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Est. 1936 PA Newspaper
Association Member

www. thewilk:esbeacon.corn

March 20, 2012

Volume 64 Issue 15

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

After being announced as Wilkes' sixth president, Patrick F. Leahy made it a point to visit every academic and administrative office on
campus within his first 60 days. He currently serves as executive vice president at the University of Scranton. Leahy begins duties July, 1.

THE NEWEST COLONEL
Wilkes appoints Patrick Leahy to succeed Gilmour as President
BY KIRSTIN COOK
Editor-in-Chief
PHATNGUYEN
News Editor

Patrick Leahy went from being a
Scranton Royal to a Wilkes Colonel in a matter of hours.
The former executive vice president of University of Scranton was
announced as Wilkes' sixth president on March 12.

"It's not every day that a college
administrator can become a Colonel in just a few hours," Leahy said.
After his introduction, Leahy
stressed his plans to both enhance
liberal arts at Wilkes and expand
professional programs.
"In my opinion, nothing prepares
students better for the complexities
of today's world than a liberal arts
education," Leahy said. "I think
engineering students should read
Shakespeare. I think business stu-

dents should study the American get to know as many of you personally as I can, and try to understand
Civil War."
Leahy stressed this enrichment of as well as possible the rich history
liberal arts would be a continuation here at Wilkes," Leahy said.
He began this goal immediately
of Wilkes' strengths.
following
the announcement by visit"We must strengthen the tradiing
the
cafeteria,
library and classes
tions of the past as we imagine the
to
ta1lc
one-on-one
to students about
possibilities of the future," Leahy
what
they
like
about
Wilkes, and
said.
what
they'd
like
to
change.
Leahy stated his first goal will be
Leahy, who begins his position July
to get to know the campus commu1,
promised to visit each academic
nity.
"My first assignment will be to SEE LEAHY, PAGE 4

The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow
For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.co~

�National Security retnains hot topic ten years after 9/11
BY DEVON I NOVAK

Assistant News Editor
Wilkes political science students brought
two speakers to the Miller room in the SUB
last Tuesday to speak on behalf of national
security. Although it has been 10 years since
the devastation of 9/11 , many believe national security remains a topic with many
questions remaining.
"As the two panelist discussed, it is still
an open debate," said political science professor Kyle Kreider. "Even though we know
what the issues are, we still do not have set
answers as to what is the proper balance between liberty and freedom."
The Wilkes chapters of Pi Sigma Alpha,
Sigma Pi and the National Political Science
Honor Society along with the rest of the
political science department welcomed two
speakers who presented "Ten Years Later:
9-11 and American Life."
The two presenters, Richard Glenn of the
department of government and political affairs at Millersville University and Reggie
Shuford, executive director of the Pennsyl-

Beacon Briefs
BY DEVON I NOVAK

Assistant News Editor
ASl\Y: car show - Wilkes American
Society for Mechanical Engineers club requested $5855 for their annual car show
which takes place Apr. 22. The club has
$850 in their account with the addition of
an anonymous check. With a projected cost
of $5854.50, many SG members questioned
why ASME did not factor in the money they
already have in their account. ASME claimed
the check will go toward covering prize costs
for trophies and plaques. ASME believes this
event is beneficial to students as it allows
them to connect with people from different

Photos Courtesy of Kyle Krieder

Richard Glenn, left, and Reggie Shuford spoke about finding an acceptable balance between government actions towards
security while maintaining American ideals of freedom to a room full of students.

vania American Civil Liberties Union, both
shared their knowledge on the history of national security before turning the discussion
over to the audience for open conversation.
The matter of debate was finding an acceptable balance between government actions toward security while maintaining the
ideal freedom America was founded upon.
Concern for national security has been an
everlasting weight on the shoulders of each
president to take office.
Kreider explained that presidents receive
classified information daily that the public

never knows about and therefore the responsibility to keep the country safe lies predominantly in their hands.
"The presidents have a need or desire to
protect national security," said Kreider.
"They are the ones that would face the recourse at the ballot box if there is a terrorist attack in the United States; they feel the
pressure to keep America safe."
Because the president has such a huge responsibility to maintain national security,
the matter allegedly makes political party
obsolete. For example, Kreider explained

how many expected Obama to reform the
policies Bush implemented for the War on
Terror drastically. However, Obama kept
the policies in place and just recently began
bringing troops home from the Middle East.
Political science professor Andrew Miller
explained how significantly different views
are to students on such a controversial issue.
"I think it's important for students to get a
different perspective," said Miller. "To cover
different topics with different voices."

age groups while learning about the history
of mechanics. Some SG members argued this
event benefits students directly. Since ASME
only requested $2000 last year, SG feels this
year's show cost increase comes with very
little change. The decision on the fund request
will be decided next week.

with United Way, Luzerne County Disaster
Relief and the City of Wiikes-Barre to make
a difference in the community. The· event will
cost a projected $3000.

Campus e-mail switch to g-mail - IT's
efforts in converting Wilkes e-mail over to
Google's g-mail is a work in progress. Many
SG members seem to be in favor of the idea.
However, the decision is ultimately up to the
IT department and their determinations.

April Fool's Day - Students, faculty and
staff are invited to join the "Big Event" Apr.
1. The event is a campus wide community
service project allowing clubs and organizations who have not fulfilled their community
service requirement for the year to do so.
Breakfast will be offered before shuttles and
SG vans transport participants to service sites.
An estimated 200 participants have registered
to date and will be working in conjunction

BEACON

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook
Managing Editor: Michael Klimek
Ad Manager: Brittany Battista
Photo Editor: Laura Preby
Adviser: Loran Lewis

PHONE: (570) 408-5903
WEBSITE: www.thewilkesbeacon.com
•

~:

· Mac Miller concert - Tickets for the
Mac Miller concert are available every day
in the SUB from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from now
until Mar. 30. Student tickets are $15 with ID
and limited to two per person, faculty/staff/
alumni tickets are $20 and also limited to two
per person, public tickets are $30 with a limit
of four per person.
CONTACT DEVONI NOVAK AT:

devoninovak@thewilkesbeacon.com

Editorial Staff 2011-12

130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

l

Changes in SG - Because many students
have complained about lack of friendliness
portrayed by SG members at meetings, SG
is considering creating a new position to host
presenting students. A new office as sergeant
in arms will welcome in students presenting
at SG meetings by restricting the amount of
chatter among representatives. SG has also
discussed a harsher probation. Members who
have scarce participation have been given the
status of probation in the past. Because probation is nothing more than a status, little reform has happened.

CONTACT DEVONI NOVAK AT:

devoninovak@thewilkesbeacon.com

'

..

t ...

(

\. ~ , ..

J

News Editor: Phat Nguyen
Opinion Editor: Carly Yamrus
A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas
Life Editor: Christine Lee
Sports Editor: Justin Franiak

Meet the Staff

Rebecca Bolus
Assistant Life Editor

�THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

3

NEWS

SHE building shoots for green and gold standards
Architects plan for environmental friendly features, better energy efficiency
BY KIRSTIN COOK
Editor-in-Chief

The new Wilkes science building is going
to be silver and green. Silver meaning the
certification level it is aimed to reach with an
environment-friendly design, and green for
the conscientious impact designers hoped to
have on the planet.
Architects hope to ensure green standards
through the design and construction of the
science building by including many innovative, environment-friendly features. These
features include everything from the restroom sinks to carpeting.
Wilkes President Joseph (rim) Gilmour
described the new science building as green
in nature at the M arch 1 groundbreaking ceremony.
"We will really have a green building in
character," Gilmour said.
The building architects are aiming at reaching the second highest level, silver, in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
certification, but Gilmour said he'd like to see
the highest standard.
"We're hoping for gold, but we will definitely be at least LEED silver," Gilmour said.
One of the designers for the building, SaylorGregg architect Tom Breslin, said the architects met with the building committee to
discuss the LEED checklist. The LEED certification is granted based on a system that
awards points in categories, such as energy
efficiency and construction waste management.
"W• try to be as wise as we can selecting
the strategies we can use that will get the most
bang for your buck, both in terms of investing
in future savings and just environmental impact of what credits you go for," Breslin said.

Photo Courtesy of Marketing Communications

One of the green features includes a "living wall:' an exterior wall covered in vines
which would cut back on heating in the winter and save on cooling in the summer.
Breslin said they hope to use sinks that are
quick use and low flow, which will make the
building much more water efficient compared
to traditional buildings.
"The goal is to reduce water use by 30 percent over what a typical building would be,"
Breslin said.
Kenneth Klemow, biology professor and
associate director of the Institute for Energy
and Environmental Research, said another
feature that would reduce water usage would
be no flush or low flush toilets, which he said
would be hygienic as well as conservative.
"There are things that you can do that are

still sanitary but reduce the amount of water
coming through," Klemow said.
Klemow was involved with the design of
the building, as he and other faculty members provide ideas to the ~chitects. He said
the green considerations are as detailed as the
carpeting and adhesive used in construction,
which may release vapors and pollutants depending on the type.
But focusing on these details was always
part of the plan, as Klemow said they've been
planning on having the science building reach
green standards since the first discussion. He
said the building will allow Wilkes to "lead

New businesses downtown W-B
BY AMANDA LEONARD
Correspondent

A walk through Wilkes-Barre's downtown
a few years ago would seem dull and almost
lifeless, compared to today's revamped scene.
Recently, Wilkes-Barre has had a face lift, as
well as many businesses jumping at the opportunity to open or establish a business in the area.
With the implementation of the RC WilkesBarre Movies 14 theater and the renovation of
Wilkes-Barre's YMCA, the streets have became more lively.
The trend of Wilkes-Barre businesses opening
is on the rise and each owner has a different rea-

son why he or she decided to open in the area.
Tim Multahy, owner of ArtStreet USA &amp;
The Sweet Cafe, was born and raised in the
area and is aware of the economic hardships
the area has faced. However, he believes in the
potential that the downtown area holds.
"I'm from the Heights area (Southwest Wilkes-Barre) and I've always seen downtown as
thriving and attractive for visitors," he said. "It
took a little bit of a downturn for awhile but I
think it's well on its way to recovery."
Multahy has seen the downtown revitalized
with RC Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 theater on
24 E. Northampton St.

"I want to be part of this revitalization as
seen by the movie theater and new restaurants
on the square," he said. "So far, my business is
doing very well."
Multahy's business offers an assortment of
coffee, vintage penny candy and jewelry that
is made in the USA.
Multahy is not alone in deciding to open a
business in downtown Wilkes-Barre. According
to a storefront occupancy trend chart provided
by Larry Newman, vice president of planning,
policy and development, the past six years have
been successful for new business owners.
"The reason is that 2006 is the year when our

by example" in environmental design.
"We knew a long time ago that we wanted
to make the building a green building, because we wanted the building to be like a
showpiece," Klemow said.
One of the green features of the building
will be a living wall, an exterior wall covered
in vines, which Klemow said would cut back
on heating in the winter and save on cooling
in the summer.
Large windows will be a feature to save
energy on lighting by allowing maximum
natural lighting inside the building. But, to
balance out this light intake, Klemow said
awnings must be included over the windows
to avoid excessive heating in-the summer.
"It's a whole bunch of things that you have
to balance off of each other," Klemow said.
Another feature that will help maintain
building temperature will be the green roof,
which will partially be covered in plants. Klemow said this roof will also help with storm
water issues, and will direct excess rainwater
to a rain garden that students can help design
and monitor.
Breslin said the roof would work as a
sponge, as rooftop plants would absorb rainwater and prevent flooding issues from the
traditional gutter system.
"You're decreasing the additional load on
the storm system and sewage treatment plants
and everything down the line," Breslin said.
Breslin said the biggest challenge of planning the building was offsetting the high-energy consumption of the science laboratories.
"A lab building in general is an enormous
user of energy," Breslin said.
Klem ow explained that much of the energy
is consumed by about 70 fume hoods needed

SEE SHE, PAGE 5
downtown revitalization efforts really hit their
stride with the opening of several anchor projects, such as Movies 14 and Barnes &amp; Noble,"
Newman said.
Since 2006, 70 businesses in Wilkes-Barre
have opened while 38 closed. Newman said
that in the United States, 3 of 10 businesses
fail within the mt two years of opening and
more than half of all businesses fail within the
first four years of opening.
"The recession has only exacerbated this
trend in the United States," he said.
However, Wilkes-Barre continues to see new
businesses open to take the place of those that
have closed.

SEE BUSINESS, PAGE 4

�NEWS

4

BUSINESS

LEAHY

Continued from Page 3

Continued from Front Page

The trend of opening a business in downtown
Wilkes-Barre seems to be a mix of overcoming
economic hardships and the desire to showcase
a potential talent or skill.
Susan Wampole, owner of Brazil Street
Blues, found that a mix of both of these factors
helped her make the decision that she wanted
to open up a homemade pierogi business.
The idea for her one-woman business, based
entirely in her home, originally started within
her family when they wanted to find a place
that sold locally homemade pierogies. Most
of the local churches that had sold pierogies at
bazaars or other church-sanctioned events had
stopped selling them, due to lack of volunteers
and funds.
So, while churches closed their doors on the
pierogi-making business, Wampole opened hers.
Wampole said that the supply and demand
for pierogies is what structured her business.
While some business owners open a business
solely to sell what it is they have to offer, other
owners delve more into the marketing aspect of
it and understand that the supply and demand
aspect is much more prevalent in a city that is
devei ping, as seen in Wilkes-Barre.
Mulligan's Irish Pub, located on 41 S. Main St,
is within walking distance of both Wtlk:es University and King's College. With the success of
Hardware Bar, the owner, Kaminoka Entertainment Group, has decided to open up another bar
aimed toward college students, but without the
club scene that Hardware Bar offers.
Kaminoka Entertainment Group owns the
Hardware Bar chain that includes the Bourbon Street Saloon, Buck Wild Rode House and
Mulligan's. The chain is now extended to five
locations: Bloomsburg, Harrisburg, Scranton,
West Shore and Wtlk:es-Barre.
Angelo DelSordo, general manager of Mulligan's, has always been attracted to the area and
wanted to be a part of the downtown restoration.
"The downtown area of Wilkes-Barre has
been cleaning up nicely and there is a huge
potential for bars locally, between all the businesses in the area along with colleges," he said.
"Mulligan's is doing extremely well thanks to
the local colleges."
The majority of Wilkes-Barre's business
growth stems from local colleges that have
students who are looking for something to do
at night. Prior to downtown's revamping, students' options were limited.
As Wilkes-Barre continues to grow, business owners and college students alike become
more attracted to the area and help with the revitalization and cleanup of a once broken city.

department and administrative area on
campus within his first 60 days.
"We' ll have ample opportunities to get to
know each other, that I promise," he said.
He said focus groups will help him to establish a personal connection with students.
"Students are the heart of the matter at a
university like Wilkes," Leahy said.
Leahy plans on using this feedback to remodel the decision-making process, placing a priority on involving campus views.
"What we'll do is take a fresh look at governance here at the university to ensure that
we're getting the proper voice from students, faculty and staff, the three important
constituencies on campus," Leahy said.
Besides this assessment process, Leahy
initially plans on ensuring the new science
building is "on-time and on-budget."
He said his next target would be increasing enrollment, but he hopes this is not limited to NEPA.
"I think we continue to invest in the campus so that we make coming to Wilkes
University, coming to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. a
destination place for students," Leahy said.
"And not only throughout eastern Pennsylvania, but I think increasingly throughout
the entire northeast portion of the U.S. and
even specific areas abroad."
Leahy said the futures of Wilkes University and Wilkes-Barre are intertwined, and
Wilkes plays an important role in the city's
revitalization.
Leahy's appointment as the newest Wilkes president ended a nine-month search by
an 11-member search committee composed
of students, faculty and staff.
The university's Board of Trustees chair
Jack Miller said Leahy's presentation to the
committee on his vision for Wilkes included a track record of outstanding fundraising, financial management and budgeting
skills.
"In order to move the institution to new
levels of achievement, we need a visionary leader," Miller said. "I'm confident that
Patrick Leahy is that leader."
While Leahy said fundraising today is
challenging, two things will make it easier
to raise funds for the project.
"One, is it is a very compelling project. What that science building will do is
strengthen what is already a strong part of
this university," Leahy said. "Two, we have
no shortage of people who care about Wilkes University."
During his tenure at the University of
Scranton as executive vice president,
Leahy's achievements include 16 percent
increase in undergraduate applications

CONTACT PHAT NGUYEN AT:

phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Christa Filipkowski, far right, handed out gifts to Leahy and his family following the
open remarks. One of the Leahy sons struggled to put his new shirt on.

leading to enrollment of a class of 1,059
students in fall 2011.
He was also a part of a team that raised
$125 million "Pride, Passion, Promise
Campaign" that ended at 29 percent above
its original goal - nearly three times as
much in the previous capital campaign.
Leahy joined the University of Scranton in July 2004 as executive assistant to
the president and has also taught student
through the business leadership honors
program.
He earned a doctor of education degree in
higher education strategy and management
from the University of Pennsylvania and a
dual master's degree from Cornell University in business administration and labor relations. He earned a bachelor's degree in English
literature at Georgetown
University.
He said he is both humbled and energized by the
university's prospects.
Current president Joseph (Tim) Gilmour said
he feels positively about
the future of Wilkes with
Leahy as his replacement.
"I think he's someone
who is extremely wellprepared for the position,"
Gilmour said. "I also think
he understands what Wilkes needs to do next, and I
think that's really exciting.
I feel that Wilkes is going
to be in great hands."
Gilmour joked that he
did not have any tips for
the new president.

"I'm not going to tell him anything,"
Gilmour said with a smile. "I'm actually
going to see if I can learn from him. He's
a great guy. I know he's going to be great."
Gilmour said he has worked to establish
Wilkes as a leading educational institute,
and feels Leahy will continue to guide the
school to its fullest potential.
"The thing that I've been working for
these years to do is set the stage for Wilkes
to really emerge on the big stage," Gilmour
said. "I think (Leahy) is the right person to
do that."
CONTACT PHAT NGUYEN AT:

phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

�THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

SHE

Continued from Page 3
is consumed by about 70 fume hoods needed
in the labs to remove dangerous fumes from
chemicals from the building.
"In some cases, each hood can use as much
energy as a small house," Klemow said.
To combat this, high efficiency lab machinery will be installed, which Breslin said would
lead to 19 percent less energy usage.
Erin Emery, communication manager of the
U.S. Green Building Council that coordinates
the LEED Certification, said energy consumption is just one of the wide variety of categories
the certification process considers.
Emery said the LEED system, which began
11 years ago, has seen an increase in demand.
She said they currently have over a billion
square feet of projects certified, and 25 percent
of new construction projects in the U.S. are
pursuing some level of LEED certification.
Emery said a commitment to sustainability
is only one of the reasons LEED is important.
"There are so many different reasons," Emery said. "It's about a consciousness of the
space you occupy in the environment and how
you treat your environment and our planet.
She added that financial benefits are particularly pertinent with the economic state, which
she said may be part of the increase in demand
for certification.

NEWS
"There are also really money savings associated with it," Emery said. "There are big advantages to saving on energy, not only an conscientious impact to bettering our planet, but it's also
saving the bottom line."
Emery said that attaining these savings
through certification doesn't necessary have to
be more expensive.
"It doesn't have to cost any more money to
build to LEED standards than it does to build to
regular standards that don't consider any green
measures, but people can save a lot of money,"
Emery said.
Some of the LEED credits are based on location. Breslin said that points specific to building in Willces-Barre emphasize storm water
and construction waste management, with the
respective issues of the nearby Susquehanna
River and lack oflocal landfills.
Breslin said he is confident the building will
reach the goal of LEED silver, even though he
said some parts of the requirements, such as
proper disposal of waste materials, can not be
estimated beforehand.
"Based on our current projections, we are well
exceeding LEED silver, so we feel like we have
a good buffer," Breslin said. "If anything comes
up during construction, we feel like we should
be able to achieve LEED silver."
CONTACT KIRSTIN COOK

II

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• Master of Education Programs
• Master of Science in Forensic Science
• Master of Science in Nursing: Administration or Education
• Pan-European Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing - NEW!

Cedar Crest College was recently ranked a "Top Regional College"
and "Best Value" for 2012 by U.S. News and World Report.

~

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Graduate Education (SAGE)

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kirstincook@thewilkesbeacon.com

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�CONTACT EDITOR: carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

Commuter addresses misconceptions
Living at home with mom and dad is really "not so bad"
BY ALYSSA STENCAVAGE
Correspondent

Coming to Wilkes as a freshman, I was
nervous about the workload and making
friends, like everyone else about to embark
on their college career.
Being a commuter made that worse in a
way, since I am not on campus all of the
time and thought it would be more difficult
to make friends. My nerves got the better
of me, and I can remember on the very first
day of classes I almost did not know what to
do with myself. The first couple weeks were
somewhat rough for me as I was adjusting
to the new environment and getting the feel
for what college would be like. I felt that
it was going to be more difficult for me to
make friends that I could socialize with in
my free time and spend time with outside
of school.
However, as the semester progressed,· I
gradually found myself becoming more
comfortable and things got much better.
I began to socialize a little more and feel
good about going to classes.
Now, I could easily blame so much of this
on commuting, and there is no doubt that
commuting makes some aspects of college
more complicated than living on-campus.
But in the end, it was ultimately my decision, and after one semester down, I can say
that I would not want it any other way.
After much debating on what major I
wanJd to pursue and what college would
be oest for me, I concluded that dorm life
was not for me. Some people may think that
wanting to live at home and driving to and
from school every day is a bad idea. The
truth is, commuting is not nearly as bad as
some people are led to believe. I find comfort in knowing that at the end of the day
I can return home to do my work in peace
rather than be bothered by the usual distractions of dorm life that I so often hear about.
Granted the experience residents have is a
little than the typical commuter experience.
But, any commuter could do all the same
things as a resident if he or she chooses to.
Part of the reason I was initially so nervous to start at Wilkes was because even
before school began, it seemed that the residents had formed groups. However, all resi-

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall
attitudes of students on the Wilkes campus. These poll results are
based on 25 responses.

Last week's question:

What do you REALLY think of
the SHE building?
• It's ruining the greenway 32%
• It's a great opportunity for the
school - 32%
• Don't care - 21 %
• Would rather have si law
school-17%

This week The Beacon asks:
The Beacon/ Laura Preby

Junior Katie Circone enjoys living off-campus because it gives her freedom to study
and do her own thing. However, she still remains active in extracurricular activities.

dents I have encountered so far have been
extra friendly. Naturally, I think I clicked
more with other commuter students who
were probably in the same situation as me
coming in, but I am also friendly with some
residents.
I personally feel that commuters are just as
much a part of the overall Wilkes community as are those who live on campus, even
though commuting is not what most people
think when they hear the word "college."
Many commuters choose to live at home
because for many people who live in or
around the area, Wilkes is a local university
which allows people to save money and still
get a good education. After all, Wilkes does
have a high commuter population.
People who live within 30 minutes or less
of the university would rather not spend
$15,000 on the 'college experience' when
they can have the same experiences while
living at home.
The only downfall of commuting is the
possibility of inclement weather during the
winter months, but Wilkes is accommodating to those who have to drive to school.
Furthermore, commuters have many opportunities to participate in different activities both on and off campus. For example,

my friends and I attended the Winter Snowball Semiformal dance last semester at Bentley's, and we had a great time. The comedy
night featuring Dave Russo was also a great
time and offered the opportunity for a good
laugh.
Overall, even as a compmter student I feel
fully satisfied with my college experience at
Wilkes thus far and I am also so glad I chose
to live at home. Some may disagree with the
idea of commuting because college is about
coming out of your comfort zone and meeting new people.
I do believe that it is important for everyone to know what commuters do and that
commuting really is not so bad. It allows one
to do well academically, participate in social
events and activities and enjoy the college
life all at the same time. I love being a commuter and I would not change a thing.
Many people assume that I am a resident
most of the time, as if commuting in some
cases is unheard of. In fact, a man at work
recently said "I bet you wish you didn't live
at home," and I found it interesting, because
many commuters do not feel this way at all.

CONTACT ALYSSA STENCAVAGE AT:
alyssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

How much food do you dispose
of on an average day at the
Wilkes cafeteria?
• None
• About a cup
• A plateful
• Several platefuls
• I don't eat at the cafeteria
Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:
carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�THE BEACON J MARCH 20{ 2012
~

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Ellen DeGeneres makes her haters her motivation
BY LYNDSIE YAMRUS
Assistant Opinion Editor

On typical Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I usually go straight from politics class to
the SUB cafeteria and watch The Ellen DeGeneres Show as I eat a grapefruit. Since its debut
in 2003, the show has become very popular,
and includes jokes and gags, celebrity appearances and audience participation.
Ellen almost always starts her show with a
dance segment, a witty monologue and a chitchat with the DJ. The show and Ellen herself
are both funny and entertaining. I can't see
why anyone would have a problem with her.
But unfortunately, One Million Moms
(OMM), an activist group against negative influences from society on children, is in great
distress over Ellen regarding her new role in
JC Penney commercials, which first aired during the Oscars in late February. The commercials feature Ellen shopping in different periods in time, including Ancient Rome, the Old
West and Victorian England.
OMM's official purpose is to end child exploitation from the media, including profanity, immortality, violence and vulgarity in TV
commercials, movies and music, to name a
few. The group argues that fighting against
sud. exploitations is highly necessary in order
to preserve a moral society for our children.

Now this sounds like a good cause, and I can
definitely see their reasons for existing, but
their recent complains have been nothing but
ignorant. OMM believes that hiring Ellen as
an "openly homosexual spokesperson" is essentially a joke, and will cause JCP's business
to plummet since most of their current customers are primarily traditional families who
have been forever faithful to the department
store. They complain that homosexual individuals make up only a small percent of their
customer base overall. The group also accuses
JCP of''jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon."
OMM's webpage includes whiny details about
the issue, complaining that JCP's corporate
customer services ignore their complaint calls,
transfer them to voicemail or hang up on their
demanding requests to replace Ellen with a
more family-value oriented spokesperson and
remain neutral in the culture war.
What we're really dealing with is a lot of
close-minded people with strong opinions and
large mouths to voice them.
There are five new commercials, and not a
single one of them shows any sign of homosexuality whatsoever. The chance of children
being exploited by these commercials is extremely low. Most children probably don't
even know that Ellen is gay. I'd be surprised if
they even knew what the word "homosexuality" means! The commercials are fun, amusing

Mobile apps are invading our privacy
as Big Brother, then Facebook must be that
annoying, nosy cousin who you don't really
Staff Writer
want to spend time with, but your parents
Most people are well aware of George make you do so anyways.
According to a report by The (London)
Orwell's 1984, and more specifically the
character of Big Brother, the embodiment Sunday Times, Facebook has been using the
of tyrannical government control achieved access granted by its app to read user's personal text-messages.
through a complete and utter lack of privacy.
As surprising as this may seem, Facebook
Well, if the government is conceptualized
isn't the only
company who
has admitted
to doing this.
Fatebt:N&gt;k hf!t~.. you t:Ofltt~(l t\~O !thJrt wHt&lt;
Other compathe pe.op1e in yout hfe.
nies, including
Flickr and Yahoo, have been
snooping into
your personal
lives as well.
Don't think
it stops at textmessages either.
Certain
apps
can
interThe Beacon / Laura Preby
cept
and
lisIt has recently been reported that Facebook, YouTube and other
ten
in
on
your
sites have been using their apps to read texts, intercept phone
phone
calls,
calls and view pictures without their user's knowledge.
BY TONY GORECZNY

Courtesy of JC Penny

Ellen DeGeneres dresses as a cowgirl in the new JC Penny commercial. Her cameo
has sparked outrage from the family-value activist group "One Million Moms:•
OMM believes JC Penny is jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon.
and accurately represent the new changes JCP
is trying to make.
Thankfully, JCP is holding their ground. The
company stood firm on their decision to keep
Ellen as their spokesperson because her values
match those of the company. According to Ron
Johnson, JC Penney's CEO, the company was
founded 110 years ago on the rule of treating
people fairly.
Ellen responded herself by giving a monologue on one of her shows, saying, "haters are
my motivators."

"First of all, being gay or pro-gay is not a
bandwagon," Ellen joked. "You don't get a
free ride anywhere, there's no music, and occasionally we'll sing 'We Are Family', but
that's about it."
All in all, major props to JC Penney for doing the right thing, and to Ellen for being the
strong, confident and ambitious individual
she is.

and the YouTube app can access your camera
at anytime to capture pictures or video without asking your permission.
In 1984, the government monitored us
though our television screens, In 2012 corporations track us through our cellphones.
Governments are well aware of these capabilities as well. Though ours does not constantly monitor the messages and calls of the
average person, it has the ability to access
your phone and do all sorts of fun things.
These abilities include reading text-messages,
listening to calls, accessing your GPS locator,
gaining control of your camera and even turning on your phone's microphone.
Even if your phone is turned off, someone,
somewhere can simply press a button to turn
it on and create a window through which they
can see the most personal and private aspects
of your life.
While this is a crux of modem technology
that we must live with, it is the government's
job protect a person's privacy, not to infiltrate
it.
Though there are laws in place to help
protect phone records and prevent wiretapping, the legislature has been unable to keep
up with the incredible growth rate of mobile
communication technology. There are currently no laws specifically restricting what an
entity can or cannot do with your smartphone

through installed apps.
According to Lawyers.com, courts have
deemed it inappropriate for government officials to track people through the GPS locators
in their smartphones. The only exception to
this is when a person with a GPS equipped
cellphone calls an enhanced 911 service, so
that emergency responders may more easily
locate and provide assistance to the victim or
victims. Well, what about corporations?
The government must protect people's privacy not only from itself, but also from other
people. Accottding to the Supreme Court rulings in Dartmouth College v. Woodward and
Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, corporations are people. As such, they
should not only be afforded the protections
given to people, but adhere to the restrictions
which confine them as well.
The actions of Facebook, YouTube and the
other implicated companies are an egregious
invasion of privacy. Not only should they
have to answer for these abuses, but permanent protections should put in place to protect
a person's privacy from the proclivities, and
propensities of profligate people looking only
to profit from the penetration of an individual's personal and private passions.

CONTACT LYNDSIE YAMRUS AT:
lyndsie.yamrus@wilkes.edu

CONTACT ANTHONY GORECZNY
anthony.qoreczny@wifkes.edu

�8

THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

OPINION

Here's a restaurant tip: Pay your server, or else!
BY CARLYYAMRUS
Opinion Editor

As a server working in food service for
the past five summers, I've come to the realization that many people of varying ages
and ethnicities do not know the first thing
about restaurant etiquette. In particular, I
mean tipping your server.
The minimum hourly wage of a tipped employee in the state of Pennsylvania is a whopping $2.83, according to the United States
Department of Labor. Subtract the taxes and,
well, that's almost nothing. Almost all of
what a server makes comes from tips.
Many people complain about having to
tip at restaurants. They often ask why the
restaurant doesn't pay its servers minimum
wage -- between $6 and $8, depending on
the state. It actually makes a lot more sense
to tip your server based off their performance. A server is not running around, getting drinks, taking orders, carrying food or
writing checks for the kitchen staff, they're
doing all that for their customers.
The most irritating thing about being a

•

The Beacon / Laura Preby

Misconceptions about restaurant employee pay leaves many servers stiffed and unhappy. Good service deserves 15 to 20 percent tip.

waitress is bending over backwards for a
customer, thinking you did a really good
job, only to find an awful tip or worse: no
tip. This is extremely discouraging and confusing to those servers who did everything
they could to make their customer's dining
experience a good one. People may not tip
because they are assuming that their server

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is making tips on top of minimum wage.
Restaurants are only required to compensate their employees if their tips and meager
"tipped employee" wage does not equal the
hourly minimum wage.
Before leaving the restaurant, one must
consider a few things before deciding how
much they will leave their server. Were they
friendly? Did they greet you and effectively
explain the menu? Did they answer your
questions and make you feel comfortable?
Did they deliver your food in a timely fashion? If you answer yes, then they probably
deserve 15 to 20 percent tip.
Servers are not robots. They are not perfect and sometimes they make mistakes. It
is easy to forget that food service is a pro-

cess and many people are working together
to satisfy the customer. Sometimes there are
miscommunications and things go awry.
Understand that they have other tables to
tend to and that their focus cannot be on you
at all times. If anything, remember that they
may be the ones cleaning up the mess you
made on the table when you leave.
However, a poor tip is acceptable if your
server fails to recognize your needs or if
they are unpleasant. Even if the service was
unacceptable, remember that it is almost
never acceptable to throw a temper tantrum
in public. Customers who yell and cause a
scene can hardly be taken seriously, as they
are being rude to not only the staff but to
other customers.
If you take anything away from reading
this article it's this next part right here: If
you cannot afford to tip your waiter or waitress, you cannot afford to eat at that restaurant. A poor college student myself, I understand why people are so frugal with their
money. However, this is no reason to stiff a
server who relies on their customers' understanding and generosity, or lack-there-of.So
the next time you go out to eat, I hope you
sit down, order your drink and consider the
logistics of that restaurant and how hard the
staff is working to get those chipotle chicken
tacos to your table.

CONTACT CARLY YAMRUS AT:
carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Letter to the Editor: Sugar Tax
BY GARY NEALE
MD Laparoscopic Bariatric and General Surgeon

Pennsylvania collects $1.5 billion from
cigarette sales, and the CDC recommends
they spend $155 million on tobacco prevention. Sadly, Pennsylvania spends just 9 percent ($13.9 million) on prevention (tobaccofreekids.org).
Obesity is an enormous problem, and you
can continue to allow people to eat all the sugar
they want, but they will gain weight, develop
more diseases, cost more money to care for,
and that means higher health insurance costs
for everyone. Not to mention the added costs
to programs like Medicare and Medicaid that
are run by the government through taxation.
Thirty eight percent of the country is obese
(has a body mass index greater than 30, healthy
is between 18.5 and 25), and 68 percent of the
country is obese or overweight, which means
being of a healthy weight now represents the
minority. So do not worry yourself that just a
few people are ruining things for the rest of
us. Obese individuals have 50 percent greater
medical costs, and 80 percent greater prescrip-

tion costs. Morbidly obese people (generally
more than 100 lbs overweight) have a greater
risk of diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea,
cancer and a shorter life expectancy. Next to
smoking, it is the second leading preventable
cause of death. .,
The medical costs associated with obesity total over $168 billion a year. Taxation
of sugar may seem ridiculous, but the public has shown that making healthy choices is
not easy, since 1.8 million of Pennsylvanians
smoke. And do not think for a minute that
obese people do not affect the lives of those
around them, like drunk drivers or secondhand smoke. When people get to 300 lbs, 400
lbs or 500 lbs and have appendicitis or colon
cancer, they put all the the health care workers at risk. From back injuries trying to lift the
patient, to the bad outcomes of increased rates
of infections, bed sores and mortality.
Sugar taxation may not do much more than
raise awareness, but since we have gone so far
as to develop surgical operations for weight
loss, perhaps we should still consider all options, even taxation.

�CONTACT EDITOR: christinelee@thewilkesbeacon.com

MARCH 20, 2012

UrtiMY,otfl\rtf Q14esfiorts with

Important People
GEORGIA COSTALAS, INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
CENTER FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION AND DIVERSITY
work involving these students.
What is your main goal in this position?
To provide Wilkes University with opportunities for learning perspectives that are different from one's own.
What is your favorite hobby?
Biking. I've been doing a lot of that in the
past year. It's just been tremendous.

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Georgia Costalas has been working with international students for 30 years.

BY ALYSSA STENCAVAGE
Staff Writer

What exactly does your job entail?
I have two jobs. I am Executive Director
for the Center for Global Education and
Diversity, which oversees study abroad,
international student services and diversi-

.

ty initiatives; three separate units. Here I
act as the supervisor, where I support and
help get things done.
I am also the Director of International
Student Services. I work directly with students about international student issues,
help international students come to campus adjust and help professors with paper

What is your favorite and least favorable
part about Wilkes?
My favorite part is that people seem so
willing to go out of their way to help. My _
least favorite part is that I have to travel 62
miles to and from work every day.
What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is "Jane Eyre."
What is your favorite and least favorite
part about your job?
My favorite part is the interaction with students
and my least favorite part is the paperwork

How old were you when you got your first
job and what was it?
I was in sixth grade, 11 years old, and I
took care of a first grader when she got
home from school, such as helping her do
her homework.
What you find is the best way for you to
relax after a long day at work?
Reading or biking, depending on the
weather. Ifl'm exhausted, reading.
Is this the career you always saw yourseH
in?
Being in education, yes. I've worked with
international students since 1982.
Where is your favorite vacationing spot?
Colly, Columbia, my other home. I used to
come to the United States for vacation and
now I go there.
What has been your greatest or worst experience at Wilkes so far?
Having this job is the greatest experience
of my current life. It is my dream job.
What advice can you give to the students
here at Wilkes?
To take advantage of opportunities that
introduce them to people that are different
than themselves. It is safe environment to do
that, and it will help them forever.

CONTACT ALYSSA STENCAVAGE AT:
alyssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

C.A.S.U.A.L Day brings awareness of colon cancer
.

BY REBECCA BOLUS
Assistant Life Editor

Colon and rectal cancers are some of the
most frequently diagnosed cancers in areas
of Northeastern Pennsylvania with regional
incident rates about 18 percent higher than
the US average, according to Northeast Regional Cancer Institute.
In response, the institute has created Colon
Cancer Awareness Saves Unlimited Lives
Day. This is a program to promote awareness of colon cancer and how early detection
could significantly save lives.
Student Services Associates Ann Marie
Carey and Camille Daniels volunteered

.

as captains for the Wilkes University
C.A.S.U.A.L. Day "team."
Both learned about the event from a Lunch
'n Learn, coordinated by Wilkes human resources generalist Michele Grushinski. At
these Lunch 'N Learns, faculty and staff are
welcome to a free lunch and to learn about
various wellness topics.
"This is what got us involved," Daniels
said. "We were shocked that Northeast
Pennsylvania is 18 percent higher than the
US average, and with early detection, you
can be helped."
C.A.S.U.A.L. Day was created in memory
of Helen Phillips, who battled against colon
cancer and passed away in the summer of
2002.

- f'

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Northeast Regional Cancer Institute will
host the ninth annual C.A.S.U.A.L. Day on
March 29. This event will be a day dedicated to wearing C.A.S.U.A.L. Day goldenyellow T-shirts and pins that were sold earlier in the month at Student Services.
Various organizations across Northeastern Pennsylvania, including Gertrude
Hawk Chocolates, Marywood University and WNEP News will be sponsoring
C.A.S.U.A.L. day alongside Wilkes.
"It's good as a university to get involved
in the community to support public awareness," Carey said.
The proceeds of the C.A.S.U.A.L. day Tshirts will go toward colon cancer awareness.

"Since the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute is a local organization, 100 percent of
the funds raised through C.A.S.U.A.L. Day
will stay in Northeastern Pennsylvania to
support colorectal cancer education and outreach efforts," Northeast Regional Cancer
Institute Community Relations coordinator
and Wilkes alumnae Christine Zavaskas
said.
For more information about C.A.S.U.A.L.
Day and to participate in March Colon Cancer Awareness Month activities, visit www.
cancernepa.org .

.

CONTACT REBECCA BOLUS AT:
rebeccabo/us@thewilkesbeacon.com

�THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

10

Students deliver service to others during break
Alternative spring break provides Colonels with unforgettable retreats
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Courtesy of Caitlin Czeh

Courtesy of Justine Pevec

Sophomore psychology major DJ Rembish clears debris in Eastern Kentucky.

Senior psychology major Justine Pevec poses with children at a school. She taught English to internationational students through Outreach360 in the Domincan Republic.
The Beacon/ Kirstin Cook

BY CH RISTI NE LEE

Life Editor
On May 22, 2011 a tornado one-mile-wide
and six-miles-long struck the city of Joplin,
Mo., leveling the city. On March 2, 2012, an
outbreak of tornados struck Eastern Kentucky
and also wiped out entire towns.
In other words, time to send in the Army Of
Colonels.
This year's Alternative Spring Break had
students heading to four distinct locations at
home and abroad to lend a hand. They were
Joplin, Mo., Kentucky, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

Misso»ri
Upon arrival at the Southwestern Missouri
city, an hour west of Springfield, a group of six
students and three chaperones encountered a
site they could only describe as "incredible."
The group knew the city needed help and
were prepared to work to help out, but they
were unprepared for just how extensive the
damage was. Even a year after the city was
struck, the damage was still apparent.
"I had an idea of what to expect but it's so
much worse than you can ever imagine without actually seeing what it's like," junior business administration and accounting major John
Sweeney, one of the students who went to Joplin, said.
Student Development coordinator and Joplin
chaperone Melissa Howells was humbled by
the people of Joplin's resilience in wanting to
rebuild their city.
"My impression of Joplin was that no one is
leaving, they are rebuilding and that's all there

Junior history major Alex Madaya picks
coffee beans at a plantation in Costa Rica.

is to it; they're not going to let this them scare
them out," Howells said. "Most of the people
who have been in Joplin have been there their
entire lives and they are not giving up on their
city."
Sweeney feels he made a difference by helping with relief work in Joplin. He said he could
see firsthand that the group's work was helping
residents out.
Sweeney said even clearing lots made a difference and said you could see it on their faces
the satisfaction people were feeling about their
work.
Howells said she cannot say enough about
how satisfied she is with the work the students
accomplished.
"They were always looking for more to do
and you can only accomplish so much in a
week but I feel completely satisfied with what
we did," Howells said.

SEE ASB, PAGE 12

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Dominican Republic
As soon as Willie Eggleston wa!J&lt;:ed into
a school in the Dominican Republic, he was
greeted with the chants of "Americano!" from
the children.
Eggleston, a senior pharmacy student who
went to the Dominican Republic, described the
children as affectionate and said he didn't expect the children to trust the group so quickly.
"We walked into that school, taught our first
class and had a recess after that with the kids
and they were climbing on us and hugging us,"
Eggleston said. "The trust was immediate."
The group worked with the organization
Outreach360 teaching in English to students in

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�THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

LIFE

Adventure Education to host
'Cabin Fever' field day at Wilkes
BY CHRISTINE LEE
Life Editor
Who's ever heard of Cabin Fever Day?
Or better yet, who's ever jumped out of
an airplane before? Or gone on a last-minute,
completely random hike?
Turns out these are just some of the activities and initiatives offered by Adventure
Education this spring.
Cabin Fever Day is a University-wide program in conjunction with Residence Life that
is billed as a "University-wide field day." It
will consist of teams of students competing
in physical and strategic challenges that involve obstacle courses, problem-solving and
communication exercises.
"We are looking for ways to partner with
Residence Life and provide more on-campus
opportunities for residents to intermingle
with the student body as a whole and to
have some fun competition between the two
groups," Adventure Education Coordinator
Gabriel Lamberti said.
Cabin Fever Day is scheduled to take place
April 14 from lla.m. to 3p.m. Information
tables were set up in the Student Union
Building on March 13 and 15 and this week.
Another highlight that Adventure Education has planned for this spring is a skydiving trip at the end ofApril. Lamberti said this
trip is only offered every few years due to
the challenges of arranging a trip of sue
large proportions. But it is one that nonetheless students look forward to when it
is offered.
One thing that Adventure Education is
starting this spring is random hikes. Lamberti said this one kind of event that is designed
to fill the downtime students may have.
"I try and fill some of the downtime when
it feels like there's enough of an opportunity to get a few people together, and the
weather's been so great to try and do a
couple short-notice hikes or maybe a
mountain bike or try to get people outside a bit when we catch a break in the
winter weather," Lamberti said.
Lamberti also said he is open to suggestions from students or groups of students
for outdoor activities _when the weather is
nice.
Recently, the rock wall and high ropes
course in the University Center on Ma·
building gym has been given a buffer fund
from Student Government that has provided the rock wall with new ropes an
harnesses so the older equipment, as
Lamberti puts it, "ends their useful life."

"All this equipment is still safe," Lamberti said.
"(But) you retire it every x number of times that it's
been used. If you (have) such an increase in the use
of the rock wall, that time has come a little bit earlier, so it's a good thing that we have to buy more
gear because it means that the (equipment) are getting used significantly more than they were in the
past."
Lamberti said this is the first renewal of the rock
wall equipment since the wall has been opened for
five years. He said the ropes were in need of replacing and the harnesses are "pretty decent" but said it
is a good idea to replace everything as brand new
so it can be tracked for risk management purposes.
Open rock wall is every Monday and Thursday
from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Lamberti said he is always interested in people
becoming potential facilitators for Adventure Education trips and programs. He is also interested in
forming the Adventure Education Advisory Council comprised of members of Student Government
members, faculty, staff and students.
The mission of the advisory group is to "to guide
the program toward offerings and events that appeal to the widest swath of students" and to serve
as a liason between Student Government and Adventure Education.
Anyone interested in any of the Adventure Education programs or initiatives explained
~bove can sign up at the SUB information desk or contact Lamberti
at gabriel.lamberti@wilkes.
edu or (570)408-4036 for.
- more information.

Climbing The Rock Wall:
- ~ " " ' ' · .1

,What: "The Great Wall Climb"
Where:UCOM
When: Every Monday and Thursday 4-5:30 p.rn.

Adventure Education:
What: "Cabin Fever Day"
Where: Wilkes University
When: April 14, 11 a.rn. - 3 p.rn.

�THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

LIFE

12

ASB
Continued from Page 10
''No matter where you were, no matter what
the language was, you still felt like you were at
home because these people were so friendly," Eggleston said.
Sweeney, Rembish, Adams and Eggleston
said their trips were excellent, life-changing
and amazing experiences for them they will
surely never forget.

Kentucky ·
Since last year, students have gone to
Eastern Kentucky to work with the ministry
organization Christian Appalachian Project
housing facet to repair homes. The group
was originally slated to do general home
improvement repairs and renovations for the
elderly, disabled and those who can't work
for themselves.
But when an outbreak of tomados swept
through Magoffin and Johnson counties in
Eastern Kentucky, the group was thrust into
helping those affected by the tornadoes.
. Campus Interfaith coordinator and Kentucky chaperone Caitlin Czeh described seeing the damage firsthand as "heartbreaking."
"There are no words to describe how
heartbreaking and just the complete and utter devastation that you saw," Czeh said.
Sophomore psychology major D.J Rembish said it was sad to see how people lost
everything they had in 50 seconds, but inspiring to know the work the group did made
.• a difference to those affected.
"There was a family that came in and they
literally cried on our shoulders saying 'thank
you so much, you are my inspiration, you're
the reason why I keep going on,"' Rembish
said.
.- Rembish described the work as physi-

Courtesy of Melissa Howells

Even a year after the city was struck by a tornado, the damage was still apparent.
Wilkes sent this army of Colonels to Joplin, Mo. during spring break.

cal: pulling apart houses, cutting wires and
sifting through houses that were no longer
stable. He said the work was emotional to
some.
"For some people it was overwhelming
picking up people's lives: children's toys,
shirts, seeing how someone's life had been
placed out in front of you," Rembish said.
The group was broken into two teams who
worked a church, three houses and a holler
-- a piece of property with multiple homes
with one owner and one occupying family.
Czeh said she could not be prouder of the
students' work in Kentucky.
"We worked through snow and then blistering heat, in complete mud. We were battered and bruised and exhausted from working nine and 10 hour days and the students
never said 'I can't' or 'I wantto be done,'they
just kept on going," Czeh said.

The Beacon/ Kirstin Cook

Students in Costa Rica turned coffee beans to properly dry them during a volunteer
project. Alex Madaya attempts to turn beans.
I

'

Costa Rica
The expression "Pura Vida" is Spanish
for "pure life" and is universally known in
Costa Rica since the 1950's.
This expression certainly described the ex-

periences of the students in assistant professor of political science Dr. Andrew Miller's
Politics of Coffee class who went to the Latin American country.
"The lifestyle there is a lot more laid back,
the people are extremely friendly and it just
gives you a wholesome and warm feeling
everywhere you go," said senior psychology
major Justine Adams, who went to Costa
Rica this year.
Having gone to the Dominican Republic
last year, Adams said although she loved
both trips, her trip to Costa Rica as a service
learning trip had more variety to it.
"You did different projects every day rather than focusing on ·one specific project, so
there's a little more diversity with the services (done)," Adams said.
Adams said going to Costa Rica taught her
about the culture of another country.
"I learned a lot about the environment and
different ways oflife that Costa Rica has that
we don't have in the U.S," Adams said.
CONTACT CHRISTINE LEE AT:

christine/ee@thewilkesbeacon.com

----------------------.

Take your classes here.
Transfer your credits .

SAVE LOTS OF MONEY.

�[ITI8]]
,[lli'@]'fJD
CONTACT EDITOR: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com _

MARCH 20, 2012

Courtesy o S aron Cosgrove

The four paintings in the Elements Series, by art instructor Sharon Cosgrove, are currently on display in the home of US Ambassador Kenneth Fairfax in Kazakhstan.jrom
March 26 to March 31, she will act as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Deparment's ART in Embassies Program, representing America through her art.

Wilkes prof. takes US culture international
Sharon Cosgrove to teach classes in Kazakhstan as part of ambassadorial program
BY BILL THOMAS

Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
Though Wilkes University associate professor of art Sharon Cosgrove speaks neither Kazakh nor Russian, the two primary
languages of Kazakhstan, she said that when
she travels there at the end of the month, she
doesn't expect the language barrier to be
much of a problem.
As part of the US Department of State's
ART in Embas~ies Program, Cosgrove's trip
will take her to areas with strong Englishspeaking populations and she will also be
accompanied by a translator fluent in both
Kazakh and Russian. However, Cosgrove explained, there is something even greater that
allows her to communicate on a deeper level
with the people of Kazakhstan.
"Even though I don't speak the language,
we have the visual language of art," Cosgrove said. "Colors, lines, shapes, styles. It
transcends politics or climate and things like
that."
From March 26 to March 31, Cosgrove will
spend time in Kazakhstan .visiting schools
and cultural institutions in the Kazakhstani
cities ofAstana, Kostanay and Almaty. There,
she will act as a cultural ambassador, meeting and greeting Kazakhstani citizens and of-

ficials and also
offering lectures
and classes to
Kazakhstani art
students. Four
of Cosgrove's
paintings
are
also on display
at the U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Fairfax's
residence in AsCosgrove
tana.
Started in 1963, the Art in Embassies Program will soon celebrate its 50th anniversary.
In all those years, Cosgrove points out, the
program has allowed the United States to
share thousands of works of art with its international neighbors, so much so that art historian Henry Geldzahler notably referred to the
program as a "footprint that can be left where
people have no opportunity to see American
art."
Arguably more important, though, is the
way the program allows for mutually beneficial cultural exchange, as the artists who
participate interact with peoples of various
foreign cultures.
"This is a great international program that
represents American artists worldwide," Cos-

grove said. "It's like being called to duty to
represent America. Why wouldn't I want to
be involved?"
Of the many items on Cosgrove's overseas
agenda, one key element will be her visits to
Astana, Kostanay and Almaty's "American
Comers."
American Comers are, in Cosgrove's
words, "special places where they have movies, games, speakers, all in English." According to the website for the U.S. Embassy in
Kazakhstan, access to the American Comers
is free and open to anyone. Their extensive
offerings of activities and English teaching
materials are intended to help interested Kazakhstani citizens learns English in more organic, engaging manner than a single simple
academic course could offer.
"That's part ofit," Cosgrove noted, discussing the purpqse of the program, "to help them
prepare for classes in America."
Cosgrove's visits to the American Comers,
she said, will be "very informal" compared
to the classes and the presentations will be
doing.
"Those will be big, long productions. It's
very friendly, just us sitting down and talking," she said.
Furthermore, Cosgrove points out that,
whereas her classes will be geared specifical-

ly toward art students, her American Comer
visits will allow her to interact with "children,
adults, people of all ages and walks of life."
"My role as a cultural ambassador is something I'm very excited about," Cosgrove said.
"I wish I could leave tomorrow. "
· Experiencing other cultures is nothing new
to Cosgrove. She has also spent time in Italy,
where she was a visiting artist at both The International School of Art in Umbria and The
American Academy in Rome, and taught students at Santa Reparata International School
of Art in Florence. In 1999, she was the recipient of the Medici Award from the International Biennale Exhibition of Contemporary
Art in Florence. ·
"Every time I travel to a place other than
home it's an opportunity to see the world
from a different perspective and gain insight
from different point of view," Cosgrove said.
"I think that what happens, as an artist, is it
doesn't always take effect immediately. I tend
to be very reflective. It takes a while to put
things into place. Sometimes it takes months
of years for whatever it was that transformed
you to settle in. For an artist putting that into
their work can have a very profound and
long-term effect."
CONTACT BILL THOMAS AT:
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

�_THE BEACON . I .MABCH 20, 2012

14

Curse of Sorrow rocks, shocks with new album
BY BILL THOMAS

Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
Horror and metal are kissing cousins. It's no
surprise that the two genres work well together. They're both aggressive, cathartic, outlaw
art forms which get little respect from the
mainstream public, but whose admirers are of
the most ardent, die-hard sort.
Nick Necro, lead singer for self-described
"Grave Rock" act The Curse of Sorrow,
knows all about that. Since the group's debut
in 2006, the band has built up a devoted NEPA
fan base, something Necro partially attributes
to his chosen genres' ability to help listeners
vent their own real-world frustrations through
jet-black fantasy.
"Our style is horror, because that's what
we're into. But at the same time, with the music itself, we don't focus on trying to be terrifying. We focus on reality a lot," Necro said.
"I think one of the best things about our lyrics
is that I could play a song for ten people and
·· have every one of them take it in a completely
different way. They can personalize it, put
themselves into the songs."
Preparing to unleash another slab of snarling, raucous horror-metal on the helpless
masses, the Wilkes-Barre-based five-piece
- which also consists of lead guitarist Jay
Bones, rhythm guitarist Mark Massacre, bassist Steve Slaughter and drummer Evil Eric -

•
I

·'

Courtesy of Keith Perks

The NEPA five-piece returns with sophomore horror-metal record "The Uninvited:'

will celebrate the release of its second album,
"The Uninvited," with a special concert on
Saturday, March 24, at Brews Brothers West
in Luzerne. Supporting acts include Sinister
Realm, Prosody and Mobday.
Promising an unforgettable stage show,
Necro remarked that the band's reputation for
delivering flashy, frenzied live performances is
no accident.
"We do everything in our power to put on
one hell of a show for anyone who comes out.
We go above and beyond with our energy.
We're not all about the shock, but we get car-

ried away in our music," Necro said. "We just
dropped a lot of money on a lighting system,
because we want people to come out and experience not only music but a visual as well. We
do everything we can to make sure we stand
out."
Ultimately, however, Necro feels the music
itself is the star attraction. He credits the band
members' eclectic range of influences for contributing to their unique "Grave Rock" sound,
rattling off a list of inspirations including everything from Motley Crue, The Misfits and
Iron Maiden to more surprising additions like

The Grateful Dead and Johnny Cash.
"That's the one thing I pride myself the
most on with The Curse of Sorrow. When we
sit down to write a song, it's not like a group
meeting where we start playing a guitar part
over and over until we have something great.
We just get together and jam out," Necro explained.
"It's not that any one of us really focuses
on our influences. It's just that we've evolved
from our influences and listened to our influences for so long, it just comes naturally. I've
been playing music my entire life, but music just does not come together like it comes
together with The Curse of Sorrow. We're
blessed to have what we have."
Tickets for the Saturday, March 24 show at
Brews Brothers West are $7. Doors open at 8
p.m. and footage of the concert will be shot
for an upcoming music video. For more information, visit thecurseofsorrow.com or brewsbrothersbar.com/brewsbrotherswest.

Listen to a free track off The
Curse of Sorrow's upcoming CD "The Uninvited" at
www.thewilkesbeacon.com
CONTACT BILL THOMAS AT:
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

WB film series commemorates
centennial of Titanic disaster
BY BILL THOMAS

Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
For many, when thinking about the Titanic
in cinema, the first thing that comes to mind
is the James Cameron-directed 1997 epic. A
new film series being offered at Wilkes-Barre
Movies 14, though, may just change that.
From Thursday, March 22 to Sunday, April
15, the downtown multiplex will present "A
Titanic Experience," a series of five films, one
screening every Thursday at 7 p.m., with the
exception of the Sunday, April 15 date, which
will mark the 100th anniversary of the night
the Titanic sank back in 1912.
The films included in the series will be
the documentaries "Titanic Tech" (2003)
and "Ghosts of the Abyss" (2003), and
the fictionalized docudramas "A Night to
Remember" (1958) and "Titanic" (1953). In
between the latter two will be blockbuster
adventure film "Raise the Titanic" (1980).
More than just an opportunity to see a series
of classic motion pictures up on the big screen,
however, the series also promises to be an

educational experience, with introductions and
discussions led by Penn State Wilkes-Barre
communications instructor Bill Bachman.
"I'm going to guarantee that everyone who
walks out of the series at the end of the fifth
week will be a semi-professional on the Titanic.
People will learn so much about that ship than
they ever thought possible," Bachman said.
"I felt it was necessary to give everyone a
foundation in the first two weeks. What the
heck was the Titanic? Was it unsinkable? In
the second week's screening (Ghosts of the
Abyss) we can see it literally dissolving into
the ocean floor."
The series will also feature a few special
guests, including Penn State Wilkes-Barre
chemistry professor Dudley Snyder and
engineering instructor Jon Carson. It is the
April 15 screening's guests, though, that
Bachman is most honored to have present.
"At the conclusion of the movie on April 15,
I will introduce two families in the audience,
one from Wilkes-Barre, one from Plains,
both of whom had relatives on the Titanic,"
Bachman said. "They will speak for several

Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

No Leo here! The 19S8 film "Titanic" will screen at Wilkes-Barre M ovies 14 in April.

minutes and we'll conclude the whole thing
with a memorial service, 100 years to the day
the Titanic sank. We'll never get a chance to do
something like this, not ever."
Though the series is being offered as a class
to students of Penn State Wilkes-Barre, it is
open to the public and Bachman encourages
both students from other schools and nonstudents in general to check it out.
Non-Penn State students can attend the
screenings either for their own pleasure or for
the benefit of receiving a continuing education
credit from Penn State Wilkes-Barre, which
Bachman also encouraged non-Penn State

students to talk to their advisers about
transferring to their home schools.
Anyone interested in participating in the
series.., should register as soon as possible.
Registration can be done online, by mail or inperson at the inaugural March 22 screening.
Registration ends Thursday, March 29.
Cost is $40. To register, go to wb.psu.edu/ce.
For more information, contact Rachel Rybicki
by phone at 570-675-9269 or by email at
rrybicki@psu.edu.
CONTACT BILL THOMAS AT:
bil lthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

�15

THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

A&amp;E

Hard-boiled whodunit keeps
things fresh with varying POVs

'John Carter' is a stellar sci-fi
flick that no one wants to see
BY BILL THOMAS
Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor

The box office has not been kind to "John
Carter." The sprawling science-fantasy epic
cost more than $250 million to produce, but
made less than a quarter of that in America
its opening weekend.
Interestingly, audiences who actually
paid to see "John Carter" have been much
kinder to the fl oundering film , and a positive
word-of-mouth buzz has begtm to stir. Still,
the -future of the any planned sequels is in
jeopardy. That's a shame, because, all in all,
"John O uter" is pretty damn good.
Based on Tarzan creator Edgar Rice
Burroughs' seminal series of genre-bending
sword-and-stardust stories, "John Caiter''
sees the title character (Taylor Kitsch), a
Civil War-era cavalryman transported by
means mysterious to him (and us) to the
planet Mars, which he finds is neither airless nor lifeless, but dying. In addition, he
finds his human muscles, accustomed to the
greater gravity of Earth, make him capable
of fantastical feats of strength and also allow
him to make huge leaps that would ttm1 The
Incredible Hulk green(er) with envy.
Lost in th is strange, alien environment,
called " Barsoom" by the natives, Carter
wanders in search of a way back home, but
instead finds himself embroiled in conflicts
both between and within the various tribes
of Mars, which include the green-skinned,
four-armed, tusk-faced warrior Tharks and
the royal Red Martirms. It is from the latter group that Carter encounters Dejah
TI10ris (Lynn Collins), a strongwilled princess of the citystate Helium. A romance
between the
slowly blooms
as cata-

clysm looms over the red planet.
It's sad, and danming evidence of Disney's grossly incompetent marketing campaign, that many mainstrean1 audiences
think "John Carter" is some generic "Stai·
Wars"f 'Avatar" knock-off. The tmth is that
Burroughs' "Barsoom" books are among the
most unique and endwing adventttre tales
in the canon of American pulp fiction. That
this adaptation has been in the works literally
since the 1930s and that its release coincides
with the centennial anniversary of the series'
original publication makes the misconception even more insulting.
As it is, "John Carter" inspires a genuine sense of awe and wonder, not to mention thrilling two-fisted fun, the way few
films manage nowadays. Even better, it blends that with a str
emotional core, as well
subtext that manage
say much about t
human conditi
despite the fi l
being pop
lated
wit
characters
who are, on
the surface,
anything
but.

BY ANN IE YOSKOSKI
Staff Writer

In James Patterson's "First to Die," Detective Lindsay Boxer of the San Francisco
Police Department has a large problem on her
hands: a serial ki ller intent on ending the Iives
of newly betrothed wealthy couples.
Even though Lindsay is a decorated police officer, she and her partner, Warren Jacobi, cannot crack this case alone. When the
case stalls and the FBI is called in to help the
homicide department, Lindsay feels that the
investigation is going in the wrong direction.
She wants take matters into her own hands.
Lindsay gets by, however, with a little help.
Claire Washburn is Lindsay's best friend,
and the chief medical examiner. Cindy
homas joins these two women
llowing the story of the
' ride and Groom"
urders, hoping to
ake the front
ge as the se·or writer at
e San Francisco Chronicle crime
desk. Finally thro"wn
into
the
mix is assistant dis-

---+---

trict attorney Jill Bernhardt, the prosecutor
who needs all the evidence that she can get.
These four women make a group of talented,
powerful individuals and form what they call
"TI1e Women's Murder Club," taking on the
case from different perspectives and utilizing
all the resources they cai1.
The first novel in a series, Patterson alternates viewpoints from each short chapter
to the next, writing from the perspective of
all four women and the killer. TI1e con~tant
switching of characters is not as confusing
as one might think., because every piece fits
together. This isn't Patterson's typical hardboiled detective novel, but it's also not the
clumsy, cozy, amateur-Jinds-out-a-big-secret
mystery either.
It's rare to find a detective novel with
multiple heroes, but Patterson juggles all
four women, the killer and their separate
lives with ease, even giving Lindsay Boxer
a love interest. Everything intertwines at the
end.
One would think with so much detail
that Patterson would make it easy to find
out "whodunit." Think again. One of the
best parts of this novel is the ending, which
comes as a complete surprise to the reader.
Just when the book seems to close and everything is nice and tidy, another twist is thrown
in the epilogue. The ability of Patterson to
constantly keep his readers on edge and still
make everything plausible and interesting is
a rare talent in writers today.
lf you like detective shows on
television like "Law and Order,"
"Castle," "NCIS," or any
of the others you will
love
reading

he's: a classic t a a ways hits the sp

BY DOMIN ICK
COSTANTINO
Staff Writer

Most people in this area are familiar
with the taste of an Abe's hot dog. There
are many locations in the Wyoming Valley.
The location I chose to eat at, though, is
just down the street from Wilkes University on S. Main St. lt is a little street-side
restaurant that draws countless customers
every single day.
I never ate at this location so I figured I
would give it a try. The restaurant is small,
but has a decent amount of tables for customers to sit at. Customers have the option
of either sitting down and eating at the restaurant or ordering their food at the counter and taking it out. I took notice that a lot

of people get their food for takeout.
Since Abe's is famous for their hot
dogs, l knew I had to order a couple. I
got mine with ·'everything" on it. " Everything" translates to mustard, onions, and
their homemade meat sauce. The hot dog
itself was cooked well. It had a little bit of
a brown grill but it was not burnt. The buns
had a good texture and were not soggy at
all. Some places that I've had hotdogs at
before had buns that were mushy.
The mustard and onions both added to
the taste but did not dominate. I was a little
disappointed in the meat sauce, though. It
had a good taste to it and they definitely put
plenty of it on the hot dogs, but the meat

;~;8 d~/ti
am a fan

of meat sauces that are a little more juicy.
Despite this, the hot dogs were still very
good.
A friend of mine ordered a grilled ham
and cheese sandwich on white toast. She
described the sandwich as being "delicious
and gooey." I tasted a little piece and found
the toast was crunchy and the cheese melted and warm . The ham had a little bit of a
salty taste, but still very good.
The personalities of all the workers here
were great. They were extremely hospitab le
and showed us they really appreciated our
business. "Thank you so much for coming," and "Thank you, buddy," were repeated multiple times prior to our leaving.

~
'JIIII(' W

4/5

~ewo::t:!
in particular

"FirS

t

to

was very personable
with us and asked us
how we were enjoying the
beautiful weather. This is defi nitely a place where yo u feel welcomed the entire time.
Prices are very cheap here. My two
hot dogs with everything and a large soda
came to less than $5. This is definitely an
affordable lunch spot fo r anyone who is
watching their spending.
In addition to hot dogs, Abe's also has
hamburgers and other grilled sandwiches.
If you're up in time, they also have a large
breakfast menu. By the amount of people
that were coming in and out as I was there,
I can tell Abe's is a landmark that people
value and love.

CONTACT BILL THOMAS
billthomas@thewilkes.beacon

••

�MARCH 20, 2012

Getting to know ...

Anth0 ny Da\t2\2tain,

149 lbs.

lntramurals offer
fun, social outlet

BY JUSTIN FRANIAK
-sports Editor

BY BILL CONWAY
Correspondent

Meet Anthony Dattolo, a senior captain from Succasanna, N.J., who repeated as an All-American in NCAA
Division III national wrestling championships in Wisconsin. Dattolo fell in
the finals to Ithaca~ Jeremy Stierly
3-1. The prior weekend Dattolo won
his second consecutive Metroplitan
Conference Championship.

The Wilkes Intramural program allows
students with a tight schedule to get out of
their dorms to enjoy a fun, social college
sports experience.
That's the primary goal of Intramural director Neal Biscaldi, getting the students
out of their dorms and involved in a valuable learning experience through sports
with fellow students ~d faculty.
"A benefit of being involved in the program is meeting, and making new friends,"
Biscaldi said, "I Jove seeing these individuals around campus after just having met at
one of our events."
Biscaldi feels that the Intramural program
is not only a great way to make friends, but
that it is also a great way to take your mind
off of school.
The program offers a variety of sports, and
has season specific programs. For example
in the Spring, the program offers basketball,
volleyball, indoor soccer, and bowling.
Biscaldi says that it is possible to suggest
other sports that you might be interested in
playing, all you have to do is e-mail him,
and prove that there is a big enough group
for participation so that they can form a
league.
The area of participation is an interesting
one. Biscaldi mentioned that for the more
popular sports such as soccer, and basketball that they get between 70-100 kids participating.
Biscaldi also encourages more female
participation. The ratio of men to women is
staggering, and Biscaldi would like to see it
evened out.
"I'm not really sure what the problem is,"
Biscaldi said, "I have done research and it's
like that everywhere, not just here."
If you're one of those females not participating in..Intramurals, or a male looking for
something to do - the Intramural program is
a way to solve that.
The activities take place around two
nights a week from 8:30 to 9:30, and to get
involved e-mail neal.biscaldi@wilkes.edu

Year: Senior
Major: Business Administration
Hometown: Succasanna, N.J.
Going into conferences where was
your head at?
At this point in the season, it is do or
die so I knew I had to wrestle tough for
the full seven minutes of each match.
What were your thoughts going into
nationals?
Going into nationals, the only thing
I was thinking about was becoming an
All-American. There was no way I was
• going to be denied. I got a lot of inspiration from my coaches, teammates
and family.
When you got closer and closer to
the finals what was running through
your mind?
I tried not to become overwhelmed
with emotions as the tournament went
on. I tried to keep a level head throughout the weekend.
How about wrestling long time rival
Zac Andrews from Delaware Valley
to get into the finals?
It was a war.
Best moment at nationals?
Making the finals and wrestling on
the main stage.

Courtesy of Sports Information

Anthony Dattolo {left) poses with his second place NCAA Division Ill national wrestling championship at 149 lbs. Dattolo became a two time All-American en route
to a championship finals birth. He dropped his finals bout _3-1 to Ithaca's Jeremy
Stierly, placing second in the nation. He placed seventh last year.

How was the atmosphere in the arena?
It was really intense. People were always yelling. It was awesome to hear
the roar of the crowd.
How was the cheese in Wisconsin?
Delicious. My favorite was the Pepper
Jack.
Did you really see WWE Superstar
BookerT?
Wilson, Fleck and I saw him waiting
for his flight in the Detroit airport.
Best moment during your Wilkes Career?
My four years of competing.
Advice for the young guys?
Want it more than the guy in front of
you and wrestle like there is no tomorrow.

Plans for wrestling in the future?
I want to open a wrestling club and
coach.
Any regrets in your career?
All the times I cut weight the wrong
way.
Favorite pair of wrestling shoes?
2000 Adidas Sydney's.
Favorite food?
Pizza with a lot of black olives.
Favorite Athlete?
Derek Jeter.
Favorite TV show?
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

CONTACT JUSTIN FRANIAK AT:
justinfraniak@thewilkesbeacon.com

CONTACT JUSTIN FRANIAK AT:
justinfraniak@thewilkesbeacon.com

�THE BEACON

SPORTS

17

MARCH 20, 2012

SCOREBOARD
,&amp;,

Baseball
3/13 Marywood W 10-9
3/16 Eastern W 14-7
3/17 Eastern L 1-18, L 7-10

Softball

.

3/17 Eastern L 4-10, W 4-1

W-Tennis
3/17 Eastern W 7-2

Lacrosse
3/17 PSU-Abington W 17-12

WEEK AHEAD
Baseball
3/20 Penn College
3/23 FDU-Florham
3/24 FDU-Florham

Softball
3/21 Alvernia
3/24 FDU-Florham
3/29 Lebanon Valley

W-Tennis
3/22 Haverford

M-Tennis
3/25 Elizabethtown

Lacrosse
3/22 Albright

Send messages
and pictures to

@wilkesbeacon

There is no doubt that the quarterback is
the most important position in the NFL. You
could argue it's the most important in all of
sports. It's no wonder why NFL teams look
build their franchise around a quarterback.
But what happens if you had to build your
team around a non-quarterback?
For me, it's not that simple.
Team building is all about preference, who
would you pick?
There is no one player that is so dominant in
the NFL that they can be the clear choice. If
you look at this question from a fantasy football point of view then you'd be most likely r-="'\t~%H?--••4:•;w,.,,,
to go with a wide out or running back such as
Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald.
They're all very good choices, but ifl would
go with an offensive linemen.
The offensive line, it really is the back bone
of one's team, and a great offensive line can
w,,W
make an average running back into a star like
Shaun Alexander once upon a time.
They give average quarterbacks the time
and protection they need to thrive and develop. The center is the general of the OL. He
snaps the ball, calls the shifts and audibles
which are essential to a good flowing offense.
The best center in the NFL is clearly Nick
Mangold of the New York Jets and until this
year has never missed a game, the 4 games he
missed ended in disaster for the Jets this year.
The defensive side of the ball gets a little
tricky though since there are so many different choices to pick from.
Darrell Revis is certainly the best defensive
player in the NFL.
He can shut down an entire side of the field
and take even the best receivers out of the
game.
Patrick Willis has taken the title of best
linebacker in the NFL away from Ray Lewis,
who is aging.
Willis, 27, gets better every year. He is
a dominating force that teams are scared to
face, if you like linebackers and a 3-4 style
defense he might be a good choice.
If you like pass rushing there are a lot of
choices but if you're looking to build your
team around. I would go with Jason Pierre
Paul. JPP is one of the most dominant big
play machines in the NFL after only two
years in the league, he is 23 and has not even
come close to reaching his potential levels.
There is no safety in the league, other than
maybe Eric Berry, that I would build a team
around. But I even have a hard time with that
because he tore his ACL last season. Ed Reed
is aging and Troy Polamalu can disappear a
lot in games.

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In the whirlwind of the Peyton Manning
saga, other free agent players have been signing with new teams.
This raises the question, if you had to build
a team around a non-quarterback player, who
would it be?
My first choice would be the Broncos Von
~ Miller.
He is a young talented linebacker and won
defensive rookie of the year.
He is still growing into his role, and his
rookie year proved he will be a force to be
reckoned with in the future.
Patrick Willis is another choice. He is still
young and arguably the best linebacker in the
league. He makes everyone around him a better player.
Navarro Bowman and the Smith "Brothers"
became great players because of other teams
being concerned with Willis.
•
Ndamukong Suh is also another player tc
build around. He has a hard-nosed mentality
and is a force on the field. He took an irrelevant Lions team and instead of making them
just relevant, he made them extremely intimidating. He strikes fear in offensive player's
eyes.
Darelle Revis is also a viable option. But in
such a pass happy league, getting to the quarterback is an essential part of the game. Revis
is an amazing defender, but you can plug him
in anywhere and he'll excel.
On the ·offensive side, the linemen are the
core of the team. Building around a guy like
Nick Mangold is not a mistake. He is massive
and is the best center in the league.
Putting role players around him will help
any team win games.
The left tackle spot might be the most important position on any football team. He
protects the blindside of the quarterback. You
can have the greatest quarterback of all time
behind center, but if he is getting sacked every play, a team cannot win.
Jake Long is a monster on the field. He is
arguably the best tackle in the game. Building
a solid offensive line around him will gurantee a solid running and passing attack.
Running backs can also be an option to
build around. Adrian Peterson and Arian
Foster have exploded onto the scene and can
be built around. They both can make a mediocre offensive line look great with one move.
I believe that a defensive player is the most
logical player to build around. If you sack the
quarterback, you win. If the other team can't
run or pass, you win. Finding stud defensive
players is hard. but when it is done, teams are
almost guranteed to win.
After all, defense wins championships.

�, 18

THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

SPORTS

Lady Colonels down Elizabethtown, stay unbeaten
Wilkes women's tennis nearly sweep singles, sit at a perfect 7-0 in the MAC
COURTESY OF
SPORTS INFORMATION

The Wilkes University women's tennis team moved to 7-0 on the season in
a matchup of two unbeaten squads Sat' ,,. urday afternoon posting a 7-2 win over
Elizabethtown College.
The Lady Colonels took two of three
doubles matches before posting five
wins in singles play. The team of Melanie Nolt /Katie Lynn scored an 8-4 win
at the No. I doubles position, while
Anna Mitchell / Ana English grabbed
an 8-5 victory at No. 3 doubles giving
Wilkes a 2-1 lead heading into singles
play.
Ally Kristofco posted a straight set
c 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles followed by
another Lady Colonel win at No. 5 sin-

gles from Alexis Donner (1 -6, 6-2, 6-2).
Lynn clinched the match with a 6-4, 3-6,
6-3 win at No. 2. Nolt and Holyk were
also victorious in their singles matches
at No. 1 and No. 6 respectively.
Wilkes returns to the courts Tuesday with a road contest at Division II
Bloomsburg University at 3:30 p.m.

Wilkes University 7,
Elizabethtown 2
Singles
1. Melanie Nolt (Wilkes) def. Madison Pipkin (ETWN) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
2. Katrina Lynn (Wilkes) def. Alena
Marani (ETWN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
3. Ally Kristofco (Wilkes) def. Allison Burkhardt (ETWN) 6-0, 6-0

4. Kristi Noecker (ETWN) def.
Anna Mitchell (Wilkes) 6-3, 5-6,
retired
5. Alexis Donner (Wilkes) def.
C. Evangelista (ETWN) 1-6, 6-2,
6-2
6. Amanda Holyk (Wilkes) def.
Sarah Poulle (ETWN) 6-3, 6-5

Doubles
1. Melanie Nolt/Katrina Lynn
(Wilkes) def. Allison Burkhardt/
Madison Pipkin (ETWN) 8-4
2. Alena Marani/Kristi Noecker
(ETWN) def. Ally Kristofco /
Alexis Donner (Wilkes) 9-7
3. Anna Mitchell /Ana English
Photo courtesy of Steve Finkernagel
(Wilkes) def. C. Evangelista/Kait- Wilkes' Ally Kristofco continued her hot
lyn Pellegrino (ETWN) 8-5
streak by beating Allison Burkhardt 6-0, 6-0.

Eastern downs Wilkes baseball
twice in doubleheader weekend
COURTESY OF
SPORTS INFORMATION

•

The Wilkes University baseball team
dropped a pair of games at Eastern University Saturday afternoon in a Freedom
Conference doubleheader.
Eastern claimed an 18-1 win in game
one, then followed with a 10-7 victory in
the nightcap.
Wilkes slips to 5-8 overall and 1-2 in
league play, while Eastern improves to
9-4 overall and 2-1 in Freedom contests.
Game one was all Eagles as the hosts
pounded out 19 hits and 18 runs over the
seven inning affair.
Eastern jumped out to a 7-0 lead after
two innings of play then plated 10 runs in
the fourth to clinch the opener.
Carmen Lopresto finished with two hits
for the Colonels.
Matt Ruch, Tay Sidler, and Bobby
Schappell posted one hit each as Wilkes
managed just five hits in the contest.
Starter Ryan Fetterman recorded the
loss on the mound going just one and twothirds allowing seven runs on eight hits.
The Eagles wasted little time getting off
to a good start in game two leading 4-0
after three innings of play.

Wilkes finally responded in the fourth
with a four-run frame to tie the game.
Joel Watson singled to right field followed by a Stephen Ruch single to left
field. Pinch-hitter Michael Olerta connected on an RBI single to center field scoring
Watson.
After back-to-back walks loaded the bases, M. Ruch doubled to deep center field
plating all three Colonel runs tying the
game at four.
The Eastern bats were up to the task yet
again breaking the tie with a five-run fourth
inning to take back the lead for good, 9-4.
Wilkes scored twice in the seventh to
make things interesting down 10-7, but the
Colonels could not find another key hit to
make the comeback complete in their final
at-bats.
M. Ruch finished 2-for-5 with three
RBI's to lead the Wilkes offense in game
two. Watson and Schappell added two hits
each.
Sean Flecknoe was tabbed with the loss
on the mound going three innings allowing
nine runs on 11 hits.
The Colonels host Penn College Tuesday
in non-conference action at 3:30 p.m. at
Artillery Park.

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�19

THE BEACON I MARCH 20, 2012

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�NEWS

20

.

.

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Ceremony opens SHE building's construction
BY PHAT NGUYEN
News Editor

•

President Tim Gilmour was revealed as the
mystery excavator for the groundbreaking
kick-offMarch 1.
Equipped with a shovel used in the Stark
Learning Center's 1956 opening, the president
was the first to remove dirt for Wilkes University's new $35 million science project.
The new building will house Wilkes' biology and health sciences, chemistry and engineering programs.
The 72,500-square-foot building is scheduled
to open in the fall of 2013. It is located between
the Stark Learning Center and Conyngham Hall.
Gilmour believes that the building will bring
not only state-of-the-art collaborative learning
spaces to the campus, but also an enhanced
pursuit of excellence in science education.
"This greatly increases our ability to attract the best and brightest students every
year," said Gilmour.
Gilmour hopes the new building will open
new opportunities for medical and other research with partners such as the Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton and
regional health care organizations like Geisinger Health System.
"The building will contribute to the economic development of the region, but it is for our
students first and foremost," Gilmour said.

The.project is funded through private financing, philanthropy and government grants.
Jack Miller, the chair of Wilkes Board of
Trustees, announced the public phase of
"Achieving Our Destiny," a $20 million
fundraising campaign. The campaign has already raised $10.4 million towards its goal.
Miller believes the science building will ensure another decade of extraordinary success.
"Wilkes is at a tipping point and this building will put us over the top," Miller said.
The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development estimates the building's
annual economic impact at $5.8 million
from new jobs and scientific research.
The 18-month construction period will
generate $20.5 million in Luzerne County
and $46.8 million in Pennsylvania.
Trustee member Michael Mahoney serves
as chair of the campaign, with Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer and John Cefaly as cochairs. Frank M. Henry and William B. Sordoni are honorary chairs.
The campaign's leadership donors played
a major role in securing the more than half
of its $20 million goal.
Wilkes plans to use tax-exempt bonds to
finance the remaining $15 million.
State Sen. John Yudichak, state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski and Wilkes-Barre Mayor
Tom Leighton were all in attendance and
helped secure $1 million from the Pennsyl-

vania Redevelopment Assistance Capital
Program and $2 million from Local Share
Assessment Fund, gaming funds .
Yudichak also spoke before the groundbreaking events stating his pleasure with the
SHE building.
"Wilkes and president Gilmour have been
unremitting in their quest to establish the
university as a regional, educational and
economic asset," Yudichak said. "Wilkes is
boldly charging into science and research."
He went on to quote former US president
John F. Kennedy saying, 'If history teaches us
anything, it is that man in his quest for knowledge, is determined and cannot be deterred.'
Yudichak then linked Wilkes' success as
a leader in science to attract pharmaceutical
giant CVS Caremark to the area.
The project creates 18-months of ongoing
construction apd fences off half of the university's 'greenway,' however, student government
president William Eggleston believes the barriers and loud construction will be worth it.
"Over the next few semesters, we'll encounter some noises and fences, but it'll all
be worth it, because being Colonel means
making these sacrifices for students who
will follow in our footsteps, so they can truly
achieve greatness," Eggleston said.

CONTACT PHAT NGUYEN AT:
phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

�</text>
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1947 August 8th&lt;br /&gt;1947 September 5th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 3rd&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 17th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 31st&lt;br /&gt;1947 November 21st&lt;br /&gt;1947 December 19th&lt;br /&gt;1948 September 9th&lt;br /&gt;1950 April 28th&lt;br /&gt;1953 April 10th&lt;br /&gt;1962 February 2nd&lt;/p&gt;</text>
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                    <text>Est. 1936
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THE BEACON
www.thewilkesbeacon.com

March 27, 2012

Volume 64 Issue 16

HARD HATAREA

AUTHORIZED
!!,!tSONNEL O
The Beacon/Phat Nguyen

Wilkes is set to have 18 months of continuous construction for the $35 million science building. The construction has drawn mixed reactions from students and faculty, as some support the building but others feel th~ liberal arts are being overlooked.

Science building draws mixed reactions
Bailey said his labs are almost
always
filled up, and he feels that
News Editor
Stark does not match the quality
Senior accounting major Weston education being offered.
McCollum believes Wilkes' new
"Stark is starting to get old and
science building is "a waste of shabby," Bailey said. "I think a
money."
state of the art science building is
"They took away the only ap- essential."
pealing part of our campus," McStudents and faculty hold strong
Collum said.
opinions regarding the new science
Sophomore pre-med major Adam building, some of them conflicting.
Bailey is happy to see the entire
While some strongly support the
greenway is not taken up but be- advancement of the school's scilieves the sciences do need a new ences, others see it as a selfish probuilding.
motion and financial burden.

BY PHAT NGUYEN

The $35 million building, which
is set to open in fall of 2013, will
undergo 18 months of ongoing
construction.
That daily construction, which
starts as early as 8 a.m. , doesn't
seem to have students and faculty
concerned about loud noises as
much as costs and the loss of the
university's greenway, which has
been fenced off.
One of the science departments
allegedly in need of renovations is
the Chemistry Department.
Amy Bradley, chemistry chair,

often deals with leaky sinks that
have been reinforced but still require maintenance and cleaning.
"It's a danger," Bradley said ..
"Students can slip and fall."
With 98 students emolled in organic chemistry and 135 students
in general chemistry, scheduling is
also issue.
The department has to offer
nearly 10 labs for organic chemistry which is limited to 16 students per lab because Occupational
Safety an"a Health Administration

SEE BUILDING, PAGE 5

The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow
Check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com~

�Church and state reunite for the presidential elections
BY MIKEL HARTSOUGH

Correspondent
"And that is what the perception is by the
American Left who hates Christendom. .. Satan
has his sights on the United States of America," Senator Rick Santorum, GOP presidential
nominee candidate has brought religion into his
campaign.
Interfaith Coordinator Caitlin Czeh believes
Santorum's sudden surge is not due to his core
religious beliefs, but because of his traditional
conservatism. Santorurn won Colorado and
Minnesota convincingly. His momentum has
slowed in the recent months, barely losing to
Romney in Michigan and by a larger margin in
Arizona.
"Religion definitely plays a major role in how
a voter chooses a candidate; different beliefs
can turn people off from voting for you. There
are candidates who push their religion onto
people, these people especially affect a voter's
decision." Czech said.
Michael Tigue of the Catholic Student Union
blames Santorum's misuse ofreligion.
"When a candidate such as Santorum speaks

about his religion, he is only doing so to win his
primary. Over 80 percent of Americans identify with a religion, if yo1,1 present yourself as a
strong religious candidate you appeal to a large
percentage of Americans. Santorum is Christian, and over 60 percent of Americans identify
themselves as Christians," Tigue said.
Although experts such as political science
professor Dr. Andrew Miller believe that religion won't play a large part in the election, those
in the religious profession don't see faith taking
a back seat.
"The candidates are pitting religion against
each other when religions not meant to be compared. A voter can look at a candidate and say
'hey that's my belief.' Sometimes people can
feel like they're one with that candidate, help
them identify with them." Czeh said.
Romney got the support of 90 percent of the
Mormon voters in Arizona, which is a state
Romney dominated in the polls.
"A person should not be elected because of his
faith, nor should he be rejected because of his
faith," Romney said in response to the massive
support from Mormon voters.
Santorum who has spoken at several religious

establishments in recent months was endorsed
by the evangelical Christian leaders he spoke at
the Cathedral of Praise in South Carolina during
the primary.
After Santorum was endorsed by the evangelical leaders the online donations toward his
campaign increased 50 percent, the U.S. census
identifies more than 2 million evangelicals in
the U.S., but states the religion question is openended and not mandatory to answer.
South Carolina Republican voters define
themselves as born-again Christians, which is
in association with the evangelistic church.
According to the exit polls conducted during
the 2008 elections 69 percent of voters said that
the religious beliefs of the candidate mattered to
them. 11 percent of born-again Christians voted
for Romney in the election.
According to a study at Baylor, Professor
Wade Rowatt concluded that a higher percentage of people voting in a church instead of a
school vote for a conservative candidate or
proposition.
The study showed that an Arizona school
voted on a funding referendum in 2000 and voters who were polled in schools tended to vote

in favor of increasing the state tax. While voters
in churches tended to vote against the increase.
Obama makes several references to his religious background in "The Audacity of Hope."
"I was not raised in a religious household. For
my mother, organized religion too often dressed
up closed-mindedness in the garb of piety, cruelty and oppression in the cloak of righteousness.
However, in her mind, a working knowledge of
the world's great religions was a necessary part
of any well-rounded education," Obama said.
Greg Emory of Westminster Presbyterian had
this to say about religion in politics: "I remember when there was serious discussion over
Kennedy and his Catholic background, so looking at the history of religion and presidents,
there will always be scrutiny.
"However, I feel the majority of voters
won't take it seriously. Candidates like Santorum can gain voters by expressing their
religious beliefs, but at the same time they
run the risk of alienating themselves to that
specific audience."
CONTACT PHAT NGUYEN

phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

Beacon Briefs &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;»&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;:-&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;-&gt;&gt;:&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;
BY DEVON I NOVAK
Assistant News Editor

ASME i equests funds for annual car
show - For this year's car show ASME requested $5,800 to cover the cost of T-shirts,
prizes, entertainment and materials.
Last year, ASME requested $2,000 which
left SG wondering about such a large increasing in fund demands. After deliberating whether funding the car show would
be an effective use of student activity fees,
SG felt that ASME was unprepared and did
not fundraise enough in preparation of the
event. ASME was granted $2,000 to pay
specifically for a DJ and a dynamometer.
The Big Event of April Fools - Campus

-wide community service project, The Big
Event, has 209 students on board so far and
is set to take place April 1. A fund request
of $2,600 was granted to the event to pay
for water bottles, bags, T-shirts, transportation and breakfast.
Relay for Life fund requc;st - To cover
the upfront cost of the Relay for Life event,
$1,500 was requested for T-shirts, food for
participants, a survival dinner and decorations.
About 195 people have signed up to relay
so far, an increase from last year's 100 participants who registered by this time. Out
of the 195 people, 25 teams were created,
21 of them consisting of Wilkes students.

BEACON
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

PHONE: (570) 408-5903
WEBSITE: www.thewilkesbeacon.com

Much less than last year's $3,000 request,
the $1,500 was granted. The event will take
place April 28-29. ·

Casino Night: prizes, prizes, prizes
- The main focus of Casino Night is the
prizes. This year students can try their luck
at winning a plethora of awards. The top
items include: the MacBook Pro, the iPad,
jewelry, a TV, gas and Visa gift cards and a
skydiving trip.
Each night free pizza and soda will be
available for all participants. The event is
projected to cost $11,500, most of which
will pay for prizes. Casino Week is scheduled to take place April. 10-13.
Campus g-mail - IT has decided unani-

mously to make the switch from Wilkes
email tog-mail. Use of g-mail will begin in
the upcoming fall sefi!.ester. IT committee
has considered holding a luncheon for faculty, staff and students to instruct on how
to use g-mail. No final decision has been
made yet on the luncheon.
Spring to Hollywood - Spring Fling is
set for March 31 at the Woodlands. Hollywood Bash will be a night with dinner,
drinks and dancing. Tickets are now on
sale for $5 in the SUB.

CONTACT DEVONI NOVAK AT:

devoninovak@thewilkesbeacon.com

Editorial Staff 2011-12
Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook
Managing Editor: Michael Klimek
Ad Manager: Brittany Battista
Photo Editor: Laura Preby
Adviser: Loran Lewis

News Editor: Phat Nguyen
Opinion Editor: CarlyYamrus
A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas
Life Editor: Christine Lee
Sports Editor: Justin Franiak

Meet the Staff

Laura Preby
Photo Editor

�THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

NEWS

3

Hotel Sterling and traffic blocks still standing
Luzerne country unable to reach demolition agreement with city
BY SARAH KENNELLY
Correspondent

One of Luzerne County's most famous
and oldest hotels is causing the county
some distress.
The Sterling Hotel in Wilkes-Barre was
condemned a few months ago, after the
September Flood of 201 1. The 114-yearold building will likely be demolished in
the future.
Luzerne County has been trying to negotiate a demolition agreement with WilkesBarre and City Vest, the owner of the Sterling, for months. One reason the agreement
has not been reached is the city refuses to
waive demolition-permit fees.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton said
the city committed roughly $250,000 in
state gaming funds toward the demolition.
In addition, Wilkes-Barre is also paying
$5,000 a month for traffic barriers constructed around the Sterling due to concerns of building debris falling onto nearby traffi c. The traffic barriers have caused
irregular traffic patterns on River Street
where the Sterling Hotel is located.
"This county must make a decision soon
because the building is a fire hazard and
continues to attract the homeless," Leighton said.
"It's likely the nonprofit CityVest will
fi le for bankruptcy if the county doesn't
take the property off its hands." Leighton
said. "The property would then be frozen
and conti~i e to deteriorate until the city
could obtain funds for demolition."
Leighton also predicts that the county
will be tied up in bankruptcy court for
years to try to recover some of its investment in the project.
According to a March 2011 report released by CityVest, it would cost about
$1 .2 million to demolish the property.
The study also included a roofing company estimate to redo the roof, replacing
the wood framing with steel and metal.
This estimate, released in 2009, was $1.4
million.
The CityVest study says it will cost anywhere from $5 million to $7.7 million to
stabilize and mothball the entire building.
There were some suggestions to save the
Sterling Hotel. Wilkes-Barre architect Carl
Handman asked Luzerne County officials
to consider the cost of structurally securing and mothballing the Hotel Sterling for
future preservation.
Handman worked on the Sterling project

The Beacon Archives

The Sterling Hotel was condemned after the September 2011 flood but is still standing today. One reason the agreement has
not been reached is that the city refuses to waive demolition permit fees. The 114-year-old building will likely be demolished.

in 2003. He publicly criticized CityVest for
failing to listen to his past recommendation
to mothball the structure to prevent further
deterioration.
"CityVest's study claims that it will cost
about $7 million to mothball the property,"
Handman said, "but the study lacks detail
on how they arrived at that estimate."
There is even a Facebook page group
called "Save the Hotel Sterling" with 782
followers .
People who have lived in the area for
more than a few decades, such as Wilkes
University Dr. Bradford Kinney, say it's a
shame that the Hotel Sterling will probably
be demolished.
"There were so many things that could
have been done to that building," Kinney
said, "It could have been a museum, to attract people from other areas, or dorms for
Kings and Wilkes students."
Kinney remembered when the Sterling
rented out part of the 1898 building to
King's College and Wilkes University for
dormitory space. By the 1980s, the tower
had become a low-cost residential hotel. Around the same time the owners announced a plan to tum the hotel into condominiums for tourists.
Unfortunately, the project was never
completed. City health authorities later discovered several building code and health

violations and ordered all residents living
in the hotel to leave. Due to ownership issues, unpaid taxes, and a fire in 2000, the
building remained abandoned for years.
In late 2005, the nonprofit 0rganization
CityVest bought the Hotel Sterling and decided to redevelop the original hotel building into residential and commercial space,
with a budget of $6 million in Luzerne
County money. The rooms and hallways in
the 17- story Plaza Tower were too narrow
and low for redevelopment, so CityVest demolished the building in February 2007.
CityVest's initial loan papers with Luzerne County promised to begin work on
the hotel in February, 2007 finish the job a
year later, and create jobs for people of low
and moderate income.
County Controller Walter L. Griffith Jr.
released an audit of the project in June, accusing CityVest and the county community
development office of mishandling funds.
"CityVest had failed to complete plans
that should have been done years ago, and
they never bothered to find a developer,"
Griffith said. "Now they claim they cannot pay back the $6 million they borrowed
from the county and want to tear down the
building and give the land to the county."
Luzerne County council has split views
over what should happen to the Hotel Sterling.

Four council members are in favor of
finding ways to save the Sterling Hotel.
Elaine Maddon Curry, Rick Williams, Harry Haas and Eugene Kelleher have said the
county should find out how much it would
cost to mothball and stabilize the Sterling,
and find out if the county has enough funds
to afford it.
The seven other members of the council
expressed support for demolition. However, council members said they won't make
any decisions unless a cooperative agreement is reached among Luzerne County,
Wilkes-Barre and CityVest.
"There is no time frame yet to when or
if the demolition will take place because
the three groups, Wilkes-Barre, the county,
and CityVest, have not reached an agreement." explained Council Vice Chairwoman Linda Mcclosky Houck. "As for
the current condition of the building, with
collapsing ceilings and holes in the roof, I
believe if it was turn,,over to the county it
would have to be demolished."
Luzerne County Council hopes to receive some agreement with CityVest and
Wilkes-Barre within the next few weeks,
though it is not likely.

CONTACT PHAT NGUYEN
phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

�4

NEWS

THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

Coal Street Project adds two lanes, revamps park
BY AMANDA LEONARD

Correspondent
Every day, people drive on Coal Street to get
to popular Wilkes-Barre destinations, to commute or to get to the other sic;le of town. As of
late, it has become a congested, dangerous road
giving headaches to many.
Coal Street is a vital road that links WilkesBarre Boulevard to Business Route 6309. It
also leads to Mohegan Sun Arena, the Wyoming Valley Mall and other commercial businesses.
The $13.7 million Coal Street Project, a plan
that will expand the three-lane road to a fivelane highway and revamp a 31-acre park, has
been under construction since 2009.
However, the project is not a new idea; it has
been talked about since the 1990s.
Butch Frati, Wilkes-Barre director of city operations, said that the idea for the project was
developed in the late 1990s by a group who realized that the area needed to expand for businesses to flourish.
"The conceptual idea for the Coal Street
Project was put together by the local Metro-

politan Planning Organization," Frati said.
"The group identified a need to expand both
the areas and roadways leading from the interstate system to urban areas as a way to encourage business investment specifically in the
Wilkes-Barre area."
The MPO is a federally mandated and funded transportation policy making group. Along
with the Coal Street Project, the MPO is adopting a Long Range Transportation Plan that will
serve as a guide when selecting projects for
future transportation improvement programs.
These two organizations coincide for the Coal
Street Project.
Along with the widening of the existing Coal
Street from three lanes to five lanes from State
Route 309 to Wilkes-Barre Boulevard, residents of Coal Street will also see a revamping
of their front yards.
"New curbing and sidewalks on both sides of
Coal Street will be implemented, along with 97
new street lights, updated traffic and pedestrian
signalizations and new pavement markings,"
Frati said.
Michael Simonson, assistant Wilkes-Barre
director of city operations, works closely with

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The Coal Street Project adds two lanes, improves curbs and side walks along with 97
new street lights and updates traffic and pedestrian signals to a busy intersection.

Frati and is optimistic about the project.
"It's our hope that this project will inject
life into one of the city's most trafficked.rnadways," he said.
Along with the widening of the road, the 31acre park, now named the Coal Street Complex, is complete and has office space to rent.
It is a two-story structure that houses a 500-seat
hockey rink with training facilities and opportunities for the public to skate.
The Coal Street Complex is the former Ice-ARama structure. It has been renovated and connected to the new two-story structure. The Coal
Street Project also demolished the swimming
pool, in preparation for reshaping the park section of Coal Street. More than $600,000 is earmarked for two lighted basketball courts, tennis
courts, a playground and a sports field.
This sports complex will be available for ice
hockey leagues, tournaments and camps. The
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins also hold
practices at this complex, which is closer to
their arena than their formerly used ice rink in
Pittston, The Ice Box.
The financing of the $13.7 million project has
a breakdown of 80 percent federal funding and
20 percent local funding, Frati said.
"The local match is a combination of three
local taxing bodies contributing to a fund that
is managed by the Luzerne Count Redevelopment Authority," he said.
On May 18, 2009, the Coal Street Project received $950,000 in federal funding from Senator Bob Casey and Congressman Paul Kanjorski. This funding will be specifically used to
construct new basketball courts, a sports field
and other public recreational amenities.
Though Coal Street has already seen its fair
share of demolition, renovation and construction, it is not over yet and Coal Street businesses are hurting due to lack of customers and
difficulty with entering their business.

Nicole Theodore, owner of Arena Bar and
Grill, said that the project has been affecting
her business.
"We now need to spend more money in the
form of marketing and advertising to compensate for our lack of traffic flow," she said.
Corridors blocked the entrance for Arena Bar
and Grill and Walgreens, making it difficult for
customers to enter their businesses with ease.
Across the street from Arena Bar and Grill
and Walgreens, Sam's Club sees similar problems.
Sharon Holloman, Sam's Club employee, has
to redirect her route to work due to the congestion of the road.
"I usually come up Northampton Street instead of Coal Street since it's always so busy,"
she said.
James Conlon, a Sam's Club supervisor,
faces the problem of traffic congestion when
cashiers report late to work due to traffic.
"Not only is the construction inconvenient to
us, its also dangerous," he said.
Coal Street is a popular street that many need
to travel every day. However, the construction
deters some people from going to Coal Street
businesses.
"If I ever went ice skating, I'd be stuck there
for five days trying to get out of the parking
lot," Conlon said.
Though residen~, commuters and businesses
have shared in the stress of the project, Frati
said that the end of construction is in sight.
"The project is scheduled for completion by
the end of October 2012," he said. "As the project stands now, it is relatively close to the original schedule, however by the end of 2011 the
project was a few weeks behind schedule but
with the extraordinary warm winter the contractor was able to make up time."

CONTACT PHAT NGUYEN

phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

�THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

BUILDING
Continued from front page
mandates space to two students per hood due
to space.
Seven labs are open for the general chemistry students, but they are not limited by
hood space.
Bradley, one of the two organic chemistry teachers, said there are many fines that
the school could face regarding cleanliness
if the school does not meet standards set by
the OHSA.
OSHA's mission is to assure safe and
healthful workplaces by setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training,
outreach, education and assistance.
"We're up to code on everything, but it'll
certainly be easier with a new, clean lab,"
Bradley said.
"I think students will benefit, research will
benefit and safety will be better."
Bradley went on to note the importance
of air suction for the organic chemistry labs.
"Organic students will all encounter dangerous chemicals and gases which need
proper air suction for their safety," Bradley
said.
"While the students will only be in the
organic labs for a fall and spring semester,
the chemistry faculty and staff will deal with
these chemicals as long as they're at Wilkes."
Since Bradley has come to Wilkes, the
school has installed lab hood monitors that
indicate safe levels of air flow in laboratory
fume hoods.
The monitors are used to measure and
report on exhaust flow in many critical or
controlled indoor environments, including
pharmaceutical and university laboratories.
Each organic hood has been equipped

with anAirGard405, which each costs $330.
Bradford Kinney, professor of communication studies, believes the liberal arts
should not be overlooked.
"I think the sciences are good, but not on
the back of the liberal arts," Kinney said.
"Not that we don't need a science building,
because we really do. I really believe that."
When Kinney first came to Wilkes, he said
he remembered how growing complaints
eventually led to Wilkes buying property,
tearing down houses and making the greenway, an open green space -and social playground.
"It was so nice to see the kids out there
throwing the Frisbee and enjoying their
time," Kinney said. "Now, there is no greenway."
Kinney is becoming increasingly conThe Beacon/Phat Nguyen
cerned with what will become of the TV
Faculty say the chemistry laboratory hoods need to be repaired often. Also, air sucstudio.
tion is essential for safety as they work with dangerous gases.
The science building, which was originally planned to be built near the Henry Student departments and they're ruining his educaQuestions remain on what the school will
Center, is being built in between the Stark tion as the university is offering fewer up- focus on after construction is completed.
Leaming Center and Conyngham Hall.
per-level classes each semester.
The next Wilkes president, Patrick Leahy,
With the science building wrapping
"We could have more things in the comm stressed the importance of a liberal arts eduaround Stark, there might be issues with department, and we could have more class- cation in his opening remarks, which may
construction and a need to move the state-of- es, but we're funneling millions of dollars offer hope to non-science majors.
the-art TV studio in the basement of Stark.
into a science building that will only benefit CONTACT PHAT NGUYEN
The fenced-off greenway also bothers ju- a portion of the school," Kurtz said.
phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com
nior communications studies major Trevor - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Kurtz more than just physically.
The greenway, he said, was the student's
place to hangout, and he is upset that Wilkes
puts a higher priority in the, sciences rather
than the liberal arts.
"What really bothers me is I love my department," Kurtz said. "The fact of the matter is the school cares more about the sciences more than anything else."
Kurtz believes budget cuts were made by
Wilkes to fund the science building by all

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CONTACT EDITOR: carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

MARCH 27, 2012

Guilty verdict in Tyler Clementi
suicide is a wake-up call for bullies
BYCARLYYAMRUS
Opinion Editor

"You do the crime, you do the time."
Former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi is
no exception to this rule after being found
guilty of bias intimidation - a hate crime,
invasion of privacy and 13 other counts in
the recent webcam suicide case. Ravi could
potentially be imprisoned for up to 10 years
and may even be deported to his native India. The trial used Ravi's text messages and
"tweets" as evidence, which he tried to delete after hearing his convictions.
Was the sentence too extreme for this
young man's actions? I think not. This particular case was a real eye-opener for to-·
day's teenagers who use social media and
text messaging as a way of expressing their
every thought, opinion, or reaction.
Immature tweets and text messages are
one thing, but the real crime in this case was
the carefully calculated webcam spying that
Ravi broadcast not once, but twice. Ravi undoubtedly had no idea of the effect his socalled "prank" could have had on someone.
Only after hearing that his roommate, Tyler
Clementi, was contemplating suicide did
he make an attempt to apologize and make
ametfls.
Dharun Ravi was 18 years old, a freshman
in college, at the time ofClementi's suicide.
At the age of 18, we are considered to be
adults, and should possess some knowledge
on bullying and the effects it has on others.
Cyber bullying has been increasingly detrimental to the reputations and self-esteem
of high school and college students. Clementi had asked his roommate for several
hours of privacy in their shared room. Ravi
responded by broadcasting the encounter
to several friends and Twitter followers on
multiple occasions. Clearly he did not act
foolishly on a whim, as the spying occurred
over the course of several days and required
the setting up and testing of a webcam.
Ravi committed an adult crime, and
should be responsible for accepting the
adult repercussions. Whether he was actually homophobic or not, the deeds were done
and they are assumed to have been the motive for Clementi 's suicide, although it is not
confirmed that this was the cause.

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall
attitudes of students on the Wilkes campus. These poll results are
based on 7 responses.
Last week's question:

How much food do you dispose
of on an average day at the
Wilkes cafeteria?
• Several platefuls - 29%
• None - 29%
·
• About a cup- 14%
• A plateful - 14%
• I don't eat at the cafeteria -14%
This week The Beacon asks:

Courtesy of Facebook, The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Two years after Tyler Clementi {top left) commited suicide, roommate Dharun Ravi
was found guilty. The court used that verdict as a way to crack down on bullying.

