor mentioned that while activities keep students occupied, the number-one priority during an unexpected event is safety.
According to Administrative Assistant Director of Public Safety Carin Camp, the main procedure for any emergency on campus is for alerts to be sent through e2Campus, which sends out emergency alerts via text or email. Although students must sign up for the e2Campus alerts, this can be a convenient way for students to be notified of emergency situations. “The majority of most emergency situations require common sense. This is a very safe environment and campus,” said Camp. “[Security is] always here. Call us, and we will make sure that you are safe.” Camp and Bristor both agree that more often than not, students choose to stay on campus during inclement weather in order to avoid danger. This results in more students on campus, therefore raising attendance during student activities. Bristor commented on the increased attendance on the weekend of the most recent snowstorm: “On the Saturday [Jan. 30] that we had the Retro Movie Night which was already planned, I wasn’t sure and I thought maybe 40-50 people would come,” said Bristor. “We had closer to 80 people, so I think the weather did contribute to that. ” With a small campus in a small town, students at Waynesburg University often resort to activities to keep them occupied in any circumstance. “In general, our events are pretty well-attended,” said Bristor. “Would we like more? Yes." SAB meets every Thursday morning at 11 a.m. on the third floor of Stover.
Washington: Students free to explore D.C. during upcoming trip Continued from D2
more people would be interested in going with you, let me know and I’m willing to help you out.” For students interested in the trip, there are a few ways to get information and sign up to go. A form is now available on myConnect in addition to the $30 payment, due before March 25. There are two interest meetings being held on Feb. 25 and March 17. Also, both Merten and Wise are willing to take questions via email. “D.C. is a fantastic place and at the center of importance of so many parts of
our society for different areas of interest from religion to politics to culture,” said Wise. “Everyone should go to Washington, D.C. at some point in their lives for sure.” Merten shared a similar sentiment. “D.C. is at the center of our nation and anyone who wants to have a voice and play a role in our society will need to visit our capital at some point,” said Merten. “There truly is something for everyone from monuments to museums, government buildings to memorials, and even those who just like to take in beauty; the Cherry Blossom Festival should be going on still by the time we have our trip.”
February 11, 2016
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WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1. Quibble 4. Like the NCAA basket ball three-point line 9. Phantom’s place? 14. Toothpaste tube letters 15. Chevy SUV 16. Honeydew, for one 17. Drop the original strat egy 19. Printing heavyweight 20. Aspersion 21. Nickname for Basket ball Hall of Famer Mara vich 23. Euler’s forte 25. Commencement opening? 26. Online reminders 28. Dilapidated digs 33. Attribute to, as blame 34. Fish order 35. “What __ care?” 36. One always looking up 40. Zeta follower 41. Soccer followers? 42. Causes of many Alas kan road accidents 43. High-end neckwear 46. Declines to raise 47. Bard’s bedtime 48. Machu Picchu denizen 49. Shield bearers 55. Leave out 58. Hot 59. Novel surprise ... and a hint to what’s hidden in 17-, 21-, 36- and 49-Across 61. Cardinal, e.g. 62. “Friend Like Me” sing er in “Aladdin” 63. Author Talese
64. Fire sign 65. Gladiator’s milieu 66. Olive shaped like a stick
DOWN 1. Complainers 2. “People” person 3. She beat out Madeline Kahn, with whom she shared the screen, for Best Supporting Actress 4. Org. that publishes weekly player rankings 5. Lauren et al.