Too many instances of bullying go unrecognized and without punishment. Ravi's
conviction sends a clear message to teenagers about accepting consequences for their
actions or words. This trial lets teenagers
know that bullying can have serious effects
on the lives of other people as well as the
bully himself. Dismissing Ravi of his actions would send the message that bullying
is OK, and that it is fine to embarrass others
and invade their privacy.
After reading other opinions on the topic,
I was actually surprised that several people
believed that Clementi did wrong in the situation by bringing a man into their shared
dorm room, and that Ravi's actions were
pranks. These people must have forgotten
what it is like to live in a dorm room in college. That dorm room is essentially your
house. As long as the actions are legal, I
don't see how having a visitor in the room
was in any way wrong.
Many comments suggested that Ravi was
only fooling around as college kids often do
by playing a prank on his gay roommate.
But since when is spying on someone with
a webcam and knowingly violating their privacy a prank? Just because a dorm room is
not private does not mean the students oc-

cupying it have no privacy. If Ravi was that
uncomfortable with his gay roommate, he
should have gone to student housing and requested a different room.
I am disgusted by the comments that ex cused Ravi for doing what he did. I cannot
believe that people have the audacity to call
this trial a promotion of homosexuality. Clementi killed himself because he was the target of homophobic bullying his entire life,
a problem that many homosexual men and
women face .
No, Ravi probably did not think of the long
term effects of his immature actions, but just
because he did not see it coming does not
mean he wasn't wrong.
Ravi was offered a plea bargain that would
have required him to complete 600 hours of
community service and probation instead of
jail time and possible deportation. He pied
not guilty.
There is no reason why our tax dollars
should be spent keeping someone who influenced a suicide in jail for 10 years. We have
no room in America for more homophobes
or bullies. Send him home.
CONTACT CARLY YAMRUS AT:
carly.yamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

What do you think Rutgers
student Dharun Ravi's verdict
should have been in the suicide
death of his roommate?
• 1O years in jail and deportation
• Only a few years of jail time
• Probation and community
service
• Deportation
• He was innocent

Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com·

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.

.

Send your name, major, year and opinion to:
carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�I

;;_.

t

I

I

jj

111 I\

- r THE BEACO-N I MARCH 27, 2012

7

Arts and humanities are still important at Wilkes
BY CHRISTINE LEE
Life Editor

With the groundbreaking of the new fourfloor science building the mission is now clear:
Wilkes will become the one of the premiere
educational institutes in the region for science
education.
However, few are aware that at one time,
Wilkes was once one of the premiere edu-

cational institutes in the area for music. You
heard me right: music. During an interview
with associate professor of music Dr. Phil Simon, I was told that at one time, every room.
on the third floor of the Dorothy Dickson Darte
Center had one baby grand piano. Now there is
really only one that I can think of on the third
floor: the one in associate professor of music
Dr. Steven Thomas's office.
Even better, at one time Wilkes had more

The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

Wilkes was once a premiere educational institute for music. Nowadays, the sciences
have dominated the school, leaving the arts and humanities in the dust.

than one language major besides Spanish.
They included French, German and Russian
and even had an art major, not just the current
art minor or the integrative media major.
According to the 2011-2012 Fact Book, the
School of Pharmacy in total has 408 total enrolled as its primary major that includes the
pharmacy practice program and the pre-pharmacy program. The Division of Performing
Arts, meanwhile, only has 13 emolled as its
primary major. And look at philosophy: only
two majors emolled and one professor in its
entirety.
Now Wilkes is one of the few schools in
Pennsylvania that has a fully accredited pharmacy school and is the size that it is, so I have
to give it credit for that. But majors such as
philosophy, Spanish and theater arts are only
in existence because at least one class in one
of these areas is required.for general education
requirements. Every major has to take at least
Philosophy 101 or Spanish in order to graduate.
It simply blows my mind that a school that at
one time was considered one of the best music
schools in the area has now seemed to almost
completely ignore the arts and humanities.
I believe Wilkes should place more emphasis

on the arts and humanities, as there is so much
that they offer to society in terms of communicating human emotions, beauty and experiences that appeal to everyone.
The arts and humanities give society the opportunity to pause, think and reflect on our experiences and the world around us. According
to an essay online through Whitman College
(which, by the way is also getting a new science building), the role of the arts in the academy, as in life, is to enable us to see the world
and the human condition differently, and seeing the world through a particular work of art,
to see a truth we might not have understood
before.
The arts and humanities should not just exist
at Wilkes for extracurricular activities and general education but should be in place as academic classes, even academic majors for that
matter as they compliment everything around
us in society.
The arts and humanities should not be
viewed as something interesting to look at or
something to do in one's down time. They
need to be valued as academic majors just as
the scientific majors are currently.
CONTACT CHRISTINE LEE AT:
christine./ee@thewilkesbeacon.com

Sit back, relax and stop complaining about concession prices
BY LYNDSIE YAMRUS
Assistant Opinion Editor

The next movie I plan to see is "The Hunger Games." I will purchase a small bag of
popcorn costing around $4.50 and probably a
small fountain soda at $4, give or take a few
cents.
The - tal will be a whopping $8.50. There's
no doubt about it, I will definitely complain
about this, but I will nonetheless snack and enjoy the movie.
We've all had to deal with the burden of
over-priced movie concessions at one point
or another. The same burden exists at sporting
events, amusement parks and concerts.
Such events have a duty to make a profit;
therefore, outside food and beverages are typically banned so that individuals are forced to
buy their snacks from event vendors.
Let's observe a hypothetical family of four
who, for the sake of keeping things simple,
each order a small bag of popcorn, a small soda
and a box of candy (price estimate, $3.50). The
four popcorns total $18. The drinks add up to
$16 and candy boxes, $14. Dad then takes out
his American Express card to pay and $48 disappears from his bank account.
These prices are indeed outrageous, especially when you could get the same snacks at

the CVS down the street for under $20.
Michigan resident Joshua Thompson took
matters into his own hands after buying a Coke
and Nestle Goobers candy for $8 at an AMC
theater, angered by the refreshment prices. In
hopes of a statewide decrease in snack prices,
the man later sued the theater for over-charging its customers.
The majority of ticket sales actually go to the
movie production and distribution companies,
not the theatre.
Within the first week of a showing, the theater is allowed to keep around 25 percent of
ticket sales profit or less, according to theaterseat.org.
EconWeekly says that distributors sometimes even split the revenue 90: 10 during the
first week and decrease this amount every
week that follows to 80:20, 70:30 and so on.
Such splits are called sliding percentages.
All in all, theaters do not come out ahead
and must make a profit elsewhere. They tum
to selling high-calorie refreshments that taste
good and please movie-goers. After all, America excels in eating.
Additionally, the theater keeps 100 percent
of snack profits.
All things considered, it's necessary for such
high prices to exist, as unfair as it may seem.
In reality, if food costs decrease, ticket prices

would skyrocket.
The theater must stay afloat if people want
to have the treat of going to the movies. Otherwise, you'd be stuck with watching movies on
your couch in DVD format on a much smaller
screen.
So look at it this way: a movie theater is essentially a junk food restaurant that happens

to feature a movie. If you're in the snacking
mood, suck it up and pay the price. If you're
still unable to get past the prices, wait and rent
it from Redbox.

CONTACT LYNDSIE YAMRUS:
lyndsie.yamrus@wilkes.edu

The Beacon / Laura Preby

A $5 popcorn may seem unfair, but these prices are necessary for the survival of the
theater, which does not make enough money from ticket sales alone.

�8

OPINION

THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

The Senate should increase funding for NASA
BY ANTHONY GORECZNY

for our future.
As anyone will agree, the space program
is a great financial Endeavor. A single space
"Space, the Final Frontier. These are the shuttle launch costs nearly half a billion dolvoyages of the starship Enterprise. Its con- lars. While many people may see this as an
tinuing mission: to explore strange new unnecessary expense, that is only because the
worlds, to seek out new life and new civili- grandiose nature of theses extraordinary unzations, to boldly go where no one has gone dertakings is lost upon them.
before."
The space program did not only expand our
Those are the opening lines from "Star knowledge of our solar system and countless
Trek: The Next Generation." Ever s~.141! _
·;.:.swllac: phenomena, but also inspired every asremember.I have been fasc~ witb o~ ·· -~.Df humanity.
space and what we might find•oot
~~ most obvious benefits are to all areas
I am intrigued by the idea that we might dis- of math and science. Every individual field in
cover new things none ofus have ever imag- these two areas of study has what is essenined in the nearly infinite unknown that is tially a symbiotic relationship with the space
our universe. But there can be no Discovery program.
without exploration, and recent massive cuts
Clearly, space travel would be inherently
to the space program have brought our extra- impossible without the study of math, physterrestrial exploration to a near stand still.
ics, chemistry, and medicine. Consequently
But it is not just my own infatuation with these disciplines, and many others, would not
the skies that drives my opposition to these have made the advancements and achievecuts, nor is it the dreams and determination of ments we now take for granted.
all the scientists and astronauts involved with
GPS would be nothing but a dream if not
NASA. Among those stars is a shining path for the satellites place in orbit using technolStaffWriter

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ogy from decades of aerospace research.
new Apple product is released
That dream was made possible by the hard that is, for all intents and
work and determination of men and women purposes, exactly the
striving to achieve their own dreams. In a re- same as the previous
cent testimony to the U.S. Senate, well known year's.
astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson delivered
I doubt I need
an inspiring message of hope for the future.
to tell
Through the space program, mankind has
accomplished things once thought impossible. Cell phones, cordless power tools, mod- the econoem computers and even Lasik surgery all use my.
·when
inncwations attributed to the space prograg:i. ·
The reason for this is, quite simply, these · Pre~ident
men and women are dreamers. When told Obama set
something is impossible, they do not simply the bailout
accept their Challenger's supposition and in motion,
walk away. They ask "Why can't it be done?" he poured
This spirit of exploration is not unique to $750 billion
the men and women as NASA, but they posses it in great abundance. This is the some
spirit that drove Christopher Columbus, and
the reason our first space shuttle was named
the Columbia.
the economy.
It is their determination, their belief in the
That would
possibility of a world with a brighter future, similar to a parent who
that invigorates their ambitions and inspires gives his child $1,000 in
people across the world.
the hope that it will teach him to
Space travel has had as great an effect on stop wasting his allowance. To help
our culture as it has upon our technology. pay for this, he made massive cuts to NASA,
For years authors, poets, musicians and art- and put on hold all hopes for future exploraists have created works exploring the beauty, tion of the moon and Mars.
mystery and enthralling sense of adventure
This bailout cost more than NASA has rethat are inherent in space travel. There are few ceived in funding since its inception. As we
people who would not instantly recognize El- have been continually abandoning our naviton John's "Rocket Man" or have never heard gation of the skies, our hopes for the future
of"Star Wars."
have been left among the nebulas and infant
Since the dawn of ~e humanity has been suns of outer space.
driven forward by our inclination toward
It is time we reclaim them, and through edexploration. Our oldest stories include lost ucation and exploration bring all of humantreasures, like the city of Atlantis, that are just ity into a new golden age of prosperity and
waiting to be discovered.
progress.
It is clear why many people refer to the
Exploration and education provide jobs for
modem era as the space age. So much of what millions, and motivate and inspire millions
is integral to our society was either taken di- more to see possibilities they had never conrectly from, or inspired by the advancements sidered. Take the money back from the banks,
and discoveries made by NASA and its com- which seek only to acquire more money, as
patriots.
that is their sole purpose for existence, and
The space program brings us stability and reignite the fires which, in the Cold War, fupurpose. How many kids spread out in an eled the innovations that drove us to become
open field to stare up at the stars, or dream of the most influential nation in world.
being an astronaut as soon as their heads hit
We may no longer have USSR breathing
the pillow every night. It doesn't just inspire down out necks, but we have enemies far
innovation and art; it unshackles imagina- greater that we carmot conquer along. War,
tion and determination. If we turn our backs famine, injustice: all of these enemies may be
on that now, our culture, our technology and confronted w:Wi knowledge and experience
even our economy will severely stagnate. In gained through the space program. Perhaps
fact, it has already begun.
this path will give us all the ability to live
Once we were entertained by stories of long and prosper.
cowboys facing the unknown of the western
frontier. Now we enjoy watching people get Photo courtesy of sxc.hu/
drunk and insult each other, and girls who are CONTACT ANTHONY GORECZNY AT:
only 16 and already have a child. Every year a anthony.goreczny@wilkes.edu

�. ~,,,,~0 ,1\1'.f'\~ EDITOR: christ) nelee@th,J~wilkesbe.1con.com

WILKES UNIVERSITY

HEALTH &amp; W ELLNESS

Alzheimer's Disease: a disease
that disconnects

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Left, Dr. Rhonda Soricelli presents on understanding Alzheimer's disease from the arts perspective. Right, a student views the work of artists in the "Memories in the
Making:' a project that encourages those with Alzheimer's disease and caregivers to express their feelings and emotions about the disease through art.

BY CHRISTIN E LEE
LifeE~or

Minerva Gaspar's grandmother has trouble
remembering Gaspar. She can't even remember Gaspar's father, her own son, and thinks
of herself as a child.
"She needs constant care and (needs) to be
watched 24 hours a day," Gaspar, an undeclared freshman, said.
Gaspar said it-is stressful for her family to
deal with the disease, as there is nothing they
can do about it and the medication doesn't
seem to help.
Gaspar's grandmother is one of millions
worldwide suffering from Alzheimer's disease, a form of memory loss affecting people
aged 65 and older.
This month, the Pre-Professional Society is
hosting a series of awareness sessions with
doctors and other professionals to help educate the public about the disease.
About 5.4 million Americans are diagnosed
with Alzheimer's, and there are approximately 15 million unpaid caregivers devoting 17

billion hours of care to those afflicted by the
disease.
The Greater Pennsylvania chapter of the
Alzheimer's Association said every 68 seconds a person is diagnosed and the disease is
the sixth leading cause of death and the only
one that can't be cured or slowed significantly.
GPCAA interm Director of Programs and
Services Clayton Jacobs said until recently,
Alzheimer's had a stigma that made people
not want to discuss it. But the growing number of people aging makes the discussion
more important.
"Not only is it important for those going
through it, we know one in every three families is affected so we all know someone, so (it
has) some impact on our lives," Jacobs said.
"It's partly our need to understand and to support each other in the community."
The first session, "Diagnosis and EarlyStage Alzheimer's Care," held on March 13,
touched on some of the warning signs, early
stages of the disease and the disease's impact
on families.
The second session, "Understanding Alzheimer's Disease: A View from the Arts,"

was held March 21.
Pre-Professional Society members Brielle
Stanton and Nathaniel Lamoreaux, both biology majors, spoke at the session about the
emotional and personal side of the disease.
The session included a reception featuring
artwork from the art therapy program "Memories in the Making."
"(The program) is about the process of creating and finding different outlets for someone to express themselves even if they're
having issues with memory and the ability to
communicate," Jacobs said.
Stanton said she was honored with participating in the session, and it has given her a
new awareness about the disease. She has
come to understand how it affects people and
their loved ones.
"With Alzheimer's and the Arts, (it) gives a
better representation of how people are actually dealing with Alzheimer's," Stanton said.
"You get a different perspective you wouldn't
necessarily get through scientific information."
The third session, "Alzheimer's Issues:
Panel Presentation and Discussion," a panel

discussion with six experts in Alzheimer's
disease from around Northeastern Pennsylvania will take place at 6 p.m. March 27.
The session will discuss available services,
care needs and options for those working in
the field or dealing the disease personally.
Stanton hopes the presentations makes people more aware of the effects of the disease.
"It's becoming a bigger topic today so it's
very important that those who may be affected by it are aware of it because sooner or later
each person is going to ~ave some connection
to it," Stanton said
Gaspar said awareness of the disease will
help her family members prepare for the disease, particularly her father.
"It'll prepare us for my dad, who (doctors)
say is most likely to get it, we're looking at
the way he acts as he gets older to see if he
has any of the symptoms that she experienced
and maybe get him on that medication that
prevents it," Gaspar said.

CONTACT CHRISTINE LEE AT:
christinelee@thewilkesbeacon.com

�10

LIFE

THE BEACON

I can has Wilkes Memes? Students bring the lnb
BY KIRSTIN COOK
Editor-in-Chief

Foul bachelor frog. Good guy Greg. Success kid. Courage wolf. Socially awkward
penguin.
Those are just a few of the Internet
memes that have gone viral on websites like
Memebase, Reddit and 9gag. The trend has
even sparked an online database, KnowYourMeme, to document these Internet sensations and explain the humor behind them.
And now, memes have spread to Wilkes.
With the Facebook page Wilkes Memes,
Wilkes students are putting their spin on
Internet humor.
Garrett Schrader, a junior history major,
first noticed the Wilkes Memes page a few
months ago, but followed memes in high
school on web pages like the LOL Cat inspired blog, I Can Has Cheezburger?
Through Internet memes are often known
as images, they can also be catchphrases or
videos spread across the online community.
Schrader defined memes as inside jokes
that everyone is in on. While he said people
enjoy the humor behind them, the true purpose of a .meme is to describe things that
happen in culture.
"People can relate to them real well, that's
the definition of a meme," Schrader said.
"What a meme really is is it brings people
together."

People relate to meme situations, Schrader
said, because they've been in those situations before or know someone who has. The
more you can relate, the funnier they are, he
said.
"What people like about it is it relates to
them in a funny way," Schrader said.
Wilkes students may notice some familiar themes on the Wilkes Memes Facebook,
like the new science building and the MyWilkes portal. Schrader said he has seen
meme pages for other schools, but now Wilkes students can be in on the joke.
"It's funnier here because we're a part of
it," he said.
Schrader said memes have become more
popular recently as more people get access
to them and they continue to spread. He
said one reason memes are becoming more
mainstream is that same relatability that defines the trend.
"A lot of people share that same perspective, I think that's why they've grown in
popularity," Schrader said.
Darrell Dech, an undeclared freshman,
agrees that memes have caught on and they
refuse to let go.
"I believe memes have become very popular in the last few months," Dech said. "Two
to three months ago, practically nobody
knew what a meme was. Now, you ask anyone and most people will be able to tell you
one."

Dech is another student who relates to
Wilkes Memes. Some of his favorites include a Futurama character mocking the
Wilkes mascot pronunciation and the Lord
of the Rings character Boromir parodying
online class registration.
"My favorite Wilkes Memes is probably
the 'Not sure if it's pronounced kernel or
colonial' with Fry from Futurama," Dech
said. "My other favorite is the "One does
not simply log into the portal to register for
classes."'
Dech first found out about memes from
the website Iwastesomuchtime.com after
friends linked to them on Facebook. He decided to try making his own memes using
quickmemes.com.
"Memes are very simple to make," Dech
said. "You just need to pick a topic and think
of some creative, funny line about that subject."
Schrader also occasionally makes his own
memes, such as for the Ultimate Frisbee
team. He said he hopes the trend of memes
continues, especially the trend of Wilkes
memes. He's always checking for updates
to the Wilkes Memes pages, since he said
those are especially entertaining.

CONTACT KIRSTIN COOK AT:
kirstincook@thewilkesbeacon.com

SG hopes The Big Event volunteers make a sm
BY ALYSSA STENCAVAGE
Staff Writer

This year students, faculty and staff have
given lots of hours toward community serv_.e, particularly in September after the
flooding from Hurricane Lee. But, Student
Government felt this Army of Colonels
could do more for the community at large.
The Big Event is a one day mass community service event with ultimate goals
of the a group of Colonels will be doing
tasks such as small home repairs, putting
up fences, cleaning up parks and helping
out in general. They will be taking work orders and then pairing up different people for
those work orders and sending them out to
help the community.
For anyone who wants sustenance before
the day's work begins, free breakfast will
be served beginning at 9 a.m. Bagels that
morning will be donated by the Bake House
of Wilkes-Barre.
Those on the Big Event committee have
been working with different organizations

to obtain volunteer sites such as the Jewish Community Center, St. Vincent Soup
Kitchen, Wilkes-Barre Department of Public Works and the Luzerne County Disaster
Relief group working for flood victims.
"Most schools have this event, but because
we are a university that is big on community
service, we wanted to make sure we are doing something in the way of community service," Student Government President Willie
Eggleston said.
There will be short-term and long-term
sites, so volunteers who finish up at one site
can move on to another. The committee is
trying to get the whole campus involved
clubs, faculty, alumni, staff and athletic
teams.
Event flyers are posted all over campus
with a barcode that can be scanned with a
smart phone to lead directly to the website
for the Big Event. This event has a Facebook page as well to reach out to volunteers.
"Right now we are having a volunteer rush
to get everybody registered and pair them
up for sites. We have the work, we just need

JUS

the volunteers," said freshman class president and pre-pharmacy major Taylor Moyer.
So far there are around 250 volunteers.
Everyone will receive T-shirts and bags
for their participation. The Big Event takes
place April 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. followed by a barbecue at 4 p.m.
CONTACT ALYSSA STENCAVAGE AT:
alyssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Christine Lee

Freshman integrative media major Moniquie Wood,)Nard helps clean up a home
in Duryea during flood relief cleanup in
September. Because the of the turnout
for flood relief, Student Government
and civic engagement have come encouraged more community service thorugh The Big Event.

Jaimie
Reside
first-yE
tion stl
Hornet
Camp,

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�:ACON

MARCH 27 2012

11

LIFE

nternet trend to Wilkes Internet Memes 101
Here's some of the meme images that make the 'popular entries' thread on Knowyourmeme.com:

LOLcats - One of the more classic memes, LOLcats can be
traced back to 20th century photographer Harry Whittier Frees,
who would add funny captions onto cat photos. Nowadays, the
funny cat pictures are often captioned with the broken Englis
text 'lolspeak'.
Rage comics - Forever Alone, "Me Gusta" Guy and Y U NO
Guy are a few of the many characters in the rage comic cast.
The characters are all simple, stick-figure drawings made ·
Microsoft paint, and usually come with their own punch lines
relating to real life.
Advice Animals - This range of characters are captioned wi
text showing funny, common character traits. These include
Philosoraptor, Socially Awkward Penguin, Good Guy Greg,71'1""'••w.,;iiloti;~'l'ffl!.-Courage Wolf, Foul Bachelor Frog and many more.
I took an arrow to the knee - An example of a pop culture
influenced meme, this catchphrase is from the video game "The
Elder Scrolls: Skyrim." The original phrase was, "I used to be
an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee." The
phrase went viral, allowing anyone to replace 'adventurer' with
their own term.

Yo Dawg - This celeb-o-meme features Pimp My Ride host
Xzibit, who is known for putting random things like fireplaces
into cars. The purposefully misspelled format is, "Yo dawg, I
herd you like X, so I put an X in your Y so you can verb while
you verb." This meme is often closely tied to the movie "Inception," because of the whole dream within a dream concept.
residents in your hall especially with a position like ours where we're that much more
removed from some of the traditional students, it still gives us the opportunity to interact with them on a regular basis because
we live and work in the same place.

JUSTIN ASTRIN, UNIVERSITY TOWERS RESIDENT DIRECTOR AND
JAIMIE OSBORN, EVANS HALL RESIDENT DIRECTOR
BY REBECCA BOLUS
Assistant Life Editor

ee
O-

le
in
ut
nt

Jaimie Osborn
Residence Life Graduate Assistant and
first-year Master of Business Administration student
Hometown: Nazareth, Pa.
Campus Role: Assists with the duties of
Residence life, housing and in-housing selection, and the duties of Residence Life,
hall safety and roommate conflicts at Evans
and Roth

no-

Justin Astrin
Residence Life Graduate Assistant and

second-year Master of Business Administration student
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Campus Role: Oversees the RA staff that
resides in University Towers and helps RAs
with event planning, any issues that arise,
and also serves on the Student Affairs oncall rotation.
What do you like best about working at
Wilkes?
Osborn: I definitely like the friendly atmosphere, I feel like it's easy to get to know
everyone not only the staff and faculty but
also the students on campus.
Astrin: Because it is a smaller, tight-knit
community, it's easier to get to know the

If you were to win a million dollars,
what would you,,__ _,_spend it on?
Osborn:
I
would
pay
off my stuI'd take a va. use whatevover to put
on a house.
would

ball and go in it and roll down big hills and
stuff. I would also buy a house, pay off my
student loans, and get Lasik surgery.
If you were to put something in a t_!_me
capsule about yourself what would it be?
Osborn: I would put my Nikes thaC I
just bought because the United States no
longer makes them. I would put it in my
time capsule so I
would have good
shoes to run
in 20 years
down
the
road. Also I
would put
in Twizzlers
just in case ·
they stop
m aking
them.
Astrin:
I
would
put my
skydiv.· , ing

See Questions, page 12

�12

LIFE

THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

Spring Fling goes classy with new theme, venue
BY ABBEY HALDEMAN
Staff Writer

Spring has just begun and students begin
thinking about saying goodbye to this school
year. One way Wilkes University is bringing
an end to the school year's to celebrate the
student's hard work with Spring Fling.
"Spring Fling is just a dinner-dance at the
end of the year that helps you escape the
stress of finals, and it is a time for final goodbyes," Student Government corresponding
secretary and senior business administration
major Kevin Hopper said.
For the past several years, the dance has
been held at Genetti 's Hotel, but this year
it will be put on at The Woodlands Resort.
Student Government was hoping that a more
modem venue this year would help to draw
in more students.
"The venue change is going to give it a different feel," Hopper said.

This year's Spring Fling has a classic Hollywood theme to appeal more to students.

QUESTIONS

Astrin: My ability to draw out what I'm
thinking in picture form.

Courtesy of Freestockexchange.com

The change of venue is not the only change,
either. The event organizers decided to go
with a more elegant theme after arranging a
venue, figuring out prices and selling it to
the Student Government executive board.
"Last year there was a poll taken in which
students got to decide which theme they
would like best, and Hollywood came in

second so, we (Student Government) chose
it for this year's theme," Hopper said.
Also, in the past there has been a photo
booth, giving students an opportunity to take
some sort of memorabilia with them when
they left. For the theme of this year's Spring
Fling there have been some modifications
made to that.

"There is a whole scene in which students
can walk through and get pictures taken during," sophomore class president Amber Konopka said.
Konopka, a middle school math and science education major, said Spring Fling is a
good way for students to get together.
"It is a good time and different than a
usual social setting, as it a dinner dance. It
also helps to bring students closer together,"
Konopka said.
This year's Spring Fling will give students
a chance to escape and have a fun time with
those whom they have spent as much as (our
years with or even as little as two semester
with.
Spring Fling starts at 7 p.m. on March 30.
Tickets will be on sale for $5 · until Wednesday, March 27 in the Henry Student Union
Building.
CONTACT ABBEY HALDEMAN AT:
abbey.ha/deman@wilkes.edu

Continued from Page 11
video in there. I went skydiving twice and it
was the coolest thing I've ever done. It was
great time.
If there was a movie made about your life,
what actor would you want to portray you?
Osborn: I would want Vmce Vaughn's per-

sonality in Kate Hudson's body.
Astrin: I would want Michael Scott's character from the office. Not Steve Carel! as a
person, but Michael Scott's actual character.

•

If you could have any super power what
would it be?
Osborne: Definitely teleportation.
Astrin: I would say, just to be able to fly on

a whim like Superman.
What is your favorite restaurant?
Osborn: Carmines and the Melting Pot.
They're pretty tied for me right now.
Astrin: I've been a recent regular at Frank's
Pizza on Main Street. It's awesome.
Where is the most interesting place you've
ever been to?
Osbvrn: Capri, Italy. I studied abroad there
for a semester.
Astrin: The Seven Tubs up near Bear Creek.
It was interesting because being in a city like
Wilkes-Barre and having that only 10 minutes
away, it is nice to have a cool get away like
right next door. I don't get out much (laughs).
What is your most unique talent?
Osborn: I can French braid my hair upsidedown.

What is your favorite time of year (season)?
Osborn: Summer because it's my birthday
season. There's wedding seasons, like I have
a birthday season.
Astrin: I would say spring because my
birthday is in the spring, and I like the renewal that the season brings.
What would you do if you had a time machine?
Osborn: I would go back to the like the
1920s. I feel like there are a lot of things I
could make happen. I could make my name
in history, especially as a woman.
Astrin: I would go back to the 1600' or
1700s because it would be interesting to see
how people interacted more with each other
then we do today.
What is some advice you have for students
living on campus?
Osborn: I would say to definitely get involved on campus. I think the more involved
you are, the more fun you'll actually have and
get to know different people from different
majors, grade levels from freshman to senior.
Astrin: Your campus experience is like a
cocoon where you're inside this place where
you can grow, mature and and evolve as a person and you eventually graduate and appreciate the experiences that you had, not only you
were a student at Wilkes, but the experiences
you had living on campus.

CONTACT REBECCA BOLUS AT:
rebecca.bolus@wilkes.edu

Take your classes here.
Transfer your credits.

SAVE LOTS OF MONEY.

�MARCH 27, 2012

CONTACT EDITOR: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Old is new again: The enduring appeal of vinyl
How a seemingly obsolete recording format is bridging the generational gap
BY BILL THOMAS

Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
Spinning. Shining. Black.
Needle strikes vinyl. There's a faint hiss, as
though the record player were a hotplate, with
music notes sizzling in place ofbacon ' n' eggs.
Then, a voice. Sounding as clear and packed
with raw feeling as the day the song was recorded, decades ago. The audio is not just
crisp, but also warm. Enveloping.
Jay Notartomaso goes back to work, swimming around in waves of sound. He takes a
black vinyl record out of its casing, inspects
it, puts it in a pile. Does the same with another
one. And another. And a couple dozen more.
Some go in one pile. Some go in another. _
This is a life Notartomaso has lived and-.
loved for more than 25 years. That's how long
he's been the owner and operator of Musical
Energi on 59 N. Main St. in Wilkes-Barre. His
love affair with vinyl, though, can be traced
back even farther.
"I got my first record player when I was 4
years old. My dream was to be up to my eyeballs in records, and that's basically what's
happened," he said.
No kidding. The shelves of Notartomaso's
shop are lined with LPs. Picture-discs and
singles by everyone from Billy Idol and Tiffany to Motorl!ead hang on the walls. There
are stacks and there are stacks, and then, just to
switch things up, there are more stacks.
"When I went to college, I had student
loans, but I would sacrifice food for records,"
Notartomaso said. "When you buy a record
you actually own something, as opposed to
a download, which is just a tiny little spot on
your hard drive."
That's part of why Notartomaso feels vinyl
records have endured while cassette tapes and
8-tracks have gone the way of the dinosaur.
But another key to their resilience in the hearts
of music aficionados is their resilience to the
entropic effects of aging.
"Vmyl is a permanent format. Records wear
very, very little, as long as you have a good
record player and a good needle," he said.
"Most damage that happens to records is
when they're not being played. People don't
put them back right or they don't know how
to handle them. But if you take care of them
they'll last many lifetimes. We have records
now from when they first started making re-

The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

Above: Trevor Kurtz has parlayed his love of vinyl into a classic rock show on Wilkes' radio station, spinning records from his
personal collection on-air. Right : Musical Energi in Wilkes-Barre offers a an extensive array of vintage records for music fans.

cords that are in beautiful condition."
Looking back on the more than two decades
he's spent preserving the legacy of vinyl in
his own small way, Notartomaso has watched
trends and cultural shifts breeze in and out the
front door of Musical Energi.
It's probably an understatement to say that
the enthusiast in him is excited by the revitalized interest in vinyl he's witnessed firsthand
from his post behind the counter at his shop.
"It's great for me to see young people, especially, who like records. For me, it's a nostalgia
thing. I grew up with records. It's part of my
history. But to see young people who like to
play records, I feel like there's more to it than
that."
One member of the new generation that has
embraced vinyl is Wilkes University student
and junior communication studies major Trevor Kurtz, who hosts the Vital Vmyl radio show
on 90.7 WCLH, every Wednesday at4:30 p.m.
For Kurtz, it is indeed more than nostalgia.
It's an event.
"I'd rather hold this big ol' thing," Kurtz said,
comparing the new Bruce Springsteen LP,
"Wrecking Ball," to its shrimpier CD counterpart. "Yesterday, I got this record in the mail. I
sat on my couch, reading the lyrics, looking at
the artwork. It's an experience. It involves you
more in the music."

Kurtz's affection for
the format had led him to
amass an extensive - and
ever-expanding - collection. It's not just his
love of classic rock or his
preference for the more
irnmersive
experience
of playing records that
ultimately attracts him,
however. In Kurtz's view,
vinyl is simply a superior
format.
"With digital and CDs now, the recording
process is different. It has a cold sound to it
and it just doesn't sound right," he explained.
"With vinyl, it's a much warmer sound, a
much nicer sound. The fact of the matter is,
with digital recording every record from every
band sounds the same. With vinyl, you have
different textures with different bands."
It is that sense of auditory excellence that
Kurtz believes has not only imbued vinyl with
an eternal appeal, but has also given rise to the
format's resurgence in the current musical climate. According to The Nielsen Company &amp;
Billboard's 2011 Music Industry Report, sales
of vinyl LPs increased a whopping 36 percent
from 2010 to 2011, marking a Nielsen SoundScan sales record.

No other format's growth matched that number. Conversely, CD sales dropped by more
than 5 percent.
"There's a generation of people coming up
that are like me," Kurtz said. "They're interested in the older technology because the newer
technology is too much. For me, it's too much.
I don't like downloading. I don't download
legally, I don't download illegally. I just don't
do it.
"Frankly, the generation before us, I think,
was much more concerned with convenience
than quality. I think we're starting to see a turnaround in that."
CONTACT BILL THOMAS AT:
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

�Stiff upper lip: Student
seeks facial hair fame
BY BILL THOMAS

to donate the prize to Student Government.
That prize? A $500 gift certificate to SpenArguably, few things say "man" in as man- cer's Gifts.
ly a manner as a mustache.
"I think with that they could throw a pretty
Monolithic mountains o' machismo as kick-ass laser-light black-light party for the
iconic as Burt Reynolds, Theodore Roosstudents."
evelt, Wilfred Brimley and John Holmes
Though Margavage is enthusiastic and
have all boasted bountiful gardens of bushy hopes to solidify the terms of his donation
bristles upon their upper lips, as if to com- soon, Student Government President William
municate to the world - and to the ladies in Eggleston pointed out that no definitive plans
particular - that the potency of their testos- for any such party have been made.
terone levels is simply not to be questioned.
"We are always interested in fulfilling as
These days, it's not always easy finding a many student requests as possible and we
chap with enough two-fisted derring-do and would certainly do everything in our power
shave-resistant stalwartness to rock a robust to make the event happen if we received the
mustache the likes of which Yosemite Sam donation," Eggleston said via email.
would envy.
"However, students would need to underWilkes University student Mark Marga- stand that events take a lot of preliminary
vage, however, might just be
planning and realistically
NEPA's great mustachioed
any sort of black-light parhope.
ty or other event covered
"The looks I get are usualby the donation would not
ly from girls who just can't
take place until the fall sebelieve it, or from guys who
mester at the earliest."
are jealous and wish they
As of press time, Marcould grow a mustache like
gavage has more than 800
this," Margavage said with a
votes, putting him in fourth
chuckle. "I groom it every
place. And rising.
day and it gets a little bit bet"The top three mustachter every day."
es (besides my own) are all
So distinctive are the jufake mustaches," Marganior earth and environmenvage said, imploring WilJill science major's handlekes students to stand up
bar whiskers that they've
for the cause of facial hair
begun to get him attention
Courtesy of Mark Margavage authenticity.
whenever he goes out. It's Margavage hopes this picture Margavage's three main
not uncommon for awe- will earn him the top spot in the competitors
currently
struck passerby to stop Mar- "Mustache March" contest.
include "Nanuwins," a
gavage and ask him to pose
woman wearing a fake
for a picture.
mustache, "Kristina," an infant whose picture
One such instance recently inspired the Ed- features her clad in a wool cap with a fake
wardsville native to try and take his mustache beard attached to it, and "Lostboyz70x," a
national. After a Spencer's Gifts employee man who isn't wearing even a fake mustache
spotted Margavage's impressive 'stache, she in his photo. Instead, the mustache has been
told him about a contest sponsored by Spen- drawn with marker onto the photo itself
cer's, called Mustache March.
"This is important. Help me beat these phoThe contest encourages mustachioed men nies."
- and women! - of all ages to submit a headVoting ends Saturday, March 31. To vote
shot so that Facebook users can vote on just for Margavage, go to facebook.com/spencers
who actually has the best mustache of them and search for "Mark" using the Mustache
all. Now, Margavage is on a campaign to be Marchapp.
crowned Mustache Master.
Users can vote once a day, though voting
"I have a legit shot at this if the Wilkes stu- is not supported by the mobile app and must
dents support it. I figured, if they support me be done using either a desktop or laptop comit's only right that I give back, " Margavage puter.
said.
It is with that sentiment in mind that Mar- CONTACT BILL THOMAS AT:
gavage, if his campaign is successful, plans billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor

Courtesy of Sarah Hassinger
Art Club members, from left, include: pre-pharm freshman Kalie Burke, business
administration freshman Shayne Wharton and pre-pharm freshman Riley Jackson.

Creative juices flow at
at new campus art club
BY JANEL NARO

Assistant Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
With busy class schedules, social activities,
assignments to complete and papers to write,
students have a hard time fitting in recreational pastimes such as art or music.
But for those willing to make time for their
passion, Wilkes University's new Art Club,
formed just last semester, gives students outside of the art department the chance to partake in art projects throughout the year.
"It seems so ridiculous that Wilkes didn't
have an art club before," Sarah Hassinger,
president and founder of the club, said. "I
came from a school in an area, Neshaminy
High School, outside of Philadelphia, where
art is just such an important thing and everyone does art at least once. I was surprised they
didn't have anything here."
Most of all, Hassinger is passionate about
providing an opportunity for busy students to
express their artistic capabilities.
"It just helps you think differently," Hassinger said. "You need a club for people to be
able to go that don't have art classes to just
do art."
Hassinger, being a freshman pre-pharm major, cradles a busy academic schedule, but still
finds time to start a club and host creative outlets for students.
"I took it lightly at first and I started it, and
I did not realize how hard it would be," Hassinger said. "It's hard for one person to do, because we're a new club."
Sara Pisarchick, an integrated media professor at Wilkes, is the faculty adviser for the art

club. Being a new club, it doesn't have any officers other than president. Hassinger hopes to
build a committed group of officers for next
year and has a pool of26 members this year to
choose from.
Of those 26 members, about 10 different
people come to each event. Because of the low
tum-outs, events featuring an art project are
held at various times instead of having weekly
meetings during club hours.
The club's last project involved lighting a
candle and dripping the wax on canvas then
painting on top of it, then picking the wax off
when it dries.
"It doesn't take an artist exactly, someone
who's trained, with shadow and shading and
everything to do that," Hassinger said. "It's
just fun."
Hassinger has creative ideas for future projects, including a group statue made of recyclable materials in honor of Earth Day. Their upcoming event will feature a listening session,
creating art inspired by music.
"I'm going to have a really crazy diverse
playlist of!Jlusic playing and we'll paint colors
that you associate with each genre of music.
So each song will have a different beat, mood
and tone and you'll express it using colors and
lines," Hassinger said.
Anyone interested in joining the Art Club
can email Hassinger at sarah.hassinger@wilkes.edu or check out the Art Club's Facebook
group by searching "Wilkes University Art
Club."
CONTACT JANEL NARO AT:
janel.naro@wilkes.edu

�15

THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

A&amp;E

From page to screen: 'Hunger Hikers journey through nature,
Games' film brings book to life self-discovery in 'End to Ending'
BY ANNIE YOSKOSKI
Staff Writer

When the announcement of the "Hunger
Games" movie adaptation was made, I was
wary. "Oh, great," I thought, "Another amazing book that the movie will ruin."
Well, I was wrong. "The Hunger Games"
is an amazing movie, capturing the essence of
the book without sacrificing the art of film.
Reading the book, the characters are welldescribed. The film adaptation nailed down
those descriptions and picked a perfect cast
consisting of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss
Everdeen, Josh .Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark,
and Liam Hensworth as Gale. Jennifer Lawrence is best known for her Oscar-nominated
role in2010's "Winter's Bone."
The story features a concept disturbing to
some people. Two teenagers from each of 12
districts are chosen to compete in a fight to the
death on national television. Needless to say,
there is a lot of action. The action scenes in the
arena, where the games take place, were fast
and precise.
Seeing the images on the screen was almost paralyzing in their uncanny likeness to
what readers had previously pictured. The
violence and brutality of the book is still in
the movie, but, due to the PG-13 rating, it is
faster and less drawn-out.
What amazed me the most was the actors'
ability to keep the different plots and sub-plots
of the movie as important as the special effects and theatrics. In addition to the titular gan1es, there is a romance, a look
at the home lives of those in the
impoverished districts, the
decadent reality of the
Capitol, and the
entire idea
of a

dystopian America. l11e bittersweet romance
scenes between Peeta and Katniss in the cave
of the arena are just as important as the deaths
of the games' contestants.
Due to the craziness ofthe Capitol as it was
depicted on the page, T wasn't sure that everything would tum out well on the big screen.
But, once again I was pleasantly surprised as
every wonderful, strange hair color and skin
tint turned out vivid and striking, leaving the
impression that the viewer was supposed to
come away with a realization of how extreme
this world is. Lenny Kravitz makes a perfect
Cinna, and takes the outrageous character to
new levels.
Few scenes from the book were left out
of the movie. The only thing that readers may
miss is the character of Madge
source of the Mockin ·
pin which holds so mt ·
symbolic signific
in the story. 0th
than that, eve
other detai I fi
neatly
int
place, inter
locking th
story
an ·
reality in its
wonderful
film adaptation.

BY KIRSTIN COOK
Editor-in-Chief

It's not about the beginning or the end, it's
about the journey.
This is the message the book "End to Ending: an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker's Sto1y"
gives while telling the story of the author's
hike along the 2,000 mile path.
Tanner Critz told the story of his six and a
half month-long trip from Georgia to Maine.
But, this tale is about much more than walking.
It's about his self-realization as he transfom1s
into his trail. name, Wayah, and the memorable
experiences he has making close friends along
th.e way.
Critz, a young college student, start.&lt;; off his
trek alone. But, he's not alone for long,
as he meets up with a band of
various hikers with distinct
personalities.
.,,,.
The new ac~
quaintances join
~
Critz to form

*,.~

·

~

•..

, C

...
0

*

ing group, the
Vikings. The
group builds
a sense of
camaraderie
based
on
their
support and

reliance during the strenuous travel.
You begin to feel like you're one of the
Vikings as you follow them along. They create a tradition of sharing potluck camp food
over little camp stoves, write inside jokes
through the Appalachian Trail shelter journals
and build other memories that you can't help
but feel a part of.
Despite the Vikings' man-bonding antics,
there's a serious, emotional strain un~ eath
the whole story. There's a recurring reflection ofpersonal gro""th, and the ever-looming
threat that someone will cut their journey
sho1t.
If you read this book, don't expect a climax or any fonn of action. There isn' t a lot of
excitement built into the plot; it's not that type
of story. It more describes a setting, and the
overall fee.ling of the journey.
While some might find this format to be
boring, I fmmd it peaceful and relaxiru5. l
think anyone who enjoys simply walking in
the woods or camping would get that same
sense.
At times, 1 wish the description was enhanced more on the surroundings and the nature they come across. While the development
of the setting gave you a picture, it didn't quite
satisfy my urge to want to drink the whole
journey in with all its details.
Nevertheless, the book was a light read
to give outdoors enthusiasts wann feelings
in their chest. The emotional and memorable
qualities of this book make it hard to believe
it's actually just about walking 2,000
miles.
Spoiler alert: He finished
the trail.

ungry for Asian eats? Try Akeno Sus

BY BILL THOMAS
Staff Writer

Luzerne County doesn't
exactly have the most tantalizing array of
options to offer those with a taste for sushi.
Super Happy Panda Fan1ily King Buffet isn't
going to cut it. Fortunately for those looking
for higher quality Japanese eats at reasonable prices, a new restaurant has opened up
in downtown Wilkes-Barre: Akeno Sushi, located at 72 S. Main St.
In the interest of trying as wide a range
of Akeno's offerings as possible - on a col1.egiate budget, no less - dinner for this outing
consisted of "Sushi for 2," a sampler platter
boasting an impressive selection of nigiri, as
well as a California Roll (crab, cucumber and
avocado) and a Spicy Tuna Roll (plenty of

tuna, but surprisingly not a lot of spice).
Before that, though, soup and salad acted
as an admirable appetizer. Though the Mi.so
soup lacked the authenticity the rest of the
meal would proudly present, it was also far
less salty and, thankfully, less gritty than the
soup-mix Miso of other budget Asian eateries.
More successful was the ginger dressing
that was piled on the otherwise unren1arkable
salads. Setting itself apart from its competitors,
Akeno presented a clearly homemade ginger
dressing more robust than the watery sort
found elsewhere. Almost like coleslaw more
than a salad dressing, with thick chunks of
ground ginger - and, in one instance, sesan1e
- clearly visible.
Onto the main event, each piece of nigiri
consisted
of a single,
thumb-

length bed of sticky rice topped by a length
of fish. The purpose was to highlight the
tastes and textures of each individual piece
of seafood, the simplicity allowing the inherent flavors of the fish to speak for themselves.
Featured fish included tuna, salmon, Spanish
mackerel, yellowtail, stray bass, red snapper,
fluke and eel. Portions were generous without
being indulgent.
The flavors in both the nigiri and the rolls
tasted fresh and clean. The rustic, earthy flavors of the mackerel and eel packed the boldest wallop whereas the fluke, yellowtail and
snapper offered a more subtle, airy experience.
Green tea-flavored mocha ice crean1 - essentially rice-based ice cream wrapped in a soft
dough - capped the feast nfoeiy, oftering just
the right mixture of chewy,
•
chilly
and

3 5/5

subtle sweet to make a
dessert ideally matched to
the meal preceding it.
For the more adventurous, Akeno offers a variety of rolls both standard and w1ique, as well as tempura and
unagi don (broiled eel over white rice). Most
specialty rolls are priced in the $10 range,
which puts Akeno in an admirable position of
marrying affordability with delectability.
All told, "Sushi for 2" cost around $30,
which, taking into account beverages, soup
and salad, is pretty respectabl.e indeed. Throw
in an enthusiastic staff and a tranquil atmosphere, and Akeno Sushi proves itself another
exciting addition to Wilkes-Barre's downtown dining scene.
CONTACT BILL THOMAS
billthomas@thewilkes.beacon

�MARCH 27, 2012

Colonels drop series to FDU-Florham
Devils use multiple late-inning rallies to down Wilkes
BY JUSTIN FRANIAK

BY BRYAN WISLOSKY

Sports Editor
The Wilkes baseball team suffered three
losses this past weekend in MAC conference play.
FDU-Florham used a late inning rally on
Friday to take down the Colonels in the first
of a three game series.
Junior Zach Lazar gave the Colonels just
over six inning, allowing 11 hits and recording three strikeouts.
Senior Matt Ruch gave the Colonels a
triple in the first inning to start the Colonels
scoring.
Senior Mike Olerta took a pitch to the
body, allowing Wilkes to put a run on the
board.
The Colonels would hold a 1-0 lead going into the fourth inning until FDU came
and tied up the score, eventually taking the
lead.
Senior Tay Sidler helped the Colonels
take the lead in the sixth inning by getting
walked and moved to second after Mike
Olerta's sacrifice bunt.
Freshman Stephen Ruch would help Sidler score with a two-run RBI.
FDU would use a triple and a single to
bump their lead to 3-2.
Junior Carmen Lopresto would use a
deep triple, along with a wild pitch, to help
the Colonels take a 4-3 lead in the seventh
• inning.
Freshman Dan Pisanchyn used his pinch
hitting appearance to his full advantage, using a double to give Wilkes an 8-4 lead.
FDU would not stay silent, as they blew
the game wide open the next inning.
The Devils used three hits and a multiple
run double to take the lead 12-8 in their last
appearances at the plate.
The Colonels would only manage to
score two additional runs, and fell to the
Devils 12-10 in the first meeting of these
teams this past weekend.
The Colonels schedule continued to be
grueling as they traveled to FDU-Florham
on Saturday after losing a close nine-inning
affair the day before.
The Colonels jumped out to a 3-2 lead
in the -first of the afternoon doubleheader.

The Broad Street
Breakdown
Columnist

The Beacon/Laura Preby

Junior pitcher Zach Lazar (right) throws a pitch during Friday's baseball game
against FDU-Florham. Wilkes went on to lose the game 12-1 o._T~e ~olon_els ~ro~ped
the three game series to the Devils. Lazar pitched just over six innings m his Friday
outing. Freshman Stephen Ruch (left) added a two-run RBI in the contest.

Sophomore Tyler Marino and freshman
Dan Pysanchyn would work together with a
double and single to put the Colonels out in
front.
The Devils would come back to tie the
game 3-3 and send the contest into extra innings.
In the bottom of the eigth the Devils would
use a RBI single to grab the win from the
Colonels, 4-3.
Wilkes would have no luck in the second
contest of the day either.
The Devils continued their streak by scoring 12 runs through six innings jumping out
to a 12-3 lead.
Wilkes would put up nine runs, including
Pisanchyn and Stephen Ruch who would
reach base and score. Sophomore A.J. Mihaly blasted a three-run home run to keep
Wilkes in striking distance.
The rally was not enough as the Devils
scored six runs in the next two innings, and
Wilkes fell for the third time 18-9.
Senior Pitcher Mark Siebel said the Colo-

nels need to finish ·their games strong in order to get back to their winning ways.
Mike Olerta thinks that the next time the
Colonels see the Devils, the outcome will be
different.
"It was a tough series, we battled hard the
first two games," Olerta said. "I definately
feel that if we get another shot at them in the
playoffs things will go differently."
Mark Siebel believes that finishing games
is the key to winning.
"When we are winning we need to keep
playing hard," Siebel said."We need to work
on having games where we hit, pitch and
field well, not just one of the three."
The Colonels currently sit with a record of
5-10.
Wilkes will be in action again against the
University of Scranton on Wed. March 28 at
Artillery Park.

CONTACT JUSTIN FRANIAK AT:

justinfraniak@thewilkesbeacon.com

This Sunday, April 1, 2012, we finally
get the mega-event we've been waiting for
since last April.
Live on pay-per-view, in Miami, Florida,
in the legendary Orange Bowl, is the historic Wrestlemania 28.
This year is possibly the most star-studded
line up in the nearly three decade history of
the event, headlined of course by the clash
of the titans of the wrestling world, when
John Cena goes one:on-one with the Great
One, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. This
match was made on the Monday Night Raw
after last year's Wrestlemania, so needless
to say, it has some hype.
Also on the card is the End of an Era
match, where The Game, HHH, takes on
the Deadman, the Undertaker, inside "Hell
in a Cell," with special guest referee Shawn
Michaels, the Heartbreak Kid.
The Apocalyptic Warrior is undefeated
at the Show of Shows and can make it an
unthinkable 20-0 with a victory over the
Cerebral Assassin. The only thing is, HHH
nearly ended "The Streak" at last year's
Wrestlemania, and Taker didn't even leave
the ring under his own power.
Then there is the bout for the WWE
Championship between current champion
CM Punk and Chris Jericho. This match
will determine who truly is "The Best in the
World."
Also, we have the World Heavyweight
Championship match between D~el Bryan and Sheamus.
The Celtic Warrior earned this title shot
against D-Bry by winning the 2012 Royal
Rumble match.
As we move down the card, there is the
12-man tag match where Raw General
Manager, Johnny "Ace" Laurinaitis, will
put a team together against Smackdown
GM, Teddy Long, where the winner will
gain cont,rnl over both shows.
Team Johnny consists of team captain David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger,
Mark Henry, Christian and a wrestler to be
named later.
SEE WWE, PAGE 19

�17

SPORTS

THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

SCOREBOARD
Baseball
3/20 Penn College L 6-7
3/23 FDU-Florham L 10-12
3/24 POU-Florham L 3-4,
..,
L9-18

Softball
3/21 Alvernia L 8-9, L 2-10

W-Tennis
3/22 Haverford W 8-1

Lacrosse
3/22 Albright W 20-13
3/24 Cedar Crest W 16-4

WEEKAHEID
Baseball
3/28 Scranton
3/29 Keuka

Softball
3/29 Lebanon Valley
3/31 Manhattanville

W-Tennis
3/31 Eastern

M-Tennis
3/31 Eastern
4/1 Marywood

Lacrosse
3/31 Rosemont

East- Miami Marlins-97 wins, Philadelphia Phillies-94 wins- Wild Card #1
The NL East is one of the most competitive
divisions in baseball.
Last year, the Phillies won the division with
a MLB best 102 wins and a monstrous pitching rotation.
The Marlins have a new look, with a new
stadiwn and new players. They brought inAllStars Jose Reyes, Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle.
The Braves also have a good team with
deep pitching staff and an interesting mix of
veterans and young players, even .after their
record collapse last season.
This year, I think the Marlins will come
through.
The Phillies still have the best rotation in the
division. But they might have the worst offense. Ryan Howard could miss most of the
season with an Achilles injury, and Chase Utley is now in question.
I still pick the Phillies to get a wild card slot.

Central- Cincinnati Reds-94 wins,
Brewers-92 wins- Wild Card #2
Last year when Adam Wainwright went
down with an injury. I counted the Cardinals
out. They ended up winning the World Series.
This year they have no Pujols, and Chris Carpenter is looking like he is not healthy.
It's hard to count the defending champs out.
The Brewers lost Prince Fielder and a lot of
protection and power in the lineup. But they
did add Aramis Ramirez and already have a
top of the line young pitching rotation that is
probably in the top three in the NL.
I pick them to win the Wild Card and play
the Phillies in the play-in game.
The Reds are my dark horse this year.
Last year, the Reds were at the bottom of the
league in pitching with a lot of injuries and inconsistences.

NL West- Arizona Diamondbacks-95
wins

Send messages
and pictures to

@wilkesbeacon

Last year was no fluke for the Dbacks. They
won the west by eight games over the defending champion Giants.
I love the Giants pitching rotation, but their
hitting is just not good enough to compete
with the best. The return of Posey will help,
and Lincecwn will have a much better year
than last.
I like the Dbacks with their young talent, Ian
Kennedy, who has come into his own, and a
great manager in Kirk Gibson. I see them winning by a game or two.

East-New York Yankees 103 wins,
Red Sox 97 wins-Wild Card #1, Rays95 wins-Wild Card #2
The American League East might be the
best division in the history of sports this
year. The Yankees have added a ton of
pitching both young and old, addressing
their major need last year.
The Rays are a young team that just won't
die. Mix the cut-throat "us against the world
mentality," a great coach in Joe Maddon and
a young pitching rotation, and they are a
dangerous team.
The Red Sox have all the talent they need,
and new manager Bobby Valentine is bringing a fresh new mentality.
The Blue Jays are worth mentioning, sin_ce
they lead the league in home runs and ~ve
great young pitching coming up this year.

Central- Detroit Tigers 100 wins
The Central is a mess this year, and the
only constant is the Tigers. They added
Prince Fielder to the monster Miguel Cabrera for the best 3-4 combo in the bigs. Mix
that with Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and a
great bullpen, this is a runaway year for the Tigers. The only question is Cabrera's move
to third.
The White Sox and Twins have disappeared and the Indians cannot stay healthy,
so look for the Royals to finish second with
an 85-win season but not come within 12 of
the Tigers.

West- LA Angels 96 wins
The West is interesting.
Take out the two bottom feeders in Oakland and Seattle, and you have a slugfest
that spans 162 games for the division title.
The Angels have vastly improved with
Pujols and CJ Wilson coming over.
The Angels rotation rivals the Phillies and
is extremely deep.
The Angels had 86 wins last year before
adding Pujols, a 15-plus game winner in
Wilson and healthy Morales. Look for them
to get 96 wins.
Texas has a great lineup but their pitching
is a question mark. We don't know how Yu
Darvish will do and their team lost their ace.
I foresee them having 90 wins, but no playoffs because of the strength of the Angels
and the East division.
My ALCS pick is going to be the Tigers. I
believe the Tigers have a fantastic pitching
staff, and I am huge on Doug Fister. I think
the Yankees will face them in the championships series, but Prince Fielder will claim
his throne in the World Series.

�THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -SPORTS
--~----------------------

18

Wilkes downs BU Huskies

The Beacon/Laura Preby

Amanda Rossi warms up before she and her teammates defeated Division II foe
Bloomsburg University. Wilkes claimed victories in four out of six singles matchups. The team of Junior Alexis Donner and Sophomore Ally Kristofco clinched the
victory for the Colonels in their doubles matchup. Wilkes beat the Huskies 5-4 and
will be in action again March 31 against Eastern.

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146 SOUTH PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE/ WILKES-BARRE, PA 18701

We're hiring
No experience necessary.
We'll train.
The Beacon will begin accepting applications April 2 for
all the positions you see listed here.

Don't leave Wilkes with just an education ... get experience. Working with The Beacon provides an opportunity
to improve communication skills that are essential for
any career field.
For more information, contact Kirstin Cook,
editor-in-chief, at kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu, 570408-5903 OR Dr. Loran Lewis, adviser, loran.
lewis@wilkes.edu, 570-408-4165

UBEACO N

~
r-'

News of Toda

Re orted B

the .Journalists of Tomorrow

�19

THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

Wrestlers attend benefit

-

WWE
Continued from Page 16

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Team Long has team captain Santino
Marella, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Zack
Ryder, The Great Khali, and another
mystery participant.
It should be noted thift by the time this
article comes out, the final two wrestlers for the match will most likely be
revealed, but for now my predictions
are Miz for Laurinaitis, and Brodus
----·--Clay for Long.
Next, we have Randy Orton taking on
Kane. The Viper and the Devil's Favorite Demon should put on a good show
for the crowd.
Then there is the match for the Intercontinental Title where Big Show
hopes to end his string ofWrestlemania
woes against current champion Cody
Rhodes.
The final match currently on the card
is the Divas tag match, featuring Maxim bombshell Kelly Kelly teaming up
with the host of Extra, Maria Menounos, to take on the dastardly Eve Torres and Divas Champion Beth Phoenix.

This match is really only on the card as filler.
As far as winners go, my predictions are
Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos, Cody
Rhodes retains the Intercontinental Title,
Randy Orton, Laurinaitis will take control
of both shows, Sheamus becomes the new
World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk
retains his WWE Championship, Undertaker
goes to 20-0, and as much as I am a part of
Team Bring It, I have to say that the Cenation leader will take the victory in The Rock's
hometown. John Cena is just too big a star,
and Rocky just isn't around enough that a win
will do the company any good. Either way,
Wrestlemania has a sick lineup and could
possibly be the greatest show of the year in
the world of sports entertainment.
CONTACT BRYAN WISLOSKY AT:

bryan.wis/osky@wilkes.edu

OPEN HOUSE
I
:s
.n

:e
w
:n

is
1r,
n

Photo courtesy of Dave Oberrender

Wilkes wrestlers Dave Oberrender (left), Ben Marich (middle), and Eric Bach
(right) pose with Natalie Smirne. They recently attended a benefit for Smirne
held at Kildare's Irish Pub in Scranton. The benefit was held to raise money to
renovate Smirne's home to accomadate her and her new wheelchair. For information or to donate contact Oberrender at david.oberender@wilkes.edu.

@

40 WEST ·

At 40 West, you get the best. And then some.
We' re hosting an Open House on a Saturday for students 8: parents to check out all the
great amenities 40 West has to offer!
WHEN: 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Saturday, March 31
WHERE: Wilkes-Barre YMCA Lobby-enter through Franklin St.
WHY: To showcase our amazing, new student housing complex!
PERKS: Free food, awesome tour of modern &amp; safe apartments and
applications/leasing packets available!

RSVP on Facebook! 40 West Apartments
' Follow us on Twitter! @40WestApts

Call us with questions! 570.855.4686
Email our community coordinator, Jacki Lukas-jlukas@radnorproperty.com

�SPORTS

:..

Check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com ~

THE BEACON I MARCH 27, 2012

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1947 August 8th&lt;br /&gt;1947 September 5th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 3rd&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 17th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 31st&lt;br /&gt;1947 November 21st&lt;br /&gt;1947 December 19th&lt;br /&gt;1948 September 9th&lt;br /&gt;1950 April 28th&lt;br /&gt;1953 April 10th&lt;br /&gt;1962 February 2nd&lt;/p&gt;</text>
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THE BEACON

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Wilkes dining officials say the amount of food that comes back on the cafeteria .conveyor belt is frightening. They believe the problem
stems from the majority of student who fill their trays to the maximum but only eat a portion of the food.

.

Food waste at Wilkes has negative impacts
tined for the landfill can be downright frightening.
"If you spend a few hours in the
dish room, the sheer amount of
Christina Martinez takes a bite of food that comes back there somemashed potatoes in the Wilkes caf- times is really scary," Dining Sereteria and decides they taste bad.
vices General Manager Ronald
So, she brings the almost un- Williams said.
touched bowl to the conveyor belt
The U.S. Environmental Protecand sends it away to the dish room. tion Agency states that in 2010
"I throw out a lot, actually," the more than 33 million tons of food
freshman biology major said.
waste was thrown away, accountAnd Martinez isn't the only one. ing for almost 14 percent of all
Wilkes dining officials say the garbage.
amount of food that comes back
The stream of food waste from
on the cafeteria conveyor belt des- Wilkes alone is impacting the enBY KIRSTIN COOK
Editor-in-Chief

vironment by adding to swelling
landfills, as well as the Wilkes budget because of high costs associated with this garbage. The issue is
fed by a lack of awareness, leading
to excess food being tossed.
Williams said the problem stems
from the majority of students who
fill their trays to the maximum but
only eat a portion of the food.
"A lot of p«:!ople take something
from every station and then end up
throwing maybe a third ofit away,"
Williams said.
He said a lot of people don't think
about how much they're wasting,

and he'd like to make them more
aware.
Williams explained there are
costs throughout the food cycle from bringing in the food and preparing it to transporting the waste
to the landfill - putting a price tag
on every plate of disposed food.
Luzerne County recycling coordinator Beth DeNardi said this cost
is the bottom line ofreducing food
waste.
"I think once you start diverting
the food from the waste stream,
SEE WASTE, PAGE 3

The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow
Check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com ~

�CONTACT EDITOR: phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

APRIL 3, 2012

Wilkes trains leaders through annual service positions
BY PHAT NGUYEN
News Editor

Senior English major Jason Neare is
looking at programs with the Duke Talent
Identification Program where he would be
in charge of teaching talented high school
graduates upon graduation.
He is also considering doing a writing program with Duke in New Mexico about politics and law in China.
This is all possible because he was one of
the Wilkes scholars selected for the Scholars
in Service to Pennsylvania program.
Wilkes University is partnering with
ArneriCorps for the sixth consecutive year.
The school has been awarded more than
ten part-time ArneriCorps positions.
The program is centered on the student's
personal interests allowing them to coordinate and plan their own service event said
Me!i11 Boone Valkenburg, the civic engagement and community service coordinator.
ArneriCorps, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a
federal agency, supports more than 50,000
people each year who make significant service commitments.
Students will then plan and complete 300
hours of service in one year with an educational stipend of $117 5 from the Corporation
for National and Community Service.
They also receive leadership training and
help recruit additional volunteers.
Boone believes this will enable the school
to work closely with nonprofit agencies in
very meaningful ways.
"We have been able to pilot a communitycentered research project with the Victims
Resource Center through the hard work
and dedication of our Scholars in Service to
Pennsylvania students," Boone said. "This
research will help inform educational and
preventative programs on our campus."
Boone will be recruiting students for next
year's program from now through the end of

The Beacon/Kirstin Cook

Senior Jason Neare, a Wilkes Americorps scholar, takes part in Alternative Spring
Break in Costa Rica. Neare is considering more service projects upon graduation.

the spring semester. She is looking for students with outstanding leadership qualities
and will have trouble narrowing down to just
ten people.
"It is hard," Boone said with a smile
While there is an application process with
essays and recommendations required, the
competition will bring out the best in her

BEACON
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

PHONE: (570) 408-5903
WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

scholars, she said.
Neare, a current scholar, knew that he
wanted to become a leader in the community
and quickly took interest in helping people.
Some of the events on campus that he has
been a part of include the Orange Ribbon
Campaign for Domestic Violence Awareness
Month and the Root Beer Social, which was

a water pong tournament to raise awareness
of the use of narcotics/alcohol as a means of
committing rape.
Students were provided with the statistics
of date rape drugs during parties.
"The purpose of the projects are to raise
awareness of the ways in which students live
to make sure that they are safe outside of
the classroom," Neare said. "SISPA allows
students to do these tasks in order to break
through the barrier of reaching the college
community through peer advocacy."
These events lead to the Victim's Rights
Rally, Take Back the Night, which is when
Wilkes University and King's College recruit people to join an organized walk in
support of stopping domestic violence/rape,
Neare said.
Neare was able to apply his English background to Domestic Violence Service Center
workshops by providing the women with an
outlet to work on resumes, cover letters and
creative writing.
"One of the most rewarding experiences of
my time here at Wilkes was when one woman worked on a resume in the workshop,"
Neare said. "Two weeks later, the DVSC
notified us and said that the same woman
was able to attain the school job she wanted,
purchase her own home and regain a custody
fight for her children."
Neare was able to use his education to provide another individual with a better quality
of living, thus fulfilling the SIS PA goal.
Many of these SISPA scholars, such as
Neare, have had leadership opportunities in
the past, been involved with extracurriculars such as English honors society and are
very good at communicating, Boone said.
"My kids are not afraid to ask why and
how to get more involved. They're also not
afraid to talk to other students," Boone said.
A lot of her past scholars are still at Wilkes
as student teachers or working in nonprofit

SEE LEADERS, PAGE 3

Editorial Staff 2011-12
Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook
Managing Editor: Michael Klimek
Ad Manager: Brittany Battista
Photo Editor: Laura Preby
Adviser: Loran Lewis

News Editor: Phat Nguyen
Opinion Editor: Carly Yamrus
A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas
Life Editor: Christine Lee
Sports Editor: Justin Franiak

Meet the Staff

Serena Molyneux
Assistant Sports Editor

�THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012

WASTE

NEWS
ey

Continued from the front page
you'll see a drop in what it is you put out for
garbage," DeNardi said. "You'll see a drop
in the cost of it as well."

Composting as a solution
DeNardi said there are useful outlets for
food waste, such as composting the scraps
to create nutritious soil or giving it to local
farmers to feed livestock.
"You're taking something you could use
down the line, that doesn't require a lot of
work, and you're paying to throw it away,"
DeNardi said. "To me that doesn't make
sense."
She called composting a win-win situation because it would generate benefits at
the same time as reducing landfill that produces pollutants such as methane
DeNardi does not know of any area colleges that have a composting program. She
said it'd be a great idea for all of them to
start one, but she suggested preliminary
feasibility studies to determine effectiveness. The first step would require schools to
determine a location for the project.
"Unfortunately a lot of the colleges in ·
town don't have that type of space to work
with," DeNardi said, though Environmental and Earth Sciences professor Jule McMonagle said Wilkes could partner with local municipalities and organizations for the
project.
"It would require an investment of time
on Wilkes' part, but if at the end of the day
they can reduce their overall costs as well
as have some nice partnering activities, that
might be very attractive," McMonagle said.
DeNardi said the tangible benefits would
be w&lt;¥th the effort.
"With a compost pile, you're not going
to pay as much for garbage, you're doing something that's educational, plus you
could use the end product," DeNardi said.
"I don't see anything bad about that."
DeNardi stressed the most important
part of reducing waste is education. This
is something McMonagle also stresses in
class. She said a composting project would
be a powerful tool in this education process.
Developing a partnership project would
be time-consuming, but she said the rich
fertilizer from compost, cost-effectiveness
and positive press for Wilkes are just a few
of the rewards.

Simpler alternatives
EEES professor Mark Kaster added that
educating the public on food waste is a part
of Wilkes' role in the community.
"The university should be a leader in that
area, because that's all about educating the
community," Kaster said.
He said there seems to be a disconnect

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

The stream of uneaten food from the Wilkes cafeteria is affecting the environment by adding to landfills, as well as the Wilkes
budget because of high costs associated with this garbage. This issue is fed by a lack of awareness, leading to excess food being tossed. Dining Services tries to keep leftovers at a minimum by making food in small batches.

-----------------

between today's generations and the realization of how much work goes into producing
food.
"Maybe that's partial explanation why it's
so easy just to fill your plate up," Kaster said.
"You're on a meal plan, so mound it, and eat
half of it and the rest of it goes away."
Kaster said the solution to cutting food
waste in the Wilkes cafeteria is simple: Take
only as much as you're going to eat. But, he
said, this requires consciousness toward sustainability.
"It's a value thing," Kaster said. "If you really care, or even care a little bit, you say
'OK, I'll only take what I want.' You can always go back and get more. You don't have
to fill your plate massively."
He said producing compost would have local benefits because the soil quality in this
area is very low.
Williams said Dining Services tries to
keep leftovers at a minimum by making food
in small batches. He said they will give food
to the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in
Wilkes-Barre when the cafeteria closes for
breaks rather than letting it spoil.
Some schools are going tray-less to cut
back on waste, he said, something the Wilkes

cafeteria does on Earth DaY. to spread awareness. He said there's the potential to eliminate trays completely, which he believes
would be effective in decreasing waste. But
he said this would have to be student-driven
to be successful.
"It has to be student-driven almost, because at this point there's too much pushback from faculty, staff and students," Williams said. "If there was an initiative like
that that was student-driven, it definitely
wouldn't get a fight from us."
Despite the advantages of a compost
program, Williams said there is the major
downfall of the idea in who would take on
the project.
He said there would almost have to be an
employee on staff strictly to maintain that
program. In the meantime, he said other
routes to bring awareness - such as trayless initiatives and food donations - are a
step in the right direction.
"Anything we can do to reduce the amount
of food and garbage that's taken off campus
is a plus."
@kirstinjeancook
kirstincook@thewilkesbeacon.com

LEADERS

Continued from page 2
organizations.
Boone also encourages students to reapply, as they can be a scholar up to four times
as long as they meet criteria.
"When people see that you can give yourself up to help other people, think creatively and work with diverse people, it really
makes you stand out," Boone said.
"It shows that you are able to see projects
through a long period of time which employers are looking for."
Lisa Mulvey, career services and development coordinator, said professional volunteer experience always looks really good
on a resume.
"AmeriCorpS"is such a well-known, prestigious program," Mulvey said.
"To get accepted into a program like that
is definitely going to catch onto employers
especially if you can relate it to your major."
@phat_nguyen
phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

�THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012

NEWS

4

SG: Lady Luck and $12,000 in prizes for Casino Week
BY DEVON I NOVAK
Assistant News Editor

fundraise because we already have access to
the student activities fees."

Casino Night: Lady Luck will be sporting a dress made of student activities fees
- SG unanimously granted $11,900 of student activities fees to cover the cost of this
year's Casino Week.
Most of the money is projected to be spent
on prizes such as the MacBook Pro, the iPad,
a giant flatscreen TV, a skydiving trip, gift
cards and jewelry, just to name a few. Included in the budget will be a feast of pizza and
soda.
Pl pharmacy major and SG treasurer, Samantha Bickert presented the proposal and after re-joining the rest of SG, she was jokingly
told that her fund request was denied. Bickert
however, was not convinced and laughed off
the joke as she accepted just under $12,000
for the event.
When asked why SG was entitled to such
a large chunk of the student activity fee pot
without having to fundraise - a practice that
all of SG suggests to every club that receives
SG funding - sophomore political science
major Ian Foley explained, "We don't need to

SUB renovations aim at giving the first
Ooor of the SUB a more modern look Buffer fund has projected the renovations on
the first floor of the SUB to cost $105,000.
To achieve a coveted modem style, $15,000
of the budget will be used to buy new furniture and another $15,000 will be set aside
"just in case."
Taking students' feedback into consideration from the online survey, minor changes
to the virtual model will be made and installed accordingly when re-modeling takes
place this summer.
Instead of the tapered counter originally designed for the game room, a full counter is
preferable among students to make it more
functional and accessible.
The game room will also feature a half wall
that will be set against the future booths of
Rifkin Cafe. By dividing the space with a half
wall, a more modem, open feel is attempted.
In the lounge, the stage will be removed and
in its place will be a counter complete with
movable chairs.

Nominees for 2012-2013 SG President As the end of the school year approaches, it's
once again time to pick SG president for next
year.
So far the nominees include: junior nursing
major, Sam Schuler; sophomore mathematics
education major, Amber Konopka; and junior
pharmacy major, Kris Rivers.
Nominees who declined include: junior accounting and business administration major,
John Sweeny; sophomore political science
major, Ian Foley; and sophomore pharmacy
major, Julie Miller.
Further nominations will be announced at
the next SG meeting, followed by campus
voting and election.
Psi Chi's game show allows students to
talk about Wilkes -After their own department denied them the funds to host their annual fundraiser, The National Honor Society
of Psychology, Psi Chi, came to SG last week
to request $357.25 for a "Family Feud" event.
Senior psychology major Nick Zinskie presented on behalf of Psi Chi and explained that
while this is the only fundraiser used by Psi
Chi, their mock version of "Family Feud"

gives students a chance to "receive great prizes for participation in a campuswide event
that brings all students together to talk about
Wilkes."
After Zinskie's presentation was complete,
SG deliberated on the matter and ultimately
agreed with Zinskie. Psi Chi was granted the
full $357.25.
In preparation for the event, members of Psi
Chi first conduct a series of surveys across
campus and use the generated answers to
create their own version of this classic game
show.
After the top answers according to the surveys are recorded, Psi Chi must then await
interest to spark at sign-ups.
This year, interested students can register
at the table marked "Psi Chi" in the SUB on
Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11 a.m. and
1 p.m with a participation fee of $2.
Psi Chi's "Family Feud" will take place
on Tuesday, April 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the
SUB Ballroom. Refreshments and prizes will
be provided.
@DevoniNovak
devoninovak@thewilkesbeacon.com

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�THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012

NEWS

S

A Spark of Clean Energy: Marcellus Shale Formation
Natural gas industry to create more jobs, develop local businesses
BY BRYAN CALABRO

Design Editor

From the current drilling trend, within the
next 10 years the economic impact of the
Marcellus shale formation -- which underlies
60 percent of Pennsylvania's total landmass
-- will hit an all-time high throughout Pennsylvania. Job creation will be a result.
''NEPA has experienced significant job losses, higher unemployment, and net population
loss over the last 40 years.
The natural gas industry has created jobs in
its own industry, but also helped a number of
small businesses grow and become suppliers
and/or vendors to the industry," said Terry
Oomes, executive director for The Institute
for Public Policy and Economic Development.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection reports the number of natural gas drilled wells throughout the Marcellus
Shale formation has been increasing rapidly.
In 2007, only 2 7 wells were drilled in Pennsylvania. Now, the number of wells drilled

exceeds 4,000.
"With over 4,000 natural gas wells drilled in
Pennsylvania, drilling is more important than
ever. The presence of Marcellus shale has provided Pennsylvanians with direct and indirect
jobs, over 72,000," said Samuel Denisco, director of government affairs at the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.
The U.S. Geological Survey issued an updated Marcellus Shale resource assessment in
Pennsylvania, indicating that the "region contains some 84 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, recoverable natural gas, far more than
thought nearly a decade ago," as reported by
the Associated Press.
Dr. Sid P Halsor, professor of Environmental Engineering and Earth Science at Wilkes
University, agrees people will benefit directly
from natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.
"Job creation as a result of Marcellus -shale
gas development for people's development is
probably the biggest dividend from the development of gas play," Halsor said.
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"Natural gas is here to stay for quite some
time," Halsor said. "We are looking at 40 to
50 years of natural gas development for the
Marcellus Shale region."
He pointed out the economic impact drilling
has already had in Pennsylvania. UGI Penn
Natural Gas has already started reducing its
rates for Pennsylvania customers. This shows
the profound effect natural gas will have on
future economic success, Halsor said.
And even after these 40 to 50 years are
up, Halsor said if economics are right, much
deeper shale formations like the Utica formation can be drilled into.
The Utica shale formation is much thicker
than the Marcellus shale formation, geographically extensive and has already shown promise of a commercial impact in eastern Ohio.
Gene Andzulis, petroleum landman with
Gary A. Momoe and Associates, knows exactly what kind of commercial impact the Utica
shale formation can have.
Andzulis, a recent Penn State grad with a
B.S. in petroleum and natural gas engineering,
moved to Ohio because of a job opportunity to
work on the Utica shale formation.
"Drilling operations have· barely begun in
northeastern Pennsylvania, once the pipelines
have been placed and projects completed in
Ohio, western Pennsylvania operations will
move east," Andzulis said.
Andzulis said he understands the strong economic power natural gas has in rural regions.
"The economic impact natural gas drilling
has is limitless. Creating new, high-paying
jobs in a failing economy in a primarily rural
area is not an easy task, a task now possible,"
Andzulis said.
The Bureau of Labor statistics mirrors what
Andzulis says about the creation of jobs. Employment related to oil and natural gas extraction for January 2011 topped out at 186,000
jobs, a 1,000-job increase over December of
that year.
But there are many concerns about whether
these newly created jobs will be safe.
"With any work site comes hazards," said
Andzulis. "Those present on a drilling rig
come from a lot of overhead dangers such
as well casings, drilling components, tripped
pipe, etc."
Andzulis disagrees with the argument of
many anti-drilling advocates that the hydraulic fracturing process creates methane.
One of these anti-drilling advocates, Robert
W. Howarth, Cornell professor of ecology and
environmental biology, writes how the fracturing process creates methane in his scholarly
journal.
"Higher emissions from shale gas occur at
the time wells are hydraulically fractured as

methane escapes from flow-back return fluids
and during drill out following the fracturing,"
Howarth said.
Andzulis counters this by saying, "The
hydraulic fracturing process does not create
methane, methane gases are naturally present
in the earth, however during fracking, it may
be released and find its way to the surface."
Andwlis suggests natural gas is a form of
modem-day coal mining. Instead of going
deep into the mines, workers stay above the
surface and operate large scale·drilling equipment.
Technological innovation has superseded
the out-of-date methods of humans garnering
coal.
Now, he said, the same impact coal mining
had on small towns, drilling has today.
The impact of natural gas extends past its
economic benefit: it is claimed to be much
cleaner to bum and better for the environment.
Naturalgas.org cites the main products of
natural gas when lit are carbon dioxide and
water vapor; both products humans exhale
throughout the day.
Coal and oil, the leading fossil fuels up until
natural gas, are composed of much more complex molecules, with higher carbon, nitrogen
and sulfur contents.
"When combusted, coal and oil release
higher levels of harmful emissions, including
a higher ratio of carbon emissions, nitrogen
oxides, and sulfur dioxide," according to the
website NaturalGas.org.
"Coal and fuel oil also release ash particles
into the environment, substances that do not
bum but instead are carried into the atmosphere and contribute to pollution."
The creation of natural gas is quite an extensive process, a process that takes place over
millions of years.
The Union of Concerned Scientists describes how natural gas is created: "Like oil,
natural gas is a product of decomposed organic matter, typically from ancient. marine
microorganisms, deposited over the past 550
million years."
It continues by saying when this decomposed matter is sealed off and exposed to increasing amounts of heat and pressure from
being nearly a mile underground, a thermal
breakdown process converts this decomposed
matter into a gaseous state.
The natural gas drilling industry employs
thousands of jobs across the U.S., 72,000 in
Pennsylvania alone over the past year.

@BryanCalabro
bryan.calabro@wilkes.edu

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CONTACT EDITOR: carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

APRIL 3, 2012

Well-intended Kony 2012 campaign
a dangerous ignorance for the U.S.
BY CARLYYAMRUS
Opinion Editor

Good intentions, poor execution. This is
the most basic definition of the KONY 2012
movement.
Like most Americans, I had no idea what
KONY 2012 was until I woke up one morning and saw that Facebook was spammed
with videos and statuses for change. It was
not until recently that I decided to watch the
thirty minute documentary on the issue, produced by the non-profit organization Invisible Children.
KONY 2012 is a movement to find and
arrest Joseph Kony, who is considered to
be the world's worst war criminal. In 1987,
Kony took over an existing rebel group and
renamed it The Lord's Resistance Army.
Kony's tactics for acquiring soldiers are
horrifying. African children are abducted
and forced into the LRA as soldiers or as
sex slaves. They are then told to rape, mutilate and kill civilians, including their own
parents.
The mo, ement's rnain event called "Cover The Night" is set for April 20. When
the rest of the world goes to sleep, KONY
2012 advocates will spam the country with
KONY 2012 posters and the like. The point
of this is to raise awareness and get the rest
of the United States involved in this mission. I am actually a little excited to see how
this turns out. It could really go either way,
boom or bust.
Co-founder of Invisible Children, Jason
Russell created the video to make Kony
famous and raise awareness for his arrest
in the year 2012. The video itself features
Russell and his 3-year-old son. It was an inspirational film but I couldn't help but feel
that it was also misleading and oversimplified. Surely the task of arresting this rnan is
not as easy as the video makes it out to be.
While the whole idea of global change
through the youth of America sounds enticing, Invisible Children may have gone about
it the wrong way. What Invisible Children
did here was both good and bad, but I'm
leaning a little more toward the bad side.
It is true that a cause needs awareness and
momentum. Maybe I'm being a little cyni-

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall
attitudes of students on the Wilkes campus. These poll results are
based on 11 responses.
Last week's question:
What do you think Rutgers
student Dharun Ravi's verdict
should have been in the suicide
death of his roommate?

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The recent KONY 2012 movement has recently spawned negative feedback from Africans who say that it showed too many white people and oversimplified the issue.

cal but I don't think the target audience has
the attention span for such a big issue. After
all, the hype died down incredibly fast -- 48
hours at most. The group effectively rallied
the masses but it didn't quite follow through.
It's easy to click a button on Facebook in
support, but how many people are actually
going to give it the financial support that it
needs? And even if it does get financial support, how much of the money goes directly
to the cause?
According to KONY2012.com, only 37
percent of the money raised goes toward
Central Africa programs. The group claims
to spend 80 percent of their profits on "the
goal," with a great portion of this money going towards awareness programs and products. Sadly, most of the money would go
towards marketing techniques and ignorant
videos that fail to accurately represent the
real victims. The video itself is really not
sad enough for what it is trying to portray. I
think rnore people would be inspired to do
something had the video focused on African
children. Instead, the video showed a lot of
white people who were portrayed as the heroes -- the ones who, by spreading posters
and bumper stickers, would set all the little
African children free!
The Invisible Children KONY 2012 video

did get people talking, however, Ugandans
responded negatively to the video. According to CBCnews, they were outraged that
there was hardly any talk of their suffering
over the years. They were puzzled as to why
Americans were wearing Kony's face on Tshirts and buttons.
Now that we are aware ofJoseph Kony and
his arrny, it rnay be time to take a step back.
On March 23 , the African Union deployed
5,000 soldiers in search of Kony on top of
our 100 soldiers. Everyone wants to do what
they can to stop this cruel rnan, but we have
to be mindful of the victims and stop taking so much responsibility for this cause.
The KONY 2012 movement has upset a lot
of people who now think we are ignorant to
their hardships.
In the corning months, we will see how
the rest of this movement plays out after the
Cover The Night event. In the meantime, I
highly suggest that supporters of KONY
2012 and Invisible Children educate themselves and donate directly to the African
people instead of sending money back into
the endless cycle of awareness. If you want
to help, help the victims.
@carlyyamrus
carly.yamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

• 1O years in jail and
deportation- 64%
• Only a few years of jail
time-9%
• Probation and community
service -9%
• Deportation - 9%
• He was innocent - 9%
This week The Beacon asks:
How do you feel about the
upcoming Mac Miller spring
concert?

.

He was my top choice for a
performer
He was not my top choice,
but I will still go
I do not like his music
I do not know who Mac
Miller is

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:
carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

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�THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012

7

Animals suffer unnecessarily for product testing
BY KIRSTIN COOK
Editor-in-Chief

Most people wouldn't put shampoo in their
cat's eyes before they use it themselves. They
wouldn't put mascara in a rabbit's mouth to
make sure it's not toxic before using it. They
wouldn't rub floor cleaner on their dog's skin
before putting in on their floor.
So why do consumers continue to support
companies that do?
Many common household items, from
toothpaste to dish detergent, are tested on animals. In the U.S. alone, PETA states more than
100 million animals are experimented on every year, including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea
pigs, hamsters, monkeys, mice and birds.
The animals are treated the same way experimenters would treat a pair of latex gloves.
Used throughout the experiment until they are
worn out, and then disposed of.
The animals are confined to cages, waiting
for the torture to begin. Then, they can often
be restrained in devices for hours, and are exposed to horrors like having their skin burned
off or inhaling toxic fumes. These cruel practices will often lead to the animal's death.
No animal deserves to die in a laboratory, at
the hands of a human.
Major companies and brands like Dove,
Chj)stick, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Maybelline,
Neutrogena and Suave use these horrifying
testing methods to test their products. This is
no law that prohibits or enforces animal testing on this corporations - they decide to take
part in the abuse.

Consumers need to boycott these inhumane
companies. The resources are at our fingertips,
as PETA has an online database of cruelty-free
companies and products.
Yet, some justify their usage of cruel products with the idea that animal testing is necessary for human safety. If that was true, then
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would
not outwardly state they do not require animal
testing to ensure safety of any cosmetics. They
go so far to say that if a company finds it essential to test their product, it is recommended
they consider all alternatives to animal testing.
The human safety argument comes up to
support animal testing for medical reasons, as
well. There are claims that testing on animals
has enabled medical breakthroughs.
The real breakthrough has been the conclusion that results on animals are rarely compatible with results on humans. Publications like
the "British Medical Journal" and "Journal of
the American Medical Association" have concluded that the immense biological differences
between humans and animals lead to unreliable, incomparable and inaccurate results from
animal testing.
You simply cannot test a drug on a rabbit and
expect the effects to be the same on a human,
and the same is true with any animal. Basically, these animals are suffering needlessly.
Finally, one company has stepped up to its
ethical obligations. French cosmetic company
L'Oreal announced last month they would
partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to end animal testing in the cosmetics industry.

The Beacon /Austin Loukas
Despite companies efforts to end animal testing with new technologies, consumers
are still purchasing their beauty products and supporting inhumane practices.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle,
As more companies and stars make the ethiL'Oreal is donating $1.2 million to fund a cal choice to reject animal testing, consumers
computer model that will test the toxicity of need to join the movement. It takes a few minchemicals used in products. This new technol- utes to check the back a product for a logo or
ogy will allow consumers to ensure their new statement labeling that item as cruelty-free. Or,
flavor of toothpaste is safe, and not at the ex- you can go to an organic section at places like
pense of innocent animals.
Wegman's, where the cruelty-free products are
More companies need to follow L'Oreal in vast.
their noble lead, And consumers need to supAnd if you choose to continue supporting
port L'Oreal in their moral decision to support companies that torture animals, look into the
this project.
eyes of your pet dog, cat or guinea pig the next
Celebrities have started to show their support time you're using that product. Think about the
for the cause, as well. Media giant Ricky Ger- animals just like them that suffered to ensure
vais, best known as the brains behind "The Of- that your beauty products won't irritate your .
flee," recently released a video lauding the or- skin.
ganization Cruelty Free International for their
@kirstinjeancook
work in ending cosmetic testing on animals.
kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu

Rising gas prices the consequence of global supply and demand
BY LYNDSIE YAMRUS
Assistant Opinion Editor

Passing gas stations nowadays is arguably
one of the worst parts of driving. The prices
seem to only know one direction, and it's
not down. As of Wednesday, March 28, the
lowest gas price in Wilkes-Barre could be
obtained at US Gas on North Pennsylvania Avenue and Butler Street, and PSC on
Main Street with a price of$3.83, according
to gasbuddy.com. Nearing $4 a gallon, it is
hard to believe that a decade ago, gas was
below $1.50 a gallon.
Despite popular belief, gas attendants do
not simply wake up in the morning and
mess with the numbers in a random fashion.
As easy as it may be to put Obama or the
oil companies at fault, gasoline prices are
really just a function of crude oil prices and
economic conditions, along with a few other aspects like weather, refinery closings,
and tension in the Middle East.
Crude oil prices are affected by the sup-

ply levels in comparison to the current and
expected demands for fuel: a simple supply
and demand case. For example, the reason
why fuel prices shoot up in the spring is
in preparation for the summer, when more
people travel and the demand for fuel increases.
Other countries like China and India are
also depending more and more upon oil every day, and the overall supply is decreasing,
even though the global supply of crude oil
is expected to be an adequate source for at
least 25 years, says the United States Energy
Administration.
Weather also affects price, especially major storms that affect oil production. During
the mid to late 2000s, gas prices spiked due
t0 the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and
floods in the Midwest. Such disasters caused
pipeline and operation malfunctions, causing the refineries to shut down.
Taxes, competition between gas stations,
and distance from the source may also affect
the prices. Essentially anything that affects

oil production can cause an increase.
At the end of February 2012, three refineries closed: two in the Philadelphia area
(ConocoPhillips Trainer and Sunoco's Marcus Hook refineries) and one major Caribbean export (HOVENSA's U.S. Virgin
Islands refinery) that supplies much of the
East coast, the United States Energy Information Administration released. The EIA
warned that such refinery closings could potentially increase fuel prices if supply was
endangered.
The only way to bring prices down is to
diversify our energy options, which America
is currently working on; however, a change
like this certainly won't happen overnight.
So naturally, since Americans have such
a problem with the gas prices, you would
think they'd be more frugal with their money, right? Wrong. According to a New York
Times article based off information from the
U.S. Census Bureau, America spends about
$40 a week on gas. But surprisingly, rising gas prices had "no significant effect on

the consumption of movies,
bowling
and billiard(s),
casino
gambling and only
insignificant
declines
for
recreational
camps, sightseeing, spectator
sports
and spectator
amusements,"
states the ar-

.

,

,

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

ticle. These personal spending habits were
observed during a period of high fuel price.
Clearly the prices have affected our lives in
all sorts of detrimental ways.
Quit whining, America. Life isn't fair.

@lyndsieyamrus
lyndsie.yamrus@wilkes.edu

�8

OPINION

Nuclear energy is not our bane
BY ANTHONY GORECZNY
Staff Writer

With rising gas prices, and dwindling fossil fuel resources, more people, companies
and governments than ever before are looking to convert to current forms of alternative
energy, or discover new ones. Of the myriad

possibilities for our future energy supply, one
of the most hotly debated is nuclear fission.
While very few would doubt the cleanliness
of it, many people are concerned with what
they see as inherent safety issues. Events like
Chornobyl and Fukushima have caused many
people to become wary of nuclear energy.
These rare phenomena that occur infrequently they have a comparatively negli-

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gent effect when likened to other sources of
power, but consequences are often drastically
overstated and sensationalized by media outlets. This causes a disproportionate level of
fear toward what is not only one of the cleanest, but also the singular safest form of viable
energy production.
Since its inception, nuclear power has been
supplying electricity continuously across the
world for more than 60 years. The total number of number of nuclear fission plants has
grown unceasingly, and even with the most
recent incident in Japan, there are still over
200 plants in the construction or planning
stages. During that time there have only been
three major incidents. Of these three, only
two were considered Level 7 events on the
International Nuclear and Radiological Event
Scale.
The first, and most infamous of these is the
meltdown at Chornobyl. This is the one incident that all nuclear power opponents will
reference. This is because it is the only one
of any true consequence. Some sources claim
nearly a million deaths resulted from the
meltdown and residual radiation, but in reality the death toll was far lower. The official report, available on wolrd-nuclear.org, lists the
primary casualties as combined total of 59.
These were the workers who died in the initial explosions, and the emergency responders who received lethal doses of radiation.
Additionally, there were about 4,000 deaths
attributed to the radiation spread across the
region by the wind and flowing water. While
this is not doubt a tragic loss ofltfe, it is clearly no where near a million souls.
Another reason why Chornobyl is not the
harbinger of doom that many people have
been led to believe is that it is incredibly unlikely it happen again, ever. The safety protocols in place were incredibly inadequate,
even by 1980s standards.
Now I am sure most of you are wondering if
this is impossible, what happened at Fukushima? The other indent that INES classified as
a Level 7 event does have much in common
with Chornobyl, mainly some notable design
flaws and the tabloid journalism applied to
the event by mainstream media. While the
design flaws are not a grievous as the ones
that plagued the Chornobyl reactor, it seems
that the engineers lacked common sense. According to an article on theconversation.edu.
au, not only were the emergency backup generators place in the basement when the are
was know for flooding, but the flood wall
was only 5.5 meters high, despite the fact that
the same area has been hit by two tsunamis
weighing in at 30 meters before the the plant
was even built.
Approximately 20,000 people were killed
when the earthquake and tsunami stuck.
While this is a horrific loss oflife, and a truly
sorrowful disaster of epic proportions, most
people will be truly perplexed by how many

THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012
of these deaths were contributed to the power
plant. A whopping five people were killed,
and of these, an appalling zero died from
radiation. One was crushed by a crane during the earthquake, two others were carried
away by the tsunami, and another died of a
heart attack. The last man's death will remain
a mystery, as the company won't reveal any
information except to confirm that it was not
due to radiation.
This particular reactor was built in 1971,
making it older than the Chornobyl reactor.
Yet it was still able to survive an earthquake
and a tsunami in quick succession, two of
mother nature's most brutal and destructive
whims, without claiming a single life on its
own. Needless to say, the reactors that are in
production now are far more advanced and
contain far more safety regulation than were
present in the Fukushima reactor.
The final incident took place at Three Mile
Island, not far from here, and was considered
a Level 5 event. In this case a partial meltdown started, and the safeties that were in
place engaged exactly as they were supposed,
completely shutting down the reactor. Little
to no radiation was released from the plant
and absolutely zero deaths were involved.
The only reason this incident is even worth
mentioning is because it a perfect example of
how well protected these systems are.
An Internet marketer named Seth Godin
performed a study in 2008 on energy production methods and safety by comparing the
deaths attributed to each and the energy it
contributes, and made a surprising discovery.
Out of all viable sources of energy, nuclear
is, by no small margin, the least deadly. For
every one person who is killed due to nuclear
energy, 4,000 deaths are attributed to coal.
That means that for each and every one of
those 4,000 people who died at Chornobyl,
coal has caused another 4,000 deaths each, or
in other words, 4,000 Chornobyls.
In China, coal kills 500,000 people a year.
To put it differently, in three days as many
people will die in China from coal as have
died in over 60 years across the entire world
from nuclear energy. I find this both mind
-boggling and disturbing. Coal isn't the only
culprit either. Oil kills 900 times, and biofuel
300 times the number of people nuclear energy kills per terawatt hour.
Even the next saf~t from of alternative
energy, hydro-electricity, still kills more
than twice as many people as nuclear power does, and these calculations include the
deaths caused by Chornobyl. If Chornobyl
had never happened, as it never should have,
the number of deaths per terawatt hour due to
nuclear energy would be a decimal followed
by so many zeros that even the most insane

@4TonyG4
anthony.goreczny@wilkes.edu

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�APRIL 3, 2012

-

CONTACT EDITOR: christinelee@thewilkesbeacon.com

Women's and Gender Studies Conference goes global in 2012
BY CHRISTINE LEE
Life Editor

To fulfill the Wilkes general education requirement, all students must take a public
speaking class or two oral presentation option classes and a senior capstone.
For students enrolled in Women's Studies
101, giving a presentation as a part of the
annual Women's and Gender Studies Conference fulfills both of these requirements in
a unique way.
"This year's Women's Studies 101 students
are completing critical analysis of the roles
women in various films such as 'All About
Eve,' 'Woman of the Year' and 'Thelma and
Louise,"' Women's and Gender Studies director Jennifer Thomas said.
This year's conference focuses on the
theme of women across the globe, a theme
Thomas said she chose to highlight the everyday actions of ordinary women.
"Although women represent approximately half of the world's population, their accwnplishments often go unnoticed and they
are often not afforded leadership positions,"
Thomas, assistant professor of psychology,
said.
Although this year's events have a global focus but not all of the events have this
focus. Women's and Gender Studies Intern
Julia Cikota said this year's theme is nice
because people can learn about women's issues at home and abroad.
"A lot of the events have a more global focus but the nice thing is not all of the events
do," Cikota, junior psychology major, said.
"So while that's the overall theme of the
conference and one good reason to come
to the conference is because you can experience things and learn about women from
other cultures you can also learn about the
conditions women here in the U.S."
The conference will also go beyond Wilkes' campus. This year's conference is a
partnership between Wilkes and neighboring King's College, with presentations from
both Wilkes and King's professors and students.
King's College Women's Studies director Robin Field had taken King's Women's
Studies students to this conference in the
past and Misericordia University's gender
studies conference last year.
After attending these conferences over the
years, it occurred to Field to combine the re-

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Some of Wilkes' women from across the globe include from left to right, associate research professor of biology Linda Guitierrez from Venezuela, visiting scholar Rael Sospateri from Tanzania, and assistant director of international students Felixa Wingen from Germany.

sources of the Women's Studies program at
King's and the Women's and Gender Studies
program at Wilkes.
"It seemed like a good idea to combine our
resources and try to work together so that's
what happened with me speaking to Thomas
and getting our administrations' support,"
Field, an English professor at King's, said.
Field hopes with the combined conference
that Wilkes and King's students get an opportunity to interact in a unique way, particularly by going to each others' panels or
combined panels of students from Wilkes
and King's and exchanging ideas.
"Some of the panels have students from
both colleges to present so they'll get to hear
each others' work and then I hope they'll go
to panels where there are students from only
one college or university and be able to exchange ideas," Field said. "We are studying
the same things and have important ideas to
talk about dealing with women and gender."
All panel sessions will take place at Wilkes on the second floor of the Student Union

Building in the Ballroom, Miller Room and
Savitz Lounge with the exception of the keynote speaker, which will take place at 7 p.m.
at Burke Auditorium in McGowan Hall at
King's College.
The keynote speaker this year is assistant
professor of sociology at Boston University
Ashley Mears, a former runway model who
will speak about how the fashion industry
puts labels on people to make them more
valuable.
Another highlight of the conference will
be a luncheon on Tuesday, April 17 featuring
Esther Petrie, a nurse who has been collecting and sending used, outdated, leftover and
retired medical equipment to needy parts
of the world for more than 20 years. She is
joined by Kathye Gentry, a physician's assistant who has participated in medical missions all over the world as a volunteer health
care provider.
Those interested in attending the luncheon
can contact Thomas at jennifer.thomas@
wilkes.edu for an invitation. It will feature a

variety of international dishes.
Other highlights of the conference include
a screening of the documentary "A Walk to
Beautiful," a performance' ~"The Waiting
Room" by the Acting II class, n evening of
dance featuring modem, Indian d African
dances, anc.+ a poetry reading by Wilkes and
King's students and faculty.
Field hopes through this conference that
students can see how interesting it is to
present research at a conference and to pass
along more ideas about women's studies, as
it applies to all disciplines.
"The ideas discussed within a women's
studies class or the minor itself are very important and applicable across various disciplines so someone who's majoring in biology should minor in women's studies just as
well as somebody who's majoring in English could do so," Field said.

CONTACT CHRISTINE LEE AT:
christinelee@thewilkesbeacon.com

�10

LIFE

THE BEACON I APF

IRHC Challen e goes lar er than life for spring semester 2012 (A

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The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Inter-Residence Hall Council hosted its spring semester Cake Challenge on Monday, March 26, with the theme being big foods. For on-campus, the first place winner was
Sturdevant Hall with the Swanson's Hungry Man TV dinner tray (bottom right, above) with second place going to Evans fourth floor with the pizza (bottom right, above).
For off-campus, the winner was Commuter Council with the pancakes (top right, above) and senior p2 pharmacy major and Student Government President Willie Eggleston and Director of Residence Life Elizabeth Swantek with the strip of bacon (top left, above). Sturdevant received a $30 gift card to use for hall activities.

Studer
Woodl
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of the
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�I I APRIL 3 2012

NICHOLAS WIERMAN, OFF-CAMPUS COUNCIL PRESIDENT
BY CHRISTINE LEE
Life Editor

"'
Year: Junior
Major: Earth and Environmental Science
Hometown: Middletown, Pa.
Duties: Representing off campus students,
and serving on traffic council, student affairs committees and disciplinary committees.

bicycles, fixing bicycles. That really stems
from a family thing, my family does a lot
of that.
What is in your fridge? Indian food, I really like Indian food.
If you had a superpower, what would it

be? Ifl could choose a superpower I would
say reading minds.

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Off-Campus Council President Nicholas Wierman enjoys biking in his spare time.

What are some upcoming OCC events?
Block party is April 21 , right now we're in
the process of closing off South Street because normally Block Party is held on the
greenway but due to the construction of
the science building it is being held on the
remaining part of the greenway and South
Street.
What are some of your hobbies? I really
like bicycles so anything with bicycles. I
like mountain biking, road cycling, building

What are some of your plans after graduation? I have a couple of options but nothing set in stone. I thought about joining the
military after college actually or getting a
job in computer science, geographic information systems aspect or working for an environmental protection agency whether that
be the Environmental Protection Agency or
a local community organization.
What is a secret talent of yours? I'm really
good at origami. Particularly unit origami,

where instead of folding one piece of paper
into an object you fold a bunch of pieces of
paper and make a bigger object. I haven't
done it in a while but in high school I made
a tower that was about 4 feet tall.

I loved it.
What is the best place you have ever been
to? The Dominican Republic (For Alternative Spring Break)
If you were an animal, what would you be •

What is your favorite TV show and movie? I really like "The Daily Show," that's
the only show I watch consistently, that and
"Archer." I just saw "The Hunger Games."
That was a book I read a long time ago and

and why? I would be a giraffe. Giraffes are
awesome and really tall.
CONTACT CHRISTINE LEE AT:
christine/ee@thewilkesbeacon.com

4T■SHIRTS.COM
screen prlntln1 • emlaroldery • promo Items

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ALWAYS

•GREAT GRAPHIC
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The Beacon/Christine Lee
Students danced the night away at Hollywood-themed Spring Fling, held at the
Woodlands Inn on March 30. In addition to the new venue, students had their pictures taken at a set-up archway and take-home movie clapperboards as souvenirs
of the night. Although the numbers weren't as high as Student Government had
anticipated, SG corresponding secretary Kevin Hopper (above, right with sopho-

more class president Amber Konopka, left) considers this year's Fling a success.
"When you make a change you never can really be sure how it's going to be taken
by the student body;' Hopper said. "But based on everyone's perceptions of the
night, I think it went really well:'

14' IOUTN PINNIYLVANIA AYINVI / WILKU•IIARRI, PA 11101

NIAR DOMINO'S AND CORBA BIYIRAGII

------------

�12

THE BEACON I APRIL 4, 2012

LIFE

SG to offer new Casino Week prizes, including skydiving trip
BY ALYSSA STENCAVAGE
Staff Writer

Students who enjoyed last semester's Casino Week don't have to look far for some
more gaming fun. This semester's casino
week will be running from Tuesday, April
10, to Friday, April 13, right after students
return from Easter break.
The games are Texas Hold 'em, which will
be at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Union Building Ballroom on Tuesday. Bingo will be
from Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. in the
, Miller Room, Horse Racing will take place
W€dnesday from 7 to 9 p.m in the SUB first
floor lounge. Finally, Casino Night will be
from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday in the SUB
Ballroom, with prizes announced at 9:30
p.m.
The top eight winners for Texas Hold' em
will receive Best Buy gift cards. For Bingo
, night, $20 gift cards to Rifkin and Colonel
Gambini cafes will be distributed:
!Pad 2s will be given out for Thursday's
Horse Racing and the door prizes for Friday's Casino Night will include a 47-inch

LCD/HD television set.
There will also be a new skydiving and
mountain biking trip offered as a prize this
year.
Student Government Corresponding Secretary Kevin Hopper said this year's two
Casino Weeks have set a new record for a
Student Government-hosted event.
"We usually get about 600 students to attend; that set a record. This is the most successful event Student Government hosts,"
Hopper, a senior business administration
major, said.
Student Government Executive Board
Treasurer Samantha Bickert evaluated the
prizes for Casino week to see which prizes
were most popular.
"I sent out a survey after spring break. It
basically asked what prizes people like, what
they want to see in the future, their favorite
door prize, and any suggestions they had,"
Bickert, a junior Pl pharmacy major, said.
Bickert said she tried to incorporate the
student suggestions into the prizes. For example, the iPads from last year's event were
highly popular among students, so she's

Health and Wellness Fair 2012

added two of them as prizes this year. She be taking place during this Casino Week and
also increased the number of door prizes more prizes will be available than at past caper requests from students, along with other sino events.
Casino Week will be the last Student Govprize variations.
"Also, people wanted more gas cards, so ernment event of the semester.
I got more Sheetz gift cards, etc," Bickert
CONTACT ALYSSA STENCAVAGE AT:
said. "And then of course, I kept all the priz- a/yssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu
es that people voted for the most and got rid
of the ones with the least amount of interest
to make room for new prizes."
Like most Student Government events,
pizza will be served, but Wilkes identifica- .
tion card is required to prove that those who
attend are Wilkes students. This semester's
Casino Week will be similar to last semester's, except for the differences in prizes.
Also for the first time this year, participants can donate one ticket to Wilkes Relay
for Life, where one ticket will be the equivalent of $1. When one cashes in their chips,
they will get a ticket, but instead of donating
a dollar to Relay for Life, they can donate
the ticket. For every ticket, up to $150 is donated to Wilkes Relay for Life from Student
The Beacon/Archives
Government.
Garrett Schrader, junior history major,
In addition, Hopper said more events wilt dealing at last semester's Casino Week.

et the

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Graduate Programs
• Master of Education Programs
• Master of Science in Forensic Science
• Master of Science in Nursing: Administration or Education
• Pan-European Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing - NEW!

.

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'

Cedar Crest College was recently ranked a"Top Regional College"
and "Best Value" for 2012 by U.S. News and World Report.

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The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Health and Wellness Services hosted its annual Health and Wellness Fair in the Student
,Union Building Ballroom on March 27. Included were cholesterol and thyroid screenings, massages and chiropractic evaluations. Also included were educational topics on
diabetes, nutrition, sex education and stress management.

- L-

-

--

�CONTACT EDITOR: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

APRIL 3, 2012

Shades of gray: The tragic duality of ~ Amadeus'
Wilkes' theater department explores morality as good, evil take center stage
BY BILL THOMAS

Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
Don't be fooled. The title of the Wilkes
University Theatre Department's latest production may be called "Amadeus," but the
real driving force of this celebrated period
piece isn't actually famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Rather, it's one of
his contemporaries, a man many will be less
familiar with: Antonio Salieri.
"The character of Salieri is never offstage," Teresa Fallon, Wilkes' director of
theater and the stage director for "Amadeus," explained. "This is basically a memoryplay for him. It's Salieri's memories of Mozart, who he feels has destroyed his peace
of mind."
Sophomore English and theater arts major
Jamie Alderiso and junior theater arts major
Luke Brady are taking on the roles of Salieri
and Mozart, respectively.
Presenting a fictionalized version of Mozart's life, the Tony Award-winning play,
written by Peter Shaffer, introduces us to a
Mozart very different from the image most
people may have in their heads. Instead of
the stuffy, po-faced man of stone busts and
painted portraits, the Mozart that Brady portrays is a jovial, obnoxious eccentric with
limited social skills.
"The burden of genius is what Mozart has
to deal with," Fallon said. "His abilities set
him apart from everyone, which makes it
hard for him to understand other people and
for other people to ~derstand him. He sees
things in another way."
Mozart's rival, Salieri, is another composer whose own musical mediocrity leads him
to spitefully sabotage Mozart's life. The relationship between the two characters is the
crux of the play, which proves itself more
complex than a simple black-and-white tale
of bitter enemies.
"Their relationship is a professional relationship poisoned by envy on Salieri's
part," Fallon said. "He's very crafty. With
the mask of friendship, he lures Mozart to
his own destruction.
"It's a complicated relationship, because
at the same time, he's the only person who
understands Mozart's music. So it's this
strange love-hate relationship. Salieri loves

Mozart's music and is amazed at his talent,
but hates him for having it."
Fallon described both Brady and Alderiso
as "grabbing their parts with gusto," and
remarked that Alderiso, in particular, has
thrown himself into the character.
"There's no amount of overdoing it for
him," she said. "He's always delving deeper
and deeper. "
For Alderiso, all that delving has helped
him dig up nuggets of psychological and
emotional gold. The more the actor has
come to understand Salieri, the more he's
come to realize just how relatable the character actually is.
"You hate him one minute and .then the
next minute you feel really bad for him," Alderiso said. "He gets what Mozart gets. He
gets the art of music and why music is important to humanity, but he can't contribute
the kind of masterpieces that Mozart can do
just off the top of his head. That gnaws at
Salieri forever. No matter how hard he tries,
he just doesn't have that in him."
Preparing to play such a dark and multifaceted personality hasn't been easy for Alderiso, who called it the hardest role he's yet
played. It's not just the layered characterization or the start-to-finish, nonstop stage-time
that's pushing the actor to his limits, however. Salieri's penchant for breaking the fourth
wall is also putting his skills to the test.
"As an actor, it's challenging because I
have to know when to switch. I' 11 be in the
middle of a conversation with Mozart then
suddenly stop, turn to the audience and say
' Did he just say that to me?" Then I have
to snap right back to Mozart," Alderiso said.
"A lot of Peter Schaffer's work is like this,
where the main character is almost in a session with his or her shrink, and the audience
is the shrink."
When it comes to the stage, it seems there's
never any shortage of challenges. A bout of
pharyngitis recently sidelined Alderiso for a
few days and weakened his voice. For Fallon, though, that particular speed bump has
barely registered a blip on the radar.
For her, a more pressing obstacle has been
the fact that the "Amadeus" production period is trying to weave itself around the college's spring and Easter breaks.
"There's always something that happens

that you need to deal with. Theater is not the
kind occupation where what you expect to
happen happens every day," she said. "As
a matter of fact, it makes you stronger. You
get a little creative spark when you have an
obstacle that you have to overcome. The
show goes on."
Taking such complications in stride, Fallon and Alderiso both believe that "Amadeus" has the potential to distinguish itself
as a truly standout department production.
The key to the story's power, Alderiso
opined, is its fully fleshed-out
principal characters, as well as
the universal sense of duality they
represent.
"Mozart and Salieri are the epitome of the exact opposites of each
other. Mozart holds nothing back.
He's a genius, but he's not very
socially intelligent. We all have
moments when we feel like we're
doing something really great but
the world doesn't understand
us. Meanwhile, Salieri
is the average guy.
He works hard to
get some recognition, but Mozart
comes in and
doesn't have
to try at all,"
Alderiso explained.
"There's
a little bit
of each of
them
m
everyone.
They represent the
eternal

"Amadeus" will run in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, at 8 p.m. on Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, April 12, 13 and 14,
and 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 15. Tickets are
$15 general admission and $5 students and
senior citizens, but are free for those with a
valid Wilkes ID.

@thatbillthomas
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

us all."

Courtesy ofTeresa Fallon

Antonio Salieri, played by Jamie Alderiso {left), looms over his hated rival,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, played by Luke Brady {right), in "Amadeus:'

_

�14

A&amp;E

THE BEACON

APRIL 3, 2012

Our Ashes Remain rises from ruin With new EP
BY BILL THOMAS

Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
It's hard to think of a more fitting name for
Scranton-based metalcore act Our Ashes Remain. After their previous band, Pave the Way,
went down in flames back in spring 2011, guitarist Butch Frable, bassist Rory Harper and
drummer Bill Lester soldiered on, seeking a
new vocalist to help them keep the fires of creation burning.
"We did some try-outs and we had some
excellent singers come in. It was very hard to /
choose in the beginning.," Lester said.
"We'd all known Jane (Moser) for quite
some time, but when she came in and tried
Courtesy of Bill Lester
out, we were blown away. She nailed it. She
With
the
disfolution
of
their
previous
band
behind
them,
the
members
of Our Ashactually had lyrics written for one of the songs
es
Remain
are
ready
to
attack
the
NEPA
music
scene
with
a
new
EP
out
on
April 14.
we'd been working on, so we were like 'Wow.'
That's the dedication we were looking for."
opportunity to explore other genres and show- not only shows the talent and experience of
Thus, Our Ashes Remain was born.
case greater versatility.
each individual involved, but also the passion
,,..
Now, one year later, the band is set to release
"It has elements of everything we played in for what we're doing."
- its first EP, titled "From Ashes We Rise." To previous bands. Rory and I come a little more
Musical chops and a breadth of influences
celebrate the event, the band will perform at from the hardcore background, Butch is more aren't the only things the members of Our
Diane's Deli &amp; Internet Cafe in Pittston, on thrash and power metal, and Hellistic Threat Ashes have gained from their respective pasts.
Saturday, April 14, supported by opening acts (Moser's previous band) was underground Lessons have also been learned.
One Red X, Psycho 38 and Cathedra.
death metal," Lester explained.
With the disbanding of Pave the Way still
Using old songs originally written for Pave
"What we did was take all three of those ele- fresh in the minds of Lester, Harper and Frable,
the Way as a launch pad, the band members ments and we put them together and made it it seems like Our Ashes Remain is determined
took the formation of Our Ashes Remain as an fit. I think the way we were able to mesh them to make up for lost time.

"We're out there two, sometimes three nights
a week, rehearsing, playing shows," Lester
said. "We love it. We love working on new
music. We just wrote two new songs in the last
month and we have another one we're almost
done with."
For these workhorses, the constant cycle
writing, honing and performing is not just
something they savor for the fun of it. It's also
what propels their claws-extended ascent.
"We take a lot of pride in our hard work. We
take our little breaks when we need to, but I
think it's important for us to maintain our edge,
maintain our focus. It's been working for us
very well."
Tickets for the Our Ashes Remain EP release
/concert at Diane's Deli &amp; Internet Cafe are $5.
For more information, visit reverbnation.com/
ourashesremain or find Our Ashes Remain on
Facebook.

Listen to a track off Our Ashes
Remain's 11From Ashes We Rise"
at www.thewilkesbeacon.com
@thatbillthomas
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Karaoke for a cause at Wing 'n' Sing benefit
BY DEVONI NOVAK

Assistant News Editor
•

Zebra Communications, the student-run
. public relations agency at Wilkes University,
will be hosting a "Wing 'n' Sing" to benefit
orphans in Tanzania through the "Embrace a
Child in Tanzania" campaign. The Wmg 'n'
Sing will be an all-you-can-eat wing-tasting
event and karaoke challenge.
All proceeds will go toward the campaign's
fundraising goal and be used to sponsor children in Karagwe, Tanzania, whose lives have
been affected by the AIDS virus.
Senior communications studies major, Sara
Cosgrove, who has been working on the campaign since it began in fall 2011, has been looking forward to the Wing 'n' Sing all semester.
"I'm looking forward to see who actually
wins the wing competition, and I hope we have
some funny karaoke performances," she said.
So far, local restaurants donating chicken
wings for Wilkes students, members of the
faculty and staff and the community to taste
include the Ice House Pub and Bart &amp; Urby's.
Tasters will be able to vote for their favorite, and the restaurant with the most popular
wings will be granted the title, "Wing 'n' Sing
Champion" and receive a plaque to recognize
their victory.

While munching on wings and amusing their · tackle the uniquely choreographed
taste buds, participants will be able show off hip-swinging performance.
their singing ability in the karaoke challenge,
The "Embrace a Child in Tanzania"
or simply relax and be entertained by the mu- campaign has been working through
sical stylings of the contenders. Attendees will the fall semester to raise funds for
also be able to request the talents of a particu- orphans in Karagwe, Tanzania, who
lar person by donating an amount of money show superior academic potential and
to the campaign. The requested vocalist must have been affected by the HIV/AIDS
sing or else donate an amount that exceeds the virus. Going to school in Tanzania is
sum given by the challenger by at least $1.
very competitive and many are not
At the event, Alyssa Fursarro Lewandows- given the opportunity to receive an adequate
ki, lead singer of the hit band "Soul" will be education.
calling the shots as the appointed Master of
The children who are sponsored are supplied
Ceremonies. A feature slide show created by with a year's worth of food, clothing, school
Dr. Linda Winkler, cultural anthropologist and books and tuition. School admission not only
dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and provides students with an education but it also
Social Sciences at Wilkes will be displayed at gives them sufficient housing and medical
8:30 p.m.
treatment as it is needed.
Winkler, who has worked in conjunction
When asked why NEPA residents should
with the AIDS Control Office in Karagwe show concern for the children in Tanzania,
for more than 10 years, accumulated the fea- Communications Studies Professor and faculty
tured pictures herself during her many trips adviser of Zebra Communications Jane Elmesto Karagwe. Winkler said that each person Crahall explained that instead of seeing race,
depicted in the slideshow has their own story.
she simply sees children.
An African style dance will be performed
"The children in Tanzania are children that
at 10 p.m.by Tanzania native Rael Sospateri will grow up and interact with our children,"
Kakulima, who is teaching Swahili at Wilkes shesaid. "We are likely to cross paths with peothis semester as a visiting professor. All Wing ple around the world, all of whom are affected.
'n' Sing attendees are encouraged to partici- I have real difficulty saying that one child is
pate with Rael and student volunteers as they less worthy than another child."

Courtesy of Stock.Xchng

Last semester, the campaign raised $1,400,
resulting in the adoption of three boys. For the
spring semester, the campaign hopes to raise
$2,400 sq that five more orphans can receive
aid and be given the chance to succeed.
The Wing 'n' Sing will take place Wednesday Apr. 11 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the SUB
ballroom. Tickets are on sale now for $5; to
purchase tickets in advanced contact Zebra
Communications at 570-408-4158 or sara.cosgrove@wilkes.edu.

@devoninovak
devoninovak@thewilkesbeacon.com

�15

THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 201&lt;2

A&amp;E

'Mirror, Mirror' on the screen, Adarker shade of noir: Crime,
the classic as you've never seen existentialism in Sallis' 'Drive'
BY DOMINICK CONSTANTINO
Staff Writer

Disney portrayed Snow White as delicate
and soft. In "Mirror, Mirror," Snow White still
has a heart of gold, she can also defend herself. She holds her own in a ~ncing duel and
even rescues her "Prince Charming" when
he's in trouble.
Another interesting alteration is that the
seven dwarves in this movie are all crooks
who steal from anyone who ventures through
their forest. Just like their Disney counterparts,
though, the dwarves all love Snow White and
protect her in any way they can.
Tl's strange to see Julia Roberts as the
villainous Queen. She · is usually the good
character in most movies. Regardless, she
does a great job. Her acting is believable and
it's obvious that her character simply cannot
stomach Snow White. The Queen's signature
magic-mirror has also been given a face-lift.
Once she says "mirror, mirror" in front of it,
she is taken to an mystical cottage surrounded
by water.
Lily Collins plays the lead role of Snow
White and gives a wonderful, realistic perfonnance throughout. Her fencing scenes
are especially impressive, and the connection she shares with the Prince feels genuine.
When their eyes met, one can easily see the
love. The best scene displaying this is when
Snow White has to break the Prince out of the
Queen's spell by kissing him. The expressions
on both actors' faces shows how much their
characters love each other.
The costumes here are very
elaborate, with the Queen's
dresses being the biggest. When she
sits in her

throne, her dresses take up the entire space.
The outfits are colorful and puffy.
Comically, it's the Prince's shirtless state
in two scenes that gets the Queen interested in
him. At one point, she has to summon someone to get the prince a shirt because "she couJd
not focus." This is certainly an element that
was not in the Disney version.
Throughout th.e movie, I wondered when
the infamous poison apple would come into
play. In an intriguing twist on the story we all
know so well, the Queen appears and offers
Snow White the apple following her marriage
to the Prince. Snow White cuts a piece and offers it to the Queen first. This symbolizes the
end of the Queen's reign and a return to harmony for the kingdom as a whole.
This is the classic happying fairy tale. The fonc·
and other fighting see
add a bit of acti
to the movie th
makes it mo
enjoyable.
you are a ti
of the sto
of
Sno
White, you
will enjoy
this movie.

BY BILL THOMAS
Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor

At a tightly coiled 158 pages, James Sallis'
"Drive" is an effortless read as lean and mean
as its protagonist. Don't let the size of the slim
volume fool you, there's nothing light about
"Drive." This is a darker shade ofnoir.
Many will no doubt recognize the story
thanks to the Nicolas Winding Refn film adaptation released last year. The book on which it
is based is a somewhat different animal.
Call it "the 'Die Hard' effect." Much a'i
with "Die Hard" - based on the Roderick
Thorp novel "Nothing Lasts Forever" - although th.e book and movie versions of"Drive"
are drastically different in places, the spirit of
both remains the same. More importly, and more rarely, neither
· rsion of "Drive" is betr than the other, deite significant al· rations. They're
th good. Just
·fferent.
Essentially a character study,
"Drive"
tells the story ofa man
working
as a Holly-

~--t----

wood stunt driver by day and underworld getaway driver by night. A laconic loner living a
Spartan existence, this guy's a blank slate. So
blank is he, in fact, that he doesn't even have
a name. He is referred to simply as "Driver."
That's it. His identity adapts for whatever rQle
he must fill at any given moment. He is defined solely by what he does.
When one of Driver's criminal exploits
goes awry in a decidedly bloody and spectacular fashion, he finds himself on the run with
a butt-load of mob money and a target on his
back. Though the plot is basically the same as
in the fi Im, the sequence of events is different,
as is the tone.
Sallis' book is darker but also has a dry,
grizzled sense of wit and humor. More human, but Jess redemptive. More hopeful, but
somehow less merciful.
The most notable change is in the character of Driver himself. Whereas in the fitt, he
was a strictly reactive personality, here he is
more proactive. The focus is less on themes
of repression and inevitability and more on
unfortunate happenstance and the idea of violence as a means of self-reflection.
Sallis' prose is sparse, his matter-of: fact
approach to bloodshed offering a glimpse into
Driver's loneliness. Sallis' style is all blunt,
unsmiling elegance, brutal and shocking without being graphic or exploitative.
Just as the "Drive" movie marked a neonoir high point in modem cinema, Sallis' existentialist crime novel is a contemporary classic in the vein of Jim Thompson's "The
Killer Inside." Not for the easily
w1settled, but utterly hypnotic to those with a taste
for the grim ' n'

lie's Restauran : n o die·but a goo

Staff Writer

This week I went to Ollie's Restaurant,
a family-friendly eatery at 89 S. Wyoming
Ave. in Edwardsville, across the street from
Planet Fitness in the Gateway Shopping
Center.
The restaurant is older, but it's a great
place to go, both for its food and its sense of
history. If you are from the NEPA area you
will find the memorabilia and murals on the
walls charming. They illustrate the history
of the Wyoming Valley with nostalgia and
warmth.
The restaurant's slogan, "quality at a
price you can afford," definitely rings true.
l 've eaten at Ollie's several times, and the
greatest thing about the restaurant is the

variety. I can order anything from a simple
grilled cheese and french fries to Pecan encrusted tilapia or calf's liver with sauteed
onions. The menu is huge.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert: it's all
there, all great examples ofhomestyle cooking. Ollie's also caters and delivers, so you
can have their food served wherever you are.
To have a good dinner here, I would recommend being able to pay a bill for about
$25 for two people having full meals. There
is also a salad bar that has amazing Duchess
Cheese soup and fresh baked bread. Unlimited, of course.
For this trip, I ordered the penne pasta
with alfredo sauce, and added the salad bar
for a few dollars more. My friend ordered the
Ollie burger
with fries
and
the

salad bar along with a piece of chocolate pie.
The pasta was delicious and al dente,
just the way l like it. It wasn't too buttery,
and there was the perfect amount of sauce.
A garnish of chopped parsley was added to
the dish, but had no effect on the flavor. The
alfredo sauce was a well-balanced mix of
sweet and savory.
The Ollie burger was topped with bacon,
melted cheese and barbecue sauce. It looked
delicious. I had some of the French fries
so I know that they were great and not too
greasy. T he salad was fresh and crispy, the
bread was fresh and warm and the famous
Duchess Cheese soup was hot and creamy.
You will run into all sorts of people at
Ollie's. Families, younger children, older
folks
and

4.5/5 ::;::~e c!

gritty.

something to love
about Ollie's love. There
wasn't a single person I saw
during my visit who didn't look
looked satisfied and happy at the end
of their meals. What many people around
me where raving about the most was the
desert choice. Apparently Ollie's has ab~olutely amazing pie, which I will certainly
have to try sometime.
The wait staff is attentive and pleasant.
There was no rush to get people in and out,
drinks were always refilled and the food
was delicious. For college students, you
may not be able to eat here every day, but
when you are craving a good, home-cooked
meal, go to Ollie's.
@WU_BeaconAE
WU_BeaconAE@yahoo.com

�CONTACT EDITOR: justinfraniak@thewilkesbeacon.com

Drebitko qualifies for ski nationals

The Broad Street
Senior business major, ski instructor to compete in Colorado Breakdown:
BY JUSTIN FRANIAK
MLB Preview
Sports Editor

"When I'm going down a mountain I feel
free," Jonathan Drebitko said. "There's no
stresses or worries about anything else."
Drebitko's stress and worries will be
nonexistent as the junior business major
prepares to ski down the mountain at the
USASA ski nationals in April in Colorado.
Drebitko has not been competing long,
but skiing is in his blood.
"The first time I skied I was five," Drebitko said. "My dad influenced me because
b~sed to race, and my whole family skis."
Drebitko only took one skiing lesson in
his whole life, but picked up the activity
relatively quickly. He loved to go fast as a
kid.
Drebitko's competitive skiing started
just last year. In his first competition, he
claimed three gold medals and a silver. He
went on to win the Mid-Atlantic region and
will go into nationals ranked fifth in the
nation. Drebitko competes in two types of
skiing: skier cross and NASTAR, a type of
• ski racing.
Drebitko has always had the urge to compete, but didn't take the step until recently.
"I knew that my dad raced and I' ve been
we.nting to compete since junior high,"
Drebitko said. "But this year I finally took
the steps to start. I've always thought I
could be pretty good at skier cross."
Drebitko said there's usually around 100
competitors at a ski event, depending on
the competition. The national compeition
will have 180. All skiers will inspect the
course and be granted a few practice runs.
All skiers will then run qualifying runs
and will be placed into heats of skiers. The
top two of these heats move on, continuing
until there is a final heat, where a champion
is'crowned.
Drebitko says the training for nationals is
tough and grueling.
"Its hard to train for skier cross because
not many mountains have courses," Drebitko said. "Any kind of racing or freesking is good."
Drebitko credits Coach Keith Klahold for
helping him train for this big event. Drebitko said he has spent hours in the Marts
Fitness Center preparing. He said the work-

BY BRYAN WISLOSKY
Columnist

Photo cou rtesy of Jonathan Drebit ko

Jonathan Drebitko recently qualified for a national skiing competition in Colorado.
This is Drebitko's first year of competitive skiing, but has been on the slopes his
whole life. The national competition is April 7-10 and former competitors include
professional snowboarder Shaun White.

out Klahold created will help him adapt to
the 13,000-foot altitude in Colorado.
Drebitko also uses his time as a ski instructor to help him get ready. He taught ski
lessons to everyone from beginners to intermediate. He said the overall experience was
fun, yet insightful.
"I had a great time working as a ski instructor this year," Drebitko said. "I met a
lot of great people and learned so much from
the older more experienced racers."
Along with the rush of skiing, Drebitko
said qualifying for nationals was a phenomenal experience.
"It felt great to qualify for nationals and
win the region," Drebitko said. "I'm really
excited for nationals because I will get to
race against some of the best in the country."
At nationals there is lots of potential to get
noticed, Drebitko said. He said that renown
snowboarder Shaun White started competing at the USASA nationals. Drebitko said
if he does well at nationals, he may get an
invite to a professional tour next year.
Drebitko said his favorite place to ski is
Utah. His favorite mountains are Solitude
and Brighton for the challenge they present.
"The hardest mountain I ever skied was

Solitude in Utah," Drebitko said. "It was
incredible back country skiing, and it was
awesome shredding untouched snow as high
as your chest."
Drebitko said he has had some spills and
embarrassing moments skiing, but they
aren't anything to worry about.
"This past winter I was training on Sno's
weekend NASTAR course and caught an
edge and did a complete yard sale and cart
wheel and slid into the woods and hit a tree,"
Drebitko said.
He was not badly hurt, but noted that his
coach and everyone watching had a good
laugh afterward.
Drebitko's coach said he possesses some
natural ability.
"There are some things with Skier Cross
that you can't teach, and he has those," Radvanyi said.
Drebitko will take his talents to Colorado
April 7-10 and said he will "go big or go
home!"

@WU_BeaconSports
justinfraniak@thewilkesbeacon.com

The 2012 Major League Baseball season
kicks off this week, so.I would like to give
my predictions for the teams that will be
playing this October in the postseason.
Let's start in the National League, more
specifically the National League East.
Call me biased, and maybe I am, but I'm
picking the Philadelphia Phillies to win
their sixth straight NL East division title.
I just feel as if the Atlanta Braves are going to take a step back this season, the New
York Mets are still a last-place team, and
even though the Washington Nationals and
Florida Marlins will be better this year, I
can't see either of them staying consistent
all season.
I will admit the Phillies do not have anybody they can really count on at the plate,
except for Hunter Pence, but their pitching
staff is just too dominant to not at least be in
contention for the division crown.
Next we have the NL Central. This division is tough because the two big guns from
last season, the Milwaukee Brewers and St.
Louis Cardinals, both lost their fire power
in Prince Fielder and Albert Pujol~. But the
other teams in the division just don't seem
· that impressive.
For that reason, I'm picking the Brewers _
to win their second consecutive division
title, based solely off their great pitching
staff.
Now we have the NL West. None of the
teams in this division made much of a splash
in the offseason, so I'm picking the Arizona
Diamondbacks to win it again since they
ran away with the division last season.
This year marks the first expansion of the
postseason since 1995, when the MLB decided to add another wild card team.
My NL wildcard teams are the Chicago
Cubs and Florida Marlins, a first-round rematch of the controversial 2003 NLCS. So
now it's time to move onto the American
League.
Like the NL, let's start the AL in the East.
SEE MLB, PAGE 18

�SPORTS

17

THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012

SCOREBOARD
Baseball
3/28 Scranton PPD
3/29 Keuka W 9-3

Softball

.

3/29 Lebanon Valley L 3-6
L 1-11

M-Tennis
3/25 Elizabethtown W 5-4

Lacrosse
3/31 Rosemont W 18-0

WEEKAHEAD
Baseball
4/3 Lebanon Valley
4/4 Misericordia
4/5 Misericordia

Softball
4/4 Baptist Bible
4/5 Misericordia

M-Tennis
4/4 Misericordia
4/10 Scranton

Lacrosse
4/5 Eastern

W-Tennis
4/4 Misericordia

end messages
nd pictures to

Baseball will soon be in full swing. Bats will
crack, popcorn will pop, and hot dogs will getboiled.
Along with all the nostalgia, the critics will
begin their predictions.
The MLB awards are always interesting, especially with a pitcher taking the MVP and Cy
Young award last year.
My AL MLB award picks were actually pretty hard to predict.
My rookie of the year will be Yu Darvish.
Some may criticize me for it, but this kid has
a lot ofupside.
Although the history of Japanese pitchers in
the bigs isn't too good, I have a good feeling
about Darvish.
I love Matt Moore from the Rays. This year
he will actually reach rookie status and could
make a run for the rookie of the year award.
Yoenis Cespedes of the A's had a good two
opening games, and has a huge upside, but I see
Darvish taking it.
My Cy Young pick is Jered Weaver.
Based on last year's performance, Weaver
should be the favorite and only has room to
improve.
I believe with the addition ofC.J. Wilson and
Dan Haren on the staff, Weaver will push himself to the limit and capture the award.
In tum, Weaver will lead the Angels to a deep
playoff run.
The usual suspects like Sabbathia and Verlander will give Weaver a run, but I think the
Angels ace will excel.
My pick for Manager of the Year is Bobby
Valentine.
Being a Mets fan, I love Bobby Valentine;
he's my hero.
I believe his no funny business attitude and
hard working mentality will take the Red Sox
far in the playoffs.
If Valentine can control that locker room, he
is a shoe-in for the award.
My MVP for the AL is Robinson Cano. Yankees fans will love me becuase Cano will finally win.
The second baseman will finally get the appreciation he deserves.
Albert Pujols made the jump to the AL this
year, but I do not think he will win the award.
I would also not be surprised to see the Ray's
Evan Longoria in the running for the honor.
Miguel Cabrera's move to third may affect
his chances for the award, but if he keeps his
hitting to the usual, he can definitely make a
push to take most valuable player.
Baseball gets into full swing Thursday, and
I cannot be more excited. Hoepfully the Mets
will surprise me this year. Hopefully.

With the MLB right around the come ,
predictions will start to fly on who will be
this year's top performers.
This year's competitions for MVP,
Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and Manager of the year will be close no different
from past years.
The easiest one to predict in the NL w·IJ
be rookie of the year.
No one will be surprised when the Washington Nationals bring up the phenom
Bryce Harper.
Harper will most likely be in the majors
after the All-Star break but could be in Nationals red as early as May.
I predict Harper to put up solid numbers,
but the hype around him could propel him
to be voted as Rookie of the Year. •
This year's Cy Young will contribute to a
very interesting race.
Almost all of the Phillie's pitchers ...:.il~
be considered for this award, but I see Cliff
Lee pulling ahead as the front runner.
I would not be · surprised if Madison
Bumgarner or Tim Lincecum give Lee a
push.
Even Lee's teammates Roy Halladay and
Cole Hamels will give Lee a little trouble.
But I foresee Lee winning the award on
a team where Halladay is considered the
head guy.
Clayton Kershaw will be in the mix also.
A year after achieving the triple crown, the
young gun will again put his name in the
hat for the award.
My sleeper pick in Gio Gonzalez.
In arguably one of the best moves in me
offseason, the Nationals picked up a guy
who could potentially win multiple Cy
Youngs, this just isn't his year though.
Manager of the Year will also be a tough
race.
If Ozzie Guillen can guide the new look
Marlins to a playoff spot, he is a shoe-in
for the spot.
Davey Johnson could also make a push
for the award. If the Nationals nab a wildcard spot, expect Johnson to be accepting
the trophy.
My MVP pick was pretty hard to make.
I do not see a pitcher winning it in the NL
this year, unlike the rare occurence in the
AL last year.
I do,however, see Justin Upton taking the
award.
He's on a young Diamondbacks team
which is young and not a joke. Arizona will
continues its momentum from last year,
make the playoffs and take a run. Upton
will lead them to a nice playoff showing.

�THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012

SPORTS

18

MLB

Wilkes softball drops series

Continued from Page 16
As much as I hate them, I'm picking the
New York Yankees to win this division.
While the Boston Red Sox have more raw
talent, the Yankees are just a more complete
team. Now we have the AL Central, which
is easy.
The Detroit Tigers are going to run away
with this division. Adding Prince Fielder to
an already good line-up, and having Justin
Verlander as their ace-yeah, this one's a nol;irainer.
' Finally we have the AL West, which again
is an easy pick. The Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim added arguably the most soughtafter free agent in baseball history in Pujols;
they also lured starting pitcher C.J. Wilson
away from division rivals the Texas Rangers. Like the Tigers, the Angels will run
away with their division.
.
My picks for the two wildcard spots in
the American League are the Red Sox and
the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston has too much
pure talent to not make the playoffs again
~ s season, and Tampa is a solid team,
where nobody else in the AL jumps out and
wows me.
As for the World Series itself, again call
me biased, but there just seems to be a lack
of talent in the NL this year, so I feel as if

•

Colonels lose doubleheader to Leb Val
BY SERENA MOLYNEUX
Assistant Sports Editor

the Phillies pitching staff can carry them to
the Fall Classic.
However, as much as I want to pick them
to win it all, I really don't think they can,
unless they can find a couple of solid bats in
the lineup.
My pick to win the 2012 World Series is
the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They
were so close to making the playoffs last season, they've obviously improved the most in
the offseason, and can really take control of
L.A. with the Dodgers in the state they' re in.
@WU_BeaconSports
bryan.wis/osky@wilkes.edu

5....-.--....- 11111111._..
IFA,,,,1f"Py.
. . :SPECIALS
WEEKDAY SPEClllS ■-TH
Large Pie $7.95
Chicken Wing Pie $10.95

Wilkes' women's softball team the hosted
Lebanon Valley Dutchmen in a doubleheader Thursday, in a non-conference game.
The Colonels fell short twice against the
Dutchman.
In the first game, Lebanon Valley took a
3-0 lead in the first inning. Visiting Dutchman Allie Hartman had a two-run homer.
Lebanon Valley earned two more runs, making it a 5-0 lead in the third.
Wilkes' sophomore pharmacy major Kait
Brown led off the inning with a single and
made it home from an RBI double from
sophomore pharmacy major Jordan Borger.
The Colonels made an attempt to come
back against Lebanon Valley's 6-1 lead.
Junior psychology major Jessalyn Paveletz
had an RBI single, which scored the Lady
Colonels two runs in the fifth inning.
Wilkes didn't score any runs in the last two
innings, making the final score of game one
6-3, Lebanon Valley with the victory. Lebanon Valley continued to dominate the scoreboard in game two.

The Dutchman scored four runs in the first
inning and added another four in the second,
which kept the Dut~hman in the lead 8-0 at
the end of the third.
Visiting Dutchman Hartman had a second
homerun of the night, adding three more
runs to the scoreboard, while Lady Colonel
Borger scored the lone run making the end
of game two, 11-1 victory for the Dutchman.
The Wilkes Women Softball record is 4-8
overall for the season.
The Lady Colonels hit the road to play
Manhattanville College in the Freedom
Conference on Saturday.
@WU_BeaconSports
serena.molyneux@wilkes.edu

..►1111'11"

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...

THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012

ft

19

WE TREAT INJURIES AND
ILLNESSES FOR ALL AGES.
+ JUST WALK IN.
+ ALWAYS A PHYSICIAN ON SITE.

+ MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED
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THE BEACON I APRIL 3, 2012

�</text>
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                  <text>&lt;p&gt;This is Wilkes University's &lt;em&gt;Beacon&lt;/em&gt; Newspaper collection, 1947-present. We also have digitized copies of the &lt;em&gt;Beacon's&lt;/em&gt; predecessors, &lt;em&gt;The Bucknell Bison Stampede&lt;/em&gt;, 1934-1935 and &lt;em&gt;The Bucknell Beacon&lt;/em&gt;, 1936-1947 June. It should be noted that Wilkes University does not have a complete set of issues for the Bucknell Bison Stampede and Bucknell Beacon. For researchers who are interested in seeing the complete issues for these publications, please contact &lt;a href="https://researchbysubject.bucknell.edu/scua"&gt;Bucknell University's Special Collections Department&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1947 August 8th&lt;br /&gt;1947 September 5th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 3rd&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 17th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 31st&lt;br /&gt;1947 November 21st&lt;br /&gt;1947 December 19th&lt;br /&gt;1948 September 9th&lt;br /&gt;1950 April 28th&lt;br /&gt;1953 April 10th&lt;br /&gt;1962 February 2nd&lt;/p&gt;</text>
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THE BEACON
www.thewilkesbeacon.com

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Along with business and fundraising experience, Leahy brings a personal appreciation of humanities to Wilkes. He studied English as
an undergraduate at Georgetown University, and he says he will ensure it will be cultivated along with sciences.

·Leahy outlines plans for the Wilkes' future
BY KIRSTIN COOK
Editor-in-Chief

There are still six weeks before
Patrick Leahy is officially named
the sixth president of Wilkes University. Yet, even though his job
hasn't started, Leahy has been
making visits to the university in
his goals to absorb the culture, history and values of Wilkes.
Leahy was announced as current
President Joseph (Tim) Gilmour 's
successor in March. He will begin the position on July 1, and he
said until then he will be working

to build valuable relationships on
campus and to learn everything he
can about the school.
Leahy, whose experience includes being executive vice president of the University of Scranton
and 13 years in the -private sector,
said he looks forward to introducing his wife Amy and his four children to the Wilkes community.
"I'll thrilled about the feasibility of being the new president at
Wilkes and my family and I are
delighted about this opportunity,"
Leahy said.
Leahy promised to start his posi-

tion by visiting every department
and administrative unit within his
first 60 days to get to know the
community.
Along with business and fundraising experience, Leahy will
bring an appreciation of humanities to Wilkes. He said this area
is important to him, as he studied
English as an undergraduate at
Georgetown University, and he
will ensure it will be cultivated
along with sciences.
"I believe wholeheartedly in
strength of the liberal arts, in particular because of the skills and

the critical thinking and the communication skills that it creates in
our students irrespective of what
field they choose to go into," Leahy said. "So I'll look hard to make
sure we properly fund the humanities while we' re making this big
investment in the sciences."
Sitting down with The Beacon
for an exclusive interview, Leahy
tole us what he's learned about
Wilkes so far and gave a preview
of his presidential plans.

SEE LEAHY, PAGE 4

The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow

Check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com ~

�T

DE@]~
APRI L 17, 2012

CONTACT EDITOR: phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

Buffer Fund to renovate SUB N.J. Mayor Booker to speak at Wilkes
BY DEVON I NOVAK
Assistant News Editor

Student Government Total Treasury:
$22,777.21

Buffer Fund granted money to cover
SUB renovation expenses
SG unanimously granted $105,180 for
Buffer Fund to go ahead with the planned
SUB renovations that will begin this summer and be completed by the next fall semester.
Although the architects have yet to update
the sketches according to the student survey
request, remodeling will include new furniture, paint, fl ooring and possibly overhead
projectors with screens, water fountains that
fi ll water bottles, surround sound, newspaper racks and a recycling station.
In SG's opinion, the new renovations will
improve the appearance and efficiency of
the bottom floor of the SUB.
SG president and pharmacy major, Willie Eggleston commented on the decision to
allocate funds, "You just put forth a lot of
money to make a huge change."

Buffer Fund works to make library
basement accessible 24/7 - Dean of
the Library, John Stachez, has been working with Buffer Fund to keep the library's
basement open 24 hours a day.
In order for the space to always be accessible, an J-card swipe system, security
cameras and a new entrance will need to be
installed.
All of these accommodations will cost a
projected $9,000. According to Buffer Fund
representatives, Stachez is able to raise
$4,000 himself which minimizes fund request to $5,000.
The decision on basement availability is
yet to be finalized.

School spirit starts at orientation -

Photo courtesy of Marketing Communications

Spirit committee was granted permission to
use their remaining $729.20 on Wilkes Tshirts to give out to incoming freshman at
orientation as prizes.
By giving out more shirts, Spirit Committee hopes to begin spreading school spirit the
first day students come to campus.

Cory Booker will speak at 7:30 p.m. on
Sunday, April 22, in the Dorothy Dickson
Darte Center as part of the Max Rosenn
Lecture in Law and Humanities.

HAWC hopes to bring Shaun T to
Wilkes next fall - Health and Wellness
Club requested $1 ,750 of this year's student
activities fees to bring fitness expert, Shaun
T to Wilkes next semester.
The creator of fitness programs Insanity
and Hip Hop Abs, Shaun T, will cost a total
of $2,500 to provide a one hour workout, a
question-and answer period and an opportunity to get autographs.
HAWC is planning the event for Nov. 3 in
UCOM. The club is working on offering discounted prices: free for students, $5 for the
public and $3 for YMCA members.
With a projected 300 attendees, SG members said they believe the event will benefit
both students and the community.
"I think it's a good idea because a lot of
people are into the Insanity thing," said junior integrative media major and SG member, Mike Ogar.

The Honorable Cory A. Booker, 42, the
mayor of Newark, N.J., will speak at Wilkes University as part of the Max Rosenn
Lecture in Law and Humanities at 7:30 p.m.
on Sunday, April 22 in the Dorothy Dickson
Darte Center
Booker has been making headlines with the
recent heroics including rescuing two neighbors from a burning house. He was treated
and released from a hospital after suffering

from smoke inhalation and second-degree
bums to his hand.
Booker is serving in his second term.
Elected with a mandate for change, Mayor
began work on realizing a bold vision for
the city.
Newark's mission is to set the national
standard for urban transformation from
marshalling its resources to achieve security, economic abundance and an -·environment that is nurturing and empowering for
individuals and families.
Booker and his administration, together
with the city's residents, have made meaningful strides toward achieving the city's
mission by tackling significant challenges
with innovation, new coalitions, creative
public private partnerships and building off
the already existing foundation.
@phatnguyen
phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

Upcoming Events
Relay for life: Saturday, April 28, 2012,
to Sunday, April 29, 2012
Tye-dye for a Cause: at 11 a.m. on the
greenway on Tuesday, April 17.
Family Feud: at 6 p.m . in the SUB ballroom on Tuesday, April 17.
Wilkes Scavenger Hunt: at 9 p.m. in
the SUB Lounge on Thursday, April 19.
@devoninovak
devoninovak@thewilkesbeacon.com

BEACON
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

PHONE: (570) 408-5903
WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Editorial Staff 2011-12
Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook
Managing Editor: Michael Klimek
Ad Manager: Brittany Battista
Photo Editor: Laura Preby
Adviser: Loran Lewis

News Editor: Phat Nguyen
Opinion Editor: Carly Yamrus
A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas
Life Editor: Christine Lee
Sports Editor: Justin Franiak

Austin Loukas
Photographer

�THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

NEWS

3

Some fire drill policies have yet to be fulfilled
BY DEVONI NOVAK

Assistant News Editor
Fire drills are conducted as a "double check"
to make sure alarm systems are functioning
without error and that students know the best
route to properly evacuate their dorms. Once
out of their building~, students are supposed
to meet at a designated post where Residence
Life will take a head count to be sure every
student is accounted for. After the building is
cleared by the fire department, students may
re-enter the building and carry on their business.
According to the Department of Education's
fire safety requirements, each dorm building
must have a fire drill at least twice every year.
However, some RAs have stated that only one
drill has taken place this year and others say
their dorms have not been drilled this year at
all. RA in Sterling Hall, junior integrative media major, Mike Ogar, said that his building
has had just one drill the entire year; it took
place this past fall.
In an attempt to fulfill the Department of
Education's mandate, Public-Safety and Residence Life team up once every fall and spring
semester, and schedule the dorm fire drills.
Manager of Public Safety, Jerry Rebo, explained that each building is in fact consistently given their bi-yearly dose of fire drills.
"Every year, it's all documented," Rebo
said. "All the dorms will be checked."
Once a fire drill date is set, Residence Life
informs the Resident Assistants in the building of the general time in which the drill will
take place. Specifics times are withheld so the

drill will be adequate practice, even for the
RAs.
RA of Schiowitz Hall, junior nursing major,
Allie Givens, said there has only been one occurrence concerning fire in her building all
year, which involved a student's unattended
curling iron setting off the alarm. According
to Givens, an actual drill has yet to be scheduled for this year.
The collash between written policy and
RA reports raises a question: What isn't the
university following through on, practicing
enough fire drills or failing to inform the resident assistants?
In addition to practicing fire drills, fire safety
at Wilkes also includes an alarm check in each
campus building twice a year. Eastern Time, a
maintenance company out of Scranton, takes
care of the smoke detectors' upkeep by testing
them during summer and winter breaks.
Public safety has their own periodic checks
throughout the year as well that involve testing their alert system on a designated computer where all the alarms come through, instantly announcing fires to public safety.
The phone line link between the alarms and
their computer allows public safety officers to
pin point the location of the triggered alarm,
down to the exact room.
The computer also mechanically checks
the connection of each campus smoke alarm
on a daily basis. If an alarm is suspected of
malfunction, the computer will beep, signalling that the alarm needs to be inspected or
replaced.
The age of the alarm systems vary from
building to building, which according to Rebo

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

All dorms are required to have two fire
drills every school year; however, some
RAs have said their buildings have not.

is because updates are done as necessary.
"If one goes bad, a new one goes in," Rebo
said.
Some systems date back to the '90s, while
others, such as the one in Towers are just a
few years old. According to the executive director of facilities, John Pesta, every new installment is followed by a timely check by the
local fire department to be sure the system is
working correctly.
"All of our systems are basically function-

ing and up to code at this point," Pesta said.
University Towers is especially notorious
for it's frequent fire alarm incidents. Some
towers residence have admitted that they
don't always leave the building because false
alarms are so frequent and sometimes occur
extremely early in the morning. As a second
floor inhabitant of Towers, Junior business
administration major, Jasmine Edwards expressed her opinion of the alarm system in
towers.
"I think the smoke alarms are too sensitive,"
she said.
Another junior business administration
major, Terrance Ives, who lived in Towers
last year, said that he and his roommates set
the smoke alarm off in their apartment three
times. He identified the kitchen area as the
main culprit. According the Ives, the RAs and
other residents would get mad at them because
they were repeatedly responsible for complete
evacuation, even though it was by accident
and happened due to slightly burnt food.
"It's going to happen," Ives said. "People
are learning how to cook."
The only legitimate issue with fire in the
dorms took place last year when a dryer in the
laundry room of Evans went ablaze. Immediately, fire alarms in the building sensed the
smoke and sent screeches of warning throughout the entire building.
According to Pesta, an over-loaded machine
was the cause of the occurrence. Only the
dryer and a few clothes made the injury list.

@devoninovak
devoninovak@thewilkesbeacon.com

Zebra's Wing 'n' Sing Robbers heist the Crown

The Beacon/Brittany Battista

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

The Ice House Pub was named "Wing Champion" at Zebra Communications' Wing
'n' sing event on April 11. Proceeds benefited the "Embrace a Child in Tanzania"
campaign. Approximately 82 tickets were sold, $300 was raised through karaoke
challenges alone and the silent auction of an African-style rug went to the highest
bidder for $50. Zebra raised more than $700.

According to police reports, a man with a pistol robbed Crown Fried Chicken, 357
S. Main St., around 11 :11 p.m. on April 5, police said. The clerk told police a man
wearing a black leather jacket, with a black hooded sweatshirt and light blue jeans
asked for an iced tea and then all the money in the store. The clerk turned over the
money and the man fled on foot, police said.

-------- - -

�NEWS

4

THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

an incoming president to feel when talking
to people."

LEAHY

4

Continued from the front page

'

Challenges anticipated for next year
Feedback from the Wilkes community
"I'm trying to demonstrate an openness
to new ideas and candid conversation, and
I think if I can establish that early that will
serve me well when I become the president."
"The most important constituencies that
we have at a university is the students. I intend to be very present to them. You'll see
me quite frequently in the SUB ... as well as
be present around campus.
I don't know if there are specific things
so much as just being present to the campus
and the student and just delighting in the interactions that I have with them. I think that
alone will demonstrate to the students rrty
commitment to them."
"The candid conversations that we're having I think are going to be extremely constructive when I become the president in
July."
"I think the primary feedback, my primary understanding is people love this place.
They care deeply about it, in particular improving to the extent we can - continually
improving the student experience here at ·
Wilkes. That's a verv comforting thing for

"I think we have our challenges as a university, which are consistent with challenges
faced by universities all across the high education community. I don't think we're alone
in that. But I sense in the people I'm meeting
a sincerity in addressing these challenges
and turning into opportunities in the future.
"With a new president there's always some
concern about whether that person will bring
a new culture to the place. I think some people see that positively and other people like
to keep things the way they are, so I think
there's a little bit of anxiety about that.
But I tried to assure them that we're all in
this together and that my style, my design
is quite collaborative. I believe those challenges I mentioned are going to be the responsibility of all ofus."
"It's a new job for me, I fully expect there
to be a learning curve. I'll try to move up
that curve as quickly as possible for the benefit of Wilkes."
"What I won't have the benefit of our personal relationships with donors, and I do believe that big gifts can some times originate
from personal relationshio. and I won't have

STRESSED?
HEADACHE?

I

The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

Leahy said he wants to take fresh look at everything in a smart way, especially the
budget. He hopes to rely on balancing our budget rather than cutting it. Check out
the full video interview at www.thewilkesbeacon.com

Neck Pain

Back Pain

Shoulder Pain

that because of how new I'll be.
"And our hope is to sort of complete this
campaign in the next couple of years, sort of
consistent with the opening of the building,
so it won't give me a lot of time to develop
those relationships.
"So that might be a bit of a challenge in
the early years, but I do think that one of my
strengths is the ability to develop relationships with people."

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1'

"I' ll take a fresh look at everything in a
smart way. I do think certain programs are
ripe for growing enrollment, and I think I'll
focus to the extent possible first on growing
our resource base so we don't have to rely
on balancing our budget simply by cutting."
"I do think we ought to look at growing
resources hopefully by growing headcounts
and enrollments where it makes sense to
grow enrollments, and of course trying hard
to raise a lot more money for the faculty and
students here at Wilkes University.
I think that's the way, ultimately, we will
address any budget challenges, is to be really smart about our budgeting and to generate more resources, both of which I intend to
do as president."

Wilkes' areas of strength
"One of the most exciting things about

coming to Wilkes is·:· we have an incredible
exciting university, replete with all kinds of
different things going on, so there's no shortage of compelling projects to introduce to
donors, No. 1. The science center is just one
of them, I believe.
"And secondly what I've discovered in
my time both as a candidate and now as the
incoming president is there's no shortage
of people who love Wilkes University. And
when you put together compelling projects
and a compelling future with people who
really care and have resources, that's where
great philanthropy happens.
"I think that we've just began to scratch
the surface on the philanthropic support this
university can get. I'm really enthusiastic
about that part of the job."
"I'm incredibly impressed by the care in
which our faculty members pursue their
work. It's been very moving to be to see how
committed they are to the students here.
The single most important thing is how engaged are the..faculty in the work that they
do day in and day out, and ours is incredibly engaged in that. And what a luxury for
an incoming president to have that already
available to have that to him or her. I feel
very lucky joining a community like that."

@kirstinjeancook
kirstincook@thewilkesbeacon.com

�THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

NEWS

5

Ca1:1-didates strategiz_e to win ~G's woo&lt;;ien gavel
Junior class representatives campaign for presidential bid
BY DEVON! NOVAK
Assistant News Editor

Three nominees from the junior class are
set to race for the Student Government presidential seat. The candidates are: nursing
major and SG recording secretary, Samantha Schuler; pharmacy major and SG vice
president, Kristofer Rivers; and accounting
and business administration majcr, junior
class president and Buffer Fund Committee
Chair, John Sweeney.
All three have different outlooks on the
position and have their own ideas of what
they would like to do if chosen to become
student body president.
Sweeney, who is running for the second
consecutive year, believes it will be interesting to see the results of the race since this
year there are three candidates when last
year there was just two. To promote himself
as a candidate, Sweeney has been hanging
up posters and banners around campus while
spreading his clear-cut mission statement.
"My platform is that I want to be president
because Student Government is something
I've been involved with my entire time here
and it's something that I really love," Sweeney said. "I think we can do a better job connecting to the students and promoting our
events."
If chosen to be the next SG president,
Sweeney would like to improve the connection between Student Government and
the rest of the student body. He also plans to
make SG representatives well known among
their classmates. Sweeney believes if more
students are aware of who their representatives are, they will be able to voice their
i pinions more easily and in turn, SG can be
· more effective.
Sweeney feels his previous experience
running for the position will give him the
upper hand in the campaign. With involvement that dates back to his freshman year,
Sweeney believes he is well suited for the
job mostly because he has always held leadership positions such as treasurer, and junior
class president and vice president.
Sweeney's main objective is to make
things happen that students want to see.
According to Sweeney, his previous involvement has allowed him to form a good
connection with students while becoming
informed on what students deem important.
This background has encouraged him to run
for president again.
"I am trying again because I think that
I would do a good job with the position,"
Sweeney said. "I think my experience

John Sweeny

Kris Rivers

Sam Schuler

With a passion for the Wilkes communit y, each cand idate aspires to
become the next student body leader. All three nominees have been
involved with St udent Government since their fresh man year as representatives of their class. Voting will take place April 18-19.
speaks for itself."
Rivers has also been involved with Student Government for the past three years.
He feels that becoming president would be a
great chance for him to work with the school
and the different people involved with the
campus.
"I really would like to lead the group; I
think that it's a great honor and it's also a
great experience," Rivers said. "It would be
a great opportunity for me to give back to the
university."
Rivers' primary aim is to improve student involvement on campus. Although he
believes SG is already doing well as far as
providing different activities, he feels there
is always room to be better.
If chosen for the position, Rivers plans to
create a wide variety of smaller events in
order to increase student participation. He
wants more people to attend Wilkes sporting events as well. By encouraging more
students to take part, Rivers hopes that an

improvement in school spirit will result.
Reaching out to people on campus and letting them know who he is, why he is running
and what he plans to do as SG president, is
Rivers' campaign strategy. When asked why
people should vote for him, Rivers said his
personality gives him the edge that he needs.
"I think people should vote for me because
of my personality and who I am," Rivers
said. "I'm always trying to be there for others and I'll always try to help out others, I
have a great dedication to this school, I have
great school spirit, I'm proud to be a Colonel
here and I feel that, that is one of the biggest
requirements, to be proud of your university
and proud of where you are."
After serving SG as a class representative
since her freshman year and working on
the executive board for the past two years,
Schuler is now aspiring to become the next
president.
During the campaigning period, Schuler
plans to promote herself by reaching all

types of students that make up the Wilkes population. Schuler will bridge across
major, athletic team and class, to not only
endorse herself as a candidate, but to also
encourage students to cast their vote. This
strategy, Schuler believes, will set her apart
from the other two nominees.
If chosen to be the next president, Schuler would like to spread school spirit while
improving activities for students. She also
hopes to inform more people of what SG actually does for the university.
"It's not just sitting in a room deciding
what we are going to spend money on, it's
so much more than that," she said. "After
walking around and asking people to sign
my (nomination) petition, I also realized
most people do not know we have a student
government."
Schuler would also tike to improve the atmosphere of weekly meetings for both SG
members and groups that are presenting.
She anticipates that more students will then
attend the meetings and feel comfortable offering their opinions and sharing their concerns.
Her ability to look at things differently is
why Schuler believes she is best fit for the
job.
"I am more open minded than most, I kind
of like an idea (and say) 'hey this is something new, let's give it a try' if it works it
works, if it doesn't, at least we tried," she
said.
SG would like to remind their fellow students that voting will take place April 1819; they encourage everyone to vote for
the candidate they believe is best fit for the
presidential position. Since SG's purpose is
to interpret the voice of the student body, the
power of change lies within each individual
student.
"Student government is one of the organizations that definitely has the power to bring
change on campus," Sweeney said.

Student Government
Election
April 18-19

Candidates
Kris Rivers, pharmacy
Samantha Schuler, nursing
J nSweeney,.accounting/business
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�'=-ONl"ACT EDITOR! carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

America gives .,pink-slime' beef the
pink slip for all the wrong reasons
BY LYNDSIE YAMRUS
Assistant Opinion Editor

When I think of a hamburger, I think of a
patty made of ground beef, not pink slime.
Pink slime, otherwise known as "Lean,
Finely Textured Beef," has been making
headlines for a few months now, and meat
eaters are not happy.
The United States Department of Agriculture explains that Lean, Finely Textured
Beef, or LFTB, is a meat product derived
from a process that separates beef trimmings and fat pieces to decrease the overall
fat content of the meat. LFTB is essentially
the leftover scraps that cannot sell alone.
These trimmings undergo a highly technical separating process to separate the fat
from the perfectly healthy beef that would
otherwise go to waste if the leftovers were
not centrifuged. Many ask why the products
are not labeled as being LFTB. There is no
need, because the meat is 100 percent beef.
No specific ingredient needs to be singled
out.
The trimmings contain ammonia, a compound commonly associated with cleaning
products that health officials approved for
food since 1974 (close to 40 years), according to the American Meat Institute. The ammonia is mixed with water to form ammonium hydroxide, which is sprayed onto the
beef trimmings in order to balance acidity
and reduce pathogens such as E. coli and
Salmonell._
As soon·as the news leaked out that "pink
slime" can be found in 70 percent of the US
supply of ground beef, including school,
grocery store and fast food beef, a heated
outrage quickly broke out, and many of
the distributors listed previously have even
gone as far as to rip the beef from their supplies and discontinue their use.
The U.S. population swiftly pounced on
the meat industry with grossed-out cries of
disapproval, questioning why chemicals are
being put into their beef.
There was even more discontent when
Govs. Terry Branstad of Iowa, Rick Perry
of Texas and Sam Brownback of Kansas
defended the slime after touring the Beef
Products Inc. plant in South Dakota, who

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall
attitudes of students on the Wilkes campus. These poll results are
based on 44 responses.

Last week's question:
How do you feel about the
upcoming Mac Miller spring
concert?
He was not my top choice,
He was my top
choice fora
performer:
9%

but I will still go: 5%

I don

is:70%

The Beacon/Laura Preby

The controversey over"pink-slime" beef has put meat eaters in a frenzy. The ammonia put into lean, finely textured beef actually reduces pathogens and is beneficial.

have been using ammonium hydroxide to
ensure safety for about 30 years. All three
governors believe that the product has been
criticized unfairly and incorrectly, emphasizing that the company produces quality,
safe and nutritious beef.
The governors and food industry workers explained that consumers appear to have
an issue with the bacteria-reducing process
because of its "yuck" factor. And of course,
when someone gives the beef a name like
"pink slime," most individuals are not going
to be very accepting.
It is natural for people to be skeptical
about what goes on in the food industry. The
business is highly complex and challenging,
constantly seeking the most productive and
reliable ways to yield enough food for the
world that is both safe and able to sell at an
economically fair price.
Truth is, Beef Products Inc. is not out to
poison its consumers. It is attempting to offer safe, high-quality beef. Since 2001 , the
USDA and FDA have collectively deemed
the use of ammonium hydroxide as a safe
method to destroy bacteria that would otherwise make individuals sick in the event that
undercooked meat was consumed, according to the American Meat Institute.
The ammonium hydroxide used to kill

bacteria is also not the same as the common
household cleaner. Ammonia is found naturally in beef, humans and virtually all food,
according to the South Dakota Department
of Agriculture. Ammonia is important in
synthesizing proteins, regulating the body's
nitrogen cycle and maintaining pH levels. Ammonium hydroxide is also found in
cheese and chocolate products like pudding.
The amount used is very small- measured
in parts per million. When compliant with
USDA standards, the use of this compound
is beneficial.
In reality, LFTB is not new, sneaky or
health threatening. And it is certainly not
slime. The public has successfully created
an overly dramatic argument over something
that appears outrageous and horrifying, yet ·
is completely inaccurate and misunderstood.
Pictures used to support the pink slime
claims are even controversial, ranging from
goo being pumped out of a machine to photos of mechanically separated chicken.
More importantly, the Texas, Kansas and
Iowa beef plants have all been affected, putting hundreds of individuals out of work, all
over some silly misunderstanding that would
take five minutes to research and understand.
@lyndsieyamrus
lyndsie.yamrus@wilkes.edu

This week The Beacon asks:
How has the "pink-slime" controversey effected your meat
eating habits?
It has not changed my opinion on beef
• I eat beef only if it is highgrade
I do not trust the meat
industry
I don't eat meat
• What is pink-slime?
Cast your vote on line at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:
carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces fo, length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�f
THE BEACON

I APRIL 17, 2012

OPINION

SPIT
24/7 library access beneficial
BY ANTHONY GORECZNY
Staff Writer

I get distracted very easily, and while there
is no place more comfortable to do my homework than my own room, there are quite a lot
of distractions there. Consequently, ifl really
wish to get any work done, I must first find
a place where I will not constantly be distracted.
I happen to be a relatively social person,
so any place with lots of people just won't be
a suitable work environment for me. Though
coffee shops are great place to get work done
for many individuals, I would be perpetually preoccupied by the continuous flow of
people, even if didn't speak to a single one
ofthem.
• For me pretty much the only option is isolation, as complete as I can make it. Since I am
not lucky enough to own a small cabin off
in the woods somewhere, I find that when I
need to get a lot of work done, the next best
substitute is the Eugene S. Farley Library.
Specifically the back comer of the top floor,
where there seems to be fewer people than
the rest of the building.
Up there I find it easier to focus on work because, for the most part, the only distractions
I have to contend with are the ones created by
my own mind.
While these mental diversions are just as
disruptive as others, the .later it gets, the fewer
of these I experience. I am very much a night
person and usually my productivity increases
as the skies grow darker.
Eventually my cerebral voyeurs subside almost entirely and I am able to be quite studious. It is around this time that the lights snap
off, and then back on, informing me that the
library is preparing to close.
The frustrates me thoroughly. I swear that
sometimes the librarian is hiding between
the bookshelves, spying covertly from the

cover provided by the rows of publications.
He waits patiently until I have clearly finally
focused on my work, and then gleefully pulls
out a remote with a single, red button on it.
After a maniacal little snicker, he presses the
button, the lights go out, and all the students
who were just now intently studying are now
preparing to leave the library.
Thankfully, library Dean John Stachez has
been working to keep the library basement
open 24 hours a day. Installments such as
cameras, swipe access and a new entrance
are all needed to keep the space constantly
open, and the job will cost around $9,000 to
complete. The plan has yet to be finalized, but
I think all-day access is essential to the success of Wilkes students who study like I do,
or even those who just can't make it to the
library during day-light hours. Obligations
including work, sports, clubs, etc. make it
difficult for some to study at "normal" times.
It is important to remember that Farley
Library is not a community library; it is an
academic one. Studying, and the pursuit of
knowledge, may take place at any time of day,
whether incredibly early in the morning, or
exceedingly late at night. Naturally, students
should be able to access the library whenever
they feel it would assist their academics.
While 24-hour operation may seem unnecessary, one must consider those students who
have resigned themselves to the dreaded allnighter. Having the resources available in the
library accessible at any time could be very
useful to the student who is cramming last
minute for a test, or desperately in need of a
final source for a paper.
There may also be someone who simply
cannot sleep, or could find no other time to
meet with a project partner. Admittedly, there
is usually less studying going on during the
weekend, but it should not be assumed that
no student has work to do on a Friday or Saturday night. As boring as that may sound,

sometimes there is no other option, and the
work needs to be completed regardless of
what day or time it is.
Another advantage of all-day library access is the increase in work study hours. Who
knows, a few more shifts might help some
off-campus student upgrade from Ramen
noodles to macaroni and cheese for dinner.
If there are students who are willing to drag
themselves to the library in the wee hours of
the night to inundate themselves with information for a test that they will have forgotten
by this time next year, then there are most certainly students willing to be paid for watching
over the library at those hours.
Farley Library is an academic library, and
it is therefore important that the library be
accessible whenever the forces of academia
find themselves in need of its myriad services
and functions. This would promote diligence,
and perhaps even reduce traffic earlier in the
day as students would now have the option of
staying later, and possibly feel less pressured
to finish their work before the library closes.
I hope to see this improvement initiated.

@4TonyG4
anthony.goreczny@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Laura Preby

Students need a place where they can
study 24/7 especially with final projects
and exams approaching, and the library
is the ideal location for this.

i
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THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

OPINION

Media paints picture of innocence, exposes bias
BY CARLYYAMRUS
Opinion Editor

Even those who are unfamiliar with the
Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case
could look at the media pictures and decide
who was innocent and who was guilty.
The 17-year-old African American man
was shot on Feb. 28 by self-appointed
Neighborhood Watch Captain, George
Zimmerman, a white Hispanic. Martin was
walking to a family member's house after
he bought a bag of Skittles and an iced tea at
a convenience store in Stanford, Fla.
After Zimmerman called 911, the operator
told him not to pursue the boy and that o ficers were on their way. He ignored the instruction and went after Martin. There was
an altercation, and then a gun shot. Zimmerman was not arrested because of Florida's
"Stand Your Ground" law that allows the
use of weapons for self-defense if a threat
is perceived.
Although the case remains unclear, it is
apparent which way the media has swayed.
The pictures of Martin and Zimmerman
hardly resemble what they look like today.
The photo used for Martin is a picture of him
as a young boy, around 13 years old with a
baby face . The picture of Zimmerman portrays him as a criminal, dressed in an orange
shirt. Anyone looking at this picture would
assume he was already convicted.

Repof

Partipants gather a vigil held in Wilkes-Barre's public square to honor victim Trayvon Martin. Media cover eon the case has been biased, inaccurate and unfair.

Recent photographs of Zimmerman and
Martin show them in a different light. In
these pictures, Zimmerman looks like a nice
guy, smiling in a suit and tie. Martin looks
more like an adult, wearing a hoodie and
lowering his eyes.
After comparing these pictures, it is unclear who the victim was and who the aggressor was.
Media bias in this case is apparent. It is important for media to present the facts so that

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the public receives an accurate representation of the event. This is not always the case,
however, since media sensationalize stories
to get more readership or viewership. NBC
for example, took the 911 call and edited it to
make Zimmerman seem racist. NBC quoted
Zimmerman saying, "This guy looks like
he's up to no good. He looks black."
In reality, the dispatcher was simply asking
Zimmerman what the suspect looked like, if
he was white, Hispanic or black. What Zim-

merman actually said was, "This guy looks
like he 's up to no good. Or he's on drugs or
something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about." This example of
selective editing is highly unethical from a
journalism standpoint, where one of the most
basic rules is to never change the meaning of
a quotation.
The facts of this case are still emerging
months later, yet the media decided early on
that this was an unjustified killing based on
racial intolerance.
They are painting a picture of what they
want you to believe. They want you to believe that a young man was innocently killed
because he was black.
The media would never tell you that Martin had several large tattoos or that he sported gold teeth in recent pictures. His Twitter
name had a derogatory racial slur in it, and
rumors of drug dealing have surfaced.
But the mainstream media would never tell
you any of these tidbits of information because they certainly do not support the babyfaced image that America has sympathized
with in the past few months.
We put our trust into the hands of the media to give us fair and accurate news. Who
can we trust if the media reports unfairly and
inaccurately?
@carlyyamrus
carly.yamrus@tbewilkesbeacon.com

We're hiring
No experience necessary.
We'll train.
The Beacon will begin accepting applications April 2 for
all the positions you see listed here .
Don't leave Wilkes with just an education ... get experience. Working with The Beacon provides an opportunity
to improve communication skills that are essential for
any career field.
For more information, contact Kirstin Cook,
editor-in-chief, at kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu, 570408-5903 OR Dr. Loran Lewis, adviser, loran.
lewis@wilkes.edu, 570-408-4165

~BEACON

·C:
r"

News of Toda

Re orted B

the Journalists of Tomorrow

�l~~h~wil~~~l:te¥0'};5Qf!}®

Education seniors student-teach a world away
Six student teachers gain global teaching experience by travelling to Malaysia
BY REBECCA BOLUS
Assistant Life Editor

Student teachers from Wilkes, along with
Associate Professor of Education Gina Morrison recently returned Malaysia from a seven week trip to teach international students.
Morrison, who started this program, is
very familiar with the country of Malaysia.
"Last year I went on sabbatical and I went
to the University of Technology in Malaysia," Morrison said.
While she was there, she did research on
women and engineering and got to know the
people on campus, who invited her back for
a year.
Morrison did not have schooling for her
daughter because there were no more funds
being released for visiting professor's children at that time. So, she found the Sri Utama International School and enrolled her
there.
"It was the least expensive international
school around," Morrison said.
Because Morrison does teacher training

"That's how much they want American
techniques in their schools," Morrison said.
Morrison got permission from the state and
from the department for the student teachers
to do half of their residency in Malaysia and
the other half in Pennsylvania. Through a selection process six students were chosen to
embark on the journey to Malaysia.
Although this trip was full of work, the
students also had the opportunity to experience the country. They attended Thaipusam,
a Hindu festival popular in Malaysia, and
'they spent a weekend on the beach at the
Qimi Resort in Paulau Kapas.
Another opportunity during the trip was
that Morrison, along with her six student
teachers, got to partake in an international
presentation in Singapore.
Overall, this trip expressed a positive
learning experience
Courtesy of'Wilkes in Malaysia' blog
"I can't wait to go back some day. The
Senior elementary education major Katie Shedden works with students in Malaysia.
people in Malaysia are so friendly and the
here in the United States, Dato Fawlzia, the ers to teach her students. Dato Fawlzia paid students were so eager to learn and to get to
woman who runs the school in Malaysia, of- for their airfares and accommodations, as
SEE MALAYSIA, PAGE 12
fered to bring over Morrison's student teach- well.

Senior hopes to go all-out for Relay for Life fundraising this year
BY ABBEY HALDEMAN
·• Staff Writer

"Eight years ago, my family participated
in an event, because almost 11 years ago my
aunt passed away of melanoma and once I
found out we were doing one here, I decided
to join," Aaron Nikles said.
Nikles, a senior mechanical engineering
major, is a prime example that even if cancer
hasn't personally affected you, there is probably someone around us who has. Nikles,
a senior mechanical engineering major, said
the noncurable disease has affected almost
everyone on his Relay for Life team.
For the past six years, Wilkes has been
hosting a Relay for Life event to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The
two-day event will be held on the greenway
beginning at noon on April 28 aand ending
at 6 a.m. on April 29. As part of the event,
separate teams participate in fundraising,
entertainment events.
"The events range from more serious to
more fun," Relay for Life organizer Bethany
Sharpless said.

Nikles and his team are working together
to raise money, and for the past three years
they have been the relay team with the highest fundraising count. Between asking his
family to donate, hosting Guitar
Hero fundraisers and just doing what he can, Aaron is
hoping to personally raise
around $1 ,000 this year.
He said these things
motivate:; him to push
forward and earn as
much money as possible.
"This is my last year here,
so I want to beat my past records and it would also be nice to
be able to pass the torch on to someone
else," Nikles said.
Current fundraisers include the sales of Tshirt sales and pins reading "cancer sucks."
"We have raised over $200 in T-shirts and
pin sales so far, and anticipate quite a few
more as the event approaches-the pace is beginning to pick up," Sharpless said.
Beyond the T-shirt and pin sales, there
have been restaurant socials, which have

raised up to $500 a piece, bake sales and
sales of luminary bags.
Nikles and his team plan to make a tribute poster for the individuals team members have lost or know are battling
cancer. Because the teams are
separated and come up with
a theme for themselves,
Nikles and his team will
be pirates once again.
The first year Nikles was
involved in Relay for
Life his team had a pirate theme and he decided
this would really help to bring
them full circle for his final year.
As a team full of pirates, he said the team
plans on wreaking some havoc during the
event.
"Our goal is to kidnap a member from other teams and hold them for ransom, if people
aren't willing to pay for them, we are going
to make them walk the plank," Nikles said.
Some of the events taking place during the
two-day event are ceremonies remembering
those who have passed away or survived

cancer, a talent show, Mr. Wilkes crossdressing beauty pageant and team competitions. There will also be a BBQ taking place
along with the other events.
Nikles maintains the disease is near to everyone, whether it is personal or not.
"It is impossible to find someone without a
connection to cancer." Nikles said.

@wilkesbeaconlife
abbey.ha/deman@wilkes.edu

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Katherine Dodson, Katrian Topoce

The Beacon/Austi

The week of April 10-13 S
hosted its annual Casino Wee
Government promised nicer
ing prizes for winning studen
big-screen TV and a skydivin
started out on April 10 with 1i
on Wednesday, Horse Racing o
eluded the week with the fin
Friday.

�The Beacon/Austin Loukas and Dan Lykens

f April 10-13 Student Government
nual Casino Week. This year, Student
promised nicer and more interest•
winning students induding an IPad,
W and a skydiving trip. Casino Week
n April 1O with Texas Hold 'Em, Bingo
y, Horse Racing on Thursday and conveek with the finale Casino Night on

Simply come and take part in

Senior Assessment Day
May 3, 2012 • 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Testing takes place in Breiseth Hall.
Register online by Friday, April 27th.

For details and to register, visit
www.wilkes.edu/assessment

w

WILKES
UN I VERSITY

�12

BRIAN KADEN, NEW EXECUTIVE CHEF
BY CHRISTINE LEE
Life Editor

Brian Kaden has served as executive chef
since the beginning of the semester in January, but has been with food services corporation Sodexo Inc. for five years.
What are some new things you have added to the cafeteria? We've decorated more
and had more food on display. I've also
been revamping the vegetarian options. And
we've definitely tried to initiate more theme
days for the buffet like baseball.
If you were a food, what would you be and

why? Pizza cause I eat it so much. It's a favorite in my family.

If you could go anywhere in the world,

where would go you and why? Italy. I'm
all Italian on my mom's side and, of course,
the food.
Favorite kind of music? Rock, particularly
80s rock and groups like Three Days Grace.
If you were an animal, what would you

be and why? Something really fast like a
cheetah because I'm always moving around
all the time.
Favorite TV show/movie? For a TV show,
definitely "Seinfeld." For a movie I would
have to say "Wedding Crashers."

Photos:The Beacon/Dan Lykens
and courtesy of Brian Kaden

Left, Executive Chef Brian Kaden has
added more themes to the dining menu
including foods found at a baseball park.

If you were in a band, what would the

What is a hidden talent of yours? I'm really good with word searches.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like spending time with my kids, who are
ages 14, 12 and 7. I also like playing sports,
particularly baseball and softball.

name be? "Constant Motion"

@wilkesbeaconlife
christine/ee@thewilkesbeacon.com

Day fundraises, educates

MALAYSIA
Continued from Page 9

•

know us," said senior elementary education
major Katie Shedden, one of the six student
teachers who went on the trip.
Morrison, who teaches diversity in her
education courses, got to see first hand her
students embrace the diversity in Malaysia.
Students at this school were from all over
the world, so diversity is an everyday aspect
of their society.
"It was nice to watch my students take
their skills, transplant them there, and see
the wonderful reaction that they got," Morrison said
"What they learned is that kids are kids
and people are people. It doesn't matter
where you come from, what your first language is, or what your religion is, we're going to react in a positive way and we're going to make learning fun."

@REBbo/us
rebecca.bolus@thewilkesbeacon.com

Courtesy of'Wilkes in Malaysia' blog

Senior history major Felicia Leclair,
who is minoring in secondary education
presents host Dato Fawziah with a gift
of items from the United States while
waiting for food at a restaurant upon
the group's arrival. See more photos
and information the Malaysia group on
www.thewilkesbeacon.com

The Beacon/Laura Preby

The History Club celebrated its annual History Day event in the Student Union Building Ballroom on April 12. The day included posters of any kind of historical item or
person including military figures, the 'RMS Titanic' and the Kennedy family curse.
The event was also an information session about the History Club and a fundraiser
for the group's trip to Boston this spring. Pictured above from left to right are Dustin
Hough, Jenifer Earley, Samantha Hunter, Max Morales and History Club President
Rachel Gill.

�CONTACT EDITOR: billthomas@t hewilkesbeacon.com

APRIL 17, 2012

Paint tli.e town red: Artist makes city his canvas
BY CHRISTINE LEE
Life Editor

When Katy Betnar first took her son, Brandon, to swim lessons at the Wilkes-Barre
YMCA, he was intimidated by the swimming
pool environment. But upon noticing the mural of whales, dolphins and other marine animals, the 2-year-old's fears were eased.
"It really helps make kids more comfortable with the pool environment," Betnar, the
Wilkes University college-learning specialist,
said. "It plays into the Y's swim program and
helps to connect the program to people."
The mural in the Wilkes-Barre YMCA is
one of several by local artist John Pacovsky,
of Plymouth, commissioned by Arts YOUniverse and funded through the Mural Fund at
the Luzerne Foundation.
"I think introducing the arts in any way,
shape or form starts a conversation," Pacovsky
said.
Though he was originally commissioned
to paint just a simple logo, Pacovsky said the
design quickly turned into a more elaborate
project.
"It started as two dolphins looking at each
other, because that's the YMCA's (swim team)
logo," Pacovsky said. 'Then someone said
'What would you do to the wall?' and I said
'Well, let's do it as an aquarium,' and it turned
out to be something that started small and just
got bigger and bigger."
Although the aquarium mural inside the
YMCA pool area is attractive, it is upon exit-

ing the YMCA and walking through the adj acent parking lot that one immediately comes
upon another of Pacovsky's murals, and one of
his most popular: A large still-life painting of
fruit on the side of Thai Thai.
This mural, the first of those Arts YOUniverse commissioned from Pacovsky, is entitled "Life is Just a 32-Foot-High Bowl of
Cherries." Arts YOUniverse founder Kathleen
Godwin described it as "striking."
"When people pass by, instead of a plain
brick wall, they are instead greeted with an
exquisite work that proves high culture can be
pragmatic," Godwin said.
Pacovsky said he was working on still-life
paintings when he was contacted by Arts
YOUniverse to do the mural for the downtown
area. At the time, however, he thought the city
wouldn't accept it.
"I thought I probably would have come up
with something a little more clever," Pacovsky
said, laughing.
What makes the still-life so popular, though,
Pacovsky said, is the simplicity. He said he
hears comments on the mural at least every
other month.
Godwin said the fruits depicted in the mural
remind passersby of the annual Farmer's Market held in the nearby Public Square during the
summer and fall seasons.
"When people look at a close up of the cherries, one can only hope that the Farmer's Market that takes place on Thursdays in the (Wilkes-Barre Public Square) is open," she said.
Another popular mural Pacovsky has worked

on, along with artists Amber Summers and Katie Martin, is on the
site of the former Blum Bros. building on South Main Street next to
Boscov's. When the building was
demolished, Arts YOUniverse saw
the blank wall as an opportunity to
put the artists' skills to work.
"They are planning on making
another Innovation Center but it's
not supposed to be built for a year
or two, so (the city) is faced with
the option of having this big hole
where everybody could walk by
and look. So they decided to put up
a wall and then paint something on
it," Pacovsky said.
Pacovsky said Arts YOUniverse
was open to suggestions but didn't
know what to put there. He said the
idea of painting an art gallery would be amusing.
" It would be interesting to look at something
on the wall as opposed to a hole in the ground
or even just a blank wall," Pacovsky said.
Pacovsky said the mural is so convincing
that, once, while he was painting the "gallery,"
he was approached by a woman who asked
him what time the "gallery" opened.
"I'm usually not at a loss for words but
frankly that threw me off," Pacovsky said.
Godwin said the painted people depicted
gazing at the works of art in the mural are
based on local residents that modeled for the

John Pacovsky

ter is completed, each of the replication pieces
will be installed inside.
Sophomore chemistry major Rachel Gill is
one of those who finds Pacovsky's mural work
inspiring.
"They brighten up the area instead of there
just being blank brick walls or a blank plywood board," Gill said. "It brings a different
layer to the city that wasn't there if they were
just plain walls."
@WU_ BeaconAE
christinelee@thewilkesbeacon.com

The Beacon/ Laura Preby

John Pacovsky's "Life is Just a 32 Foot-High Bow l of Cherries;' which adorns the side
of Thai Thai on Main St. in Wilkes-Barre, has quickly become a local landmark.

Modeled after real citizens seen around Wilkes-Barre, "Innovation Gallery;' a mural
Pacovsky painted on the site of the former Blum Bros. breaks the fourth wall.

I

�14

THE BEACON I APRIL 17,2012

'Dance or die': Students
prep for spring concert
BY ELIZABETH FARRINGTON

For many, having to make it to practices
while staying on top of one's other classes can
be a lot to handle.
Every spring, Wilkes University holds a
"In order to prepare myself for this amount
dance concert, which includes all of the stuof dances (I have to do), there has to be a lot of
dents taking dance classes in the spring sepractice time and hard work put in at the dance
mester. It is held on-campus at the Dorothy
studio," Brownmiller said.
Dickson Darte Center. This year, the concert
An average week for Brownmiller consists
will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 21,
of practicing for two hours every Monday,
on the Main Stage.
Wednesday and Friday for his modem dance
"The dancers prepare the entire semester
and jazz dance pieces.
for the spring concert. In addition to workThe three other dances Brownmiller will be
ing on technique for the beginners, learning
performing in are choreographed by fellow
the basics of each dance discipline, we begin
students, who he meets with once a week for
working on choreography early in the semespractices that run anywhere from two to three
ter," Lynne Mariani, one of the dance teachers .
hours.
choreographing the concert, said.
Along with the rest of the dance department,
The dance department takes full advantage
Brownmiller has been practicing for months.
of the whole semester to teach and practice the
With spring and Easter break now behind him,
choreography with the students.
Brownmiller said it is now "time to put in
"All students involved in the concert are
more hours so we can perfect our dances and
dedicated to the goal and often work outside
clean up all the details, (and) so we are ready
of class to prepare," Mariani added.
to put on a great show for the spring recital."
Senior history major Jared Brownmiller will
"Dance," he said jokingly, "or die."
be performing in five pieces for the concert,
consisting of eight dances total. Brownmiller
@WU_BeaconAE
is not the only one who will be in more than
WU_BeaconAE@yahoo.com
one performance, though.
Correspondent

Q .

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

The students in Lynne Mariani's noon Friday dance class practice their balance in
anticipation of the upcon:ting spring dance recital. In addition to their own bodies,
the students also have to learn to balance social lives and class schedules with the
demands of the dance concert rehearsal schedule.

Br.eathing new life: Alt-rockers make plans for full-length CD
BY BILL THOMAS
Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
Three, it seems, is the magic number for
singer-guitarist Mike Kaminski, bassist Nick
Davison and drummer Cameron Lewis. Together, they form a Wilkes-Barre alt-rock band
called 3 to Breathe. It's a moniker that not only
alludes to the group's status as a trio, but also
acknowledges the symbiosis that fuels their
collective fire.
"Our music is what keeps us going," Kaminski said. "Me, especially. I was going through
a really rough time when we got together, and
the music was pretty much my therapy. Cameron came up with the name. He rolled all that
together into this 'us staying together to stay
alive' kind of thing."
At the time of the band's formation in 2008,
the music of 3 to Breathe offered Kaminski
both an escape from and an outlet for frustrations and anxieties brought on by a series of
unfortunate events, including financial woes
and a number of deaths in the family.
With the friendship of Davison and Lewis
providing a support system to help him get
through the dark days~ Kaminski channeled
his emotions into the confessional lyricism and
heavy-yet-melodic progressive post-grunge

Courtesy of Don Simpson

In hard times, music provides solace to the members of 3 to Breathe: (from left)
bassist Nick Davison, drummer Cameron Lewis, singer-guitarist Mike Kaminski.
sound that has come to define 3 to Breathe's
style.
Again, the number three looms large. That's
how many years it's been since the release
of the band first album, a free-to-download
7-track EP titled "Insomnia." Now, the members of the band are anxiously anticipating the
chance to get into the recording studio again.
In fact, they're already hard at work perfecting
their new material.
"We've been doing basement-type record-

ings to get a feel for how everything is going
to progress. When we go into the studio, we're
going to have these rough tracks and we're just
going to say 'OK, let's make better versions of
these,"' Davison explained.
"We don't plan to spend a whole lot of time
in the studio, partly because it costs money to
be there. But, also, we're not writing in the studio. We have tons of music we're already ready
to put out."
As of now, the members of 3 to Breathe are

hoping to make it into the studio before the
end of the summer. To "make up for lost time,"
the band will try to pack as many tracks onto
the album as possible. Because this is a selffinanced effort, however, the musicians know
that everything depends on what they can afford.
Unfazed by the limitations of their DIY approach, Kaminski said the key will be to make
the most of however much time they have.
"We're going to just go in and pound out the
songs we've been playing, get the best versions
recorded we can, then focus on working on the
CD itself We want to really, actually mix and
master it. For the EP, we just did a little bit of
equalization. For how good that sounds, I can't
wait to hear us do a fully produced, full-length
rock album."
3 to Breathe will play at Coasters, at 85
Brown St. in Wilkes-Barre, on Thursday, April

Listen to three tracks off 3to
.Breathe's"lnsomnia" at
'W:ww.thewilkesbeacon.com
··· . ,.
,
w,h
W
· · ..
@thatbillthomas
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

�15

THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

A&amp;E

Postmodern horror resides at Evil twins, serial killers, drug
Whedon's 'Cabin in the Woods' deals convolute detective tale
BY BILL THOMAS
Arts_&amp;Entertainment Editor

Stop me if you've heard this one before:
A lantern-jawed jock, a vivacious blond bimbo, a bespectacled egghead, a wise-cracking
stoner and a virginal goody-two-shoes go up
to an isolated cabin in the woods"for a lawless weekend of drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll.
Instead, they end up getting picked off oneby-one by a horde of seemingly unkillable
baddies.
Think you know the story? Think again.
Subverting the cliches and conventions
of the horror genre with take-no-prisoners
aplomb, "The Cabin in the Woods" first blends
the bare-bones story outlined above with a
quirky, hilarious razor-wit. Then it introduces
an unprecedented, self-aware, sci-fi conspiracy-theory concept that offers compelling explanations for damn near every overused plot
device in the genre cinema playbook. A heady
splash of epic, Lovecraft-inspired apocalyptic
menace tops the whole thing off, for flavor.
Basically, without giving too much away,
th.e core conceit goes like this: Imagine if almost every horror picture you ever saw took
place in the same universe. "The Evil Dead."
"Hellraiser." "The Strangers." "Ringu."
They're real, they happened and, what's
more, they're happening again and again,
over and over, in a dozen different permutations, all the time.
Now, imagine if there was a reason homy
teenagers had to die at the hands of zombified rednecks, killer clowns and bloodthirsty mermen (yes, mermen).
Imagine if there was a shadowy government organization controlling these

events. Pocket protector-sporting paperpushers turning on fog machines, unleashing
the undead and convincing otherwise levelheaded guys 'n' gals to have sex at the worst
possible times or split up in the face of danger.
111ankfully, the movie never gets drunk on
its own cleverness. It doesn 't smugly smack
us over tl1e head like the "Scream" or "Scary
Movie" franchises. "The Cabin in the Woods"
is more in the vein of Scott Glossem1an's postmodern slasher mockumentary "Behind the
Mask: The Rise ofLesli.e Vernon."
Though a divisive, climax de.rails things
slightly at the very end, writer Joss Whedon
once again prove his storytelling chops are just
as legit as his fanboy street cred.
An existentialist, deconstructionist genre
study that implicates the audience
itself as both voyeur and
~
villain, "The Cabin in
-.\\\\'
the Woods" delivers
all the raunch 'n'
,A~
·
splatter we want #~~
when
we're ~
watching
a
horror flick,
O
but is smart Qr
and skillful
enough to
make us ask
ourselves
why.

*

t:t....fv'•

.it

BY ANNIE VOSKSOSKI
Staff Writer

Lately, I have been on a mystery kick, so
James Patterson has been rather prominent
on my bookshelf As a famed mystery novelist who is known for collaborating - in tl1is
case, -with \\triter Maxine Paetro - readers have
many books to choose from.
The latest book I picked up was "Private:
#l Suspect." It has everything a reader expects
from Patterson at this point: action-packed and
suspense-filled. The only problem is it's a bit
too far-fetched.
The novel follows Jack, a fonner Marine
who owns the top private detective company
in the world, which is simply called Private.
The company was handed down to him
his father, but Jack is the one
ho truly built it from the
ound up .His only
ompetition is his
win brother, who
ns th.e similarnamed Pri·ate Security.
Jack
is
obscenely
wealthy ,
well-connected and
extremely
intelligent.

&lt;

When he comes home from a trip to find his
fonner lover and secretary dead in his bedroom, he becomes the prime suspect for her
murder.
At this point in the story, things start to develop into over-dramatization. DNA evidence
could implicate him or his evil twin brother.
Witnesses say they saw Jack, but that also
could have been ms brother Tommy.
As if the twin aspect wasn't enough to
confuse anyone, Jack has various employees
and assistants who all help in one way or another, jamming their own subplots into the already convoluted main one.
While Jack is out on $20 million bail, the
reader follows not only his story, but also two
different accounts of murder that his company is investigating. Because the chapters are
short, the reader must bounce around from
Jack's quest to prove his innocence to a whole
new narrator - Jack's assistant Justine - wl" &amp;
is working on another case with a young mo•
ie star and trying to clear him of murder as
well.
Just as abruptly, the reader has to switch
(again!) to story about a hotel-hopping serial
killer. Then there's the $30 million drug deal
with the mob. Readers are pulled back and
forth from case to case.
While the book is enjoyable, it's not exactly light reading. This hard-boiled detective novel has far too much going on, and
too many plots that do not connect with one
another. The book is well-written, but jumpy,
and readers shouJd prepare to forget
who certain characters even are.
At least, I can say it can't
be classified as a cook·tter.

ete's Place offers sanctuary for vegan

Assistant A&amp;E Editor

Being vegan, it is usually difficult and
frustrating to find things to eat out other
than salad. I was delighted to find Pete's
Place, a Middle Eastern family restaurant
located on 35 E. South St. in Wilkes-Barre.
Offering a wide selection of vegan and
vegetarian options along with their many
carnivorous selections, Pete's Place fell
nothing short of the pleasantly unique dining experience l hoped to enjoy. The waiter
was friendly and enthusiastic as he explained any questions I had with items on
their menu. He made me feel relaxed and
at home.
The restaurant's menu includes salads,

wraps, dips, gyros, kabobs and platters, as
well as American cuisine, not to mention
a familiar favorite dessert, baklava. As an
appetizer, I ordered baba ghanouj (roasted
eggplant dip with lemon garlic tahini and
olive oil) and, as my main course, a falafel
wrap (fried fava bean and chick pea patties
with lettuce, tomato, radish, parsley and tahini sauce wra]?ped in a large pita bread).
For my beverage, I enjoyed a glass of cool
lemonade.
The baba ghanouj had the consistency of
hummus and a heavy taste of garlic and was
served with fresh pita bread. I loved it. Then
again, I'm a huge fan of garlic. The falafel
wrap was absolutely delicious. The warm
falafel had
the crumble-like

texture it should and was very flavorful. The
lettuce, tomatoes, radish and parsley on the
wrap were crisp, cool and refreshing. The
whole wrap was topped with a warm tahini
sauce, made of ground sesame seeds, lemon
juice, and garlic. It tasted similar to ranch
dressing.
I ate with a friend of mine, a very picky
eater, who had ordered a grilled cheese,
which came with SunChips and fries. She
enjoyed every bite of it, saying the cheese
wasn't "overpowering" as it can be at many
other restaurants.
Pete's Place really gives you your money's worth, selling large portions of food at a
very reasonable price. It's possible to spend
just $10 on
a meal and
drink,
and

4/5

still have plenty
leftovers to take
with you.
One of the best aspects of restaurant, though, is its at-home, chill
atmosphere. A scenic painted mural covered one wall while the other was adorned
with photos from Middle Eastern countries.
Wicker chairs were placed at the tables ar.r\
what appeared to be a natural wood, brown
picket fence was hung sideways on the ceiling, draped ·with small wicker baskets.
The location is perfect for Wilkes' students, as it is just across the street from University Towers. lt is open Monday through
Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m .
@WU_BeaconAE
WU_ BeaconAE@yahoo.com

�CONTACT EDITOR: justinfraniak@thewilkesbeacon.com

APRIL 17, 2012

Lady Colonels continue to impress

The Broad Street
Wilkes brings new life to lacrosse program; racks up wins Breakdown:
BY ALYSSA STENCAVAGE
NHL Playoffs
Staff Writer

BY BRYAN WISLOSKY
Columnist

BY JUSTIN FRANIAK
Sports Editor

The women's lacrosse team has made
quite a comeback this year from previous
years.
The change came mostly with the dynamic of the team.
There were always low numbers before
mixed with a lot of negativity, which turned
around with the new members who were
recruited by the coaches.
"This year has been a great improvement over last year," says freshman Sarah
Brozena.
Another aspect that could account for the
change of pace with the team is the fact
that they worked out during the winter and
developed better team bonding. There was
always ll0 percent effort from everyone.
"I think we work really well. We may not
be the best and amazing, but we get things
done when we have to," says freshman
Carley Smith.
Senior players include Captain Caitlin
Jordon, Cassie Cronin, Lindsey Davenport
and Kate McGurk. Juniors are Jackie Harrison and Brittaney Costigan. Sophomores
are Gabby Ford, Keri Meerholz, Samantha
Pavalko and Olivia Dworak and freshman
players are Brozena, Smith and Elizabeth
Bracco.
The coaching staff includes head coach
Kammie Towey and assistant coach Danielle Hawkins.
The team seems to be one big family with
inside jokes and a great coaching staff who
cares ab~t their academics and tries to
make them the best that they can be both
on and off the field.
"We have a good bunch of girls that play
with their heart," Jordan says. "Heart is the
key to our success."
The Lady Colonels currently sit at 6-2,
with a record of 0-2 in conference play.
Ford leads the team with 32 goals on the
season, while Smith has netted 29 goals.
The Colonels have four players who have
scored.double-digit goals.
Wilkes has outscored its opponent 124-

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

Pharmacy major Olivia Dworak is an integral part of the Lady Colonels turnaround
from last season. Dworak started all 17 games in 2011, and has netted 13 goals in
this years campaign. Dworak has 15 total points and two assists. Wilkes has doubled its win total from last year to six. The Lady Colonels return to action at 4:30
p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, at Schmidt Stadium.

81 en route to having a winning record. The
Colonels also own a record of 4-1 on the
road.
The goalkeeper is the last line of defense
for a lacrosse team, and Wilkes has two very
capable goalies.
Cronin owns a 9.34 goals against average,
while sophomore Justine Thimmel has a
.410 save percentage.
Teamwork runs rampant through the Colonels squad as Keri Meeholz leads the team
with 15 assists.
Wilkes has forced 74 caused turnovers
with Smith leading the way.
Wilkes suffered its second loss on the season, as the Colonels lost to Arcadia this past
Saturday.
Arcadia scored 15 goals in the first half,
jumping out to a huge lead.
Ford took 10 shots and scored on five, but
her charge was not enough as Arcadia scored
the game's first three goals.
Wilkes would go into the halftime break
down 15-6.

The Colonels came out hot in the second
half netting six goals, but Arcadia would respond with seven more scores.
Wilkes fell to Arcadia 22-12, with Thimmel and Cronin splitting time in goal.
The Lady Colonels return to action at 4:30
p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, at Schmidt Stadium.
The Colonels will take on crosstown rival
Misericordia University.
The Cougars are 4-9 on the season.
The Cougars are coming off a loss to conference opponent Manhattanville. Misericordia surrendered 23 goals in the loss.
The Colonels will look to improve their
3-14 record from 2011 as the Cougars travel
to Wilkes.

@WU_BeaconSports
justinfraniak@thewilkesbeacon.com

Well, my favorite time of year got under
way in the past week, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This year, the 16 teams rying for, in my
opinion, the greatest trophy in all of sports
are: Eastern Conference: (1) New York
Rangers, (2) Boston Bruins, (3) Florida
Panthers, (4) Pittsburgh Penguins, (5) Philadelphia Flyers, (6) New Jersey Devils,
(7) Washington Capitals, (8) Ottawa Senators; Western Conference: (1) Vancouver
Canucks, (2) St. Louis Blues, (3) Phoenix
Coyotes, (4) Nashville Predators, (5) Detroit Red Wings, (6) Chicago Blackhawks,
(7) San Jose Sharks, (8) Los Angeles Kings.
The match-ups in the east are Rangers
v. Senators, Bruins v. Capitals, Panthers v.
Devils, and Penguins v. Flyers.
In the West we have Canucks v. Kings,
Blues v. Sharks, Coyotes v. Blackhawks,
and Predators v. Red Wings.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are my favorite
postseason system because the difference
between a first-place team and a last-place
team in the NHL is so much closer than any
other professional sports league.
You almost never see a one seed lose to
an eight seed in the NBA playoffs, yet upsets like that occur almost every year in the
NHL playoffs.
For example, when the Flyers went to
the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010, they were
the seven seed in the East and actually had
home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals because the team they played,
the Montreal Canadians, was the eighth
seed.
So the bottom two teams in the east managed to overcome higher seeds in the first
two rounds of the playoffs.
The competition level in the National
Hockey League is just that high.
As for who will win Lord Stanley's Cup
this season, call me biased, but I really think
my Philadelphia Flyers will be able to get
it done.
" SEE NHL, PAGE 18

�,,,
j

,.,,.(#,.

.

.

" .. , ~,,-~_,,,,, ___ ,,_

'

17

SPORTS

THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

SCOREBOARD
Baseball

4/14 Kings L 25-6'
Kings L 7-4

Softball
4/14 Kings L 0-11
Kings L 1-10

M-Tennis
4/14 Kings W 7-2

Lacrosse
4/14 Arcadia L 12-22

W-Tennis
4/14 Kings W 9-0

WEEKAHEAD
Baseball

4/17 PSU-Wilkes Barre

Softball
4/19 PSU-Hazleton (DH)

M-Tennis
4/19 Moravian

Lacrosse
4/17 Misericordia

W-Tennis
4/17 Muhlenburg

end messages
nd pictures to

When we talk about sports and which team
is the best in a given sport in a given year,
there's only one way to find out: the playoffs.
The playoffs is what every fan of every
team in every sport lives for.
Each sport has a unique playoff structure
and each has its strengths and weaknesses.
Unless you're a college football fan, you
don't dispute the results.
So, which system is the best?
My personal belief is hockey.
Hockey clearly has the best playoffs.
Even though I think it's a little too long, it
does last over a month and a half.
The results of the playoffs are clearly the
greatest and leave you on the edge of your
seat from the start.
First, unlike baseball and the top heavy
NBA, every series·goes six to seven games.
There are few occasions where a team gets
swept or blown out in a seven game series.
Also, there's the fact that the league is so
even throughout that an eight seed can beat a
one seed like the Kings are doing to the Canucks so far.
Hockey top to bottom is the most evenly
competitive sport and in the last 20 years,
hockey has had 12 different teams win the
Stanley cup; the NBA had seven.
The NHL also has the most energy and passion during the playoffs.
The hits are harder, the goals more impressive, the fights are more brutal; this is what
the players live for.
If you're not convinced hockey is the best I
have saved the best for last: playoff beards.
Yes, it is the one league where every player
on every team, and even every member of the
organization, will not shave until the playoffs
are over.
Trust me, I love baseball and I think the
structure of 5-7-7 should be in all leagues,
it's short, sweet and to the point, but baseball
at times can get one-sided.
What fun is the world series if a team wins
in four games?
The NBA, I believe, is the worst.
I find it boring, and chances are if you have
half a brain, you can guess the finals before
the playoffs start.
It's too top-heavy and there are rarely surprises.
With the tournament, NCAA basketball
might be the only close one, but to be honest there are so many games it can be overwhelming at times.
Yes it is exciting, and we always have Cinderellas, but if you're a casual college fan
like I am, it might just not do it for you.

Playoffs?!
Don t talk
about Playoffs!
11

Playoffs?!

The playoffs for any sport are like Christmas for me. It's a new season and a new
day. New life is given to a team.
Being a hot team is always key in any
sport, this was made apparent when the
Rockies went to the World Series a few
years back.
The NFL playoffs allow for a hot team to
take a wild ride.
If you're hot in the NFL, a Super Bowl
run is a very easy task. The Pittsburgh
Steelers proved that when they won after
being seeded sixth.
The NFL is also "do or die." One loss
ends your season and dreams • f a ring.
There are no excuses at the end of the day,
you either win or lose.
This is why the NFL is unique. All other
major sports involve series, while football
is one game.
So much preparation and concentration
are involved in one game. Coaches and
players prepare for a whole week before
they face an opponent.
When game day comes, everything is put
on the line.
I love the hockey playoffs. I even had a
hard time picking the NFL over them, but
there is something special about football
playoffs.
Whether it be the video packages, pregame parties, postgame festivities, the
NFL playoffs is intense yet comforting.
I believe the NBA playoffs are the worst
There is too much time in between
games. Sometimes teams wait two days
between contests.
The NHl waits one day between competitions, and these guys beat each other up
really bad.
The NBA short be shortened.
I love baseball, and nothing should be
changed. Alternate playoff uniforms would
add a little flair though.
I am also an advocate for a NCAA football playoff.
It would add more excitement and drama,
the good kind, to an already riveting sport.
The BCS ranking system can stay, but a
bracket must be created.
I would love to see an undefeated team
get knocked off by a Cinderella team.
The playoffs are an all-around great
event, no matter what sport.
My choice for the best system is the
NFL. Nothing compares to huge hits and
the passion exuded by players in the weeks
after a hard fought season.
We are currently, however, amidst the
NHL playoffs so I must say: GO FLYERS!

�SPORTS

, 18

FORD
Continued from Page 20
opporhrnities as a lacrosse player.

Who is your celebrity crush? I have
a bunch of crushes but Channing Tatum
takes the number No. 1 spot haha
Who is your favorite athlete? Tim
Tebow for sure! He's one-of-a-kind and
just an overall good person. He played
a game with a broken leg! If that's not
heart, I don't know what is.
Who is your favorite team? The New
York Jets! Gang Green all the way!
What is your favorite saying? Hakuna
Matata!
.favorite food? I don't discriminate. I
love all foods (laughs).

THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

what would it be and why? Invisibility.
I would pull so many pranks on my siblings and friends, it'd be great!
What did you want to grow up and
be when you were little? Honestly, I
thought the ice cream man had the greatest job in the world.
If you had to pick a place to live for

the rest of your life, where would it
be? Why? When I get older and am
done with everything I've wanted to do
in my life, I want to live on a beach and
I don't care where (laughs). As long as
it's warm and the water is beautiful, I
will be more than happy.

ec out more pictures o
Gabby online at
ww. thewilkes beacon.co
The· Beacon/Laura Preby

Favorite movie? Any of the old Disney
princess movies. They're classics!
If you could have one superpower,

@WU_BeaconSports
justin.franiak@wilkes.edu

Colonels drop tw"o to rivals

Photo courtesy of Sports Information

The King's College baseball team completed a sweep of the Colonels this past Saturday. King's beat Wilkes 25-6 in the first of two games. The Colonels kept it close
in their second meeting, but the Monarchs prevailed 7-4. Joel Watson, above, hit a
solo home run in the second game, but his longball was not enough. The Colonels
will return to action Tuesday, April 17, at Penn State-Wilkes Barre.

Sophomore Gabby Ford is leading the Lady Colonels in goals this season with 32.
The lacrosse squad is currently 6-2 on the season and will return to actionat 4:30
p.m. Tuesday April 17 at Schmidt Field.

NHL
Continued from Page 16
However, I could just as easily see them
getting bounced in the first round by our
cross state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
I firmly believe that whoever wins that first
round series between the four and five seeds
in the east will move onto the finals .
Down the stretch of the regular season,
they really were the two most consistent
teams, especially since Ilya Bryzgalov found
his game in early March.
Also, the Flyers have owned the Penguins
this season, so even though everyone else
considers the Penguins the best team in the
NHL, the Broad Street Bullies will find a
way to prevail.
As for the Western Conference, I'm going
with the eight seed.
Yes, I think the Los Angeles Kings will be
able to upset the President's Trophy winner
Vancouver Canucks and ride that momentum all the way to the finals.
The only reason the Kings are the lowest
seed in the conference is because of their
dismal start to the season.
They have been probably the hottest team
in the West over the last few weeks, and getting hot at the right time is all it takes.
So my prediction for the Stanley Cup Fi-

nals is the Philadelphia Flyers over the Los
Angeles Kings in six games.

Do you have NHL
Playoff predictions?
Tweet us at@WU_
BeaconSports.

.
@WU_BeaconSports
justin.franiak@wilkes.edu

�19

THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

'

WE TREAT INJURIES AND
ILLNESSES FOR ALL AGES.
+ JUST WALK IN .
+ ALWAYS A PHYSICIAN ON SITE.

+ MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED
BUT NOT REQUIRED.

+ X-RAYS, LABS, EKGs,
IVs, MINOR SURGERY.

�20

SPORTS

Check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com "'-J:,

THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

�</text>
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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                    <text>Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

THE BEACON

The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

At last week's budget forums, faculty expressed concerns about the proposed budget for next year, which includes reductions to the
faculty retirement benefits and an absence of raises. Some fear these cuts will hurt faculty morale, saying it's a recipe for mediocrity.

Gilmour's paid sabbatical amid
proposal of cuts disturb faculty
BY KIRSTIN COOK
Editor-in-Chief

A contract granting Wilkes President Joseph (Tim) Gilmour a oneyear paid sabbatical following his
retirement this summer combined
with faculty compensation package reductions has created a rift between faculty and administration.
Faculty members are facing a reduction in retirement benefits and

another year without raises. In light
of Gilmour's paid academic leave,
some are saying it doesn't add up.
Fred Sullivan, associate professor of math and computer sciences,
gave the example of an employee
at a $25,000 salary who could potential lose about $2,250 due to
reduction in retirement funds and
changes in the health care package
- a 9 percent reduction in compensation.

"So my question is, 'How can the
president and the cabinet and board
sleep at night doing that?"' Sullivan said.
Last week, Faculty Affairs Council Chair Don Mencer addressed
the contrast of these reductions
from Gilmour's break terms with
an email to Vice President Loren
Prescott. The Beacon obtained this
email, in which Mencer stated,
"How can you justify the absence

of raises and reduced retirement
benefits in contrast to a presidential
sabbatical contract."
Mencer said most of the comments he had heard from faculty on
the budget were negative. He said
one of the faculty members went so
far as to call it a "recipe for mediocrity."
"There's real concern that we're

SEE BUDGET, PAGE 4

The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow

Check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com~

�,m l] (BJ(IJJ]J
C [RT'@] 0
CONTACT EDITOR: phatnguyen@thewilkesbeacon.com

Library extended hours a possibility
BY DEVONI NOVAK

Assistant News Editor
Students Government Total: $10,448.21
Library extended hours project
Buffer Fund was granted $5,000 to put
toward the cost of making the library basement open 24 hours. Dean of the library,
John Stachez, plans to raise another $4,000
himself to make the needed accommodations. It is unspecified when the extended
hours will begin.
HAWC Brings Shaun T to Wilkes
Health and Wellness Club was granted
its requested $1,750 to bring fitness expert,
Shaun T, to Wilkes next semester. Shaun T
who is the creator of fitness programs Insanity and Hip Hop Abs, will offer a 1 hour
workout, a question-and-answer period and
an opportunity to get autographs. The event
is set for Nov. 3 in UCOM.
SIFE to participate in competition
Students In Free Enterprise requested

$5,700 to attend a national competition in
Kansas City, Mo.