6. Tazo choice 7. Long spans 8. Collector’s target 9. Filled, folded fare 10. Sneeze cause 11. Ultimatum word 12. Jícama or ginger 13. Actress Hathaway 18. Stumper? 22. Rowing crew, perhaps 24. St. formed from the Southwest Territory 26. Duel tools 27. “The Untouchables” gangster 28. Hotel reservations
29. View from Lake Ge neva 30. Chihuahua “Ciao!” 31. Oater group 32. Locations 34. Sour fruit 37. Acid type 38. Bowie’s bride 39. __ Mule: vodka cock
tail in a copper mug 44. Hot whistler 45. Plains homes 46. Tart container 49. Cosby of “Inside Edi tion” 50. Place for a pupil 51. Pledge 52. Rolex Player of the
Year-awarding org. 53. “The Sopranos” actor Robert 54. Gelato holder 56. Words to Holmes 57. Texter’s toodle-oo 60. Dim sum beverage
LAST ISSUE'S SOLUTION
Valentine’s Day 2016 M C R B V K X A S M D Z L K B
R Z K H M D E A D P O O L Y R
E H X W J O J W M O T U D P W
CHOCOLATE DEADPOOL FLOWERS ROSES
N G Z W F W V R D Z U N L C W
N T P M L S Q I A I A T V R N
I S P A O G Z V E C C E J O K
BEARS FOOD CANDY CANDLES
WORDS OF WISTIM
D E G W W A C A D S C T A M Q
L S G C E F A O G F Q A Q A S
O O E O R E R Z N X O L H N E
V R E L S B G V I P K O G T L
E B X S P R S D K A W C D I D
HEARTS WALKINGDEAD MOVIES COUPLES
X C P L R U G P L X L O E C N
R M B V J A O F A V X H T L A
B E A Q J R E C W D V C M P C
B C G O L Y U B S T R A E H A
LOVE ROMANTIC DINNER FEBRUARY
THE COMIC STRIP
FILM REVIEW: PRIDE, PREJUDICE, ZOMBIES From page to screen By TIM NERAL
Editorial Assistant
Here’s the thing with “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”: it’s just not that good. Some zombie movies are not meant to be analyzed, critiqued and documented like a medical examiner over a corpse. Some are meant to be torn apart with hacksaws and thrown in a receptacle labeled: “Danger: Hazardous Material.” Thankfully so, considering some of the material that comes out of the film industry in the early months of every new year. Burr Steers, aside from having an intriguing name, is unknown and will stay that way with his directorial style because, like it or not, he’s just not that good. This Jane Austen parody is far better than the film from 2005, at least in my eyes, but it’s not because of Steers ability to properly diagnose classic literature, his technique in panning the camera, choreographing stunts or developing imaginable characters. No, Steers’ asset is his own inadequacy. Steers is unable to attain any real cement in his mixing pot, anything excessively heavy that makes the popcorn bag feel
a lot heavier. Instead, he just keeps spinning that wooden spoon and not really doing anything with it. What Steers does is make this liquid that, I guess you could say, is about as appetizing as getting an ice cream cone at McDonald’s for a dol lar because, let’s be honest, what you’re eating is probably not ice cream. Basically, Steers isn’t the guy you want doing the icing on your wed-
ding cake. Where Steers belongs in the bakery, to keep the metaphor going, is in the batter mixing because believe it or not ladies and gents, it’s actually incredibly difficult to make something with zombies excessively unappetizing. Throw some fair makeup and visual effects in there, give us a hero or heroine that is either somewhat admirable or scares the life out of us
and you are going to find an audience that will pay money for that. It doesn’t have to be spellbinding, glossy or overly dramatic, although that is what the loyalists of the genre, such as myself, would prefer most days. However, when you’re as starved for a movie as I am in this genre, then your standards slowly start to sink like the ice cream off that cone the drive-thru employee is handing to you right as it spills all over the front of you. In most circumstances, you’d be more than upset. All this mockery aside, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is a popcorn film that you can watch with friends on a busy Friday night. You don’t have to pay attention during every minute of the thing, you can feel free to talk over points that you deem uninteresting and your experience won’t be any less than if you had watched every breathing second of it. If you’re looking for cheap entertainment and a laugh or two at the pure obnoxiousness of this whole charade, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is your thing. At least until “Deadpool” comes out this week and we finally get the real treat of February.