Students request funds to attend conference in Utah.
Up to $3,400 was requested for five students to attend a conference at the University of Utah School on Alcoholism and Other
Drug Dependencies.
Terzaghi Lab requests funds to attend annual presentation in Austin, Texas
Four students from Terzaghi will be presenting at the annual American Society of
Plant Biologists Conference this year. Considering the cost of travel, hotel rooms and
registration, the club requested $3,000.
Upcoming Events:
Mad Hatter Tea Party: April 24
Relay for Life: April 28-29
Mac Miller: May 1
Study Break Party: May 3
@devoninovak
devoninovak@thewilkesbeacon.com

Photo courtesy o Mo ly McDonough

Wilkes students saw the U.S. Supreme Court in action and met with Justice Ginsburg last week in Washington, D.C. Pictured from left to right are Sarah Seman, Ross
Ramaley, Molly McDonough, Ashley Flaherty, Randy Keiser, Nour Elbattah, Brandon Wesneski, Morgan Palermo, Dr. Kyle Kreider and Brittney Grizzanti.

Simply come and take part in

Senior Assessment Day
May 3, 2012 • 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Testing takes place in Breiseth Hall.
Register online by Friday, April 27th.

For details and to register, visit
www.wilkes.edu/assessment

.

w

WILKES
UNIVERSITY

--------------

-- --

�THE BEACON I APRIL 24, 2012

3

NEWS

Budget process raises additional questions
BY PHAT NGUYEN
News Editor
Faculty and staff still have questions following several budget meetings with Vice President of Finance Loren Chip Prescott. Concerns include cuts to retirement, health care
and academic department budgets. Along side
these concerns faculty have a sense that their
input is not being considered.
They say one of the biggest problems facing
Wilkes is the failure to adhere to the decisionmaking process.
"That was not done," assistant professor
English Marcia Farrell said. "We were not
given an opportunity to recommend, or even
given a chance to review decisions that were
being made."
Prescott held two budget forum meetings
last week to present the proposed budget to
faculty members. The budget is projected to
include a 4 percent tuition increase, along
with various cuts. He said these budgetary decisions incorporated feedback from the campus community.
"There probably will be an ongoing discussion on whether the judgments we made were
the best ones, and sometimes you can revisit
those, but I think we got through with a lot of
discussion, a lot of involvement by the budget committee, and by the president's cabinet,
and some interaction with others on campus,"
Prescott said.
However, faculty members are upset with
the decision-making and lack of input outside
of the president's cabinet.
Don Mencer, chair of the Faculty Affairs
Committee, was hard-pressed to call this a
standard operating procedure.
"It sounds like to me that they're reacting to
circumstances," Mencer said.
Budgetary priorities have not been given to
faculty, he added.
"~ were not asked whether to fully fund
depreciation or build revenue contingencies,"
Mencer said.
Associate professor of pharmacy practice
Jonathan Ference added his concerns about
the communication process.
"There is a lingering concern that the process of communication was broken between
faculty and administration. We don't know
what process by which decisions are made,"
Ference said. "If we're not familiar with this
process, how are we able to make sure we are
represented by part of that process?"
Ference said discussions about the 2013 fiscal year budget should not be happening in
third week of April.
"We should be discussing the 2014 budget,"
Ference said.
Prescott said in past years the budget has

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Vice President of Finance Loren Prescott held two forums to present the proposed
budget for next year. Faculty members are upset with the decision-making process
behind the budget and lack of input outside of the president's cabinet.

been reviewed and approved in April.
One of the biggest challenges that delayed
the budget was state funding cuts to programs
such as graduate teacher education. According to the Wilkes Fact Book, teacher education graduation enrollment has decreased
from 3,720 in 2009 to 3,463 in 2010 and 2,673
in 2011. These losses have negatively affected
the budget, Prescott explained.
Although losses and expenses are stemming
from the graduate programs, the university
still plans to expand some existing graduate
programs and brand new graduate programs
in nursing, engineering and education.
Despite budget cuts, Prescott said the university strives to continue to make progress
reducing increases in tuition. According to the
Wilkes Fact Book, the 2011 tuition increased
3.8 percent. The university is now planning
a 4 percent increase, but hopes to eventually
lower that increase in the future.
"One of the assumptions in that budget
model was a tuition increase for the entire period to accurately project revenue," Prescott
said.
Prescott said he was disappointed the school
couldn't reduce the annual tuition increase as
quickly as that model portrays. The model
anticipates a 2 percent tuition increase in a
couple years. ·
The budget is comprised of a combination
of different groups including the president's
cabinet and a budget committee - composed
of president's cabinet, full-time faculty, student representatives and staff.
An ongoing process of meetings will exam-

ine expected revenue from a variety of sources, operating expenses and other expenditures
- such as maintenance and new projects like
the science building, Prescott said.
The finance administrator pointed out that
150 people on campus manage budgets, including academic areas such as deans for each
of the colleges, who work closely with department chairs. Conclusions are then drawn to
balance anticipated revenue sources and estimated operating expenses.
These savings are going to be different for
each of the budget units depending on their
mission and how they use resources.
"Budget managers know their operation
best, they know their budgets best, and so they
should be ones who in most cases are making
judgments abc;mt where there are opportunities to save," Prescott said.
Prescott plans to try to tum this year's cuts
into ongoing savings. He said there is a significant list of operating expenses that affect
all the operating units such as food for oncampus events, office supplies and many categories of expenses that were reviewed by the
finance office and budget committee with idea
that they could operate more efficiently.
"As part of the budget process this year,
we prepared, for the first time in a number of
years, a long-range planning budget that projects, for budgetary purposes, the university's
operations out to 2020," Prescott said.
Another issue that affects the budget is the
$35 million science building. A $20 million
capital campaign is intended to be ultimate
source of funds, but construction will put the

university $15 million in long-term debt, but
donations and fundraising could lower that
debt.
"The difficult thing with the last two years
is that we didn't do as good as job as we need
to do in accurately projecting revenue, but the
problem is when you create a budget you' re
guessing on sources of revenue," Prescott
said.
He said the basis is an educated guess from
past experience with programs, but it really a
guess with new programs.
"The budget for next year, I think, is more
conservative on revenue estimates than it has
been in the last couple years, and that's intended to address that problem," Prescott said.
"The danger is being overly optimistic about
revenue, and then later on having to come
back to the budget and saying 'well it turns
out we didn't have the revenue that we really
thought,"' he said.
The handbook states that the Faculty Affairs
Counsel should be consulted by administration before decisions are m,11de. Faculty emphasized there should be an understanding in
advance, which could have avoided what they
are calling a very public and pesky quarrel.
Despite these issues, they say there are good
things happening.
"There are people who are trying to do what
they think is right for the institution," Mencer
said.
Mencer believes the breakdown in communication has led to many of the faculty concerns.
"We all understand that we have to live
within budgets," Mencer said. "There is no
imaginary world that faculty live where they
have unlimited salaries and budgets. However, there's no doubt there's deviation from
this policy."
Mencer said these meetings and time consumption also come with an opportunity cost.
"Faculty, staff and administration are all
attending numerous meetings over budgetary decisions affecting morale and grading,"
Mencer said.
In addition, he said faculty still works hard
to uphold the values of the Wilkes community. Ference, a Wilkes alumni, has come back
to Wilkes as a professor because he wanted to
contribute to that community.
"I love being a Colonel, but part of this process is breaking my heart," Ference said.
The next step in the budget process will take
place Tuesday, April 24 where the FAC will
have a joint meeting with deans and president's cabinet&lt;t£egarding the 2012 fiscal year
among other concerns.
Contributer: Kirstin Cook
@phatnguyen_
phatnguyen@wilkes.edu

�4

BUDGET
Continued from the front page

•

talcing budgetary steps that are not in the
best interest of the institution," Mencer said.
The 2013 fiscal year budget proposes a 3
percent cut to matching contribution for employee retirement plans. Mencer said there's
fear this type of reduction will lead to a decrease in faculty efficiency and a loss of a
strong faculty commitment to students that
Wilkes is known for.
"It affects morale, low morale affects the
service and quality of interaction that the
students on campus have with staff and faculty."
Prescott said difficult budgetary choices
were aided by discussion and campus participation.
"It's a balancing act, and you have to reach
compromises when you're in a situation
where you have limited resources and you
have a lot of competing priorities," Prescott
said.
Mencer outlined the main areas of concern
of the FAC to Prescott, beginning with the
financial details of Gilmour's sabbatical.
Though The Beacon learned of Gilmour's
sabbatical two weeks ago, Prescott confirmed the contract at an April 17 forum.
According to Wilkes' 990 tax form, Gilmour's presidential salary was $358,874 in
2009. Prescott would not release how much
he would receive during his sabbatical.
Vicki Mayk, associate director of public
relations, said Gilmour will be receiving
less than his current salary. She said the sabbatical was negotiated between the board
of trustees and a presidential compensation
expert, who called granting this type of sabbatical a common practice.
During this sabbatical, Gilmour said he
plans to do some work on the capital campaign that funds the new science building,
providing background information to the
new president and possibly writing a book.
Gilmour said when he agreed to the sabbatical contract two years ago, Wilkes was
in a better financial state than today.
"It was a contract that we negotiated two
years ago, and we certainly did not know
we would be in quite the position we're in,"
Gilmour said.
However, in February 2010 The Beacon
reported Wilkes was trying to close a $2.2
million deficit. Also, according to the 990,
many of the highest-paid employees at Wilkes received pay cuts in 2009, including
more than $24,000 in reductions in Gilmour's salary, compared to 2008 data that
showed $60,000 in bonuses for the 14 highest-paid employees.
And these days, faculty members are being told the university is financially sound.
Mencer said undergraduate, transfer and ·in-

NEWS
The Beacon/
Austin Loukas

It was confirmed
WIikes President
Joseph {Tim)
Gilmour will
receive a one-year
paid sabbatical,
during which
he said he will
be completing
various work for
the university.
Gilmour said the
university was in
a better financial
state when he
accepted the sabbatical two years
ago. Both public
relations and
finances declined
to release his
sabbatical salary,
though public
relations stated it
will be less than
his current pay.

ternational student emollment is up, which
he feels contradicts the slashes to faculty
benefits.
"From the faculty perspective, when you
keep telling them the emollment indicators
are high, then you begin to question, well if
the things that positively impact on revenue
are encouraging, then why is it we're being
told we have to tighten our belts and have
some reductions in compensation packages," Mencer said.
Mencer said faculty members have not
been receiving 'salary increases in recent
years to keep up with the cost of living.
Prescott, however, said Wilkes has made a
commitment to provide competitive salaries.
"The university has committed itself to
trying - for employees, not just faculty - to
try to continue to focus on making sure that
all of the employees are paid a competitive
salary," Prescott said.
Mencer said the main concerns faculty
have are less about the contents of the budget, such as faculty compensation, and more
about the lack of faculty input on the contents. He said this lack of involvement does
not give the faculty the chance to deem the
budget decisions as essential, a classification
he doubts.
"If it's really essential, and it's the only
way the institution can survive, then I don't
think you would have people at the institution arguing against it."
Contributer: Phat Nguyen
@kirstinjeancook
kirstincook@thewilkesbeacon.com

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�THE BEACON I APRIL 24, 2012

NEWS

5

Google Cloud takes over Wilkes University
System upgrade expected to be more efficient and reliable
BY ABBEY HALDEMAN
Staff Writer
Freshman nursing major Cheyenne Cassimore was forced to make a new password, not once, but two times this week
because her Wilkes email denied her access.
"I had to change my password so it
would let me in. It is really frustrating
me," Cassimore said.
In addition to changing passwords, stu
dents and faculty have voiced other
complaints, which include never ·
obtaining outgoing and incoming
emails.
There is a constant struggle among
the students, the faculty, the staff and
the university email. The login battle,
messages getting lost in cyberspace and
storage space - or lack thereof - are
only a few major issues.
"We have been hearing a lot of concerns
about email for quite some time," Chief
Information Officer Gloria Barlow said
regarding the current Microsoft Outlook
Web email system. "It's a large undertaking to manage a mail system for thousands
of students."
On top of all the struggles through the
email itself, there has been one specific
time when the entire system had to be shut
down. During this time the flood evacuation in the Fall of 2011 , the university
had to completely shut down the system in
order to preserve and protect it. In doing
so, the only way to communicate with students was through Facebook or some sort
of web-based system.
"I've been in this business a long time;
-1've never needed to turn off my machines,
shut off the light and leave and not know
when we were coming back," Barlow said.
In order to ensure that something like
completely shutting down the system
would never happen again and in an effort to ease the ongoing struggles, the IT
department realized it was time for some
adjustments. Email would be switched to
"the cloud."
"At this point in time about more than
60 percent of colleges around the country
have migrated some portions of their campus to the cloud," Barlow said.
Cloud systems are a simplified operating
systems that run as a web browser, providing access to a variety of web-based applications that allow the user to perform
many simple tasks without booting a fullscale operation system.

Cloud systems are a simplified operating systems that run as
a Web browser, providing access to a variety of web-based applications that allow the user to perform many simple tasks
without booting a full-scale operation system. The operating

Because of its simplicity, Clouds can
boot in just a few seconds. The operating
system is designed for Netbooks, Mobile
Internet Devices and PCs that are mainly
used to browse the Internet. From Cloud
the user can quickly boot into the main
OS, because Cloud continues booting the
main OS in the background.
Cloud can be installed and used together with other operation systems, or as a
standalone operating system. When used
as a standalone system, hardware requirements are relatively low.
After evaluating the current email via
student response surveys, a committee of
12 decided that the switch to the cloud
would be the most beneficial for everyone.
The initial debate was whether to go
with Microsoft Live or Google mail. The
ultimate deciding factor for the conversion to Gmail came when Microsoft made
a change in its offerings with universities,

system is designed for Netbooks, Mobile Internet Devices and
PCs that are mainly used to browse the Internet. From Cloud
the user can quickly boot into the main OS because Cloud
continues booting the main OS in the background.

granting free use only for students and not
faculty. For the campus, Gmail met the
criteria and was the most cost-effective
option.
"There was a unanimous recommendation from the IT committee, which never
happens," Barlow said.
After Barlow presented the report and
the recommendations to the president's
cabinet they were given the go-ahead. The
mass of migration to Gmail will be. Start
this summer.
Many students believe the switch to
Gmail will help fix the frustrations they
have been facing.
"I think that Gmail is a bigger network
than Microsoft, so it is going be faster,"
Allison Bitner, a freshman pharmacy major said.
Gloria believes the size limitation issues
will be solved by the switch, due to the
massive growth in space. With the change

to the cloud, students will have more than
250 times the space that they have with
the current email. She also believes that
students will enjoy having a Gmail account because it can be personal to them,
which many students have requested previously.
"It is a service and interface most (students) are already familiar with, comfortable with and like," Barlow said.
The move to Gmail will allow students
and faculty to keep their @wilkes.edu domain. The cloud system will also allow
better mobile access due to its simplicity.
"If we ever had an emergency again, as
long as you are somewhere with an Internet conDection, we as a campus will still
be able to communicate with all wilkes.
edu addresses, which is very important for
us," Barlow said.
@wu_beaconnews
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

�CONTACT EDITOR: carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

President Gilmour says farewell to
the Wilkes University community
BYTIM GILMOUR
Wilkes University President

The title of my inaugural speech was "The
Courage to Be Great." Throughout my
presidency, I've challenged our University
community to have the courage to work together to build a truly great institution. And
as a community - our students, faculty and
staff - I think we have been courageous. I
look back over the ·past 11 years and see so
many achievements. We've been able to accomplish them because of the courage, the
talent and the hard work of the people here
at Wilkes.
As an institution, we've grown significantly, setting records for enrollment on the
undergraduate and graduate levels. We're a
more diverse institution, doubling our minority population and drawing more than
100 international students representing 21
countries.
We've earned significant honors such as
the grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and research grants to our faculty from the National Science Foundation
and the National Institutes of Health. Several of our faculty has been recognized by
their national associations as leaders in their
field. There have been additions to our program offerings - such as the Sidhu School
of Business and Leadership, four master's
degree programs, and two doctoral degrees.
And recently, we've opened the Pocono
Center and begun construction of the new,
state-or.he-art science building.
We' re making a lasting impact in the city
of Wilkes-Barre and in the region, with over
$20 million in investments in the Downtown
and initiatives such as the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development and
the Institute for Energy and Environmental
Research for Northeastern Pennsylvania.
And we sent an Army of Colonels out to
help our community after the flood last fall.
So before I say farewell, I want to say
thank you to everyone who made these
achievements, and so many more, possible.
There is no way I could list all of our successes in one article. And no president accomplishes these things alone. The members of the University community are who

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall
attitudes of students on the Wilkes campus. These poll results are
based on 24 responses.

Last week's question:
How has the "pink-slime" controversy affected your meat
eating habits?
Don't eat meat 1%
What is pink
slime?
4%

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
President Tim Gilmour will retire this summer after 11 years at Wilkes. Above, Gilmour celebrates at a goodbye party at Fenner Hall with faculty, staff and students.

make it all possible and deserve the credit.
I've talked about some of the changes and
accomplishments during my tenure at Wilkes. But one thing endures: This is really a
wonderful place that brings a lot of people
great joy. I've been honored to be a part of it.
Here at Wilkes, we care about the people
we serve. We.remain focused on our mission
of educating our students. It's what is great
about this institution. Our faculty members
come to work every day, committed to doing
a good job. You, our students, are the beneficiaries of their commitment. Your growth
and achievements make it all worthwhile.
I feel a bit like a graduating senior as I prepare to take my leave. I have enjoyed being
here. Now this time is coming to an end and
I don't know what it's going to be like when
I leave. I have always been what I would
describe as a "Point A to Point B" kind of
person. I've always known where I was go-

ing next. As I anticipate leaving Wilkes, I
have an opportunity to do new things. And
this time, I'm trying to leave myself open to
opportunities tha~ have yet to present themselves.
The field of higher education will continue
to be a focus for me: I'm planning to write a
book about its future. We are going to have to
re-think the way we do things at our colleges
and universities and I'll be spending the next
year talking to people about how they see
that future. New ways of teaching students
and new ways of delivering instruction will
surely be part of what's on the horizon.
In dosing, let me say thank you once again
for the priviiege of serving this institution.
I'm optimistic about the future of Wilkes and about the future of you, our students.
If there's any thought I leave you with, it's
the same one that I shared when I started my
presidency: Have the courage to be great!

Do not
trust the
meat
industry
4%

This week The Beacon asks:
Do you plan to vote in the 2012
Pennsylvania primary?
• Yes, I already have
• Yes, I plan on voting
• No, I do not plan on voting
• No, I am not eligible
Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:
carlyyamrus@thewilkesbeacon.com

The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces "'for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�THE BEACON

I APRIL 24, 20 12

.

7

'OPINION

And God said 'Let there be marriage': Inequality of civil unions
BY CATHRYN FREAR
Staff Writer

In the United States of America, people
have certain "unalienable" rights. According to the Declaration oflndependence, anyway. In fact, the exact wording as written in
the preamble is, "We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Regardless of word choice, what they
meant was there are rights our government
couldn't take away. It's important to note
this is past tense. The government up and
decided to ignore the grounds to which this
country was founded on in search of God in
government.
The word "Creator" in the preamble
seems to be the focus of those opposed to
marriage equality. But, you will notice it
is this "Creator," God, who has guaranteed
these "unalienable rights," including marriage. So how that reasoning makes sense, I
will never understand.
Nowadays, we generally hear such Creator-given rights referred to as "inalienable." And those rights include the right
to be single, married, separated, divorced
or widowed but not civilly unionized. Go
ahead and see for yourself. Pick a legal
document, any legal document. Generally,

The Beacon/Ki rsti n Cook

Civil unions can be compared to the Civil Rights movement. Civil unions do not offer any legal protections and responsibilities that married couples have.

there is no box to be checked marked with
the option of"civilly unionized."
Why? Yes, the federal government leaves
it to the states to decide on issues regarding
marriage. But this only goes so far. Not all
rights with regards to those obtained through
marriage remain at the state level.
According to the National Organization
for Women, marriage offers up a minimum
of 1,049 legal protections and responsibilities on the federal level. Civil unions offer
exactly zero. This is because civil unions really are only state-by-state.
What this means is, if you could get married in Vermont, it would be recognized as
legitimate regardless of where you are in the

country. However, Vermont only gives prospective lawful homo-citizens the right to a
civil union with a partner. Not a husband or
a wife. But, travel to somewhere such as the
commonwealth of Pennsylvania and your
rights are officially null in that location.
It's tax time, folks. Time to fill out all
those W2s and cross your fingers for big
money, no 'X.hammies. But civil unions offer up plenty of whammies. Taxes are a mix
of federal and stat overnment.
This is comparable to ·xing oil and water,
respectively. The oil is ge erally going to
rise to the top.
In other words, the federal government can
force those in civil unions to fill out their tax-

es as if they were single. This also applies to
benefits such as medical insurance and pension programs, both of which are extended
to one's family. A civil union does not make
a family.
Divorce is such a dirty word, isn't it?
Well, compare divorce which can be filed
and completed in any state which those parties involved reside to what civil union contracts will do, and it sounds beautiful.
In order to break up a civil union, those
parties involved instead must establish residency in the state in which the civil union
was declared.
Many who discuss obtaining gay civil
rights compare it to the Black Civil Rights
Movement. I only see one definite similarity: second-class status.
Getting a special water fountain sounds
excellent, doesn't it? But if the fountain
isn't maintained and the water isn't as clean,
it's not exactly excellent.
It's way less cool to have your own water fountain because people believe you are
dirtier than they are or less-deserving of basic needs. What all of this comes down to in
either civil rights movement is second-class
status.
Civil unions are very much the dirty water
fountain of the Gay Civil Rights Movement.
@cathrynfrear
Cathryn. frear@wilkes.edu

Mitt Romney: too wealthy to represent middle-class America
Photo Courtesy of
blog.quickmeme.com

BY BRITTANY BATTISTA
Advertising Manager

When you think of the word "politician,"
• what first comes to your mind? A tall man
with slicked-back hair? Does he wear a suit
with a price tag no middle class person could
afford? Is he one of those people who only
tells you what you want to hear? Mitt Romney fits this stereotype.
Mitt Romney is that classic politician
you are warned about. One whose opinions
change depending on the people he's speaking to and whose accent changes depending
on the state he's in. It's all a ploy to get votes.
I firmly believe that Mitt Romney is in the
position he is now because of his money.
That's all these campaigns are. The more
money you put in, the better the outcome.
It's not the 2012 Presidential Race, but the
2012 Money Race to see who can get the
most money. It is completely outrageous that
it is legal to raise millions and millions of
dollars when the U.S. is so in debt.
I once heard Romney say the word "poor"

during one of the past GOP debates. I have
never witnesses anything more frightening. I don't think he knows what poor is.
He must only hear about us in rumors being
spread around Bloomfield Hills, Mich., one
of the top five wealthiest cities in the U.S.
which Romney grew up in. Then again, we
all would have more money ifwe had Romney's tax rate, which is less than what most
middle class families pay. It makes sense if
you don't think about it.

no idea what the middle class is like? He has
not gone through the struggles ofliving payRepublican presicheck to paycheck with dreams of sending
dential candidate
kids to college. We cannot elect a president
Mitt Romney fits
who cannot represent us properly.
the classic politician
Mitt Romney is a candidate for the rich.
stereotype, raking in With the nation's middle class becoming
money and votes in
extinct, I think it's important for the Unitevery way possible.
ed States to have a leader who understands
Romney cannot
what we're going through. We don't need
relate with middlesomeone who can easily bet $10,000 like its
class America and
pocket change. I'm all for working your way
does not represent
to the top, but when you come from money
us properly.
it's pretty easy to get the kind of education
His income does not come from a salary, that can take you places.
but earned money through stocks, shares and
So all I ask is that come Election Day you
other investments taxed under the special all take a moment before handing in that
rate. Romney doesn't play by the same rules ballot and think of yourself. Who can best
as the rest of us and it doesn't stop there. A represent YOU. Don't vote for who has the
study by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center most "electability," vote for yourself. We
stated that under Romney's plan the top 1 have a voice and Romney can't hear it while
percent of taxpayers would get a tax cut of counting his money. He can't represent mamore than $150,000. The rich get richer and jority of America. If he wins, we lose.
the poor get poorer.
@brittanybattista
Why would we want a president who has
brittany. battista@wilkes.edu

�8

THE BEACON I APRIL 17, 2012

OPINION

• Cash in your pennies for change that makes cents
BY CARLY YAMRUS

The Beacon/Lau ra Preby

Opinion Editor

In today's economy,
pennies are worth
less than the cost to
make them . The United States should retire its one-cent coin
and round prices up
or down to the nearest nickel. Doing so
would save both time
and money.

See a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll
be carrying around a worthless piece of copper-plated zinc.
According to the U.S. Mint's annual report, it costs 2.4 cents to make a penny that
is worth 1.0 cent. Each year, the United
States produces approximately 7 billion
pennies. Over the years, the cost of producing and distributing the one-cen!,_,eoin has
actually cost us money; 60 million dollars
in 2011. This price is sure to go up due to
the rising costs of zinc and copper used to
produce the penny.
Last month, Canada decided it was time
to call the quits on their one-cent coin. CBC
news reported that it costs them 1.6 cents to
produce their penny, costing them about 11
million dollars a year.
The United States penny support group,
"Americans for Common Sense," says that
two-thirds of Americans wish to keep the
penny. They provide reasoning such as,
"The penny is sentimental," and "Prices will
be rounded up ifwe eliminate it." It's apretty safe bet to say that most of these people
hardly use the coin that they hope to save.

The amount of pennies in circulation is
unknown due to the large amounts of hoarding over the years. What can a penny buy
you these days? Nothing. Maybe half a drop
of gasoline but that's about it. Pennies are
so useless that they are now offered for free
at almost any store. Many people physically toss their pennies in the trash because
they are a burden to carry. A penny for your
thoughts these days is basically like saying
"your opinion is worthless."
As a waitress, I find it extremely annoying having to wait for customers to fish out
several pennies from the deep dark depths
of their purses and pockets. Many people
firmly believe that the entire country will go

into disarray the very minute the U.S. mint
stops cranking out the coins.
If we do ditch the penny, prices will have
to be rounded to the nearest nickel. The propenny argument will always be that prices
will always be rounded up and never down.
No fear! Canada has a solution. Prices ending in 1, 2, 6 or 7 will round down to O or 5,
and if the price ends in 3, 4, 8 or 9, the total
will be rounded up. This may take a week
tops to get used to.
For those of you who wish to keep the penny because it honors Abe Lincoln, last time
I checked he was on the $5 bill! I am sure
Abe would be honored seeing that his penny
is typically thrown on the ground, in sewers,

on train tracks, under your car seat, in water
fountains .. .
My favorite argument is "But it teaches
children the value of saving money." The
only reason children save pennies is because
they buy nothing in today's economy. Give
a child 100 pennies and they will probably
laugh at you. Even if they do make it to the
dollar store with a pound of pennies, the cashier will most likely not accept them as a
method of payment. By giving up pennies
you are actually saving time, which is more
valuable.
It is silly to hold onto a useless coin that
costs us millions of dollars annually to sustain. There have been plenty of coins in U.S.
history that have served a purpose at one
point but were discontinued for one reason
or another. Of course it will take time to adjust to life without the penny, but commerce
is sure to continue and America will find
something else to be upset about after the
nickel becomes the norm.
That's my two cents on the great penny
debate.

@carlyyamrus
carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

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0

.CON,:ACT EDITgR: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Give her a·hand: Ashley Gibson drives men 'Mad' in TV, movies
Wilkes alum follows entertainment industry dream all the way to Hollywood
BY BILL THOMAS
Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor

Sometimes, opportunity knocks at the
most unlikely moments.
.
For instance, Ashley Gibson was a
corpse when she found her calling. Or,
rather, it found her.
"I was playing a dead body on the TV
show 'Monk,"' she explained. "It was
when I first moved (to California from
Pennsylvania). I had only been out here
for two months, and the lead actor Tony
Shalhoub told me I had beautiful hands.
"He kept talking about them, and he told
me I should get in touch with his agent
because I could make a lot of money. So
I met with his agent and she signed me,
and I've been working as a hand model
ever since."
Though Gibson, a 2007 Wilkes University graduate, admitted hand modeling
isn't exactly something she ever imagined
herself doing, the experience has turned
out to be a rewarding one. It's also something that's proven more challenging than
she initially expected.
"I do both print ads and commercials.
For commerciaJs, they'll bring me in to
do things that are very precise. I know
it sounds silly, but I did a Haagen-Dazs
commercial where I had to get the ice
cream to roll onto the spoon in this perfect
shape. You have to do it all day long and
it's just you, so there's a lot of pressure.
"I didn't realize everything that went
into the job, but I'm pretty good at it
now," she said, laughing.
More than anything, Gibson's modeling - which includes work for Avon,
Mazda, Charmin and the movie "Friends
with Benefits," where her hands doubled
for Mila Kunis' during the end credit sequence - along with her work as an extra
in television and film, represents for her
another step deeper into the world of show
business.
It's a world Gibson had wanted to be a
part of for a very long time. Without the
support of her Wilkes University teachers, though, the one-time communication
studies major confessed she may never
have been able to take that first step.
"The best thing about Wilkes is that you

Courtesy of Ashley Gibson

Clockwise from top: Ashley
Gibson poses with the "Outstanding Drama Series" Emmy
Award at the "Mad Men" Season 4 wrap party, Gibson in
full period regalia on the set of
"J. Edgar:' Ashley Gibson (far
right) and other extras on the
set of"Mad Men" Season 4.

can really get
to know your
professors. I got
a lot of backing,
specifically from
( communication
studies professors
Jane Elmes-Crahall and Bradford
L. Kinney and assistant business
professor
Matthew J. Sowcik).
They let me
come into their
offices all the time to talk about this crazy
idea I had about moving to California and
working in entertainment," she said.
"There were a lot of people who told

"I was 'bit by the bug,'
as they say. I really
can't imagine myself
not being on a set now.
I can't imagine myself
not doing this."
Ashley Gibson

me 'Don't do
that. Just stay
in Wilkes-Barre
and work for the
newspaper
or
something.' I'm
so appreciative
of all (my teachers' ) help."
Inspired
to
chase her dreams,
Gibson
moved
to California in
2009, intending
at first to find

work in public relations.
It was a task that turned out to be easier said than done. However, her efforts
would quickly lead to new ventures which

Gibson said she found far more fulfilling.
"It's really difficult to find a job out
here if you don't have any connections,
so I started exploring other areas," she
explained. "I heard about an open casting call they were having for 'Entourage,'
looking for extras. I'd been here for a couple months and still not found anything in
PR, so I figured this might be something
fun to do ~nd also make some money.• ·
Spoiler alert: Gibson got the gig. From
there, she said, it was just a snowball effect of getting to know more people in
the industry and picking up more jobs as
an extra and stand-in on TV shows and
movies like the Golden Globe-nominated
biopic "J. Edgar" and the upcoming Paul
Thomas Anderson drama "The Master."
Most recently, Gibsor s been rubbing
shoulders with the likes ~f Al Pacino and
Christopher Walken on the set of "Stand
Up Guys," an action-comedy due out next
year. Of all the projects she's appeared in,
though, Gibson said her favorite is undoubtedly the critically acclaimed AMC
television series "Mad Men."
"I was a secretary in the office throughout Season 4," she said. "The people were
great and I loved that it was a period piece.
It was the first time I'd ever done anything
like that. It was really fun being in period
hair and make-up every day, completely
transformed into somebody else.
"It was also amazing to see how talented
the cast members on that show are. I was
basically going to work, but I felt like I
was getting free acting lessons every day. "
Though she had no prior experience as
an actress or model of any kind before
her westward pilgrimage, Gibson hopes
to continue doing both in the future, and
is already ambitious about getting parts in
bigger projects, including more film work.
The time she's spent in the entertainment
industry, it seems, has proven quite addictive.
"I was 'bit by the bug,' as they say. I
really can't imagine myself not being on a
set now," she said.
"I can't imagine myself not doing this. "

@thatbillthomas
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

�\

�I

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�12

THEs·EACON

A&amp;E

I A PR IL 24, 201 2

Don1t slap yourself for missing 'Bitter is the New Black1 gives
out, give 'Three Stooges1 a shot hilarious life tips, fashion quips
BY BILL THOMAS
Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor

.0-,

J,

What about Shemp?
That the biggest complaint to be leveled
at "The Three Stooges" regards the absence
of the original third Stooge (replaced in 1932
by the now more well-known Curly) is a minor movie miracle.
With a self-imposed PG rating, as well as
the uneven output of writing-directing team
Peter and Bobby Farrelly conspiring against
it, this flick could easily have taken a pratfall
right off the map. That it manages to somehow stumble its way into the heart is nothing
short of sweet cinematic sw-prise.
Telling the life story not of the performers b~neath the bad haircuts but rather of their
fictional Stooge personas, the generic plot
sees our trio on a long, meandering quest to
save a nun-run orphanage from foreclosure.
Along the way, they get hired as hitmen, become reality TV superstars, give a dolphin
the Heimlich and use the flammable power
of their own flatulence to save the day.
Will Sasso (best known for "Mad TV")
is C'urly, Sean Hayes (best known for "Will
&amp; Grace") is Larry and Chris Diamantopoulos (best known for, um, nothing) is Moe.
Despite such debatable comedy pedigrees,
a better gang to play the iconic nyuk-nyuknyuk-leheads you'd be hard-pressed to find.
Sometimes they try too hard, sometimes not
hard enough. But, more often than not, the
ruse is damn near "poifect."
For some, seeing the
greatest comedy ensemble
stage 'n' screen (the Marx
Brofiers being the
first, natch) practice
their
elabo-

rately choreographed vaudevill ian chopsockey on Snooki is downright blasphemous. Ultimately, though, the original trio
had misfires worse than this ("Snow White
and the Three Stooges" springs agonizingly
to mind). And if this nostalgic love-letter inspires a new, younger audience to rediscover
the real deal, a ll the better.
Admittedly, the Fanellys' bright, modem
style diminishes the claustrophobic kinesis
of the Stooges' Depression-era cartoon anarchy and the overall pacing is a mess, with
l.o ng stretches that drag on tiresomely. But
when the film hones in on the same rapid-fire
shtick, roughneck slapstick and corny puns
that made Moe, Curly and Larry household
names in the first place, the film is a joy.
While not as good as last
year's "The Muppets,"
it's a similarly refreshing dose of optimism, kitsch and
,A~
simplicity in an , ~·
increasingly ~
cynical genre.
Like its tituO
lar heroes,
Ill:
"The Three
Stooges" is
dim of wit,
but pure of
heart.

I.*

,\\\l'

c...'l,,'-.

BY ANN IE YOSKSOSKI
Staff Writer

Jennifer Lancaster has been fired from
her job. Her cozy life in her upscale Chicago
apartment is in j eop ardy. What is a girl to
do? In th is case, the solution would be to involve yourself in some mischief and hijinks,
adopt some pit bulls and blog all about it.
In her first memoir, "Bitter is the New
Black," Jennifer Lancaster honestly tells the
story of her fall from grace, the lengths she
went to in order to restore it, and how she
ended up happy with a new career in the end.
Reading this book several years ago
and following her career ever since, 1 have
laughed many times at Lancaster's \\Titing. "Bitter," however, is the one that
tarted it all. Having recently
-read it, I actually forgot
w funny it was .
Readers
take
note: Don't bring
this book with
you to a public place if
you are selfconscious.
I laughed
so hard at
the idea of
a
grown
woman

army-craw ling down the hall of her apartment building to see who was steal ing her
paper, so she could paint-bomb them, that I
practically fell out of my chair in our own
Farley Li brary.
The lengthy subtitle, "Confessions of
a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, or Why You Should Never
Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment
Office," pretty much describes the book
perfectly. It may all seem shallow, but Lancaster does find herself at the end, and sees
what is really important in life: Family,
friends, happiness, passion and integrity.
Also, the discount rack. A memoir with a
moral is always an interesting twist - and an
unexpected one, based on the title.
I try to stay away from ':chick lit", and
tend to read more serious material, but I am
a person who likes to laugh. A man might
not enjoy this book, being less able to relate
to some of the girly tendencies Lancaster
portrays, but anyone with a sense of humor
is nevertheless guaranteed to crack a smile.
Lancaster may speak about "shallow"
topics, but she is a very intelligent woman
who expresses herself through snarky footnotes and hilarious text.
Currently, Lancaster is releasing her
fifth book, "Jeneration X." The memoirs
keep rolling and the h ilarity continues, but
"Bitter" is the book that launched her writing career and subsequently her happiness.
The blog that Lancaster started, and still
runs, is Jennsylvania .com .
If you want a light-hearted
read for finals or summer
acation, pick up this
book and laugh
until

et what you pay or at Cafe Toscana

BY DOMINICK
CONSTANTINO
Staff Writer

Cafe Toscana is the perfect restaurant to
end a semester of great food reviews. Located
right on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre, this
Italian restaurant's menu ranges from appetizers like shrimp cocktail to full meals like
Gamberi Toscana. T decided to get something
that I never had before: Lobster Ravioli.
Before the meal came out, each diner
received a piece of bruschetta with a tomato
spread. It was so good that when I was finished, I wished l had about five more. The tomatoes were very sweet but the diced onions
offset that sweetness. We also got a half-loaf
of warm, homemade bread with a tasty seasoned olive oil-based dipping sauce.

The main course wa'l outstanding. Though
the pinkish-orange sauce over the ravioli was
less than appetizing in appearance, it was utterly delectable. TI1e flavor was reminiscent
of vodka sauce, but with a little bit more tang.
The fresh-grated Parmesan cheese added to the
flavor.
The ravioli were cooked al dente - just
how I like it - and came loaded with lobster
and a variety of seasonings. Though lobster
isn't normally my go-t~ grub, the chunks of
tender, well-seasoned lobster mixed with that
wonderful pink sauce made me a fan. TI1e meal
only came with five ravioli, but they were ve.1y
filling because of how jam-packed each one
was. There was enough extra sauce that I was
able to dip
the bread in
it.

My sister Bethany joined me and ordered
penne pasta with shrimp in a pesto sauce,
topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
The dish was very rich and creamy, and the
shrimp were tender and not overcooked. The
portion was big enough that she had some to
take home.
The atmosphere here was extremely
nice, with decor from the fancier end of the
spectrum. The classic Italian music playing
through the sound system added to the ambience. Customers came well-dressed; no shorts
or sweatpants here. This isn't the kind of place
you go to on a leisurely afternoon when you' re
hankering for Italian, but it's a great place to go
for special occasions or v.ihen the parents come
to visit.
Of
the
restaurants

5/5

course of the semester, the
menu here .is the priciest. My
lobster raviolis were $18, though
that pri.c e included the bruschetta, bread
and the entree itsel[ If you want a soup or
salad from the menu, it is an additional $6.
The lunch menu is a little cheaper than the
dinner menu, pricing soups and salads around
$5 and meals starting at $9.
The old adage, "You get what you pay
for," rings trtle, however, as the excellent
quality of the food makes Cate Toscana worth
the price-tag.
I ate at a lot of great restaurants this semester, but I definitely saved the best for last.
@WU_BeaconAE
WU_BeaconAE@yahoo.com

�™ CiillIJlJIB
-®
UrtiM)'orf'lrtf Q14esfiorts with

Important People
JESSICA SHORT, PROGRAMMING BOARD PRESIDENT
BY CHRISTINE LEE
Life Editor

at 8 p.m. in the SUB lounge, and of course
the concert.

Year: Junior
Major: Elementary Education
Hometown: Forest City, Pa.

Favorite hobbies? My favorite hobbies are
definitely cheerleading, dance and baton;
definitely a girly-girl.

Programming Board president Jessica Short
is a familiar face to many on campus. Short
has been the driving force behind many entertainment activities on campus including
the upcoming Mac Miller concert at 8 p.m.
on May 1 at the F.M. Kirby Center. Short's
responsibilities this year as president have
been mostly to get ideas out of students and
think of what the school wants.

If you could go anywhere in the world,
where would you go? I've been to the Caribbean a lot so my big interest is going over
to Europe, like Italy. I come from an Italian
family so I'd really like to go visit the Mediterranean.

What are some upcoming Programming
Board events? Tuesday April 24 from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. we're having street signs and
a fortune teller come in. Like the ones that
say so-and-so street and so-and-so boulevard, like I have one that says Cheerleader
Boulevard. The next day on April 25 we're
having black light mini-:-golf, which is regular mini-golf but all the lights will be out and
there will be a black light and all the glowing stuff. We're actually doing it partly with
Relay for Life and we're doing a bake sale
at it for Relay for Life. Then that Thursday,
April 26, we're having an ice cream social

What is in your refrigerator (favorite
food)? Pickles. My roommates always laugh
at me cause there's always pickles no matter
what. Our fridge might be bare but there are
always pickles.
Favorite TV show or movie? TV showwise I watch a lot of the stuff people hate
like the "Teen Mom" and all that. Moviewise, one of my favorite movies that's kind
of recent is "Friends with Benefits."
What plans do you have for after graduation? I really want to go to Korea to teach
English, or I want to do the Teach for America program, where you put you in a bad
school district, so I'm hoping for somewhere

south like Texas, or my third back-up plan
is going to graduate school for student development and doing something like Jamie
(Miller) and Missy (Howells), and Programming Board actually led me to that kind of
job.

Favorite Wilkes memory? Probably when
we went to the Programming Board conference. I've actually gone twice but there's a

small group ofus with our advisers (who go)
and we all got to know each other really well
and it's kind of fun because we got to see
different bands and comedians,just stuff that
would be able to come next year. This year
there was a Bowling for Soup concert at it
and you could feel the floor shaking cause
everyone was dancing.
@WU_BeaconAE
christine/ee@thewilkesbeacon.com

This year's Relay for Life is board-game themed
BY ROBERT GRABOSKY
Correspondent

Each year millions of Americans are diagnosed and die from cancer and don't get to
see their next birthday. But one nationwide
event is hoping to give people with cancer
more birthdays to celebrate.
This year, the American Cancer Society's
annual Relay for Life will make its way to
campus from noon April 28-29.
This event is one of the biggest fundraisers
on campus. It brings many local residents
out to campus to participate in the event
Community service coordinator Megan

Valkenburg said this year's theme is board
games. She said it would be very much like
the board games children play, only with a
more serious purpose. Students involved are
trying to raise enough funds for the American Cancer Society.
This year's theme includes games such as
Monopoly, Password and Risk.
"There are two reserved locations. In
case of inclement weather, the event will
be moved indoors to the gym," Valkenburg
said.
Junior pl pharmacy major Bethany
Sharpless is co-coordinating Wilkes Relay
for Life with Valkenburg, having personally

experienced dealing with cancer within her
family.
Sharpless said more than 200 people
signed up for the event so far, but explained
these numbers are only an estimate as the list
continues to grow day by day.
"There's no way knowing the exact number of people," Sharpless said.
Sharpless said there has been a lot more
success in recent years than ever before and
said although most proceeds go to the American Cancer Society, a percentage of the proceeds go to Wilkes as well.
This year's Relay for Life will contain
events such as a survivor ceremony, lumi-

naria candle ceremony in memory of lost
loved ones, a talent show and the Mr. Wilkes
pageant -- where men from each team compete for the best imitation of a woman. Each
team will have at least one mel]lber walking
around the Greenway for the 18-hour event.
Team members are rotated throughout the
event so everyone gets the chance to walk.
Each year millions of Americans lose out
on another birthday due to cancer, but Relay
for Life is hoping more Americans will beat
cancer and celebrate another birthday.
CONTACT ROBERT GRABOSKY AT:
robert.grabosky@wilkes.edu

�14

LIFE

THE BEACON I APRIL 24, 2012

Wilkesversion of 'Family Feud' Comedian talks women issues

· The Beacon/Dan Lykens

The Beacon/Brittany Battista

Psi Chi, the Psychology International Honor Society, hosted a "Family Feud" to try
to become more involved on campus. Pictured is Psi Chi President Nick Zinskie, who
ran the event with Willie Eggleston and Psi Chi Secretary Justine Adams. Adams
said the event was made possible by a Student Government donation. All questions were Wilkes-themed and based on a spring 201 0 campuswide survey. "Team
Pink" won in first place and took home the $100 gift card.

L~cal comedian and Wilkes alumnus Teri Granahan presented "A Conversation
with a Comedian - Who Just Happens to Be a Female"Tuesday, April 17, as part of
this year's Women's and Gender Studies Conference. The presentation combined
spoken and visual elements with Granahan's trademark wry sense of humor in an
effort to look at the messages women receive from the media and encourage them
to be confident in knowing that they are, in fact, "good enough:'

-

�: 1S

LIFE

THE BEACON I APRIL 24, 2012

Unusual and useful study habits to use for upcoming finals week .
BY ALYSSA STENCAVAGE
Staff Writer

&gt;t
1e
:It

"Y
1/o

Finals week is fast approaching, and that
means one thing: lots of studying. Some
specific and different, unique study habits
exist out there, even songwriting to better
remember information.
"When 1 study I like to make songs up so
it's easier to remember the material," Miranda Godlewski, a freshman English and
political science major said.
Other means of studying include listening
to music while studying.
"When 1 study, it's with music on," Kate
Wedman, a freshman Q.Ommunication studies major said.
It's no surprise that making charts to organize information or using index cards are
common strategies, especially for those who
have to deal with biology or science on a
daily basis.
"I use index cards, make charts to compare
things especially for bio, and organize important points into study guides and study
quizzes and home works," Kimberly Price,
freshman biology major, said.
Reading over and writing the material is
another way for students to prepare for exams.
"Writing the material usually helps me

study. For bio I usually make charts to organize the material and study it. It also can't
be silent when I study because 1 will fall
asleep," Sarah Brozena, a freshman prephannacy major, said.
Despite these common study pattems and
techniques, some may still be wondering
what the best strategies are. University College learning specialist Katy Betnar offers
some helpful tips and advice for studying so
students can effectively master their studying and reduce their stress at the same time.
Betnar suggests starting early, especially
with cumulative finals, saying it's not a good
idea to cram. She recommended that students begin studying two to three weeks in
advance. They should figure out what and
when things are going on and then form a
management system and study plan, like a
"divide and conquer" strategy.
"It is important to
take a look at the big
picture and start to
break down piece by
piece," Betnar said.
Staying calm is also
important. One way
to do this is breathing exercises, which Betnar said is best for students to

mental mindset of the test, as well as knowledge of the information.
Betnar also advises that students take last
minute use of the tutoring facility, which
shuts down during the last week of classes.
In order to prepare for finals, students
should find out where they stand currently in
their classes as far as grades, which can be
done by consulting the syllabus and/or meeting with the teacher. Much of a student's
grade is determined before finals week. She
said knowing current grades can help with
motivation and goals to boost grades and
study harder.
Betnar also suggests simple habits like
healthy eating and getting enough sleep, as
she said not having a healthy lifestyle can
affect mental sharpness.
"People forget the importance of eating
and sleeping as well," says Betnar. "A
lot of students stay up late and
they can be worse off,
therefore
keepg a balance of
.......-~:;regular, sufficient
,..~::;;:-leep patterns is
!ways good."
Research shows
hat studying in
shorter
chunks
and when · one is

more alert are among the most
important ways to accomplish
successful studying. Studying in
30 to 50-minute intervals with a
IO-minute break is recommended.
Betnar said students should figure
out which learning strategies work
for them, such as color-coding,
flashcards, graphs, etc, and to stay
organized.
Budgeting time and studying the
hardest subjects first are some of
the time management tips Betnar
gave.
Other tips include finding a quiet
place to study, identify what materials are going to be tested, if you
don't understand to ask for help,
put together a study guide to collect and organize the material and
practice self-testing. Another tip
Betnar suggests when it comes to
the end of the semester is to simply attend class.
Betnar said the final thing for
preparing for finals is to visualize
success, because after all, if one
can see it, one can achieve it.
CONTACT ALYSSA STENCAVPiE AT:
a/yssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

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Block Party was held on the first and second floor of the Student Union Building
from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 21. The event was hosted by Off-Campus Council
and featured inflatable games and obstacle courses, such as the bungee run pictured above. Prizes for raffles and door prizes included a television, a Nintendo Wii
and a Kindle tablet. Raffle tickets were won at various carnival-style games. Free
food ranged from gyros to cotton candy, which tied into the carnival theme.

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�i

APRIL 24, 2012

CONTACT EDITOR: justinfraniak@thewilkesbeacon.com

Wilkes tennis continues winning ways on court
Omen S team
remai nS unbeaten

TA T
VV

have been able to earn it if my teammates
weren't pushing me on a daily basis at practice."
Wilkes continued its quest for another conference championship by beating Manhattanville this past Saturday.
The team's final match is at 1 p.m. on April
28 against FDU-Florham at the Ralston Athletic Complex.
Freedom Conference semifinals begin
May 1.

I

BY MIKE DARGATIS
Correspondent

The women's tennis team at Wilkes University has continued its dominance this
season, compiling a perfect 15-0 record and
earning the 18th ranking in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
The Colonels have shown they can play
with some of the top teams in the region,
defeating two Division II schools and six
regionally ranked teams.
Coach Chris Leicht credits the teams' success to depth, leadership and how close the
team has become.
"We have great upperclass leaders who
have helped keep the team focused," Leicht
said. "Also, these girls are a very close-knit
group and do a great job supporting and
helping each other succeed."
Another key to the Lady Colonels' success has been the play of sophomore Ally
Kristofco, who has a 17-1 individual record

The Beacon/ Phat Nguyen

Junior Melanie Nolt prepares to return a
serve in a Wilkes tennis match.

this season.
"We're trying to take it one match at a
time," Kristofco said. "We have to keep our
motivation high to win the conference again
this year, it's a team effort."
Kristofco was recently named the Freedom Conference Player of the Week, after
a 3-0 week with wins at King's and NYU.
"It's really nice to have others notice that
your hard work is paying off," Kristofco said
of her player of the week honors. "I wouldn't

Men's team looks
toward playoffs
BY BILL CONWAY
Correspondent

With only two matches left, the Wilkes
University men's tennis team looks to wrap
up another very successful season.
The Colonels are 10-3 overall and are undefeated in conference play as of April 20.
"We have played a difficult nonconference schedule," said head coach Christopher
Leicht, "that has really helped us succeed in
the conference matches."

Over the past weekend, Leicht was hoping
to maintain dominance over conference opponent Manhattanville.
"This Saturday we have a big conference
match at Manhattanville, who we have defeated in the last few conference championship matches," Leicht said.
Leicht's squad has confidence heading into
the final matches two matches and will be
gearing up to play in the conference tournament where players are hoping all of the
hard work pays off.
"We are really happy with the work ethic
and dedication of this year 's team," Leicht
said. "I can say that we have improved so
much from the beginning of the year and we
will be playing our best tennis entering the
conference tourney."
Leicht and his squad are no strangers to
postseason play as they strive to win another
conference title.
"This team will be very ready for the conference playoffs, which start soon," said
Leicht, "We are excited to try and win our
fifth straight conference title, and get back
to the NCAA National Tournament again."
0

@WU_BeaconSports
justin.franiak@thewilkesbeacon.com

1'he Broad Street Breakdo-w-n: WWE sun1n1er plans
BY BRYAN WISLOSKY
Columnist

Well sports fans, this is my last article of the
year, and I wanted to do something special, so
I've decided to take a page out of John Laurinaitis' book and use "People Power."
I'm going to give my people what they
want and write my final article of the semester on the greatest thing in the world, professional wrestling.
It's shaping up to be one of the best summers in recent memory for the WWE.
Raw and Smackdown general manager,
John Laurinaitis, has begun adding lackeys to
his coalition and it appears as though WWE
may soon have another faction like The Corporation to deal with.
The faction will wreak havoc on the babyfaces of the business much like how the
original tried to make life miserable for Stone
Cold Steve Austin.
At the forefront of this group is the returning Brock Lesnar, who has made it clear his
first goal is to overtake John Cena as the face

of the company.
Also, keep an eye out for The Rock to make
some appearances this summer, after defeating John Cena at Wrestlemania XXVIII earlier this month,
The Great One addressed the crowd on Raw
the next night claiming that it wasn't his final
match and he one day like to be WWE Champion again.
It is rumored that The Rock will have a
match at SummerSlam in August.
So we have a lot to look forward to this
summer.
The first thing WWE should do this summer is try to bring back some legitimacy to
the undercard titles.
Although I like Santino Marella, he is a
joke of a United States Champion.
He does have great in ring skills, but Vmce
McMahon refuses to utilize that.
Santino would be a great United States
champion ifhe only had a more serious character.
He could still do his wacky antics after the
match and outside the ring, but needs to be all

business when competing in a match.
Big Show on the other hand, is a good pick
to try to reestablish the once prestigious Intercontinental Title.
Big Show is a veteran, and in my opinion
a future hall of famer, so when he beat Cody
Rhodes for the title at Wrestlemania, it may
have started a chain reaction to bring better
competition to the IC title hunt.
I think giving one of these titles, either
the United States or Intercontinental Title, to
Daniel Bryan would be a good move.
He's a former world heavyweight champion, and produces a great reaction from the
crowd, whether they love or hate him.
Now let's move on to main event storylines that will develop over the next couple
months.
I firmly believe that Lesnar will beat Cena
at Extreme Rules next week in an effort to try
and get the crowd behind Cena once again.
After this Laurinaitis will focus the attention of his faction on WWE Champion CM
Punk, but Punk needs to finish things off
against Chris Jericho, which he will do in his

hometown of Chicago at Extreme Rules.
Some believe that Johrmy Ace will have
Punk defend his title against Lord Tensai, but
I just don't see him in the main event.
I think CM Punk will defend and lose his
title to Brock Lesnar at Over the Limit next
month.
Lesnar will then hold the title throughout
the summer, and will defend the title at SummerSlam against The Rock.
This will be a rematch of their first encounter for the WWE Championship at the same
event in 2002, where Brock defeated Rocky
for his first title.
For the first time in a good while, I'm excited to see what unfolds in the WWE this
summer.
The faction John Laurinaitis is forming reminds me of the Attitude Era, which got me
interested in professional wrestling in the first
place.
@WU_ BeaconSports
bryan.wislosky@wilkes.edu

�SPORTS

17

THE BEACON I APRIL 24, 2012

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• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2, 3 and 4
• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 7-11
in the Henry Stud~nt Center
Stop by the SUB with your student ID
or stop by the bookstore

Please remember: Your rentals are due by May 21

Always check with the
bookstore first!

�..
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SPORTS

THE BEACON I APRIL 24, 2012

Wilkes Colonel athletics: 2011-2012 in review
Coaches reflect on memories, fans and achievements; look toward future
BY JUSTIN FRANIAK
Sports Editor

,I

As finals begin and the semester winds
down, athletes are beginning to pack up
their bags. Fields are being prepared for
summer and gyms are being newly waxed.
Graduating seniors take one last look at
the field, gyms and mats where they spent
the last four years making memories. The
future graduates reminisce on the times
they had and look toward the future. Their
success does not go unnoticed.
The Wilkes football team had some memorable times this year. Coach Frank Sheptock said that beating an undefeated Widener team was a high point of the season.
Wilkes captured this year 's Mayor's Cup
beating crosstown rival King 's College
with a late interception by senior Joe Chrismer.
Sheptock nominated all his graduating
seniors as his team MVPs. He also cannot
wait to report to pre-season camp on Aug.
11.

Women's field hockey coach Mollie
Reichard said that the bonding the team
experienced this year was her greatest
memory.
"We were a very young and inexperienced team with 11 newcomers," Reichard
said. "The team's greatest achievement was
coming together as well as what they did
and the welcoming attitude that our upperclassm~• had with the freshman."
She also said the bonding has helped the
team develop and mature during this past
offseason.
· Reichard is looking toward next season
as a new freshman class comes to Wilkes,
set on adding to the team's success.
"I am most looking forward to the great
group of players we have returning and
the addition of another freshman class that
will be able to have an immediate impact,"
Reichard said. "I feel the current group of
players will be able to provide much insight to this freshman class."
Women's soccer also experienced great
success this past year going 4-1-2 in the
MAC.
Coach John Sumoski said that clinching a
playoff spot was the most memorable moment this past season. Sumoski also said
senior Katy Fissel was the team MVP.
Sumoski will look to capture another
playoff spot next season as he returns almost all of his first team.

The winter season saw great competition MVP awards and said that every team mem- and knowledge of the game."
Much like other coaches, Towey is lookber adds a certain something to the success
and extended success through all teams.
ing forward to a new freshman class and getThe Wilkes University men's basketball of the team.
team saw itself in a playoff race at the end of
Although in season currently, Leicht is ex- ting experience under their belts. She hopes
the new group of players will bring another
the season. Coach Jerry Rickrode said that cited for next year's seasons.
team becoming a family was their greatest
"We have strong returning players next level of competition to the Colonels.
"With the incoming freshman, it will help_
achievement and the best memory was in year, and it will be fun," Leicht said.
The Wilkes women's lacrosse team is also to make the team more competitive amongst
the playoffs.
"When the guys won a classic battle in the currently playing their season out, but Coach themselves," Towey said. "I think next year
MAC semifinal game with Eastern," Rick- Karnmie Towey said their greatest achieve- holds a lot of promise for us both in nonrode said. "It was such a back-and-forth ment so far happened at the beginning of the conference play as well as conference play."
The Wilkes wrestling team saw three wresgame and when they sealed it with clutch season.
"I think our team's greatest achievement tlers qualify for nationals, with one becomfree throws down the stretch it was very rewarding."
this year started on spring break when we ing an All-American.
Coach Jon Laudenslager said that nation
Rickrode said that seniors Kendall Hinze beat Sweet Briar in a thrilling overtime vicand Paul Huch were the teams MVPs cit- tory," Towey said. "That sense of accom- al finalist and senior Anthony Dattolo was
ing that they both had outstanding years and plishment carried through March as we went the team's MVP and said his run through
provided leadership to the team. He also undefeated proving our growth as a team as the post season and competing on the "Big
Stage" was his greatest memory.
looks forward to getting next season under- well as our talent."
Laudenslager said the team's 19-4 record
way.
Towey also talked about the team's spring
"We may be overlooked by many, but break trip to Washington, D.C., and Virginia. was its greatest achievement and he is lookthose people may be surprised," Rickrode She said the team bonding and activities, like ing forward to having more All-Americans
visiting the famous Georgetown Cupcakes and cracking the top 10 in team rankings.
said.
As the school year winds down, the gates
Rickrode also wanted to give a shout-out and tubing, led to the team's 2-0 record on
and thank you to the men's basketball fan- the trip and helped contribute to its success will be closed on another year of Colonel
athletics. The summer months will bring
base.
down the road.
"They were outstanding and were a great
Towey said that at this point in the season hard work mixed with relaxation as the
Colonels set out to conquer their challengers
help to our team here at the Marts center," the MVP race is neck and neck.
"I think the team MVP would be a tie at next year.
Rickrode said.
Both Wilkes tennis teams are still in ac- this point," Towey said. "I think Gabby
@WU_BeaconSports
tion, but are both on the road to making Ford and Keri Meeholz would be our team's
justin.franiak@wilkes.edu
MVPs. Both bring a ton of talent, versatility
noise in the postseason.
Coach Chris Leicht said that the teams current records are their greatest achievements
so far. Both women's
and men's tennis are in first
place in their
conferences
and the women's team is
currently
undefeated.
Leicht said
the best memory from this
season is the annual spring break
trip to Hilton Head
in South Carolina.
"We had fun, and
played great tennis," Leicht said.
Leicht said
he
doesn't
like
to
single out Members of the Wilkes basketball cheering section, the "Blue Army:' pose for a picture. Coach Jerry Rickrode said
players for the fan support gave the Colonels home court advantage heading into the team's playoff run.

Check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com ~

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                  <text>&lt;p&gt;This is Wilkes University's &lt;em&gt;Beacon&lt;/em&gt; Newspaper collection, 1947-present. We also have digitized copies of the &lt;em&gt;Beacon's&lt;/em&gt; predecessors, &lt;em&gt;The Bucknell Bison Stampede&lt;/em&gt;, 1934-1935 and &lt;em&gt;The Bucknell Beacon&lt;/em&gt;, 1936-1947 June. It should be noted that Wilkes University does not have a complete set of issues for the Bucknell Bison Stampede and Bucknell Beacon. For researchers who are interested in seeing the complete issues for these publications, please contact &lt;a href="https://researchbysubject.bucknell.edu/scua"&gt;Bucknell University's Special Collections Department&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1947 August 8th&lt;br /&gt;1947 September 5th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 3rd&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 17th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 31st&lt;br /&gt;1947 November 21st&lt;br /&gt;1947 December 19th&lt;br /&gt;1948 September 9th&lt;br /&gt;1950 April 28th&lt;br /&gt;1953 April 10th&lt;br /&gt;1962 February 2nd&lt;/p&gt;</text>
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                  <text>The Beacon staff is comprised of Wilkes University students who are advised by a full-time faculty member of the Communication Studies Department.</text>
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              <name>Date</name>
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                  <text>Professor Emeritus Harold Cox digitized the collection from 1934-1970 and created a &lt;a href="https://beaconarchives2.wilkes.edu/"&gt;legacy website&lt;/a&gt;. Digital Archives student John Jenkins digitized the collection from 1970-present. Special thanks goes to Communication Studies Professor Dr. Kalen Churcher, Editor-in-Chief Kirsten Peters, Beacon staff member, Emily Cherkauskas, and other Beacon staff for their help in acquiring digitized copies of the Beacons from 2006 onward.</text>
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                <text>Wilkes University</text>
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                    <text>Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

THE BEACON
The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow.
---.----,--

For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.co JJlv,

�Sept. 11, 2012

Contact editor: christine.lee@wilkes.edu

New admin changes aim to improve communication
Adjustments include new interim provost, inclusion of academic deans in president's cabinet
By Christine Lee
News Editor

With the start of a new year, new faces join
the Wilkes administration.
Associate professor of chemistry and department chair Therese Wignot has been
named interim provost following the resignation of Reynold Verret. In addition, all academic deans will now serve in the president's
cabinet for the 2012-13 academic year.
Over the summer, Verret announced that
he would be leaving Wilkes to join Savannah
State University in Georgia as that school's
chief academic officer in August. Following
his resignation, Leahy met with the Faculty
Affairs Council and appointed an ad hoc
committee consisting of three faculty members and three administrators to recommend
candidates for an interim provost.
FAC chair Justin Matus describes Wignot
as eager to lead the faculty and understands
their perspective.
"She has the right disposition, she's very
collaborative, a good communicator and is
willing to listen," Matus said. "She'll help
with the faculty morale and be a strong voice
for the faculty in the president's cabinet."
Wignot earned her B.A in biology and Ph.
D. in biochemistry from Lehigh University.
She has been at Wilkes since 1989 during
which she served as department coordinator from 2000-05 and department chair from
2005-11.
S~ e 2000 she has been the director of
Science in Motion, a grant-funded science
program that gives Wilkes the opportunity to
extend outreach to area schools. During her
time at Wilkes she has served on a variety of
committees including serving as student athletic representative and FAC.
"She has a very good understanding of
the concerns of faculty and she has a desire
to help the university fill this very important
role," Executive Assistant to the President
Jack Chielli said. "She's a very approachable
individual and very concerned with student
success."
Wignot said her initial reaction upon hearing she would be considered for the position
was "complete shock" but felt honored and

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Associate professor of
chemistry and department chair Therese
Wlgnot was named Interim provost. Wignot
will hold the office
while a nationwide
search Is conducted
for a full-time replacement.
flattered that her colleagues on the committee another on what the issues are and how we can
felt it was something she would be appropri- all move forward together as a community,"
ate for.
Wignot said.
"I was really and sincerely shocked initially
Wignot said she has always had an openbut then when I met with Dr. Leahy and talked door policy as a faculty member for students,
to him about what his goals for moving the even as chemistry department chair and hopes
university forward and what part I can play in to have this same policy as Interim Provost.
that I actually got , ,
"I think students felt
ex~ited a~out., it,"
I think students feel comfort- comfortable _coming _to
W1gnot said. And
see me," W1gnot said.
then was again able coming to see me."
"I always tried to listen
somewhat shocked
Th
.
.
and then come up with
but thrilled when he
- Dr.
erese Wignot, Interim Provost a solution that took into
asked me to serve in
account the student, facthis position."
ulty and administrative
Wignot said she wants to help bring all the issues and I hope to do the same thing here."
constituents back together to become a comWignot hopes to be more visible on campus
munity again to discuss issues and ways to after she gets adjusted to her new role by walkmove forward as a community.
ing around campus buildings and talk to differ"I really want to help to bring all the constit- ent faculty members and student groups to hear
uents, faculty, students, staff, administration, I what people on campus are thinking.
really want to play a part in pulling us all back
There is a search committee being formed
together to become a community again where to look for a permanent provost, which is bewe're all talking to one another, listening to one ing chaired by Vice President of Student Af-

fairs Paul Adams. Adams said members of the
search committee are being identified.
Ted Marchese of search consulting firm
AGB Consulting has been identified as the
search consultant. Marchese previously served
as the search consultant on the last Provost
search.
Adams said the search process would resemble the search for President in terms of
soliciting thoughts about the position for the
candidates. Marchese and the search committee will come to campus to get a feel for the
campus and solicit feedback about the search
for provost.
"One of the first things (the search committee) will be doing is helping Dr. Marchese
write a prospectus, which is a multi-page description of the University which is intended to
set the stage and familiarize any candidate with
the state of affairs at Wilkes University so they
can make a good judgment about whether or
not there is a good fit for Wilkes," Adams said.
Adams said there is no search for recently
departed Associate Provost Vernon Harper and
Director of Undergraduate Education Dr. Ellen
Gregorie as he said it should be up to the Provost him or herself to choose his or her staff.
In addition to the new interim provost, all
the academic deans will now serve as official
members of the president's cabinet for this
year. This includes the deans of all the colleges
and Library Dean John Stachacz.
Chielli said having all the academic deans
in the Cabinet is a reflection of Leahy's desire
to be more transparent, to build trust and get
more input from the faculty.
"During this interim period where we don't
have a permanent provost, having additional
academic voices can only help us get input
from the faculty," Chielli said.

@cleespot
christine.lee@wilkes.edu

Watch an interview
with Dr. Wignot on
thewilkesbeacon.com.

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

PHONE: (570) 408-5903

WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook
Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro
Ad Manager: Brittany Battista
Photo Editor: Laura Preby
Adviser: Loran Lewis

News Editor: Christine Lee
Opinion Editor: Carly Yamrus
A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas
Life Editor: Anne Yoskoski
Sports Editor: Frank Passalacqua

Lyndsie Yamrus
Assistant Opinion Editor

�THE BEACON

I Sept. 11, 2012

3

NEWS

New year .brings new changes to campus dining services
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer

Rifkin Cafe may look a little different, that is
because it is. The cafe has undergone a renovation and it has everyone noticing.
A recent remodeling over the summer included tearing down the walls that separated
the game room on one side and the lounge on
the other, and turning it into one big space for
students to study, eat or hangout.
"I think it came out awesome!" Procurement director Justin Kraynack said. "It now
gives a nice flow from one to the other."
Administrators are not the only ones noticing the new changes. Students have also
noticed and commented on the renovations.
Sophomore Criminology major Tiffany Spencer commented on the project, "I think the
renovations look great! It has really opened up
the first floor of Rifkin and lets the students interact more with each other."
The process to renovate the area began
about twelve months ago. The Food Committee started planning the renovation of Rifkin
Cafe and also discussed renovating Colonel
Gambini's Cafe. Then in January of this year,
they began discussions with the Student Activities Committee of Student Government. The
idea for what is in place today did not actually
happen until the end stages of the planning.
"It was roughly $200,000 for the whole
project," Vice President of Finance and Gen-

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Right, students line up for lunch at
Rifkin Cafe. Above, Tom Ring plays
pool in the renovated game room.
era) Counsel Loren Prescott said. "It evolved
into this idea of one interconnected space to
encourage students to move between the cafe
and the game room and the lounge."
Kraynack said there were two goals in mind
with the renovation project. The first goal was
to give Rifkin a nice face lift. The second was
to finish the renovations to the Student Union
Building that were already begun, starting with
the second and third floors to give a new feel
to the SUB. Kraynack said new flooring to the
cafe to finish the project.
Food Service General Manager Ron Wil-

Iiams also approved of the renovations.
"I think it looks great, it's opened up so
much," Williams said. "It is a completely different environment down there."
With the new renovations to Rifkin Cafe,
Late Night dining services have also moved
to the newly renovated cafe. Late night dining
used to be on the third floor cafeteria but has
moved to the brand new Rifkin Cafe. Students
are now able to hang out with friends and satisfy that late night craving from a long day of
studying.
Also new to the food service is a program

for the students and local businesses. Beginning this year, students are now able to use
their dining flex dollars off campus at local restaurants. Flex dollars are now being accepted
at Subway, Sheetz and Maer's BBQ to name
a few.
"It is something that students and businesses have asked for years, most extensively in the
past five years," Kraynack said.

@wilkesbeacon
shawn.carey@wifkes.edu

Swim Club officially recognized as new student club
by Student Government at recent meeting
By Christine Lee
News Editor

Meeting Aug. 29 called to order 6:01 p.m.
Treasurer's report:
All College: $35,000
Conferences: $2,500
General Funds: $20,000
Leadership: $600
Spirit: $2,000
Student Government Total: $60,100
New Business:
Library Update:
Library Dean John Stachecz reported that the
automatic front doors should be finished soon.
The 24-hour, seven days a week access door is
currently in operation and has a sign on it stating "after hours door." He also reported that
printing issues are being addressed and new
printers are being purchased including a color
printer.
Fund Request Form Update:
A constitutional change was approved to
change the Club Fund Request form to NonClub Fund Request form. New rules were announced: clubs need proof of projected costs
and forms are due by midnight on the Friday
before meetings on Wednesday.

Adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
Meeting September 5 called to order at 6 p.m.
Treasurer's Report:
All College: $35,000
Conferences: $2,500
General Funds: $20,000
Leadership: $600
Spirit: $2,000
Student Government Total: $60,100
New Business:
Wilkes Alumni Fund Request:
Alumni Director Mirko Widenhom and several students from the Student Alumni Association requested $500. The money would be used
to cover the cost of 50 tickets for the Reunion
Celebration which will take place on Saturday,
Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. during homecoming weekend.
A motion was made to allocate $500 for student tickets and was passed 19-0-6
Wilkes Summer Research Conference Fund
Request:
Students who did summer science research
requested funds to send 10 students to go to
San Francisco for an international biology conference in January. The request for $2,500 was
made to cover registration, hotel and travel
fees. A motion to give $1,400 for registration

ofup to 10 people was passed 21-0-4.
Wilkes Swim Club recognition:
Members of the newly formed Wilkes Swim
Club asked for SG recognition. A motion was
made to recognize the Swim Club as an SG
club and passed 23-0-2.
Students in Free Enterprise Request:
Members from SIFE requested $800 to go to a
Sumit in Arkansas during the weekend of Sept.
11. The donation would cover the cost of hotel
stay and part of the travel fee cost. A motion
was made to allocate $400 to SIFE for travel
fees and passed 19-4-2.
Cheerleading Fund Request:
Cheerleader Meribeth Derkach orginally requested $800 for new porn-porns. In her second request the amount had dropped to $750
due to bake sale profits. A motion was made to
allocate $750 to cheerleading and passed 200-4.
Club Day Fund Request:
SG President Kris Rivers requested $500 to
help Student Development on behalf of SG.
The cost would cover associated costs for club
day. A motion was made to allocate $500 to
Club Day and passed 22-0-3

Homecoming Fund Request:
Secretary Amber Konopka requested $17,450
for Spirit Week the week of Homecoming. A
motion was made to allocate $17,450 for Spirit Week and passed 22-0-2.
Fall Fest Fund Request:
Vice President Ian Foley requested $3,000 for
Fall Fest. A motion was made to allocate that
amount and passed 21-0-3.
Spirit Committee Fund Request:
Senior class president Meribeth Derkach on
the SG Spirit Committee requested $545.66
for the Football Game Tailgate Party. $2,000 is
normally allocated.
Old Business Updates:
Fund request forms have been updated. Clubs
requesting money from SG must have detailed
budget breakdown and proof of where their
money comes from in order to be considered
bySG.

Adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
@cfeespot
ch ristine. /ee@wifkes.edu

�4

NEWS

THE BEACON

I Sept. 11, 2012

Public safety enforces parking policy with ticketing and towing
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief

Ryan Baicher always parked in the same
spot on campus. He would even brag to his
friends about how he parked in this spot, which is not technically a designated parking
space, only an empty space between rows of
the Student Union Building parking lot - and
had not received a ticket all year.
But one day while the senior business major
was showing off, he entered the parking lot to
find his car on a tow truck.
"I freaked out," Baicher said. "At first I
tried begging the guy to take it off the lift. Then
I offered him 20 bucks. When that don't work I
just started cursing at him."
Baicher got a taste of the parking policy oncampus, which is enforced by Public Safety.
The policy supplements the permit selection
process conducted by Residence Life, and involves warning and eventual towing for campus parking violations. This method of punishment is a way to enforce parking rules and
distribution on campus.
According to Jerry Rebo, manager of Public Safety, Baicher is not the only student who
parks in undesignated locations.
"You name it, they park there," Rebo said.
Rebo said parking violations range from
parking on grass and sidewalks, parking without permits and parking in the wrong lot, up to
the more serious violations of parking in fire
lanes or handicapped spots without a permit.
.• Campus parking permits are allotted by
Residence Life through an application process.
Residence Life Director Elizabeth Swantek
identified four main priorities to granting parking permits: students who are student-teaching, have an internship, attend nursing clinical
or have pharmacy rotations.
"Wilkes University only gives out about
300 passes each semester," Swantek said.
Permit applications are sorted by credits,
GPA and whether medical need is a factor.
"There are also students who have medical
needs that we have an exception for, for example if they need to get to doctors' appointments
back home and have no other way," Swantek
said.
Then, there is the distinction of academic
need to a certain parking location, or mere
want.
Rebo said there's not an issue of students
not getting spots, it's just an issue of students
not getting spots they want. He said many students try to avoid being placed at the Ralston
Field parking lot, but that is unavoidable.
"Almost everyone can get parking if they
ask for it, but it's not all on this side of the
river, and that's what the students sometimes
don't understand. We can't give 100 percent on
this side of the river, we just don't have enough
spots," Rebo said.
Rebo said 80 spots were granted to the
Ralston field lot last semester, compared to
about 20 applicants that actually preferred that
lot.
"That's a very small percentage that want it,
but that's just the nature of parking. You only
have so many parking spaces."
Ralston permit holders have a financial advantage, as their permits cost $40 a semester

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Public Safety said there are Issues with students parking In places labeled as
no parking zones, such as the cars above parked in the University Center on
Main parking garage.
compared to $120 for other campus lots. The
clear disadvantage is the location, but Rebo
said the shuttle services the lot from 6 a.m. to 6
p.m. He also added that Public Safety is able to
transport students after hours.
"If they call 2 o'clock in the morning and
they park over there, we' 11 go over there and
pick them up," Rebo said.
Despite these options, Ralston lot permit
holders have declined.
"Ralston permits holders have dropped
over the years, and we still have a lot of parking over there left," Rebo said. "That's why I
can't understand people that are getting tickets
say they can't get any parking - it's not true.
There's plenty of parking over there."
Because many of Ralston's 325 spots remain open, Rebo said he doesn't understand
why people still park where they're not supposed to or when they don't have a permit. He
said it's important for students to follow the
policy because they're taking spots that other
students paid for.
"It's not fair to people who pay," Rebo said.
One issue that comes up is the conflict of
campus events and parking availability. Rebo
said students might be inconvenienced when
looking for spots during events.
"They're going to have to search, but some
students want to park next to their class, and
they don't want to walk a block or two," Rebo
said.
But Rebo said he receives very little complaints about parking during events. He said
if students are really having trouble finding a
spot, they can notify Public Safety and usually
get approval to park elsewhere.
"As long as you tell us where you're going
to park, we usually say go ahead and park there
for the day."
Without approval, Rebo said students are
subject to punishment. He said three to five
tickets are given as warning before Public
Safety gets towed.
"We try to be helpful and we try to be lenient," Rebo said.

Though Baicher said he doesn't recall getting any warnings before his car was towed.
"Well I talked to the school and they said
they had given me warnings but I don't ever

Monday September 10, 2012
6pm
Moving Out 3-15-06
6:30pm Dept. Stores
7:00pm Know Your Rights
7:30pm Honk
9:00pm Mavericks at Work
Classic Arts Showcase

Tuesday September 11, 2012
6:00pm
6:30pm
7:00pm
8:00pm
9:00pm

Moving Out 3-22-06
Revit. Of W.B.
An American In Normandy
Kirby Lecture-D-Sousa
Classic Arts Showcase

Wednesday September 12, 2012
6:00pm
6:30pm
7:00pm

Moving Out March 29-06
The Trolley
Lincolns of Springfield

remember getting them," Baicher said.
Instead of paying a $25 parking fee, he paid
between $150 and $200 to get his car back.
"Don't park just anywhere around here,"
Baicher said. "You might think you're safe
but when you least expect it they will get you.
Then you're 200 bucks broker."
To add salt to his wounds, Baicher said
fellow students at the Wilkes SUB front desk
was not very friendly when he tried to find out
where his car was taken.
"I went to the help desk to try and get information on where to go and they had no information for me and were not very nice," Baicher said. "My dad had to call a couple places
before he could find my car."
Despite the inconvenience, Baicher said he
understands the need for parking enforcement.
"My first reaction is to say that, yeah, it is
really unfair that they get cars towed because
we're college students we don't have the money to pay for it," Baicher said. "But I guess if
someone is constantly parking illegally then
yeah they deserve to get towed."

@kirstinjeancook
kirsti n. cook@wil kes. ed u

8:00pm Kirby Lecture-Kris Jones
Classical Arts Showcase

Thursday September 13, 2012
6:00pm Moving Out April 5-2006
6;30pm Profiles 9-2-10
7:00pm Revielle to Taps
8:00pm J.C. Watts
Classical Arts Showcase

Friday September 14, 2012
6:00pm Moving Out April 12-2006
6:30pm Profiles 9/15/2011
7:00pm Rosenn Lecture-Dillon-Dau
8:00pm Gov. George Pataki
9:07pm Philadelphia 2000
Classical Arts Showcase

�THE BEACON I Sept. 11, 2012

NEWS

5

Public Safety: Emergency text alerts flawed but effective
Not all students notified about recent off-campus crimes despite signing up for notification
By Bryan Calabro
Managing Editor,

Phat Nguyen
Correspondent,

and Sarah Kennelly
Correspondent

Contributed by Christine Lee
News Editor

At 1:30 a.m. on August 27, a male Wilkes
student had his laptop stolen from him when
he was using on a porch at 363 S. Franklin
St. That same week, five Wilkes students were
injured and sent to a nearby hospital after two
separate incidents of assault by non-Wilkes
students.
The assaults were believed to be the same
in both assault instances and the assailants allegedly attacked the students after being expelled from an off-campus party at an apartThe Beacon/ Laura Preby
ment near Academy and South River streets.
Last year, there were incidents like assualts The university's text alert system Is meant to keep students informed about the
and robberies near campus. Senior integrated crime commited on and around campus.
media major Ethan Pidcock had no idea about to let its students know when there is a crime."
Pesta, who handles the text alert system,
these incidents because he did not receive a
Wilkes Public Safety manager Jerry Rebo said students must renew their membership
text alert. Instead, he was informed by his said emergency notifications were posted with E2Campus every two years. However,
concerned parents.
within the hour of the incident. However, some most students are likely to forget their user
"I di~'t get a message, and 1 th ought students who claimed they were signed up for name and password, but these can be reset by
I was signed
emailing him at John.Pesta@wilkes.edu.
up,"
Pidcock , ,
Rebo said the text alert process starts by
said. "I've gotIt makes me feel good to know that our
contacting Student Affairs after an incident octen alerts in the d . .
. d
th"
l . t
curs. Upon verification with Paul Adams, dean
past, but didn't a m1n1strahon oes some 1ng to et Its s uof Student Affairs, the alert is sent.
know about th e dents know when there is a crime."
Alerts are sent in three ways: text, email
armed robbery
and flyer. All three methods are not required by
on campus until
- Sean Ryan, Junior P 1 Pharmacy Major
law, but Wilkes always applies all three methmy mom called
ods, Rebo said.
me."
alerts, did not receive any information.
Pesta said alerts are only used for emergenNot all students missed the alerts. Junior
Wilkes University utilizes E2Campus, an cies and breaking news. Petty crimes do not
pre-pharmacy major Sean Ryan said the text emergency notification system that alerts stu- warrant alerts, he explained.
alerts are effective because of their conve- dents and faculty of imminent dangers, such
"It takes away from the mind set that this
nienc~
as a fire or criminal activity. It also notifies is important," Pe;,ta said. "We don't want that
"It s great not having to look up delays or students if school is canceled due to severe to happen"
cancellations," Ryan said. "It's also great to weather.
Regardless of these off-campus incidents,
know what's going on and what to look out
The Beacon asked Rebo and Interim Di- Rebo said crime is not an issue, since Wilkes
for on our campus. It makes me feel good to rector of Facilities John Pesta why messages has a lit-campus and always has officers on
know that our administration does something might not have been received.
patrol.

"Thank God we don't see many criminals
walking around campus, or in our buildings,"
Rebo said. "We might have a homeless guy
sometimes, but I am talking about drug dealers, thieves and people like that. I don't know
if there's an invisible fence, but I'd like to say
it's because of our patrol. You see us out there
all the time."
Public Safety's patrol duties include checking campus buildings and facilities.
"We don't stand on street comers because
there are buildings on campus with millions
of dollars of equipment in them," Rebo said.
Alert notifications must disclose information about crime on campus because of the
Clery Act -- named after Jeanne Clery, a student who was raped and murdered in 1986 at
Lehigh university. The act was created specifically to promote crime awareness.
It requires institutions to give timely warnings of crimes that represent a.. threat to the
safety of students or employees. Institutions
are required to publish their policies regarding timely warnings in their Annual Campus
Security Report due Oct. 1 each year.
Before 2004, Public Safety had to manually set up flyers and send alerts through email,
but now they have an easy way to reach out to
students digitally. Since switching to E2Campus, Wilkes has been able to provide timely
information to our university community as
a whole.
In order to subscribe to the services, you
must have a Wilkes Email Account. Users can
subscribe at wilkes.edu/pages/2611 .asp
Awareness is part of the prevention, Rebo
said. While students can get used to always
feeling safe, they should be aware of their
surroundings.
"A lot of students think, it won't happen
to me, but there are bad people out there,"
Rebo said. "There is crime everywhere you
go. Let's face it. You gotta deal with it."
Public Safety is advising students to be
aware of their surroundings and to take reasonable precautions to protect themselves.
@c/eespot
christine./ee@wifkes.edu

Facilities hopes building demolitions make campus more 'green'
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor
The science building renovations are hard
to miss, but there are some other forms of renovations going on around campus that may
be slipping under the radar. During the week
of Aug. 20, demolition began for a couple
of buildings that used to be part of campus.
But with new renovations comes new space.
Green space, that is.
Collins Hall and a building located 266
South River St have both been demolished.
While Collins Hall had been used as a residence hall in the past, it has proven to be an
inadequate space for such use due to its size.
266 South River St. was bought and ana-

lyzed by the university somewhere around
eight months ago. This piece of property was
even smaller than Collins Hall which made it
of no use for residential life either.
Due to the fact that neither building is needed or usable by the university at this time, they
were both demolished and will be turned into
additional green space for the campus community.
Another piece of property owned by the
campus was supposed to be tom down with the
other two. 247 South Franklin St, just off the
Henry Student Center parking lot, was to tom
down as well.
"That's in bad condition, it needs a lot of
work, somewhere around a million dollars
worth of work. And it just didn't seem like that

was the best investment for university dollars
at the time," John Pesta, Director of Capital
Projects and Planning, said.
The demolition of this building has been put
on hold due to Asbestos in the building. The
dates for the demolition are not yet known.
What will become of this space though will
initially be more added green space.
"That block of land on Franklin Street
would be ideal for that," Pesta said about the
possibility of these lots becoming residency
halls someday.
While the university didn't look at this as
a way to make up for the loss of green space
due to the science building, they did feel the
campus, as a whole, needed some added green
space.

While it is not available for use yet, green
space will be available for Wilkes University
community. At this time, they are spreading
topsoil and planting grass seeds.
When the university is given the go ahead
for use of the space, students and faculty will
have the advantage of utilizing the areas for
various activities. They hope to add picnic
tables and benches to the areas so that students
will be able to enjoy them.

@wifkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

�Sept. 11, 2012

Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Working together to be Colonel
President Leahy addresses Wilkes community about future plans
By Patrick F. Leahy
Wilkes University President
I want to thank the Beacon editorial staff
for providing me with an opportunity to
address their readers in the semester's first
edition. Wilkes University is very fortunate
to have such an informative and well-read,
student-run publication.
There is no one more enthusiastic about
the start of this semester and of becoming the
newest member of the Army of Colonels than
I am. The opportunity to be the president of
this extraordinary institution is the highlight
of my professional career.
I am humbled by the trust everyone has
given me, and I am energized by the many
possibilities to make Wilkes an even better
institution.
I also want to thank everyone for the warm
welcome you've given to my wife, Amy, and
my four children. We already feel part of the
Wilkes family.
During my first months on the job, I intend
to get to know as many people in the Wilkes
community as possible. I plan on meeting
with every academic and staff department and
will be someone students see often at campus
and athletic events. With my two young sons
in tow, I will be hard to miss.
I also am actively involved in learning what
is unique about the academic and co-curricular programs that are at the heart of what
~ do. My impression so far is that Wilkes is
an institution singularly focused on student
success.
From the professors who take the extra
time to collaborate on research with students
to the coaches who mentor their athletes after
wins and losses - from the advising staff who
carefully craft curricular and co-curricular
opportunities for our students to the facilities
staff who keep our campus beautiful - everyone here works in some fashion or another to
make our students successful.
I've learned that Wilkes is eager to innovate. It's part of who we are. We know that
to keep our education affordable we must be
on the lookout for new opportunities. That is
why we created an innovative pre-engineering
program that allows talented high school students to get an early start on an engineering
degree here at Wilkes.
We are a community that cares deeply
about each other, and I am certain we will
build on Wilkes' tradition of working together
to find ways to invest in our academic programs so that both our students and our region
continue to thrive.
As many of you know, I will be installed as

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on responses.

Last week's question:
No poll results to display in this
issue.
This week The Beacon asks:
How difficult has it been for you
to park this semester?

The Beacon Archives
President Leahy speaks to students faculty and staff after being announced as
the sixth president of Wilkes University March 12. He officially assumed the
office July 1.
Wilkes' sixth president on Sept. 15 at the F.M.
Kirby Center. I am extremely grateful for all
the help that has gone into making this event
special for Wilkes and my family.
There will be several days of celebration
that I encourage everyone to attend. The
Faculty Scholarship Showcase at the Dorothy
Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts
promises to be particularly fulfilling. We will
showcase the extraordinary scholarship of our
faculty. This is a can't-miss event.
I also hope to see you at the Campus Installation Party Friday night in the Henry Student
Center. Everyone is invited to stop by for
refreshments and to enjoy the music.
This coming year will go fast but we will
get an enormous amount accomplished. We
will graduate students with doctorates in
pharmacy and bachelor's degrees in English,
engineering and earth and environmental science, to name a few.
Underclassmen will advance to the next
grade in nursing, accounting and education.
And along the way, we will do our best to
have fun, stay safe and Be Colonel.
Thank you.
Patrick F. Leahy, President

Schedule of Events

•

Very difficult

•

Somewhat difficult

•

Not difficult

•

I do not park on campus

•

I was not aware that people
were having difficulties
parking on campus

Installation Day Schedule
Friday, September 14
Cast your vote online at:

8:00P.M.
Campus Installation Celebration
I Henry Student Center, second
floor

Saturday, September 15
11:00A.M.
Installation of Dr. Patrick F.
Leahy I F.M. Kirby Center for
the Performing Arts

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:

12:30 P.M.

Reception I F.M. Kirby Center
for the Performing Arts Lobby

2:00P.M.
Wilkes University vs. Albright
College Football Game I
Schmidt Stadium

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu
The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�TH~ BEApON

I Sept. 11, 20.12

OPINION

7

Modern medicine: Prolonging life or prolonging death?
By Carly Yamrus
Opinion Editor

Nobody talks about death. We close our
eyes to it; change the subject. Ignore and deny.
Don't talk about it, don't write about it. Maybe
ifwe don't think about, it won't happen to us.
Because we don't acknowledge death, we
are often faced with difficult decisions when
the time does come. Many questions suddenly
yet not so suddenly arise with the beginning
of the end. Should we utilize advanced medical procedures and drugs to put up a fight or
should we acknowledge our inevitable fate?
In what circumstances should we fight? If
we choose not to fight, does that mean we giving up? Symbolic terms such as "winning" and
"losing" are almost always used when talking
about illness and dying.
Many people choose the fight, no matter the
circumstances, because nobody wants to Jose.
As humans we have the right to life. With
that right, we go to extreme measures to defend it at all costs. And the cost is very, very
high.
The amount of money spent on terminal
patients is astounding. Your bill when you die
can be between thousands and several hundred
thousand of dollars if you spend your last days
in a hospital or hospice. According to a CBS

news "60 Minutes" documentary, "The Cost of
Dying," Medicare spent more than $50 billion
on people with degenerative diseases, chronic
illnesses, Stage-4 cancer and other fatal conditions.
There are certain circumstances in which
fighting to live is most definitely an option.
There are also certain circumstances in which
continuing the fight is comparable to torture.
Are we prolonging life or prolonging death?
Patients with terminal illnesses succumb to
toxic treatments that devastate their bodies.
Desperate last-minute treatments, transfusions
and other invasive procedures are costly and
usually produce an array of ruinous side effects
that debilitate the patient further.
With the health care we have today, we have
painted an unrealistic picture of what goes on
in the hospital. We look to health care to fix us.
Surely the technology and medicine we have
developed will save us from ourselves.
At an early age, we learned that doctors
make us better. Go to school and become a
doctor so that you can help sick people be well
again. The question of "How Jong do I have
to live?" becomes "How long will I try to stay
alive?"
Accepting death as part of life does not
mean you gave up, it means you gave in and
recognized it as a natural part of life. You can't

The Beacon/Laura Preby
Desperate, last-minute treatments and procedures are costly and often make
the dying experience worse than It needs to or should be.
choose when your time has come or how it will
happen, but you can sometimes choose a better way out. There is only so much that can be
done to help sustain life in the final months or
days.
After the procedures become unreasonable, maybe the best thing to do is to just be
comfortable. Let loved ones express their love

and support instead of having them helplessly
watch and do nothing.
I don't think dying is the worst thing that can
happen to a person. Dying without dignity is.
@carlyyamrus
carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Online courses vs. classroom learning: Internet cheats education
By Lyndsie Yamrus
Assistant Opinion Editor

The things we've accomplished and the advancements we've made as a human popula~ n is astonishing. The world is a much different place now than it was a decade ago, which
in the grand scheme of things, is not a very
long time.
One of our most valued creations of all
time, the ever-popular internet, has completely

changed the way we live our lives, and very
quickly at that. I remember like it was yesterday how long it would take for a single page
to load on the Internet, and here I am today,
multitasking Facebook, Twitter, email, Google
and various other tabs, all at once and within
seconds.
I really appreciate the Internet, and yes, it
is an extremely revolutionary tool that has
improved the world we live in immensely.
However, we have become rather obsessed
and increasingly dependent upon it -- enough

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The Beacon/Kat Dodson
The Internet Is a powerful tool, but should not be u~d to replace traditional
methods of teaching and learning.

to believe that nearly anything can be obtained
online. A thorough and valuable educational
experience is not one of them.
As we all know, there are many advantages
to the online route. It is much cheaper than going to college. You can learn at your own pace.
You can work at your own speed. You can take
the class virtually anywhere and adjust your
work to fit your lifestyle. You can eat a steak in
your pajamas while you take a test, which are
always "take-home." You can easily Google
something you don't know.
Does anyone remember what life was like
before the Internet readily spit out knowledge
when you asked it to? I certainly do not. I grew
up in the middle of this explosion we now call
the digital age.
Prior to the Internet, you had to actually use
the library. You had to do research! Which involves actually reading the books. What a concept. I'm a firm believer in reading books for
information.
Books are classic. I'm "that guy" who walks
out of the library with a stack of eight books
dating back to the '70s and older. People think
I'm nuts. But you learn more because you
have to read the book instead of skimming
over Google hits and using CTRL+F to find
keywords pertaining to your paper topic. The
Internet cheats education.
My belief is that there is a definite level of
respect associated with traditional classroomstyle learning. The process has generally remained unchanged for many years: an individual who has attained extensive knowledge and
experience in a given field passes that knowledge and experience to others.
If you don't understand something, you can
raise your hand, ask any question for clarification or further direction, and receive an answer

almost as quickly as you asked.
You have others next to you to motivate
you and support you. There are people to impress and people who could potentially make
an impression on your life, or vice versa. You
don't just learn subject matter when listen to
and work with others. You develop as an individual because you collaborate with different
people who see things from different perspectives.
Interaction between individuals is highly
necessary and adds an entirely new dimension to learning. You can talk the material
out, face-to-face, with someone who knows
what they' re talking about. The self-teaching,
Google-everything-you-don't-know-or-understand method will leave gaps in your education. You'll miss things.
You really only learn the course material
when you study for courses online. The knowledge you acquire is mostly limited to what is
written in the required textbook -- knowledge
that proba~ly won't change your attitude or
opinion or the way you think in general. Typed
dialogue loses the emotion and passion of the
lecture as well. Your professor doesn't truly
know you because all they can see is a name
on a computer screen.
Professors stimulate creative thinking and
application in a way that would not be as effective if taught online. They often add personal
stories, insights and ideas that encourage students to have new insights and build new ideas.
A lecture should inspire, and people are the
ones who do this. Not textbooks, and certainly
not a search engine either.
@fyndsieyamrus
lyndsie.yamrus@wifkes.edu

�8

OPINION

THE BEACON

I Sept. 11, 2012

Second Amendment is out of touch with modern technology
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief

Fear is a common reference in gun control
debates. Many gun supporters say those who
want increased gun control are motivated by
fear.
I agree. I'm afraid of guns. I'm afraid of
walking down the streets of Wilkes-Barre and
being caught in the crossfire of gun violence.
I'm afraid of mentally-ill students shooting
innocent bystanders on campus. I'm afraid of
psychopaths storming into a crowded movie
theater with assault rifles.
In light of the heinous crimes reported this
year, we should all be afraid.
The numbers are chilling. According to
CNN, there were 11,493 homicides by firearm
in 2009 alone. That's because there were 310
million nonmilitary guns reported in the U.S.
in 2009.
Sure, it's a constitutional right to own a gun.
More specifically, the Second Amendment to
the Bill of Rights states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear
arms, shall not be infringed."
But let's put this into context. According to
About.com, this amendment was created in
1791. That was back when the most commonly
used gun was the flintlock. In order to fire it,
you had to load it with gunpowder, place a ball
on a patch and used a ramrod to move these
items down the barrel.
Nowadays, guns are more efficient and more
deadly. Guns with rapid-fire technology and
high-capacity magazines are freely available,

even on the Internet.
Do we really need a 100-round gun to protect our homes from burglaries? USA Today
states that even police officers usually only
carry 10 to 12 rounds.
According to USA Today, a 100-round magazine gun is one type of weapon James Holmes
used at the Aurora theater shooting. He bought
it legally from a website.
Criminals often are not even the target of
these advanced guns. An article on CNN.com
stated that having a gun in the house basically
doubles the risk that a household member will
kill himself or herself. Americans are 50 percent more likely to fatally shoot themselves
than be fatally shot by a criminal.
Yet, misinformed opponents of gun control
cite countries like Switzerland, which has high
rates of gun ownership coupled with low rates
of crime. They say, "if there were as many
armed Americans as there are armed Swiss,
America would be a much safer country."
The funny thing is, there's actually a larger
percentage of citizens in America who own
guns than in Switzerland. Yet, we still have
crime rates that are worse than some developing countries. So, clearly, there is no correlation between the two.
As IBTimes states, the cause of Switzerland's lower crime rates is more likely the lack
of drug trade and social inequality, two major
factors that increase violent crime frequency. I
don't see how our stockpile of firearms is helping with those problems.
Part of the reason there are some many
guns in America is how easy they are to get.
Typically you can walk into a store and pass
an instant background check, unless you're

·Reporter,
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registered under the National Instant Criminal
Background Check System as ineligible. Recorded mental instability is grounds for disqualification.
However, many states keep mental health
records confidential, making it impossible to
restrict mentally unstable customers. Even
states that do report mental health background
do not have an effective system.
Take Virginia, for instance. The FBI reported
in 2007 that Virginia had released more mental
records than any other state, but yet somehow
a certain Virginia Tech student was able to legally buy a gun and kill 32 of his classmates
and teachers.
That shooter, Cho Seung-Hui, had been
determined to be mentally ill and a danger to
himself and others, but that didn't stop him
from being eligible to purchase a gun, leading
to the massacre in 2007.
Some claim that even if you limit guns, murderers like Seung-Hui would still access them.
By that logic, we should make illegal drugs
readily available as well. Even if criminals
would still access firearms illegally, restrictions would inherently make it more difficult,
especially for those who are mentally ill and
don't have any connections to gangs.
The Second Amendment doesn't provide
any of these restrictions. In 1791, there was no
need for limitations. But, because technology
has made guns more dangerous and more accessible, our constitution should adapt to modem reality. Guns are advancing; it's about time
our laws start advancing, too.
kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu
@kirstinjeancook

The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

Guns are readily available for purchase In some states, in stores such
as Walmart.

We're hiring
No experience necessary.
We'll train.
The Beacon will begin accepting applications April 2 for
all the positions you see listed here.

-ct,

Don't leave Wilkes with just an education
get experience. Working with The Beacon provides an opportunity
to improve communication skills that are essenti'tt.l for
any career field.
For more information, contact Kirstin Cook,
editor-in-chief, at kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu, 570408-5903 OR Dr. Loran Lewis, adviser, loran.
lewis@wilkes.edu, 570-408-4165

~BEAC
ON
·

i:
r--

News of Toda

Re orted B

the .Journalists of Tomorrow

�By Cody Bauman

PC

Staff Writer

After a long summer, garners are ready
for some new releases to feed their desire
for digital bliss. With a new semester here,
though, money can be tight. This is where
the realm of independent and downloadable
games comes into play.
These bite-sized games are normally
smaller experiences when compared to big
titles such as "Call of Duty" and "Madden."
Nevertheless, they can bring just as much
enjoyment for a fraction of the price. Perfect
for college students with a limited budget
looking for a way to kill the time.
Indie games are games made by small,
independent developers and are normally
self-published. These independent developers
can sometimes comprise teams as small as
one or two people. While the teams may be
small, that doesn't necessarily mean quality
has to be sacrificed. Garnes such as "Braid"
and "Bastion" are highly regarded as "mustplays" for even seasoned gaming veterans.
Here are some of the best indie games currently available, listed by console:

iOS
"Cthulhu Saves the World" (RPG, $1.99)
"Cthulhu Saves the World" is a game
whi&lt;;J many old-school garners will appreciate for its throwbacks to the RPGs of
yesteryear. Meanwhile, new garners will
enjoy it for its tongue-in-cheek humor. This
game is a spoof of all the great 16-bit RPGs
of the Super Nintendo era and that's what
makes it so much fun. It manages to feel new
and different while still having that same air
of nostalgic familiarity about it.
"Infinity Blade II" (Action, $6.99)
"Infinity Blade II" is an action game that
shows what an iOS device can do. It runs off
the Unreal Engine, which is the same game
engine used by such titles as "Gears of War,"
"Fable." On top of this game being gorgeous,
the deep and intriguing fighting mechanics
makes this one shine as a labor of love.

"Bastion" (Action/RPG, $14.99)
"Bastion" is the epitome of what every game wants to be. It seamlessly melds
together tight gameplay, an interesting story,
provocative music and an eye-popping art
style to make a game that is more than the
sum of its parts. Every facet of this game
lends to another element and just heightens
the whole experience to a new level, which is
something that truly separates this game from
the rest of the pack and lets it shine as one of
the best indie games ever made.

ustin ou as
Cash-strapped gamers looklng for a cheap way to kill time can feed their need
without breaking the bank. lndle games offer fresh fun at bottom-dollar prices.

Xbox360
"Braid" (Platformer, $10.00)
"Braid" is considered to be the very title
that broke indie games out of their niche audience, and for good reason. This game showed
that one prograrnrner (in this case, a man
named Jonathan Blow) could not only create a
well put-together and executed game, but also
weaves a story of intrigue.
When "Braid" was originally released back
in 2008, it was Metacritic's highest-rated
Xbox Live Arcade game and was also among
the top 10 Xbox 360 games of all time. With
perfect and near-perfect scores on websites
like Giant Bomb and GarneSpot , "Braid"
turned heads. It quickly became a must-play
for any garner worth with his or her weight in
gold coins.

"Braid" offers a fun ride, keeping the gameplay fresh enough to continually lure players
back for more, even as the difficulty steadily
increases.

PS3
"Journey" (Adventure, $14.99)
In "Journey," players take the role of a
wanderer trudging through the rugged desert
towards a giant mountain as it emits a giant
beam of light. As players travel, other wanderers may help them out or show them secrets,
but the nature of these wanderers is not
revealed until the end of the game.
This element of mystery, and its conclusion,
is one of the aspects of"Journey" that will
make players reconsider how they view their
entire play-through experience.

"Spelunky" (Platformer/Adventure, Free)
"Spelunky" is a "rogue-like" platformer
that puts players in the shoes of an Indiana
Jones-esque explorer searching deep caverns
for treasure, dames and ancient secrets buried
away from the rest of the world. In "Spelunky," the player only gets one life, with just
four hits to that life per play-through. Even
with your limited life, the game doesn't hold
any punches. Arrow traps, bats, ghost, cavemen and more do everything in their power
to bring this short game to a close that much
quicker.
Something "Spelunky" manages to do very
well, though, is almost never make dying
an aggravating experience. The levels are
randomly generated and as players progress,
they slowly learn how to deal with each type
of monster and trap as well as how to spot
some of these devious death-dealers before
they even have a chance to trigger them. This
game's difficulty only adds to the reward.
Conquering each bite-sized level makes ·every death feel like it was a step into the right
direction towards ultimate victory. "Plants vs.
Zombies" (Tower Defense, $9.99)
PRO TIP: All PC games in this article can be
found using Stearn, a free download service
for video games that routinely has sales and
special events where almost everything instock is discounted.
@wilkesbeacon
cody.bauman@wilkes.edu

Kim Price,

Sophomore
"Biology

�HOMETOWN PUNKS GO 'GREEN'
...

.

.

:
' .
,- , - ,- · . &amp; Entertainment er of Alternative Press magazine. They've
itor
toured with the likes of Rise Against and
, ' I r - - - - - - - New Found Glory. Just this summer, the
Out of the un- they played alongside everyone from
derground and Every Time I Die and Lostprophets
into the limelight,
to Anti-Flag and The Used as
the last few
:

a
whirlwind
for Kingston-based
punk band
Title Fight.

part of the 2012 Vans Warped Tour. Now,
the group's highly anticipated second fulllength album, "Floral Green," is due to hit
shelves on Tuesday, Sept. 18.
It's safe to say the guys in Title
Fight are counting their blessings. At the same time, they're
determined to keep sight of
what's important and not let
success go to their heads.
"We're trying to grow as
a band while still hanging on to the things
that keep us who
we are," guitarist Shane Moran
said. "I think
it's just important to not get
duped
into
the kinds of
things
environments
(like Warped
Tour) might
tempt you

THE BEACON

Se

You have to realize what makes your band
special, what sets you apart, and you have to
hang onto those things. We're staying with
what we're comfortable with and not letting
any of this stuff change us."
That said, Title Fight - which also comprises bassist-vocalist Ned Russin, guitaristvocalist Jamie Rhoden and drummer Ben
Russin - isn't afraid to push the boundaries
of its comfort zone or explore new territory
musically.
For "Floral Green," Moran said it was important for the band members to maintain
a balance between the stylistic progression
that keeps things fresh for them and the familiar sound that fans have come to associate with Title Fight.
"There's definitely been a growth,'' he
said. "We just really tried to push ourselves
to write something that was exciting and challenging
for us. We're not
really interested
in re-writing the
same music,
al though
there are
similarities.
Every-

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By BIii Thomas
Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor
If there's any truth to the old adage
that says still waters run deep,
then it's not surprising that the
music on "Fathoms," Empire
of the Sea's nautically-themed
2010 debut, is of a moody
and meditative sort. For
a follow-up, however,
the group decided to
shed the maritime
trappings of that album, as well as the
murky, monolithic am-

bient-metal style that accompanied
it, in favor of something lighter.
Enter the upbeat post-rock of "Skywatchers," BOTS' new EP, released just this
month.
It's a sound that soars.
"Me and Bill actually worked together
for two
and, when-

ever we'd go on break,
we'd walk around the
building and watch
the
birds
flying
around,"
guitarist
Mike Flaherty said.
The "Bill" he's referring to is fell ow guitarist Bill
Check who, along with drummer Michael
Tyahur and Flaherty's bassist brother Patrick, comprises the Wilkes-Barre foursome.
Flaherty continued: "We got to thinking,
what ifthere was a family ofbirds, each from
a different species, but all living together?"
The concept allowed the band to create its
own mythology on "Skywatchers," one that
in turned allowed them to explore various

archetypes
through its
"bird family."
Each of the EP's
four tracks is named
after one of their aviary
inventions: "Moth.er Hawk,"
"Father Owl," "Sister Sparrow" and
"Brother Crow."
The change in EOTS' musical style is also
a direct result of the subject matter. Whereas "Fathoms" submerged the listener in an
ocean of atmosphere and sonic textures, the
trajectory of the new EP is aimed squarely
skyward. The music constantly races toward bigger and brasher crescendos, which
only seem to propel
the music on
further, the intent
being
to

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thlng we write has to be interesting and new
to us."
Evidence of that can be readily heard
when comparing "Floral Green" to its predecessor, 2011 's "Shed." The brighter, more
agile style of that album has given way to
something denser and darker, a change Moran said was deliberate. Still, not every aspect of the evolution exhibited on "Floral
Green" was premeditated.
"It can be hard for us to even be aware of
it, because we come from this weird frame
of reference where we're right in the middie of it," Moran said. "We live with this
stuff. We'll be working on ideas a year before they show up on a record, so when you
play the records back to back, I guess it's
more apparent. But, for us, it's just where
we are as a band."
As Title Fight's music continues to grow, so too does
its audience. In

create a feeling of perpetual ascent.
"The songs themselves are not as dark
as they were (on "Fathoms")," Check said.
"The best way I can describe it is as feelgood music. It's like you' re up on some
mountaintop looking down at the world."
In a continual quest to WJburden their music and hopefully enable it to rise to even
greater heights, the members of BOTS have
opted to eliminate vocals altogether, transforming the band into a iOO percent instrumental project from "Skywatchers" on.
The band members admit it's a drastic
change that might alienate some listeners.
Nevertheless, they feel it's the right decision,
hoping it will shift audience focus more toward the songcraft of the music itself. It is
there, Check said, EOTS differentiates itself
most significantly from its contemporaries.
"We like to keep it very ambient but still

port of "Floral Green," the band's upc-0ming tour will take the hometown punks all
over the world, including dates in England,
France, Italy and Germany among others.
Despite all that globe-trotting, Moran said
the band makes sure to stay abreast of goings-on in the NEPA scene.
"When we're in Japan or somewhere like
that, I miss home a lot, but I never feel disconnected or out of the loop," he said. "All
of our friends are in local bands. That's
who we talk to: people who do art,
photography, play music or deal
with venues. That's
world."
For more information, visit
title-fight.
By BIii Thomas
net.
Arts &amp; Entertainment
Editor
-------------One look at Dennis Condusta, frontman
for Wilkes-Barre band Astorian Stigmata,
and it's obvious that this is a guy with a
fully developed aesthetic sense. Whether
onstage strumming a guitar adorned with
hand-drawn illustrations or lurking in press
photos with a top hat on his dreadlocked
head and a black umbrella in hand, Condusta leaves an impression. He looks like
a character tom from the fever dream of a
morbid Victorian poet.
"I think having a distinct visual style is
extraordinarily important," Condusta, who
is also a photographer, said. "You can give
someone a birthday gift in a blank box and
they'll just be like 'Uh, thanks,' or you could
give them it in a really cool, decorated box
and they'll be like 'Wow, thls is awesome."'
Even still, Condusta acknowledges that
the visual element is there to complement,
not supplant, that which matters most.
"The music is obviously the most important thing, but it's cool .to put something
around it, to put it in a different context
that makes it a whole experience," he
said. "It's just fun, to have a look, to try
and create something that's more
thanjust music."
It's the music that does
c orthe talking on the band's
porate a
recently released EP,
lot of struc"A Dark Sumture
within,
whlch is different
from most post-rock
bands," he said. "Most
post-rock bands will just let
seven minutes of guitars go on
with thls big build-up that ends up
dying out. We' re more into using actual
riffs and doing something with them."
EOTS will perform alongside Ethereal
Collapse at The Crimson Lion in WilkesBarre, on Swiday, Sept. 16.
For more information, find Empire of the
Sea on Facebook.

@wifkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

most oft-cited influences, Modest Mouse
and The Cure, are still readily apparent.
But there's something else there, too.
"This album is much darker, heavier,
faster," Condusta said. "It's also a lot more
keyboard-based, more atmospheric, going a little more toward an industrial style,
though I hate to use that word. It's still very
much indie rock."
"lndie," of course, is short for "independent," and it's that part of the indie-rock tag
that Condusta and his longtime friend and
band-mate, D.J. Laury, value the most. Astorian Stigmata has always operated under a
DIY ethic. Condusta and Laury book their
concerts themselves. They bring their music to life in makeshift bedroom recording
studios. The music video they released for
the EP track "The Dancing Dead'' was shot
entirely in a basement. It features the band
members smashing blood-smeared
instruments among flickering
lights.
"If someone gave us a
million dollars to go make
a video," Condusta said,
"I'd probably give them
$999,000 back, go b
lunch and then make
the same video."
For now, with
no
charitable,
millionaire gothrock
connoisseurs in sight,
the
tenebrous
twosome
wil
continue
diering on o
day at a time.
Summers S

currently available online via iTunes, with
a follow-up already planned for late fall. No
outside help needed.
"It's just how we are. I couldn't imagine
being any different," Condusta said. "We do
everything ourselves and have full creative
control. We have no budget. We do the best
we can. That's what you have to do if you
want to get the message you want out there.
You have do it all yourself."
A pause.
"You don't make much money doing that,
but that's not really what it's about."
For more information, find Astorian Stigmata on Facebook.

�Every issue, Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor B ill Thomas and Assistant Editor Jake Cochran indulge their vanity and give a
thoroughly biased crash-course in whatever madness happens to be dwelling in their wa!Y.ed minds. Their views do not reflect
those of The Beacon, its staff or Wilkes University. Blah blah blah. This week, Bill Thomas is tackling ...

£ vmttJlll;a~ IDV!JM

eumm

Best spot to declare war on your
liver and brain cells:
Hardware Bar (14 S. Main St.)

New to Wilkes-Barre? Here's some
hidden gems and not-so-hidden hotspots
that' ll help you retain your tenuous grip
on sanity when finals week hits like a ton
of bricks.
Best spot to get your smoke on:
The Crimson Lion (37 E. South St.)
Grab your journal, your shoulder bag
and your ironic 80s pop-culture tee and
curl up at The Crimson Lion to write
some poetry, sip some coffee and smoke
some Starbuzz Purple Savior. Yes, the
nicknames are ridiculous, but the flavored
tobacco packs a heady wallop. The experience of smoking it in a hookah is unique,
plus it'll make you look cooler than
your cigarette-suckin' pals. Even if you
don't smoke, The Crimson Lion is a chill
hangout for the artsy-fartsy set, complete
with paintings on the wall and occasional
performances by local bands (see p.10-11
for perfect examples).

A night at the Hardware Bar
is the closest thing to gueststarring on an episode of "The
Jersey Shore" you're likely to
experience in NEPA. It's a good
idea to put a condom on your
soul beforehand, lest you catch
some kind of existential STD.
Nevertheless, when you've just
finished typing up a 12-page
report on the sociopolitical
implications of, I don't know,
stuff, and you're looking to completely cut
loose and indulge your most excessive hedonistic impulses, there's no place more suited
than Hardware Bar. Enjoy the loud music,
overpriced alcohol and sweaty make-out
sessions with scantily-clad strangers tonight;
Worry about the consequences tomorrow.
Best spot to question your sexuality:
1\vist (1170 Highway 315)
Ostensibly a gay club, that doesn't stop
hetero folks in search of a party from gravitating toward Twist as enthusiastically as George
Michaels exposes himself to undercover
police officers in public restrooms. Whereas
Hardware Bar is all about sleaze and sweat,
Twist is, well, also about sleaze and sweat.
But it's less cramped and less aggressive, plus
a lot more colorful, flamboyant and fun. Drag
queens are awesome. What more do you need
to know?
Best spot to indulge in all things retro:
Musical Energi (59 N. Main St.)
Everything a hipster needs that can't be
found at Salvation Army is here. Movies,
music, funky posters, freaky oddities and, let's
not forget, vinyl, vinyl and more vinyl! The
place is loaded with vintage goodies and is
overseen by an assortment of colorful characters. Talk to Jay, the owner, and he'll be happy
to explain just how awesome vinyl records are
and why mp3s are the tool of Satan. Talk to
employee Rich and he'll tell you more about
cult/horror/b-movie obscurities than you ever
wanted to know. Ask other-employee Mark
about his band Mock Sun and you may just
discover some of the best local music NEPA
has to offer.
Best spot to ogle naked chicks:
Gentlemen's Club 10 (205 Mundy St.)
Don't pretend you don't want to go, dude
(or dudette, if that's how you roll). You know
you do. Make sure to hit Amateur Night every
first Thursday for your best shot at seeing that
cute redhead in your Principles of Fundamentals class doing something she' ll regret in the
morning.

@thatbillthomas
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

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�Contact editor: anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

Sept. 11, 2012

Res life staff makes adjustment into college easier
Rebecca Bolus
Correspondent
According to the Residence Life office on
Wilkes University's website, their goal is to
foster a residential environment supportive of
individual student growth and development
through programming, training and the room
selection process.
Director of Residence Life Elizabeth Swantek does more than that. She is in charge of
the RAs, assistant director and graduate assistants. She works with facilities to make sure
the buildings are in good condition and also
deals with judicial and disciplinary affairs for
on-campus residents.
Swantek also works with the living learning
communities, where learning happens in the
residence hall.
"We work with professors as well as the
RAs on developing different living learning
communities on campus," Swantek said.
A big part of Residence Life is the housing
process for freshman. Residence Life does not
just put random people together and hope for
the best. There is a process and work involved
with choosing who lives where their first year.
All first-year students must attend freshmen

orientation where they fill out a housing contract and take a survey. They have the opportunity to tell Residence Life a little about themselves such as studying and sleeping habits, if
they smoke, if they share clothes, etc. This data
is then compiled and organized into Excel.
Besides this survey, incoming freshman
have another way of getting a roommate.
"At orientation, they have an opportunity
to meet someone," Swantek said. "If they get
along, they can fill out a form saying they want
to live together."
Those students that find someone they
would like to live with are then taken off that
Excel spreadsheet. At that point, Swantek and
the assistant director go from who put down
their housing deposit first and use the surveys
to pair up those remaining students.
Residence Life also goes over their handbook to see if there needs to be any new rules
or regulations or if any current ones need to be
modified.
One rule that has already been set in stone
and passed by the university is now requiring
the incoming freshman of2012 to live on campus

See Res life, Page 15

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Assistant Director Danielle Kern, left, and Residence Life Director Elizabeth
Swantek preparing for the new year at their office on the third floor of Passan
Hall.

Programming board opens up semester with fun for Fall 2012
Alyssa Stencavage
Correspondent
Wilkes University's Programming Board
has scheduled fun events and activities to
kick off the 2012 fall semester. "We have a
really enthusiastic board, and a lot of freshmen are interested in joining so there should
be a good turnout. Our events are every
Thursday, so hopefully we will keep building a bigger and bigger audience and keep
the momentum going," said Jessica Short,
president of Programming Board.
The first event, a barbecue and scavenger
hunt, took place on Thursday, Sept. 6. The
barbecue started at 7 p.m. right outside the
first floor of the SUB near the parking lot.
The scavenger hunt was a photo scavenger
hunt and began shortly after the barbecue
at 7:30 p.m. Students were placed in teams
of five and used their cameras or a camera
phones to photograph different things around
campus based on the clues. The hunt ended
at 8:30 p.m., with the winners announced at
8:45 p.m. Prizes were given to the top three
teams, so each member of the first team
received a $30 Visa Gift Card, each member
of the second team received a $25 Visa Gift
Card and each member of the third team received a $20 Visa Gift Card. In the event that
there was a tie, the prize would have been
given to the team who was done first.
Fall Fest Weekend is a three day-long

event run by Student Development, Student
Government, Inter-Resident Hall Council,
Commuter council, Off-Campus Council and
MSC. It will go from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday,
Sept. 21. Thursday night will be Movie in
the Marts, which is sponsored and run by
IRHC; Friday night is the battle ball game,
which is a mix of laser tag and paintball. For
more information on battle ball, check out the
website www.notpaintball.com. On Saturday
there will be a carnival-like event, which will
be sponsored by all the groups. Times of these
other events will be announced shortly.
As of right now, the Powderpuff Football
game is tentatively going to be held in either
Ralston Field or UCOM. This event is going
to be on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m., and signups will
be on Sept. 11 in the SUB. Students will sign
up by class, with :freshman first.
Grocery Bingo, which will be held on
Thursday, Oct. 18, starts at 8 p.m. in the first
floor of the SUB. This will be the same style
as regular bingo, except baskets of food will
serve as prizes, which include everything
needed to make different meals. There will
also be baskets that are quick, easy and microwavable.
On Thursday, Oct. 25, there will be a Halloween party at the UCOM. Activities include
a roller-skating rink, which will be brought
into the UCOM, a costume party and a costume contest.
"This one is my favorite," Short said of the

Halloween party.
The fun has only just begun, so join in
while you can!
@wilkesbeacon
alyssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

This year, the Programming Board has
magnets ready to remind students of
upcoming events for this semester.

�14

Wilkes Club Day 2012 offers new clubs
By Anne Yoskoski
Life Editor

If you happened to be on the Greenway during this year's Club Day, the popularity of the
event was indesputable. Introducing several
new clubs and gaining membership for the
pre-existing ones. Held on the greenway, the
event had students flockir'tg in at 11 a.m. on
Sept. 6 to see what Wilkes has to offer.
"In addition to the approximately 81 existing organizations and clubs on campus, and
those are just the clubs who signed up for
a table," said Jamie Miller, Student Activities director, "new clubs are also looking for
members." The most recent club was added at

the end of last year, the Veterans Club.
Currently, a Swimming Club is in the works
and there's interest in starting other clubs,
such as the up and coming Autism Speaks
group.
In order to start a club at Wilkes, students
have to make sure there is no other club like
the one being discussed, and see a reasonable
amount of interest from potential members.
Then the group must present their idea to
Student Government after filling out all the
paperwork, after which they can be granted
club status and received funding from SG.
Club Day is something many people look
forward to, as it helps build a community on
campus.
"Club Day is a great time for students to get

involved in Wilkes Culture," Student Govemment President Kristofer Rivers said. "It gives
the clubs a chance to showcase what they are
about and build new membership as well as
help students see what is available on campus
and meet new people."
New students, transfer students and seasoned Club Day veterans all had something to
look forward to this year, whether it was gaining new recruits for their club or making new
friends. When asked how involved a student
should be in clubs, Rivers' recommended," ...
that everyone try to attend Club Day and find
at least one club to get actively involved in."
@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Manuscript Society members (left to right) Kendra Kuhar, Dr. Mischelle Anthony, Gabby Zawacki, Miranda Baur, Dr. Sean
Kelly, and Ashley Brlngmann. The Indian Cultural Association greets students with cultural deserts from their Club Day
table. Right, student line up for food outside of Kirby Hall.

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

. t

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -

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J

'-'"'I-''· .1..1., ,v.1.,

lips encourage students to use caution for safety
Anthony Bartoli
Staff Writer
Due to the recent events that have taken
place over the past two weeks on and around
campus, Campus Security has offered some
tips to keep you safe:
1. Always keep this number handy: (570)
408-4999. If you have an emergency, call it.
2. Don't walk anywhere atone, especially at
night.
3. You are allowed to carry mace on campus. Keep it in an accessible place, such as on
your key chain or in an accessible pocket of
your clothing or bag.
4. Be aware of your surroundings at all
times.
5. Don't let your friends go anywhere alone,
even if it's right down the street.
6. Always make sure your cell phone is
charged, just in case something does happen
and you need to call for help.
7. If you need an escort, call the number listed above. If you ever need a ride back to campus at anytime, for any reason, Public Safety

Res life
continued from page 13
for both their freshman and sophomore years.
"We decided to look into the sophomore
living requirement because most of our area
colleges and our peer groups and aspirational
groups have this requirement," Swantek said.
With this new regulation, students will live
in the one of the ten residence halls for their
freshman year and then move into upperclassman residence halls for their second year on
campus.
"I am really glad that I lived on campus my
freshman year because I got to meet a lot of
friends," Makala Flottemesch, sophomore
communications major, said. "I think with this
new rule, students will be able to feel even
more comfortable and feel more at home at
Wilkes."
Wilkes has emphasized getting involved and

J

(

will come get you, no questions asked.
8. Make sure that the doors to your dorm
building or apartment are closed behind you.
9. Try not to carry too much cash or extremely valuable things. Keep expensive items
concealed or close to you at all times.
10. Lock your dorm, house, apartment and
car doors.
Campus Security and the Wilkes-Barre City
Police Department work side-by-side to help
ensure student safety.
One thing students could do right now is go
to the link http://www.wilkes.edu/pages/2611.
asp and sign up for the Wilkes Emergency
Contact System.
All you need to do is create a user name, enter your first and last name, create and verify
your password, enter your phone number (must
have a valid text messaging plan), agree to the
terms of service, and click create account. It's
that easy.
According to the Wilkes website: "Possible
uses for this system will include closures and
delays, community crime notifications, weather emergencies and power outages."
@anthonybartoli
anthony.bartoli@wilkes.edu
living on campus. Swantek and RAs feel it is
important to get involved.
"It is a great way to make new friends by
getting involved on campus and it also keeps
you busy," Amber Konopka, resident assistant
for freshman at Evans Hall, said.
One of the jobs of resident assistants is to do
hall activities to give residents a chance to get
to know one another.
Swantek said that attending the RAs events
along with getting involved with activities on
campus is her best advice for incoming freshman.
"You will feel more attached to campus if
you get more involved with on campus activities," Swantek said. "You will feel like you belong more if you found your niche or created
your niche."
@rebeccabo/us
rebecca.bo/us@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Austin itJukas

Some students are under the impression that pepper spray Is not allowed on
campus, but Campus Security says students are welcome to carry It for extra
protection.

Diversity is something that everyone will at some
point encounter, and most likely something everyone
has questions about. New this semester is a column
called " Open Inclusion Dialogue with Office of Diversity Initiatives," welcoming student questions about
diversity. Common diversity-related issues are : race,
gender issues, stereotyping, disabilities, religion and
culture.
Students who have questions are encouraged to ask
the questions they have been curious about or have
previously been afraid to ask.
I

diversity@wi I kes.ed u
Ms. Erica Acosta, Associate Director of Diversity in
the Wilkes Center for Global Education &amp; Diversity
will be answering your submitted questions. Don't
hesitate, better yourself with information!
The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Res llfe Assistant Director Danielle Kern (left) and Director Ellzabeth Swantek
(right) stand outside their office before preparing for a busy semester.

�Contact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Sept. 11, 2012

Wilkes Colonels football season preview
By Frank Passalacqua
Sports Editor
"Through camp many players have perf~rmed admirably," Wilkes football coach
Frank Sheptock said.
"I am impressed with our terun's work ethic,
maturity and focus. Our focus has been to play
fast, play hard and to finish plays. The player's
intensity, sense of immediacy and intelligence
is what is sticking out thus far."
Wilkes University put together a memorable
game to start the 2012 season.
Coming out with a 9-7 victory over Morrisville State College, it was kicker Jordan Fredo
who delivered a clutch game-winning 18-yard
field goal.
Fredo went 3-for-3 on the day and earned
himself the MAC Special Teams Player of the
Week award for his heroics.
The Colonels came out fighting from the beginning, allowing only 86 passing yards on defense while lighting it up for 287 passing yards
of their own.
Behind that was Tyler Bemsten, throwing
for 157 yards on 10 of 18 attempts.
Alex George had an impressive evening as
well at quarterback, throwing for 130 yards on
15 of23 attempts.
However, it was running back Andrew Regan making the highlights by going over the
century mark with five receptions and 110
yards, tacking on to his 17 rushing attempts
for 43 yards on the ground.
The Colonels' defense was remarkable. The
D allowed only 225 total yards and gave up
only one score on the entire outing.
Making sure to seal the game was defensive
back Paul Gaffney, who recorded seven total
tackles and prevented a late rally by catchiPg the interception with nine seconds on the
clock.

This was the ninth season opener victory for
Sheptock. With the whole season still ahead of
them, only good things are hoped to come to
the Colonels.
Wilkes gained 41 freshmen this offseason
and the coaches could not be more excited for
what the future holds.
"The first year class is an impressive group,"
Sheptock said. "They have acclimated themselves well to the collegiate game and have
handled their transition very well."
That many new players is a lot to handle, but
the coaching staff has the needed experience
to bring these young guys to the desired level.
The team is looking to improve from last season's 4-5 record.
"We were very pleased with our offseason,"
Sheptock said. "We improved the team with recruiting and our veteran players demonstrated
significant improvements in their physical conditioning."
The Colonels have an early Sept. 8 bye, but
make their first home game appearance Sept.
15 against Albright College.
The Week 3 match-up will be the MAC
Conference opener. Last year, Wilkes lost 2665 and has a 1-4 record against Albright since
2007.
Looking to bring the first home game to an
end with a W, it's the building process for any
great team to succeed that Sheptock spoke of.
"I like our team chemistry and the maturity
the team is exhibiting. Our seniors have done
a great job bringing the team through camp."
In the season opener for Albright, the Lions
came out on top with a field-goal, much like
Wilkes, with a 29-26 win over Kean University.
Running back Ty Hughes for the Lions received honors for MAC Offensive Player of the
Week with 142 yards and three touchdowns.
If the Colonels want to start off the season

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2-0, it's the running game the team should focus on by shutting them down.
The 142-yard performance by Hughes is
more yards than Wilkes allowed all together
on the ground, so stopping him will be the key.
Be sure to come out to all the home games
this season to show your support for the Wilkes
Colonels.
@WU_BeaconSports
frank.passa/acqua@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Archives

Wilkes University's football team had
a memorable game to start off the
2012 season with a 9-7 victory over
Morrisville State College. The Colonels make their first home appearance on Sept. 15 against Albright
College.

Area 151: The UFC event that didn't happen
By Jake Coc.hran
Assistant A&amp;E Editor

For years, every time a fighter signed a contract for the UFC, they could guarantee that
come that date they would have a fight. But
recently, for the first time in 11 years, the UFC
hlid to cancel an event, prompting outrage
from fans and fighters alike.
Dana White would say that Jon Jones, the
current UFC light heavyweight champion, and
his manager and controversial strategist Greg
Jackson, have blood on their hands for the
death of this event. But dig a little deeper and
the problem gets much more complicated.
Jones was originally set to defend his title
against former Olympian Dan Henderson, but
when the typically indestructible Hendo blew
out his MCL during a training session, the
UFC had to scramble to find a replacement for
the fight that was nine days away.

So the organization had to pull out all the
stops and try to find someone to face Jones
in just under two weeks, and a few fighters
stepped up to the plate.
Middleweight contender Chris Weidman
said he would take the fight, but the UFC pursued another former Olympian, Chae! Sonnen.
Sonnen is known for his ability to sell a
fight and has been called the best trash-talker
in sports history, but he was coming off of a
loss in a rematch to pound-for-pow1d king and
longtime middleweight champion, Anderson
Silva.
To the credit of the UFC, Sonnen was planning to make the move up to light heavyweight
to face Forrest Griffin at the end of the year
but honestly, they were giving a man who just
lost a title shot at a lower weight class, a title
fight at the next weight class, a weight class he
hadn't fought at since 2005?
Adding to this, Dan Henderson said that he
tried to work through the injury and said he

couldn't do it. Sonnen and Henderson train in
the same camp, so it is very likely that Sonnen
knew before the UFC that Hendo wasn't going
to be able to fight.
And when Sonnen went on a trash talking tirade about Jon Jones on UFC Tonight the same
week as the announcement of Henderson being
hurt ... just put two and two together and you'll
see the bigger picture.
But Sonnen signing the fight wasn't the
problem; it was getting Jon Jones to sign the
fight. Jones currently looked unstoppable and
was looking for his fourth title defense of an
incredible reign as champion.
So with a drastic change in opponent on nine
days notice, defending his title didn't seem like
the best idea to his coach and manager, Greg
Jackson.
Jackson has often been a punching bag of the
MMA community for his somewhat lackluster
point fighting strategies, emphasizing winning
fights over finishing fights and advising Jon to

not take this fight cemented him and Jones as
the enemy for Dana White who dragged both
Jones and Jackson through the mud during the
press conference when he announced the cancelation ofUFC 151.
While many will question Jones's merit and
manhood, this was the right decision for him.
Besides, this has happened before, title fights
have been cancelled from cards and the show
has gone on.
But the UFC had put together a very weak
card beneath the title fight and realized that
without the title fight they had a very undesirable product, with little to no name power.
They had to pull the event for fear of poor
performance on the pay-per-view market, thus
leaving a gap in DVD collections that will be
forever known as Area 151.
@WU_BeaconSports
jake.cochran@wilkes.edu

�17

SPORTS

THE BEACON I Sept. 11, 2012•

Field hockey rises to intense competition early on
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief
The women's field hockey team at Wilkes is going into what may be its best season in at least three years. Coach Mollie
Reichard said the athletes this year are off
to a better start than the past two years
she's been coaching at Wilkes.
"The group of kids that I have this year,
in all honesty, is probably the best group
that I've had since I've been here," Reichard said.
Reichard said this improvement is due
to increased athleticism, hard work, good
attitudes and a positive atmosphere. She
said the athletes came into two-week preseason in better shape than ever.
Another reason the team is in such a
good position is the amount of returning
athletes. This year, there are only five
freshmen on the team, compared to 11
new players on the roster last year. This
helped make the preseason training go
more smoothly, and allowed the players to
work drills at a faster pace.
Despite their improvements, the team
lost 3-2 against Washington College in
round one of the Salisbury Invitational.
However, it pulled through with a 3-2 win
against Husson University.
The first weekend of competitions led
to a loss in the season opener to SUNY
Geneseo, 6-1.
"It was a little rough," Reichard said of
the weekend.
But, the Colonels pulled through
against Wittenberg in the second game of
the weekend. With only 18 seconds on the
clock, senior midfielder Lauren Pawling
scored a goal to tie with Wittenberg 3-3.
Freshman Lexi Thompson scored the winning goal after .just over two minutes of
overtime.
"The kids did a really good job at coming back and staying in the game, instead
of letting one or two goals go and then
having their reaction," Reichard said.
The team has already faced challenges
with these first competitions, and it won't
be getting easier. Reichard said the games
leading up to the Freedom Conference
will pit the athletes against tough opponents to try to prepare them to for the goal
of making playoffs.
"It's putting our kids against what
should be good competition right away to
challenge them," Reichard said.
Reichard is trying to give the team a
competitive edge by placing them against
teams that have a higher national Rating
Percentage Index than Wilkes does and
have done well in their respective conferences. She hopes this gives the players the
chance to overcome mistakes early on and
learn from them.
"You hit your kids hard to see what
they're possibly made of and what their
mentalities are, so hopefully once you,
so that way once you get into conference
play you have things adjusted, and your
kids have been able to overcome things

that if it happens in conference play, they know
they can do it again."
She said she hopes the challenge of these competitors will increase a competitive mentality for
the girls rather than pressure when facing these
accomplished teams.
"I don't think it should feel like pressure,"
Reichard said. "In my opinion, it should feel like
more of a challenge, more of a reason to step up
your competitiveness and your passion in the
game because you know that you can go out
there."
Reichard also said wins against these higherranked teams will pump up the girls' confidence,
along with their playing skills.
"If you would win against a higher level opponent, to me that's just a boost to everything:
your mentality, your play, your aggressiveness,"
Reichard said. "So to me it's just about going out
there no matter who the competition is and going
100 percent all the time."
Reichard said upperclassmen have contributed to the positive atmosphere on the team. She
said all the freshmen talked about how the elders
made them feel welcome.
"I think that's one· thing that's really great
about the kids that they will tell you is they really
feel like they're a family, compared to just like a
group of people playing on a team."
The field hockey family will have to come together to beat out Widener this Friday, Sept. 14.
Reichard said this will be a good game because
Wilkes lost to Widener last year by just one goal.
The home game will be at 7 p.m. Schmidt Stadium.
@kirstinjeancook
kirstin.cook@wifkes.edu

The Beacon/Kirstin Cook

Danielle Distefano, freshman utility, heads back to the goal after Wilkes goes
on attack against Wittenberg University.

The Beacon/Kirstin Cook

o one m y a a, Jun or ut1 ty at center, wor
berg University during a home game Sept. 1.

�,18

THE BEACON

SPORTS

I Sept. 11, 2012

SCOREBOARD
Football
9/1

Wilkes- 9
Morrisville- 7

Field Hockey
9/1

Wilkes-4
Wittenburg-3

M-Soccer
8/31 Keystone - Win 2-0

F-Soccer
9/1

Muhlenburg- Win 2-1

Volleyball
9/1

Alvernia - Win 3-0

WEEK AHEAD
Football
9/15 VS. Albright College

Field Hockey
9/14 VS. Widener

M-Cross Country
9/14 VS. Misericordia

F-Cross Country
9/14 VS. Misericordia

Volleyball
9/12 VS. Misericordia

Tweet us:
Send messages
and pictures to:
@wu_BeaconSports

I hate being on a bandwagon. I prefer to
drive it and try to pick a sleeper for the super
bowl every year. In a season where I have
the Bears being the big sleeper in the NFC,
for the AFC I just cannot find a team that can
sneak in that isn't one everyone is already
picking.
Even though my team is not a sleeper, it
was a difficult choice. I went back and forth
for a while trying to decide. I came down
to a Patriots-Texans AFC title game which,
anyone who doesn't have the Ravens in the
big game, has.
This was tough but I am picking the
Texans to get to the Super Bowl. It comes
down to the fact that the Texans are just the
most complete team in the league._They
have a borderline elite quarterback in Matt
Schaub who suffered a tough injury and who
is dying to take that next step and prove he
deserves mention in the top quarterbacks
conversation.
They have Arian F Oster one of the top running backs in the league with a good backup
that can step up in Ben Tate. Andre Johnson,
need I say more?
And, finally, Houston has a top-ranked defense last year that can get to the quarterback
and force turnovers led by and upcoming JJ
Watt, Brian Cushing and Jonathan Joseph
with a guru defensive coordinator in Wade
Phillips. Gary Kubiak is really underrated
and is my pick for coach of the year.
I think a healthy Texans team is better
than the Patriots, last year's AFC representative in the Super Bowl. The Patriots
were exposed last year by the Giants. They
have an awful secondary and cannot get
to the quarterback, and their offensive line
has deteriorated from what it used to be to
mediocre.
The Ravens are a sad story. They have
been missing that "it" factor to make them
a complete team and by the time they might
find it they are just about too old to make it
to the Promised Land. Suggs is out for the
year; Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are too old
to shoulder the load anymore, and is Joe
Fiacco, Ray Rice and the offense ready to
carry a team that far? I doubt it.
I love that Denver has Peyton Manning.
That is enough to put you in the conversation but their lack of a big time wide receiver
and Peyton being slightly rusty I can't see
them getting far in the playoffs this year.
The Steelers are going to have a rough
year with an aging defense, disgruntled wide
receiver and a quarterback in Roethlisberger
(who I believe will not finish the year with
a partially torn rotator cuff). I can see it getting worse and surgery being the only option
in December.
Texans-Bears in the Super Bowl, and I
have the Bears winning it all -- 24-20!

@tl

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I

As the 2012 NFL season kicks off, every
fan knows February seems only a few short
weeks away. In the National Football Conference, many teams are making a strong case
for being the NFC Champions and ultimately
making their way to the Super Bowl.
When it comes down to it, there are two
teams favored to be atop of this list: the
Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia
Eagles.
Representing the NFC North, the Green
Bay Packers are one team heavily favored to
return to the Super Bowl for the second time
in just three years. Last season, the Packers
finished with a 15-1 record before getting
knocked off by the New York Giants in the
Divisional round.
• ·
Blame it on the two-week break the team
had, but the Packers fell out of contention
early despite having the best record in the
entire NFL. With Aaron Rodgers coming off
a 4,643 passing yard season and 45 touchdowns, the reining MVP will do whatever it
takes in 2012 to get his team back on top and
right where they left off last season.
The second team many experts think will
finally break through and live up to their
"dream team" expectations are the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles had a rather disappointed season last year, finishing 8-8 and missing the
playoffs entirely by one game. With a great
offseason full of added players and talented
rookies emerging in the spotlights, it's hard
to look at this team and doubt them in 2012.
Coach Andy Reid lost his son Garrett in
early August and with the season devoted to
him, the team won't look back until they can
put a ring on Coach Reid's finger.
With a deadly offense and a greatly improved defense, the only hindering factor on
this team is the health of quarterback Mike
Vick. If Vick can stay on the field and hold
those late leads, this year may be the first
year Philly fans can celebrate a Super Bowl
victory.
Both teams are a team that once they catch
fire, there is no slowing them down.
If the two franchises make it to the NFC
Championship game, I'd have to bank on the
Philadelphia Eagles coming through to represent the NFC in the 2012 Super Bowl.
The Eagles will go on to win 27-17 and
make it to the big game for the first time
since 2004.

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

�THE BEACON

I Sept. 11, 2012

SPORTS

19

Getting to Know: Megan Binder, women's soccer
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief

.

Meet Megan Binder, a freshman defender for womens
soccer who already is looking
ahead to an exciting college
career. In high school, she was
named all-county her, senior
year, and all-conference her
junior year. The biology major from North Babylon, NY.,
said she already feels close to
her fellow athletes at Wilkes,
even though its only been a
few weeks since she met them.
She said soccer is basically in
her blood, because her dad
played and her two younger
siblings now play. Playing together is a whole family event
for them. In the games, Binder
is hooked on the competition
of the game, and shes always
trying to be the best.
When did you first start playing soccer?
When I was about 4 years old. Probably
my mom just signed me up for it, something for me to do, and I just liked it a lot.
Why did you decide to stick with it
through college? ·
It's always been a big part of my life, and
I don't think I was ready to give it up yet.
And it's still fun, so I still enjoy it.
What is your fave part about being on
the team?
I like the girls, it's like a family. I feel
very included. And it's fun and I like the
competition.
How do you stay motivated in conditioning and competition?
I am very competitive. I always want to
beat the person next to me, I always want
to be first, I always want to be the best so
I just keep pushing myself and it pays off.
I get results, and if I get results than I'll
keep going.

the hard work paid off.

Do you have any moments you are especially
proud of in your soccer career?
Probably just playing in college. It's what I've
always wanted to do, so I'm pretty excited for
the next four years.
Being a freshman, do you look up to the upperclassmen on the team?
Yeah, I just like how hard they work, and how
long they've been here and all their experiences
and stuff. It's cool listening to their stories and
how they've achieved things.
Do you have any superstitions going into
games?
I always have to put my left sock on first, then
my left shoe, and then my right sock and my
right shoe. And then I just have to listen to music and focus, not let anything distract me.

Megan Binder is
shown tossing
around a soccer
ball. Binder is
brand new to the
Wilkes soccer
team and looking
forward to an exciting sport career.
So far, she says
being on the team
feels like being a
part of a family.

•

Do a lot of your friends come to support you
at games?
·
Yeah. They're a cheering squad. Them and my
family.
Is your family really into soccer?
Yeah, we always play. And my mom and dad
always come. When we're bored we just go
outside and play. All my siblings play. My dad
played.
So did you encourage your siblings to get into
soccer?
Yeah. I like forced them. I told my parents to
sign them up.
What is your favorite pre-workout snack?
I like Clif bars. So much. My favorite flavor is
chocolate chip.
Do you know what you want to do in the field
of biology?
I want to be a physical therapist. A lot of people
want to do that now.
How long have you wanted to be a physical
therapist?
Probably since I was in ninth grade. I broke my
ankle and had to go to physical therapy, and I
liked what they did there.
What are you looking forward to the most in
the next four years?
Everything. Just the whole experience, the journey.

Are there any challenges you face in
balancing sports and academics?
Yeah, balancing is hard, but it's manageable. I just have to get organized. I always
have my planner, and have to have certain
times for homework, certain study hours,
and go to practice, and class.
What is your favorite part about competing?
It just gives you a good feeling, like all

The Beacon/Laura Preby

@kirstinjeancook
kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu

Intramural sign-ups approaching,
don't forget and don't miss out!
Ever feel like playing a sport but didn't want to go through the hassle
of all that running at practice? Do you want to exercise, but don't want
to deal with going to the crowded gym? Well, intramural sign-ups are
about to begin! Gather up all your athletic friends and hit the field!
From flag football to softball, Wilkes Intramurals has it all. If there are
enough participants, director Neal Biscaldi would like to even start
up at Billiards and Bowling Tournament. If this interests you, sign up
right away.
Fall Semester Sign Up Date:
• Flag Football Sign Up By Sept. 12, 2012 starts Sept. 16
• Coed Outdoor Soccer Sign Up By Sept. 14, 2012 starts week of Sept.
17
• Women's Softball Sign Up By Sept. 14 2012 starts week of Sept. 17
• 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament- TBA
• Billiards Tournament-TBA
• Bowling Tournament- TBA
Spring Semester Sign Up Dates:
• Coed Volleyball - Sign Up By Jan. 25, 2013, starts Jan .. 28
• Coed Indoor Soccer - Sign Up By Jan. 25th, 2013 starts Jan. 30
• Coed Basketball- Sign Up By March 1, 2013 starts March
• Softball Tournament- Sign Up By April 12, 2013, starts April 17

�"

20

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I Sept. 11, 2012

~Like
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�</text>
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1947 August 8th&lt;br /&gt;1947 September 5th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 3rd&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 17th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 31st&lt;br /&gt;1947 November 21st&lt;br /&gt;1947 December 19th&lt;br /&gt;1948 September 9th&lt;br /&gt;1950 April 28th&lt;br /&gt;1953 April 10th&lt;br /&gt;1962 February 2nd&lt;/p&gt;</text>
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                    <text>- - - --

The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow.

Sept. 18, 2012

T. #.At,:.

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~-

- - - ----·

THE BEACON

Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

Dlft£CTQl!i
t;Aiti£RA:

--

Volume 65 Issue 2

~

For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.co~

n

�Contact editor: christine.lee@wilkes.edu

Sept. 18, 2012

Patrick Leahy ushers in new era at Wilkes as president
By Christine Lee
News Editor

The Wilkes campus was abuzz with activity on Thursday, Sept. 13, Friday, Sept. 14 and
Saturday, Sept. 15 for the weekend of Patrick
Leahy's formal installation as Wilkes' sixth
president.
Reflecting on the theme of "Looking back
with pride, looking forward with confidence,"
the weekend's festivities were arraigned by
a steering committee co-chaired by Vice
President of Student Affairs Paul Adams and
Board of Trustees member Melanie Lumia.
Because the annual John Wilkes Society
dinner, which honors Wilkes' leadership donors, happened to fall around the time of the
installation celebrations, it was worked into
the events leading up to the installation. It
was held on Thursday night at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre.
On Friday afternoon, five faculty members
representing each of Wilkes' academic colleges presented research done in their fields.
The research was part of Leahy's interest in
having a faculty presentation.
"Dr. Leahy knew from the beginning that
hf wanted to have some kind of academic or
faculty presentation and so we built that in
and it just worked out that we did that as part
of Friday's activities," Adams explained.
The program started off with assistant professor of biology, physics and engineering
Gregory Harms of the College of Science and
Engineering presented his research on "Revelations Through Image Resolutions: Stimulated Emission Depletion Microscopy and
Sheet Illumination Microscopy."
Harms's research focused on improving microscopy, or the ability to visualize something
small, by making the effects of a stimulated
emission depletion microscopy laser smaller
so scientists could see sub-cellular structures
of a tissue sample. The laser would do this by
turning off the signal domain "lights" of the
cell selectively.
Assistant professor of education Elizabeth
Johnson of the School of Education presented her research on "The Role of Statistics in
Educational Research." Her presentation focused on her work with rubric development
for exams and math anxiety in teachers in
grades kindergarten through fifth grade.

The Beacon Archives
Dr. Patrick Leahy was officially installed
as Wilkes' sixth President on Saturday,
Sept.15

Associate professor of history Diane Wenger
of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social
Sciences presented her research on "From
Single Brother to Celebrated Snuff Maker:
The Story Behind Demuth's Tobacco Shop," a
case study on Demuth's Tobacco Shop that was
opened from circa 1770 to 2010 in Lancaster.
Associate professor of business administration Justin Matus of the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership presented his research on
"An Analysis of Technology Enhanced Pedogogy and Learning: Student Response Systems
(Clickers)," in which he and several alums of
the school examined whether "clickers" in the
classroom have an effect on students' learning
outcomes at the college level.
Associate professor of pharmacy practice
Eric Wright of the Nesbitt College of Pharmacy and Nursing presented research on "Improving Health Through Patient Engagement,"
in which he discussed research he is involved
helping patients that were not taking their prescribed medications to be able to take them.
On Friday night, students, faculty, staff and
alumni were invited for a celebration of the
installation in the Henry Student Center ballroom, which included free food and drinks and
a dance floor for attendees to enjoy themselves
to with the music of local band Pop Rox.
Adams said the committee wanted to create
a series of events that culminated in the installation. In particular, the committee wanted to

have something for everyone on campus and it members Melanie Lumia, the co-chair for
made sense to have the installation celebration the installation committee and Virginia Sikes,
on Friday night.
chair of the presidential search committee, by
"We wanted to have a celebration for ev- presenting Leahy with the charter of Wilkes,
erybody at the campus, something that every- the seal and the presidential chain of office.
body could attend, something that everybody
In his inaugural address, Leahy reflected on
could enjoy, something that everyone would the installation theme and commented on the
remember and so with a Saturday ceremony it proud history and traditions at Wilkes while
just seemed to made sense that we would have giving his outline for the future. And while he
a big campus party on Friday night," Adams was reflective of his time at the University of
said.
Scranton, Leahy expressed to the crowd, "be
The weekend of events highlighting the in- forewarned Scranton, Wilkes is coming after
stallation theme of "Looking back with pride, you."
looking forward with confidence" culminated
Leahy plans to spend the year getting to
on Saturday morning with Leahy's formal in- know the University by getting to many indistallation at the F.M Kirby Center on Public viduals that make up Wilkes.
Square in Wilkes-Barre.
"My first year will be full of getting to know
The ceremony was kicked off with a proces- the university as well as possible, the best
sion of 200 people that included , ,
way to do that is to get to know
members of the Board of Trustc
d as many individuals that are part
ees, faculty, administration, delBe 1.orwarne of this community, the faculty
egates, alumni and student repre- Scranton Wilkes members, the staff members and
sentatives from 1946 to 2016 and
'
of course. The most constituents,
four past presidents.
is coming after the students," Leahy said. "I'm
An original musical work en,,
going to spend much of the first
titled "Noble Truths," written by you,
year listening and developing reassociate professor of performing
- Patrick Leahy, lationships and enjoying the oparts S~even Thomas with lyrics _by
President po~i~ to get to ~ow Wilkes
associate professors of English
Uruvers1ty," Leahy said.
Larry Kuhar and Mischelle AnLeahy said despite the duties
thony was debuted by the University Chorus of being president, he does hope to teach in
and the Robert Dale Chorale.
the future.
Speeches welcoming the new president were
"Despite the demands of the job of presigiven by board member Virginia Sikes, Stu- dent, I think it's important, for the president
dent Government President Kristofer Rivers, in particular, to maintain some presence in the
Matus, who is the chair of the Faculty Affairs classroom," Leahy said.
Council, University College advising coordiLeahy is also said he is planning on moving
nator Gretchen Yeninas, Alumni Association his office to Weckesser Hall to be more visible
president Thomas Ralston from the class of on campus.
1980, State Sen. John Yudichak of the 14th
"My comings and goings will put in me in
Senatorial District and Wilkes-Barre Mayor touch with the core constituents of the univerTom Leighton.
sity, the faculty, the staff, the students," Leahy
A musical selection of "Fanfare and Fantasy said.
on Wilkes Our Alma Mater," composed by asOverall, Leahy acknowledged that he is
sociate professor of performing arts Philip Si- grateful to be chosen as president of Wilkes.
mon was performed by the Civic Band.
"It's a gre"at privilege in my life to named
The keynote address was given by Rev. Scott and installed as the new president of Wilkes
Pilarz, president of Marquette University in University, and I'm going to do everything I
Milwaukee, Wis. Pilarz had previously served can to make sure that this university meets all
as the president of the University of Scranton. of the ambitions that it has for itself."
Pilarz was also presented with an Honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
@c/eespot
Board Chair Jack Miller formally installed
christine.lee@wilkes.edu
Leahy as President with the help of board

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
130 S. River St.
First Floor,Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

PHONE: (570) 408-5903
W EBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook

News Editor: Christine Lee

Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro

Opinion Editor: Carly Yamrus

Ad Manager: Brittany Battista

A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas

Photo Editor: Laura Preby

Life Editor: Anne Yoskoski

Adviser: Loran Lewis

Sports Ed itor: Frank Passalacqua

Meet the Staff

Carly Yamrus
Opinion Editor

�THE BEACON

I Sept. 18, 2012

3

NEWS

New changes at Farley Library hope to improve accessibility to all
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor
When Farley Library first underwent reconstruction in 2010 with the creation of the
Alden Leaming Commons the first part of a
four-phase journey began.
This year the process to modernize the Eugene S. Farley library is continuing as they
come to a close with phase two out of four:
the remodeling of the front entranceway.
With the installation of the new handicapped entrance, everybody will be able to
come in through the front door. The new ramp
allows for those who used to not be able to access the library through the front door to now
be able too. The new doors are automatic and
allow for easy entry.
Farley library has also opened up the Alden
Leaming Commons 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week to students.
"It was always kind of in the back of my
mind when we created the Alden Commons
but I couldn't quit rally enough support
around it," John Stachecz, dean of library services, said about the 24-hour access system.
However, after hearing some discussion of
the possibility of closure in computer labs, the
thought resurfaced. With the cost being relatively small and generous donations made by
Student Government and Dr. Harold E. Cox,
the 24-hour access began.
With a grant given to them by Student Government, the university established a means of
security throughout the building without staffing Farley through the entire night.
Security cameras run in different areas and
are fed directly to the Public Safety office. A
public safety officer makes their way through
the library once every hour. There is also an

The Beacon/Dan Lykens
The Alden Learning Commons in Farley Library is now open 24 hours. Above is
the after-hours entrance located next to South Main Street.

emergency telephone located in the Alden
Leaming Commons.
"I think it is probably as safe as we can make
it," Stachecz stated.
An issue some students may find with the
24-hour access is that it is not technically
handicapped accessible. For those who need
access the library after hours and use the elevator, Public Safety officers are available to come
allow you access to the elevator and walk you
through the building to reach the Alden Leaming Commons.
Likewise, when leaving the library, they
are available to escort students from the basement to the exit. At this point, the addition of
a handicapped accessible entrance being put in
just isn't in the budget for the University but

nothing is written in stone yet.
Students seem to be appreciative of the advantages the 24-hour access is giving to them.
Sophomore biology major Adoma Yeboah is
one of those pleased with having 24-hour access to the library.
"The 24-hour access to the library is a great
addition to the new 2012 school year," Yeboah
said. "I feel that it is another reliable venue to
study, finish assignments as well as get papers
printed. Essentially, the 24-hour access to the
library sets no time limit to the way a student
works."
While Yeboah told The Beacon she has not
had a chance to use it, she is looking forward
to it during the next few weeks.
This is something the library was looking for

with the addition of 24-hour access, availability for students who struggle to make it to the
library during its 93 hours a week of operation.
The 24-hour entrance, on the southwest
comer of the building is accessible by a swipe
card system similar to those used in dorms. All
students, faculty and staff are able to make use
of the area.
The original goal was for the finishing
touches to be put on the entrance before the installation of President Leahy. Remodels were
put on hold for a while due to damages in the
doors that were delivered.
A big difference in the entrance came not
through means of renovation, but rule changes.
The front entrance will now be a smoke free
zone due to large amounts of complaints from
students.
"It is a cost-effective way to give additional
service to the students and faculty," Stachecz
said.
At the beginning of the fall semester some
difficulties came to place with printing in the
library. These problems have'been solved with
the installation of new high capacity printers.
On top of that, there was an additional high
capacity color printer added to the library.
While renovations aren't complete, the steps
in the right direction are being made. The next
two phases to take place, will be the replacement of the HVAC system and to refurbish the
rest of the floors to match the Alden Leaming
Commons though times for these to occur are
not scheduled.
Stachecz said he really wants students to
know that the library listens to their needs. In
a century where people feel libraries are dying,
Farley is only growing.
@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

Educational Forum series discusses issues in education
By~ob Grabosky
Staff Writer
A series of lectures dealing with issues in
education are being held starting on Sept.
18 on campus. They are one of the biggest
events being held on campus this semester
and will take place over two months, not only
for students and staff to be informed, but the
community as well.
Dr. Robert S. Gardner and his wife, Judith,
will host the Educational Forum series oflectures on starting on Sept. 18 and continuing
until Nov. 7.
The people slated to speak are former Max
Rosenn Law Clerk and General Counssel
of the Los Angeles Unified School District
Hal Kwalwasser, retired senior information
specialist at the Library of Congress Frank
Evina, associate professor of education Dr.
Gina Morrison and Randy Granger, dean of
academics at Wyoming Seminary.
Gardner said for the forum, he and his wife,
adjunct instructor of education Judith Gardner, bring in 8-10 speakers to talk about issues in the educational process. The first will
be Hal Kwalwasser on Sept. 18 at 4:30 p.m.
Gardner said the lectures fit in with his phi-

losophy that education is not only in the classroom, but also out of the classroom, where
students can gain broader experience. The lectures cover a wide range of topics in education
over the course of two months.
The educational forum is to let the students,
faculty, staff and the community understand
issues in education and to inform them about
these issues are going to affect them going forward.

Schedule of Events

RENEWAL

Education Forum Series
Tuesday, Sept. 18
"Renewal, Remaking America's
Schools for the Twenty-First Century"
4:30 p.m. I Marts 214
Wednesday, Oct. 3
"Using Library of Congress Resources
in K-12 Classrooms with an overview
of the Junior Fellows Intern Program"
4:00 p.m. I Breiseth 316

@wilkesbeacon
robert.grabosky@wilkes.edu

Monday, Oct. 8
"Teaching and Learning in Asia: The
Malaysia Opportunity"
4:30 p.m. I Marts 214
Harold Kwalwasser, author of "Remaking America's Schools For The
Twenty-First Century" {right), will be
making an appearance on campus to
talk about issues In the educational
process.

REMAKING AMERICA'SSCHOOlS FOR
THE TWENTY~FIRSJ CENTURY
HAAOtOKWAL'ttASStR

Wednesday, Nov. 7
"The Independent School Experience"
4:30 p.m. I Marts 214

�4

THE BEACON

NEWS

I Sept. 18, 2012

Marijuana usage linked to decrease in IQ, other negative effects
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief
Adolescents who smoke marijuana could
be at risk for a drop in IQ, as a new study
links heavy marijuana usage in teenagers
with cognitive decline. The study, published
in the "Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences" at the end of August, found an
IQ decline in 5 percent of teen users with a
loss ofup to eight IQ points.
The study is being called the first of its kind
because of its long-term examination of IQ
before and after routine use of the drug.
"That was the first one I looked at that
looked specifically at adolescents, at least as
far as IQ," said Dan McCune, pharmaceutical
sciences professor at Wilkes.
The study is bringing attention to some of
the known negative effects of marijuana usage, as well as what is still unknown about
the drug) effects.
While knowledge on the consequences of
the drug has been increasing, so have the statistics on usage. 17.4 million Americans 12
years old or older reported using marijuana
at least once in the.previous month, according to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use
and Health.
This high number of usage may be a driving factor behind these new studies. The IQ
study was groundbreaking not only for the
subject matter, but for the unprecedented
indication of permanent cognitive effects.
McCune explained he has seen past studies
showing a drop in IQ for adults, but the effect
was always temporary and could be reversed
after about a month.
"The fact that there's an IQ drop isntt surprising," McCune saidr :;Tiie surprising part
and the concerning part is that it's apparently
permanent."
Psychology professor Edward Schicatano,
who teaches classes on neuroscience and how
drugs affect the brain and behavior, agrees
that this is the mostalarming part of the study.
He said the connections between neurons in
t~ brain are usually only affect~d,wl!jle th~
drug is in the system.
.,.
"It might be temporary while the drugts in
the system or there might be just a littl(blt~f
the way the neurons are connecting, bu'J;c;tpat
can grow back,'' Schicatano said. "If you,:§titrt
learning ,aga~ the neurons will reconnect,
and "that's typically what happens. I didn't
know this, that it's permanent and that's the
first I've seen that."
He said the findings are alarming because
they may indicate that the,drug is killing cells
in the brain.
'
"As far as this oeing a long-term effeCL'?n
IQ ... That does imply that it's killing cells, or
at least the conne,ctions between nerve cells,"
Schicatano said.
But McCune said he was not surprised by
the findings, since the drUg is affecting brain
connectivity at an age when chllt}-ges )ike
breakage and formation of connections is gq--'
ing on at a high rate.
·, ~
"During that time in life, there is a, great
deal of changes taking place, with th1;'?neµ-

&amp;'

"'t--~..1

rons in the brain,'' McCune said.
tent of damage.
"There's been some question - and there's
Shannon Gilhooley, sophomore pharmacy
major, also said she wasn't sury:,rised to hear of no definitive proof, studies are conflicting - as
the findings from what she observed in friends to whether or not inhalation from smoke from
who began smoking marijuana in high school. marijuana is as dangerous as inhalation of
"Just knowing people who have done it smoke from tobacco cigarettes,'' McCune said.
He said marijuana poses issues because filseem to have a lower IQ," Gilhooley said.
"They seem to have less ambition and do!l't ters, like the ones on cigarettes, are
want to try as hard."
not often used and there some of
· This side effect of lacking ambition is ac- the same carcinogens in tobacco
tually a symptom grounded in science called present in marijuana. However,
amotivational syndrome, which is linked to there are other factors that influmarijuana usage. This syndrome is also often ence the potential for lung cancer,
like the frequency of use and size
seen in depressed people.
Schicatano said amotivational syndrome of intake of smoke.
Then, there's the misconception
may have influenced the study findings.
"If you're not motivated to take a test, even that marijuana is not addictive. Mcan IQ test, your IQ is going to suffer, it's going Cune said marijuana works on the
,game pleasure system as heroin and
to be lower," Schicatano said.
McCune said there are other potential draw- cocaine do, so while it's not to the
backs to the study, like that it didn't take into · same extent, the drug does have addictive qualities.
account enviromnental and social factors.
Schicatano said there's potential for
"(With) studies of this nature, there are often outside factors like environment and psy- marijuana users to fall into a pattern of
chosocial things or who knows what could've habit rather than a physical addiction,
affected the outcome,'' McCune said. "You especially if the drug is used to decrease
would like to s¢e more studies in this particular stress.
population with adolescents to see, to verify,
, that this is a real' and permanent effect"'
" Once
you start usOther effects of marijuana
ing it to calm
It appears that lowered IQ is just the tip of down, to reduce
the iceberg for side effects from marijuana us- anxiety, then you
age. Schicatano said that impaired driving i s can become depensomething that gets a lot of attention with al- dent."
Schicatano said there
coho!, but it just as dangerous while under the
are also positive effects of
influence of marijuana.
"You' ve got several things that all are im- marijuana that can be applied
portant for driving,'' Schicatano said. "So, to "special cases." He said the drug
(marijuana is) as bad as alcohol if not worse: can decrease aggression, inhibit nausea,
stimulate appetite and minimize stroke damNo doubt about it."
Some of the things that are decreased by age.
However, he said in tbe case of a colmarijuana , usage •include reaction time, motor coordination., peripheral vision and visual lege student using the drug for recretracking to follow something that's moving.
ational purposes,, the symptoms
"Driving under the influence of marijuana like decreased motivation, .
is equally dangerous, and I don't think people , reduced problem solv,, really think of it that way, because.ma,rijuana "ipg abilities and even a
does have some central nervous syst~m de; drop in IQ will only be harmpressant effects,'' McCune said. "It does ,slow} ful to a college career.
"To be able to function, like
your reflexes, your psycho-motor coordin~!ion
and it does impair your ability to drive a motor in college, obviously marivehicleY
juana would have negative
McG.une sai~ piat some of the subjective effects,'' S~hicatano said.
feelings;',like a.buzz or a relaxed feeling, wear
off aftet'about a.ii hour, but the impairment to
motor skills last much longer and users may
not even realize.
An effect that lasts even longer may be the
' impairment of the memory system in the brain.
Schicatano said the long~tenn damage to m~mory is not understood and needs more study.'
"Whj.le it's in the brain., your memory's not
good,'' ·schicatano said. "What are the longterm effects of that, I'm not sure."
He said the dnlg affects many types of memories while in th!'), •system, and also hin
;:ability to form n~w fllemories.
.
Another area thatJmight call for morf
@kirstinjea cook
is the consequences bf marijuana smoke
·
kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu
(l")
lungs, since there is no conclusion on th

~i
,~
Q;,

i

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*

�THE BEACON I Sept. 18, 2012

NEWS

5

New bioengineering master's program is hands-on
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer
For the 2012-2013 academic year the College of Science and Engineering is offering a
new master's program in bioengineering.
The program was officially launched this semester and has nine students talcing the 36 -credit
course.
"It has been tremendous, because of what
it took to launch the program, we did not get
it approved until late into the academic year
(Spring 2012)," program director Dr. Rodney
Ridley said.
The program is the first of its kind in the
Wyoming Valley. It is designed to give students a chance to get hands-on experience
and practice real-world situations during their
studies at Wilkes.
"I am anxiously excited to get things going
and to see if the program will work," Associate program director Dr. William Terzaghi
said.
"The bioengineering program is an exciting development for Wilkes University and an
important asset for northeast Pennsylvania,"
Wilkes president Dr. Patrick Leahy said in a
release. "Offering this advanced program will
help the region increase jobs by meeting industry needs and solidifies Wilkes as the re-

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

gion's premier provider for science and engineering education," Leahy said.
Students who are accepted into the program
will choose between two tracks: biomedical
engineering and cell/metabolic engineering.
"The job market requires highly skilled candidates," Justin Flam, a student in the program
said in a release. "This puts me in a better position to get a job right out of college at a higher

pay rate, especially in the science and technology fields."
Associate program director Dr. Gregory
Harms, who also teaches in the program, commented on the uniqueness of the two-track system at Wilkes.
"Usually most programs have more of a onetrack mind," Harms said. "I think that is one
of our advantages, we really have a two-track

program and we are thrilled to have it."
In order to be in the program, students need
an undergraduate degree in engineering or biology. Harms also commented the uniqueness
of bringing these two majors together into one
program.
"Biologists are going to work directly with
the engineers and the engineers get to work directly with the biologists," Harms said.
Ridley stated students are going to have a lot
of advanced hands on experience in the classroom and applying it to real world situations.
"You would be hard pressed to find a school
where you can get really hands on, world class
research and access to industry," Ridley said.
"You get the benefit of what makes small
schools great which is access and personal relationships and working with professors."
Students who are interested in the program
should contact the graduate admissions department counselor Joshua Savitski at joshua.savitzki@wilkes.edu or 570-408-42_38.
Students will have to meet the graduate level
admissions requirements to be in the program
and are strongly encouraged to have either a
biology or engineering background.
@shawncarey8
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

IT, food services updates
announced at SG meeting
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor

WILKES UNIVERSITY'S
ONE STOP - PRINT SHOP

Sept. 12 meeting called to order 6:01 p.m.

Mention this ad for a
FREE Hat with your first order!

TreaA rer's Report:
All College: $9,550
Conferences:$700
General Funds:$18,750
Leadership:$600
Spirit:$1,454.34
Student Government Total:$31,054.34
New Business:

Food Services Update:
Sodexo Advertising Manager, Jason Alinet, talked to the board about the redesign of
Rifkin Cafe including the difference in late
night now being served at Rifkin instead of
Henry's dining hall. Sunday, Monday and
Thursday nights there are specials running
which includes pizza, wings and nachos. Students are able to call in orders on those nights
or order in person. In the Henry Student
Union Building Cafe they are offering more
gluten free items and themed days and events.
Also informing students of the Off-Campus
Service plan, through which students can use
their Flex Dollars at places such as Sheetz,
Subway, and Asian Kitchen.

IT:
IT Executive Director Cindy Greene informed the Student Government panel that

fi.:llfllfD1,
··;:, ,;;;, , .c·. ' ·;·-·

·=:1;,':;;?,:;;

,

What We Can Do For You
Google migration will be completed in January
and the split will be made from Outlook Web
access to only Gmail. Thus far, there have
been over 1,400 students who have opted-in.
If students are having issues logging into LIVE
they can access web.wilkes.edu/elearning to help
with login issues. The wireless internet in Towers is being addressed.
The Help Desk hours have been changed,
Monday - Thursday 7 am, to 10 p.m., Fri. 7 a.m.
to 5 p.m. and opening again Sun. at 12 p.m.
Student Government T-shirts: New T-shirts
are to be ordered. A motion was made to allocate enough money to purchase 80 T-shirts
and was passed 21-0-3.
Called to a close at 7:09 p.m.
@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

Tees
Hoodies
Hats
&amp;More

Great For:
Clubs &amp; Activites
Sports Teams
Fraternties / Sororities
Fund Raising
Dept. Uniforms

CALL 570-822-2221
to Get Started Now!

�Sept. 18, 2012

Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Clueless at the ballot box
America's young voters are discouraged and misinformed
By Carly Yam1·us
Opinion Editor

How educated are young voters in politics? How many young voters go into the poll
pressing buttons, voting blindly for issues they
don't even understand?
Last spring, the COM 398 Controlling Spin
class at Wilkes conducted a study on young
voters age 17-30. Its purpose was to gain insight on how students view the candidates and
issues of the 2012 election. The first focus
group consisted of men and women 18-23.
As I was reading the data from the focus
group, I saw a few excerpts from students that
truly bothered me.
When asked where the students received
their political information from, the majority
said they read it online. By online, they mean
on Twitter and Facebook, and by occasionally
skimming headlines of news websites.
If this is where the majority of young voters
are getting their information from, we might
be in trouble.
As a not-so-proud owner of both a Facebook
and Twitter account, I can tell you that neither
of these two websites are reliable sources of
information for anything other than what that
girl you met once at a party ate for lunch.

One student stated that he did not have any
time at all to be bothered by news about the
election and that it did not interest him.
As a whole, young voters are misinformed
about politics. They are misinformed about
the candidates, and they are even misinformed
about the voting process.
Many young voters feel as if they should not
vote because they have not gathered enough
facts to make an informed decision. Media
bias, personal opinions and half-truths are a
problem for young voters trying to find credible sources to read up on the candidates.
It's not that we don't want to be informed.
Its that we are confused and in need of some
guidance. We are not incompetent. We are not
ignorant.
There is no doubt that some people are simply lazy and uninterested in politics, but I do
believe that many young voters, including
me, are thoroughly discouraged by the empty
promises and dishonesties that we've been getting from both parties this year.
I took a politics class my first semester at
Wilkes. I was hoping to learn more about the
voting process and the two-party system. Instead, I learned about the founding fathers and
the history of democracy.
All-important, however, learning the basics

of voting process is necessary for every newly
registered individual who may be unaware of
his duties as an American citizen.
The election is here and now. At least on
election years our history and politics classes
should give students some idea about to do and
why to do it.
Otherwise young voters will continue to
blinding cast their ballot based on a Facebook
status they saw that morning.
According to Rock The Vote, there are 44
million eligible young voters, representing
a fifth of the electorate -- 44 million people
whose votes matter.
As a registered voter, you have a voice. If
you would like to vote in the November election but feel you are not properly educated,
there is still time to learn.
Look for credible sources when reading
about the candidates and where they stand on
the issues. Facebook and Twitter cannot possibly give you the wealth of knowledge you need
to make an educated decision.
Young voters can register to vote at voterreg.
com or rockthevote.com.
@wilkesbeacon
carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on responses.

Last week's question:
How difficult has it been to park on
campus??

This week The Beacon asks:
How informed do you consider
yourself on politicians and their
positions on national and international issues?

•
•
•

Very informed
Somewhat informed
Not informed

Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice .

.

Send your name, major, year and opinion to:

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu
The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Many of today's young voters feel they cannot make an educated voting decision because they have not been properly
informed. Such individuals often obtain their political information from sources that are not credible, such as Facebook
and Twitter.

The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�THE BEACON

I Sept. 18, 2012

7

OPINION

Issues with campus parking anger commuter students
Commuter Council fails to communicate
with students who are denied parking passes
By Austin Loukas
Asst. Photo Editor

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Students have begun to park In "no parking" zones due to the lack of spaces
available on and around campus.

Students parking illegally without parking
passes while paying students can't find spots
By Anne Yoskoski
Life Editor

As almost everyone knows, the first week of
classes is hectic in many ways: new academic
pressuref. new clubs to be involved in and
new people to meet. There is only one little
problem: where do you park to get to class?
The first week of classes has been known
as a parking exemption week, a week where
public safety doesn't ticket cars without parking passes in any lot.
This does help some students by giving
them more time to procure a parking pass, but
for other students who applied last semester, it
is a large inconvenience.
Many commuters do not have time to get to
Wilkes at 8 a.m. for a 10 a.m. class. Unfortunately, this is what has been happening. Students pay $160 per semester for a commuter
parking pass and then find nowhere to park.
In addition to several parking lots such as
the one behind the Student Center, one located
behind UCom, another behind Weckesser Hall
and one on the side of the Marts Gymnasium,
there is also a five-story parking garage.
This should provide plenty of room for students, especially commuters, to park. However, people have been crowding the meters,
parking at the local YMCA and parking in "no
parking zones."
Many of the people taking up these spots
have not paid for parking passes, and as the
second week of classes has showed, they may
not need to if public safety continues not to
ticket.
As long as "free parking" continues at Wilkes, people who paid for their parking passes,
resident or commuter, are being short-changed

out of their time and money.
One can obtain a parking pass by filling out
a form and handing it into Public Safety. The
pass is one that hangs from a driver's rear view
window and is numbered and color coded. The
student will then receive an email telling them
they have been granted a parking pass. The
set up is a little confusing, as commuters get
their parking passes from Commuter Council,
residents get their passes from Res Life, and
public safety enforces the policies. Most tickets are approximately twenty five dollars, and
are automatically added to a student tuition
statement.
In the future, students should appeal to
Public Safety for separate lots: a faculty lot,
a commuter lot and a resident lot, so that
someone who drives from Dallas or Laughlin to school gets a parking space instead of
someone who drives from the dorms, and staff
members do not need to battle students for
parking.
As a commuter, the parking situation can
only be described as chaos. There are several
spots that could be turned into more parking
such as the field next to the sub parking lot.
There is no reason Wilkes needs an empty
field when people can not find a place to park.
There are also several spots for "government
officials" that no one ever uses.
As the semester goes on, hopefully Public
Safety will start ticketing people who are actually breaking the rules, freeing up some spaces
for students, faculty and some residents who
paid for their parking passes and truly need to
get to class on time.
@wilkesbeacon
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

To this day, I am not even sure if the Commuter Council was even aware that they had a
crisis on their hands. I, like many others this
semester, was refused an on-campus parking
pass.
And I, like so many others, was only told
why weeks after the fact. To this very day, the
Wilkes University Commuter Council has not
answered my emails.
The organization of the parking pass system at Wilkes is overly complicated and quite
deceiving. To most students it may seem as
if Public Safety is in charge of choosing who
does and does not receive parking passes. This
is not true.
For on-campus residents, Resident Life
chooses qualified candidates for parking passes; for off-campus and commuter students,
Commuter Council is in charge of choosing
good candidates.
Neither Res Life nor Commuter Council
sends out emails to notify students if they did
not qualify for a parking pass. This is surely
something that must be changed.
Last week The Beacon did an online editorial on the Wilkes' parking pass system that I
urge you to check out. The editorial focused on
Tim Jurkowski, an off-campus nursing student
in Army ROTC who seemed to be overlooked
when it came to parking passes this semester.
Now Jurkowski has to get ride with Public
Safety to the Ralston lot early in the morning
in order to get to nursing clinicals and ROTC
physical training.
Jurkowski,was seemingly denied a parking
pass because he lived too close to campus. The
apartment building we both live in does not
supply us with private parking. Thus, Jurkowski, many other off-campus and commuter students, and I were turned down.
Being adjacent to campus did not affect
another student, Ryan Weber, from getting a
parking pass. Weber lives the same distance
from campus, however, he received a parking
pass as usual this semester.
Meanwhile several commuter students, who
actually drive to class in the morning, were
denied parking passes along with Tim "superbusy" Jurkowski. This makes me seriously
question the organization of this system.
Why are some students picked, seemingly
at random, over others? Who is truly choosing
who gets these passes, is it a fellow student, a
faculty member, or someone from the administration?
Perhaps it is just a hogwash of random commuter council students prone to their own
biases and inconsistencies. I am not sure; I
have tried to reach out via email to Commuter
Council several times with no response.
This parking "crisis," as I've heard it put by
fellow students and friends, is not fair to the
students.
I understand that there are only a limited
number of spots. I have also heard many stu-

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Sophmore nursing student Tim
Jurkowski displays four parking tickets as a result of the campus "parking crisis."

dents complain that they are unable to find
parking spots before class even when they
have received a parking pass for the semester.
I believe that it is a necessary evil that these
organizations deny students for parking. I
request, however, that the commuter council
deny these students in some type of organized
way and, perhaps even more importantly, communicate with students about the reasoning for
this denial.
I also understand how hard it must be for
Public Safety, they have had to deal with countless students calling and complaining while
they themselves are not truly responsible.
I'm sure that it is a huge hassle for public
safety to deal with the complaints of students
and parents on the matter of parking on campus.
I assume it is au.o a hassle for public safety
to cart students to and from the Ralston Parking Lot at 4am in the morning because commuter council overlooked a student's needs for
a parking pass.
I urge the commuter council to speak up and
educate the students to whatever organizational system they have for parking passes.
In the meantime, I' II be in the parking garage next to Boscov's.

@wilkesbeacon
austin.loukas@wilkes.edu

�8

OPINION

THE BEACON

I Sept. 18, 2012

Deadly hit-and-run accident reminds us to drive safely
By Alyssa Stencavage
Assitant Life Editor
We have all been told since we were
young children to look both ways before
crossing the street, not to talk to strangers,
and so on. But, how often do we really think
about the importance of safe driving? Too
many of us seem to take that for granted and
forget about it.
Recently a close friend of mine since
kindergarten, Rebecca McCallick, was the
victim of a fatal hit-and run car crash. I
always hear about things like this happening
on the news, but never did I imagine that it
would happen to someone I knew for such a
long time. I remember waking up the morning of the accident and checking Facebook,
only to see the news about Becca's passing.
Of course I was shocked and devastated; I
did not want to believe it. After talking to
friends and others that knew her, I learned
that she had been involved in a deadly hitand-run crash.
Tragedies like this should remind us of the
importance of safe driving. Most importantly, never text or talk on your cell phone
while driving. Do not be distracted by

The Beacon/ Samantha Dauber
The tragic death of Rebecca McCallick reminds us to always drive with caution.
friends, play loud music, or try to adjust the
pecially considering all of the recent incidents
radio, as these can all be dangerous as well.
near the Wilkes campus, where several stuMany people do not believe that bad things
dents were robbed and attacked while walking
can happen to them, but you never know
back to their dorms. For example, it is never
when you may be involved in an accident, and a good idea to walk alone at night. While
practicing safe driving can prevent that from
these are important things to keep in mind,
happening. Also, we all need to be cautious
life is too short to take people for granted.
of those around us because even if we are
Always appreciate the people we have in our
doing the right thing, someone else may not
lives because as what happened to Becca
be. If everyone practiced these safe driving
demonstrates, we can lose anyone at any mohabits, there would be less accidents.
ment and at any time. Saying "I love you"
Just as important is staying safe at night, es- and letting others know that we care reminds

them that they mean something to us.
Losing Becca taught me the extreme importance of being safe behind the wheel. Even
though I always try to be a cautious driver,
there is always room for improvement. None
ofus should have to imagine being responsible for claiming the life of another individual
nor would we want to lose our lives as result
of someone else's recklessness. I think the
biggest lesson I learned from losing Becca
as a close friend is to appreciate the people I
have in my life because you never know when
you will see someone for the last time. Each
day is a privilege, not a promise. It's as simple
as that.
My heart goes out to Becca's family, who I
have also known for many years. The tragedy
of her death should serve as a lesson to us all,
no matter how invincible we may think we
are.
Life brings many sudden changes, and it
never hurts to take the extra precaution to
ensure your safety and the safety of others.

@wilkesbeacon
a/yssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Gun Control and the First Amendment
Second Amendment Fires Forward
by Jerome Frederick
If you take a look back through the past
100 years and really look at how gun control
worked you will see it failed miserably.
We can look and the great country of Germany led by Adolf Hitler who imposed gun
control, Benito Mussolini leader ofltaly, or Fidel Castro Cuban president, and they all have
one thing in common, it failed.
Gun control is not because people are afraid
of guns, it's just a way of slowly turning our democracy into a dictatorship led by Mr. Obama.
The only reason people are afraid of guns
is because either they have no background
knowledge or experience with guns because
they think guns are only meant to hurt people
♦nee that's what they see on the news.
Well, just because you implement gun control onto this once-free land that doesn't stop
the fact that those criminals will still find a way
to obtain those weapons.
In those 11,493 homicides that were committed 42 percent were robberies and another
22 percent was aggravated assault and in 68
percent of those crimes the guns were not registered meaning they were received illegally
(National Institute ofJustice).
That leaves a minute amount of murders
considering there are over 310 million guns in
circulation including pistols, rifles, shotguns,
semi-automatic machine guns and automatic
machine guns.
People who are ill-informed about guns, and
basically about what is going on in the world,
would see this and say "let's ban guns," which
is anything but the right thing.
Yes, guns have become much more modern
in this world, and at the same time they have
become harder to obtain as you need to have a

background check, proper permitting, a specific gun permit and age restrictions just to name
a few barriers to own a gun.
Contradicting to the article in the (Sept. 11
Beacon) there are very few guns that have a
100-round capacity, like the one used in the
Colorado shooting.
People obtaining these guns and magazines
will only grow through gun control with illegal
purchases.
Looking at the statistic on suicides and guns
in America is like comparing "apples to oranges" they have nothing to do with each other.
The gun doesn't pull the trigger on its' own; it
is the operator, and what's to say that a veteran
doesn't have a war flashback one day and end
(his) life tragically.
That is an instance where the stress of being
somewhere undesired rears its head and a terrible outcome evolves out of it, where people
just see the bold letter's in the news "Man
Shoots Himself' so they have something to
talk about.
In America, if you look at the different states
and their gun laws, you see different numbers
pertaining to fatalities, but what you usually
don't see is that most of them are justice being
served.
It is a proven fact that where there are more
concealed carries there is less crime according
to Ted Nugent NRA and TeaParty member, and
you only have to look at Texas to prove that.
We are the only ones who can stop this madness from happening and as far as I can see
we American Gun owners will never let that
happen.
I am a proud to say I am an avid outdoorsman, hunter, trapper, shooter and I will always
be a proud member of the NRA and fight for
our gun rights.

Experiencing flaws in gun distribution
by Nancy Weeks

I am writing in response to your "Second
Amendment is out of touch with modem
technology" article, published on Sept. 11,
2012.
Your article has especially hit home to me,
considering that I was involved in the Mehoopany Wind Farm shooting you might have
heard about several weeks ago. It was my
vehicle that the rogue, intoxicated gunman
aimed and shot at. The shooter, Wade Douglas Wright, a known associate and friend of
Hugo Selinski, has had at least one former
arrest, previously jailed for a probation violation on a drunken driving conviction.
At the time, we were traveling on public
roads (not private as articles incorrectly stated) when we came upon Wright sitting on his
parked quad in the center of the road. He had
purposely created a roadblock so that we had
no choice but to stop and comply with his demands.
Upon releasing us, Wright waited a few
seconds and then started to fire shots directed at us as we were exiting the area. One of
the two bullets of the .22-caliber pistol, later
found inside Wright's residence, traveled
through the back seat, completely through my
sister Mary Jo's chest and lung, and lodged
inside of the lining ofmy husband's seat.
I ask myself repeatedly, how is it possible
that this lunatic was in possession of a gun
after having a police record and probation violation? I assume Wright must be registered
under the National Criminal Background
Check System; however, what agency is assigned the task of researching the existence of
and physically removing any additional guns
in the possession of known criminals?

Wright is now being held in the Wyoming
County jail, in lieu of his $250,000 bail. He
awaits his preliminary hearing, scheduled for
Oct. 1.

The Beacon/Laura Preby
Prompted by recent shootings, gun
control Is being heavily debated.

�Contact editor: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com
..-»'--·-'
~

Field of dreams: Wilkes students' movie a tale of rustic romance
From comedy skits to dark drama, directing duo Wood and Oravic's ambitions are growing
By BIii Thomas
A&amp;E Editor
On Friday, Sept. 7, the first night of shooting for the short film "Pitchfork" took place.
Right out of the gate, co-directors Ryan
Wood and Todd Oravic realized they needed
to call 911.
It's not that there was an emergency, but
the recipe for one was certainly there.
"The scene we shot on our first night was,
by far, the hardest scene in the entire film,"
Wood said. "It was us in the pitch-black of
night, with 8-foot torches on a stage while
people danced, and we had to make it rain
on cue. With a budget likes ours, that is a
worst-case filming scenario."
An independent production paid for primarily with donations garnered via crowdsource-funding website Kickstarter.com,
"Pitchfork" is the most ambitious project
to date for Woodavic Studios, a filmmaking company founded in 2011 by Wood and
Oravic.
"It was chaotic," Wood, a senior communication studies major at Wilkes University,
said bluntly when asked to describe that first
night of filming .
At the suggestion of the film 's lead, Michael Lally, who is also a firefighter in
Scranton, Wood and Oravic decided to let
emergency services know of their plans
ahead of time.
"I told them right away ' Listen, this is
not an emergency' and the response was just
' Uh, OK,' Oravic, a senior English major at
Wilkes, recalled. "I said 'We're shooting a
film in ifis cornfield and there's going to be
a lot of fire. We just don 't want people to
call you guys saying there 's a field on fire."'
"Their response was 'Well, we can have
it on the docket as a controlled bum, but if
we get any calls from anyone saying that
everything's ablaze, we're coming out there
anyway."'
Fortunately for the pair, filming for that
scene went off largely without a hitch.
That's more than can be said about the rest
of the weekend, though.
On Saturday, the planned shoot got rained
out. Wood and Oravic also found themselves
overwhelmed, at first, in their attempts to
oversee the large crew assembled before
them. Prior to the shoot, they'd hope to at-

tract volunteers,
but they hadn't
expected the sheer
number of people
who would actually show up to
help.
While thankful
for the eagerness
with which the
public has embraced the project, the directors
admit the film has
WOOD
revealed
itself
to be more of a double-edged sword than a
pitchfork.
On top of inclement weather and potential
fire hazards, abrupt and unforeseen circumstances sent the filmmakers in search of a
new filming location mere days before production was scheduled to begin. Despite all
the headaches, Wood and Oravic feel "Pitchfork" is a project worthy of their best efforts.
"When we read the script, we were blown
away," Wood said. "We knew right away that
we had to make this movie."
Written by Kevin Conner, who finished the
sceenplay while enrolled in Wilkes' graduate Creative Writing program, "Pitchfork"
tells the story of a down-on-his-luck farmer
trying to salvage both his drought-ravaged
cornfield and a slowly hemorrhaging marriage, only to find that the future of one may
come at the expense of the other.
"It goes to a dark place, but it's also goes
into an amazingly uplifting place. It's a love
story, but a gritty one." Oravic said. "The
tone of it is very quiet. There's no dialogue.
It's heavily based around sound effects and
visuals and the performances and the music."
The intense-yet-subttle dramatic narrative
of "Pitchfork" marks a departure for Wood
and Oravic, whose previous collaborations
have mostly focused on no-budget skits of
absurdist comedy. To date, the pair estimates
they've made around 15 such skits together,
several of which can be viewed on the Woodavic Studios YouTube channel.
Though their background is in lighter
material, the directors believe the division
between comedy and drama is a superficial
one. Both genres, they noted, are still based
on engaging the emotions of an audience and

moving viewers
toward a specific
impassioned reaction.
"Comedy and
drama are different houses built
on the same foundation. They're
just different color houses," Wood
said.
"You go about
ORAVIC
designing it differently, but really the roots are the same."
Fittingly, the directorial duo 's excitement
for "Pitchfork" has proven equally as infectious as a hearty laugh. Though their initial fundraising goal was $2,500, donations
came in not just from family and friends but
from people the pair had never met before,
from as far away as Singapore, Australia and

Portugal. The outpouring of support pushed
the budget up to $4,176.
In a symbiotic cycle wherein the pair 's
enthusiasm seems to spread to those around
them, only for the enthusiasm of others to
embolden their own, Wood and Oravic have
developed lofty aspirations for their labor of
love. Once "Pitchfork" is completed, they
hope to submit it to a number of film festivals, including the iconic Sundance Film
Festival, and will also be seeking distribution.
"The second anybody reads this script
they're in love with it and they instantly
want to do everything they can tg help bring
this thing to life," Wood said. "All we can do
is be sincerely grateful for all the help we've
received."
For more information, visit facebook.com/
PitchforkFilm.
@wifkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Courtesy of Woodavic Studios
From left: Ryan Wood and Todd Oravlc seek advice from writer Kevin Conner
while directing actor Michael Lally in their latest film production, "Pitchfork."

Cochrap
~haneWalsh

�10

A&amp;E

THE BEACON

I S,

"Looking back with pride, looking forward with
confidence," Patrick Leahy is installed Wilkes president

Above, Board Chair Jack Miller formally installed Dr. Leahy as Wilkes
president with the help of trustees
Melanie Lumia and Virginia Sikes.
Left, Leahy presents an honorary
doctorate of humane letters to Rev.
Scott Pilarz. Below, the University
Chorus sang "Noble Truths" and
ROTC members processed flags In.

�• I Sept. 18, 2012

A&amp;E

tt

Above, left, right, below: On Saturday, Sept. 8, Dr. Leahy, his two daughters and
student volunteers helped clean up around the city of Wilkes-Barre. Below: Students, faculty, staff and alumni were Invited to a campus-wide celebration in the
Student Union Building Ballroom on Friday, Sept. 14, complete with free food , a
dance floor and local band Pop Rox.

11

-,

�A&amp;E

THE BEACON

I Sept. 18, 2012

Every issue, A&amp;E Editor Bill Thomas and Assistant A&amp;E Editor Jake Cochran indulge their vanity and give a thoroughly
biased crash-course in whatever madness happens to be dwelling in their warped minds. Their views do not reflect those of The
Beacon, its staff or Wilkes University. Blah blah blah. This week, Jake Cochran is triumphantly declaring ...

FVIK •S liOT :l&gt; EA:I&gt;

1

It's a term that gets thrown around too
often, and it's typically not something
people give much thought to. The idea that
"punk is dead" has existed for just about as
long as the idea of punk itself.
Let's get this out of the way first, punk's
not dead, just because we have three dead
Ramones, a Joe Strummer who's pushing
up daisies and a Sid Vicious who's been in
the ground for decades, that does not mean
the genre died with them. Contrary to what
some people woul.d have you bel.ieve, there
is a very well-established core of veterans
keeping punk rock on life support. Actually, it might just be as healthy as ever.
Having that die-hard core has made 20 J2
an amazing year for the genre. Hell, even
this past week was a great, with two new
album s dropping on the same day, one from
NOFX and one from The Adicts. On top of
that, this year also marked the 40-year anniversary for the British genre royalty of
Cock Sparrer and the 20-year anniversary
of the snotty Californians in Rancid.
Earlier in the year, all four bands teamed

up for a handful of shows on the
West Coast, to commemorate
the anniversaries of their formations and promote their albums
respectively. When the bands
came to the East Coast, however, the bands each went their
separate ways, launching their
own tours and putting on show
after show at packed venues all
over.
Celebrating 40 years as a
band, Cock Spaner went on tour
and played shows all across the
globe. During this tour the group
visited Philadelphia for the first
time in its generation-bridging career. In this
writer's estimation, the band put on an absolutely flawless perfonnance.
Before the show, fans standing in line were
cracking jokes that frontman Colin McFaull
would need to have his microphone attached
to a walker, but once the show was finished
they had the respect of everyone in the soldout venue. Proving even further that age hadn 't
tamed Cock Sparrer's youthful punk-rock spirit, the end of the show was not even close to the
end of music. The band played the same venue
again the next day. Once again, the show sold
out almost instantly.
Rancid started its tour for its 20-year anniversary as a way of jumpstarting the creative
spark it will need when the band members
head back into the studio to record their first
album since 2009. According to founding
member Tim Armstrong, the band is looking
at an early spring 2013 release, if everything
goes as planned.
Am1strong is expected to have a busy next
few months, as it's also been mmored that he
will be going back to the studio with partnersin-crime Skinhead Rob and Travis Barker of
Blink J 82 for a new Transplants a.lbum . That
would be the group's first album since 2005.
The punk-rock supergroup has already teased
fans with a sporadic series of shows featuring
a new song, "In a Warzone."
Speaking of album releases, just last Tuesday The Adicts released their newest album,
"All the Young Droogs." Sticking to the
group's roots, "All the Young Droogs" serves
up 12 cuts of overly theatrical party music with
lighthearted lyrics and sing-a-long hooks. The
members of The Adicts are also touring across
North and South America to celebrate this release and, if you've never seen TheAdicts live,
you should reconsider your life choices.
Not alone in releasing new material, NOFX
put out an album on Tuesday, Sept. 11, the
same day as The Adicts. Called "Self Entitled,"
the new release is one of the faster albums
NOFX has put out to date, but it sticks to the
group's trademark tongue-in-cheek make-funof-everything style, truly showings that punk is
nowhere near dead.
To read more about the above-mentioned albums and tours, as well as other random "war
stories," visit The Beacon online at thewilkesbeacon.com.

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�Contact editor: anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

Sept. 18, 2012

Making the switch: many students are
opting in to the new Gmail system
By Alyssa Stencavagl
Assistant Life Editor
It is no surprise that many people have
been experiencing frustration due to a loss
of emails or just having to face yet another
email issue. But for every problem, there is
a solution, and the solution here is the new
Gmail system by Google.
Since the opt-in period has begun, many
students and faculty have been taking advantage of the perks the new system has to
offer. It does not take much to understand
what prompted the migration to the Cloud, as
there are a number of reasons for the switch.
But even before we ask why, we must also
consider some of the issues our campus was
facing before.
As technology has moved forward, the
question has become, should we be investing
so much time and money managing a system
that everyone considers troublesome? That
was a question posed by Gloria Barlow, chief
information officer of information technology services.
"A lot of students wanted to stop using
their email because they didn't want to keep
deleting mail, and too much mail means not
receiving everything you need," Barlow said.
But then Microsoft introduced Google
Apps, and the idea of being able to deliver
information in a more efficient and cost effective manner using Google as the free service that it has started to seem like the better
option. Last year during the flood we faced
an email shut down, and with Google's new
Gmail system we hope to prevent that from

happening again.
Wilkes University has been using the old
system for a while.
"Approximately 60 percent of colleges and
universities across the county have made the
migration, and we wondered if we should be
doing the same," Barlow said. The Cloud
Email Evaluation Sub Committee spent
months examining the pros and cons of alternatives. The committee then made a unanimous recommendation for the Cloud, which
IT reviewed and unanimously agreed upon.
Finally this was taken to the cabinet, and approved. "It is very unusual to find everyone on
campus in agreement," said Barlow.
Barlow said Wilkes could be saving $90,000
over the next five years by switching to the new
Gmail system, which was part of the committee's charge. These savings include peripheral
costs, hardware costs, and software licensing
costs. Some software licenses could also be
eliminated.
When we look at the benefits of making the
switch to Gmail and Google, many aspects
have to be considered to see that this system
has proven to do better than Outlook. Cost
savings, efficiency, ftmctionality and integration, increased access, no advertisements and
mobile access are among the many advantages
these solutions provide. As a college campus,
we are always in need of computers and working email. Better ftmctionality was needed for
staff, faculty and students. Gmail also allows
for larger mailboxes for storage. Barlow said
Google provides 25 gigabytes, which is 250
times the 100 megabytes we have now. Business continuity can also be added to the list of

e

1111

I

advantages for Gmail. This
means that if for some unforeseen event or technical
problem were to occur and a Please enter your Wilkes user name and password.
person happened to have InUser name
ternet connection, he or she
would still have email conPassword
nection, which would in tum
enable continued connection
with everyone on campus.
Questions? check out the EMJ..
Finally, if you are worried
about having to change your.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___,
email from the address used with Outlook,
with Gmail you can continue to keep the same
email address as well. It is still firstname.lastname@wilkes.edu.
So, where do we stand now? Well, "we
have migrated more than 1, 100 students and of
those 1,100, less than 1 percent have had any
difficulty with the new system," Barlow said.
"We have had the opt-in period for about three
weeks, and more than 1,100 students have
made the decision on their own."
All staff will be migrated at once because
they do too much collaborative work to be
switched at different times. The decision is
being left up to students and faculty for now
whether they want to opt-in or not, but at the
start of the Spring semester shortly after the
first of the new year, everyone will required to
make the switch to Gmail. "By winter we will
be shut down and Wilkes will have become a
Google campus," Barlow said.
Barlow said students do seem to be happy
with the new system "because it is a system
and an application that they are comfortable
with." Students are also voicing their opinions

about the new Gmail system.
"I like it a lot better. It's much easier to navigate on the computer and I like how professors and students names come up u:w:he "to"
section. The only problem I have is for some
reason it didn't sync to my phone so that's annoying," said Kendra Kuhar, a junior English
major.
"I haven't heard complaints about using the
system," Barlow said. "I've had more questions than complaints. If students have concerns, they can come to me or the IT department, and we take care ofit."
Sophomore Tyler Brown voices his opinion about the email system: "It sucks because
I only get some emails to the Gmail and for
some reason all the important ones stay in the
regular mail so I don't even use it anymore."
It is definitely a learning process for students
and faculty alike, but "people will appreciate
their mailboxes not being full," Barlow said.
You can make the switch to Gmail at: ewilkes.wilkes.edu.
@wilkesbeacon
a/yssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

Flex program gives students many dining opportunities
By Anne Yoskoski
Life Editor

For Wilkes Students, the Flex Dollars program has just been upgraded. Several new
venues are now accepting Flex Dollars, such
as Sheetz, Rodano's, Asian Kitchen, Frank's
Pizzeria, Primo Hoagies, Subway, Maer's
Barbeque, and Vesuvios.
Previously, some of the choices students
had for Flex Dollar venues were limited.
Now, many popular Wilkes-Barre hot spots
will be accepting Flex dollars in lieu of cash.
"I go to Rodano's with my friends and usually we have to use cash or charge it," said P2
Pharmacy major Kiran Rai. "As college students, we don't always have a lot of money,
so if we can use our Flex Dollars that would
be great! A lot of people who don't really go
out to eat might be able to now."

For students who are not familiar with the
Flex Dollars program, it is a way to use your
Wilkes student ID as a card, pre-loaded with
money or charged to your tuition bill. The
Wilkes website states that "Wilkes University partnered with Off Campus Solutions by
Sodexo to create the Flex Dollar Program as
the ultimate compliment to your campus experience. Flex Dollars can be spent to make ala
carte purchases in any campus or local establishment that accepts them."
The Flex Dollars Program provides security,
convenience, flexibility and freedom to students. Using the Flex Dollars plan makes the
job of budgeting your money easy, as you can
put money on the card at any time and also not
worry about over-spending. Special off-campus discounts and promotions are also sometimes available, saving students even more
money.

Some students do not use Flex Dollars, and
like to keep their spending money out of their
university ftmds. With a debit card, students
can check their balance almost anywhere, even
on their phones, while the process of checking the amount they have left on their Wilkes
ID may be tricky or only pointed out after a
purchase.
"It's nice that there are more choices," said
senior T.J. Dennis, "but I am not sure if I will
really use them." This sentiment seems to be
reflected by not only commuter students, but
students that reside in other states when they
are not at school.
A New Jersey or New York gas station or
Subway restaurant will not accept your Wilkes
ID, and that renders your money useless until
the next time you come to Wilkes-Barre.
Another problem with the Flex Dollars program is that even though the choices have ex-

panded, they are still limited. If all gas stations
and restaurants in town, even local hot spots
like Movies 14 or some of the stores around
campus accepted Flex Dollars, more students
would most likely take advantage of the program. The best situation would be if out of
state Subway restaurants and otehr venues accepted Flex Dollars.
"
The upgrades and improvements regarding
the Flex Dollars Program are great for students
that use Flex Dollars. In order to get more students involved in the program, the venues may
have to be expanded in both number and size.
While students can now use a Wilkes ID in
more places, even more choices would benefit
the school financially and the students in regard to variety.
@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

�14

LIFE

THE BEACON

I Sept. 18 , 2012

Taking a look at historic buildings in Wilkes-Barre
By Christine Lee, Amanda
Leonard, Mikel Hartsough
.r1.1ews Editor; Correspondents

Wilkes-Barre has garnered a reputation of
being a city with run-down buildings and high
levels of poverty and homelessness. Some do
not realize Wilkes-Barre has ma,py historical buildings in its downtown area and in the
surrounding communities that shape the city's
landscape. Today many of these buildings are
open to the public for tours and special events
and have undergone extensive renovations to
update their interior or preserve their historic
qualities.

Forty-Fort Meetinghouse
The F_orty-Fort Meetinghouse, located 40
River St. in Forty-Fort, is known for its Vespers and memorial services. It is also known
for being one of the oldest establishments in
Northeastern Pennsylvania, located beside the
famous Old Forty Fort Cemetery.
Joseph Hitchcock created the design for the
house. He also designed the Zion Church in
Wilkes-Barre. The building is called a meeting
house because it was shared by two different
faiths since many churches were destroyed
during the Revolutionary War people resorted
to practicing their faith in what was called
meeting houses. This meeting house was
shared by both the Presbyterian and Methodist
faiths in the area.
"The church was built mimicking a New
England style meeting house, definitely not
the style you would imagine in this area during
the early 1800's," Nancy Lychos, a member of
the Preservation Committee and co-chair of
the Docent Committee of the meeting house,
said. "We did get a grant in 2009 from the state
gaming fund, we got the exterior of the building painted, and we do not receive any money
from government within Luzerne County."
The meetinghouse is open for weddings and
memorial services and any school is invited for
a tour and can make reservations.
"People love the meeting house, they want
to see it preserved," Lychos said.

membership to was opened in 1934 with a
budget of $625,000 on the site of the former
George S. Bennett mansion.
"We've been a staple in Wilkes-Barre since
as long as people can remember," YMCA marketing director Meghan Davis said.
While the current YMCA is not as religiously based as when it was built, it still closes
down on religious holidays such as Easter and
the program still acknowledges its roots and
promotes its faith.
"The YMCA puts Christian principles into
practice through programs to build healthy
spirit, mind and body for all," Membership
Director Kirn Greenip said.
Greenip said the YMCA has been an integral part oflocal history, even serving the children of Wilkes-Barre in an important way.
"The YMCA has become a huge part of Wilkes-Barre's local history. At one point it had

a mining school located inside the building."
Recently, the historic downtown building
has undergone extensive renovations on its interior including new exercise spaces and men's
and women's family locker rooms.
"We have been working on our huge $15
million renovation project since July 2011 and
plan on finishing it by mid-May, which we will
hold a grand opening for," Davis said.
Davis said the historical aspect of the YMCA
makes it marketable in the area for attracting
new members, especially since the re-opening
in May.
"We often advertise the historical aspect of
our building for upcoming events such as our
re-grand opening."

Frederick Stegmaier Mansion
Nestled near Wilkes is the Frederick Steg-

Wilkes-Barre YMCA
The Wilkes-Barre YMCA, similar to the
Forty-Fort Meetinghouse, was also founded to
foster the religious programs within the community. The current YMCA building across
from Pearsall Hall that students are given free

The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

The Stegmaier Mansion, former home of Fredrick Stegmaier, was built In 1870.
The owner of the brewery lived In the mansion from 1906 until his death. in the
past several years, restorations have been underway to restore its beauty.

Sophomore
Poll Science

Freshman
B1oChem Major

Freshman
Mechanical
Engineer

"I don't know,
I don't even
study."

"I listen to
screamo when I
study physics!'

Major

"I type all
111y notes In
class."

-

- ------

maier Mansion, a building that exemplifies
high Victorian and French Chateau Style with
a Gothic revival.
A locally renowned architect and builder,
Missouria Houpt, constructed the mansion in
1870 with the aid of architect Bruce Price.
Houpt and Price worked together on many
of Wilkes-Barre's historic buildings, including the Colonel Ricketts Mansion, otherwise
known as Wilkes residence hall Rifkin Hall,
which is on the National Register of Historic
Places as part of the River Street Historic District in Luzerne County.
After two previous owners, Frederick Stegmaier purchased the mansion in 1906. The
Stegmaier family also owned and operated the
Stegmaier Brewery and made many contributions to Wilkes-Barre. In 1857, Charles Stegmaier began brewing Stegmaier beer and by
1913, the beer had won many gold medals in
Paris, Brussels and Rome; shortly after it was
called the Stegmaier Gold Medal Beer. This
beer is still brewed at the Lion Brewery, 700
N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilkes-Barre.
In 2001, Joseph Matteo, proprietor of Fret
erick Stegmaier Mansion, purchased the mansion and has worked to restore its former structure.
"In the past 11 years I have restored everything wall-to-wall to get it back to its former
self," Matteo said.
The mansion now serves as a bed and breakfast and a historic house that holds banquets,
wedding receptions and other prestigious
events. Historic tours are also available.
Matteo said that unlike most cities, WilkesBarre does not have a preservation code to
help maintain historic buildings with funding
or anything enforceable to protect it.
"There really should be a specific code that
helps with the keep-up with such buildings,"
he said. "Most cities have applications that
have to be cleared by the National Register of
Historic Places to protect the integrity of the
building."
Most cities place buildings like the Fredrick
Stegmaier Mansion on an ordinance that cannot be touched without approval of application. Along with the application, the potential
buyer needs to submit a plan with intended
alterations.
"I could have bought this mansion and painted it weird colors or tore it down," he said.
@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

"I go back and

forth between

studying and
readlnf comic
books.

�15

LIFE

THE BEACON

I Sept. 18, 2012

Insanity workout creator to
visit Wilkes University
Shawn Carey
Staff Writer

"'

Shaun T, the creator of the worldwide
phenomenon known as Insanity, is making
an appearance at Wilkes on November 3 in
the UCOM.
The Insanity workout is an exercise program that was created in 2009 to turn up the
volume of the mundane workout. Since then
people have been flocking to the stores to
buy the routine and try it for themselves.
However, for Wilkes University students,
they do not have to buy a copy because Insanity is coming to Wilkes-Barre for one
day.
On November 3 from l-5 in the UCOM
gymnasium students will get to do the insanity workout with Shaun T himself and will
get a chance to meet him as we! I.
Health and Wellness Club, or HAWC .
The club was formed last year and has been
doing the worko uts since last semester. Besides the Insanity workouts, HAWC also
offers cycling classes at the Wilkes-Barre
YMCA.
They are still deciding on the actual
workout that will be done. Coordinator of
HAWC, Allie Givens stated, "The workout
that Shaun Twill do on the day of the event
is unknown. I am assuming he will pick the
workout we do the day of the event or closer
to the event."
Students who are interested in the event
will need a ticket to get into the event. Giv-

ens stated, "We are only selling 300 ti.ckets
and as of right now we are looking at starting to sell tickets sometime in October."
Students should notice signs going up soon
about ticket information.
Tickets will be free to Wilkes University
students that are interested in the event.
The event will be laid out between one
and five on that Saturday. The actual workout session will be from l -2 with a break
from 2-3 where students will get a chance to
purchase Shaun T inspired apparel and then
from 3-4 there will be a meet and greet session with Shaun T and then Shaun Twill do
a dosing ceremony from 4-5.
Givens sai d there will not be any restrictions for students. •·we do encourage them
to be safe while participating in the worko ut
and only push themselves as much as they
can." Givens stated.
Givens is also very excited for the event
stating, "I cannot even describe how excited
I am to meet Shaun T and actually perform
a workout with him in person! It wi ll be an
awesome experience and I can't wait!"
Other students have also shared thei r excitement of the event. Kyle Henry, shared
his thoughts about Shaun T stating, "Having
Shaun T come to Wilkes is beyond amaz·ing!
His fitness programs have helped change my
life around. In the past year alone, I feel like
a healthier and more confident individual."
@shawncarey
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

Diversity is something that everyone will at some
point encounter, and most likely something everyone
has questions about. New this semester is a column
called" Open Inclusion Dialogue with Office of Diversity Initiatives," welcoming student questions about
diversity. Common diversity-related issues are : race,
gender issues, stereotyping, disabilities, religion and
culture.
Students who have questions are encouraged to ask
the questions they have been curious about or have
previously been afraid to ask.
diversity@wilkes.edu
Erica Acosta, Associate Director of Diversity in the
Wilkes Center for Global Education &amp; Diversity will be
answering your submitted questions. Don't hesitate
to better yourself with information!

What does reflection of one self have to do
with diversity?
By Erica Acosta
They go hand in hand. How do we expect to learn
about others and understand their culture when we
might not understand our own? When learning about
diversity and including others you have to be comfortable with sharing your space. At times it might feel
uncomfortable and that is ok. It is ok because you are
introducing yourself to something new and you have to
find your own position in that new environment. Once
you understand your own culture, traditions, your stand
on different issues, it becomes easier to understand
the other person. When you have reflected and understood your personal diversity then you can start
embracing others' diversity and seeing how similar or
not so similar you might be to that specific group. This
process does not happen overnight knowing yourself is
important to embrace diversity &amp; it takes time.

Courtesy of Marketing Communications

Shaun T, creator of the Insanity workout, will be at Wilkes November 3 from
1-5 p.m. worklgn out with students in the UCOM Gymnasium.