By ZACHERY ZALAR
For the Yellow Jacket
Based off the events of the Civil War comic storyline, one of the most acclaimed plots in the history of Marvel comics, the source material is being loosely translated for the next movie. Comic book lovers know Crossbones (Frank Grillo) is the main villain and also happens to be the person who fires the fatal shot through Captain America’s heart in the comic series. As of last night, a rumor began to circulate on the Internet that stated it could happen. It is open for you to decide whether to believe this rumor or not, but based off the other movies, there is no reason to believe that it is untrue. If these rumors and information are not enough to get you going to the theatre in approximately three months, remember that the movie is the last time before the twopart epic “Avengers: Infinity War” takes place. The movie will also add new ripples to the Captain America/Iron Man dynamic. In the comic, that is the main feud that fuels the
storyline. Tony Stark wants heroes to register with the “Hero Registration Act,” because he feels that heroes have way too much power, and Captain America wants his identity and others to remain their own business. Siding with C aptain America in the movie version is Falcon, Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Agent 13 and, returning for his second go round after a successful freshman outing, Ant-Man (rumored to appear in his Giant-Man form). On the other side of the coin with Iron Man are War Machine, Black Widow, Vision and (in his first appearance) Black Panther. Spider-Man is an interesting topic in the cope of Civil War. With his rumored solo movie to come next summer, the character is a follower of Tony Stark and owes his super hero roots to the metal playboy. Whatever your stance is on the MCU or even the rumored content of the movie, there are certainly lots of intriguing details about the plot and if the past is any indication, the name MARVEL plastered all over the world will drag the viewers out in millions.
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February 11, 2016
THE BACK PAGE
Love is a Global Language
By Emily Hackman Designed by Joey Buchanan
With love and the sweet smell of chocolate in the air, it’s easy to tell that Valentine’s Day is near. The history and traditions of Valentine’s Day date back to the third century when Saint Valentine, who was a priest in Rome, performed marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius, the emperor at the time, ordered that he be put to death. Saint Valentine’s Day is celebrated on Feb. 14, but the traditions and customs around the globe vary between cultures. In the United States:
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Valentine’s Day is said to have imported to North America in the 19th century by British settlers. The first mass-produced Valentine’s Day card with embossed paper lace is said to have been produced in United States shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.
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Roses and chocolates were the most commonly exchanged Valentine’s Day Gifts and were usually given by man to the woman.
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Around the 1980’s diamond industry began to promote Valentine’s Day as an occasion to gift fine jewelry.
Approximately 150 million cards are exchanged on Valentine’s Day, making it the second most popular card sending day behind Christmas.
In Denmark:
♥ The tradition of the ‘lover’s card’ is the most popular and romantic Valentine’s Day custom in Denmark. Earlier, these cards came in the form of transparent cards which reflected the picture of a lover presenting his beloved a wonderful gift when it was kept in front of light. Today, they resemble the modern Valentine’s card. ♥ People celebrate the custom of White Flower with immense love and care. As per the tradition, people send white flowers called ‘snowdrops’ to their friends and lovers. ♥
Young couples also write special love poems known as ‘gaekkebrev’. It is customary for the sender of gaekkebrev to pen down a rhyme for his beloved. He is not required to put his name on it. He signs the message with dots for the lady. Now, the girl who receives the card is supposed to guess the name of the sender. If she is able to guess the right name, then she is rewarded with an ‘Easter Egg’ on that very year.
In Japan:
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Valentine’s Day is celebrated on two different dates in Japan. On Feb. 14, females present gifts to their boyfriends or any man close to them. The favor is returned to ladies on the White Day, which is celebrated on March 14. This is when men who received Valentine’s gifts return the favor by presenting them with a gift.
♥ Tradition of Gifting Chocolates- There is a strong tradition of women gifting chocolates to men on Valentine’s Day in Japan. There are two different types of chocolate that can be given as a gift. One type of chocolate called giri-choco is bought for friends, bosses, colleagues and close male friends. ‘Giri’ in Japan means obligation hence these types of chocolates has no romantic association. Hon-mei chocolate is chocolate for boyfriends, lovers or husbands. Honmei-choco is usually homemade chocolate. ♥ Tradition of Celebrating White Day- White Day celebration in Japan is said to have been initiated as a marketing tool by marshmallow chocolate company in the 1960s. On March 14 or White Day men are supposed to give return gifts of chocolates to women who gifted them chocolates on Feb. 14. The color of the chocolate is generally white because of the name of the day.
Around the world, people have different ways to celebrate the season of love and chocolate. Traditions and customs change over time but the meaning of love is celebrated across the nations. Source: http://www.stvalentinesday.org/