�Sept. 18, 2012

Contact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Wilkes. Paintball Team looks to move up
Developing group continues to grow in the hopes of building on high rankings from past
nior, Hayden Lerner, senior, Chris Wildfoerster, freshman, Gabe Nazareno, freshman, and
Jesse McDermott, freshmen, are currently the
men representing WU.
Mike Sawka is the team president and after
You would never guess that Wilkes Uni- only his second year on the team, Tom Rowe
versity would be associated with schools has been voted captain due to his past expelike Florida State University, University of rience with the sport and is looking to make
Alabama, Rutgers University, and Clemson great things happen.
University.
"It's really just like any sports team like in
You probably would have never guess that high school," stated Tom Rowe, Team Captain.
Wilkes would be ranked higher than all of "You just need to have the level head in all the
them either. In fact, you probably did not even situations and be there for your guys. Everyone
know Wilkes had a paintball team.
deals with tournaments differently, but paintWell guess what, Wilkes has a paintball ball feels different than all those other sports.
team, and they're pretty good.
You're watching a clock tick down until your
The Wilkes University NCPA Paintball start, your adrenaline is going as you're stepTeam is currently ranked 30th in the Class AA ping onto the field and lining up at the starting
Rankings, and the history behind it is rather box ... there's really nothing else like it to me.
interesting.
Its one of the best feelings in the world."
Take it back five years ago. If someone
At the past Club Day, many students gained
around the Wilkes campus was a life-long interest in joining the team. In fact, the paintpaintballer and wanted to keep their hobby ball team filled up over 70 slots on their signgoing, they were out of luck. It was time for up sheet, all of which looking to be a part of
change, and a group of guys wanted to start the team.
something new for their school.
"That's 70 new faces that have never been
In 2008, Kevin Meinenger founded the associated with Wilkes paintball and we're
club and along with the
really excited to get a few outseven original members,
ings this semester to some local
they brought the team to
stated Rowe.
You're watching a fields,"
life immediately. The folDespite all the recent suclowing year after getting clock tick down until cess the team has had in the past
the team off the ground,
year, Wilkes is not the top team
Charles "Nick" Gambo your start, your adrena- in the conference. That is one
was voted president and line is going as you're thing the team is aiming to imremained so until he
on in 2012.
stepping onto the field prove
graduated in 2011.
Looking forward to the up1a.
In the first couple of and lining up at the start- coming tournaments, these
years as a recognized
Colonels know what needs to be
collegiate team, Wilkes ing box . . . there's really accomplished in order to move
found themselves ranked nothing else like it to me. their way back up the charts.
in the Top 10 and fought
"We only play at events that
for some respect. In 2010, Its one of the best feel- count for competitions. GenerWilkes placed second at ings in the world?'
ally schools compete in 2 per
the Blue Crab Classic in
semester due to funding and be-Tom Rowe, ing able to prepare for them,"
Maryland. This win was
the first "podium" finish
Paintball Team Captain said Rowe. "We're hoping to
for the team, and it did
play two this semester and at
not stop there.
least one in our conference, the
2011 brought great success with a first NEIC, and Nationals next semester. Our first
place victory at NEIC Event 1 in Jackson, event is the Brick City Open held in Syracuse,
New Jersey. Not only was winning gold NY and hosted by RIT. "
sweet, but it was the team's first ever gold in
Do you think this is your cup of tea? The
t a NEIC Event.
Wilkes paintball team welcomes anyone and
Following the win, Wilkes landed third- everyone who wants to play.
place in Syracuse, New York at the SUNY
"As far as the club goes all you need is the
Open (NEIC event 2), and another third-place desire to play paintball and if anyone wants
medal in Maryland at the White Oak Chal- to start playing competitive they're more than
lenge (NEIC Event 3).
welcome to come out and they can practice
For a relatively new team with only seven with us. No one is going to get turned away for
players, these accolades are highly respect- lack of skill or gear," stated Rowe.
able.
For updates and news on the Wilkes paintWith only one senior left on the squad, ball team, check out wilkespaintball.com.
young blood is looking to take over right
@wilkesbeacon
where the team left off.
Tom Rowe, sophomore, Mike Sawka, jufrank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu
By Frank Passalacqua
Sports Editor

''

Photos courtesy of Tom Rowe

Above, Paintball Team captain Tow Rowe takes aim during competition. Rowe
was voted team captain after two years on the team due to his past experience with the sport. Below, the Wilkes Paintball Team poses after their first
place victory at the National Collegiate Paintball Association South Conference in Jackson, New Jersey. The men beat out teams from universities like
Rutgers University, Penn State University and Temple University. It counted as
the team's first win since their formation in 2008. Pictured, from left to right,
is Adam Keeth, C. Nick Gambo, Clayton Wicks, Ashen Hackenburg, Tom Rowe,
Mike Sawka and Hayden Lerner.

�17

SPORTS

two moments in my career that I would say I
am most proud of would have to be when I was
named
player of the year in my division my seContinued from Page 20
nior year. Also when I recently broke the Wilkes school record for most assists in one game,
What is the best part about playing volley- which was previously set in 1993.
ball? The best part about playing volleyball
is always having something that I'm able to When you think of the word "team," what
push myself to become better at. All year I comes to mind? When I think of the word
work hard to become better than I was the day team, I immediately think of the word family.
before. Also, I love being on this volleyball With only having nine girls on our team, we are
team for the fact that I have gained eight new closer than many other teams. We work togethfriends that I now consider to be like my sis- er as one group with confidence in one another
that things on the court will get done. But also,
ters because of how close we have become.
we look at each other off the court with the love
Being a freshman, what's the biggest chal- and respect that a family would.
lenge you feel you have? So far, the biggest
challenge I have come across when playing as Is working with classes and practice hard?
a freshman and basically having the role as a Absolutely. One of the hardest things so far is
"quarterback" on that court, is realizing that trying to manage my time. Everyday classes
this is a whole new level of playing. The non- get harder and the work gets more demanding.
sense that happened in high school isn't ac- But being able to get through a day of classes,
cepted here. Controlling my temper has been lifting, practices, and studying gives me a great
sense of accomplishment because of how much
a huge part of my game too.
I really do get done in a day.
Is there something you do before every
game? Whether we're on the bus for an away Do you have any idea of what you want to
game, or I'm walking over to the Marts Center do with your major? Yes, as of right now I
for a home game, I always listen to the song am majoring in accounting and I am planning
"Remember the Name" by Fort Minor. The on double majoring it with business administrasong gets me pumped up and excited for game tion. I hope to pass ·my CPA exam, then make
more career decisions after that.
time!

Powers

Are there any proud moments in your career that you could never forget? The top

Athlete Megan
Powers is already
getting
comfortable with
being a new player
on the Wilkes
volleyball team.
She said the
biggest challenge
of being a
freshman on the
team has been
adjusting to a
whole new level
of playing at the
college level. She
also said she has
to work hard to
control her temper
during the gam..,

The Beacon/
Laura Preby

@wilkesbeacon
michelle.coy/e@wilkes.edu

We're also on 'l'witterl

W@FIGshirts
146 SOUTH PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE

WILKES-BARRE

NEAR CORBA BEVERAGE AND DOMINO'S!

570.823.9272

Monday September 17, 2012
6pm
Rosenn Lecture Dillon-Dau
7:00pm Spotlight
7:30pm As You Like It
Classic Arts Showcase
Tuesday September 18, 2012
6pm
Spotlight
6:30pm Det. Stores
7:00pm I Enjoy Being A Girl
7:30pm Showstoppers
8:00pm Rosenn Lecture-Lee Zanny
9: 17pm Classic Arts Showcase
Wednesday, September 19, 2012

6:00pm
6:30pm
7:30pm
' 8:00pm
8:30pm

Spotlight
An American In Normandy
ShowBizKids
Wy. Val. Media
Kirby Lecture-Tom Zasky
Classical Arts Showcase
Thursday, September 20, 2012
6:00pm Spotlight
6;30pm Ax Of Murder
7:30pm Student Press Freedom
8:00pm Kirby Lecture Lawrence Reed
9:00pm Philadelphia 2000
Classical Arts Showcase

�18

SPORTS

THE BEACON

I Sept. 18, 2012

SCOREBOARD
Football
9/15 Wilkes - 13
Albright - 27

Field Hockey
9/14 Wilkes-3
Widener-2

M-Soccer
9/11 Baptist Bible"'- W 6-0
9/15 Elizabethtown - L 1-4

W-Soccer
9/13 Lebanon Valley - L 1-0
9/15 Widener - W 5-0

Volleyball
9/15 Baptist Bible - L 3-0
9/15 Lycoming- L 3-1

W-Tennis
9/15 Lycoming - W 9-0

M-Tennis
9/15 Lycoming- W 8-1

M-Cross Country
9/14 Cougar Classic - 7th

F-Cross Country
9/14 Cougar Classic - 8th

WEEKAHEAD
M-Soccer
9/18 VS. Penn College
9/22 VS. Lebanon Valley

W-Soccer
9/22 at Arcadia
9/23 VS. Daemen

M-Tennis
9/22-23 Scranton Trnt.

Football

An offer they can't refuse

Time for change

Notre Dame announced this week that it
will join the Atlantic Coast Conference in every sport except football, which will remain
independent.
I like the fact that Notre Dame is joining
the ACC. I think it's a very good fit. Even
though it will provide difficulty in basketball
with stiffer competition, it will raise the level
of the program as a whole.
The best part of this deal, however, is the
football program staying independent.
By staying independent, the Notre Dame
football remains one of the biggest unrestricted power houses in college football. This
prestige alone allows them to have a big time
schedule every single year.
Notre Dame already plays five ACC teams
a year, so they are practically in the conference but do not have the luxury of playing for
the ACC championship.
That being said, by staying independent
Notre Dame gets to play big-time schools and
classic rivals like USC, Michigan and Michigan State, whom they beat Sept. 15
Another key proponent of staying independent is the automatic BCS bid that Notre
Dame gets if it is in the top eight in the nation.
Also, Notre Dame is allowed to represent
the ACC in bowl games should the conference decide to go on that route.
The biggest part of this, however, is the
money.
Notre Dame gets to keep all of its television money from its national television contract. This was the deciding factor in where
Notre Dame Football goes.
If Notre Dame was in the ACC, the conference would get the rights to televise conference games.
In this case, Notre Dame, being a premier
program, would be televised by the ACC as
much as possible. That would take preference
over Notre Dame's independent television
contract.
That is a lot of money lost for the school.
Overall, this is a deal that Notre Dame
cannot go wrong with. If I were the athletic
director and school president, I would be ecstatic on the way this all worked out.

With the recent trend of developing super
conferences in college sports, it's almost inevitable that every college football team will
be on the move in the next few years. The
interesting part will be to watch how the famous independent teams handle the changing
landscape.
In the last week, the Fighting Irish of Notre
Dame jumped ship from the Big East to the
Atlantic Coast Conference.
On the outside it seems like a decent move,
until I found out the football program will remain independent.
The ultimate goal of any sports program is
to win a championship. The road to a championship goes through conference play.
With the current BCS system, conference
play is compared to the level of the playoffs
since the BCS doesn't have a playoff system.
Since there is no playoff system, being in a
strong conference with strong competition
helps teams become recognized and chosen
for the championship game.
Notre Dame decided to switch all sp!ts to
a new conference. This will create great rivalries and help the student-athletes win championships. The only downside to this switch,
besides the money and pending lawsuits, is
that football remains independent.
Notre Dame is based on tradition and consistency. The tradition comes with the uniforms and pre- and post-game antics, while
the consistency and tradition meet in remaining an independent football team.
I respect tradition in all aspects, but Notre
Dame is in need of change. A program with
such prestige and a huge fanbase needs to see
the facts. The regular season is equivalent
to the playoffs. The current BCS will not let
an independent team into its grandest of all
stages. The BCS wants to see a team that conquered all conference foes and went through
hardships to get to where they are.
Granted, ND usually plays some big names
throughout their seasons, and has the ability
to mold its schedule anyway they like. That
flexibility can make or break a team like the
Irish when it comes to going to the big game.
Notre Dame will play up to five ACC opponents per year within the next few seasons. So
in a sense the Irish are playing a conference
schedule without committing to a conference.
I believe it's time that Notre Dame put
aside tradition for once. They need to jump
ship and become part of a conference. Becoming part of the ACC will create new rivalries and bring better competition. It will make
things more exciting for fans and alumni. The
most important thing though it will bring all
the fans, students and players what they want:
a championship.

@wi/kesbeacon
joseph.pugliese@wilkes.edu

9/22 at Widener

Field Hockey
9/18 at Juniata

Cross Country
9/21 NEPA Classic

Volleyball
9/22 at Keystone

Tweet us:
Send messages
and pictures to:
@wu_BeaconSports

@wilkesbeacon
justin.franiak@wilkes.edu

�THE BEACON

I Sept. 18, 2012

19&gt;

SPORTS

Fourth choice gets shot
at UFC 151 championship

WET P.A INT T-St+lftTS

Belfort jumps at chance to take on Jones

WILKES UNIVERSITY'S
ONE STOP - PRINT SHOP

By Jake Cochran
Assistant A&amp;E Editor

After Jon Jones rejected the UFC offer to
fight Chae! Sonnen as a replacement for Dan
Henderson on nine days notice to defend his
title on the advice of his coach and manager
Greg Jackson, the light heavyweight title picture became murky.
Once the organization decided there was no
hope for UFC 151, they immediately had to
decide what to do with the title fight and who
would face the champion.
Chae! Sonnen was already signed to a fight
later that year, his title aspirations were dashed
as quickly as they were presented, after all
what did he have to show to say he deserved
the shot, other than he would fight on short notice.
Then the organization did the logical thing
and went to the next No. 1 contender in the
Light Heavyweight Division, Lyoto Machida,
but he was currently unreachable because he
was visiting his relatives in Brazil and didn't
have cell phone service.
He really can't be blamed at this point because, honestly, a title fight to decide who he
would face next was nine days away. So why
would he expect a call to arms so soon?
But during the cancelation of UFC 151 it
was stated that The Dragon would be fighting Jones at UFC 152, on Sept. 22. Later that
day, Ed Soares released a statement saying that
Lyoto wasn't even aware of this arrangement,

because he is still unreachable because there
was no service, so he never agreed to fight Sept.
22.
After Machida was brought back from the
stone age and made contact with his manager
he said that he would not fight at 152 but he
would fight at 153, which is scheduled for later
date in October.
This was too far for the UFC, so they needed
to find a replacement for the title fight that was
just moved to UFC 152.
This is where the UFC decided to offer Shogun Rua the title shot, but Rua had to decline
because he was still under a medical suspension
from fighting recently.
They decided that Vitor Belfort another perennial contender should fight Jones.
Vitor Belfort jumped at the opportunity and is
now set to face Jones at UFC 152
"Kids today are worried about their careers, I
just want to fight," Belfort said.
Belfort will have a quite a task with taking on
the current champion because the odds opened
at 13: 1 making B~lfort the biggest underdog in
a title fight since UFC 69.
Georges St. Pierre was a huge favorite over
Matt Serra but that didn't stop The Terror from
interrupting the champion's reign in the first
round with a flurry of punches to complete a
story fit for a movie.

8: 'vV a: :e, S~ree: vV1 IKes r3ci · · e. PA , 8 702

www. wetpai nttsh irts.com

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@wilkesbeacon
jason.cochran@wilkes.edu

,c-,

Reporters
Photo,g raphers
Graphic 'de's ign~rs
L..ayout actistsi%,
. , repsqwr&gt;
, ,Ad·vefi,....
L:l~tt,Ag.
SeetibA ed ito.ns
Assistaa.t editor:s
\lideographers
O nline ,designers
... and"'m ore ,,fr···
~~

ft

We're hiring
1

No experience nec essary.
We'll train.
The Beacon is looking for a few good people to fill the positions
you see listed here.
Don't leave with with just an education .. . get experience. Working with The Beacon provides an opportunity
to improve communication skills that are essentail for
any career field .
For more information, contact Kirstin Cook,
editor-in-chief, at kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu, 570408-5903 OR Dr. Loran Lewis, adviser, loran.
lewis@wilkes.edu, 570-408-4165

~BEACON
fl4❖1--I.JA®&amp;rnH•li@ ■ ~n,mwu1 1 1a,HltANti6i.j,,j.JiiH❖

•

�r-

BY MICHELLE COYLE
Staff Writer

]Veet Megan Powers, a freshman volleyball player who has
already stepped up•and shown
off her skill in games. In high
school she was named All-Area
her senior year and captain.
Studying accounting at Wilkes,
she has a plan for her future
and is excited to make decisions
down her path. From Pottsville,
Pa. to a new team at Wilkes, she
w
illready feels like family anif she
couldn't be happier. She says if
it wasn't for her most inspirational person in life, her dad,
she wouldn't be where she is
today.
When did you start playing volleyball? I started playing volleyba11 in 6th grade for my CYO
team.
Why did you get involved with the sport? I
got into playing volleyball because I was told
my by cousin, who played, that I'd enjoy it and
had the potential of being a good player. After
'earning all aspects of the game, I completely
fell in love with the sport and that caused me to
put in the effort to become a great player.
Did you always know you were going to play
in college? Originally I had planned to play
volleyball in colltge, applying to Wilkes, West
Chester and Shippensburg. I changed my mind
and decided to apply to the University of Alabama. After I got accepted, I visited the school
and made the choice to go there. But l then
changed my mind again realizing that volleyball
was a huge part of my life that I wasn't ready to
give up yet.
:Where do you get your inspiration? My inspiration comes from all the support I receive from
my family, friends, and even old high school
coaches that coached me. At least weekly I get
texts and calls from coaches congratulating me
or asking me how everything is going. I'm also
blessed with family and friends who make it to
games and are so supportive. My mom and dad
try to never miss a game, and seeing their faces
in the stands make me push IO times harder to
make them proud. Knowing I have such great
people behind me gives me the inspiration to be
the best I can be.
See POWERS, Page 17

·

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                    <text>Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

Sept. 25, 2012

HE BEACON
The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow.

Volume 65 Issue 3

n

The Beacon/Brittany Battista

For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.COt:Th:J,

�Contact editor: christine.lee@wilkes.edu

Public Safety: campus is safe despite recent incidents
By Christine Lee
News Editor

An increase in students moving further from
campus and an upbeat mind set are part of the
reasons given for a rash of crimes that occurred close together.
Three weeks after five students were assaulted near Academy and South River streets
and a male student had his laptop stolen on a
porch at 363 S. Franklin St., a female student
was walking alone near the Dorothy Dickson
Darte Center around 2 a.m. when a silver car
approached her. A man in the car wearing what
is described as a dark hoodie asked her if she
wanted a ride. The student declined the invitation and the man got out of the car and grabbed
her thigh. It was reported the student was able
to get away and ran back to her residence hall.
Despite the frequency of which crime incidents occurred on campus in the first part of
the school year, Public Safety says there is no
increase in the amount of crime on and near
campus and the campus is safe for students.
Public Safety manager Rebo said it only
seems like the crime rate on and around campus has increased because the three incidents
occurred so close in time.
"Things like that happen but when they happen together it seems like a lot," Rebo said.
Rebo said the three incidents that occurred
so closely to each other occur every semester.
According to last year's Campus Crime Report, there were five instances of burglary on
campus, 13 arrests made for liquor law violations and one arrest for drug-related violatio_Jls.
~ ice President of Student Affairs Paul Adams thinks part of what contributed to crimes
that occurred is there being a frenzy of activity
and good spirits at the beginning of the year.
"I think at the beginning of the school there's
always a lot of activity in terms of people being on the streets at all hours; the weather
doesn't inhibit that at all, it's warm and people
tend to, upon return to campus, be in a little
bit more of a celebratory spirit and, as a result,
tend to be traveling about," Adams said.
Adams added that the three incidents occurred well after dark and in places where people weren't in a group and somewhat isolated,
which created some vulnerabilities for them.

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Pictured Is South River Street,facing the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, where
a man jumped out of his car and grabbed the thigh of a female student walking
alone. Public Safety offers safe rides 24 hours a day 7 days a week and encourages students to use them to avoid such incidents.
Associate Dean of Student Affairs Barbara
King said part of the reason for crimes occurring to students off-campus is they are moving
further from campus.
"Part of the issue is we have so many students off-campus now they're moving further
and further into the neighborhood," King said.
"They're moving further into neighborhoods
that haven't been desirable over the years but
we have people moving down further and further all the time."
Rebo said Public Safety has increased patrols as far down as 339 S. River St. and the
university has hired off-duty Wilkes-Barre police officers to patrol the area around campus
on Thurs., Fri. and Sat. nights from 10 p.m. to
3 a.m.
Although Public Safety has no jurisdiction

off-campus but they have courtesy calls, which
means if a student calls from off-campus, they
will respond to them.
Public Safety Supervisor Phil Miller said the
safe escort service and safe rides available are
under-utilized every year and Public Safety always has these options available.
"It's unfortunate cause our officers are always available," Miller said.
King said students residing off-campus are
not required to report crime in their area but
are encouraged to report it. The police rely on
Public Safety to report incidents that occur to
students residing off-campus.
"The only way the police will ever get a handle is if neighbors living there report it," King
said. "We would certainly hope that if there
are major things going on they would report

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

PHONE: (570) 408-5903
WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook

News Editor: Christine Lee

Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro

Opinion Editor: CarlyYamrus

Ad Manager: Brittany Battista

A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas

Photo Editor: Laura Preby

Life Editor: Anne Yoskoski

Adviser: Loran Lewis

Sports Editor: Frank Passalacqua

to Public Safety and the Wilkes-Barre police."
Wilkes president Patrick Leahy issued
the following statement regarding the recent
crimes on and around campus:
"Nothing is more important to me than the
safety and well-being of our students, both on
and off campus. I want to assure students and
their parents that, although we are an urban
university, we have a safe campus."
"While I am confident that the incidents that
occurred at the start of the semester do not
constitute a continuing problem, these incidents have provided us with an opportunity to
evaluate safety practices. We acted quickly to
employ a second off-duty'Wilkes-Barre police
officer to help to increase patrols in our adjacent neighborhoods."
"I've made a personal commitment to monitor the situation and well address any concerns
quickly. I ask students, faculty and staff to be
our partners in promoting a safe campus. I urge
you to use the escort service provided by Public Safety and, when off campus, take advantage of the Safe Rides program that offers free
taxi rides. Together we can keep Wilkes safe
for all ofus."
Dean of Students Mark Allen there are times
when students can take precautions to minimize being a victim of crimes and the university strives to educate students how to be safe
and making sure students are safe.
"We have to strive to educate our students
and to put forth the resources to help ensure
their safety," Allen said. "I believe overall the
campus is a safe environment."
Adams believes that good things can come
out of these incidents.
"You hope that you can find something positive and that's that everybody else learns from
this," Adams said. "All ofus are able to adopt
behaviors that hopefully diminish the likelihood that something like this would happen
and I hope we can be proactive in encouraging
those kinds of behaviors."

@cfeespot
christine./ee@wifkes.edu

Meet the Staff

Alyssa Stencavage
Assistant Life editor

�THE BEACON

I Sept. 25, 2012

3

NEWS

Students' partaking in city activities helps economy
By Amanda Leonard
Correspondent
Wilkes-Barre's revitalization has been successful thus far partly due to the rapid growth
and expansion of two local colleges, Wilkes
University and King's College. Both schools
have attracted local businesses, restaurants
and bars; some of these businesses cater specifically to college students, while others offer
special discounts with a valid college ID.
On average, Wilkes has an annual undergraduate enrollment of 2,200 students and
King's has an annual undergraduate enrollment of 2,700 students. Around 5,000 students look for places to eat in between classes
and for activities to do on the weekend.
In 2011, Wilkes was ranked as one of the
fastest growing universities, according to The
Chronicle of Higher Education. Total enrollment of undergraduate and graduate students
grew from 4,634 in the fall of 2004 to 6,239
in the fall of 2009.
In September, the Downtown Party on the
Square, sponsored by the city of Wilkes-Barre
and the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of
Business and Industry, brings local vendors
and businesses to showcase what they offer
to college students. Students are also given a
discount card, valid for the entire school year
that can be used at the businesses that were in
attendance at the event.
Wilkes-Barre mayor, Tom Leighton, described the annual Party on the Square as "no
better way for businesses to showcase themselves to the college community in one place,
at one time"
However, Party in the Square will be taking the year to talk to some students and businesses to ensure that it is the best it can be.
Al$1ough the event is not taking place, there

will still be student discount cards being handed out in the fall.
Diamond City Partnership, a public-private
alliance for downtown revitalization, helps
form the community's vision for Downtown
Wilkes-Barre. Founded in 2001, it began when
almost 1,000 citizens met during a series of
public sessions to devise strategies for a new,
restored downtown. The partnership serves as
a downtown management organization with a
work plan intended to improve the economic
longevity and downtown's business district.
Larry Newman, Wilkes-Barre city vice president of planning, policy and development,
said the Diamond City Partnership made it
clear that Greater Wilkes-Barre's institutions
of higher education had to be an integral part
of downtown revitalization.
"Downtown in particular becomes a very
different place when the two schools are in
session," he said. "We've worked hard to build
upon the economic impact of the city's student
population since Wilkes-Barre's colleges are
among the strongest assets we can muster in
the battle of a competitive region."
In 2004, DCP and Wilkes and Kings jointly
created the Downtown/Collegetown Initiative to create a downtown that benefits from
the presence of over 11,000 full-time enrolled
students in the Greater Wilkes-Barre are, including 6,500 students at three center-city
campuses.
The purchasing and media habits of the college community were not well understood so
the Initiative's first task was to rectify what
was happening. A business class at Penn State
Wilkes-Barre worked with a five-college steering committee to create a focus group. As a
result of the focus group, market information
became available to present to businesses, retailers and nightspots.
The local nightlife has seen a revamping in

attendance, as well as an increase in revenue.
Among the most popular bars are Senunas' Bar
and Grill, Gonda's Elbow Room, Rodano's,
Mulligans and Hardware Bar.
Angelo DelSordo, general manager of Mulligan's, has always been attracted to the area
and wanted to be a part of the downtown revitalization.
"The downtown area of Wilkes-Barre is
cleaning up nicely and there is a huge potential
for bars locally, between all the businesses in
the area along with colleges," he said. "Mulligan's is doing extremely well thanks to the
local colleges."
The Downtown/Collegetown Initiative also
resulted in a number of recommendations to
improve the climate for college students.
Surveys have shown that 69 percent of the
college students are using the student discount
cards regularly and 27 percent of those surveyed use the cards at least once per week.
Another direct result of the Downtown/Collegetown Initiative were capital projects by the
two schools, such as the creation of the Barnes
&amp; Noble Wilkes/King's Bookstore, which
opened on downtown's primary retail block in
2006.
"We have seen tremendous growth in student patronage of downtown businesses,"
Newman said. "Some of the new businesses in
the downtown area set out primarily to serve
the student market and others see college students one of several specific groups of potential customers.
Newman noted that Crimson Lion is an example of a new business aiming to serve the
student market. Establishments like Frank's
Pizza, Bart &amp; Urby's, Thai Thai, Barnes &amp; Noble and Outrageous include college students as
one of several different customer bases.
The DCP surveyed college students asking
them how frequently they come to downtown

The Beacon archives

Students compete in a pizza eating
contest at last year's party in the
square. Party In the Square is one
way that Wilkes helps to impact the
economoy
Wilkes-Barre businesses for shopping, dining,
movies or entertainment. Newman said that 48
percent reported that they patronize downtown
businesses at least once or twice each week; 16
percent came downtown even more frequently.
The most popular downtown destinations
for college students, according to a DCP survey, are RIC Movies 14, Barnes &amp; Noble and
downtown restaurants.
@wilkesbeacon
amanda.leonard1@wilkes.edu

SG working on way to grant conference funds to clubs sufficiently
By Devoni Novak
Staff Writer
A Student Governrnent policy on funding
for conferences is in the midst of review by
members.
SG vice president Ian Foley said conference
funding will not be eliminated but guidelines
will be set to ensure that student activity fees
are fairly distributed.
"At the end of the day we want to make sure
the activity fees are open and everyone can
have access to them," Foley said.
After looking into a policy on conference
funding used by Bloomsburg University's student governrnent, Foley became interested in
applying a similar standard at Wilkes.
"The thing I pulled from them was how they
set standards for their food and it's a conceptual idea for what we do," Foley said.
Junior class vice president D.J. Rembish
claims that an increase in conference funding
requests is the reason for the recent adjustment
to the allocation of funds. Foley suggested that
the cost of conference funding is part of a bigger SG spending audit that will also include
fund request for trips.
Instead of relying on SG to cover the full
cost of conferences, Rembish suggests that
students try to pay their own way through fundraising.

,

Rembish
"I suggest that they do fundraising earlier
on, once they find out that there is a conference coming up," Rembish said. "Coming to
us should be more like a last resort."
Although SG encourages students to fundraise their way to conferences, fundraising for
their own events will not take place.
A detailed breakdown from students is
a possible revision of the conference funding policy under discussion. If SG decides to
follow through, students will be expected to
provide brochures or receipts that prove each
expense when they come to SG for their conference funding needs.
"We are looking for researched and justi-

Foley
fied budget cost because what we do in the real
world is have hard figures quoted with documentation to back it up," Foley said.
According to SG faculty advisor Dean Mark
Allen, the purpose of providing research and
documentation is so students will accurately
reflect how much the conferences are going to
cost and what exactly the money is spent on. In
turn, SG will be able to provide the appropriate
funding while ensuring that there is enough of
the student activity pool to go around.
"The only real change this year in looking
at conferences is making sure that there's a
accountability for money that is spent," Allen
said. "That accountability of a fund request is

not a lot different than any other way in which
student governrnent approves funding for
their own campus wide projects."
When deliberating a fund request SG considers a variety of factors including the amount
of community service the club or organization
has done, fundraising attempts, how their attendance will benefit Wilkes and the possible
impact of the schools representation.
Each of these elements is key to SG deciding whether funding the conference is an appropriate use of the student activity pot.
"One of their central responsibilities is to
try to actively"make the best use of the money
that 2,300 students have given them," Allen
said.
SG believes attending conferences is important for Wilkes students as it benefits
them academically and reflects positively on
the university. To fairly allocate funding request of all types, each proposal will be dealt
with individually and funding decisions are
up to the board. According to SG president,
Kristofer Rivers, attending conferences will
continue to be a supported activity ofSG.
"We want to support our students in whatever they choose to do," Rivers said.
@wilkesbeacon
devoni.novak@wilkes.edu

�4

NEWS

THE BEACON

I Sept. 25, 2012

Loan debt affects many college students
By Bryan Calabro
Managing Editor
For generations, a college degree has ensured that Americans from all facets of life
would achieve a better chance at a successful
future.
With the increasing cost of education, the
ongoing economic recession and financial
burden placed on many families in our country, families and students now rely mainly on
student loans to fund their college education.
According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, student loan debt amounted to
$1 trillion at the end of 2011.
Pierre Lapointe, a Brockhouse &amp; Cooper
Inc. Strategist, knows that this debt can be
attributed to many factors. One factor is the
inflation adjustment on college tuition.
A report written by Lapointe and two colleagues found tuition had climbed 57 percent on inflation basis. During this time, the
wage between American workers age 24 to 34
dropped seven percent.
The report also said many students will
have issues when they try to obtain mortgages
at affordable rates because of their debt burdens.
From the report, interest payments on student debt amount to $1,165 a year, based on
an average balance of $23,300 in the third
quarter of 2011 and five percent interest rate.
At Wilkes, Melanie Wade, vice president of
enrollment services, explained how the loan
system works.

"For students to receive Stafford loans,
a student has to file a FAFSA form, then the
Stafford availability for that student is automatically applied for them. The student has
the authority to inform financial aid they don't
want the financial aid or if they don't want the
maximum financial aid," Wade said. "A student is never forced to take a Stafford loan."
Wilkes University makes a preferred lender
list to help students decide on reliable sources
of loans.
"The preferred lender list is a list of people
we have a working relationship with, they are
reliable and we worked successfully with them
before in the past," Wade said.
She said students need to understand the
costs, risks and benefits of the loans they use to
help pay for the school of their choice.
Michelson said you cannot just decide to
not pay off your debt, because it's against the
law.
"You can't default on a Stafford loan because it's illegal, there is really not much of a
way to stop it from happening but typically if
you are defaulting on a federal loan," Michelson said.
The National Office of Postsecondary Education works with students, families, the financial aid community and others to develop
formats for financial aid offer forms. The office
makes forms, and other offers, as user-friendly
as possible to ensure that loan default never
happens.
According to the National Postsecondary
Student Aid Study, the average debt from graduating seniors across the country was $23,186.

At Wilkes University, the average debt for
federal aid is about $27,000, about $4,000 in
excess of the national average.
Julie Zinskie, vice president of accounting and controller for a company in Scranton
called Diversified, said it was hard to pay off
her debt when she graduated from Marywood
University.
"Making minimum wage out of college
made it near impossible to pay off my debt, so
I had to develop a strategy," Zinskie said.
Zinskie said the reason many students fail to
pay off their debt is because they are never really trained on how to manage money.
"Being obsessed with numbers and managing money my whole life has benefited me
when it comes to paying off my debt," said
Zinskie. "I think there needs to be some kind
of class or instruction mandatorily provided to
students to help them develop a plan for managing expenses in their future."
Being ignorant to the ongoing debt crisis is
also a problem, according to Zinskie.
Luke Brady, a senior musical theater major,
fears what the future holds when it comes to
his debt.
"I just know I am going to owe a lot of money," Brady said, "My mother takes care of it,
that's all I know."
Brady also thinks that the need for a class on
managing money and loan debt is important.
"If they developed a financial class or a
money management class to help with planning for the future, I think I would be in a better situation right now and I would be more informed," Brady said. "My friends don't even

know what to say about their debt situation,
they always say they will worry about it after
they graduate."
Many economists say college is a good investment because of the pay gap between jobs
with college degrees and jobs without college
degrees.
However, when more people go to college
and college loans continue to rise because of
inflation, it may take longer time for employees to hit benchmarks in their career because of
competition and student debt.
Albert Munley, a banking lawyer from
Scranton and father of three, knows how hard
it is to stay afloat in a tough economic time and
never-ending college expenditures.
"When each ofmy daughter's picked a major, I figured out their projected starting salary
and the amount of time they would be in college then I made a plan to manage my resources," Munley said.
"I opened up bank accounts for each of my
daughters and deducted money directly from
my paycheck into their accounts to help start
funding their college education."
Munley also made an emergency plan with
his wife, assets and financial adviser in case either of them lost their jobs.
"It's all about future money management
planning and knowing that you aren't invincible to hazards in life, I tell my kids that all
the time," said Munley.
@wilkesbeacon
bryan.calabro@wilkes.edu

Obamacare topic of this year's celebration of Constitution Day
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor
Each year, Wilkes holds a presentation to
honor Constitution Day and give students
som~ asic information about the Constitution
and how Congress comes to conclusions.
With the theme of the presentation this year
being, "Obamacare and the Constitution,"
there was a lot of information given out for
those present to take into account.
The university has been hosting Constitution Day for the past seven years under the
coordination of Kyle Kreider, associate professor and chair of political science.
"In 2004, Congress passed and President
Bush signed the law requiring that an education institution that receives federal funds set
aside one day, Sept. 17 to commemorate the
signing of our most cherished governrnent
document," Krieder said.
People believed that U.S. citizens didn't
know enough about the document and that
they needed to be educated about it. To inform
students about the Constitution this year was
Judge Joe Cosgrove, who has often been faceto-face with constitutional law cases.
When asked if college students know
enough about the Constitution, he said, "the
American people, whether college students or
not, are not nearly as well informed about the

The Beacon/Austin Lukas
On Tuesday, Sept.17, Judge Joe Cosgrove spoke during the Constitution Convention Presentation. He presented to the students how Obama's health care
reform related to the Constitution.
Constitution as they should be. Former Justice are than know the names of our Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor has developed a pro- justices. Given the impact our judiciary has on
gram designed to expand our knowledge of the our daily lives, this is troubling."
In the past Constitution Convention PreConstitution which shows that more Americans know who the judges on "American Idol" sentations have been based on hate speeches,

the constitutionality of nativity scenes on governrnent property and a talk about the Fourth
Amendment.
"Our Constitution is only 4,543 words short
compared to every other constitution but it has
endured over 220 years," Krieder said. "That
is amazing. Our framers, under enormous time
constraints, crafted a brilliant document that
speaks in wonderful generalities. Its legacy endures. It is vague enough that many different
political philosophies and ideologies can find
support in this document."
The topic focused on the process of passing
"Obama Care. " It allowed for those present
to see what went into the process and how the
judicial system came to its conclusion to pass
the bill.
"I didn't realize how long the process was,"
senior chemistry major Jamiee Ash said.
Cosgrove wanted students to take from this
presentation, the nature of the judicial process
and how the S~reme Court addresses questions of a constitutional nature. He also hoped
that students would become more interested
and informed in what the constitution means
and how it affects them.

@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

�THE BEACON I Sept. 25, 2012

NEWS

5

iPad leasing and changes to Jay S. Sidhu School of Business
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor

When students enter the college environment they go in with a label: business major,
biology, communications or whatever it may
be. Underneath those labels, lies another:
their focus.
The Sidhu School of Business and Leadership has been working on a way to ensure
the focus of the students is met and that they
graduate with the proper education for their
dream job.
This year, the school now offers three new
majors to help the focus of students be narrowed. There is now a bachelors of business
administration in finance, management and
marketing.
How might this benefit the students?
"Students are going to be able to say, 'I
have a major in marketing' rather than saying
'a major in business administration and a concentration in .. . '; the major is going to hold
more weight," Sidhu School Dean Jeffrey
Alves said.
The changes to the department came from
listening to the feedback of not only students,
but also businesses. Businesses are looking
for individuals, who have a degree in those

three focuses, not just a concentration in them.
Professor of accounting Marianne Rexer believes this change is going to provide the school
with the skills they need to help students create
the job they want when entering the real world.
For those students who have been in the program now for three years, they have the opportunity to switch to the new system or stay with
the old. Rexer feels it would be most beneficial for freshman and sophomores to make the
switch to the new majors.
The changes to the department aren't they
only changes in the business. Starting this
fall, the Business Department has begun leasing iPads to students in both the Personal and
Professional Development courses and the Integrated Management Experience courses.
For classes such as IME, students used to
have to drag around two separate textbooks,
one for accounting and one for management,
to every class. With the usage of the iPad and
a program known as E-Pubs (the standard format for electronic books), everything is now
paperless for students in those courses.
"When you guys graduate, you aren't going
to be handed a laptop or a desktop, you are going to be handed a tablet, so, the main objective was to help students make the transition

Autism Group Proposed
Student Government to decide clubs status
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer

Called to order at 6:01 p.m.
Treasurer's Report
All college: $9,550
Cont rence: $700
General funds: $18,750
Leadership: $600
Spirit: $873.43
Student Government total: $30,473.43
New Business:
Two representatives from the Health and
Wellness Club discussed the visit from Shaun
T. Members Kyle Henry and Sam Biggers discussed that they have talked to Public Safety
about the event and have been cleared to hold
the event. Henry said tickets will go on sale
on Oct. 2 and the ticket cost will be $2, but
students will receive a reimbursement at the
door when they attend the event. He also said
two weeks later tickets will go on sale at the
YMCA for $3 for the general public, and the
general public will also be able to purchase
tickets at the door for $10. The event will be
held on Nov. 3, from 1-5 p.m.
A representative from a new on-campus
group, Autism Speaks, presented the club to
the board. Nicole Weaver was there to present
the club and what they plan on doing throughout the year. She said they plan on holding fundraisers and charity walks. She said the club
will be primarily dealing with outside groups.
Student Government will be voting this during

the Sept. 26 meeting to determine whether not
it will be accepted as a club.
John Sweeney, from the van committee, requested $900 to get the vans cleaned. He said it
is approximately $250 per van and he was also
looking into getting the decals repaired. He
also said the van policy has changed. People or
clubs requesting to use the vans must now fill
out a mileage form and a van condition form.
President Kris Rivers said Homecoming
Week will be Oct. 1-6. Student Government
will be forming a Relay for Life team this year.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:47 p.m.

':-i«

The Beacon/Dan Lynkens

Students in the business department
use iPads to benefit their learning
experiences.
tram usmg a device that 1s pnmar1ly used tor
entertainment to making it a productivity tool,"
Alves said.
The Business Department has been thinking
about this for a while. After taking different
types of tablet devices and researching which
would be most beneficial to the students as
well as the department, they came to the consensus that the iPad was the best choice.
"Between research and practical applications, we came up with a list of iPad apps that
we would want, because we just found out

Apple right now is supporting the educational
system better," Rexer said.
Students who lease the iPads will be using
several apps that were chosen. Notability is a
study tool that allows not only for students to
take notes, but also for their professor to go in
and add things to their notes. A flashcard app
allows for a more effective way for students to
study by creating flashcards right in front of
them. Each iPad also has access to Microsoft
Office.
Rexer wants students to know the school is
listening to them and trying their best to better
their learning experience by giving them the
tools to learn and study better.
While this is a new experience, they are hoping for the best. The leasing will begin with
the freshman of this year and be an unfolding
process after that so that next year they will accessible to both the sophomore and they freshman classes.
"There is contradictory research on whether
or not it enhances the learning experience, but
it does make for a lot more flexibility in the
classroom," Alves said.
@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

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to Get Started Now!

@shawncarey8
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

�Sept. 25, 2012

Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Looking forward to President Leahy
The Beacon staff requests more attention for the humanities
By The Beacon Editorial Staff
During his installation as the sixth president
of Wilkes University, Patrick Leahy focused
on the theme of "Looking back with pride,
looking forward with confidence." Now, The
Beacon staff looks forward to a new era under
President Leahy and the changes promised under his administration.
For his first year in office, Leahy has stated
his intention to get to know the campus. In
this process, he plans on visiting with every
department. He also plans to learn about the
extracurricular organizations on campus.
But after this introductory period, Leahy's
vision will begin to shape the future of Wilkes.
We've already seen some positive changes.
Leahy has involved the local businesses of
Downtown Wilkes-Barre to offer Flex Dollars. This is a great way to immerse students in
the culture of Wilkes-Barre while supporting
the downtown economy, and we hope to see
more interaction with the city.
There have also been major changes have
been made to the Wilkes administration. All
academic deans now serve as member's of
the president's board in an attempt to improve
communication.
In his installation speech, Leahy mentioned
his plan to move his office from UCOM to
Weckesser Hall so he can be more visible on
campus. This is just one of the ways he is aiming to become more accessible and engaging
to faculty, staff and students.
TI-. Beacon staff feels the existing changes,
and the ones planned, are heading in the right
direction. Looking forward to this new era,
there are several areas we hope Leahy will
focus on.
Leahy has mentioned several times the importance he hopes to place on humanities at
Wilkes. We hope that he follows through with
this focus.
From The Beacon's perspective, humanities have been pushed to the wayside in recent
years. With the science building and other advancements in the scientific departments, programs like Communication Studies and English have been ignored. The accomplishments
of these departments have been overlooked,
and the activities they promote have been
overshadowed by some of the more populated
disciplines.
We believe this negligence of the humanities at Wilkes is a problem, and there are several major ways that President Leahy can help
solve this problem.
The first is through finances. Communication Studies has continued to receive cuts to its
budget annually, along with many other programs. These cuts make it difficult to sustain

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on 8 responses.

Last week's question:
How informed do you consider yourself on politicians and their positions
on national and international issues?

The Beacon/Laura Preby

President Leahy holds up a Wilkes University T-shirt that reads, "Be Colonel."
The Beacon staff reflects on Leahy's upcoming time at Wilkes and believes that
we should strengthen the school as a liberal arts college.
a range of courses within that program. Many
communications students have noticed their
class choices dwindling. The Beacon would
like to see more funding for more classes to
allow students to expand in their chosen humanities focus.
Funds could also help support the extracurriculars and events the humanities departments
put on. Money funneled through the respective
departments could pay for more staff for these
organizations, or attendance at beneficial, academic programs like workshops and conferences.
The money is also needed for new equipment for humanities programs. It is vital to
have updated tools and software, especially
in fields like journalism and integrative media
that place an importance on usage of the latest
technology.
Graduates from Wilkes will have an advantage entering the work force if they're up-todate on the latest trends and how to use new
tools and programs. How is that possible if
they're using dated materials? While money is
being spent on new labs for pharmacy students
or new robotic equipment for engineering students, there should also be aid for new cameras
for journalism students.
Besides dated and limited resources, the
communication studies program in particular
has to deal with being fragmented across campus. Coordinating media cooperation becomes

even more difficult when the radio station is in
the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, the television station is in the basement of Stark Learning Center, Zebra Communications is in the
basement of Breiseth, the debate and speech
team is in Fenner Hall and The Beacon is in
Conyngham Hall. Oh, and our professors are
in Capin Hall.
We need a centralized location to allow
Communication Studies students to work together and learn from all of the media sources
in one place, rather than the scattered and disorganized state the department is in now. This
would also help give the department more of
a presence.
Leahy can also help the presence of the humanities programs overall by directing more
attention to what they do. The same level of
publicity applied to the developments in the
science programs should be placed on the happenings of all departments.
The Beacon staff hopes Leahy can help give
the humanities programs the attention and resources they deserve. Ultimately, we would
like to see Leahy look back at Wilkes' history
as a well-rounded liberal arts school - not a
science school - and look forward to it regaining that status.
@wilkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

This week The Beacon asks:

Do you think that employers
should have the right to view
online profiles to make employment decisions?
• Yes
• No
• Unsure
Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear
. your voice.

Send your name, major, year and opinion to:

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu
The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�THE BEACON

I Sept. 25, 2012

7

OPINION

Wilkes should use Jewish Community Center parking lot
By Christine Lee
News Editor

Last summer, I was finally able to bring my
own car to campus for the first year student
orientation session. Since I was assigned
to Evans Hall, I decided the nearby Jewish
Community Center parking lot would be a
convenient spot to park my car. But when I
texted one of the RA coordinators, I learned
I couldn't park there because the JCC would
have me towed, so I would have to park in the
University Center on Main parking garage for
the rest of orientation.
Most of the time when I pass by it, that
parking lot is never full. In fact, it is half-full
at the most and there is no one parked by the
residence halls or off-campus housing that is
next to the JCC. So then why does the JCC
have to tow everyone that parks there that
isn't a member?
Let's face it, parking is an issue on this
campus. Take one look at the Student Union
Building parking lot or UCOM parking garage on a regular weekday and you'll quickly
see what I mean. There can be days where
there is nowhere to park and we all love getting tickets from Public Safety for parking

where we aren't supposed to.
So I think for a solution to the parking issue
on campus, the JCC should give up the part of
its parking that is near Wilkes buildings and
off-campus apartments and let Wilkes use it
for a parking space. This could benefit a lot of
people that have to find parking on campus,
from students that reside in off-campus apartments to students living in residence halls
along River Street to staff members that work
in Conyngham Hall.
I know personally several students who
live in one of the residence halls on River
Street and have to park in the UCOM parking
garage. They shouldn't have to walk that far
away to get to their cars, especially if they are
ones that go home frequently.
Students that reside in Evans, Roth, Weiss,
Catlin, Rifkin and Sterling halls and the offcampus John Henry Hall could benefit from
the parking by the JCC because they don't
have to walk far to get to their cars. Staff who
work in Conyngham Hall could also benefit
because they also wouldn't have to walk very
far to get to their cars, and most of them commute to get to campus.
The parking lot of the JCC is barely full
most of the full. There are lots of people living and working nearby, so why not give it

Wilkes for students, faculty and staff to use?
It could serve as a good solution to the pretty
big problem of parking on campus.

@c/eespot
christine.lee@wilkes.edu

OMMU
ENTER
f WVOMINH \/AIU

The Beacon/Laura Preby

The Jewish Community parking lot, located near multiple WIikes Universityowned buildings would be a prime location for more student parking.

Too many people are uninformed about their cars, how they work
Basic knowledge on how vehicles operate is necessary for the safety of ourselves and others
By Dominic Manzione
Staff Writer
For the past two summers I have valet
parked cars at a luxury relaxation spa and resort in my hometown. This was a big job for
me
guests at this spa were sometimes
famous stars like NFL Pro Bowl running

tnce

back Ladainian Tomlinson!
At my time there I've gotten to drive all
sorts ofcars, from six-speed Corvettes and
Mustangs to high end BMW, Mercedes Benz
and Bentleys. I got to learn a lot more about
all types of vehicles, but I learned one thing
that really scares me. I learned that a lot of
people don't know much about their vehicles

and how they work. Being a long-haired 20
year old, I had to make sure I didn't upset the
guest handing me keys to a vehicle that costs
twice as much as my Wilkes tuition. So you
can imagine the trouble and difficulty in telling someone that their tire pressure is low or
that their break pad might be warped. But for
me and the safety of others on the road I felt
it was my duty as a knowledgeable car guy to
help.
So where am I going
with this article, well,
Vehicles are not just
0 SO
something that gets me
from point A to point
B. To me a vehicle is a
2,000 to 4,000 pound
behemoth that can go
speeds from Oto more than 100 mph.
And for anyone who is a physics major, the
rare few there are, can understand that anything over 40 mph is a ridiculous amount of
force. Now think of what happens when that
force hits something, say a tree or another car
going the same force right at you.
People say guns are dangerous but to me
putting an 18-year-old kid behind the wheel of
a vehicle can be more devastating. Now imagine if that vehicle (or metal behemoth) isn't
working as efficiently as it should be, because
of low oil or tire pressure, that vehicle has just
become even more dangerous.
My sisters are prime examples of not
knowing enough about vehicles. A little over
a year ago my little sister drove home from
work late at night ... with only the parking lights on. Now that's a big deal because

regular headlights are way brighter than
your car's parking lights. Now my sister, the
high honor roll/dean's list student, drove 15
minutes home thinking there was something
wrong with the battery. Not only was it
dangerous for her, but it was also dangerous
for anyone else on the road. And that's the
sad truth; lots of people just don't know the
basics about cars.
What I want people to get
out of this opinion is not to be
scared of cars but to respect
them and realize that we need to
take the time to learn about our
vehicles fo~ our safety and everyone _else s. Every_body should
•
know Slffiple tasks like how to
check oil and tire pressure levels
as well as change each when needed. Knowing how to jump start a car is an essential
skill as well.
You may be saying "pfft, I' 11 just call
someone to do it for me." And if you want
to go that route I can tell you it's a bad idea,
because sometimes it's too late. Being the
only brother to two girls who know very
little about vehicles, I've learned the hard
way that it's a lot nicer to be proactive when
it comes to maintenance and respect for a
car. It will save you a lot of time, money and
maybe even your life.

"That's the sad
t ru th ; I t f peop Ie
just don't know the
basics about cars "

The Beacon/Laura Preby

Not knowing what Is wrong with your vehicle can be dangerous. Taking the
time to learn about how cars work can save time, money and even a life.

@wilkesbeacon
dominic.manzione@wilkes.edu

�8

OPINION

THE BEACON

I Sept. 25, 2012

Internet identities are a false representation of skills
By Carly Yamrus
Opinion Editor

In about two years, I will be in search of
an entry-level job. At that time, I will also delete my Facebook and Twitter pages and do a
complete search and delete everything on every website I ever signed up for. Not because
I want to, but because I have to.
Social media websites have been helping
people lose jobs they have or are applying for
since the early 2000s. With the invention of
Friendster, classmates.com, Myspace, Facebook and Twitter, among others, our generation gained an outlet to share their likes,
dislikes, opinions, fleeting thoughts, pictures
and videos with their friends and family. With
that invention they also lost all privacy, despite countless efforts to protect personal information from reaching the wrong people.
The ever-changing Facebook (I didn't say
ever-improving) has actually made changing privacy settings a difficult task. I like to
think that I am technologically savvy when it
comes to figuring things out on the Internet,
but hiding my profile from certain individuals
was quite the challenge. After a series of Web
tutorials and haphazard clicking, I manually
blocked those choice individuals from viewing my information.
Privacy settings are fine and dandy, definitely necessary, but what happens when
a prospective employer demands you give
them your usemame and password for such
websites, giving them full access to your account? Any information that you have been
hiding from them can now be seen, through a
process called "shoulder surfing," where employers investigate an applicants social media
sights so that they can see the "real" you.

After researching candidates online, employers often make decisions about hiring
based on the information that was posted online. I have a real problem with that. Who's to
say that there is any correlation at all between
what people do in their spare time and their
work ethic while they are on the clock?
Before social media, the hiring process
was based on your resume, your experience,
sometimes a background check, your overall
knowledge, your attitude, your interview, and
how you present yourself, (depending on the
job you are applying for.)
Now, candidates can be judged off their Internet identity, an identity that can be whatever you want it to be.
Employees have a right not to disclose personal information to employers. So do em-

ployers have the right to punish their current or
prospective employees based off information
they legally shouldn't have access to?
I want to know how you can judge an applicants work ethic off of a website designed for
family and friends to keep in touch and share
their lives electronically.
I can tell you what a website cannot possibly show. It cannot show drive. It cannot show
good leadership, communication skills, adaptability, problem solving or creativity. No profile can ever adequately show that a person is
dependable, self-motivated, confident or willing to learn -- all of which are of importance
when hiring an applicant for a position.
I analyzed my own profile as ifl were a prospective employer just to see ifl was "hirable."
On my page were the following: picture of

Photo illustration by Austin Loukas and Laura Preby
A person's social life, often viewable online, can hinder chances of getting a job.

my friends and I, pictures of me with puppies,
pictures of British Olympic diver Tom Daley
(yum!) and song lyrics. There were a few
random opinion statements, my relationship
status, my religious views, my political party,
and a several of my "likes," (linkable pages
for quite literally, things I like) which included
but were not limited to: sleeping, whole wheat
bread, sloths and bacon.
Even I wouldn't hire me ifl based my decision off of that.
My Facebook or Twitter account does not
tell you anything about my education other
then where I went, it does not show any of my
work samples, leadership positions, or accomplishments.
I firmly believe that social media websites
should be eliminated as a means of gaining
information about an applicant. They do not
always accurately represent the individuals or
how they will perform in the job that they are
hoping to acquire.
Of course, there will always be situational
events in which people- should be reevaluated because of their social media, including
distasteful comments, racial remarks and drug
references that might be offensive to others. It
would be impossible to single out every situation in which people should be fired or not get
the job because of social media.
What I will say is that social media is here to
stay whether we like it or not. In recent years it
has seemly gotten out of hand and is not being
used how it was intended. Employers should
really refrain from judging people one-dimensionally on information on a website for personal, not professional, use.
@wilkesbeacon
carly.yamrus@wifkes.edu

Is dignity worth dying for? Death not a natural part of life
By Bill Thomas
~&amp;E Editor
This article was written in response to
an article written by Carly Yamrus titled
"Modern Medicine: Prolonging life or prolong death" on Sept. 11, 2012.

Y'know what's been on my mind a lot lately? Death.
I know how morbid that sounds, but don't
worry. I'm not a serial killer or a suicide case,
and I haven't been listening to a lot of Joy Division recently.
Here's the deal: On Tuesday, Sept. 4, my
grandmother died. After suffering a stroke,
her second in four years, she was left unable
to swallow food. Her health deteriorated and
the inevitable happened.
Except, it wasn't inevitable.
Years before, she had specified that if the
time ever came where she needed a feeding
tube, she didn't want one. Part of me sympathizes, but another part will always resent that.
In this case, it's not like she was brain-dead.

She was simply unable to ingest, on her own,
the nutrition needed to sustain life.
Some will argue that there are times when
accepting death is a positive thing, times when
either the financial cost, the physical cost or
the psychological cost of fighting death simply
isn't worth it. Some will argue that dying isn't
the worst thing that can happen to a person, but
that dying without dignity is.
My retort? There is no such thing as dying
with dignity.
Period.
You know what "dying with dignity" is? It's
an erroneous trope perpetuated by an overly
idealistic motion-picture industry, which leads
us to believe that we, on our death-beds, can
go quietly into everlasting slumber with some
sense of peace and honor. How quaint.
Truth is, we all go hurting and afraid, moaning and miserable, covered in our own urine,
feces and fear. Everyone dreads death. It's
hard-wired into our brains, a biological imperative as relentlessly motivating as the need
to breed.
The only ones who don't are the ones who go
suddenly and unexpectedly. And, heck, even
they have a half-second of pain, confusion and

bowel/bladder evacuation, in which all traces
of dignity and peace are purged before the horrible transition from warm humanity to cold
pile-of-rotting-meat is finally complete.
If the recommendation here is to simply quit
while we're ahead, to embrace the end before
things get really rough, why shouldn't we just
eat a bullet when we're young and beautiful,
instead of waiting for the first corrosive effects
of age to creep in?
We're all dying, after all. Slowly, but surely.
The idea that "death is a natural part of life"
is a wrong-headed cliche borrowed from Eastern and New Age philosophies that we've been
using for generations now to make ourselves
feel more enlightened and transcendent than
we really are. It's a flimsy notion snipped right
from the same hackneyed, ham-handed cloth
as "Everything happens for a reason" and
"God works in mysterious ways."
The idea that "death is a natural part of life"
is like the concept of the afterlife, a fabrication
we've devised to comfort ourselves and make
the inevitable somehow digestible. It makes us
feel like our own deaths are just another link in
some great, big, beautiful "circle of life."
Hakuna matata, right?

Except death is not a part of life, despite
what all the would-be Buddhas out there
would have you believe. Death is the polar
opposite of life. In actuality, the very essence
of life is the whole snarling, spitting, frantic
fight to stay as far away from death as possible. Suffering and struggle are part of that.
Nothing should be more important than
life; not financial debt, not escape from pain,
not promises made, not even liberty and justice for all (sorry, all you idealists who put
political martyrs on pedestals, I think you're
nuts). It's certainly more important than some
half-baked virtue like "dignity."
No measure of life is trivial, no procedure
to prolong it unreasonable. The moment you
"accept death" as a "natural part of life,"
you're already dead.
Simply put, "giving up" and "giving in"
mean the exact same thing. Don't be fooled
into thinking otherwise.

@wilkesbeacon
bill. thomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

�Sept. 25, 2012

.

.

·. .

.

·.

·. . .

.

Contact editor: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

'New Shorts' offers eight . pl8Ys ·in One · ·o~oust: From
Wilkes theater students, faculty unite for inclusive season debut
By BIii Thomas
A&amp;E Editor
A middle-aged housewife working to resurrect her dreams of thespian stardom. A group
of college students unwittingly caught up in the
conflict of the 2006 Lebanon War. A wedding
party in in which the attendees are thinking very
different things than what their smiling faces imply.
Any one of these premises could easily carry a
full three-act play by itself. But in ''New Shorts,"
the latest Wilkes University theater production,
they're all just pieces of a greater whole.
"Some of the plays are funny, some of the
plays are disturbing and some of the plays are really, very sad and even kind of gut-wrenching,"
Naomi Baker, an associate professor in the Theatre Arts Department, said. "I'm going to be really surprised if anybody's bored."
Baker is directing two of the seven one-act
plays - each written by Obie Award-winning
modem playwright Israel Horovitz - that make
up ''New Shorts." Associate Professor Joseph
Dawson is likewise directing two, while Director
of Theatre Teresa Fallon is directing three.
The production runs in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts from
Thursday, Sept. 27, through Saturday, Sept. 29 at
8 p.m, and on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m.
Demonstrating their stylistic diversity, the
seven tales that make up "New Shorts" alternate
from dark drama and sweet sentimentality to sardonic ~ wit.
Alfofthem, Fallon said, are told with a sense
of mystery meant to keep audiences guessing
while they simultaneously explore heavy themes
like death, prejudice and self-identity.
"These are thoughtful plays," Fallon said.
"There's something interesting about human nature in each one of them. They say something
about the human condition."
If variety is the spice of life, then ''New
Shorts" promises to rank pretty high on the
Scoville scale. In addition to showcasing seven
different stories, the production will also bring
together a cast of almost 20 students, which is
notably large for a dramatic production according to Dawson.
Furthermore, Dawson said, with ''New
Shorts" bringing together not only the directorial trio of Fallon, Baker and Dawson, but also a
large cast composed of actors and students of every experience level, from freshmen to seniors,

the production acts as an ideal start to the new
theater season.
In being such an inclusive production, Baker
added, this inaugural offering helps cement a
feeling of family among everyone in the Theatre
Arts Department.
As if directing two one-acts wasn't enough,
Baker will also act in a third. One reason for this
is simply to bring a measure of realism to the
play: The role Baker fills is that of a character
intended to be much older than any of the others. By playing the role herself, Baker feels the
in-story age disparity is illustrated more clearly.
Another reason, however, is that it provides
students a unique learning experience, allowing
them to rehearse and act side-by-side with a seasoned theatrical veteran.
"I've been doing this for forever, since before these students were born," Baker said with
a smile. "I bring a very different sensibility to
things than they do. I think it's really good for
them to be able to work with someone who's got
that kind of experience."
When Baker joins her students onstage for
''New Shorts," though, she won't be alone.
Adding to the already idiosyncratic nature of
the production, audience members will be
seated on the stage itself, scant feet from
the performers. As such, seating is limited, ,
but Dawson believes the effect the approach has on the audience is more than
worth it.
"These plays are intimate in nature, so the closer the audience is
the more they will understand
the play," he said. "They're
short plays, ranging from
ten minutes to about
a half an hour. You
only get a glimpse
of some of these
characters. Doing
it this way is just
right for the material. The audience can see facial
expressions
up
close and the actors don't have to
project so much."
"The
plays
here are ideadriven,
rather
than image-driv-

en," Fallon said, agreeing. "It's not about spectacle."
Admission for ''New Shorts" is $15 for the
general public, $10 for Wilkes alumni, $5 for
seniors and students. Wilkes students with valid
college ID will be admitted for free.

@wifkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

stage to page
By Jake Cochran
Assistant A&amp;E Editor
Whenever Renee
D' Aoust would check
her mailbox and find a
letter from a publishing company with a
long-winded, generic
half-apology saying
that her work wasn't
what the company
was looking for, she
would breathe a sigh
of relief.
''You're by yourself
D'AOUST
and you aren't turning
red in front of everyone, you aren't being told
'Number 99, you can leave now,"' she said,
comparing the letters to the open auditions she
experienced during her years as a modem dancer.
During that time, D'Aoust attended the prestigious Martha Graham Center of Contemporary
Dance in New York City. And though D'Aoust
still has a passion for a dance, she has long since
found a new love: Writing.
Since turning her attentions more toward
the written word, D' Aoust has penned a book,
"Body of a Dancer," published just last year by
Etruscan Press, a publishing house located oncampus and founded by Wilkes University Creative Writing program faculty members Philip
Brady and Robert Mooney.
On Sunday, Sept. 30, D' Aoust will visit Wilkes for book signing, reading and Q&amp;A session,
at 7 p.m. in the Krrby Hall salon.
"Body of a Dancer," which was a finalist for
Foreword's 2011 Book of the Year Award, "is a
memoir of her time as an up-and-coming preprofessional dancer and all the challenges and
changes that she experienced in that time.
In it, she tells of how her time dancing ultimately taught her that "every second from the
moment you walk through the door to the final
judgment, you are making an impression."
For full coverage of D' Aoust's upcoming
campus visit, as well as an extended interview
with D' Aoust, be sure to pick up next week's
edition of The Bt!acon.

GRAVEY:ARD'SHDCK
"cThf! X Factor''

h'1ake Cochran .·
mining ~arl Grimes

�10

A&amp;E

THE BEACON

Wilkes' annual Fall Fest event transforms campus
greenway into kaleidoscope of colors, games, fun

The 2012 Fall Feat was held Thursday, Sept. 20, through Sunday, Sept. 22,
on the WIikes campus greenway. The event was sponsored by the Programming Board, Student Government and the Inter-Residence Hall Council.
ding each event and then tum them In
Prizes ranged from a new IPad to a
ets for the varloua food

•

.........

Photos By Kat Dodson, Brittany Battista, Austin Loukas, Dan Lykens

I S1

�N

1

I Sept. 25, 2012

A&amp;E

11

�d2

By Bill Thomas
A&amp;E Editor

This past weekend, the movie "Dredd"
c'ame barreling into multiplexes across America, an adaptation of the long-running U.K.
comic book series. That's right, "Dredd"''
isn't merely a remake of an execrable 1995
Sylvester Stallone vehicle. Its roots go back
much further, sprouting from a'"subterranean
world of comics very different from the one
dominated by web-slingin' wall-crawlers and
dark-knight detectives.
While superheroes are what the mainstream typically associates with comic books,
the truth is that the medium runs much deeper
and richer than that, boasting a more diverse
spectrum of stories than what the capes-andtights oeuvres of Marvel and DC would .imply.
Take Judge Dredd. Created in 1977 by
British writer John Wagner, artist Carlos Ezquerra and editor Pat Mills, Dredd was a far
cry from the optimistic demigods of American com ics. Env isioned as a critique of the
establishment-friend ly authori tarian fascism
embod ied by superheroes in general, and also
as an over-the-top exaggeration of the popular tough-guy uber-cop archetype, Dredd was
borderline misanthropic, unforgiving and
ultra-violent, with
Did I say "was"? Make that " is." Judge
Dredd is still one of the most well-kn0"-'11
com ic characters in the U.K. , having been the
breakout star of Jong-running anthology series "2000 AD" for almost three decades now,
in addition to headlining a spin-off title of his
own , the "Judge Dredd Megazine," in 1990.

A&amp;E

It, too, is still in publication.
In France, another anthology magazine,
"Metal Hurlant," lived a short but influential
life, spinning off a surprisingly long-lasting
U.S. edition called "Heavy Metal."
What do these anthologies have in common? Well, besides an emphasis on longer,
more epic tales told in short-but-sweet serialized format, there's a notable lack of any
characters in the traditional superhero vein.
When they do appear, they 're most often
treated as parodies.
Instead, the focus of comic magazines
like "Heavy Metal" is on tales of horror, science fiction, fantasy and erotica. Simply put,
these are not kiddie books. They're graphic in
terms of violence, language and, yes, sexuality. However, they're also more adult in tem1s
of plot, characterization and theme, and much
more expe1imental in tenns of storytelling, art
and genre-bending.
To wit, "Requiem : Vampire Knight" - written by the same Pat Mills who helped co-create Dredd - explores a high-concept universe
in which Hell is expressed as a perverse planet Earth. Everything there is the opposite as it
is here : Pain is pleasure, evil is good, beauty
is ugly and everyone ages in reverse. On the
surface, it's a simple tale of nihilistic, BDSMinspired sword-and-sorcery. Jn time, though,
it reveals itself a layered study of human history, morality and theology.
Proving the U .S. can be just as iconoclastic as its foreign cousins when it wants to be,
the homegrown world of alternative and underground "comix" operates at both ends of
the spectrum: On one side, mad geniuses like
Robert Crumb and Gary Panter ply their trade
in the form of hippie and punk culture-inspired low-brow high-art. Imagine inebriated,
existential porno versions of Looney Tunes or
psychedelic nuclear-nightmare iterations of
pre-Comics Code horror yams.
On the other side, mature themes are taken
to their most sophisticated conclusions in cath.artic, confessional tales of love, angst and
self-discovery a la' Henry Pekar's autobiographical "American Splendor."
Even "The B.ig Two" are in on the act. In
1993, DC founded the avant-garde imprint
Vertigo, publisher of such critical darlings
as " Fables" and "The Sandman." All would
prove essentially more "grown-up" versions
of the same experimental pulp one might fin d
in a back issue of "Heavy Metal," transp lanting glittery fairy-tale icons to the shadows of
noir or forging new Goth icons in the fires of
Greek mythology.
All this, and we haven't even touched Japan.
Clearly, there's a lot more to comic books
than box-office bonanzas like "The Dark
Knight Rises" and "The Avengers" would
have the mainstream believe. Much more
than superheroes, to say the least.

THE BEACON

I Sept. 25, 2012

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�Sept. 25, 2012

Contapt ed i~or: anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

New renovations push Farley Library into the 21st cen~ury
By Anne Yoskoski

..

Life Editor

Whether using the computers, attempting to
print something or meeting a study group, students have most likely spent a lot of their time
in our Farley library. Lately, big changes have
been taking place in order to benefit the students and push the library into the 21st century.
Some of the most obvious changes are the
new front entrance doors and handicap access
ramp. Previously, any handicapped students
had to take the service elevator in order to access the library.
Many of the other changes, however, are
technological.
"We are trying to update the library to make
it a 21st century library," said Head of Public
Services Brian Sacolic, "and every year we are
getting closer to that."
The basic goal behind the latest library updates has been to align the first, second and

third floors with the Alden Learning Commons
in the basement, which has received an excellent student response.
"We have hard data that proves our statistics
as far as foot traffic, laptop rentals, interlibrary
loans and book checkouts have improved dramatically over the last few years," Sacolic said.
The improved data has to do mainly with
the improved library. Students are able to rent
MacBooks and iPads for use in the library as
well as access more than 5,000 eBooks.
"We have been amassing eBook collections
and databases over the years, and we have built
an impressive collection," Sacolic said.
In addition to the new archives -- the newest being American Historical Newspapers -and databases, students now have new, highvolume printers that are capable of printing
up to 30,000 pages per cartridge of ink. This
includes a functioning color printer, so students can customize their printing in various
ways. With these new printers, it is hoped that

The Beacon/Austin Lo ukas
Library staff voices their eagerness to open the new library doors (above), but
everyone is pleased with the beautiful result pictured on the right.

students will not lose as much money printing
things and will not have to go running to IT
for refunds.
Students can also take advantage of the new
Xerox machines that will produce a clearer
copy with less shadowing.
One of the biggest changes to the library
are the hours of operation. Farley Library now
has a 24-hour computer lab that students can
access with their Wilkes ID. It will allow full
use of the lower floor of the library, allowing
students to enter through the South Street entrance. Security will walk through at various
times, making sure the environment is safe for
all students.
As for the future of the library, more renovations are planned. The goal so far is to make
the second and third floors as conducive to productivity as possible, modeling them after the
lower and first floors. Now that the new doors
are installed, the next thing on the agenda for
the library is possibly a new air conditioning

system 'to 'combat the stuffiness so many students have experienced in the spring semesters.
"We are trying to move away from that
archival-warehouse mentality," Sacolic said.
"We are still pushing for a coffee bar, but honestly, the improvements in physical and Web
presences have taken place at amazing speeds.
We are thankful for the support of the administration and the great reception from the students".
The staff at Farley Library is enthusiastic
about the changes and the feedback from the
students. Even more upcoming changes are being planned, such as more instructive classes
on bibliographic information and creating an
environment similar to what Sacolic ~ ls "an
academically inclined Barnes &amp; Noble rather
than an information warehouse."
@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

�14

LIFE

THE BEACON

I Sept. 25, 2012

Apple's iPhone 5 is the biggest iPhone release ever
By Anthony Bartoli
Correspondent
As you are all more than aware, whether you
are an Apple lover or hater, the highly anticipated iPhone 5 was released to the public on
Sept. 21.
Most people were, and still ar,E, weary about
purchasing it. This article delves into main
points that may help you decide if this phone is
worth your hard-earned cash.
First and foremost, the screen of the iPhone
5 is larger than any model before it. It measures
an astounding 4 inches. With the new screen,
the phone's length is a bit longer as well. Not
much (less than half an inch taller) from previous models, but you can clearly distinguish an
iPhone 5 from any other Apple product.
Accodring to Apple, this model also has a
brand new design. Along with the new four
4-inch screen, the iPhone 5 is also only 7.6 mm
(millimeters) thick. Because it's so thin, Apple
had to create a new, smaller SIM card. It is being called a "nano-SIM" card.
So, if you have the 4S or any model before
it (or any other type of phone) you will need to
get a new SIM card to fit the iPhone S's SIM
slot. A new SIM card is free of charge, no matter which carrier you use.
Another thing that will cause you to purchase
new items, such as an iHome, is the new "port"
or "dock." For some people, this is a nightmare
because it means buying all new accessories.
For others, it's a dream come true. "The intelligent, reversible Lightning connector is 80 percent smaller than the 30-pin connector" (apple.
com). Apple will be selling $29.99 conversion
kits for old chargers, or iPhone users can buy
new chargers outright.
One hot topic of conversation is the new operating system, iOS 6. With iOS 6, iPhone users can now get turn-by-tum directions using
the Maps app.
Along with that, the Maps built-in app also
features "FlyoverView." For example, if you're
looking at New York City, you can see almost
every detail of the skyline, as if you're actually
flying over the city:
Siri can now make you dinner reservations
at your favorite restaurant. She can also give
you movie times, and the scores of your favorite teams. She can also open apps now, which
is extremely helpful. Also with iOS 6, you can
now tweet, and update your status either using
Siri, or the notifications bar.
"FaceTime now works over cellular net-

works as well as Wi-Fi, so you can make and
receive FaceTime calls wherever you happen
to be. You can even make and receive FaceTime calls on your iPad using your phone
number. That means you can use FaceTime
wherever you are, on any device. And never
miss another wink, smile, air kiss or eye roll,"
(apple.com).
The iSight camera also comes with a really
awesome new feature-Panorama. "The new
panorama feature for iPhone and iPod touch
lets you capture everything from a momentous
family reunion photo to a sweeping vista.6
With one simple motion you can shoot up to
240 degrees - even vertically, to get that redwood tree, say. Then hardware and software
work together to create one seamless, highresolution panorama," (apple.com)".

iOS 6 is compatible with the' following devices:
- iPhone 3GS
- iPhone 4
- iPhone 4S
- iPhone 5
- iPod touch (4th generation)
- iPod touch (5th generation)

If you're interested in purchasing Apple's
newest, must-have gadget, prices and mode)s vary, as well as the colors. The only two
available colors of the iPhone 5 are "black &amp;
slate" or "white &amp; silver." For the 16 GB (gigabyte) model, the price (when available for an
upgrade) is $199. The 32 GB (when available
for an upgrade) is $299, and the 64 GB model
(when available for an upgrade) will cost $399.
The closest Apple Retail Store is located
at the Lehigh Valley Mall (250 Lehigh Valley Mall Whitehall, PA 18052. However, to
save yourself a 45-minute trip, you can just
go to http://store.apple.com/us or call Apple at
1-800-MY-APPLE.

- iPad 2
@anthonybartoli
anthony.bartoli@wilkes.edu

- "The new iPad"

The Beacon/ Laura Preby

The new IPhone 5 has a bigger screen, different charging port, better speakers, an AG processor, thinner, lighter, Improved Siri, updated maps app and passbook app. The new iPhone is carried by Sprint, at&amp;t, and Verizon.

Nick Cholewa:
, Junior
Criminology/
Sociology
"Where can I
hide a body?"

Senior
Environmental
Engineering
"Can you tell me
a story?"

Freshman
English Major
"WIii you go
out with me?"

"How late Is
Asian kitchen
open?"

�15

THE BEACON

LIFE

I Sept. 25, 2012

First annual volunteer fair at Wilkes University is a success
By Bob Grabosky
Staff Writer

.

Wilkes University held its first volunteer
fair on Sept. I 8, 2012. There were a number
of non profit organizations participating,
including Blue Chip Farms, American Red
Cross, Special Olympics of Luzerne County
and Center for the Village. Coordinating the
event was Megan Valkenburg, director of
Community Development.
Valkenburg was pleased with the outcome
of the fair, despite the inclement weather
that dampened the region.
"It ·was a good fair, but the weather hindered some students from attending," said
Valkenburg.
Those people who did come took advantage of the fair which may help them in the
long run and the volunteering will be a good
piece to any resume when it is time to look
for a permanent job.
Blue Chip Farms Animal Refuge is a nonprofit organization that rescues all kinds of
animals, from dogs and cats to exotic animals, such as giraffes. It does not euthanize
the animals if they are not adopted.
Shannon Scannell, a volunteer for Blue
Chip Farms, said that they rescue any animals that are on the street or abandoned.
She also said that they try to find the animals loving homes with people who love
animals and can take care of them.
Some organizations like the SPCA are
government funded. She said these organizations tend to give up looking for a home
for an animal after a certain period of time,
not caring about our furry friends.

"The government puts their arms down
when the animals are not adopted." said
Scannell.
The organization is a volunteer one that
depends on the donations from the public
so it can fulfill its mission, which is to save
all kinds of animals. Scannell also said that
Blue Chip's method is better and more humane than the SPCA's.
The American Red Cross depends on blood
and plasma donations for those in need. The
Red Cross is similar to The Salvation Army
in that they help disaster victims and children in need.
The Red Cross also has a Bloodmobile,
which travels all over the area, to local high
schools, colleges and work places so other
people can volunteer their time and blood,
giving to a good cause.
For more information, e-mail Pauline.
Schwalm-Andel@redcross.org or Edna. Vivian@redcross.org
Another participant of this year's volunteer fair was a local organization called
Center of the Village; a ministry comprised
of three Presbyterian churches that recently
merged.
Their main goal is to help children through
an after-school program. This program helps
the children in the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre
area that are in need. Mostly these consist of
first, second and third grade students. Once
school is over for the day, they go to the Village for help in reading and math.
The Village also offers a course in music
and theater. The organization also gets the
children outside to play basketball, baseball
and ice hockey.
Ann Anderika, volunteer for the Center of

the Village, said the purpose of the organization is to get the children doing physical activities, like playing catch, which helps their
balance. There are other exercises that they
could do, like yoga, which is offered to the
kids. It also improves the childrens' strength
and agility.
"We teach the children to read, the multiplication tables, and for the girls, throw like
a boy," Andreika said.
The organizations volunteer their time to
help out students in the community and in

Monday, September 24, 2012

6:00pm
6:30pm
7:30pm
8:00pm

Wilkes On Wednesday
Reveille To Taps
The WB
Generation X
Classic Arts Showcase

the county. They are also trying to get the
children away from the computers and go
outside and play, make friends, and communicate with one another.

Below, the Red Cross and Special
Olympics of Luzerne County talk about
their charities at the volunteer fair.
@wilkesbeacon
robert.grabosky@wilkes.edu

6:30pm
7:30pm
8:00pm

Thursday, September 27, 2012

6:00pm

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

6:00pm

The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

Shannon Scannell, a volunteer for Blue Chip Farms Animal Refuge requests
students to sign up to help.

The Revitalization of Downtown
Wilkes Barre
6:30pm Flyboys
7:30pm Wilkes on Wednesdays
8:00pm Rosenn Lecture-Greg Mortenson
9:49:52pm Classic Arts Showcase
Wednesday, September 26, 2012

6:00pm

Wy-Val-Media: Challenges and
Changes

Class of 1986
The Price Is Almost Right
Rosen Lec.-Michelle Rhee
Classical Arts Showcase

6:30pm
7:30pm
8:00pm

Iron Horses: A History of Railroads
in the Wyoming Valley
Magic to Do
Unlucky Cinderella
OLF-Eli Wiesel
Classical Arts Showcase
Friday, September 28, 2012

6:00pm
6:30pm
7:30pm
8:00pm

Wilkes Barre History Documentary
Cross Gen. Focus Group
Under The Sea
Much Ado About Nothing

�Sept. 25, 2012

Contact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

No. 21 Widener powers past Wilkes, 90-0
Pride scores on 12 straight possessions as Colonels' offense, defense struggle in MAC loss
Courtesy Sports Information
The Wilkes University football team saw its
first 100-plus yard rusher this season as junior
Auxence Wogou went for 116 yards on 20 carries, but the high-powered No. 21 Widener
University offense exploded for 681 yards of
total offense to post a 90-0 win over the Colonels in Middle Atlantic Conference play Sept.
22.
Wilkes falls to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in MAC
play. Widener remains unbeaten at 4-0 and
moves to 3-0 in league games.
The Widener offense needed little time
gaining momentum taking a 7-0 lead after a
Robert Getz two-yard touchdown run on its
first possession.
The Wilkes defense caused its only turnover
of the game when DJ Shuttleworth intercepted
Widener quarterback Chris Haupt midway
through the first quarter setting the Colonels
up at the Widener 34.

The Colonel offense struggled throughout
the contest, not converting a point with the
positive field position after failing to pick up a
first down on the drive.
From there, the Pride scored touchdowns on
its next 12 possessions including five through
the air as Haupt finished with six touchdown
tosses on 21-for-27 passing and 415 yards.
Wogou led the Colonel offense with his best
outing of the season going for more than 100
yards for the first time this year.
Quarterback Alex George started under center, going ll-for-23 for 76 yards and two interceptions.
Sophomore tight end Drew Devitt was the
top Colonel receiver finishing with three catches for 24 yards.
On defense, Tyler Thomas, Jake Sarson,
Tate Moore-Jacobs and Ty Cunningham each
contributed six ta~kles.
Wilkes (1-2, 0-2 MAC) returns home Sept.
29 to host FDU-Florham at Schmidt Stadium.

Courtesy of Sports Information
Junior running back Auxence Wogou, right, rushed 116 yards at the Sept. 22

'Ultimate Fighter': It's broken, so let's fix it
By Jake Cochran
Assistant A&amp;E Editor
Sept. 14 was the premiere of Season 16 of
"The Ultimate Fighter," and it had the lowest
ratings of any season's debut, while 947,000
isn't terrible for a Friday, it's a far cry from it's
glory days.
A common sentiment with fans of the series
is that, they just feel it's blurring together and
it's just not an interesting format anymore, and
it's just over done after 16 seasons.
Every season there is always going to be
a ringer whom no one really recognizes and
then delve a little deeper into the fighter's history. The person has a fight against a current
champion and it turns out he is miles ahead of
everyone else, like Jonathan Brookins.
Then the producers put the fighter in the
house just to mess with everyone and that person ends up having minimal talent other than
the fact that he has a knack for getting under
the skin of everyone.
Sometimes this person ends up turning it
around after a couple fights in the UFC but
during the series he is hopeless. Still, he somehow manages to make it to the quarterfinals,
like Josh Koscheck or Matt Mitrione.
By far the most frustrating thing about the
series recently though, has been its emphasis
on staying in the lighter weight classes. While
I'm well aware the organization has recently
added bantamweight and featherweight and
was trying to expand those divisions, there is
absolutely no need for another season on lightweights.

The lightweight division is arguable the most
competitive and deep division in the sport,
UFC does not need to be using a reality TV
series to gain new competitors for this division.
It can just take any number of lightweights
from any other promotion because when you
are 15 5 pounds, you don't have a ton of sports
options. You really can't be a linebacker like
the heavyweights can.
UFC needs to get back to what gave it the
best ratings and give the people what they want
to see. They need heavyweights. For chrissakes, UFC 146 was an all-heavyweight main
card and sold like gang-busters. Make another
heavyweight season.
The talent is out there and the fighters want
to get back to the UFC, so make them go the
same route Kimbo Slice had to go; send them
through the TUF house.
Tim Sylvia wants to get back in the UFC so
badly, make him live in a house with Andrei
Arlvoski, Brett Rodgers and a bunch of other
guys and have them figh~or a contract. That
season practically just sold itself.
1
The coaches could be practically anyone,
they could have literally the most boring
coaches on earth and the fighters in that house
would sell the season because at this point how
many of the past few coaches have actually
fought each other.
Then to narrow that down, how many of
those fights were actually competitive or good
fights?
Faber and Cruz never fought, Junior and
Brock never got to fight, Chuck and Tito didn't
fight, Rampage-Rashad and Serra-Hughes took

about a thousand years to happen, and most recently Vitor and Wanderlei coached TUF Brazil, and they didn't fight.
So really why even bother building all this
animosity between coaches when in the end,
they don't even fight each other.
Then if you think about when Rampage and
Evans finally did get to lock horns, Rampage
looked like he should have stuck with acting
and saved himself that embarrassing fight.
I'm not saying that Rashad outclassed him;
I'm saying it was a poor performance on both
fighters.
But if you want to find a fight that showed
someone who did get outclassed, that would
be when Season 14's coaches fought, or to be
more correct, when Michael Bisping beat up
and humiliated Mayhem Miller.
I'm not sure what the circumstances were
that led Mayhem Miller to look so terrible but
he never seemed to get his mojo back and went
on to lose one more fight in the UFC before
getting cut and retiring.
To sum up the points I'm trying to make
here though, "The Ultimate Fighter" can still
be successful, it just needs some tweaking and
for the love of all things holy, take the series
off Friday nights.
The target demographic is not at home on
Fridays at 10 p.m.

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Cross County
competes at NEPA
Classic race
Courtesy Sports Information
The Wilkes University men's and women's cross country teams competed at the
NEPA Classic hosted by King's College
Friday afternoon at the Hollenback Golf
Course.
The Wilkes men finished fifth in the 6k
race, while three Lady Colonels recorded
times in the women's 4k race.
For the Colonels (135 points), Martin
Tolbert (York, PA/William Penn) ran the
second fastest 6k time in school history
crossing the line at 22:28 for 22nd place.
Mike McCleaf (Fairfield, PA/Delone
Catholic) followed with a time of23 :20 for
25th place, while Stephen Synder came in
at 23:50 (27th). Sam Miller (24:29/30th),
Trevor Kapschall (25 :54/31 st), RJ Sperazza (27:0l /32nd), and Ashton Zanecki
(Annapolis, MD/Annapolis) (29:46/34th)
rounded out the Wilkes finishers.
On the women's side, Rachel Constant
(Nazareth, PA/Notre Dame) ran the second fastest 4k time in school history with
a mark of 17: 16, good for 14th place.
Both squads return to action Sept. 29
when they travel to Carlisle, Pa., to run in
the Dickinson Invitational.

�17

SPORTS

THE BEACON I Sept. 25, 2012
Ryan Joyce, a sophomore defender for
the Wilkes University soccer team, said
he usually gets nervous before games,
but he tries to relax
by staying loose and
joking with fellow
players.

Joyce

What is your biggest source of inspiration?
My family is by far my biggest inspiration. It
means the world to me when I see my dad at
Continued from Page 19
every game, knowing that it can be a two-hour
drive or more. Every time I walk on the field
Any specific job you would love to hold in I know that I want to play to my full potential
life? There isn't a specific job that I would and represent my last name in a positive way.
love to have, I just want to enjoy what I do and Family is everything to me.
hope that I look forward to work everyday.

What pro soccer players do you admire and
look up to? I'd have to say t,bat my favorite
player is the Bayem Munich defender Philipp
Lahm. Every time I watch him play I always
try and mimic his style on the field.

Season Stats:
Games Played:
5
Shots Per game:

Describe to us your pre-game ritual ? I usually prefer to stay loose and joke around with
some players. I get nervous and anxious pretty
easily, so I find it easier to just relax and enjoy
the game.

0.40
Goals Per game:

0.00
Assists Per game:

0.20

What kind of music gets you pumped up
before games? I always listen to Red Hot
Chili Peppers before the games and sometimes house music. I just need something with
a fast beat to it, because it helps me focus on
the game but not get too nervous.
Is it hard balancing school work with games
and practice? I actually find it easier to do
schoolwork during soccer season, because
when you're constantly busy you manage
time a lot better and eliminate procrastination.

The Beacon/
Laura Preby

Points Per game:

0.20

•

Total Minutes:
387

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

WE, PAIN, 1-St+llt1S
81 Waller Street Wilkes Barre, PA 18702

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�18

SCOREBOARD
Cross Country

.

9/21 NEPA Classic - M 5th

Field Hockey
9/19 Juniata - L 1-5
9/22 Eastern - L 3-5

Football
9/15 Wilkes - 0
Albright - 90

M-Soccer
9/22 Lenanon Valley- L 0-1
9/15 Elizabe:~htown - L 1-4

W-Soccer
9/22 Arcadia - T 0-0
9/23 Daemen - W 4-0

Volleyball
9/22 Keystone - W 3-0

WEEKAHEAD
Cross Country
9/29 Dickinson Invitational

Field Hockey
9/24 at Alvernia
9/28 VS FDU-Florham

Football
9/29 VS. FDU Florham

M-Soccer
9/25 VS. Elmira
9/27 VS Penn College

W-Soccer
9/26 VS Susquehanna
9/29 VS. Del Valley

M-Tennis
9/22-23 Scranton Trnt.

W-Tennis
9/29-30 Bloomsburg Trnt.

Volleyball
9/26 VS. King's

THE BEACON

SPORTS

Q

[?1}

Joseph Pugliese

I Sept. 25, 2012

I
Frank Passalacqua

Columnist

[ Sports editor

Fork over the cash

Bring them back!

The NFL only a year after it locked out its
players has locked out its regular referees. The
referees were demanding more money, most
importantly a better pension and retirement
package.
The refs, just like the media and players,
took a step back and saw the money machine
the NFL has become and basically have said
we want a bigger piece of the pie.
Now at first I was on the NFL's side on 17""',_..,__,..,=,;;
this issue, the refs have had a pretty good
deal. They work mid-August to February and
that's it. And they only really work one or two
days a week and get paid a range of $25,000
to $75,000 ranging from young line judges to
head refs.
I would definitely not mind making 50k to
work one day a week and watch a NFL game
up close. That's pretty good.
The preseason was rough and made me
doubt their ability to control and manage an
NFL game. The first week was a pleasant sur- I,
prise, though, and I started to become confiav~rage
dent that these refs are actually pretty good and The
that the locked-out refs would stop their protest
and come back.
There were some procedural issues and they
were lenient on the holding calls but overall
RQ,
n:}pst
most games I wouldn't have known the differ- per
ence.
partThen week two hit. Week two was so bad of
to the point where I could barely watch. There
~[!!;Jg
were fights in games refs failed to control,
holding was being called on DBs and they
.,. .
.,. "' · "'
. . .·.' ,, . ., .:::·~
became pass interference happy to the point t
where it was called before there was ever contact. One game was reported to have 28 wrong
calls or procedures. Five maybe, 10 is under- oUter Jobs.
standable, but 28?!
Week two made me yearn for the old refs.
My advice to the NFL is: pay the money. In
the grand scheme of things, it's a drop in the
bucket.
Player safety and quality of the product is
at stake here. I won't say all the new refs are 1re~~ree' Ed -Hoehull 'WOrK;~. ,&lt;c
bad; I have been impressed with a select few.
[~Ve,,
Some will probably be offered a job after the ¾
•
new refs come back, and this did open the door
.· e·r ·1.
for the first female ref to come into the game 11
which is a great story. But bring the refs back
please.

The NFL is officially a mess; see what I did
there?
Last year when the players failed to reach
an agreement with the CBA, the lockout had
fans all across the country scared out of their
minds. What could be worse than no football?
Well, I'll tell you what: replacement refs.
This year, the NFL finds themselves in a
similar situation as last season. Instead, 2012
brings a feud between the league and the referees. What it all comes down to is money.
The refs want more dough and the league
doesn't want to budge. As a result, the NFL
is left with horrible excuses for replacement
refs.
First off, the referees calling a game on
Sunday are far from knowing how th~ NFL
runs. Most of them are from Division mcolleges, like Wilkes, or they're just an average
Joe. In fact, referee Jim Core is an every day
eight-grade geography teacher!
If any fan or an occasional viewer has sit
down and watched a full game so far this season, they will surely see a difference in what
is going on. It's not too uncommon for players, coaches or announcers to disagree with
a call, but this trend of missed calls or just
completely pointless flags are starting to ruin
the image of the game.
You know something is wrong when during
a game when you hear the announcers laugh
and pick apart what the ref thinks he knows.
Not only are penalties becoming a problem,
but these refs simply can not keep control of
the players, and that is a bad sign. I have never
seen more fights break out in a season than I
have so far in just two weeks. For instance,
during the Philadelphia Eagles vs Baltimore
Ravens matchup, the game was stopped a
total of six times due to fighting. No players
were ejected, and the penalties given off-set,
giving the teams no consequences for their
actions.
If the referees don't step up and gain control, it will be out of their hands before they
know it.
I am not saying the league is right by not
giving the real refs their money, but it really
is just getting ridiculous. NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell obviously sees what is going
on on Sundays, so unless he wants the games
to become a mutual joke to the teams, he better make a move.
Ifus, the fans, had any say in this, I'd love
to go on a "watching the game" strike so they
lose millions! But hey, like we have any power.
On the bright side, at least the refs have
now learned to face the camera while giving
a call.

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@wifkesbeacon
joseph.pugliese@wilkes.edu

Tweet us:
Send messages
and pictures to:
@wu_BeaconSports

@wifkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

�THE BEACON

I Sept. 25, 2012

BY FRANK PASSALACQUA

Sports Editor
Meet Ryan Joyce, a sophomore accounting
major and defender for the Wilkes University mens soccer team. Ryan hails out of
Warminster; Pennsylvania (right outside of
Northeast Philadelphia). Fresh out ofArchbishop Wood, Ryan earned himself a starting role on the team as only a freshman. He
is All Catholic honors, cdptain ofPIAA state
runner up and the District 12 champion.
With Colonels like this, it is no doubt the
team is headed in the right direction.

When did you first start playing soccer and why? My parents got me enrolled
around the age of 5 because they wanted
to get me involved in a sport. They figured
soccer would be a good start, because other neighborhood kids were already on the
. team.
How is the game different from high
school to college? The game isn't too different talent-wise, it's just a lot quicker and
faster. It also requires a lot more dedication
to staying conditioned and fit.
What makes it give it your all from week
to week? It's the little things that make us
pursue the ultimate goal of winning a MAC
championship. We all understand that even
if we take one week off, that can be the difference between a championship or not.
What is the hardest part about being on
the team? Fun Fridays or conditioning we
receive after having a day off. I know in the
long run it's going to better us, but I dread
those practices.
What was your proudest moment on the
field? My proudest moment had to be my
first game. Coach put me in the starting
lineup and I was really nervous, but all of
the guys were there for support and really
had my back. It was a great feeling to experience.
What is one game you'll never forget?
The game against Arcadia was probably my
most memorable game. It was an intense
game that had a lot ofred and yellow cards
and a season ending injury to our goalie
Dave Marr. Even though the game was out
of control, we all showed good character
and made sure we looked out for each other.
What made you decide to major in accounting? My dad and other family members are CPA's and accountants, so I figure
it would be a smart decision to follow into
their occupation.

See JOYCE, Page 17

SPORTS

12

r

�Fall Faslikm
tips
,t

BY ALYSSA STENCAVAGE
--- Asst. Life Editor

1_

Once again, the leaves on the trees are
changing colors and the temperature of the air
indicates a change of season. This only means
one thing: Fall is right around the comer.
Some enjoy the changes this season brings,
while others not so much. When we think of
we probably think of cooler temperatures,
which might bring to mind the idea of things
like hot chocolate and the wearing of boots,
sweaters, scarves and all of those fun fall accessories.
To keep up with fashion and trends that are
constantly evolving, we might seek new and
creative ways to improve our current styles,
and junior Communication Studies major
Morgan Evans is here to help us do just that.
"I love large-face menswear-inspired watches mixed with different raw stone accessories
for a combination of both classic and bohemian style," Evans said. She said you can never
go wrong with a scarf, no matter what style
a have, because it keeps you cozy and looks
good.
Sophomore Britney Williams said she likes
"scarves, jeans with leather boots and a long
sleeve shirt or sweater" for the fall.
Studded anything is a popular or "hot" trend
this fall, which "adds a rough edge to any
look" and still allows for "soft touches in order to make an outfit feminine," Evans said.
Leather jeggings are also big this season, and
while colored jeans are still popular; they give
an edgier look when in "darker, jewel-tone
washes," Evans said. Denim button shirts are
seen everywhere and you can make a trend
your own just by taking advantage of the million DIY projects out there.
If you're interested in fashion, you might

1rl,

-

.
if h
. l
b e w on dennK
t ere are any new amva s
out there for this upcoming fall season. The
answer is yes. Most notably designers such as
Herve Leger, BCBG Max Azria and Jason Wu
from New York Fashion Week feature some
harness-like wear. If you' re willing to try a bit
of a different look, tops that look like a harness
like the belted straps look is one option for a
new fall appearance.
What is the most important fall fashion tip?
Well, Evans says that it is best to layer, layer,
layer!
"I love this time of year because layering
means I am super cozy in class, but sometimes
this time of year makes the weather situation
a little tricky," Evans said. She suggests that
mixing different pieces you can take off after a
breezy walk to class is a good way to avoid the
Goldilocks "too hot, too cold" dilemma.
A final piece of advice is to invest in a good
pair of boots that won't fall apart because "that
is something no girl should live without and
will go with any outfit." She said boots are "always in and are a classic piece that can stay
with you for years to come."
"My style for the fall consists of boots,
moccasins, hoodies, leather jackets, colorful
scarves," junior ZabaidaAzad said.
By listening to what is presented here, new
ideas are brought to the table for this fall season and also offer ways to deal with the cold
temperatures that will follow. Living in an area
where things are constantly changing, we must
always be open to conforming our styles to the
season and being prepared for any unexpected
turns. These fall fashion tips can help us get
started.
Photos By The Beacon/Austin Loukas

@wilkesbeacon
alyssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

Morgan Evans offers helpful tips on ways to stay fashionable t his fall season.
By adding a few minor accesories anyone can make an outfit look successful,
Evans points out . Her tips will keep you warm, comfortable and fashionable.
Below, fall fashion accessories to keep as closet staples.

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                    <text>Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

Oct. 2, 2012

THE BEACON
The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow.

Volume 65 Issue 4

n

The Beacon/Laura Preby

For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.co~

�SG vans undergo $840 update

utism group given

ormal SG club status

By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor
Last fall after flood relief efforts, the Student Government vans underwent full detailing to return them to their original form.
However, over the past year the vans have not
had the proper upkeep and SG says they are in
need of a full detailing once again.
"They are used on a close to daily basis, it
is hundreds of different students using them
across the area they just naturally get dirty,"
John Sweeney, vans committee president and
senior class vice president, said.
During the SG meeting held on Sept. 26,
the executive board voted to grant the vans
committee $840 to ensure the $210 fee per
van is covered for the full detailing they will
undergo starting next week.
"Although it does sound expensive, it is an
extremely thorough cleaning," Sweeney said.
"It is really a complete 180 from when we
drop them off to when we pick them up."
While there has always been a policy in
place to help ensure the safety and cleanliness
of the university vehicles, they are hoping to
make some changes in order to fix some of
the re-occurring issues.
Executive Director of Capital Projects John
Pesta said the changes would include items
such as drivers must be at least 19 years of
age, they must submit a Motor Vehicle Record check, drivers being responsible for
evaluating the condition of the university vehicle and drivers being subject to applicable
university disciplinary procedures for failure
to comply.
Sweeney said the vans committee now includes a checklist for those making use of the
SG «ms. In-town trips will have a form that
will reflect the name of the driver, the starting
mileage, where they are going and any problems there may be with the vans.
For out-of-town trips, there is a full checkout form, including, name, WIN number,
names of passengers, where the trip is going,
if the van has a full tank of gas, if it is clean,
if the taillights and headlights work and other
details.
"We decided that it would be a good time
to really update the way that we track the use
of the vans to make sure that they are staying clean, that they aren't being left on empty,
that we find out when a taillight or a head-

The Student Government meeting was
called to order at 6:03 p.m.

The Beacon/Dan Lykens
The vans rented out by student government were given new regulations dealing
with factors as age, record check and evaluating their condition.

light is out or the wipers need to be replaced,"
Sweeney said. "Because I don't drive them all
the time, we need the feedback from students
so we can properly maintain them and ensure
their safety."
For those using the vans that do not properly
follow the new system or are still returning the
vans with messes or problems, there will now
be a suspension system put in place. For firsttime offenders there will be a warning, and
after the second and third time there will be
a possible a two-week suspension from using
the vans.
Sweeney said policies to keep the vans clean
are good for the entire student population.
"The vans are there . . . so, by keeping them
clean, you are not just helping yourselves,
you are helping the student body as a whole,"
Sweeney said.

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The Beacon apologizes far ttiese
errors.

@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

@shawncarey8
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
)

130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wil kes-Barre, PA 18766

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook

News Editor: Christine Lee

Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro

Opinion Editor: CarlyYamrus

Ad Manager: Brittany Battist a

A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas

PHONE: (570) 408-5903

Photo Ed itor: Laura Preby

Life Ed ito r: Anne Yoskoski

WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Adviser: Loran Lewis

Sports Editor: Fra~k Passalacqua

I

All College: $9,550
Conferences: $700
General Funds: $18,213
Leadership: $600
Spirit: $872.34
Student Government Total: $29,935.34
Paintball Club
.
A representative from the Paintball Club
discussed the club and successes over the past
year. They are hoping to keep new membership up for the year and want to be sanctioned
by the NCPA. The club is on week 1 of 2 for
requesting funds for an upcoming trip. The
club is requesting $673.92. They said that
they do not have any plans for a large fundraiser because of the transition of leadership.
Autism Speaks
The Autism Speaks club met for the second week. The club is seeking club status
by the student government. Club representatives said they met with the community service department who said it would not make
sense for them to be considered a community
service club, but instead should be a student
government recognized club. They said they
have 78 students interested in the club, majority of that comes from sophomores and
seniors.
A motion was made to recognize the Autism Speaks club as a Student Government
recognized club. The motion passed 33-0-7.
Van committee update
The van committee presented for the second week. The committee is seeking funds
from Student Government to clean and get
new decals for the vans. Chair of the vans
committee, John Sweeney, said that the cost
for cleaning the vans would be $840. He was
also asking $70 for new magnetic decals.
A motion was made by treasurer Sam
Bickert to allocate $840 to clean the vans, no
magnets. The motion passed 38-2-2
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

Meet the Staff

Michelle Coyle
Assistant Sports Editor

�THE BEACON

I Oct 2, 2012

3

NEWS

Wilkes named military-friendly school for the third year in a row
By Devoni Novak
Staff Writer

For the third consecutive year, Wilkes University ranked among the top 15 percent of
Military-Friendly Schools in the nation for its
dedication to aiding the success of veteran students.
With 55 veterans enrolled, Veterans' Counselor Lt. Col. Mark Kaster explained the significance ofWilkes' making the Military Friendly
Schools List in G.I. Jobs Magazine.
"It's a great honor," Kaster said. "It shows
that Wilkes has met many high standards to
support veterans at many different levels."
When considering which school to attend,
"military-friendly" stands out to veterans and
encourages them to pursue higher education.
Marine Corps veteran Cassandra Mignot, a
pre-physical therapy major, is one of those who
has benefited from the veterans' counseling
program on campus. She said she was looking
at four other schools when she decided Wilkes
was the one.
Mignot chose Wilkes because of the services
the institution offers to vets. Before coming
to Wilkes, Mignot attended Penn College, a
school that was not as accommodating to the
knee injury she acquired while on active duty.
As a school that values students that are military veteran, Wilkes has provided Mignot with
convenient parking and her professors allow

her to sit during three hour lab courses.
"Wilkes was a lot more military friendly."
Mignot said. "They have the yellow ribbon
program which allowed me to go to a private
school, not a lot of private schools offer that."
As a yellow ribbon school, Wilkes makes
an extra effort to aid veteran students. When
tuition costs aren't completely covered by the
post 9/11 G.I. Bill, Wilkes picks up the remaining costs by splitting the remainder 50/50 with
the Department of Veterans Affairs. These benefits can also be passed to a vets spouse and
children.
Although all schools accept the G.I. Bill, the
yellow ribbon benefits are not always adopted.
According to Alex Magee, Marine and president of Veteran Counsel, the added support is
a big relief.
"For a lot of veterans, the yellow ribbon
benefits are a huge reason for coming to such
an expensive private institution," he said.
"That's one of the big factors as to why I chose
Wilkes."
Magee is taking advantage of her GI bill and
the yellow ribbon benefits and hopes to eventually get into the pharmacy program. She said
joining the Marine Corps gave her the focus he
needed to go back to school and get her degree.
"It's one of those holes in my life that hasn't
been filled yet," Magee said. "The Marine
Corps definitely helped me focus; now I know
which direction I want to go with my life."
Magee feels that being able to use his mili-

tary benefits to further her education at Wilkes is a great honor.
"Every day I wake up it's almost
a privilege because of everything
I've been through and everything
that I did in the military," Magee
said. "It is really nice to be able to
come back and have the community
give back to me."
Wilkes is a guiding institution for
veterans as they make the transition
from military career to college student according to Kaster. He feels
that because Wilkes provides yellow ribbon benefits, the school is
genuinely committed to their vet
students.
"I believe that hiring me (as veteran counselor) shows a very high
level of commitment," she said.
As veteran counselor Kaster feels
his position is an opportunity to
continue to serve his country.
"I spent 32 years in the military."
she said. "I always felt to serve our
country was a great honor for me
and in a way I am still doing that by
helping the vets at so many different levels."

*

Colonel logo controversy resolved
Md. high school using Wilkes logo has removed infringement
By Christine Lee
News Editor

A high school in Maryland using a logo
bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Wilkes
colonel logo has removed the design from everything school-related.
The Beacon first reported in 2011 that Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Md. was using a logo looking exactly
like the colonel logo primarily used by Wilkes
athletic teams. The case came to the attention
of administrators when wrestling coach Jon
Laudenslager visited the high school on a recruiting trip in December 2010.
The discovery led administrators to question
whether it was possible they had infringed up
on Magruder's logo. However, an investigation
later revealed Wilkes had purchased the sole
rights to the logo from New York City-based
Phoenix Design Works in 2003.
According to associate vice president of
marketing communications and government
relations Jack Chielli, after the incident was
brought to Wilkes administrators' attention, a
letter and phone calls were sent to Magruder
asking them to stop using Wilkes' logo. Chielli
said because the school wasn't a direct competitor and it wasn't misusing the logo, it had
an unspecified period of time to remove and
change the logo.
Magruder Principal Leroy Evans said the
situation came as a complete surprise on his

part and everyone involved with the school, as
no one knew they were infringing on Wilkes'
logo until representative visited the school.
"It took a lot of us by complete surprise,"
Evans said.
However, Evans said the school complied
with the request from Wilkes and removed the
logo from everything school-related.
"We started the process immediately of removing the mascot," Evans said.
Evans said the school understood fully that it
was infringing on Wilkes' logo and it is designing several new logos.
"We are in the process of creating a new, unique
logo," Evans said. "We hope to have two, one that
is business-academic and one for sports."
Evans said the school is still completing the
design with the help of students and faculty.
It is also making sure these new logos are authentic.
Chielli said he hasn't had any communication with Magruder since the formal request
was sent to remove the logo. He explained it
was important for Wilkes and Magruder to
have separate identities to avoid confusion.
"When it comes to university identities such
as mascots, it's pretty difficult to have someone
imitate your logo so directly," Chielli said.
"While there isn't a great danger that anything could happen there is some confusion or
if something should happen at the high school
and that particular icon gets splashed all over
the national media, people would confuse it
with ours, and that's the main reason for such

The Beacon/Dan Lykens

Junior nursing major and Air Force ROTC
member Tim Jurkowski Is one of those helped by
@wilkesbeacon
devoni.novak@wilkes.edu the recently hired veterans' counselor.

separate identities."
Evans said the school did the right thing
by removing the logo to avoid any legal proceedings.
"We did the right thing and moved on
from there," Evans said. "There were no legal grounds to fight it."
Chielli said he is glad the issue was resolved so quickly and in a clear-cut manner.
"I'm just glad it was resolved as amicably
as it was," Chielli said. "I'm glad that they're
getting their own identity mark and wish
them the best with it."
Courtesy of Marketing Communications

The logo of Magruder high school
In Maryland was the same as the
one below except the 'W' in the
flag was replaced with an 'M' and
was shaded grey and purple. The
logo has been removed.

@c/eespot
ch risti ne. /ee@wi/kes. ed u

�4

NEWS

THE BEACON

I Oct 2 , 2012

WE TREAT INJURIES AND
ILLNESSES FOR ALL AGES.
+ JUST WALK IN .
+ MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED,
BUT NOT REQUIRED .

+ ALWAYS A PHYSICIAN ON SITE.

"M
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O·e ens
,9 a.m.

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�THE BEACON I Oct. 2, 2012

NEWS

5

Wilkes to unveil new mobile application this semester
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer

Now, Wilkes can count itself among those
who can say, "there is an app for that!"
Debuting for the fall 2012 semester, Wilkes
is creating a mobile application for students
that have an iOS or Android smartphone.
"The app will allow us to bundle a lot of
services to students. So think of it as a mobile
version of the My Wilkes portal," Chief Information Officer Gloria Barlow, said.
The app will be linked directly to the student's LIVE D2L account, have access to
events on campus, sports schedules and weekly dining menus.
Students will be able to download the app
for free.
There will be different "phases" for the app
and more features will be added to the app in
the future.
However, the features will be dependent on
student's reaction to the app.
The tentative release of the app is scheduled
for the middle of October. So far, students
seem to be very excited about the release of
the app as well.
"It would be really convenient to be able
to have information like the dinner menu and

The Beacon/Dan Lykens
Chief Information Technology officer Gloria Barlow presented a rough draft of the
app to faculty, staff and administrators in a meeting on Sept. 26.

sports schedule at my fingertips no matter
where I am," sophomore pre-pharmacy Krista
Bower major, said.
The app is being made by mobile convergence company Moofwd, whose primary goal
of is to design mobile applications that stu-

Ed prof gives education lecture

dents and faculty members can use for educational purposes.
Barlow has been working with Moofwd
since February to design an app that students
would want to use.
This past week, The Beacon, was able to get

an "insiders-look" at the new proposed app
that students will use.
Students will have access to their professors, grades and course documents whenever
they want.
Professors will be able to send students notifications right to their mobile device when
there is new course content. Students will also
have access to their grades and how they are
doing in each course.
Barlow said the cost the university has to
pay for the app is laid out in a "pay-per-student" agreement.
"A wonderful thing that I am delighted with
this company is that it is taking a more progressive pricing model," Barlow said. The
university will only pay for the number of
students that download the app and not a large
lump sum of money.
Barlow also said that she will be having
a contest for students to name the new app.
There will be more information to come.
Students with any questions about the app or
contest can contact Barlow at gloria.barlow@
wilkes.edu.
@shawncarey8
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

WET PAINT T-St+l"TS

By Haley Adam
Correspondent

81 \Nailer Street WilKes Bari-e, PA 18702

Gina Morrison, associate professor in the
School of Education will present a free public lecture on "The Malaysia Opportunity" at
4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8, in Room 214 of the
Marts building as part of the Educational FoI111¥eries.
Series co-founders Robert and Judith Gardner started the series as an outgrowth of their
personal classroom teaching.
It is a way that students, faculty, staff and
the public can learn about issues in education
without being cooped up in a classroom all
day.
"It's part of our philosophy of teaching that
learning should not be confined to the classroom," Robert Gardner explained. "We believed that these experiences offer opportunities to be other places and hear other voices.
These are powerful experiences that help people understand what education can be."
Other lectures in the forum are scheduled
throughout the semester. The topics are varied
so as to reach out to different people.
Lecture topics vary from "Using Library of
Congress Resources in K-12 Classrooms with
An Overview of the Junior Fellows Intern
Program," presented Oct. 3 by retired senior
information specialist in the copyright department of the Library of Congress.
Another is "The Independent School Experience," presented by Wyoming Seminary
academic dean and dean of the faculty Randy
Granger on Nov. 7.

WILKES UNIVERSITY'S
ONE STOP - PRINT SHOP

@wilkesbeacon
ha/ey.adam@wilkes.edu

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Courtesy of Wilkes in Malaysia blog
Dr. Gina Morrison will deliver a lecture
for the Educational Forum series
which will focus on multi-cultural
education, speclflcally her work
teaching In Malaysia.

�Oct. 2, 2012

Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Replacement app an 'oops' for Apple
i0S6's Apple Maps was a catastrophic failure for the consumer
By The Beacon Editorial Staff
Apple's new operating system is now available for purchase and despite the many features it offers to faithful, casual and long-term
Apple users, the smartphone contains one
huge flaw. The upgrade to iOS6 eliminated
Google's Mapping application, the default
map app for the iPhone and iPad.
Not only did Apple attempt to cut ties with
the largest, most reliable and widely used mapping tool known to humankind, it also failed
miserably with its replacement application.
'Hooray, I have the newest version of Apple's operating system on my iPhone: iOS6,
but now I am lost. I am lost because Apple
took away my long time default 'go to' mapping application: Google Maps and they replaced it with their own version of maps,
which leads me literally in the wrong direction,' said this reporter along with thousands
of other consumers.
Apple's forced alternative to Google Maps
is not even close to the quality of Google's
Maps in many ways.
Users have experienced multiple issues
since the new Maps made its debut on iOS6.
The app has been said to miscalculate locations of entire cities, businesses, streets and
towns and display a melting wavy effect on
many of the streets in satellite view. Many
have compared Apple's maps to Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory painting.
Biogs, news sources, forums and social networks have been buzzing over the past weeks
about this inferior "upgraded" mapping application.
Christina Bonnington, a writer for Wired,
callllJiliis new app a "Mapocolypse."
Huffington Post calls the new map app a
"debacle."
And @jsjohnst tweeted it best: "Doing LSD
was one of the most important things I've
done in my life." --Steve Jobs
Before we agreed with all these people
(there were many more), The Beacon staff decided to investigate how Apple's new map app
compared to Google.
When we opened Maps for the first time,
we decided to lookup the Brooklyn Bridge in
New York City. When we found the pin we
dropped it on the Brooklyn Bridge location, I
was shocked to see the Brooklyn Bridge collapsed and cars driving off the edge into a hole
in the ground.
Tom Tom, the leading manufacturer of automotive navigation systems in Europe, is a major contributor for all the information Apple
used to create this digitized wonky version of
navigation. However, they maintain the fact
they had no part in the actual creation of the

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on seven responses.

Last week's question:
Do you think employers have the
right to view online profiles to
make employment decisions?

Screenshot Courtesy of Apple Maps io6 Maps

The Brooklyn Bridge Is just one of the many iconic structures distorted In satellite view on Apple Maps. Users are also plagued with misrepresentations of
entire cities, businesses, streets and towns.
app.
"There is a difference between a map and an
app. We don't develop the app. We license the
map data, which is like a foundation. The customer can build on top of that, but we license
the same mapping data to all our customers,"
said TomTom media manager Cem Cohen.
If an alien were to look at this application
before visiting our planet, they would think our
world was in chaos (without the smoke and fire
of course), I bet this was not in the data Apple
received from TomTom.
"We don't know what is causing the issues
(on the Apple maps) but from our perspective
the quality of our data is great and we stand
behind it," said Caroline Fisher, vice-president
ofTomTom's consumer business unit.
TomTom insists they will continue to work
with Apple and give them support to work out
there mapping issues.
"We are more than willing to work with Apple to help fix any problems, as we would with
any of our customers," said Fisher.
TomTom is known mainly in the US for its
line of small navigation systems that can be
placed on dashboards inside cars.
Apple stands committed to fixing the problems associated with their mapping service.
"We launched this new map service knowing it is a major initiative and that we are just
getting started with it," an Apple spokeswoman said, according to Mashable.

Getting started with what? How can I possibly worry about "getting started with" a form
of navigation on my phone that does not work?
It seems to The Beacon tl).at Apple was a little
unprepared.
There has also been a blog set up solely
dedicated to listing all the problems people
have with the new Apple software. The blog is
called The Amazing iOS6 Maps blog and can
be found at: theamazingios6maps.tumblr.com/.
People can submit their own issues for review, The Amazing iOS6 blog collects them
and distributes them across the Internet.
All of this negative publicity is still publicity for Apple. Apple will continue to still have
these faithful, casual and long term users. This
map app dud can be hopefully be remembered
as just a hiccup in Apple's past in the future.
We are sure there are many software updates
to come to Apple's iOS6. These updates will
no doubt build on the feedback Apple has been
getting bombarded with across the world. Although, Apple still may never be on par or surpass what Google has been building with its
mapping app since 2005. Google Maps is here
to stay. Apple Maps still needs to prove itself.

@wilkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

This week The Beacon asks:
About how many apps do you have
on your smartphone?
• 0 apps
• 1-5 apps
• 6-10 apps
• 11-20 apps
• More than 20 apps
• I do not have a smartphone

Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:

.

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu
The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�7

OPINION

THE BEACON

I Oct. 2, 2012

Rifkin cafe should accommodate student requests
By Nicholas Wesley
Correspondent
Progress is an illusive dream, or so it seems.
With change comes growing pains, but with
time come amendments, and so we progress.
At Wilkes University we have seen many
changes come about with our food supplier,
Sodexo. Within the past few months we have
seen changes such as late night in Rifkin, the
dropping of Einstein Bagels, and the introduction of Starbuck's coffee. Despite all the bells
and whistles, there are still some major underlying problems with campus dining options.
Late night at Rifkin is one example as I experienced firsthand. When a person goes to
eat one last time before they go to bed, they
normally opt for something light and healthy
to allow that person to fall asleep faster and
wake up earlier. In my isolated incident I
wanted a buffalo chicken wrap, nothing more,
nothing less.
Upon picking this one wrap I was told that
it comes with chips, a fountain drink and a
brownie. My reaction was simple. I said that
I did not want the brownie, chips or fountain
drink, all I require is a wrap. When I asked
how much the wrap would be I was told I
could not pay for the sandwich alone.
"We have to charge you for the whole package, you cannot just get the one item," Sodexo
said.
A student's health is directly related to his
or her performance. A healthy individual will
have more energy and focus. More energy and

focus translates to an increase in knowledge
retention and problem solving. This is what a
student needs to succeed at Wilkes University.
Our food provider has not been providing us
with the best options possible.
So I kindly went to the manager. I am planning on sleeping, the last thing I need before
bed is a sugary drink, a high-calorie, low-taste
brownie or a bag of Lays potato chips. But as I
was instructed, it would be impossible to serve
me just the wrap, I am required to have these
other food items. I am required to pay $7 to
Sodexo because it is after 8 p.m. and there is
nothing they can do about it.
So there you have it folks, we built the Panama Canal, we figured out how to put a man
on the moon in less than 10 years, but it is im-

possible to separate a meal from a sandwich
after 8 p.m. Somehow I'm not convinced. It's
a pricing strategy; Sodexo could care less what
you eat as long as it gets the most bang for its
sub-par buck.
The second problem is there are no organic
options. Besides coffee there is no chance of
finding an organic tomato or chicken or juice.
That's a major problem. If I am expected to
buy from this company, at least give me the
choice to eat what I want, something healthy,
wholesome, and something that is not killing
the earth, acre by chemical ridden acre.
From this point on I am opting to vote with
my dollar. I will not buy from a company that
will sacrifice health for money. Instead I am
going to shop local and do what this university

The Beacon archives
Rifkin Cafe should offer more choices for students, Including organic options
and late-night meals with less sugar and calories.

is so keen on claiming they're doing and that
is enhance the Wilkes-Barre community. Bring
outside funds into local restaurants, shop at the
farmers market which is every Thursday on the
square.
There are plenty of places that will give
you much more bang for your buck. For example, Maer's BBQ, right on Main Street will
give you a fantastic BLT with pulled pork for
around $7, and it is open late!
Circles, on the square, has delicious sandwiches and artisan food products, along with a
deli to make your own cold cuts at home. Euro
bistro has slow-cooked, fresh gyro's and salad
bowls for around $5.
There are numerous othei: examples, Frank's
Pizza, Pete's Place, Akeno Sushi, Abe's hot
dogs all which serve better food for much less
than Rifkin. Most people get the block meals
and dining dollars for convenience, but it's a
rip off.
What can Sodexo do? Give a S***! My goal
is to show what's available and how we can
save money, contribute to the community, and
best of all eat better. You only live once, why
eat microwaved chicken when there is a cook
slaving over a slow-cooked BBQ chicken not
200 yards from you right now?

@wilkesbeacon
nicholas.wesley@wilkes.edu

America's obsession with celebrities brings our country down
•

By Lyndsie Yamrus
Assistant Opinion Editor
In the news today, among political remarks,
NHL and NFL lockout rants and whatever
Apple has to say: "Kristen Stewart in Short
Shorts." And guess what, guys. She paired the
shorts with a nude and black-colored top and
black patent leather shoes. Additionally, her
relationship with Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson has been rekindled, if anyone cares.
I just want to thank ABCNews.com for
sharing this fascinating information with all
of us. News like that is definitely too big of a
deal to leave out, I know.
In all seriousness, ABC, are stories like this
necessary? I think not.
A similar news article that I had stumbled
across online a few weeks ago displayed a
bold headline that mentioned both "9/11" and
"Kardashian."
Turns out, while every other major news
network paused their scheduled programs to
air the moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. in remembrance of the 2001 attacks, NBC decided
that it was OK to just go ahead and completely
skip over the tribute and continue the "Today
Show" airing of a story on Kardashian mom
Kris Jenner's breast augmentation.
More than one person at NBC must have
thought this was fine because the network actually went through with it. After intense criticism, the network hardly apologized, stating

Rather than focusIng on Important
news topics, the
media often covers
the lives of celebrities. Focusing on
celebrity gossip
Is a waste of time
and shows us how
skewed our priorities are.
The Beacon/
Austin Loukas

that NBC had already devoted a significant
amount of airtime to anniversary events and
that acknowledging the national moment of
silence "wasn't their tradition" like all of the
other major news stations, and an apology was
therefore unnecessary.
What completely blows my mind more than
NBC's distasteful actions is the fact that people actually care about Kris Jenner's personal
life choice to get implant replacements, Kristen Stewart's outfits, that Miley Cyrus cut her
hair, or that Justin Bieber is writing a book.
Hundreds and thousands of women get breast
implants every year, we all wear clothes, everyone cuts their hair, and an uncountable
number of people write books.

Looks like we have a problem: America is
altogether unhealthily obsessed with celebrities. We stalk them on Twitter like we know
them and take humiliating pictures of them for
our own enjoyment. We spend our hard-earned
money on perfume, clothes, shoes and other
items solely because their names are on them.
Our priorities are all wrong.
When Neil Armstrong passed away recently,
coverage of the story and his life were rather
limited. I don't even think I found out until a
day later. With that, NBCNews.com actually
even managed to screw up big time on one
of their article headlines. The title read, "Astronaut Neil Young, first man to walk on the
moon, dies at age 82." I could be wrong, but

I'm pretty positive that Neil Young is still alive
and is most certainly not an astronaut. News
networks were apparently broadcasting their
usual jail documentaries and re-run interviews
a few hours after the news broke, according to
the Huffington Post.
But when news broke of Michael Jackson's
death back in 2009 however, the media went
nuts. The King of Pop made headlines every
week for a long while. Whitney Houston 's
death in February gained significant coverage
as well. In any case, the man who took one
"giant leap for mankind" should have been
celebrated just a little bit more.
The media clearly doesn't have their priorities straight if they think Kris Jenner's implants are more important than a remembrance
service for the victims of Sept. 11, or that Neil
Armstrong deserves less air-time than a documentary about criminals in jail and a couple of
celebrities.
Let's talk about something that matters instead of who is dating who, who wore what,
or the latest Hollywood scandal. A lot of the
gossip knowledge fed to us by the media is
useless, and we don't need to be wasting our
time hearing the nonsense.
As they say, "Great people talk about ideas,
average people talk about things, and small
people talk about other people."
@wilkesbeacon
lyndsie.yamrus@wilkes.edu

�The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Assigning a perfect score to students' work gives them the idea that their work
is flawless and does not need improvement. Is a 4.0 really perfect?

Perfect scores hinder learning
"4.0's will mean nothing to me when I am out of school and
need to apply the information I learned to real life scenarios:'
By Carly Yamrus
Opinion Editor
A lot of people here at Wilkes have a similar goal, and that is to obtain a certain GPA.
Preferably a high one. We spend our semesters
striving for that 4.0; a perfect score. But is a
4.0 really a perfect score?
Well it really depends on what you are measuring. The knowledge in testing can be either
objective, which is unbiased, factual information, or subjective, which can be analytical
and interpretive. A 4.0 in a calculus class is far
different from a 4.0 in a creative writing class.
In calculus, you either got the answer right or
you got it wrong. In the writing class though,
there ii always room for improvement.
In my first year English course I received
multiple 4.0's on papers that I believed were
far from flawless . So here is where I pull out
the double-edged sword. Of course I want a
4.0. Why? Because we need a high GPA to
succeed in future endeavors. But did I deserve
a 4.0? I don't think I did. I wanted my papers
to be better. I would rather be a good writer
with a C than an average writer with an A.
We are cheating our students by telling
them that they are turning in perfect work
when they have ample amounts of room to
expand their ideas and improve their abilities.
There is simply too much emphasis placed on
getting that "perfect" score.
When we focus so hard on such an impractical grading system we lose sight of the real
goal of higher education, which is to learn and
understand new ideas and to practice until we

get it right.
I have found myself on many occasions
cramming in last-minute fragments of information for a test, and then completely forgetting what I had learned after I was done. That
4.0 will mean nothing to me when I am out
of school and need to apply the information I
learned to real-life scenarios. So much information, so little time.
We are sponges. Always absorbing information and then getting it squeezed out of us so
we can absorb more. A vicious cycle, really.
I suppose the number grades are really only
there as an incentive to try. Not everyone is self
-motivated enough to want to learn information
for the sake of knowing.
So which is more effective: infiltrating our
brains with a vast amount of information that
we have a nominal understanding of, or focusing on only a moderate amount of topics that
we have more time to become familiar with? A
4.0 to me doesn't necessarily mean you know
the information.
I really do believe that too much emphasis is placed on the grade. A 4.0 seems to me
like a period at the end of a sentence. Once its
reached, we're done. Finished. Don't have to
learn anymore. But really there is no end to our
knowledge and understanding.
There is always room for improvement. We
should continue to further develop our skills
and go beyond our set definition of what is
"perfect."
@wilkesbeacon
carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

�~

Oct. 2, 2012

~

_

.•

..,.~=-•~.,~•

. "

Contact editor: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Horror instructor recommends Halloween fare for thrill seekers
By Chad Stanley

which explains the headache. Understandably, he
puts on a hat. But then people start telling him
about their most disturbing urges, and the horns
grow. "Horns" is a brilliant, surreal, funny and
quite sentimental, heartfelt horror novel. Essentially a breakup story, it's a mixture of Nick
Homby's "High Fidelity," Franz Kafka's "The
Metamorphosis" and Stephen King, who is, in
real life, Joe Hill's father.

Associate Professor of English
Spiders and mice. The dark. Nuclear war. Rats
and actually "any sort of critter." Clowns, mimes
and people in "huge costumes (like) the Easter
Bunny."
What these things have in common is that they
were all responses when I asked students in my
current ENG 397: Horror and Science-Fiction in
Modem Literature course, "What are you afraid
of?" Apparently, there are a lot of things that
scare us, even those of us who have willingly
enrolled in a course on horror fiction.
This is not surprising. During the Cold War,
fear became cultural currency. Now, more recent
events have awakened anxieties that generally
lay dormant during the 1990s. It's no wonder
that horror has again become a growth enterprise
and that horror writing and filmmaking are undergoing a new renaissance.
But while horror novels and films capitalize
on and sometimes amplify our fears, they should
also allow us to put our anxieties into perspective, reminding us that our world is actually a
much safer place than we often perceive it to
be: Werewolves and vampires don't really exist
- and as the Centers for Disease Control glibly
reminded us this summer, neither do zombies.
As long as we keep this in mind and truly do
keep it real, there's some great scary stuff out
there to enjoy - as always, it's a good time to
be scared.
The following list collects a number of interesting, mature and multicultural American,
British, Spanish, Norwegian and Russian horror
.• ovels and films:
"The Ritual" (2011)
written by Adam Nevill

Starting with the line "And on the second day
things did not get better," this novel focuses on
a group of former college friends hiking through
Sweden. They get lost, bicker and fight, and
things get progressively worse. Then they encounter something else in the woods. A supernaturally infused improvisation on James Dickey's
"Deliverance," this novel is also an interesting
take on a very real early-'90s Norwegian cult
and its legacy. Nevill's "Apartment 16" (2010)
is excellent as well, and his newest novel, "Last
Days" (not yet published outside of the U.K.), is
spookier than anything else he's written.

Vampires vs. Zombies

"Troll Hunter" (2010)
directed by Andre Ovredal

I dido 't think there was any way the image of a
troll could arouse fear or even laughter anymore.
I was wrong, so very wrong. Here, a few students in Norway decide to investigate illegal bear
shootings; They're film/communications majors,
so they videotape everything. However, instead
of finding an unlicensed bear-hunter, they find a
troll-hunter, a sort of fish-and-game warden employed by the Norwegian government. Not all
that scary, but a really fun movie.
"Dead Snow" (2009)
directed by Tommy Wirkola

The Beacon/Laura Preby

Chad Stanley has heard of college students acting llke wild animals, but this
is ridiculous. Can't a guy enjoy a book without lycanthropic interference?
"Dog Soldiers" (2002)
directed by Neil Marshall

The "Twilight" films tell us that where vampires shop at Hot Topic, werewolves model for
Abercrombie &amp; Fitch. But it's a lot easier to
make an informed life-decision about selecting a
vampire or a were-boy as your significant other
when the werewolves are 8-foot tall mangy critters that look like Scottish Deerhounds on steroids. This movie is fun and smart, from a time
before we completely "Fight Club"-ed the image
of the werewolf (see ''Underworld"). Also, like
Marshall's later film, "Doomsday," this movie
pokes fun at the history of Scottish-English tensions and related concepts of race and ethnicity.
"Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters"
(2008)
written by John Langan
This collection contains some very creative
short stories. My personal picks are: "On Skua
Island," about the exhumation of a bog mummy,
and the over-the-top titled "Episode Seven: Last

Stand against the Pac~ in the Kingdom of the
Purple Flowers," where two people are pursued
not by werewolves, but a pack of another kind of
seriously supersized canines.
"[Rec]" (2007), and "[Rec] 2" (2009)
directed by Paco Plaza

These two Spanish films - about what at first
appears to be a standard zombie outbreak - are
extremely tense, realistic and immersive. Filmed
in "shaky cam mode," they create a sense of immediacy and powerlessness for the viewer. Unusually, the sequel is every bit as good as the
original, and they are both very smart, and very
scary. Nyctophobics beware.
"Horns" (2010)
written by Joe Hill

Another Norwegian film, this - be warned
- is a much more gory horror-comedy about a
much more real historical inheritance. During
World War II, Norway was occupied by Germany, and while Norwegians established an effective resistance force, Vidkun Quisling seized
power and became the nation's Germany-backed
leader. Horrors, and a legacy of guilt, ensued. In
this movie, students head to the mountains for
a holiday in the snow. There, they get a history
lesson and confront zombified German soldiers.

@wilkesbeacon
chad.stan/ey@wilkes.edu

Real more of Dr. Stanley hair.raising horror book and movie
P.Jdcs at TheW\t.kesBeacon.&lt;om

H

owt(N . G~~

So the story goes: a twentysomething man
goes out for the night and wakes up feeling less
than well. Not an ideal or to-be-condoned situation, but not so unusual. At least not so unusual
until we realize that he's grown horns overnight,

THE BOOK REPORT
with Anne Yoskoski
"Grave Mercy," by Robin LeFevers
C:l::

THE GRAVE-YARD SHTICK
with Jake Cochran
Examining Andrea

�10

THE BEACON

A&amp;E

Oct.

~

Creative Writing grads brings visions to lif e D.
From stage to screen to printed page, Wilkes students make good Re
By BIii Thomas
A&amp;E Editor

In their heads, it's all so clear. The images are vivid, the characters as real as people
in the flesh. It's not always easy, though,
for writers to translate the things they see
in their mind's eye onto paper.
That's where Wilkes University's lowresidency Creative Writing MA/MFA program comes in.
"I grew up down South, in Alabama,"
Taylor M. Polites said. "I went to college
in St. Louis to study history and French.
Then I moved to New York City and ended
up working in finance for 13 years, but I
always wanted to write novels."
Polites, who now lives in Providence,
R.I. , graduated the program with his MFA
in 2010. His first novel, "The Rebel Wife,"
about the struggles of a Civil War widow,
was published by Simon &amp; Schuster earlier
this year.
While the idea behind "The Rebel Wife"
predates history-buff Po lites' enrollment
at Wilkes, Polites nevertheless said it was
the Creative Writing program that helped
him refine the skills he needed to bring his
long-held vision to life.
"It was great to go down to my basement
and write every day. I was making progress and I was writing things, but it was in
a bubble," Polites said. "I had this anxiety
of wondering 'Arn I doing this right? Is
what I'm writing making sense? How can I
understand the quality of the work I'm doing?' I began to realize the kind of support
and feedback I could get from a community
of writers."
"Community" is a word that seems to
pop up a lot when talking to graduates of
program. And quite the sizeable community it is, named by literary organization
Poets &amp; Writers as the largest program of
its kind in the country.
The program currently has 79 full-time
and 11 part-time students enrolled, instructed by 30 faculty members in five
tracts: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry,
playwriting and screenwriting.
The faculty line-up covers every aspect
of the writing world, from editors and
published authors - like Beverly Donofrio, whose memoir "Riding in Cars with
Boys" was turned into a movie of the same
name starring Drew Barrymore - to literary
agents and film producers.
"A lot of the programs I looked at before Wilkes' didn't offer screenwriting,"
Jonathan Rocks, of Philadelphia, said, noting the wide range of styles and genres the
program covers.
Rocks finished the program in 2009 and
has since had a screenplay he wrote in it,
called "Luke Whimsey,"optioned by New
York-based production company Triboro
Pictures, who will take the script to this
year's American Film Market at the end of
October to seek funding.
"My expectations were more than met,

thf

they were exceeded," Rocks said of the
program. "I came out of an undergraduate program and I expected something
similar, just more specific. What I found
instead was more of a true writers' community, which is what I think (program
founders) Bonnie Culver and Mike Lennon have strived for since the beginning."
There's that word again, "community."
All despite students and faculty often being separated by miles, if not entire states.
For Laurie Powers, who lives in
Shreveport, La., one of the most attractive
things about the Creative Writing program
was its balance of in-person and distance
learning: Creative Writing students visit
Wilkes' campus for two eight-day periods
in January and June every year. The rest
of the work is done via Internet.
"I love the low-residency program,
because you do get some face-to-face
contact," she said. "That's something I
wanted, but I didn't want to quit my job to
go back to school and I didn't want to do
everything online either."
Powers has done visual effects work
on many major motion pictures written
by other people, including "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Men in Black 3."
Looking to develop her own screenwriting further, she recently received her MA
through the program, and is pursuing an
MFA.
"Killing Time," one of Powers' own
screenplays, which she wrote in the program, was recently made into a short film
that is now a finalist in the Louisiana Film
Prize festival, due to take place this coming weekend. Passionate about working in
mediums outside of film as well, though,
Powers' MA thesis was a stage play called
"Spirit Medium."
Telling the story of supposed psychic
Mina Crandon, who is best-known today
for her early 20th century clashes with
Harry Houdini, "Spirit Medium" has since
had readings in Los Angeles and New
York City. Another play Powers wrote,
"The Trunk," was staged at the Virginia
Playwrights' Forum last November.
All of these things, Powers said, may
never have happened if it weren't for her
participation in the program.
"Before I went in, I liked to write but I
wasn't really disciplined to write. Going
through the program really puts you in the
mindset of being a writer and writing every
day," she said.
"It helps you understand how to start a
project and how to finish it and how to get
through all the hard stuff in the middle that
a lot of people give up on."

@wilkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon. com

ourtesy o

ay or

. o 1tes

Taylor M. Polites always dreamed of being a published novelist. His first
book, "The Rebel Wife," was published in Simon &amp; Schuster. He credits the
Wilkes graduate Creative Writing program with he!J)lng make that happen.

Lasts
Dane~
llshed

"I began to realize the kind of support
and feedback I could get from a comor
munity of writers."
- Taylor M. Polites, "The Rebel Wife"

�Oct. 2 2012

A&amp;E

11

Dancer turned writer visits Wilkes campus for reading
Renee D'Aoust recounts tales of passion, struggle, self-discovery in NYC
By Jake Cochran
Assistant &amp;E Editor
One of the things Renee E. D' Aoust
learned very early on, as a pre-professional dancer studying at the Martha Graham
Center for Contemporary Dance in New
York City, was that the old theater adage
of being in the right place at the right time
was very much true. However, she remarked, there is also a part to that adage
that often goes unsaid.
Simply put, it's not just about being in
the right place at the right time. There also
has to be a role there to begin with, and,
yes, luck is a part of it.
"In my book you will see that there are
just so many talented people, and it's never an issue of commitment or dedication,"
D' Aoust said. Once a dancer achieves a
certain level, she added, everyone is very
well-prepared and pouring their heart and
soul into the art. That which determines
success, she said, is often a certain intangible that more or less comes down to
good fortune and good timing.
Just this Sunday, D' Aoust visited Wilkes University to sign, read from and answer questions about her memoir, "Body
of a Dancer." The book was published
in December 2011 by Etruscan Press, an
on-campus publishing house founded by
Philip Brady and Robert Mooney, both of
whom also serve as faculty members for
~
the school's graduate Creative Writing
program.
"Body of a Dancer" recounts D' Aoust's
experiences as a student at the aforementioned Martha Graham Center, revealing
the extensive physical - and sometimes
emotional - toll the demands of modem
dance can take on a person.
Perhaps the experience with the most
impact, she recalled, were those that saw
her going head to head against other dancers at open "cattle call"-style auditions.
"When you are at these auditions you
are walking around with your number on,
and other people are bumping into you,"
she said. "It's almost overwhelming how
many people would be there."
The talent pool at these auditions, she
said, was immense and far deeper than
ourtesy o truscan ress most in the general public might expect.
The competition was dedicated, vivid and
Last Sunday, Renee D' Aoust performed a reading of her book, "Body of a
real.
The energy? Unimaginably intense.
l&gt;ancer" in the Kirby Hall salon at Wilkes University. The book was pubFor some, it showed. Others came across as
lshed by Etruscan Press, a publishing house founded by WIikes faculty.
relaxed and casual. For D ' Aoust, all these
different personalities combined to create a
peculiar environment with an array of emotions.
One lesson D' Aoust learned from her
audition experiences, a lesson that has continued to stick with her all these years, is
the idea that every moment counts toward
something.
"Sometimes the person that would give
the dancers their numbers and deal with
the sign-ins at the auditions would also be
the rehearsal director," she said. "That way,

Body
al

.

0

"You do not put on any airs. You honor who you are, but you just are aware
that you're being watched."
- Renee E. D~oust, "Body of a Dancer"

they could get a feel for how the dancers
would carry themselves when they weren't
being watched, or at least didn't think they
were."
When D' Aoust found this out, it cemented the idea in her head that every moment
counts and that one should also be aware of
he or she is meeting.
"The training at the professional dance
schools is such that you're always representing yourself and you have to be together
when you walk in the door," she said. "You
also are still who you are, though. You do
not put on any airs. You honor who you are,
but you just are aware that you are being
watched."
Another lesson that she learned through
her time as a dancer which is can be applied
to more in life than just dancing is how to
deal with rejection.
"The rejection doesn't stick," D' Aoust
said. "You still have to get up every morning."
It's a philosophy D' Aoust has retained
and used in her future endeavors. Though
she said she still loves to dance, these days
she's indulging the whims of another muse:
the written word. D' Aoust is an English
instructor at North Idaho College and has
contributed writings to such anthology titles
as "Reading Dance" and "On Stage Alone."
Just as her roll-with-the-punches attitude
helped keep her motivated while braving
the hazards of dance auditions and New
York City life, it has likewise kept her motivated when the time came time to send her
writing out in hopes of getting published.
Unlike the dance auditions, though, the experience proved far less harrowing.
"When you get the letter no one is yelling at you, no one is saying your body isn't
right for the part, it's really quite civilized,"
D' Aoust said, explaining that she never
feared rejections letters.
They simply couldn't compare to some
rejections she witnessed, and received, in
her time as a dancer.
@wilkesbeacon
jason.cochran@wilkes.edu

For more information on the
Creative Writing program, visit
Wilkes.edo/CreativeWriting.
For more information on Renee
D. D'Aoust;·visit
ReneeDAoust.com
F9r more,·jnfoqpatjon on Etruscan ·
Press, visi, ~trusc~nPre!s.org.

�THE BEACON

By Bill Thomas
A&amp;E Editor

There is a belief held by some, including
yours truly, that comic books and professional wrestling are the two closest things modern society has to traditional mythology. Last
week, The 10 l took a guided tour through the
world of comics, so this week we're going to
step inside the squared circle to analyze this
thing called affectionately by some "rasslin' ."
Looked down on by pseudo-intellectual
elitists who consider such things "low brow,"
pro wrestling nevertheless provides a ritualized, streamlined outlet for both emotional
catharsis and the symbolic expression of
timeless values via elemental iconography.
Likewise, both pro wrestling and comic
books focus on larger-than-life characters
specifically designed to represent classic archetypes.
Really, is there any truly significant difference between Hades, Batman and The Undertaker?
Of course, all these over-the-top personalities are locked in perpetual combat with
one other on an ever-shifting battlefield, one
wherein the more things change, the more
they stay the same. The costumes may be
oh-so-colorful, but good and evil are often as
clear-cut as black and white.
Just like there will always be kids who
dream of flying the skies like Superman, there
will similarly be those who fantasize about
filling the boots of "The Nature Boy" Ric
Flair, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, "Stone Cold"
Steve Austin or "The Best in the World" C.M.
Punk.

Put on pedestals as emblems of rugged individualism - not, as some would contend,
archaic misogynist masculinity - figures like
these become more than merely men in tights.
They become representations of undisputed
human ideals like chivalry, tenacity, nonconfonnity and self-actualization.
Their ceaseless warring min-ors that of the
gods of old, as well as the conflicts, both external and internal, that every person on Earth
engages in daily.
Some will laugh and snidely quip that "it's
all fake." However, what such detractors fail
to realize is that most fans, save for those with
the mental capacities of children - not all of
them actually are children - already know
that.
Still, you wouldn't call ballet fake, would
you? What about opera?
Therein shines the elevating beauty of pro
wrestling. Despite some superficial similarities, it's completely unlike boxing or mixed
ma1tial-arts, both of which could arguably be
fingered as legitimate examples of contemporary barbarism, along with hunting, fishing
and capital punishment.
See, pro wrestling is all about cooperation instead of competition. Consider pro
wrestling matches to be "exhibitions," if that
helps. Does that make them any less athletic?
Any less demanding of skill, strength, speed,
stamina and timing?
The bloody feuds that play out in wrestling
rings are fictions. But the blood itself, left
smeared across foreheads and turnbuckles?
That's real. The elaborate and carefully orchestrated body slams may not deal as much
damage as we're led to believe, but there is
damage done nonetheless.
Being thrown to the ground hurts, regardless of who does the throwing. Injuries happen. A lot.
Why, then, would someone put themselves
through such rigorous physical conditioning
only to tum around and put his or her body
on the line for something so many snobs will
continue to derisive ly denounce as "fake"?
For some, it's passion. For others, it's business. Or a hunger for fame, a need for attention. ln the end, tho ugh, it all comes down to
two simple things: Telling a story and entertaining the crowd.
As much as it may or may not be a "sport,"
pro wrestling is infinitely more than that. It's
a form of art. It is theater and it is drama.
Tragedy and comedy. A carnival, a circus, a
sideshow. lt's a hustle, a dance and, yes, even
a soap opera.
Pro wrestling is mythology. It's folklore
made flesh. It's all these things smashed together, distilled to their purest essences, then
injected full of testosterone, with the pageantry and spectacle turned all the way up to 11.
Sounds like fun to me.

@wilkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

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�Contact editor: anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

Oct. 2, 2012

2012 pep rally kicks off
Programming Board and SG collaborate
By Anne Yoskoskl
Life Editor
Wilkes University will have its first pep
rally of the 2012 fall sports season from 7 to
9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4. This year's pep rally
being a unique one for Wilkes, as the organization of the event was a collaborative effort
between the Wilkes University Programming
Board and Student Government.
The event kicks off at 7 p.m. with a performance by the cheerleaders. Coaches for fall
sports teams will then make speeches about
their homecoming weekend games and introduce their players. The dance team will close
out the ceremony, leaving students to wander
around to different activities and enjoy the
night.
Jessica Short, president of Programming
Board has planned many fun events for students .
"We will have inflatables or blow ups, such
as an ultimate sports arena, jousting, boxing,
a touchdown pass game, sumo wrestling and

others. There will be a sign-making station for
students to make spirited signs for the game.
There will also be a T-shirt making station,"
she said.
The T-shirt making station is predicted to be
one of the most visited tables. There will be
500 white "Colonel Pride" shirts for students.
At the station, there will be puff paint, spray
fabric paint and fabric markers for students to
decorate the T-shirts to wear to the game.
Before leaving, students can enjoy a meal of
"cotton candy, snow cones, soft pretzels, popcorn, hot dogs and hamburgers," Short said.
The first pep rally of the season has been in
the planning stages for months now, and the
WUPB and Student Government are excited to
see the outcome.
"WUPB is funding the whole event, while
student government has done a lot of planning
aspects over the summer," Short said. "We are
all excited for the students to let loose and have
fun."

@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/archives

The pep rally wlll spotlight sports teams for the 2012 season, including the
cheerleadlng team.

This year's homecoming to include Problems with D2L continue
community service opportunitities By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer

By Alyssa Stencavage
Assist. Life Editor

Wilkes University will soon be holding two
community service events in support of the
upcoming Homecoming Activities.
The first of these events is a bone marrow
registration event called "Get Swabbed,"
which will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
on Friday, Oct. 5, in the Student Union Building Lounge. "Get Swabbed" is a national
program for bone marrow registration, and
on Oct. 5 students will be given information
about becoming a bone marrow donor.
For those who do not know, bone marrow
is for people who are suffering from cancer.
Every year 10,000 men, women and children
could benefit from a bone marrow transplant,
but only four out of 10 patients will find a
match.
All it takes to register is a cheek swab,
which will then be sent away to a lab. Students
will then be given a questionnaire, all of which
takes only five minutes. This is where to start
in order to become a person on the registry.
The event will have stations, and volunteers
are needed: both donors and people to help out
in general.

"It's painless," Megan Boone, coordinator
of Student Development, said. "We are hoping
to maximize the number of students we have
coming in."
The donor and patient must have at least
eight tissue characteristics in common.
By registering to become a donor, you are
increasing the chance that a patient will find
the lifesaving match that he or she needs.
If you do register and are selected as a
matching donor, you are still able to decline
the donation. If you are interested in continuing, a few blood tests will be conducted as well
as a review of your family medical history.
In order to become a donor, you must be
18 to 55 years of age, in good general health,
weigh at least 110 pounds, not exceed a body
mass index of 40, and be willing to donate to
any patient in need.
For the second event, about 20 students, faculty and staff will be able to attend the Commission on Economic Opportunity, where
volunteers will be packing boxes of food for
distribution.
"We are hoping to get a lot of boxes packed
for a supplemental food program," Boone said.

@alyssastencavage
alyssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

Since the start of the semester, some students have been having numerous problems
with the online class program, LIVE, also
known as D2L.
StudeQts have not been able to access their
classes through the MyWilkes portal; instead
they were told to go directly to the LIVE page.
"What we found out is actually a patch to
view the upgrade was put on our system, which
should not have been put there," Barbara Mo-

ran, director of eLearning and the center for
educational research, said.
The program that is used recently underwent an upgrade of software over the summer
and after the upgrade, a patch was placed on
the communication between the portal and the
LIVE page.
"Students were actually having a cache
issue, they ended up having to clear their
cache," said Moran, "The first day this happened, there were 200 calls and we did not

See D2L, Page 14

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The Beacon/Austin Loukas

D2L Is the online learning platform. Students have been having Issues accessing classes and submitting assignments.

�14

LIFE

THE BEACON

I Oct 2, 2012

D2L

the courses.
According to Moran, "the "Portal to L.I. V.E".
connection is working again as of this morning
Continued f ro m Page 13
which is great news for us. We still recommend
that students go directly to http://live.wilkes.
edu, but at least students have the option again
know about what hapto go to D2L from the
pened."
tu ents were actua y portal."
After the patch had
Students and faculty
been discovered, students avtng a CaC e lSSUe,
who are still having iswere told to go directly to they ended up having
sues with their LIVE or
the LIVE page and then
D2L account may conthey could log in.
to clear their cache.
tact Moran's office or
For some students gothe IT Helpdesk.
ing directly to the LIVE
page actually worked. "I
just used live.wilkes.edu

"S d
h .

II

h .

The
first day this happened,
there were 200 calls
and logged in from there," and we did not know
Rhonda Lynch, sophomore criminol?gy ~d about what happened "
psychology maJor, said.
'

-·

,

"After I was logged in it
- Barbara Moran,
was smooth sailing. I was
director of eLearning
able to find all my classes
and access their content."
Moran has now set up a website for students to see whether or not the D2L website
is working. Students can visit web.wilkes.
edu/eleaming to see the status of LIVE and
D2L.
Students are also able to enroll in student
tutorial classes that help teach them how to
@shawncarey
use the new software. Students are able to go
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu
directly to their LIVE homepage to enroll in

We're also on Twitterl

~ @FIGshirts
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�15

LIFE

THE BEACON

I Oct 2, 2012

Vegetarian Awareness Month a chance to go meatless
Meat-free options included vegetarian section; artificial meat items available at the cafeteria
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief

It's a way to reduce your risk for cancer,
heart disease, diabetes and otesity. It cuts
back on air and water pollution, land use and
climate change. It prevents the killing of cows,
chickens and pigs.
These are just a few of the reasons to turn
vegetarian, as listed on peta.com. But when
it comes to taking the step and making the
change in our diets, there are obstacles in the
way of cutting out meat altogether.
Alyssa Klinitski, a senior psychology major, first decided she wanted to become a vegetarian two years ago after watching a PETA
video on chicken cruelty in the meat industry.
But, her first attempts were unsuccessful.
"I tried going cold turkey- no pun intended
- and it didn't work," Klinitski said.
But as of two months ago, Klinitski said she
is a full-Hedged vegetarian, and she has noticed a huge difference.
"After about a month or two you notice
your body feels better, you feel lighter and
more fit," Klinitski said.
With October being Vegetarian Awareness
month, there's no better time to take advantage of these health benefits. And with new
options at the Wilkes Henry Student Center
Dining Hall, it's easier to make the switch and
still have variety.
Wilkes Chef Brian Kaden said it's not hard rice and potatoes, but there's a lot of real cool
being a vegetarian while eating at the cafeteria things you can do with different ingredients."
Along with trying different items at the cafon a regular basis.
"I don't think it's difficult at all," Kaden eteria, Klinitski advised to try items from difsaid. "We really focus on having something ferent store brands, like Morningstar Farms or
Boca. This was how she found what she liked,
available at every station."
Kaden said he typically features three or and she came up with even more options by
four items at the vegetarian section, which mixing foods together or seasoning meat subis an expansion on the previous standard of stitutes as if they were meat.
"I started mixing in different vegetarian
maybe one item.
" When I first got here, we had the veg- meats and found what I liked and what was deetarian section in the corner," Kaden said. "It licious and how I can make it even more deliseemed like an afterthought. It di.d n't look like cious," Khnitski said.
Another tip that helped Klinitski transition
anyone put much effort into it."
Now, Kaden said the section is a focal point is to strut slowly. This is where Klinitski went
wrong in her first attempt at becoming vegetarfor vegetarians.
Besides the vegetarian section, there are ian. She said the successful approach was to
meal options at the other cafeteria sections first cut back meat items to one a day, and then
scale back to only eating meat six days a week.
too.
There's the full salad bar, of course, but She continued this process unti I her d iet was
meat-free.
that's just the beginning.
Morningstar Farms, a major provider of
Kaden said there's a vegetable served at the
Classics section every night. There are veggie meat substitutes, offers tips on going meatless
burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese on its website, and a gradual start is one of the
first things the site sugquesadillas at the Gri 11,
gests. It advises to start
egg salad sandwiches at
with familiar meals with
the Deli.
•
meat components and
He also tries to incorusing textured vegetable
porate the Red Hot Chef
c
protein as a replacement.
and the International sec0
S
To find out about these
tions with things like the c
.
replacements, Kaden said
popular tropical stir fry
ifs good to do some reor the fettuccini alfredo
search.
with broccoli.
,
For those who want
_ Alyssa Klinitski, "If someone's looking
.
.
to turn and go the vegto become vegetarian,
senior psychology ma1or etarian route, I highly enKaden suggested they
courage them to research
survey the options at the
exactly the products that
cafeteria.
"I would just say look at all the options you are out there, come see what we're doing,
have," Kaden said. "Sometimes the thinking come talk to me," Kaden said.
Talking to people is not only a good way to
is that it's boring food, it's just vegetables and

"After about a month
Or tWO YOU notice your
b dY 1.eeI better, YOU
1.eel hghter and more

fit ,,

The Beacon/Kirstin Cook

Top, cafeteria server Josh Gardinor serves a vegetarian chicken burger, which
Is one of the meat alternatives offered at the dining hall. Below, Improving t he
vegetarian section has been a focus for Chef Brian Kaden.
get advice, but also to get support during your
transition. Klinitski said finding other vegetarians and getting people to hold you to the diet
makes the difference for success or failure.
You can a lso clear up misconceptions about
vegetarianism by talking to people. A few of
the big ones include the ideas that vegetarians only eat vegetables, or that they can't get
enough protein.
But Kaden said those are invalid if you look
at the variety of meals at the cafeteria and the
high-protein options like soy product tempeh

or wheat product seitan.
"It's not just, throw some vegetables out
there ru1d throw some rice out there, we really try to incorporate things that are going to
give a balanced diet, not just the simple stuff,"
Kaden said.

@wilkesbeacon
kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu

�.

Oct. 2, 2012

Contact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Soccer star pays Wilkes soccer team visit
Olympic, World Cup soccer goalkeeper, Jillian Loyden, serves as role model for players

Courtesy of Kate Mahoney
Above: Jillian Loyden, top center, smiles with the team before their home game.
Right: Loyden, pictured on left, poses with Wilkes senior Katy Fissel. Fissel met
Loyden while she was volunteering for the Sky Blue soccer team.

act with the girls and talk to them.
After talking to a couple girls on the team,
you can really tell that they took what Loyden
When inspiration comes to mind, the worn- said to heart and realized what she said is true.
en's soccer team thinks of Jillian Loyden. Not They now believe that even if they dream big,
everybody can have the chance to say that to just go out and excel.
She also tried to make the players on the
they met an Olympic and World Cup player.
On Sept. 23, 2012, the women's soccer team realize that even if they don't start the
game, or get as much playteam at Wilkes was able
ing time as they would have
to do just that. Loyden
liked, she emphasized that
came to Wilkes to talk to
you're still just as important
the team about the game
as anybody else on the team.
of soccer and obviously
She said this will make you
inspire them and make
a better teammate.
them never stop chasing
Loyden explained that if
their dreams.
"Dream big and go
you believe that your time
will come, and you put the
after it. You were born
effort in, people will notice.
to do big things," was
just one of the inspiring
~ Jillian Loyden Only positives can come out
of working hard and reachthings Loyden said after
Professional Soccer Player ing your goal.
asking her what's her
Senior Katy Fissel had
main goal for coming
already met with Loyden through volunteer
and talking to the girls.
She wants to travel around, being a positive work. She became her one-on-one trainer and
role model to young soccer players, and make family friend.
them push themselves to be the best player
Volunteering for the Sky Blue team, Fissel
did half-time event coordination for each home
they could be.
She came to speak to the team, talk to the game they had. The Sky Blue team was the
youth about her experience about the World year before the women's professional league
Cup and the Olympics, and just simply inter- was re-established.
By Michelle Coyle
Staff Writer

-

"Dream big and
go after it. You
were born to do
big things,"

Men's Soccer
Loyden talked about her experience with
soccer and how she's grown up and molded
into the kind of player she is today.
"It makes me smile. It makes it worth living
for," Loyden said.
Loyden said she lives for the opportunities
to be able to travel and play the exciting game
she loves. To Loyden, it's more than just a
game, it's her life.
"She was always encouraging me while I
trained, on and off the field. We would discuss
the game and what I can do better," Fissel said.
Fissel said Loyden was always an inspiration to her. And now since she's made the national team, and has a gold and silver medal,
giving the athletes more reason to look up to
her as a role model.
After hearing the motivating words of Loyden, the girls on the team took what she said
and brought it all on the field. They ended up
defeating Daemen College that day, 4-0.
The girls were really excited and thankful for Loyden to take the time to come and
speak to them. They won't forget the words
she spoke, and will forever use what she said
for the future.

@wifkesbeacon
michelle.coy/e@wilkes.edu

�17

SPORTS

Women's tennis team seeking
to continue its winning ways
By Frank Passalacqua

Sports Editor

.

The Wilkes University women's tennis team
is looking to bring home a first-place victory
in the Middle Atlantic Conference Individual
Tournament.
The Lady Colonels will participate in the
MAC Individual Tournament at the Ralston
Athletic Complex in an all-day event starting at 8 a.m. Oct. 6-7. The four senior players
Melanie Nolt, Katie Lynn, Alexis Donner and
Amanda Holyk will be playing in their final
tournament.
"The team is very excited about our upcoming MAC Individual Tournament," Coach
Chris Leicht said. "This tourney concludes
our fall season, and we look forward to it each
and every year. All of our fall preparation
leads into this tourney."
The MAC Tournament is hosted at Wilkes
every year on the six tennis courts and also
takes advantage of the additional 10 courts
at Kirby Park. A total of thirteen teams from
the MAC Conference will be coming, and
each team will bring at least six players to
participate. Albright, Alvemia, Arcadia, East-

em, Elizabethtown, Fairleigh Dickinson, Hood,
King's, Lebanon Valley College, Lycoming,
Messiah, Misericordia and Stevenson are all
expected to compete
Over the past two years, Wilkes has won
more titles than all the other 13 schools combined.
Wilkes is 2-0 and is second in the Freedom
Conference behind only Misericordia (3-1).

Singles:
1. Melanie Nolt
2. Alexis Donner
3. Ally Kristofco
4. Katie Lynn
5. Amanda Holyk
6. Anastasia English
7. Amanda Rossi
8. Cayleah Markulics
Doubles:
1. Nolt - Lynn
2. Donner - Kristofco
3. Holyk - English
4. Rossi - Olivia Hewison
The Beacon/Laura Preby

frank.passa/acqua@wilkes.edu

Senior women 's tennis players practice for the upcoming MAC conference.

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�18

SCOREBOARD

THE BEACON

SPORTS

I Oct 2, 2012

Wilkes bounces back after major loss
to Widener with record-breaking game

Cross Country
9/21 NEPA Classic - M 5th

!

Field Hockey
;,-.

1dla
I
ric first!
ame

9/24 Alvernia - L 1-2
9/22 FDU Florham - L 3-4

Football
9/29 Wilkes - 37
FDU Madison - 27

M-Soccer
9/29 Delaware Valley - W 1-0
9/27 Penn College - W 2-0
9/25 Elmira - L 0-5

when Wil-

ordia
.er.:

W-Soccer
}'

9/29 Delaware Valley- W 3-0
9/26 Susquehanna - W 3-0

Volleyball
9/26 King's -W 3-1

WEEKIHEID
Cross Country
10/13 DeSales Invitational

Field Hockey
10/6 at Manhattanville
10/9 VS.Susquehanna

Football
10/6 VS. Misericordia

M-Soccer
10/3 at Steven's
9/6 at FDU Florham
10/9 VS. DeSales

W-Soccer
,.

10/3 at Rowan
10/6 at FDU Florham

M-Tennis
10/13-14 MAC Individual Trnt.

W-Tennis
10/6-7 MAC Individual Trnt.

Volleyball
10/2 at DeSale's
10/6 at Alvern ia

The Beacon/Jon Conklin

Wilkes gained a record of 667 total yards In its 37-27 victory against Madison.
By Frank Pass·a lacqua
Sports Editor

After last week's 0-90 loss to Widener University, the Wilkes football team is looking to
put the past behind them and move on.
Sitting at (2-2) on the season, Coach Frank
Sheptock said the Colonels know what is needed of them to succeed.
"We need to embrace the adversity we went
through, we need to learn from it and grow
from it," Sheptock said. "The next step is to
focus on what we can control this week from
a preparation standpoint. Practice, film study
and team unity, adversity teaches us we need
each other."
With six games remaining on the schedule,
the team is still optimistic about getting back
on track.
Last year, Wilkes beat Widener 35-27 and
ruined Widener's chance at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championship. Was this beating revenge for last year? Many people think it
may be. However, Widener Head Coach Isaac
Collins said otherwise.
"I'm 100 percent opposed to someone scoring 90 points in a game," Collins said in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Regardless of the score, Sheptock and Collins shook hands at the end of the game and the
Colonels walked off the field with their heads
up.
Sheptock zeroed in on a few areas the team
will look to improve on and wants the recent
loss to be motivation for the future.
"We need to improve on being opportunistic with offense scoring chances, and defensive big play opportunities on third and fourth
down," Sheptock said. "We need to handle the
momentum swings of games with more consistency and improve in red zone scoring. We
didn't play very well fundamentally but we had
done well in that area in the first two games."
Sheptock said the athletes are eager to improve.
"I met with the team, and many of them
individually as well - they are disappointed

but anxious to take the field again. They understand what we went through doesn't define
who we are; it was a tough day, but together we
are pulling through.
"This is a group of committed student athletes whom take great pride in representing
Wilkes University and the Colonel football
program. They are learning to control what
they can control. We controlled how we would
respond -- together and focused. We will be
back!"
When the Colonels took the field on Sept. 29
against FDU-Florham, it was clear their heads
were on straight. Wilkes put up a school record
667 total yards in the 37-27 victory.
Everything Sheptock said the team needed
to improve on was corrected and perfected.
Adding to impressive day, Sheptock sealed his
100th career win as head coach for Wilkes.
Wilkes takes on Misericordia next Saturday
in a home game at 1 p.m. and will try to improve to (3-2) on the year.

i

Cou- 1

•·

,rdia at 1
um in
all.

at
ver-

The Beacon/Jon Conklin

After coming off of a big win this past weekend, the team is looking to take on
Mlsericordia on their home field, this Saturday Oct. 6.

�.
By Evan Willey
Staff Writer

Wilkes welcomes freshman crosscountry runner Brian Smith to the
team. Being a full-time pharmacy
major doesn 't tire him out too much
as he continues to provide his talents to the university and team.
Smith comes from the small town
of Sullivan County, Pa., where his
skills stood out. In his senior year
of high school, Smith qualified for
PIAA Cross Country states and was
named.first team Heartland Athletic
Conference All-Star. With a positive
attitude and natural running ability,
the path loo/cs clear for a successful
cross-country season.
What does running mean to you? How
does it make you feel?
Running is important to me. I love running.
I always have fun whether I'm out on a run or
competing. It keeps me in good shape as well.
How does it feel to adjust from high
school cross-country to being on a college
team?
Having a new team was different, but my
teammates are great so that wasn't too hard to
adjust to. There's definitely a difference running a 5k compared to an 8k and I'm still getting use to that. I'm really enjoying my first
year of college running, though.
What is your favorite thing about being
on your new team?
The best thing about the new team is listening to each other's stories on runs and having
good times together. A lot of the guys on the
team have things in common and the stories
we share always make me laugh.
What is your main goal to accomplish
this year for cross-country here at Wilkes?
My goal for this year is to run at Regionals
and possibly break the school record.
What is a memory you will never forget?
The best memory I had would be last year
at districts when I went from 21st place with a
half-mile to go and finished eighth to qualify
for States.
Do you have any special rituals you do
before a meet?
I try and do everything the same every time

before my race. I listen to music on the
way and I picture myself running even
if I've never seen the course. I always
put my left sock and shoe on first, I slap
my legs to get myself pumped up and
put my left foot on the start line!
What are some of your favorite
things to eat and drink before and
after a run?
The night before I have a lot of pasta,
bread and water. I have a bagel and water for breakfast and after the race I usually have Gatorade and Subway.
How do you like Wilkes University
so far?
Wilkes is nice and I've met a lot of
people already. The construction is annoying though, but everyone is friendly.
What are some of your other hobbies you do when you are not running?
I like to hunt, ride four-wheelers, go
swimming and work on cars.
Why did you choice to major in
pharmacy?
I chose pharmacy because I want
to help people and by supplying them
the right medication I can enable their
wellness.
Who or what inspires you to keep
running?
Being healthy inspires me to keep
running. Also reaching goals, as well as
my family's love and support.
Do you look up to any professional
athlete?
Jordan Burroughs, an Olympic gold
medalist in wrestling. His determination and hard work pays off and proves
it works.
What is your biggest strength
you've added to the Wilkes crosscountry team?
I feel like I add a little bit of leadership and I help push the guys to work
harder.
Lastly, what is a major obstacle
you had to overcome to reach you
goal?
A major obstacle I had to overcome
would be the district race because I
haven't had a lot of success there in
previous years.
@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes. edu
The Beacon/Austin Louka
f

�•

20

SPORTS

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·e come Bae '•
Bring this AD to the Bookstore anytime
during HOMECOMING WEEKEND and
get 10~ OFF One (1) WILKES S,c hool
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Downtown Wilkes-Barre
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Sat lO,un-9ptn
Sun Noon-~pn1

I Oct. 2, 2012

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                    <text>Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

Oct. 23, 2012

THE BEACON
The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow.

Volume 65 Issue 6
~~,-.,,--------~

For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.co~

�THI

N
Cor
Wh

Oct. 23, 2012

Contact editor: christine.lee@wilkes.edu

in ti

Donation ensures Cohen Science Center on time for fundraising

pha
it b1
will
yeai

By Christine Lee

President
Leahy
announces the
donation of
$2.5 million by
Lawrence and
Sally Co~en,
which was one
of the
largest
monetary
donations In
WIikes history.

News Editor

A $2.5 million donation assures that funding
for the newly named Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center is going along as planned.
On Oct. 10, President Patrick Leahy announced the donation of the gift by alumnus
Lawrence '57 and his wife, Sally, one of the
largest single cash gifts from an individual
alumnus.
Leahy said he can't overstate what a show
of generosity the gift was to the university,
especially at this time during the construction
process and his recent installation as president.
"Coming at this time of this project, sort
of midway through the construction, midway
through the capital campaign and this early in
my presidency, it's a very significant moment
in our history as a university," Leahy said.
"I cannot be more grateful to the Cohen
family for their show of support for Wilkes
University, it's incredible."
Leahy said he was delighted to be able to
announce the naming of the science building
after the Cohens, knowing as long as the building stands it will bear the name.
The donation brings the total raised in the
Achieving Our Destiny capital campaign
project to $13.5 million. Vice President of
Advancement Mike Wood said the campaign
was started j• January and is planned to raise
$20 million to pay for part of the $35 million
expenses.
"Typically campaigns take five years and
we've been in this campaign for a little more
than a year and a half," Wood said. "What
we're trying to do is get to that goal as quickly
as possible."
There are so far about 100 donors in the
campaign. Wood said this is the most amount
of money raised by Wilkes in this short amount
of time in its history.
In addition to the Achieving Our Destiny
capital campaign, $15 million bonds were issued last spring by the university to the public
market to cover the rest of the costs for the Cohen science center. Vice President of Finance
and General Council Loren Prescott said this
process helps with getting money quickly for
the building.
"The capital campaign is about receiving
pledges from a variety of donors that are satisfied over ~ period of time, so you can either

The Beacon/
Kirstin Cook

wait until all of that money comes in, or we
can borrow money, anticipating that the capital campaign produce all of this cash and that's
what we've decided to do," Prescott said.
"We didn't want to delay the beginning of
construction because we're anxious to complete the building and begin using it so the borrowing was an effort on our part to speed up
the construction process."
Prescott said in addition to the $15 million
in bonds, the university will borrow money to
allow the construction to proceed, which will
then be paid back with the expected proceeds
from the capital campaign. Prescott added
student tuition is not being directly spent on
construction.
Wood said the campaign is just beginning
the alumni outreach portion. Wood said this
portion will reach donors for smaller gifts.
"Not everyone can do a $2 million gift, but
gifts of all sizes count," Wood said.
Wood said as Advancement reaches out to
the alumni portion of the campaign, there will
be more sending of direct mail, a re-starting of
the Army of Colonels advertising campaign
and promoting in the "Wilkes" magazine, although Wood said fundraising is more effective when it's done face-to-face.
"Most of the time fundraising is done best
when you're sitting and talking with people
face-to-face and we try to do that whenever
possible," Wood said.

Wood said there are dozens of events around
the country where Advancement is gathering
alums to talk about the science building and
other needs at Wilkes. They also have hundreds of individual appointments with alumni
throughout the country.
Leahy said he will be dedicating the next
nine months to raise the additional money
needed. He said the donation from the Cohens
is the kind of gift that will give the necessary
cash flow to continue the construction.
He also said the plan is to have the Cohen
Science Center completed and ready for occupancy sometime in August or early September
2013. In addition to the fundraising, Leahy
wants to make sure the continued construction
is completed on time, on budget and safely
Leahy said he firmly believes the building
will be completed on time so it is ready for the
following academic year.
He also said the next tangible part of the
building the campus community will see is the
building enclosed with the siding and roof. He
hopes that this will be completed within the
next couple of months.
"My hope is that we can have a lot of that
work in the coming months so that even if January and February are really tough winters, our
construction crew can work on the interior of
the building," Leahy said. "The building will
really take shape."
Leahy said although he doesn't know what

building will be referred to in the future, he
hopes the name Cohen Science Center will be
embedded in the campus lexicon and hopes the
campus community will use the full name to
show appreciation of the donors.
"I' II work hard to remember the Cohen
name and embed it firmly into our campus
jargon," Leahy said. "Every time we refer to
those buildings, we are in some special way
sort of summoning the spirit of the people who
helped make them possible and I think it's important for our students to know that."
Leahy said he looks forward with great enthusiasm to when the building is formally dedicated and expressed that the human component
that makes a building remarkable.
"You can build state-of-the art buildings on
college campuses but you have to have dedicated and talented faculty and staff to work in
those buildings," Leahy said. "That is the essence of an academic building, is the quality
of the faculty and the quality of the staff that
occupy the buildings.
"That's what makes them remarkable, not
just the physical space, that's only one small
part of it," he said. It\,the human component
of a building that makes it remarkable and I
think Cohen Science Center will be a remarkable building."

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook

News Editor: Christine Lee

Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro

Opinion Editor: CarlyYamrus

Ad Manager: Brittany Battista

A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas

PHONE: (570) 408-5903

Photo Editor: Laura Preby

Life Editor: Anne Yoskoski

WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Adviser: Loran Lewis

Sports Editor: Frank Passalacqua

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�THE BEACON

I Oct 23, 2012

3

NEWS

Wilkes faculty members react to presidential debates
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer
With the 20 12 Election Day weeks away,
the pressure is on for national debates. Thus
far, President Obama and Mitt Romney have
met twice and their running mates, Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan,
have also squared off.
In light of the recent debates, three Wilkes
faculty members with expertise in politics examine the performances of Obama and Romney.
The first televised debate was highly anticipated and many were able to see the candidates together for the first time. Many viewers
wanted to see where the candidates stood on
issues and what they would do as president.
"In the first debate, I went in with an open
mind because the president is so well known
and Mitt Romney has never really come
across visually and vocally as a strong person," professor of communications Bradford
Kinney, who specializes in political rhetoric,
said.
Many believed Obama had an edge in the
debates because of his speaking ability, but
others believed Romney would do better because of his earlier campaign start for the primary.
Thomas Baldino, professor of political science said, "I was looking at the first debate
as an opportunity to see how each candidate
reacted in real time. What I watched was one
candidate who was prepared and the other
candidate who appeared not prepared."
Professor of communications Jane ElmesCrahall, who also specializes in political
rhetoric, said it appeared Romney had a better
chance with undecided voters than the presiden~

Baldino

Elmes-Crahall

"I was hoping we would see a clarification of
what was starting after the conventions, where
the president seemed to be emerging and had
a pretty solid lead and Governor Romney did
OK, but was still being seen as connecting with
undecided voters," Elmes-Crahall said.
Coming off the first debate, many thought
that Obama was not his typical self and that he
was not prepared.
"I noticed that (Obama) wasn't scripted,"
Kinney said. "He seemed nervous, he seemed
unsure of himself and he seemed like he did
not want to be there."
Many also believed that Romney was riding
a wave of confidence from Obama's sub-par
performance.
"Mitt Romney was now seen as a viable person and much more relatable then he had been
going into that first debate," Elmes-Crahall
said. "The president had a series of bad mistakes in terms of how he presented himself in
the first debate."
In the first debate the moderator, Jim Lehrer,
was viewed by many as passive and not in control of the candidates.
"He let the debate get out of hand complete-

Kinney

ly," Kinney said.
With Romney's performance in the first debate, Baldino said many voters seemed to take
notice.
"The outcome of the debate was a shift in
the polls by as much as four points in some
polls," Baldino said.
Meanwhile, Elmes-Crahall said the vice
presidential debate is viewed by many as a debate that does not affect the overall race.
"Vice presidential debates are fun, they always have been. I doubt that they changed a
single vote," Elmes-Crahall said. "They are
very telling in terms of the campaign and how
well it's going and they do have the potential
of being very important if one of them becomes president."
Biden, during the debate, seemed to be
sneering and laughing to certain issues and
some of the answers given by Ryan, which
Baldino said was expected as it is typical of
his nature.
"Biden was Biden, more under control then
he is sometimes, he showed his passion and
he was articulate on issues without putting his
foot in his mouth," said Baldino. "Everybody

expected him to put his foot in his mouth."
Baldino also commented on Ryan's performance in the debate.
"Ryan had to look competent, most people
didn't really know much about him," Baldino
said. "So he came across as confident."
In the third debate many expected a comeback by Obama and a more aggressive moderator.
"The momentum had to be shifted for this
election would start becoming clearer," ElmesCrahall said. "So in the second (debate), my
expectations were framed on what are they going to do strategically to change the momentum, if you are on the Democratic side."
Kinney said the second debate was critical
for Obama to change his image for voters.
"This debate became critic~.l, the president
has to change a visual image that people have,"
Kinney said, "He came out and you could see
he was prepared."
Kinney commented on how effective
Obama's arguments were but also how well
Romney was able to return them.
"He threw some of the hardest body blows at
Romney," Kinney, said. "What impressed me
was Romney took them and returned them."
With only one debate left, many are waiting
to see what happens in the last debate on foreign affairs.
"The third debate in this election is the determining outcome and it happens close to the
election," Elmes-Crahall said. "Foreign affairs
is not an area of strength right now for the
Obama Administration."
The third and final presidential debate was
held Monday, Oct. 22, at Lynn University in
Boca Raton, Fla.
@shawncareyB
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

Annual review allows for more funds towards awareness programs
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor
Every two years, staff from Campus Counseling, the Health and Wellness Center and
Residence Life sit down together and participate in an event known as the Biennial Review.
"It provides us the opportunity to take a
look at what we accomplished in terms of
prevention programs with respect to drugs
and alcohol," Dean of Student Affairs, Mark
Allen said.
With the review, they are able to find what
is working and what isn't working, in regards
to drug and alcohol prevention. When that is
done, changes are made to events to allow for
improvement in those areas lacking.
One of the most significant changes made
this year during the Biennial Review was
a switch in the online alcohol assessment
course, which is mandatory for all incoming
students.
Since 2006, all incoming freshman students
have been required to pass an online drug, alcohol and sexual assault course. In the past,
students had been using college.alcoholedu.
com, but now Wilkes students will be using a
program known as My Student Body.

"We felt it fulfilled the same requirements
in terms of passing along important information with respect to alcohol, drugs and sexual
assault, but it did so in a less expensive way so
we were able to, through the savin~s that we
had, reinvest those funds in other sorts of alcohol awareness initiatives so a chance to expand
programs a little bit more," Allen said.
Alcohol Awareness Week, which took place
during the week of Oct. 15, is a time when the
money saved by the switch, can help expand
events on campus.
National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness
Week is celebrated by college and university
campus' everywhere. It began here at Wilkes
around 1988 with and event known as the "dry
run," which today is the "Alcohol Awareness
Walk."
Gail Holby, coordinator of health and wellness center and the BAACCHUS club, a national club, at Wilkes coordinated events for
the entire week. Some of these events included, guest speakers, a texting and DUI/DWI car
simulator and the traditional Alcohol Awareness Walk.
"Our 201 2 Alcohol Awareness Walk was
one of the best attended walks in our history,"
Holby said. "We estimated that approximately
500 students, staff, and faculty were part of the

important gathering."
Both Holby and Allen believe that Wilkes
works hard to inform its students about the
risk of drugs and alcohol. By starting early, at
Welcome Weekend holding presentations on
sexual assault and by making it mandatory for
incoming students to take the required alcohol
course.
Allen also believes that the amount of clubs
on campus allows for students to have things
that preoccupy them.
Allen said, "it's providing an environment
so students can definitely involve themselves
in a healthier environment."
With the Biennial Review and the National
Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week, students
will be educated and informed as to the affects
of drugs and alcohol and efforts the university
makes to help students stay active and out of
the influences.
The staff involved in the review and those
who coordinated the week will continue to
work together to find ways to make changes
for the better.
"It is always good to sit down and reflect on
what is working and what is not working and
try to improve upon things for the years that
follow," Allen said.

The Beacon/Laura Preby
Gail Holby and the BACCHUS club put
together events for the entire week of
Oct. 15 for Alcohol Awareness week.
Above, a textlng and driving and DUI/
DWI simulator car was part of the
events put in place to inform and educate students on the effects of drugs
and alcohol.
@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

�4

NEWS

THE BEACON

I Oct. 23, 2012

Wilkes plays host to two congressional forum debates
By Christine Lee
News Editor

Four congressional candidates couldn't
agree on many issues affecting voters but
each one agreed on one thing: There are issues
affecting young voters and they need to get
involved. The candidates squared off on a variety of issues important to Penn. voters, from
health care to foreign policy, to creating jobs.

Getting young voters involved
All four congressional candidates stress
that young people should get involved and
register to vote. Cummings said young people
need to get involved because election results
determine their future.
"They need to get involved as this is their
future," Cummings said.
Barletta thinks the most important thing
that college students should know is to get to
the polls, they need to make sure their voices
are heard. Stilp also said young voters have to
get involved and added they need to look at all
the facts and numbers.
Cartwright issued a message to young voters about getting out there to vote.
"So many young people just take it for
granted, our democracy, and they don't realize that a lot blood and tears were shed to give
them the right to vote," Cartwright said. "My
message to young people is inform yourselves
of the issues, read the national newspapers,
inform yourself about the issues and make up
your own mind and vote."
11th District Congressional Debate
The congressional candidates running in
the 11th District said that jobs and federal financial aid were the best solutions to the hardships college students are facing. Rep. Lou
Barletta and his democratic challenger Gene
Stilp discussed these possibilities at a debate
hosted by Wilkes and The Times-Leader on
Monday, Oct. 8. The forum was moderated by
Times-Leader editor Mark Jones.
Stilp said he is in favor of strengthening
and preserving the federal Pell Grants.
"I want to make sure that we strengthen the Pell Grant system," Stilp said.
"All our colleges have to be strengthened
be£use that's where the innovation comes
from, that's where our future comes from,
our colleges and our schools so therefore I'm
in favor of keeping the Pell Grant system
strengthened."
Stilp also wants to make sure college students don't go into severe debt because of
tuition.
"We've got to keep those interest rates at
a place where they are good for the college
students but at the same time they're not so
severe whereby they stop the students from
going to college," Stilp said.
Barletta said the biggest challenge for college students is that more than 50 percent will
not find a job when they graduate and the policies of the current administration aren't working for college students.
He also added that America needs to get
back its hiring spirit so college students know
they have a better opportunity and the policies of the current administration are making
it harder for them to find jobs.

"They need to understand that the policies
of this government are making matters worse,
making it harder for them to find jobs and we
need to change that," Barletta said. "I'm concerned that this November if we don't change
the direction and provide a clear, brighter opportunity for our students that we're never going to be able to tum this country back again."
In his opening statement, Barletta stressed
the fact that the U.S. is $16 trillion in debt and
the issues associated with that and the country's 14.6 percent unemployment rate.
In his opening address, Stilp spoke about
getting rid of waste, fraud and abuse in government.
Questions directed at the candidates included government gridlock, health care, representing constituents in light of the recently
re-drawn congressional districts in the state,
government reform, entitlement programs, national debt, job growth, foreign policy, climate
change and the fiscal cliff.

17th District Congressional Debate
It was all about taxes and health care when
17th district running mates Laureen Cummings, the Republican and a member of the
Scranton Tea Party, and Matt Cartwright, the
Democrat, met on Oct. 10. for a forum hosted
by Wilkes University and The Times-Leader.
The forum was also moderated by TimesLeader editorial editor Mark Jones.
Cummings said the fair tax plan she is in
favor for would be better for young voters as
they would keep their whole paycheck and
they wouldn't have any more federal taxes
taken out on them.
She emphasized that young voters should
get involved as the $16 trillion debt is something they have to deal with.
Cartwright said he is in favor of supporting
President Obama's Affordable Care Act, which
would allow young people to remain on their
parents' health care insurance up to when they
are 26 years old.
"I think that's a good idea and a lot of people
like it because really you don't land on your
feet until you're at least 26 years old and it
makes life a lot easier until you can stay on
your parents' insurance until then," Cartwright
said.
Cartwright said the recently struck down
Voter ID law is important for young voters
because unless they have a college ID, some
young voters without a driver's license would
have a hard time voting.
"There are some young people that don't
have drivers' licenses who are old enough to
vote and unless they go to a college or a university where they have an ID that has an expiration date on it, they're going to have a hard
time voting," Cartwright said. "Striking down
the Voter ID law is a good thing for young
people."
In his opening statement, Cartwright talked
about standing up for working families and
building infrastructure to create jobs. He referred to the Tea Party as 'the party of no. ' Laureen Cummings opened by talking about being
an advocate for everyday people.
The issues discussed in the forum included
small business and job growth, preparing for
the role of representative, defense spending,
energy, poverty, health care, transportation

The Beacon/Dan Lykens
11th district Democratic congressional candidate Gene Stilp, left, faces
incumbent Republican Rep. Lou Barletta, right, on issues such as government
gridlock and health care. Candidates from the 17th district also ~quared off.
and highways, term limits for office, priorities
@Cleespot
as representative, campaign finance, national
christine.lee@wilkes.edu
debt, foreign policy and tax reforms.

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�THE BEACON I Oct. 23, 2012

NEWS

5

Inactive club disbanded UN Peacekeepers help inform
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer
The meeting was called to order at 5:57 p.m.
All college: $12,050.00
Conference: $700.00
General funds: $6,434.18
Leadership: $600.00
Spirit: $873.34
Student Government total: $20,657.52
The Chemistry Club was present at the
meeting to give a report. Next week, is National Chemistry Week and the club has many
events planned for the week. It is planning a
bake sale and "Pie Your Professor" event. Half
of the proceeds from the events will be donated
to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.
The budget for Casino Week was presented
for the second week. There was one change
to the budget and that was upgrading the Nintendo Wii to a Nintendo Wii U. Treasurer Sam
Bickert said this is a pre-order and the winner
will receive the prize after Casino Week. A motion was made to allocate $11,739 for Casino
Week. The motion passed 35-0-6.
Jill Price, the new Adventure Education
coordinator, was at the meeting to introduce
herself and did a couple of activities with the

members.
President Kris Rivers spoke about inactive
clubs. He said that he talked to members of Environmental Club and they told him this club
may be merging with the Outdoor Club, so the
issue was tabled for the next meeting.
However, Rivers did not hear anything from
the Student Political Action Forum. There has
been no activity within the club for four years.
A motion was made to disband the Student Political Action Forum due to inactivity. The motion passed 37-0-3
Reports of Homecoming will be at the next
meeting due to invoices that need taken care
of.
The meeting was adjourned at 7 p.m.
@shawncarey8
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Lt. Col. J. Guillermo Rosa, deputy military adviser, United States military staff
committee, and Peter Schmitz, above, director of Europe and Latin America Division at the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations informed students
of the effects and importance of peacekeeping in Haiti.

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Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Wilkes lacking political involvement
Students are encouraged to get the facts, spread the word and vote

GOTTA VOTE
Get the facts. Gef the word out. Get ready to 'Vote.

The Beacon/Laura Preby
"Gotta Vote" posters around campus urge students to become more actively
involved in politics. Political presence on campus can be extremely influential
to students who are unsure about the candidates and their positions on issues.

By The Beacon editorial staff
In the p• few weeks, Wilkes has seen two
former Congressmen and four congressional
candidates participate in debates for districts
representing this very region.
However, with the exception of a couple
students who had class when the two former
congressmen visited, there were few students
at the congressional debates and at the forum
with the former congressmen.
These, combined with limited vocalization
from students on political issues, have led us
to come to the conclusion that Wilkes students do not participate in politics.
The Beacon believes students should take
an active role in politics as the issues the candidates are talking about in their campaigns
have an impact on them. Take, for example,
the following:
•Health care: Will students still be covered under their parents' insurance until age
26 under "Obama care"?
•Jobs: Will students be able to find them
after college?
•Immigration: Will those students here illegally be able to stay or be deported?

According to an article in The Michigan
Daily entitled "Students demonstrate po-

litical support for upcoming 2012 presidential
election," students play a pivotal role in shaping politics through both voting and actively
participating in elections, and that student involvement will continue to be important in the
upcoming 2012 presidential election.
The article explains that students are valuable as presidential campaign volunteers because they have the time, energy and will work
for free. The article also said politicians often
will look toward college campuses for volunteers and voters because students are already
in a central location and are often organized
according to political beliefs.
The Beacon staff believes all Wilkes students have political beliefs, and if not, then
they have beliefs about something.
We think students shouldn't be shy about
expressing their beliefs on a particular topic
during this national election season. After all,
it is the basic right of all citizens to address
the federal government about issues they are
passionate about; students should readily take
advantage of this freedom.
The Beacon staff does not understand why
Wilkes students don't actively participate in
politics on campus, especially when one of the
ways policies get passed is by people actively
addressing the president or members of Congress.
On a campus level, the College Republicans
have done some activities on campus for all
students, including the highly-attended presidential debate watch party, which was very

successful. The College Democrats don't appear to be active as a group on campus.
There doesn't appear to be anyone from either group actively rallying for Republican or
Democratic candidates running for office in
November. Because these groups are highly
influential in informing students and getting them to vote, The Beacon believes these
groups need to be more visible on campus.
The Beacon thinks campus political groups,
or students in general, should take the time to
get campaign literature for current candidates
from campaign headquarters, some of which
are located downtown within walking distance
of campus, and spread it around campus. That
way students will be more likely to cast a vote
this November.
According to the Center for Information and
Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
at Tufts University, 46 million people ages 1829 are eligible to vote and make up 21 percent
of the voting population in the U.S.
They point out that the percentage of 18 to
29 year-olds that voted in the 2008 election
was 48.5 percent and 67 percent for citizens 25
and older and 30 and older.
CIRCLE points out that students who are
contacted by an organization or campaign are
more likely to vote and those who discuss an
election are more likely to vote in it.
They also say one of the most effective
ways of getting new voters to cast a ballot is
by personalizing and interactive contact with
these voters.
This means students shouldn't hesitate to
get campaign literature from current candidates running for national and local office and
spread it across campus.
The Beacon praises organizations such as
The League of Women Voters, which has had
members give out voter registration ballots
on campus, and Student Development, which
sponsored events like Rock the Vote to get students registered to vote.
This type of activity is likely to spur students
to vote in upcoming elections.
Regardless of your political affiliation, The
Beacon staff encourages students to take advantage of these resources and make your
voice be heard by voting. Your vote really does
count.

BEACON POLL

£,
By
Life
1

The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on 15 responses.

Pro
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Last week's question:

pro
one

Have you ever cheated on an
assignment or exam?

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This week The Beacon asks:
What is your favorite Halloween
activity?
•
•
•
•

Trick-or-treating
Pumpkin carving
Partying
Watching horror movies

•

Attending local haunted
attractions
Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu
The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

St,
@wifkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

on

se1

�7

OPINION

THE BEACON

I Oct. 23, 2012

No matter what method of tipping, make sure you do it
By Nicholas Wesley
Correspondent
Maybe you're a 15 percent man, maybe
you're a 20. Maybe you only tip your brain
surgeon, or maybe you're a Mr. Pink and just
don't tip. Who really cares how you tip, that's
a secret between you, the almighty and Darleen at Denny's.
Is it necessary to not tip? What if the service
is exceptionally lousy, then do you stick it to
Darleen and not leave $2.25 behind? Maybe
next time she will be more clear on what type
of senior can have the senior Grand Slam.
But what if you're in another country? Is it
rude to tip? What do you say to the man who
enlightens you that tipping these waiters will
be offensive? Do you respond "Thanks pal"
and slip him a five spot?
Who really deserves a tip? Your congressman? Or is that called a bribe? But they are
a public servant. Shouldn't the public be allowed to leave them a gratuity when they've
done an exceptional job? Yes, but don't ever
ask them for anything. Do I vote with my dollar, or with my Social Security number? I like
to feel I made a difference; that's why I vote
for pro wrestling.
How do I tip? Growing up as a human dynamo, I failed to learn basic division. So I
like to tip like it's the lottery. I like to round
things up, sometimes you win big, sometimes
you curse my name and vow to drop my skirt

•

The Beacon/Lau ra Preby
Whether you believe In standard tipping rates or tipping at random, you can
always vote wit h your dollar and give what you think they deserve.

steak on the floor next time, only to be pleasantly surprised when I give you a little extra,
for the floor grease.
But is there anything more satisfying than
leaving one crisp bill on the table and walking
out like you're Don Juan?
People tell me there's an app for tipping.
Please, like I need to treat tipping like one of

those antiquated, vestigial skills I've evolved
out of, like my sense of direction, ability to
keep track of appointments and memory of
seven-digit numbers for more than five seconds.
What do you do when you see a donation
box? Do you give your change to the saps
with the bells before and after you leave Wal-

greens? It is cold outside.
Do you check yes on donating $3 to the
presidential campaign with your taxes? Do
you round your earnings up to an even number, just because they look like they could use
the money?
Was your quarter the quarter that caused the
rescue of that missing girl at Turkey Hill? Do
you leave a penny in the take a penny leave a
penny? Does that make you a socialist?
Can you really feel good when you drop
that shiny dime into that platform game you
see at fair-priced diners? The proceeds may go
toward leukemia, but the first platform wins a
free slice of pie. It's not selfish gambling if it
goes toward charity, right? Only if you lose.
Now, do you donate on campus? The library
is implementing a new COIDipunity coffee pot.
Donations benefit Enactus, an on-campus
club. They say to leave a dollar, but what's SO
cents between friends, right?
I'm excited to see the result from this experiment; it will be a testament to the tippers
and toppers of Wilkes University.
Let's keep the ball rolling, and don't be a
Mr. Pink.
So next time you vote with your dollar, give
them a little extra, they deserve it. And most
importantly, tip your editors. American currency only, please.
@wifkesbeacon
nicholas.wesley@wilkes.edu

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�THE BEACON

I Oct. 23, 2012

8

OPINION

Bullying for friendship: the absurdity in Greek life hazing
An instinctual desire for approval provokes intelligent students to make senseless decisions
By Lyndsie Yamrus
Assistant Opinion Editor
Andrew Lohse emolled into Dartmouth
College as an undergraduate student in the fall
of 2008. Lohse, as described in the April 2012
issue of Rolling stone magazine, was a highly
involved, self-aware and intelligent young
man with sophisticated ideas that he himself
believed were "incredibly douchey, brash and
stupid."
The young man was alleged to have participated in an extensive list of extracurricular activities in high school, ranging from varsity lacrosse to orchestra to debate club. As a highly
involved, highly sophisticated individual often is, Lohse was headed in the right direction.
The bright young man pictured himself someday resembling his grandfather- a
wealthy banker with powerful connections
who could drink hard, work hard and achieve
high: the embodiment of a true Dartmouth
man and Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother.
One of these men, as Lohse explained for
Rolling Stone, was "good-looking, preppy,
charismatic, and excellent at cocktail parties,
masculine, intelligent, wealthy, and a little
rough around the edges." In addition to these
essential characteristics, a true brother could
drink immeasurable amounts of alcohol, vomit and "rally" repeatedly, and was obligated to
execute a number of extreme feats, as any fraternity brother could.
Although not much of a partier, Lohse
pledged. Becoming a SAE brother seemed to
be a highly necessary step toward becoming
the ideal man.
Tums out, to become the model man, you
had to be an animal.
Getting to the point, Lohse was ratted out
by another SAE brother near the end of his
sophomore year for openly snorting cocaine
in tlf: house's pool room.
Lohse was suspended from Dartmouth for
a year.
In January 2011, after spiraling into a state
of fury and depression over the incident, Lohse
craftily published an op-ed in the school's
student-run newspaper "The Dartmouth."
Breaking well-established brotherhood codes
of secrecy, he heatedly leaked his experiences
in becoming a SAE brother, which I will discuss momentarily.
As I am not a sorority sister, I do not know
half of what goes on in these types of organizations, but I do know that a lot of nonsense
occurs within many (but certainly not all).
People have told me, "It's not like that- you
don't have the inside-perspective."
No, I don't. But I have the outside perspective, and from the outside looking in, I don't
like what I see.
Pledges are often singled out or isolated for
one thing or another. They're asked to spit out
random tidbits of meaningless information or
Greek-related knowledge and given some crazy "punishment" if they fail their given tasks.
Some wake you up in the middle of the night
to do "fun" . activities, and most incorporate
alcohol.
I've heard of fraternities that actually kept

pledges from studying and doing their homework because involvement in senseless activities was more important.
We are at school right? Just checking.
The possibilities in the Greek domain are
endless. From my experience, there are a lot of
crazy men out there, willing to do crazy things,
and girls can be very, very mean.
These mild "bonding-experiences" were
what I had anticipated when it came to Greek
life. But sometimes, to be even considered for
initiation, pledges around the world are humiliated, harassed and abused in various ways as
a way to connect and, in more or less words,
"pick out" the worthy ones for the group.
In Lohse's fraternity, the simpler, more obvious (and probably more desired) activities
included bonging a "quick six"- six beers in
30 seconds or under, playing pong with five
times the normal amount of beer needed, guzzling the cheap beverage MD 20/20 (otherwise
known as Mad Dog) and other hard-liquors on
command, chugging a gallon of milk in 20
minutes or downing straight vinegar, to name
a few.
Yes, hazing is illegal in 44 states in the US,
but it exists regardless. I knew the basis of hazing, but I didn't know how bad it could get,
or what seemingly bright individuals were capable of doing to each other for no reason.
For some purpose that to this day remains
highly unclear to me, human beings find it essential that in order to be welcomed as a member into one of these groups, you have to prove
yourself.
The psychology of it has been studied by
Harvard University, among other associations.
Humans strongly desire belonging, intensely

''1 Just
. cant) get past
how and why good,
intelligent individuals
do the things they do to
each other in order to
be friends:'
close-knit relationships and approval. It's evolutionary. We by no means want to be rejected,
so it is therefore crucial to prove ourselves
worthy of others' approvals. We crave exclusivity too.
I understand that these feelings are beyond
our control. It's all pure human nature.
What I do not understand is how SAE fraternity pledges were encouraged to continuously
vomit on each other and do "slip and slides"
on vomit-covered tarps, or how they were required to crawl through lines of naked male
bodies, drink beer off of each other unclothed
and eat omelets filled with vomit.
Perhaps the most revolting requirement
was for pledges to swim in a kiddie pool filled
with the unimaginable: a horrifying mixture
of urine, fecal matter, vomit, semen and food
products.
Things are equally as bad in the Dartmouth
sorority world, though less disgusting. Last
spring, sophomore Kappa Kappa Gamma
pledge Ravital Segal and two other pledges
from another sorority were blindfolded, guided
to the back of a car, and instructed to chug a

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Extreme binge drinking is among the many potentially harmful activities occuring in Greek communities around the world. Students pledging fraternities
and sororities often succumb to making bad decisions from higher members in
order to fit In.

64-ounce water bottle containing a mixed drinl&lt;
and numerous shots of vodka.
Upon waking up in the hospital the next da)
with bruises, cuts, broken teeth and tubes attached to her body, the physicians informed Segal that her blood alcohol content was .399. A
.4 BAC means coma and death.
The young girl was literally one sip of alcohol away from dying.
In my opinion, this is absurd; that for man)
Greek communities, in order to create bondi
with one another, some type of artificial, unnecessary and potentially dangerous affau
must exist. Even if mental and physical healtl:
is at stake, even if death is in the running, thii
extreme perception trumps all rationale.
I just typed into Google, "Reasons to join ,
sorority." I clicked the first link, SororityEverAfter.com.
•
The seventh line down reads, "A sororit)
gives you the philanthropic, leadership, anc
personal development experiences you need tc
be successful in the "real world."
The page goes on to explain that joining a sorority opens doors for life-long friendships, internships and jobs and gives your life a "highe1
meaning."
I disagree.
I strongly believe that I have just as equal ol
a chance as anyone in any Greek community a1
"being successful in the real world."
I've already made life-long friendships, no,
not with 60-plus girls, but I'm satisfied wit!:
what I've created.
I will leave school and gain an equally distinguished career because I worked my youknow-what off for it, not because I was judgec
and embarrassed and have Greek letters tc
show for it. That's enough "higher meaning'
for me.
Greek life isn't the only thing that definei
a person, and if an employer wants to choosf
Greek alumni over me, well, that's their owr
problem.
Writing this opinion as caused me to think
Greek life doesn't sound too bad if you takf
out all the garbage. If there were sororities a1
Wilkes, I feel as though I might actually enjo)
them. I won't lie, they do sound fun and unique.
I just can't get past how and why good, intelligent individuals do the things they do to eacl:
other in order to be friends. I have entirely toe
much dignity to waste my time trying to provf
myself to others, hoping to get a bid.
There are plenty of fun, safe and normal
ways for people to bond, and swimming ir
each other's bodily fluids isn't one of them.
I realize that after pledge time, you're ,
member and tl'Iat's that. You' re accepted. Ym;
passed the test. I'm sure it's an awesome feeling.
But the vicious cycle is repeated over anc
over again, this time on new pledge victims. l
can't see any member really liking what the)
do, but that's just the way it is, and society jus1
accepts it as conventional and all-in-all OK.
Must be a kink in evolution.
@wilkesbeacon
/yndsie.yamrus@wilkes.edu

- =--=---

�Cont&lt;;!Et E!ldJtor: bill~homas@thewilkesbeacon.com

The living dead invades NEPA once again, toys in tow
Good-hearted ghouls gather with charity on the brain for third annual ·W-B Zombie Walk
By Jake Cochran

to partner with Toys for Tots this year. The
idea is that, since times are tough, the need
to start the drive as soon is prominent. With
Christmas on the way, Lindgrin said, it's
never too early.
So, while it sounds like the terrible plotline of a Z-grade bootleg horror movie, zombies are in fact teaming up with the Marines
to save Christmas. Just because zombies
crave brains, that doesn't mean they don't
already have hearts.
•
In addition to the Toys for Tots bin, the
Kirby Park starting point will also have a
few trained professionals and enthusiastic hobbyists to help would-be zombies
add some bite to their ensembles. The artists will be working with some latex based
makeups to add bite wounds and tear-away
flesh chunks, as well as the obligatory splatters of blood.
While the artists will be doing their work
free of charge, Lindgrin encourages any endorsers to be a good sport and put a little
something in the tip jars they leave out, noting that the cost of the make-up is not cheap.
When asked about what type of zombies
she expected from her experience last year
she had a wide range of predictions. Last
year she saw everything from Gothed-up
ghouls to Mohawk-headed crust-punk flesheaters. She also noted a group of zombified
nurses as well as a group of what she referred to as "green slime zombies."
"I like to see people be very creative with
their ideas. I like to see people work with
what they've got," Lindgrin said.
"I want to see creativity, people always
say that this area has nothing to offer and I
think this is a great opportunity to showcase
our creativity."

Assistant A&amp;E Editor

A mass of 80 or more zombies hobbled
across a nearly deserted snowy park. Then,
for some unseen reason, they all changed
direction at once. Now making their way
across a bridge, they came to the end, then
to a complete stop.
The zombies were waiting for the crosswalk signal.
They weren't actually a horde of real
zombies, of course. Just a horde of zombie
enthusiasts, dressed up to participate in the
2011 Wilkes-Barre Zombie Walk.
Jessica Lindgrin, the event coordinator
and zombie wrangler for this year's event,
remembers her own experiences at last
year's walk. Back then, Lindgrin wasn't an
organizer. She was just another participant.
"It was frigid cold, it was freezing," she
said. "There was myself and five other
friends and we were on and off: 'Do you
wanna go?' 'Yeah. No. Yeah. No. Yeah.'
And finally we just threw makeup on and
went and it was a lot of fun. The running
joke between everyone was that zombies
don't get cold."
Around 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27,
shamblers will gather once more in Kirby
Park before shambling along their usual
root: From there, crossing the Market Street
Bridg_e, then looping around the WilkesBarr~ Square before returning to Kirby Park
again. New to this year's event, though, is a
mission to bring awareness to a cause that is
not just apocalypse preparedness.
Lindgrin, the primary organizer of the
event this year, wants the focus to be about
helping give back to the children of surrounding communities, through the addition
of a Toys for Tots bin at the start of the walk
in Kirby Park.
"I talked to the guy from (the Wyoming
Valley Detachment Marine Corps League,
which oversee the local branch of Toys for
Tots) and he will be there with the bin and I
joke with him about 'Are you going to come
dressed as a zombie?' and he kind of just
laughed back that he will have to see what's
going on," she said.
"Maybe the Marine will be dressed as a
zombie, maybe not, we'll just have to see,"

Courtesy of Melissa Christian

@wilkesbeacon
jason .cochra n@wilkes.edu

This weekend, don't be surprised If you find some ghouls, like Melissa Christian, right, and her friend, wandering through your neighborhood.
Lindgrin joked. "I'm thinking probably not
because he won't look professional."
With the focus on children this year Lindgrin, a special effects makeup aficionado,
made it clear that the walk should be a family oriented event and that they are really try-

CULTURE CLASH
with Sarah Mitrotz &amp; Bill Thomas
Scary Freddy vs. FunnJ: . Fre&lt;Jdy

ing to do some good with the Toys for Tots
foundation.
Whi le the recent economic recession is
technically over, the effects of it are still
being felt. Lindgrin cites this as one reason
why the Wilkes-Barre Zombie Walk wanted

THE BOOK REPORT
with Anne Yoskoski
"The Casual Vacancy/' by J.K. Rowling

with Jake Cochran
. Season Three.predictions

�1O

A&amp;E

THE BEACON

From jazz to punk:·Diversity on display at film festival
'Music without borders' spotlighted in joint offering from Wilkes, Misercordia
By BIii Thomas
A&amp;E Editor
Godlove Fonjweng grew up in Cameroon,
a country in west Central Africa. Music was a
part of his daily life. In church, in school, intraditional ceremonies; music was woven into the
very fabric of his formative years.
In 1999, Fonjweng - currently director of
global education at Wilkes University - visited
Cartagena, Colombia. While touring the surrounding areas, he traveled by boat to a small
community nearby. What he found surprised
him, for, in some ways, it was like coming home.
"When I came out of that boat and was walking around, I noticed that everything around me
seemed oddly familiar, as if I'd been there before," he recalled.
"There were little kids with shorts and no
shirts trying to sell little things along the beaches, and there was this music in the background.
I recognized it. I realized someone was playing
Cameroon music, right there in this small place
in Colombia. I was not expecting that. It was so
unbelievable."
It's an example, Fonjweng said, of the way
music connects us all.
Recently, he was reminded of that experience
while screening "Sons ofBenkos," a documentary highlighting the influence of African culture in Colombia. It is one of six international
music-themed documentaries that will be shown
as part of the Cultural Lens Film Festival being
held this week, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25, 26 and 27, as a joint offering of
Wilkes and Misericordia University.
To kick off the event, Fongjweng will team

with Philip Simon, associate professor of music
at Wilkes, for a special presentation at 5 p.m., on
Thursday, which will precede the first documentary in the series, ''Return to Goree."
''Human beings recognize four important
things about music: melody, harmony, rhythm
and form. Every music from around the world
takes all of the ways it is constructed, presented
and performed from generally three or all four of
those elements," Simon said.
''Hopefully the presentation will educate the
audience as to what folk music is, what national
music is - or music that has a nationalistic scope
- and how most musics around the world are tied
together by certain common things."
Speaking of things that are "tied together,"
while this marks the third year of existence for
the Cultural Lens Film Festival, 2012 is the
event's first as a collaboration between Wilkes
and Misericordia Previously, it was hosted only
by Misercordia.
Before coming to Wilkes as associate director
of diversity affairs in 2011, Erica Acosta spent
three years working at Misericordia. There, she
and Daniel Kimbrough, assistant professor of
communications at the school, originated the
film festival as a tool for multicultural education.
"It was my baby over there," Acosta said.
"When I came here, I still wanted to maintain
that relationship and also build something more
unified, with our students getting to meet their
students, all in the spirit of inclusion and diversity."
In that sense, the festival 's growth into a now
intercollegiate offering reflects its central mission. So too does as this year's theme of''Music
Without Borders."

Nick Driscoll is director of
the Wilkes University Jazz Orchestra, the rhythm section of
which - consisting of two percussionists, one guitarists, one
bassist, one keyboardist and
Driscoll himself on saxophone
-will perform in the Henry Student Center Lobby as part of the
festival's closing reception, taking place at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
"Using music to show diversity is absolutely wonderful,"
Driscoll said. ''You could take
four people from the four farthest corners of the Earth who
couldn't communicate verbally
at all, put them together, and
they could play a tune together.
Music is a language."
Although the festival's closing reception will take place
on the Wilkes campus, the six
films preceding it are being divided evenly between the two
schools' locations. For Wilkes
students interested in attending any of the screenings held
on the Misericordia campus
but unable to provide their own
transportation, Acosta stressed
that free transportation via SG
Van will be available.
At press time, Acosta said
that there were 28 slots available, but if more than that were
to RSVP, she added that she
would be able to accommodate.
Students can RSVP all the way
up the day of a screening, but
advanced notice is preferred.
To RSVP, students can contact Acosta by phone at 570408-7856 or by email at erica.
acosta@wilkes.edu.

@wilkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

"One Voice" (2011)
5 p.m., Oct. 26
McGowan Hall, Misericordia

"Return to Goree" (2007)
6 p.m., Oct. 25

Lemmond Theater, Misericordia
The musical road movie that tells
African singer Youssou N'Dour's epic
journey following the trail left by slaves
and by the jazz music they invented.
Youssou N'Dour's challenge is to bring
back to Africa a jazz repertoire.

A film that tells the story of the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest. Every
year in Hawaii, 2000 high school students compete, with young leaders directing their peers in singing Hawaiian music in four-part harmony.

I Oc1

�Oct. 23 2012

A&amp;E

11

"When I Rise" (2010)
7 p.m., Oct. 26
Stark Learning Center (Room 101), Wilkes
A gifted black music student at the University of
Texas is thrust into a civil rights storm that changes
her life forever. Barbara Smith Comad is cast in an
opera to co-star with a white male classmate, fueling
a racist backlash from members of the Texas legislature. When Barbara is expelled from the cast, the
incident escalates to national news.

"Jazz, Episode 3: Our Language" (2000)
12 p.m., Oct. 27
Marts Center (Room 214), Wilkes
In the 1920s, jazz is everywhere, and for the first
time soloists and singers take center stage. We meet
Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues; Bix Beiderbecke, the first great white jazz star; and Benny
Goodman and Artie Shaw, for whom jazz offers
a chance to escape the ghetto and achieve their
dreams. Plus Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

"Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam" (2009)
3:30 p.m., Oct. 27
McGowan Hall, Misericordia
The film follows an American convert named Michael Muhammad Knight and his kindred spirits on
their first U.S . tour, where they incite a riot of young
hijabi girls at the largest Muslim gathering in North
America after Sena takes the stage. The film then
travels to Pakistan, as Michael begins to reconcile his
fundamentalist past with the rebel he's become.

"Sons of Benkos" (2003)
6 p.m., Oct. 27
Marts Center (Room 214), Wilkes

A documentary that explores the African culture
of Colombia through music. The film presents the
music of the Sons of Benkos, one of the most important black leaders in the fight for freedom during the times of slavery in Colombia. The film also
shows the evolution of Afro-Colombian music over
time through the fusion of Cuban and contemporary
African rhythms with traditional music.

Photos and film synopses courtesy of ArtMattan Productions, Junirosa Productions, PBS and Eyesteelfilm Productions.

�By Bill Thomas
A&amp;E Editor

They have titles like "Bloodsucking Pharaohs
'in Pittsburgh" and "Frankenhooker.'' They feature actors like Robert Z' Dar and Michelle Bauer
("Who?" Exactly!). They can be found at the
bottom of the budget DVD bin of your locaJ retain destination of choice.
For those with more traditional tastes in cinema, they're nothing more than "bad movies."
But for those with more rarified tastes, they're
a whole lot more. For some, "bad movies" are
synonymous with "good entertainment."
Of course, there are a lot of folks that just don't
get it. How, they ask, could anyone actuaJly enjoy watching a "bad" movie? ls it out of some
perverse sense of self-torture or just a twisted
enjoyment in the failings of others? ls it cinemasochism or cine-schadenfreude?
For Andrew Bomtreger, the answer is "none
- of the above."
"I do make fun of them, but [ aJso appreciate
_ the effort that went to them.... Sometimes you
watch these movies and there's a lot of interesting ideas in there. They just didn't have the budget to pull it off," Bomtreger said. "All l really
ask of a movie is that it entertains me. I don't care
how it does it. [ don't care if [ sit there the whole
l
movie wondering what the heck is going on. The
worst thing a movie can be is boring."
- As owner am.4 operator of the website BadMovies.org, Bomtreger knows a thing or two
about the subject. Type "bad movies" into
Google and Bortreger's website will invariably
be the top search result.
Despite that, he's not a low-brow mutant wallowing mindlessly in a sewer of cliche plots,

THE BEACON I Oct. 23, 2012

A&amp;E

12

jerry-rigged special effects and gratuitous nudity.
Nor is he a hipster in thick glasses and tight jeans
who thinks it's funny to ironicaJly feign affection
for something he obviously means to mock.
Bomtreger is a Marine with three kids. He
holds acclaimed motion pictures like "Seven
Samurai" and the 1957 version of "12 Angry
Men" as near and dear as he does outre obscurities l.ike "The Giant Claw" and "StarCrash." And
he's not alone. Unsurprisingly, the humble writer
whose words you're currently reading - or, more
likely, passing on the way to the sports section in fact gathers regularly with a tight-knit circle of
friends to indulge a long-held mutual addiction to
cinematic junk food.
In a sense, what better way to view bad movies than as junk food for the soul? Like Twinkies,
Ding Dongs and Ho Hos, bad movies contain
pretty much no nutritional value and admittedly
shouldn't be ingested all the rime. But, every
once in a while, it can be a rush to indulge in
something you know is bad for you. After al I,
without the concept of "bad" with which to contrast with, how can one ever fully understand the
concept of"good" in the first place?
"You don't apprec.iate cream unl.ess you've
drunk a lot of milk, and maybe you don't even
appreciate milk unless you've drunk some that's
gone sour." So vvrote Stephen King in his nonfiction book "Danse Macabre." And, while yours
truly takes issue with some of his statements in
said book, even King acknowledged in it that bad
movies can be used "to define positive values in
tenns of their 0\'1111 negative charm. They show
us what to look for because it is missing in themselves."
King's words are especially amusing, given
that he himself once directed an infan10us film
flop, 1986's oft-overlooke.d "Maximw11 Overdrive," about sentient appliances terrorizing
Emilio Estevez in a truck stop. On the flipside,
th.ere's Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill
Corbett, who've made careers out of making the
unbearable bearable.
As key members of the creative team behind
the gone-but-not-forgotten, Emmy-nominated,
Peabody Award-winning TV show "Mystery
Science Theater 3000," the trio skewered such
celluloid stinkers as "Hobgoblins" and "Manos,
th.e Hands of Fate" to the delight of viewers everywhere and, in doing so, transformed B movies
of all sorts into unintentionally hilarious masterpieces of accidentaJ art.
Nowadays, the trio continues cracking wise
in the form of downloadable film commentaries
available via the website, RifITrax.com.
Interested in experiencing a little of that "so
bad it's good" charm for yourself? This Thursday, RIC Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 will be one of
severaJ theaters across the cowJtry hosting a special. live simulcast event at 8 p.m., wherein the
RifITrax trio will do what they do best, gleefully
tackling the 2010 instant crap-classic Birdemic:
Shock and Terror (see sidebar). Don't miss it.
After all, there's no such thing as a bad movie.
Only a bad audience.
@wilkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

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�Contact editor: anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

Oct. 23, 2012

Students spend Fall Break at local animal shelter
By Alyssa Stencavage
Assistant. Life Editor
Some students spent their fall break cleaning stalls and pens, washing bowls and tubs
for larger animals, sweeping the barn, cleaning the refrigerator, helping to compost expiring foods and breaking down boxes to take to
the recycling center at the Indraloka Animal
Shelter in Mehoopany.
Founded by a woman named Indra Lahiri,
Indraloka is a nonprofit, volunteer-based sanctuary that gives animals a second chance at
living who otherwise would have been slaughtered or euthanized. This is a place Lahiri calls
her home.
She told the volunteers from Wilkes that
some of the animals were from other rescue
centers that had shut down.
From Thursday, Oct. 11 to Saturday, Oct.
13, the students who volunteered through
Alternative Fall Break helped with morning
feedings and some daily chores on the farm as
well as many tasks that needed to be done. All
of this helps ensure that these animals have a
clean place to come into at night.
Much of the trip was simply about being
present and socializing with the animals that

they know that they are loved.
"Being able to volunteer there was a great
opportunity for me," Dawn DiMaria,junior sociology maj or, said. "I personally love working
with animals. All of the animals were extremely friendly and we were able to feed them treats
each day such as apples, carrots and nectarines.
It was awesome being able to spend so much
time with them."
Lahiri said that she started the sanctuary
because she believes each life is sacred and a
miracle and ought to be treated as such.
After the work of each day, these volunteers
were able to enjoy a lunch made of local, vegan ingredients.
"It was a wonderful trip and a great experience," Wilkes University Interfaith coordinator Caitlin Czeh said. "Students were working
hard and eager to work and help the animals. It
was a very serene and calm atmosphere at the
sanctuary."
Czeh also said one of the students had never
seen or touched a horse before, so the student's
goal while on the trip was to change that.
"It was not only exciting for her, but also for
me, being able to see her fulfill that dream,"
Czeh said.
Among the students that took part in the

AFB charity work, there was some very positive feedback.
"The trip was fantastic. Our AFB group really clicked and we became like a little family rather quickly," DiMaria said. "We all got
along really well and worked as a good team.
We didn't want to leave the sanctuary on our
final day because we knew we wouldn't be
back."
DiMaria said the group discussed possibly
making a monthly trip to volunteer.
Another student commented on the beauty
of the experience and what an amazing place
the sanctuary is.
"Having the opportunity to be part of the
Alternative Fall break at Indraloka Animal
Sanctuary was a motivational, self-learning,
team-building and inspirational experience I
will always remember from my first year here
at Wilkes," junior English major Susan Zobitne said.
"Through this experience I had the chance
to work with an amazing group of people and
animals, gain first-hand knowledge of what an
animal sanctuary does and how much it means,
have my eyes opened to heart-felt stories that
led many of the animals to be at Indraloka and
enjoy the cool, fresh air, the open land and

beautiful scenery."
Zobitne agreed with DiMaria that none of
the students wanted to leave the sanctuary
because it was an amazing place to volunteer
their time.

Cou rtesy of Ca itl in Czeh

@wilkesbeacon
a/yssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

Wilkes Students Celebrates National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week
By Holly Boyer
Staff Writer
The National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness
Week was held here on campus Oct. 15-Oct.
19, as well as many other colleges across the
country.
Gail Holby, Health ,Services coordinator,
and health and wellnes club BACCHUS held
several events for Alcohol Awarness Week
throughout the week including a DUI simulation, educational activities, and activities with
the Northeast Highway Safety Program to inform and educate the campus about alcohol
awareness.
~
"The DUI Simulator was pretty neat," says
sophomore criminology and psychology major
Rhonda Lynch.
The DUI/DWI Car Simulator, which was
located outside of the Student Union building, showed participants how their driving was
without actually being under the influence or
while even texting.
Another thing they held was a walk for the
awareness. Students, faculty, and staff walked
from the greenway, across the Market Street
Bridge, through Kirby Park, and back around
to campus.

"The turnout was really great, definitely
more people than we expected," said Elizabeth
Bracco, sophomore pre-pharmacy and business administration major.
The club supplied 500 shirts for participants
of the walk. All shirts were given out, and there
were even participants without shirts walking.
This year was the largest turnout to date for the
walk, very many people got involved.
"I hope it impacts students," Holby said.
"It's for kids to be aware that drinking isn't
everything, you can still have fun, be social,
and have a good college experience without
drinking."
Statistics are showing that the social norms
are changing. Students are not all participating
in underage drinking in college.
"It's really great how we could reach that
many people on campus at one time," Lynch
said.
The awareness week is all about educating
the students on the risks involving in severe
underage drinking, that it can be harmful to not
only one's future, but their health.
"The point of this week is not about stop
drinking," Lynch said. "It's about being aware
of the dangers of excessive drinking."

The Beacon/ Austi n Lou kas

@wilkesbeacon
hol/y.boyer@wilkes.edu

Students are issued shirts before a walk around
campus and Kirby Park for Alcohol Awareness.

October is National Breast Cancer Awarness Month
Visit the Feather Me Pink Event in the SUB and the pink Bake sale

�. -------------------~
\

14

THE BEACON

LIFE

I Oct 23, 2012

The man behind the grill: Meet Tony Wallace
'The Grill Guy, serves up positive attitude, food in Student Union cafeteria
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief

With one hand holding a ~atula and the other pointing across the Wilkes cafeteria, Tony
the Grill Guy tends to his work station and his
customers at the same time. He displays a wide
grin as he calls to a student by name.
"How you doing today?" He asks. "You
have to try today's special."
And while his real name is Tony Wallace,
mru:e students associate him as Tony the Grill
Guy because this nickname describes him in
his setting, doing what he does best. It also
fittingly describes his laid back, friendly approach that has gained him so much popularity
among students at the cafeteria.
"Everyone knows Tony, I'd say," Matthew
Bishop, senior English major, said. "You just
see him every day, talk to him, see how he's
doing,"
"He's very friendly," J.T. Keer, sophomore
education major, said. "He's looking out for
' the students ' best interests."
"He actually starts a conversation with you,"
Sydney Mohr, freshman nursing major, said.
Wallace joked that this popularity with students is because he talks so much. Or, it could
be due to the warm greeting he extends to students, which he said is something they remember.
.
"I think when the student walks into the caf.__'.__ eteria, the first thing, it starts with the first person they see," Wallace said. "So if they get a
warm greeting and they feel welcome there ...
j
it might start their day off right."
This interaction with students is something
Wallace feels is important to his job at the
Wilkes University dining hall, where he has
worked since February 2006. While he describes his position there as "just a grill person," his role includes much more than simply
cooking grilled food.
Wallace's other duties include various tasks
like cleaning, preparing food stations and transitioning into other meal periods. He's never
at the grill for too long, because one second
he'll be flipping grilled cheese sandwiches and
the next he's moving to the classics station to
serve a waiting student, or rushing out back to
get more ingredients.
Even though he admits the rushing around
can be mentally straining, Wallace said he's
never had a bad day at the cafe. If he's having
trouble with knee pains or such, he doesn't let
it affect his work.
"You can't let the students see that. You have
to have that smile, have to have that positive
energy every day," Wallace said.
He said this positive interaction is something all workers should strive for.
"That's what I think everybody should do, to
have that approach," he said.
He said there's nothing worse than when a
food server has a negative attitude and abruptly
hands students their food without trying to start
a connection with them. This is something he
experienced when he went to college for two
years. He said he felt uncomfortable because

''1 think when the student walks into the cafeteria, the first thing, it
starts with the first person they see. So if they
get a warm greeting and
they feel welcome there
... it might start their
day off right:'
- Tony "the Grill Guy" Wallace
the staff was very cold.
"I wouldn't want that on anybody," Wallace
said.
So, Wallace puts the extra effort in making
students feel comfortable when they visit the
cafeteria. Students have noticed this effort,
as they have recognized him for "outstanding
customer service" at food committee meetings.
Customer service is not just something he
feels he is required to do. Interaction with students is something that he genuinely enjoys
and it's what he cites, without hesitation, as his
favorite part of the job.
"It's the students. They make my days go by
fast," he said. "Working here and getting to see
people every day and talking to people and just
conversing makes for a shorter day than just
coming in and doing your job and not putting
any extra effort into it."
Part of this is simply Wallace's love of talking. He enjoys talking to the students, faculty,
coworkers and whoever else is willing to listen.
"I like talking to people. I like talking about
different things."
And people like talking to him.
"Some people come here every day just to
talk, just to say 'hi.' They don't even come for
the grilled food," Wallace said.
Mainly, he likes to talk about current events.
He said he watches the news three or four
times a day to stay informed. He follows campus news as well, using means like the Student
Government Facebook page.
Wallace also follows the Wilkes Athletics
Facebook page. He said he always keeps up
with how the Wilkes sports teams are doing,
and that's a big way he gets to know students.
He said students like it when he can identify
them from a game and acknowledge things
like how many points they scored. He makes
frequent appearances at sporting events to support these athletes.
He also gives advice to athletes going
through injuries. Wallace, who ran track for
four years in high school along with playing
football and basketball, tore his ACL twice, so

Tony "The Grill Guy" Wallace
he knows what it's like to go through a sports
related injury.
In general, he notices when students are
having a bad day and he tries to support them.
"I try to give them a little bit of advice and
they say, 'you know what, Tony, thanks a lot,'
and that makes them feel good," Wallace said.
Another way he has reached out to students
is on Facebook through his Tony the Grill Guy

49

page. He uses it to post pictures of various
foods, especially the daily specials and healthy
options.
From a student perspective, Keer said this is
a good technique.
"People actually look at that," Keer said. "It
encourages people to go to the cafe."
Wallace also uses Facebook to stay in touch
with his large family. He visits these family
members in Atlantic City, his hometown, during the summer. While there, he enjoys fishing,
lying on the beach, walking on the boardwalk
and visiting high end casinos - though he said
he doesn't gamble.
Wallace has background in working at the
casinos in Atlantic City, which is where he said
he learned his people skills at a young age. He
said his best jobs were working for Playboy
Club and Casino, where he met Hugh Hefner
and Al Pacino, and Planet Hollywood, where
he met Arnold Schwarzenegger,• Whoopi
Goldberg and Sylvester Stallone.
And now, Wallace has become a little bit of a
celebrity himself at Wilkes. He has nearly 400
likes on his Facebook page, which he started at
the end of the summer. He hopes to continue
this trend so more people will know the man
behind the grill.

@wilkesbeacon
kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu

Frie nds
Uke Tonr the grill guy

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g:j 1 Q t ' Septesnber 25 at 8: 12pm
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�15

THE BEACON

LIFE

Chemistry Club organizes
Pie P rofessors in the Face
Event to benefit club, Komen Foundation

I Oct 23, 20 12

THE WORD AT WILKES: Out of any
fictional character, who would you pick
for president?

By Anne Yoskoski
Life Editor

The Chemistry Club w ill be holding a Pie
Professors in the Face event from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 25 on the greenway
(in case of rain, it will take place in the Henry
Student Center).
Each pie costs $2, and you can pie your professor of choice.
Breanna Conklin, senior chemistry major
and president of Chemistry Club, said getting
professors to participate was not as difficult as
one might think.
"Since the Chemistry Department is like
one big fami ly, the professors have no problem participating, and are actually excited to
participate," Conklin said.
"Dr. Christopher Henkels, the chemistry department's newest professor, is excited to be
part of our little family and is trying to embrace our fun ideas such as this."
The idea isn't a new one, but it still has a
large appeal.
"We (the Chemistry Club members) were
brainstorming about fundraising ideas and socials and this idea was thrown into the mix,"
Conklin said.
"The Chemistry Club had done this once
before many years ago so some of the profes-

sors had al ready participated in an event like
this. We have been planning behind the scenes
for the past three weeks or so by asking professors by emai l, but we are stil l getting replies
that pro fessors want to participate."
The fundraiser will benefit two causes: The
Susan G. Komen Foundation and the American
Chemical Society. The Susan G. Komen half
of the donations will support breast cancer research, while the ACS half will be spent sending students to the soc ieties national meeting
in the spring.
'Thi s meeting allows the chemistry students
to present their research as we ll as present our
student chapter and represent our university
and its achievements in the sciences," Conklin
said.
So far, a preliminary list of profess ors wi 11ing to be pied has been released. The professors include: Don E. Mencer, Amy Bradley,
Christopher Henkels, John Harrison, Kenneth
Pidcock and Michael Simko.
Anyone interested in participating or helping out with the event can contact breanna.
conklin@wilkes.edu to add their name to the
participant list and he.I p create a schedule.
@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

Ben Payne

Kendall Beard

Sophomore
Electrical Engineering Major

Undecided
Freshman

"Iron Man, why
not?"

Michelle
Kuzma
Sophomore
Pre-Pharamcy
"Lucy from the
Peanuts. She
knows what
she wants and
gets things
done."

"Roger Rabbit. Everything
would be fun!"

Sydney Mohr
Freshman Nursing Major
"Spongebob.
I love Spongebob."

We're also on Twitterl

-@FIGshirts
146 SO UTH PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
The Beacon/ Bryan Calabro

Students participated In an Anti-Bullying Rally in Kirby Park from 7 - 10 p.m.
on Oct. 15. The candle light vigil honored the teens who have died In the past
several months due to bullying.

WILKES-BARRE

NEAR CORBA BEVERAGE AND DOMINO'S!

570.823.9272

�Contact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Lady Colonels soccer
eyeing MAC playoffs
Wilkes second in conference
"She (Mahoney) has really
stepped up this year. Our team set a
new record for shutouts so she has
Correspondents
really been having a good season,"
The Wilkes University women's Hughes said.
The Colonels play their last
soccer team may only have three
games left in the regular season, but game of the season on Oct. 'JIJ at
the postseason is right around the King's College, a rivalry game.
corner for the Colonels who are cur- The Colonels will use that game to
rently second in the Middle Atlantic build momentum as they head into
the playoffs, where they will look
Conference.
With a record of9-4-2 overall and to make a run.
Wilkes women's soccer will be
3-1-1 in conference play, the Lady
Colonels are honing in on their goal having a Think Pink game Tuesof making playoffs and finishing day, Oct 23. The game will be held
at Schmidt Stadium at 7 p.m. Fissecond in the MAC.
The Colonels are feeling confi- sel is hoping this game serves to
dent as they finish up the season and highly their strengths this season.
"We've been having a great seahead into the playoffs.
"We definitely know we can play son we need to finish strong on our
with the teams that are going to be last few games, no matter how we
in the playoffs, we just came off a finish I'm still proud of the team,"
2-1 loss, which was a close game Fissel said.
With two conference games left,
to Misericordia which is seeded ·
first so we just have to bring our A the Lady Colonels are ready to
game," sophomore midfielder Ka- wrap up their season.
The Oct. 23 game against SUNY
tie Hughes said.
Misericordi::i was nationally Courtland is their next to last game
ranked for that game, and the Lady and also helps out a good cause by
Colonels had a 1-1 tie with them bringing attention to Breast Cancer
until the 85th minute when the Cou- awareness month.
Assistant Coach Becky Barritt
gars scored to escape with the vicsaid it'll be a good game to watch.
tory.
"The girls are having a great seaStrong leadership from Katy Fissel and Erin Donnelly has been one son and put up a lot of tough fights
of the reasons the Colonels have not only should this be a good
game but it's for a good cause, also
been so successful this year.
"Katy Fissel has been our cap- it should be fun," Barritt said.
Breast Cancer awareness month
tain for the last four years and she
has always been very consistent. that is going on all October. EveryErin Donnelly has stepped up to be one is encouraged to come out and
a captain this year and has proved watch the Lady Colonels play for
this cause.
herself," Hughes said.
The soccer team is also selling
Scoring has also been important
for Wilkes this season and some of Play for a Cure shirts. The shirts
that offensive firepower has come are $12 and all the proceeds go tofrom sophomore forward Alicia ward helping fight breast cancer.
Roberts.
Upcoming games
"Ally Roberts had a really good
7 p.m., Oct. 23 - SUNY Cortland at
offensive season, she scored a hat Ralston Athletic Complex
trick in the Widener game," Hughes
5 p.m., Oct. 27 - King's College at
said.
King's College, Wilkes-Barre
Freshman goalkeeper Kate Ma@wilkesbeacon
honey has played a big part in the
evan.wiley@wilkes.edu
team's consistency this year.

By Matthew Ciampaglio,
Stephanie Hahn

Courtesy of Sports Information Department
Dave Marr, left, had 12 stops In goal for the Colonels in a 1-1 draw against Manhattanville
Saturday evening. Senior Joe Brennan, right, scored his team-leading sixth goal against DeSales
last week.

Men's soccer looks to finish
season with win against rival
By Tyler Thomas
Correspondent

The Wilkes men's soccer team (59, 1-4) will be looking to close out its
2012 season with a win over King's
College in the big rivalry game Oct.
27.
The matchup will be at 7:30 p.m.
on King's home turf in Wilkes-Barre.
The Monarchs (10-3-1, 4-1) are sitting in second place in the Freedom
Conference.
Traveling on the road has appeared to be an issue for the Colonels thus far this season as they have
not been able to win an away game
in five attempts.
"It's not the problem of our team
playing on the road, but the opponent playing on their home field"
said head coach Phil Wingert. "Most
teams prefer to play at home because
it's perceived as an advantage.
"We've played at opponents' tournaments, homecoming, family day
celebrations and senior recognitions,
which provides the home team with
additional incentive and motivation,
playing in front of family, friends,
alumni and former players from the
program," Wingert said. "Regardless

Joe Brennan - Midfielder

Geoffrey Arentz - Defender

of the venue or opponent, the team
continues to put forth its best effort."
The Colonels leading scorer this
season has been senior midfielder,
Joe Brennan. Brennan has been responsible for 16 points thus far. For
the Monarchs, their primary scorer
has been a freshman forward Daniel
Hernandez, whose 18 total points is
good for fifth in the Freedom Conference.
Last season, King's won an intense, low-scoring game, 1-0. A late
goal propelled the Monarchs to vie-

tory in a very disappointing loss for
the Colonels.
"We are really looking forward to
ending the season on a good note,"
said Geoffrey Arentz, junior defender. "This year's record doesn't show
how strong of a team we are. To end
the season with a win against our rivals would be the strong finish the
team deserves."
@wilkesbeacon
tyler.thomas@wilkes.edu

�17

SPORTS

THE BEACON I Oct. 23, 2012

•
""

,

_,

.

WE TREAT INJURIES AND
ILLNESSES FOR ALL AGES.

+ 'JUST WALK IN.

tr . MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED,
BUT NOT REQUIRED.

•·. '2
5

�18

THE BEACON

SPORTS

SCOREBOARD

Joseph Pugliese

I Oct. 23, 2012

Frank Passalacqua

NBA Super-Teams

Cotumnist

Sports editor

Field Hockey
10/17 vs. King's - L 1-2
10/20 vs. DeSales'"- W 3-2

Football
10/20 vs. Stevenson - W 38-35

M-Soccer
10/17 Misericordia - L 1-2
10/20 Manhattanville - T 1-1

W-Soccer
10/16 Misericordia - L 1-2
10/20 Manhattanville - W 4-2

Volleyball
10/16 Manhattanville - W 3-0
10/20 Hilbert - L 0-3

WEEK AHEAD
Cross Country
10/27 MAC Championships
vs. Misericordia

Field Hockey
10/23 vs. Misericordia
10/26 vs. SUNY New Paltz

Football
10/27 vs: Lycoming

M-Soccer
10/24 vs. Scranton
10/27 vs. King's

W-Soccer
10/23 vs. SUNY Cortland
10/27 vs. King's

Volleyball
10/24 vs. Fairleigh-Dickinson
College at Florham

Tweet us:
Send messages
and pictures to:
@wu_BeaconSports

The NBA has always been a league run by
stars. Great teams always have great stars that
carry their team almost single-handedly to the
playoffs and beyond.
Few teams have been dominant or even major contenders in the last couple of decades
without having that one big star.
Recent years in the NBA have been characterized by a "Big 3" or super teams. One star
gets you to the playoffs, two stars gets you
deep into the playoffs and three can come close
to a conference final or a championship caliber
year.
The Heat, Celtics, Lakers and Spurs all under this formula have won 12 of the last 14
years and dominated basketball. The Lakers
this year have even gone as far to a Big 4.
This idea of gathering stars and letting them
control the game with mediocre role players
has worked almost too well in a game that is
supposed to reward great teamwork and coaching. This also creates an environment where
only nine different teams have won an NBA
championship since 1984.
The lack of disparity mixed with an awful
cap structure that benefits big market teams
causes half the teams in the league to suffer
losses instead of profits year to year.
The soft cap allows team to add pieces in
free agency but also go over the cap if they resign players already on their roster up to the
hard cap. This is great in theory but allows for
the Heat to have three contract players. For example, Dwayne Wade was already part of the
heat, allowing them to exceed the soft cap with
his contract.
There are simply not enough stars to go
around in the leagues. Stars flee small market
teams that drafted them in free agency for big
markets. They love endorsement deals and the
lights and the fact that they are hot spots for
other stars to get them that ring.
With the way the NBA works, a star is not
a star unless they get that immortal stature
of champion. There are only four MVPs in
league history without an NBA championship:
Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Steve Nash and
Derrick Rose. Rose still very young and Nash
is on the Lakers who have a Big 4 and a big
chance to win it all this year.
The cap situation and the glamour of the
bright lights and championship puts pressure
on big stars to win is why we have these super teams. The draft is not like the NFL; stars
are only available in the first few picks before
the talent drops off severely. Rarely does a star
come outside the top 20 picks.
Can you blame Lebron or Carmelo or any
other star for leaving their small markets to
chase that ring? There's so much pressure to
win it, and your career is not legitimized until
you win that ring? Super teams are saving the
NBA as much as they hurt it.

@wi/kesbeacon
joseph.pugliese@wilkes.edu

1

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Celtics landed the
]_: "Big 3'1 in
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championship winners:
• 2011-2012 Miami Heat
OKC lh:under, 4-1
2010-11 Dallas Mavericks
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2009-10 Los Angeles Lakers

Boston Celtics, 4-l

• 2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers:
Orlando Magic, 4-1

• 2007-08 Boston Celtics

As the 2013 NBA season gets ready to begin, there are a few teams in the league that
have a glaring All-Star roster.
Now take it back around 20 years. How
many teams in the league had three or more
all-stars on their rosters? Not many, that's for
sure.
However, 2013 brings a season with teams
like the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers into a whole new category ... super teams.
The Boston Celtics is where we can point
the finger at for starting this "buy your championship" trend, because they brought Kevin
Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce in
what was known as "The Big 3."
In their first season as a team, the Boston
Celtics won their first championship..-,ince
1985. Seeing their success, the 2010 offseason prompted Miami Heat to become one of
the most hated teams in the NBA when LeBron James decided to take his talents to South
Beach, along with all-star Chris Bosh to join
former champion Dwayne Wade.
Two seasons later, the Miami Heat are NBA
champions.
Guess what, there's more. The Los Angeles teams have also bought some talent, with
the Clippers signing Chris Paul, Chauncey
Billups and Lamar Odom to join the talented
Blake Griffin.
But, it's the other L.A. team making headlines.
This offseason, the Lakers made some huge
moves to try and match what is going on in
Miami. The Lakers brought in Steve Nash
and Dwight Howard to join Pau Gasol and the
one-and-only Kobe Bryant. Yeah, Superman
on a super team.
Why do teams feel they have to spend money to win? The entire NBA is starting to look
like the New York Yankees if you catch my
drift.
What happened to the old days when teams
made a winning bunch? The Oklahoma City
Thunder is the one team in the NBA who actually hasn't made any moves and yet still managed to make it to the NBA Finals last year.
Personally, I think there should be a limit.
Not a cap limit, but a limit restricting the overly dominating level of talent on a team.
It would be much more interesting to see
these all-stars spread across the NBA and it's
32 teams, not just three or four. What's the fun
of watching a game when you know who the
ball is going to on every play?
Last year, NBA Commissioner David Stern
stopped a trade that would send Chris Paul to
the Lakers, stating it would make them too
powerful. Well, now Nash and Howard are in
purple and gold. Stick to your plans commish
and stop this NBA super team nonsense.

• Los Angeles Lakers, 4-2

C

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

�THE BEACON I Oct. 23, 2012

SPORTS

I

19

Nolt
Continued from Page 20
What do you want to do with your major
in the future? I haven't decided what field of
pharmacy I would like to get into. Whether
it be hospital, retail, academia or industry, I
will get a lot of experience on rotations next
year and decide which path to pursue.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not
golfing? I play a lot of sports and enjoy staying active. I also really enjoy hunting, fishing
and the outdoors and just hanging out with
friends.
Does your family golf as well? My older
brother is the only one else in my family who
golfs, but I've tried to get my parents into
golf as well.

Monday October 22, 2012
6:00pm
7:30pm
8:00pm

Would you prefer power or accuracy and
why? I'd say power. Hitting a big tee shot is a
lot more fun to watch then hitting an accurate
one. Preferably it'd be a combination ofboth,
but you can't always get what you want.

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Laura Preby

Jeremy Nolt, above, has been playing
golf for 10 years. He brings his expertise on the green to the Wilkes golf
team.

Kirby Lecture J.C. Watts
Profiles
Flapper
Classic Arts Showcase

Tuesday October 23, 2012
Wilkes Now
Kirby Lecture Tom Szaky

12:00pm
6pm
7:30pm
8:00pm

Wilkes Now

8:00pm

Snow White
Showstoppers
Classical Arts Showcase
Friday October 26, 2012
Rosenn Lecture Zanny M. B.
Wilkes Now
Spring Dance
The Trolley
Classical Arts Showcase

9:30pm

Emest Hemmingway
Classic Arts Showcase
Wednesday October 24, 2012
Norman Mailer Lecture
Wilkes Now

6:00pm
7:30pm

6:00pm

7:30pm
8:00pm
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Seusical Spring
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Thursday October 25, 2012
Rosenn lecture Michelle Rhee

�BY FRANK PASSALACQUA

Sports Editor

Meet Jeremy N11lt, a fifth year
pharmacy major from Blooms,. burg, Pa. Nolt attended Central
Columbia High School, Class
af 2008, and is on the Wilkes
golf team.
How long have you been playing golf? I have
been playing golf for about 10 years now primarily on a casual basis. I got more into it when
I played for my high school team my junior and
senior year.

What made you want to join the Wilkes golf
team? I decided to join the Wilkes team last
spring when a friend of mine, Darren Mensch,
said they were short a couple guys on the team
and could use some help. I wasn't about to pass
up on free golf either.

/

Can you explain the difference in playing on
a team? Golf is really an individual sport and
you are usually only concerned about your own
score. However, when playing as part of a team
it adds a little excitement because your playscore affects the outcome of the team.

How has your play improved over recent
years? Fortunately, I have been able to get a lot
more golf in than usual over the past few summers and I feel like I'm hitting the ball as well

as l ever have.
What is one memory you' will never forget
whjle you were gol!Jng? , I'd lik~to say thafit
was a hole--in-one, butl.haven't been able· to accomplish that yet.

Who •"are your favorite golfers and the one'
that inspires you? My favorite golfer, bandsdown is Tiger. He bas changed the game of go~
during his era, and in my opinion is the greatest
of;all time.
"

Do you have a "pre-golfi~g" ritual? I don't
have a set pre-golf ritual. I just got out there and
hope for the best.

What are some of the nicest courses you've
played on? J1went on a trip With a ,group of

friends to Myrtle Beach this sutntner and gpt
to play some really nice courses. My favqrite
would have to 'be Rivers Edge. !will saytbat
our home course, Hunts\rille, is reiil.ly ni8e and '
is definitely.near the top.

What made you decid~ tdipick youJ; nfajor?'

rm big on math and science; ' and rphannacy
seemed like.a good career chbice to pursue.

�</text>
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1947 August 8th&lt;br /&gt;1947 September 5th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 3rd&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 17th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 31st&lt;br /&gt;1947 November 21st&lt;br /&gt;1947 December 19th&lt;br /&gt;1948 September 9th&lt;br /&gt;1950 April 28th&lt;br /&gt;1953 April 10th&lt;br /&gt;1962 February 2nd&lt;/p&gt;</text>
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                    <text>Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

THE BEACON
The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow.

Oct. 30, 2012

The Beacon/Kirstin Cook

For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkasbeacon.co~

Volume 65 Issue 7

�Oct. 30, 2012

Contact editor: christine.lee@wilkes.edu

Cory Booker tries to invoke the power of individuals
Newark mayor highlights vision for transforming cities through changing perspective
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief

Cory Booker diagnosed some Americans
with a problem that he called "sedentary agitation."
During his appearance for the Max Rosenn
Lecture Series at the Dorothy Dickson Darte
Center on Oct. 21, the Newark, N.J. mayor describing this ailment as looking at the issues in
the world but sitting back and doing nothing
about them.
"You're so upset about what's happening in
. the world, but you're not getting up and doing
something about it," Booker said.
With his speech theme of "How to Change
the World with Your Bare Hands," he talked
about how this issue affects cities like Newark
and Wilkes-Barre and what people can do to
fix this problem.
He said the real obstacle that America faces
is with people who surrender to cynicism and
negativity. He said he imagined this to be a
problem in Wilkes-Barre.
"The challenges actually are not the problems, the challenge is the spirit," Booker said.
Calling himself a "prisoner of hope," he said
this pessimism is the "only thing that stops us"
from making a difference in the community.
With hope, he said American cities have the
potential to band together to overcome their
problems.
"It is the American ideal, that every generation - in places humble and challenges great
- pull together to do more for each other understanding this noble truth that we're all in
this together."
With this ideal, he explained that the question changes from "can we?" to "do we have
the collective will?"
"The problems we have in society are not
a r~ ection of something else, they're a reflection of us," Booker said. "Our capacity to
come together and solve them. How dare we
think in our generation there's a problem anywhere that's bigger than who we are?"
He said he has seen proof of that in what
his community has accomplished. He cites this
community level as where the power stems
from rather than with mayors, governors and
other government officials.
He also said the power to make a difference

The Beacon/Kirstin Cook

With his lecture theme of "How to change the world with your bare hands,"
Newark, N.J., major Cory Booker offered ways Americans can impact their communities.

lies with individuals. His lecture was filled
with examples of these individuals who he encountered throughout his life. He told stories
of individuals that independently cleaned up
the streets of their cities, women who brainstormed on how to help children in their community and other citizens who met in town
halls, dorm rooms and church basements.
Most of Booker's speech focused on these
people who surround him, even though his
presentation was prefaced by an outline of his
own achievements. During this introduction of
Booker, Wilkes President Patrick Leahy posed
the question: how has the mayor of Newark,
N.J., become a national figure? His answer was
simple.
"Cory Booker is not your typical public servant," Leahy said.
Leahy listed some of the accomplishments
that he said makes Booker unique, such as his
IO-day hunger strike that he used to bring attention to issues in his city, his late night patrols to help police watch for neighborhood

crime and the famous incident during which he
ran into a burning building to save the life of
a woman.
These acts of public service that Leahy mentioned were as small as when Booker, on request, shoveled snow from the driveways of
city residents.
Booker said a small act of kindness is the
biggest thing a person can do. Separating icons
who do one, major act of greatness from those
who strive for smaller acts on a daily basis,
Booker referenced the latter type as people he
adores.
"Those people that get up every single day
and do consistent acts of decency, of goodness,
of kindness all through their entire lifetime, are
not only ones that make a heroic difference in
the world, but they're the ones who continue,
in my opinion, to radiate that goodness."
The difference between these groups of
people comes down to a daily choice, which
Booker outlined.
"One thing we have, we can do every single

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

PHONE: (570) 408-5903
WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook

News Editor: Christine Lee

Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro

Opinion Editor: CarlyYamrus

Ad Manager: Brittany Battista

A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas

Photo Editor: Laura Preby

Life Editor: Anne Yoskoski

Adviser: Loran Lewis

Sports Editor: Frank Passalacqua

day, every single hour, every single second:
We have one choice we can make," Booker
said. "That's a manifestation of power or surrender to another. And that choice is to accept
things as they are or take responsibility for
changing them."
Booker said that many people don't realize
the potential of this choice and the power they
have. This lack of recognition is the most common way they give it up, he said.
He said access to this power is something
that others, as well as himself, have to learn to
appreciate and use.
"I've got to recognize the power that I have,
the power that we all have, to make a difference in this world, and indeed it's not just a
power that we have, it's a power that we need
and must use."
To use this power, Booker suggested the
simple act of voting but added there is a deeper
component involving the privilege and obligation of being American and working toward
American values.
Calling himself a "devotee to social media,"
he praised the ability of new technologies like
social media to fulfill this power and resolve
social problems like discrimination.
"These are powerful tools now that are stopping the force of bigotry and bullying in high
schools all across America," he said.
But he admitted that fighting "sedentary
agitation" to make a difference in the world is
easier said than done.
"This is a difficult path," Booker said.
"Those who choose to walk it are going to get
broken and discouraged."
Using graphic description of a personal situation, he described a time he felt broken in this
journey.
He described a situation when he encountered a young man who was shot on the street.
He said he held the man's body in him arms
and saw his "white shirt filling up with red
blood" and "foamy blood pouring from his
mouth."
After the young man died, Booker said he
felt rage and negativity crowd out his hope.
But through these severe challenges, he urged
to the crowd: "We must stay faithful."
@kirstinjeancook
kirstin. cook@wilkes. edu

Meet the Staff

Christine Lee
News Editor

�THE BEACON

I Oct . 30, 2012

3

NEWS

Lack of usage at Ralston causes changes to shuttle schedule
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor

"We went from 300 - and - some - odd students who participated the program down to
less than 80," John Pesta, executive director
of capitol projects,0 said about the shuttle service usage.
Last year, university staff decided it was
time to cut back on the hours for the shuttle
service. They said there was less use and it
was not efficient for them to be spending university dollars to provide gas for shuttles that
were not carrying students.
When their services began Monday through
Thursday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m. to 6
p.m.; and Sunday 6-10 p.m., there was at least
one shuttle running. After the decrease in usage, however, and the cut back on the times,
the shuttles now run Monday through Friday
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and continue with the Sunday
evening run.
While there has never been a Saturday run
for the shuttles from the time they began, they
do provide the service on Saturday's when
there are home sporting events taking place
at the fields. In addition to those times, the
shuttle will only run on Saturdays if requested previously by a group.
Students like sophomore pre-pharmacy
major Allison Bitner aren't even aware of
the time schedule for the shuttle or its multipurpose use.
Bitner said she thinks the shuttle runs every
15 minutes and she guesses it is used to shuttle kids around to different areas of campus.

••

The Beacon/Laura Preby

To save money In gas cost, Wilkes cut the shuttle service program to run
Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The shuttle service for students at Wilkes'
which has been in place since the late '90s, allows for transportation for students who park at
Ralston Athletics Field, those attending sporting events and special requested trips to the
mall or Chacko's Family Bowling Center. During trips to and from Ralston they shuttle will
also make stops at the university bookstore or
in the square if requested by a passenger.
The vast majority use of the shuttle comes
from those students who either didn't get a
space on campus, or commuter students who

park at Ralston.
Manager of capital projects Paul Kaspriskie
said there are somewhere around 90 people
taking advantage of the 300 parking spots
available to them at Ralston and due to their
lack in participation, came the adjustment and
changes to shuttle runs.
Neither Pesta or Kaspriskie think the changes will affect many students being that after
4 p.m. anyone is able to park on campus and
students who park at Ralston also have the option of parking their cars in the lot behind the

Student Union Building during the weekends.
So, why are students taking advantage of the
shuttle runs or the Ralston field-parking program?
"Everybody is in a rush,"Kaspriskie said,
He and Pesta said for students to park over
there, they have to plan accordingly and get to
campus earlier than they would if they could
park in the student center. For some, that seems
like an inconvenience.
Students like Bitner have found that sometimes the shuttle can be late, which can cause
frustration.
Pesta said that most of the times when the
shuttle runs off schedule it is because of traffic issues, things the drivers cannot control, but
that 99 percent of the time they make the run
every half hour.
"I don't want anybody wailing," Kaspriskie
said. "If it means a couple more trips an hour,
it means a couple more trips an hour."
With four part-time drivers, there are always
two on at a time as well as two shuttles available. For the majority of the time, only one
shuttle runs and one sits at the field unless instructed otherwise.
"If participation in the Ralston field parking
program increases we'll need to accommodate
the additional students with our services," Pesta said.
For now, the shuttles will continue with their
Monday through Friday and Sunday evening
runs.
@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

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Alypa Sl9ncavage, Aut. Lit. Editor

Oclober18,2012

Some students spent their fall break
cleaning stalls and pens. washing bowls and
tubs for larger animals. sweeping the barn,
c leaning the refrigerator, .,. READ MORE

»»

WIikes faculty members react to presldentlal
debates
l!lhaWn Catvy, StwJ Wnler

Wilh the 2012 Electlon Day weeks away, the pressure is on fot nallona1

Follow us on Twitter
@Wilkes beacon

�4

NEWS

THE BEACON

I Oct. 30, 2012

College identification cards critical to vote on Nov. 6
Public Safety will give Wilkes student ID cards
expiration dates for casting ballots upon request
By Christine Lee

to vote.
Aichele added that 141 of the 156 colleges
in Pennsylvania had changed their ID cards or
offered stickers on them, which makes it easier
for students to vote.
Even though the voter identification law
"We think that we've got most of the colwas struck down, identification cards will
lege kids covered and we hope that they take
still be important for Pennsylvania college
advantage of this opportunity to vote here in
students, especially those who are first-time
Pennsylvania," Aichele said.
voters.
Aichele said the Commonwealth is really
Earlier this month, Judge Robert Simpson
encouraging their university systems to get
of the Commonwealth Court struck down
behind the movement to make sure the Coma key component of a state law requiring a
monwealth's youngest voters participate in the
strict form of photo identification approved
election process and to make the process easier
by the Commonwealth. This means Pennsylfor them.
vania voters will not have to present a state"We're hoping that Pennsylvania universiapproved form of identification to vote in next
ties have that as one of their
month's election.
Wilkes student ID cards
priorities in every election
do not have an expirayear but particularly in this
•
• .c.
one," Aichele said.
tion date but Public Sa_fe~
Aichele strongly recommanager Jerry Rebo said 1f
mends young voters get
a student requests an expiration date for their ID for
photo identification because
voting, they will give them
proof of identification is so
one.
much a part everything done
In a press teleconference
today if one is 18 years of
age or older.
on Oct. 25, Secretary of
"If
, 18
f
the Commonwealth Carol
you re
years O age
Aichele said voters will be
or older you probably need
to have---a--pb:otoIDrora lot
asked for photo identification but it is not required.
of reasons; everything from
buying allergy medicine
However, she_said peoto riding on an airplane,"
pie who are votmg for the
Aichele said.
first time or voting in a new
s · Eng1IS· h maJor
· J
·
on
precmct
nee d to h ave some
•
K demor
. ki ·
mfi rt bl
fi
f ·d tifi ·
a ~es
1s co o a e
orm O 1 en ca~wn to
- Carol Aichele, with his forms of identificavote. These forms mclude
.
.
.
a student ID card with an
Secretary of the tlon for votmg and is glad
the law was struck down.
expiration date, a driver's
Commonwealth "I feel that it was a good
license, a U.S passport, a
idea done improperly, I
utility bill or bank statethink that people should have to show a stronment.
ger, more fool-proof form of identification but
~chele thinks there was a sincere attempt
the way the law was working, it was requiron 1he part of the general assembly to enfraning people to spend money to be able to vote,
chise younger voters by adding college photo
which I just don't agree with. " Kadjeski said.
ID's with expiration dates to the kinds of ac"Fortunately, because I am a driver and I've
ceptable forms of identification that would be
been overseas through Wilkes, I have a college
accepted for voting purposes in Pennsylvania.
ID, a driver's license and a passport so I would
She said the bigger problem the Commonhave been OK, either way."
wealth had with voter identification was seAichele hopes to establish a pattern for votnior citizens who never had a birth certificate
ing going forward in Pennsylvania so the Comor were unable to get a birth certificate to promonwealth is able to make sure people who are
vide proof of identification.
voting on Election Day are who they claim to
"Most of our young people today have birth
be.
certificates that they can access and also have
"We're going to try to make sure that we
social security numbers because I think social
begin the process of educating voters to the
security numbers are issued at birth," Aichele
new voter ID law and establish a pattern going
said. "The younger generation is far more
forward in Pennsylvania so that we're able to
suited to getting photo identification under the
make sure that people who present themselves
new process than some of our 80 and 90-yearto vote at Pennsylvania polling places are who
old citizens."
they say they are," Aichele said.
Aichele said the process of upgrading uniElection Day nationwide is Nov. 6 and a
versity ID cards began with Temple Univerpolling place will be set up at the Marts Gym.
sity, when political affiliates in the student
body asked that Temple update their student
ID cards by putting expiration dates on the
@Cleespot
cards, which made it possible for thousands
of thousands of Pennsylvania college students
christine./ee@wilkes.edu

News Editor

"The younger

generattOn IS 1.ar
more SUI•te d tO
h
getting p OtO

1·dent1·ficat1·on-

than SOme Of OUr
80 and 90-year
OId Cl•t•1zens "

The Beaeon/Laura Preby
In addition to a U.S passport or driver's license, a college ID card with an expiration date Is accepted as a form of identification when going to the polls In
Pennsylvania on election day.

�THE BEACON

I Oct. 30, 2012

NEWS

5

Effects of shale gas topic of upcoming presentation
By Bob Grabosky
Staff Writer

The community and environmental health
effects of shale gas development is the topic
of the latest presentation by the Institute for
Energy and Environmental Research.
The presentation will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 7 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at William B.
Schaeffer Hall in Stark Learning Center.
Applied anthropologist Simona Perry will
be presenting. She will be focusing on human
societies, which are interactions that are interested in Marcellus Shale development.
IEERAssociate Director Ken Klemow said
that Perry will focus on a number of topics,
including a look at how human societies will
be affected by shale gas development in the
region.
Another major topic she will be talking
about is how the communities will adapt from
the Marcellus Shale development, and how
the region will deal with the boom bust cycles
associated with shale gas development.
The community and environmental health
implications of shale gas are important to the
region because Northeastern Pennsylvania
has a history of experiencing energy development that goes as far back as when the coal

Courtesy of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Issues with local well sites, such as the one pictured above, will be topic of
the Nov. 7 discussion.

industry was dominant. Klemow said the demise of the coal industry left its imprint on the
region both ecology and economically.
Klemow hopes the audience will have a
better appreciation of some of the social and
economic impacts of shale gas development.
He also hopes that, with gas prices decreasing

Studio 20 presents update

WET P.Af NT T-St+lftTS
www. wetpai nttsh irts.com

Staff Writer

WILKES UNIVERSITY'S
ONE STOP - PRINT SHOP

The meeting was called to order at 5:57 p.m.
All college: $2,660.00
Conferences: $700.00
General funds: $6,434.18
Leadership: $600.00
Spitt: $873.34
Student Government total: $11,267.52

Homecoming
Homecoming recap was presented at the
meeting. Corresponding Secretary Amber
Konopka said the event was a huge success
and the turnout at every event was great. SG
members discussed comments and feedback
for next year's celebration. Konopka also issued a big thanks to everyone who had a part
in homecoming this year.

@wilkesbeacon
robert.grabosky@wilkes.edu

81 Waller Street V\/1lkes Bar1·e. PA 18702

By Shawn Carey

Studio 20, the student-run design studio
run through the Integrative Media department, presented its club report to update SG
on its activities. It has many community service projects planned including helping out
with the Empty Bowls campaign.
The group is working with the Integrative
Media and Art departments. They said that
they have a lot of client-based work and will
be helping them with logo services. They announced that they now have a club logo.
Studio 20 members said they are willing to
help anyone who would like to use their services, and they have a wait list for services.
Also, they said they have approximately 10
students involved but hope that it will expand
in the future.

in cost, the audience will commit to shale gas
development in the near future.
Other activities associated with shale gas
development includes work by IEER, which
includes a study on the regional questions of
shale gas development. The results of summer
data will be a collage composition.

"Once we finalize and analyze the data,
we will be able to understand more fully the
impacts of shale gas development," Klebow
said.
Klemow said more essays on shale gas development are needed, as well as more tests
that should be done on radioactivity and compressor stations in the region.
Keri Skvarla, a student researcher for the
IEER, said students should be concerned with
shale gas development because it will affect
all inhabitants of the region. Another concern
for Wilkes students is that shale gas development will bring a lot of jobs to the region,
which relates to college students who will be
looking for jobs once they graduate.
Shale gas development affects students in
the sense that there are going to be a lot of
job opportunities, which is a positive for the
region.
There are a few implications of shale gas
development that are negative, too.
"If there are any negative implications from
shale gas, it only affects the state and community as well," Skvarla said.
The event is free and open to the public.

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What We Can Do For You
Community Service
Next on the agenda was an overview of the
new community service website, GiveGab.
President Kris Rivers gave a brief overview
of how to navigate the site of how students
can add community service hours, how to find
community service, and how to create events.
Pre-registratioin
Student Services executive director Janine
Becker asked SG members about an effective
way to contact students about their accounts.
She said it was pre-registration week and students are just realizing holds on their accounts
and therefore cannot register for classes. She
said any feedback from members on how to
efficiently contact students would be greatly
appreciated.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:46 p.m.
@shawncarey8
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

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&amp;More

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Clubs &amp; Activites
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to Get Started Now!

�Oct. 30, 2012

Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

In search of the perfect gyro, Part 1
A Chicagoin's search for the real-deal meals of Wyoming Valley
By Nicholas Wesley
Correspondent

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
American gyros (pronounced yeer-ohs) originated In Chicago in the late '60s. A
gyro is comprised of slices of roasted lamb, onion and tomatoes wrapped in a
puffed pita.

If you can answer that uest1on, yo ove,
experience can pay even greater dividends inthe

Study Abroad Essay contest
Write a 500- to 750-word essay on the topic
and you'll have a chance to have your essay
published and win valuable prizes.
More information will be coming, in the meantime, contact
Godlove.F onjweng@wilkes.edu or Loran.Lewis@wilkes.edu
Sponsored by the Center for Global Education and Diversity and The Beacon newspaper

Now where I come from, any person who
pronounces this meat 'n' pita dish by anything other than its god given name YEERoh, will be shot on sight. For some reason
nobody around here seems to have a problem with calling it a GY-ROE.
Well, I'm here to tell you- yes you reading
this- that your whole life has been a lie; and
if you don't change your ways you may just
find yourself being "speered" with a "nife"
by some less forgiving 85-year-old Greek
cook.
Now that were on the same page let me
tell you, there is a version of this dish in every country this side of India, and they are
all called something different. Swarma in
the mid-east, Maqloub in Tunisia, Dyuner in
Bulgaria, Broodje Doner in the Netherlands
... the list goes on.
But in America, the factory farm capital
of the world, one style, made by one company prevails. The meat hunk they call a
"gyros" is made by a company based in, my
hometown, Chicago.
Kronos produces this loaf of meat that
consists of a lamb-beef-spice-filler blend,
which is ground, pressed, packaged and
sold around the USA. Not surprisingly, Chicago is where the gyros craze first started
in America, somewhere between 1965 and
1968.
But this quest is not about the mass-produced mega sandwich that dominates most
grimy, orange tiled, food establishments
seen in Yourqity, USA. No, this is about
finding the most delicious, handcrafted rotisserie masterpiece in this god fc;,rsaken
food hell we cpll the Wyoming Valley:
Now I am no pessimist; if I was i would
just continue complaining and not document
this journey to the center of the plate.
I believe there is hope for you, I believe
somewhere there is a perfectly puffed pita,
with gleaming shanks of lamb sitting gracefully on a bed made of sweet onions, bright
tomatoes, and crispy lettuce; all smothered
in a yogurt sauce which grabs your taste
buds by the balls.

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on 13 responses.

Last week's question:
What is your favorite Halloween
activity?

Pumpkilt Carving

8%

This week's question:
What is your favorite movie genre?
•
•
•
•
•

Romance
Comedy
Horror
Sci-fi
Action
Cast y~pr vote onllne at:

www.thewllkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name-, major, year and opinion to:

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu
The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

@wifkesbeacon
nicholas.wes/ey@wifkes.edu

�7

OPINION

Birth control mandate: It's everyone's responsibility
By Carly Yamrus
Opinion Editor

As of August 2012, the Obama Administration passed a contraceptive mandate that
allows 47 million women to receive government-subsidized birth control. With these
health-care revisions, women will no longer
have to pay out-of-pocket fees when they go
to pick up their birth control. This means birth
control is now free for women with new or
renewed private insurance plans.
Before this mandate, there were 22 states
that did not require insurance plans to cover
birth control. Only those who had the money
could engage in healthy family planning.
Now, all women have the option without
money being the restricting element.
As a registered independent, I believe that
this is not a liberal issue, nor is it a conservative issue. This affects everyone.
According to Pro Choice America, 1 in 3
women struggle with the costs of birth control. By giving millions of woman access to
the most effective birth control and emergency contraceptives (pills, intrauterine devices,
or IUDs, injections, rings, plan B etc.) the
amount of unwanted pregnancies and abortions have drastically decreased.
To be clear, the government is not forcing
anyone to take birth control. They simply
made it available for women who before had
no choice and no options.
Some may say, "But that's not fair, why

The Beacon/Laura Preby
The new birth control mandate gives 47 million women access to contraception
while saving taxpayers $4. 7 billion to $6.2 billion a year.

should I have to pay for someone else's birth
control?"
Under the United States federal income tax
system, we are all obligated to pay for things
that we might not want to pay for. Some of us
don't support funding the arts, the museums,
the space programs, national parks, or public
schools.
The purpose of taxes is to pay for things we
all need. What we all need is to decrease the
number of unintended pregnancies and abortion that cost us billions of dollars each year.
Not everything we pay for is going to directly
affect or benefit us.

If that was why you were against birth control because you didn't want to pay for it, well
here is some good -news: Supplying women
with birth control ultimately benefits the taxpayer. A study done by the Guttrnacher Institute reported that unintended pregnancies cost
taxpayers approximately $11.1 billion a year
due to the medical costs of both the mother and
the infant.
A Brookings Institute study called, "Unintended Pregnancy and the Taxpayer," reported
the savings that would result from free birth
control: between $4. 7 and $6.2 billion a year.
As a nation in $16 trillion worth of debt, you

would think this would help us out a little.
Now that birth control is available, there is
hype that sexually transmitted diseases will increase. Just because birth control is available
does not mean that STDs will skyrocket uncontrollably.
The contraceptive mandate also provides
HPV and IIlV testing, and well as STD counseling. Providing birth control does not mean
mean all women will stop having safe sex.
Many women use more than one method of
birth control.
It is still very important, if not more important, to educate people about the issue now that
birth control is readily available.
I know a lot of men believe they should not
pay for birth control because they do no have
to take it. .
"Its not my birth control, so I shouldn't have
to pay for it," is a rather selfish thing to say.
I am no feminist, but it really grinds my
gears when my male counterparts try and justify the situation by saying, "I shouldn't have
to pay for a woman's mistake."
Well my friends, let me just tell you that it
takes two to get one in trouble. So if she's in
trouble, then so are you. Unless she magically
got pregnant with no man involved, it is your
mistake as well.
Just wait for the male contraceptive to come
out and then we can chat about how fair it is.
@wifkesbeacon
carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Planned Parenthood not just for people who 'messed up'
By Lyndsie Yamrus
Assistant Opinion Editor
One of the most ignorant remarks I've ever
heard, in the middle of a political debate, went
something along the lines of: "Planned Parenthood is just an excuse for girls so they can
go sleep around on the weekend."
How unfair it is to just assume that everyone who has ever visited one of these health
centers is there because they "messed up"
somewhere along the line and got pregnant or
has gotten an STD.
First of all, both men and women use
Planned Parenthood services, not just females
alone.
Yes, unfortunately there are many oblivious
and/or selfish sexually active people in the
world that aren't mindful of the risks or careful by any means.
These are often the finger-pointing cases;
where others regard your need for Planned
Parenthood as your own problem, since you
were the one who wasn't careful and got pregnant, or got an STD.
"Why should I pay for your problems?" is a
common outlook.
I single out these two services first because
they are the top two provided services provided to clients (35 percent each), according
to factcheck.org.
This obviously isn't the case for everyone though. Sometimes contraception fails.

Sometimes people don't inform their partners
that they have STDs, forcing them to pay the
consequences.
Everyone is entitled to their equally valid
opinion regarding birth control and abortions,
but must realize that although their main goal
is the prevention of unwanted pregnancy, these
services do not fully represent the aims of
Planned Parenthood. In fact, abortions make
up only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood services, and federal funding does not go toward
financing them.
Abortion in any case is legal in every state
in the United States and has been since the
1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade.
Funding cuts to Planned Parenthood will not
prevent abortions, but will instead prevent men
and women alike from obtaining the necessary
reproductive health care they need.
Not all individuals rely on Planned Parenthood because they "messed up."
For men, Planned Parenthood offers testicular, prostate and colon cancer screenings
as well as infertility screenings and referrals.
Routine exams and problem checkups are
provided as well, among other necessary assistances.
Similarly, infertility, breast cancer, ovarian
cancer and cervical cancer screenings and respective treatments are offered for women.
In a perfect world, everyone would have
health insurance. But for one reason or another, they don't, and that shouldn't be the sole
factor in detel1_!lining quality of life.

These cancer screenings are vital, as many
individuals will not know they have cancer
cells in their bodies until it is too late. For example, the cervical cancer-causing virus (in
rarer cases) known as HPVrarely shows symptoms, but can be found in regular Pap-tests that
have proven to save lives.
According to the National Library of Medicine, "Most women who are diagnosed with
cervical cancer today have not had regular Pap
smears or they have not followed up on abnormal Pap smear results."
The idea here is that the fate of a man or
woman should not be a dependent on their economic status. This is the real goal of Planned
Parenthood; to provide high-quality and affordable reproductive care and support to those
who need it, no matter what the need is. And
Planned Parenthood does accept insurance if
you have it, so people who can afford it are
able to receive these services as well.
More important is the need to remind society of who really uses these services. They're
people like you and me. Many are just picking
up birth control, but many others need tests,
treatments, screenings and advice for situations beyond their control.
The last thing the users of Planned Parenthood need is for others to judge them and assume they're where they are because they made
bad decisions. That's not always the case.
@wifkesbeacon
Jyndsie.yamrus@wifkes.edu

•'ti ■■

I

The Beacon/Laura Preby

The services offered at Planned Parenthood benefit both men and women
in other ways than just birth control
and abortions.

�THE BEACON

I Oct. 30, 2012

8

OPINION

The 10 commandments of movie theater etiquette
Movies are a communal experience; with that experience comes communal responsibilities
By The Beacon editorial staff

I
I

As Blu-Rays replace DVDs and NetFlix
and other streaming services replace BluRays, there is at one least one constant in the
world of motion picture that can likely be
counted on to withstand the effects of time:
The in-person movie-going theater experience.
Nothing can compare. It doesn't matter
how high definition a DVD or download is,
or how high definition the screen you watch
it on is. It doesn't matter how big that screen
is or whether you watch it on a computer or
a television. It doesn't matter where you acquired it or if you paid a dime for it at all.
There's simply nothing quite like going to
a multiplex, plunking down your hard-earned
cash for a ticket and some popcorn, entering
the dimly lit theater, finding a seat, sitting
down among however many other audience
members there are and being bombarded
with sights and sounds on a larger, more immersive scale than even the most bombastic
home entertainment system could replicate.
It's a transformative experience in many
ways, not unlike dreaming. It takes you out
of the real world and into a darkened chamber, separated from outside reality. When the
movie begins, a new reality takes over, one
composed of imagery and audio that isn't really there, like hallucinations on a screen.
The unreal becomes real, if only for a time.
In some way, the enormity of a movie - enormity not only in terms of experiential size,
scope and depth but also in terms of dramatic, emotional resonance - makes it more real
than reality for the time that it dominates our
existence.
Seeing a movie in the theater is also a communal experience, like taking in a stage-play
or attending Sunday mass. We look at multiplexes and see gaudy flashing lights and exploitative advertising, but scratch the surface
and underneath we find a church. The theater
is a temple of imagination.
~ ltimately, these are common ideas,
though admittedly not often expressed in
such a grandiose way. Deep down, many of
us hold some reverence for the movie theater,
treating them with a certain sense of sanctity
not lightly violated. Alas, not everyone understands or recognizes the unspoken scripture.
That's the drawback of the communal experience. By its very nature inclusive, that
inclusivity opens itself up to tranquilitydestroying forces embodied in the form of
junior-high revelers who put their feet on the
back of your seat or slow-witted but loudmouthed blobs who take the idea of movieas-new-reality too far and think they can
actually have a conversation with the characters onscreen.
Here, then, is The Beacon's 10 Commandments of Movie Theater Etiquette. Take heed,
and do not ignore these simple but oh-so-sacred laws. Otherwise, you will surely go to
Movie Hell, where forever roast the scorched
souls of noisy soda-slurpers, inconsiderate
text-message addicts and the fans of "direc-

tor" Michael Bay.
Commandment 1: Thou shalt not arrive
to the movie late
You wouldn't start reading a book two
chapters in, would you? Then why would
you sit and watch a movie that's already been
going for ten minutes? Both tell stories and
both introduce crucial information at the very
beginning. Coming into a movie later displays disrespect toward the story itself and
the work that went into its telling. It's also
disruptive to those who have already become
immersed in the unfolding narrative.
With a book, if you start two chapters in,
you can instantly flip back a few pages and
start all over. If you miss the beginning of a
new movie playing in theaters, though, you'll
likely not see that movie again nor have the
opportunity to catch up on what was missed
until the DVD is released months later.
The obvious exception would if you're the
type of person to go see a movie in theaters
multiple times, but if you're that into movies, you're probably not the type of person to
waltz into a film 10 minutes later. Ultimately,
if you can't make it to a movie on time, don't
even come. Just hit the next showing instead.
Commandment 2: Thou shalt not leave
theater mid-movie
This operates on the same principle as the
first commandment. It's disruptive to the audience members around you and also disrespects both the film and the filmmakers. If
you absolutely have to leave due to an emergency or other pressing concern, then suck it
up and stay gone. If it's not an emergency,
there is no excuse. Go the bathroom and get
your snacks first, not in the middle of the big

plot-twist at the end of the second act.
If you leave and come back, you're disrupting and disrespecting not just once, but twice.
'Nuffsaid.
Commandment 3: Thou shalt not bother
thy neighbor for explanation as to what
thou missed
If you dare to commit violations of the first
and second commandments, or are simply too
easily distracted to pay attention, don't expect
the person sitting next to you to fill you in. It's
not their responsibility and will only cause
them to miss out as well.
Commandment 4: Thou shalt turn off
thy damn cell phone
Ifit rings, that's bad enough. If you answer
it, that's worse. Don't just switch it to vibrate,
because we can all hear that too. And don't
use it to text message. That brightly lit little
screen is like a bug zapper, it's unavoidably
magnetic and ultimately destructive. Everyone around and behind you can see it, and all
those people want to wring your neck.
Commandment 5: Thou shalt leave the
theater in no worse condition than when
thee arrived
This is just common courtesy. Remember,
the theater is not your living room. Someone
has to pick up the mess you leave behind.
Hold onto your empty cups, popcorn bags and
candy boxes until the end of the movie. Then
throw them away on your way out. Don't just
crumple them up and shove them between
the seats or toss them on the floor, and take
care not to spill your crap all over the place.
How' d you like if someone pulled that in your
living room?
Commandment 6: Thou shall honor the

The Beacon/Laura Preby
The "10 commandments of movie theater etiquette" are the rules that moviegoers must abide by out of respect for others trying to enjoy the movie.

"courtesy seat" between thyself and thy
neighbor
This law isn't always applicable, especially on Friday nights when a highly anticipated new movie is freshly released and
the theater is packed to capacity. But, if you
can, leave an empty seat between you and
the stranger next to you. No one welcomes
the awkward proximity of someone they've
never met in a darkened room, and no one
likes fighting over armrests either.
Commandment 7: Thou shalt not put
thy feet upon the headrest of the seat in
front of thee
That's someone's skull you're framing between your muddied up, dog crap-stinking
Reeboks. Remember that, or you might end
up getting a good stiff kick to the head yourself.
Commandment 8: Thou shalt not bring
thy children to the theater unless thou
canst control them
The movie theater is no! a daycare center.
The other audience members aren't babysitters. If you can't control your kid, don't
bring the Ii'! rug-rat with you. The last thing
anyone wants to hear as Aragorn and Arwyn
are lamenting their forbidden love is some
barely-out-diapers brat shrieking that about
wanting another bag of Sour Patch Kids.
Commandment 9: Thou shalt not whine
about pre-movie advertisements or the
cost of admission
Movies and other form of art are a privilege that we enjoy, not a right. If the thing
that allows us to partake in such an ultimately extraneous, indulgent form of entertainment as movie-going is the revenue provided by a half-dozen big-screen commercials
for Colgate and jacked-up 3-D ticket prices,
then that's a necessary evil you should grin
and bear. There are cultures that don't have
access to this kind of modern technology and
carefree living whatsoever. Remember that
before you whine.
Besides, you can't really blame anyone
else but yourself. If you put up with it, then
you've basically accepted it and given the
powers-that-be the big A-OK to continue. If
admission is too expensive or you feel the
entertainment value of a movie isn't worth
the inconvenience of watching Martin S·corsese shill for American Express, then why are
you even there? Don't just be a blowhard.
Commandment 10: Thou shalt shut the
hell up
This is the final and most important commandment. If you have to talk, keep the
conversation short, quiet (anything above a
barely audible whisper is totally unacceptable and will be dealt with harshly) and with
someone you actually know. Don't ask stupid questionS\ Don't offer your predictions.
Don't crack jokes about the movie loudly
expecting everyone else to laugh because
you're not as funny as you think.
Seriously, shut up.
@wilkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

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Local horror filmmakers deliver blood, guts, hyuks
Independent spirit on display in gore-drenched horror-comedies from two of NEPXs own
By BIii Thomas
A&amp;E Editor
Two savage murderers will soon be on the
loose in NEPA. One hungers for flesh. The other, vengeance. Both are the creations of local
filmmakers with small budgets but big passions
for horror, not to mention a whole lot of independent do-it-yourself ambition.
Earlier this year, Bobby Keller, of Scranton,
finished "Deatherman," which was originally
supposed to premiere this past weekend at the
Horror Factory Film Festival in New Jersey,
only for the event to be cancelled at the lastminute due to concerns over Hurricane Sandy.
The film tells the story of a local TV weatherman who is murdered by a vicious-ambitious
fellow meteorologist eyeing his spot, only to return from the grave seeking bloody retribution.
Yes, Keller knows it's a silly story. That, he
said, is the whole point.
"I wanted the movie to feel like something a
ten-year-old might make, lots of bad acting and
horrible special effects," he said. "If a kid stole
his dad's camcorder and tried to make a movie,
I wanted it to look worse than that."
The intention, Keller explained, was to recreate the artless aesthetic of shot-on-video horrorcomedies of the 1980s, a la "Black Devil Doll
from Hell" and "Video Violence," which Keller
feels fall squarely into the "so bad it's good"
category.
Blending~ lifelong love of horror with his
own firsthan~ experience in comedy - in addition to performing stand-up, he briefly had his
own sketch comedy show on Electric City Television - Keller was well-prepared to capture
the half-satiric trash-cinema spirit he sought to
recreate, even going so far as to shoot the movie
on old-school VHS tape.
One thing Keller wasn't prepared for, though,
was actually making a good movie.
"The movie came out better than I tried,"
Keller said with a chuckle. "I tried to make it
a lot worse than it is, so in a sense I guess I
failed. I think it's very enjoyable. Everyone I've
shown it to so far has liked it."
In keeping with the movie's retro inspiration,
"Deatherman" is available on VHS at deatherman.storenvy.com. The decision to release
the movie on tape was influenced not just by
Keller's own affectionate nostalgia for the antique format, but also by the unsung aesthetic
qualities that it possesses.

feature-length filmmaking. Also like Keller, Allen is no stranger to the world of no-rules, nobudget horror cinema. He traces his fascination
with the macabre back to a seminal screening of
Tobe Hooper's original "The Texas Chain Saw
Massacre" when he was just 5 years old.
Fast-forward to 2002: At the age of 26, Allen began churning out shorter tongue-in-cheek
terror tales of his own, an outgrowth of his interests in creative writing and special makeup
effects.
•
"After years of trying to figure out what I
wanted to do with myself - all I did was skateboard every day - I was looking for something
else to do and I realized the one thing I always
really, really wanted to do was make movies. So
I decided to just start doing it."
Looking to take his filmmaking to the next
level, Allen formed Goremonger Media Inc.
in 2010 (info about current and future projects
can be found at goremongermedia.wordpress.
com). Trying to juggle his artistic passion with
a personal life has been proven no easy task for
Allen, and progress is often slow. Regardless,
Allen remains undeterred.
"Horror," he said simply, "is my life."
Pondering just what it is about the genre that
appeals to him, the easygoing filmmaker noted
that violent horror films have a lot in common
with his other great love, equally violent deathmetal music. Both, Allen said, offer audiences
a cathartic experience wherein they can safely
vent their pent-up aggressions in a harmless,
Courtesy of Bobby Keller even therapeutic way.
"It's all a release, really. People think that a
The forecast Is partly bloody with a chance of gore for John Kasper, star of
"Deatherman," a locally lensed movie t hat has horror fans losing their heads. lot of horror fans and death-metal fans are crazy
and off-the-wall, but that's not often the case.
"Aside from 8mm, the best way to watch and independent filmmaker Shawn Allen (aka Most of the ones I know tend to be really nice
a horror movie is on VHS," he said. "I just "Shawn Goremonger"), of Frackville, is putting people, really laidback," he said.
watched 'A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2' on the finishing touches on his own mini-magnum
"That's a little different from what people
DVD and I remember it being so much scarier opus, "Cannibal Nightmare."
might expect, I guess."
on VHS. Freddy Krueger was harder to see beA self-described "cheesy gore/schlock flick,"
cause of how bad the quality was. Everything "Cannibal Nightmare" is about an alien entity
@wilkesbeacon
was kind of murky and grimy. It had this dark, that comes to Earth and takes over the body of
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com
seedy feel to it that worked for horror. When an unsuspecting woman, turning her into cannithey remastered it, he just looked like Robert balistic killing machine. Allan has been working
DeNiro with pizza on his face."
on the project for much of 2012. Due to have its
Now, with "Deatherman" under his belt, premiere in April 2013, "Cannibal Nightmare"
Keller is considering what comes next. He's will be released on DVD by fledgling New
already planning the first of many hopeful York-based distributor Titan Video, along with
"Deatherman" sequels, and is also hard at work another under-construction Allen original title
on a script he's been tweaking for years called "Hunted 2: Deep Woods Dismemberment."
"Beelzebub Gets a Valentine."
For now, Allen is hard at work. Like Keller,
Meanwhile, fellow NEPA horror-junkie Allen's current projects mark his first forays into

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10

By BIii Thomas
A&amp;E Editor

With the 19th annual lnkin' the Valley
tattoo convention has proven that is set
to descend upon the Woodlands Inn
in Wilkes-Barre once again on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 2, 3 and
4, The Beacon decided to spotlight
some "ink in the university." Here are
six current Wilkes University students
sportin' some seriously significant tattoos loaded with personal meaning. To
see more from these and other Wilkes
students, visit TheWilkesBeacon.com.
Kyle Wolfe
Year: Senior
Major: Communication Studies
Tattoo: dog paw with halo and angel wings on left leg (see far right)
"The paw print was just a paw print originally. Its my dogs actual paw print. I
stamped her paw and took it to a tattoo artist and tattooed just that on my leg. Then,
the end of the semester last year, right after finals we had to put my dog down. So
when I went home for the summer, I had the halo and the angel wings around it. "

Cora &amp; Emmie Gibson
Year: Senior (Cora), Freshman (Emmie)
Major: Elementary Education (Cora), Undeclared (Emmie)
Tattoo: infinity symbol with anchor on left ribs (Cora) and left wrist (Emmie)
" We both got the anchor portion because we both grew up on Lake Ontario together.
That lake has a lot ofmeaning. The infinity portion is because we 're sisters and we 're
bonded together forever. We anchor each other." - Cora

.

Year: Senior
Major: Communication Studies
Tattoos: Native American iconography on left upper arm
"The one on my left arm reminds me ofa great trip out West I took with my
family. Its amazing to look up and look to the left and look to the right and
all you see for miles is blue sky. Theres a dream catcher in the tattoo, too.
I'm a strong believer in the power ofdreams."

�~CON

I Oct. 30, 2012

A&amp;E
Cheyenne Cassimore
Year: Sophomore
Major: Undeclared
Tattoo: picture frame on right side
(see left)

"The idea behind the frame was
that over time I'll get more tattoos.
I want to fill it up everything I'm
going through during my younger
years, memories and little symbols
that will remind me of the things
I've done. In the end, it will be a
reflection of myself throughout my
college years."
Sam Kerpovich
Year: Junior
Major: Integrated Media
Tattoos: shark with ear buds and
phrase "And dear I fear that this
ship is sinking tonight" on back of
right shoulder (see left)

"I get most ofmy inspiration for my
art from the ocean. Its so beautiful and so calming and I guess its
also kind of a nostalgia thing for
me. The shark is based off my own
art. The lyrics are from a song by Bring Me the Horizon. Music
and art are the two most important things in my life."
Kathryn Roshong
Year: Sophomore
Major: English
Tattoo: father's class crest from
US Military Academy at West
Point on back of right shoulder
(see right)

rmy
and
too.

"I'm terrible at math, so my senior
year in high school I made a bet
with my dad where ifI could get an
A in my first two quarters he would
pay for me to get a tattoo. It pushed '
, me. I came out of it with an A+.
Throughout my whole family, West
Point is the biggest thing. Since I
was born, we've always been going
up to West Point for football games,
class reunions.Anytime we think of
my dad, thats what we think of, West
Point. Its like a second home for us
all."

Photos by Laura Preby, Bill Thomas

�12

By Bill Thomas
A&amp;E Editor

Before it was used to describe comic-book
fans and guys who dress up like Scotty from
Star T~ k on the weekends, the word "geek"
referred to a bottom-rung sideshow performer
who bit the heads off of live chickens. Remember that the next time you throw around
phrases like "geek chic" whilst watching reruns of"The Big Bang Theory."
Like it or not, the art of sideshow (yes, "art")
has left an indelible impression on the cultural
consciousness over time. Though it may seem
like an archaic relic long since made obsolete,
echoes of it can be seen in everything from
lowest-common-denominator entertainment
like "Jackass" and Howard Stem to huge,
glitzy pop-culture institutions like the WWE
(pro wrestling was once a staple of carnival
sidesb-;;,.vs, in point of fact) and the band Kiss.
This weekend, the 19th annual Inkin' the
Valley tattoo convention and Sideshow Gathering will invade the Woodlands Inn in Wilkes-Barre once again. While the tattoo side
of the event (see p. l 0-11) has become a local
institution, for those with an interest in the
more esoteric and unusual extremes of fringe
Americana, it's the Sideshow Gathering - the
only event of its kind in the world - that holds
the most fascination.
A brief history lesson: Though the roots of
many sideshow acts can be traced all the way
back to the Renaissance (at least), sideshow
as we know it today really took form in the
post-Civil War 1800s, when circus pioneer

P.T. Barnum took over the American Museum
in New York and turned it into a showcase for
oddities.
Some of Barnum's exhibits, like the midgets, albinos, armless men and microcephalysuffering "pinheads," were real. Others, like
the mummified "Feejee Mermaid" or "Olga,
the Headless Girl," were not. For Barnum, it
didn't matter as long as it turned a profit. For
Barnum's customers, it didn't matter either.
Calling such things "hoaxes" was missing the
point. The wall between reality and fantasy
became translucent, and those standing on the
side of the former, staring into the latter, saw
wonders there.
That was all that mattered.
Soon, Barnum took his successful troupe
of freaks and performers on the road, dubbed
it "The Greatest Show on Earth" and subsequently helped give shape to the modem circus as well as its grittier, more eccentric sibling, the sideshow.
Today, of course, political correctness has
taken most of the albinos and midgets off the
bally stage and driven the armless men and
pinheads toward daytime talk shows instead.
The "born freaks" have moved on. Conjoined
twins and "lobster boys" can get operations
and lead normal lives or start charity foundations and continue the anything-to-make-abuck sideshow-exploitation huckster tradition
there.
In other cases, the abnormal has become
normal. Bearded ladies and tattooed men
live right next door. Your little brother does
more outrageous stunts than most fairground
daredevils would ever risk, while hanging out
hammered with his high-school pals.
It's not polite to stop and stare anymore,
though deep down the desire remains inside us
all. Thanks to that, sideshow endures even as
it faces dilution by a culture eager to adopt its
traditions but unwilling to admit to doing so.
It's the "working acts" who rule the roost
now, having picked up the slack of their departed "born freak" companions. Sword-swallowers and knife-throwers, flame-eaters and
fire-breathers, human blockheads and human
pincushions, men who lay on beds of nails and
women who walk up ladders with machetes
for rungs; no one else does what they do and
so there will always be a market for it.
Dressed in edgier modern attire, sideshow
has found a new home far from the funnel
cake and livestock feces-scented midway\ of
the county fair. It thrives now in heavy-metal
and punk-rock music clubs, or in posh subterranean circles where hipsters laud it as avantgarde performance art. The art of the hustle is,
as an old freak-show banner might lie, "alive
on the inside! "
In the immortal words of Robert Ripley, believe it or not.
@wilkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

c'H ~t~~H'ITT - .J
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.............___..._____,_______...
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Oct. 30, 2012

Contact editor: anne.yoskoski@wi lkes.edu

ES Penitentiary can bring excitement, scares
By Alyssa Stencavage ..
Asst. Life Editor

Walking along in pitch black may seem like
a pretty fun thing to do, until someone jumps
out right in front of your face.
This is what one would experience at the
Eastern State Penitentiary in downtown Philadelphia, one of the oldest and once the most
famous and expensive prisons in the United
States.
"That's probably the creepiest part," Student Development Activities Assistant Jamie
Miller said. "They always find the people who
scream the most and are the most scared, and
will specifically target them. Yet they are the
ones who usually have the most fun."
Known for its grand architecture and strict
discipline, the ES Penitentiary was the world's
first true penitentiary, designed to inspire penitence in the hearts of convicts.

Students can take a trip to the ES Penitentiary on Friday, Nov. 2, if they are feeling brave
enough. The tour is an hour-long, and the bus
will arrive back to Wilkes by 11 :30 p.m. or
midnight.
While the idea of walking through the dark
may seem like a scary one to some people,
the prison has actually been modernized into
different sections to give it a bit of a different
taste. Tourists can be walking through what
seems like actual parts of the jail and then suddenly come to parts that would not have been
there in the original facet of the building.
"The cool part is that it was real, functioning
jail cells," Miller said. "It's historic for holding
some of the world's most notorious criminals."
Among some of these infamous inmates
include Alphonse "Scarface" Capone, Victor
"Babe" Andreoli, Morris "The Rabbi" Bolber,
Joe Buzzard, Leo Callahan, Freda Frost, Clarence Alexander Rae, William Francis Sutton,
Frederick Tenuto, _Charles Yerkes and William

"Blackie" Zupkoski. This history and other information is available on eastemstate.org.
Those behind the scenes take one wing of
the prison and turn it into a haunted house with
such things as mirrors and lights, which one
can go to in the fall.
But, visitors can also take a tour of the prison the way it originally was before the reconstruction.
Sharon Castano, student development coordinator, said she supports trying new events
like this, even though she joked that trip is too
scary for her.
Students can sign up at the information desk.
Tickets are $10, which also covers the cost of
the bus.
Photo Courtesy of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
@wilkesbeacon
a/yssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

The Eastern State Penitentiary can
bring a mix of emotions to those w!'~
are brave enough to try It.

THE WORD AT WILKES: What is the best

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-~I
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�- ---.--- 14

LIFE

THE BEACON

I Oct 30, 2012

Events excite students for Halloween, fall
By Annie Yoskoski
Life Editor

With Halloween just around. the comer,
Wilkes is prepared to celebrate with several
events happening on campus very soon that
will put everyone in the Halloween Spirit.
Some of the festivities have already started,
w,ith a Programming Board roller skating costume party, Make a Difference Day, Psi Chi
candy apple bake sale, Check Your Melons
and Feather Me Pink breast cancer awareness
events, the Empty Bowls fundraiser (which
had been pushed back to Oct. 28) and a Manuscript Society Halloween reading.
"I loved the roller skating party," sophomore biology major Jess Winters said. "Who
wouldn't love to see a man dressed as a roller
skating nun? These events are about letting
loose with your friends, and it's always a
good time."
The Check Your Melons and Feather Me
Pink events benefited breast cancer awarevc ~s by featuring hair feather extensions for
$7 each or two for $10, bra pong and a pinkthemed bake sale. The biggest seller of the
event was the pink hair extensions, and many
students were seen walking around campus
with pink feathers in their hair.
Several students enjoyed the Manuscript
Halloween reading, including undeclared

freshman Julia Tass.
"The reading was interesting, Julia Tass
said. "It helped get me in a Halloween kind of
mood. Kirby Hall was decorated for Halloween, too."
"The reading had a great turnout, Manuscript Editor Miranda Baur said. We filled
most of the salon and had a handful of wonderfully dynamic readers such as Dr. (Thomas A)
Hamill who read in Middle English and Gabby
Zawacki who read a lively poem she wrote
in the third grade. The reading lived up to its
expectations as being our most popular event
besides the unveiling."
Upcoming events are fall and Halloween
centered, keeping the season in mind. The
"scariest" of the events will be an upcoming
trip to the Eastern State Penitentiary where students will participate in the "Terror Behind the
Walls" event on Nov. 2. Several students are
looking forward to this event, including senior
business major Jeff Bloom.
"It's the prefect way to cap off the Halloween season. I heard that they chase you around,
so I hope I can run fast enough. I don't think
this is for the faint of heart."
To start off the first of the fall-themed events,
a Fall Skirmish Paintball event has been scheduled for Nov. 10 by the Adventure Education
Program. No previous paintball experience is
necessary. The cost of the trip is $15. Students
looking for more information should contact
Jill Price at jill.price@wilkes.edu.

Professors get pied in the face

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Chemistry Club hosted Pie Professors in the Face event on Thursday, Oct. 25
where students get the chance to pie a professor of their choice In the face.

The Zeta Psi Nursing Honor Society is
participating in a fundraiser with the WilkesBarre/Scranton Penguins. The Penguins will
play the Hershey Bears Nov. 9 at 7:05 p.m.
Buying a ticket gets a student not only admission to the game, but also a hat, hot dog and
chips and one drink. Ticket cost varies depending on where the seats will be. Students can
sign up at the front desk in the Henry Student
Center.
More upcoming events include a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, Ruth's Place fundraisers,
casino nights, a karaoke night and the annual
Snowball dance.
Additional events will be popping up as the
fall season goes on, and WUPB along with
Student Government is always looking for new
@wilkesbeacon
annie.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

Photos: The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Roller skating costume party begins
the Halloween and fall festivities.
Students had a fun time dressing up
and spending time with friends as a
way to prepare for the season.

�15

THE BEACON

LIFE

I Oct 30, 2012

How to s tay active in the cold weather during winter
YMCA activities, Wilkes gym, intramural sports are just a few ways to keep busy, stay trim
By Ashley Hahn
Correspondent

rn d

Its

I

The warm sunny weather is beginning to
change into that brisk and chilly fall. Running
and doing activities outside are becoming less
and less popular as the cold becomes stronger.
So what are you supposed to do to keep in
shape or just stay active? There are a lot of
things actually.
The YMCA in Wilkes-Barre offers many
classes; anything from volleyball to aquatics
classes. Wilkes University students, faculty
and staff can go to the YMCA for free.
All you need to do is go dovvTI to the YMCA
sign up and they will give you a pass so you
can enter.
James TI1omas Executive Director said the
YMCA offers may different varieties so everyone can find something they like. Many of
the programs they offer are as follows :
Personal Trainers
Boxing
Cycling
Tai Chi
Zwuba
Co-ed volleyball league
Another thing that is great about the YMCA

is that if you don't like group classes, you are
free to j ust use the gym as you wish. They
just redid many parts of the building and have
updated many of the machines and work out
equipment. The pool is also available for j ust
swimming .laps.
Another great program the YMCA offers is
the Certification Courses, like the American
Red Cross Lifeguard Certification Course. Any
information regardi ng the YMCA in WilkesBane visit their website at www.wbymca.org.
Don't want to make the wa lk to the YM CA?
Wilkes University offers many healthy activities right here on campus. Wilkes offers a
bunch of intramural sports and club t hat anyone can join. They include the fol lowing:

•

Crew Team (Rowing)
Equestrian Club
Fencing Club
Lacrosse Club
Paintball Club
Racquetball Club
Running Club
Ski and Snowboard Club
Ultimate Frisbee Club

"The goal for the intramural program at
Wilkes University is to provide the Wilkes
commw,ity, students, faculty and staff, an opportunity to come together outside of the nor-

mal student/faculty-staff relationsh ip," said Nea l. Biscaldi Director
of lntramurals.
Wilkes provides intranmral
sports programs for students,
faculty and staff the opportunity
to participate in organized, nonvarsity teams and individual contests. Structured leagues and tournan,ents are otfored in a variety of
sports.
Health Services also offers
a couple of classes in UCOM.
Those who are interested can contact the coordinator, Gail L. Holby
on th.e first fl oor of Passan Ha ll.
UCOM also has an indoor track
and basketball courts that are at
your di sposal.
If classes are not your thing,
Wilkes a lso has the Marts Center.
The gym on the bottom fl.oor and
a green room are avai lable to do
activities as well as a basketbal l
court.

Th e Beacon/ Austin Loukas

The YMCA offers many activities and l ays to stay
@w ilkesbeacon
annie.yoskoski@wilkes.edu In shape. as the cold weather arrives.

Pharmacy go'es Gangnam in Stark IO I
, aud Friday -- \Vater
tep and Sculpt at 9 *
.; Cycle with Cindy
~ ZUliiba at 11 a.m. ,

Y ;{ Power Train at

m

(JC&lt;:;); Sti::p &amp;
t 11 a.rn.; Cycle
I to:

edit
ent.
1ed.

d Cycle

() a.m.;
The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

Pharmacy students fllm their version of the YouTube sensation "Gangnam Style" retltled "Wilkes Pharmacy Style" In
front of classmates In Stark 101.

d 10/27
10/20
m.;

�~ ~ fil.J]

[ITT'{filW)
Oct. 30, 2012

C9ntact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Anderson Silva
is most dominant
athlete of all time
UFC competitor hasn't lost since 2004
By Jake Cochran
Assistant A&amp;E Editor

The Wilkes University men's basketball team practices In preparation for the 2012-13 season.

Wilke's men's and -women's
basketball off to strong start
By Michelle Coyle
Assistant Sports Editor

As the fall season begins to come
to an end, the winter season sports
are already in action, preparing for
their long upcoming season. Full
-of hard practices, intense games,
and screaming fans, both the men's
and women's basketball team here
at Wilkes is getting already getting
ready to give their all work together
as a team.
It may just be considered a winter sport to some, but to the coaches
and players, they work hard all fall
season to know what to expect come
the winter.
Having open gym, to even shooting hoops on outside baskets, both
teams find anything they could do to
make them even better, and become
:nore a team even before they start
really working out.
The more players are around each
other more, and how they are working together to achieve one goal, the
more you get a feel for how they
play, and what they bring to the table.
· "Everything and everyone seems
to connect," freshman Brandon
Thompson said. "We really get along
well as a team, and that's the No. 1

thing; team chemistry. We already
have that."
As any team strives to do, is win
a championship, come together as
a team, and compete against other
team that are just as strong as they
are. Cliff Richardson sees his teammates already clicking and coming
together.
"We are a young team, but we
have a lot of guys back with experience that work real hard." Richardson said, "The team chemistry
is great on and off the court which
makes it fun and exciting."
Richardson also said that being a
senior, he expects himself, and his
teammates to give it their all every
game. "Play together, have fun, and
make every game like it's your last."
During the cold winter, both team
are in the gym, sweating, running
up and down the court, getting better. Pushing each other to their limit,
and learning how each other play,
the team gets a good feeling how the
team will play during the real games,
and not just scrimmaging against
themselves.
"It's a lot of hard work!" says incoming freshman, Brianna Zazzaro.
"Practices are all about making sure
we know what is expected ofus. We
are working hard at our positions

and working on both the defense and
offense of the game. We're making
ourselves the best we can be and our
hard practices show that!"
Sophomore Captain Elena Stambone feels she's ready to take on the
leading role and push her team to be
as successful as they can be.
"I expect to improve as both a
team and a player from last year. The
returning players now have some experience under our belts and we are
looking to be a solid"
"We're going to surprise many
people with how competitive we
are," Stambone says. "We have been
working to hard at everything to not
be a top contender. I know we all
want to be as great as we possibly
can."
All teams want to be intimidating
and come off stronger then the opposing team.
"We want to be a .500 team and
above. We want to prove that we
aren't a team that people can walk
all over," Zazzaro strongly enforced.
"And if people are going to win over
us, they are going to have to fight for
that win. We just want to keep improving from game to game."
@wilkesbeacon

miche/le. coyle@wilkes. ed u

After UFC 153 many fans were
closing out their PPV purchases
with a familiar feeling in mind. Just
like Christmas brings presents and
Easter brings too much candy, for
14th time in a row, Anderson Silva
had left the Octagon, victorious.
While Stephan Bonnar could
hardly be considered top competition to end the Spider's reign of
terror, it did show how deadly Silva still is as he is now rapidly approaching 40.
Many critics said the only way
that Bonnar had a chance against
Silva was ifhe could get him against
the cage and just grind out a boring
decision.
Silva decided to be a good sport
and help Bonnar out, by leaning
with his back against the cage and
just letting The American Psycho
tee-off on him.
But Silva has such a mastery of
head movement, timing and just
overall striking prowess that even
when he had his back against the
wall, he was STILL out classing
Bonnar.
Think about this scenario in any
other sport: The undefeated '72
Dolphins never let anyone just go
down to the 20 yard line to show off
how great their defense was.
The closest possible comparison would be when Michael Jordan started shooting with his eyes
closed, but still that's nothing like
dodging potentially game-ending
punches and then making your opponent look ridiculous.
Silva has also constantly faced

top competition. The way best way
to compare this would be to think
of any other sport, after the team
wins the championship for the
season, the players just go back to
playing their regular schedule the
next year.
Spider does not get the advantage of just running through the
schedule, when Silva fights his
Championship Belt is practi. ally
always on the line.
The only occasions when it
wasn't would be most recently
UFC 153 because he took the
fight to save the card because the
headliners were injured (which is a
whole different reason.)
But to reiterate the idea that
whenever Silva fights he faces the
next best contender, to use this example again, when the Superbowl
champs win the Superbowl, they
don't play in the Superbowl again
next month, they have another year
before they can ever think about
going and competing for the championship.
Every time Anderson Silva steps
into the cage (almost) he is facing the No. 2 middleweight in the
world, and that person is going to
try to end his championship reign.
That started Oct. 14, 2006, and
since then no one has been able to
take that title away from him.
When the last "real" defeat an
athlete has is on the New Years
Eve 2004 -- nearly eight years ago
-- that person should most definitely be recognized as the greatest of
all time.
Anderson Silva is that.
@wilkesbeacon
jason.cochran@wilkes.edu

Field hockey waits to hear from ECAC
The ECAC tournament accepts
eight teams with a .500 record or
better.
The field hockey team had two
games this past week, and going
1-1, the team hopes to qualify for
the tournament.

To be prepared if they are added
into the tournament, the team will
continue to practice every day.
Check the Wilkes Athletics website to keep updated on whether the
team will play in the ECAC tournament.

�'

Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

.

THE

EACON

The Wilkes Beacon provides access to:
• 2,600 full-time students

• Wilkes brings visitors, parents,

• 2,600 part-time students

alumni and guests to campus

• 157 full-time faculty

throughout the year.

• 308 part-time faculty

• Many departments host end-of-

• 375 full- and part-time staff

year banquets, buy supplies and

• 6,000-plus potential customers

make many other local purchases.

Email: wilkesbeacon.ads@gmail.com
Phone: 570-408-5903

*Ask about prices.

�SPORTS

· SCOREBOARD
Field Hockey
10/23 Misericordia - W 2-1
10/26 SUNY New Paltz- L 0-1

Football
10/27 Lycoming - L 38-7

M-Soccer
10/24 Scranton - L 0-1
10/27 King's - T 0-0

W-Soccer
10/23 SUNY Cortland - T 2-2
10/27 King's - W 1-0

Volleyball
10/24 FDU Florham - W 3-0

Golf
10/15 Muhlenberg Fall Classic, cancelled - rain

WEEKAHEID
Cross Country
11/10 NCAA Regionals

Field Hockey
11/7 MAC Tournament Starts

Football
10/27 at Del. Valley College

Volleyball
10/31 at DeSales

Men's soccer

For me, an elite quarterback isn't determined by wins or by rings or by records. It's
determined by the ability to lead your team, to
bring them back from the brink in an almost
impossible situation and win the game.
To walk into another team's home field and
come out with a victory in the biggest spot
when even the weather seems to be against
you.
Clutchness is the measure by which I choose
my quarterbacks.
In the NFL, there are three undisputed
heavyweights in this category who I can truly
call elite and who are by far the top three quarterbacks in the league.
The first is Peyton Manning. In the history of
the NFL there has never been a better regular
season, clutch or smarter QB to play the game.
I won't list all the categories he is ranked
among the best in NFL history in. It will simply take too long. But over his career Peyton
has orchestrated 48 game winning drives, 11
more than Tom Brady, the second highest active and only three behind the all-time leader
Dan Marino, who has 51 total game winning
drives. He is first all time in comebacks defined
as starting the fourth quarter down by at least
one score and winning the game. He has 37 of
those, 11 more than Tom Brady, and just recently took the record away from Dan Marino
with his comeback over the chargers.
The second QB is Tom Brady, who has been
clutch. Last week he tore apart the Jets with a
minute to go to tie the game with one timeout.
As I mentioned, he is second to only Peyton
in clutch statistics over his career. And he has
three rings. If I don't have Peyton leading me
down field, Brady is almost just as good.
The final quarterback that I would actually
take in the clutch over Tom Brady, and unmentioned QBs Rodgers, Brees and Roethlisberger, is Eli Manning. Want to talk about clutch:
two Superbowls won in the last two minutes
down a score against the Patriots. Eli, in both
instances, leads his team down field to a championship with the greatest show of composure I
have ever seen in a situation that intense.
He went into both San Francisco and Green
Bay to win playoff games against opponents
considered superior. Last year alone he had
eight game winning drives and seven comefrom-behind wins in the regular season alone,
which led the league. He already ranks third in
active players in comebacks, behind only big
brother and Brady.
Ask me right now and I will take Peyton
Manning to lead my team to victory every time.
Put Peyton aside for a moment and ask me the
same question and I say there is no debate Eli
Manning is the most clutch QB in the league
and still only halfway through his career. Besting Brady twice on the biggest stage and an
ability to win games on the road in the cold or
in the mud makes him above other "elite" QBs
like Rodgers, Brees and Big Ben.

season ends 5-10-2, 1-4-2
@wilkesbeacon
joseph.pug/iese@wilkes.edu

Quarterback is arguably the most important
position on any football team. A game can
pivot and change on a moments notice depending on the quarterback's actions.
The trend this season within the NFL is possessions late in games. Almost all NFL games
have been decided this season on the last or
close to last possession of the contest.
Picking a quarterback to lead my team on a
last second drive is challenging.
When deciding on a QB to pick, the first
name that pops up is Tom Brady. This guy is
the quintessential comeback king. He's won
multiple SuperBowls, memorable playoff
games, and has had his share of comebacks in
the regular season.
His first experience would be the Raiders
game in 2002. Remembered as the "Tuck Tule
Game," Brady put on a stellar performance.
It was even more impressive that he led the
team to a win in his first season as a s~er,
as 2002 was the year he took over after lirew
Bledsoe was injured.
Brady would go on to lead his team to multiple fourth-quarter comebacks, and establish
himself as a great "Comeback Kid."
The new guy on the block is Eli Manning.
This guy looks like he has no idea what is going on in the first three-quarters of a game.
It looks like he just put his pads on for the
first time. He then "Hulks Out," and owns everyone in the fourth quarter.
The way he led his team to a win over the
Redskins a few weeks back was unreal. He
told RGIII that this is his division.
I have been apprehensive to call Eli the "EWord," (elite) but at this point in his career
he is slowly getting there. I know I will get
yelled at for saying he isn't elite because of
his Superbowls, but the inconsistency is just
not what I want in my QB.
The QB I want on my team when the game
is on the line is easy.
I consider Peyton Manning the single greatest QB of all time, and he is my pick to lead
my team late in a game. I might have picked
Tom Brady a few weeks back, but a certain
game changed my mind.
The Broncos comeback over the Chargers
completely changed my view of Peyton Manning. The guy is unreal. The fact he came back
in a game to win by double digits, after being down double digits, solidified him as the
greatest fourth quarter QB ever.
The scary part is the guy did the same thing
against the Bucs a few years ago. When the
fourth quarter rolls around its "Peyton Time."
@wifkesbeacon
justin.franiak@wifkes.edu

Tweet us:
Send messages
and pictures to:
@wu_BeaconSports

�THE BEACON

I Oct .30, 2012

SPORTS

19

Wilkes wraps up fall intramural sports Pawling
with new friendships, relief from stress

Continued from Page 20

By Michelle Coyle
Assistant Sports Editor

Wilkes University provides an the opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to play in
non-varsity sport competitions.
With being able to have an intramural
league for everybody to join, it gives students that either didn't want to play sports for
the university, or just simply wanted to keep
playing the sport they love, another chance to
stay active.
It also brings the student and faculty/staff
relationships stronger, because they can come
together for the teams.
The purpose of the program is to give people an organized program to promote competition and all around fun .
The fall intramural sports at Wilkes have
been off to a great start. The sports that are
offered for the fall season are, flag football,
co-ed soccer and women's softball.
There are also tournaments being held
which include, 3-on-3 basketball, billiards
and bowling.

As for co-ed soccer, freshman Forrest Jordan said he's had nothing but fun.
"It's a great way to meet new people. I love
playing soccer."
He said intramural sports gives students the
opportunity to go and play sports they love,
and meet new people.
"It's a friendly face you could say hi to
around campus. Getting to know people outside the classroom, in a different atmosphere,
is great because you really can relate with each
other," said Britney Kister, who also plays coed soccer.
"My team was put together from the students who signed up as a single, looking to join
a team. They put us all on the same team, and
now we're so far undefeated."
The intramural sports can provide students
and faculty-staff a time to get away from the
workload and go have some fun.
People get involved because they want to
keep active, they don't want to give up a sport
they've played for so long, some students realize their classwork is tough, but want a fun get
away.
And intramural activities gives you all that.

"I was going to play for the university," Jordan said, "My schedule got affected. Intramural games start at either 8:30 or 9:30 p.m., so
it's easy for people like me to play. If you love
the game, it's a great way to keep playing."
"I play to relieve stress. I go and play the
sport I've loved and played for 13 years. I
didn't want the pressure to play for the school,
so this was the next best thing," Kister said.
With all the sports offered, anybody who is
interested could join.
If interested in playing intramural sports in
the Spring, you could sign up for the following
sports ...

Co-Ed Volleyball - Sign Up by Jan. 25
Co-Ed Indoor Soccer - Sign Up by Jan. 25
Co-Ed Basketball - Sign Up by March 1
Softball Tournament - Sign Up by April 12
*All dates are subject to change or be cancelled do to student participation*

@wilkesbeacon
michelle.coyle@wilkes.edu

What does the word "team" mean to you?
To me, the word team means that when you
are out on that field, you know you have 10
other girls out there trying to make you look'
better.

What are some things you think a captain
should do for her team?
I think that a captain always needs to hear
what their team is saying, whether or not they
agree with it.
Are there any role models in your life that
you feel got you where you are today?
I've had so many positive influences in my
life; every single one of my coaches have
influenced me in some way and my parents
have always encouraged me in everything
that I do.
What's the hardest thing you've dealt
while playing a sport in college?
•
Definitely time management. You really have
to learn how to be more productive with your
time and set yourself on a schedule.

@wilkesbeacon
miche//e.coyle@wilkes.edu

�BY MICHELLE COYLE
Assistant Sports Editor

Pharmacy major and field
hockey all-star, Lauren Pawling
(captain since her sophomore
year), has been a huge impact
to the Wilkes team the past four
years. Coming from Lancaster,
Pa., she began to love the sport,
thanks to her friends encouraging her to play. Playing in high
school and on a club team, she
played in various games and
tournaments, only to make her•
a better player and help her get
to where she is now. Pawling
also loves to read, especially
Harry Potter.
When did you start playing field hockey?
I started playing field hockey in middle school,
when I was in seventh grade.
What's your favorite thing about field
hockey?
The competition.
Do you have any moments that you are proud
of in your career?
Scoring my first collegiate goal my junior year!
It felt like it took forever.
What was the reason you got into playing
field hockey?
I started playing mainly because a lot of my
friends wanted to play, I didn't know a lot about
the sport at the time but I'm glad they encouraged me to try it.
How ha11. yout career of playing at Wilkes
. lJniversifyn~n?
. . .. .·. . ,
" Amazing! I have g
to play"with so many
different ~ople and I have formed so many
friendships through field hockey,
What are planning to do when you graduate?
My dream would be to get a veteriniuy pharmacy residency right after graduation and then
hopefully find a job.
Is there anything you always have to do before a game?
I always have to have my hair braided; I can't
. " it braided.

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&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
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Contact editor: christine.lee@wilkes.edu

Nov. 6, 2012

Lack of interest in politics reason for student political inactivity
By Christine Lee
News Editor

Although hyped as "historically close" in
the media, this year's presidential election
does not seem to be inspiring action among
college students, as evident by the lack of
signs and other materials for different candidates on campus.
In a survey of 15 students, 12 said they do
not support a candidate running for president, 13 said they would not get politically
involved on campus and 13 said they would
not actively endorse President Obama or Gov.
Romney on campus if given the chance.
The most commonly cited reasons for not
getting involved politically is that students
were busy, they were not "big political people" or the election was a worthless activity.
Wilkes political science professors Tom
Baldino and Kyle Kreider agree the lack of
interest in politics from college students is not
unusual.
Kreider thinks the reason there aren't any
campaign literature for any political parties
on campus is because students don't care as
much as other age cohorts. He also explained
young v~ ers' level of apathy is higher, which
is partly caused by a negative perspective on
politics.
"They don't care because they think that
politicians are a bunch of liars, they're a
bunch of snake-oil fails, so they kind of see
both the Republican and Democratic parties
as corrupt and the candidates are simply a
reflection of that corruption," Kreider said.
"They' re apathetic but they're also very cynical and I think that cynicism works its way
into non participation."
Kreider said when students are cynical of
politicians in general it leads to a decline in
voting for college students, particularly when
they think that Obama did not deliver on his
campaign promises of 2008.
Baldino said campaign literature was present all over the place during the 2008 election
because students were energized and both
campaigns were spending time getting the
vote in Pennsylvania on TV and in-person.
This year both campaigns decided not to put
1
as much focus on Pennsylvania.
"We don't see much on campus now butl
we don't also in Pennsylvania see very many

campaign ads because both candidates and
their campaigns decided Pennsylvania wasn't
in play," Baldino said. "The Democrats were
perceived as having locked up the state so
we're not seeing Democratic campaign ads.
Romney pulled his money out so we're not
seeing his ads and that trickles down to affect
everything else."
Baldino said if the top of the ticket isn't
spending a lot of time in the state, there isn't
any reason for anyone else to do so as well.
Kreider said part of what explains that the
survey results are not abnormal, and there are
several other factors that explain this. For a
long time people thought of voting as a civic
duty, a responsibility as an American citizen.
He said the younger generations have strayed
from this classification compared to older generations.
"For a number ofreasons they don't think of
voting as a duty and so they just participate at
much lower rates than older Americans," Kreider said.
Junior criminology and sociology major
Paige Kulsa isn't sure which candidate to
endorse and an opportunity to get politically
involved would give her a better idea of the
candidates running.
"I want to get more knowledge of each candidate's side," Kulsa said.
Kulsa said she isn't fully aware of what the
candidates stand for because each of them has
good viewpoints of some things and others
have views she doesn't agree with.
Sophomore environmental engineering major Corbin Shermin doesn't endorse any candidate running for president and said he was
never interested in understanding politics.
"I've never really had time to get into it,
it just never clicked for me," Sherman said.
"Looking at their platforms I couldn't really
side with either."
Kreider said the life stage that 18- to 21-yearolds are at determines how they vote. Because
many people that age are away at college, they
are responsible to change voter registration
and many don't think they have the time to
think about getting the absentee ballot done.
"You simply have a lot of college students
who do not change their voter registration, are
not home on Election Day because they're in
college and have never filled out an absentee
ballot. In order to vote absentee you need to
think about voting six weeks before the elec-

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Above, Romney's headquarters on Main Street is one place where students
can go to make their voice count. However, Wilkes students have been lacking
in interest toward this year's election.

tion," Kreider said. "I think a lot of college students, even if they are registered where they're
living in college, they get busy with schoolwork and other sorts of things so it's simply
more work to vote."
Baldino said the prominent time that students were fully engaged in a presidential
election was 1972, followed by 2008, both of
which were unusual in terms of activity level.
He said some students don't see the political
system doing anything important for them and
use that opinion as a reason for them not getting engaged in politics.
"I hear this from students all the time: 'I
don't see what the government does for me,' 'I
don't understand what government does' and
the other line is 'I think government should be
doing more but government doesn't respond
to the needs of students or of young people in
general,' but that gets into the circular argument that elected officials use is that elected
which is elected officials will tell young people
'we don't act on your interests because you
don't vote," Baldino said. "They don't vote,
and therefore they're not going to get any attention. If they voted, elected officials will respond."
Baldino said in 1972, the Vietnam War was
still going on and a lot of students were politi-

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766
PHONE: (570) 408-5903
WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook

News Editor: Christine Lee

Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro

Opinion Editor: CarlyYamrus

Ad Manager: Brittany Battista

A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas

Photo Editor: Laura Preby

Life Editor: Anne Yoskoski

Adviser: Loran Lewis

Sports Editor: Frank Passalacqua

cally active outside of government protesting,
so a lot of them voted against Richard Nixon at
that time. The 18-25 population was the least
politically active until 2008, in which the participation rate among all voter ages increased.
Baldino also said the expectation is students
won't vote in as high numbers as in 2008 because they are disappointed with President
Obama's policies and initiatives.
"Some of these young people are disillusioned, they worked for Obama, they voted for
Obama and they don't think he delivered for
them," Baldino said.
Wilkes has established chapters of both the
College Democrats and Republicans. The College Republicans are currently active while the
Democrats club is dormant.
College Democrats adviser Jim Merryman
explained that the issues of the campaign four
years ago energized students to want to be involved with the clu.9. Now there aren't as many
issues for students to get excited over.
"It's like OK, we know all about that, what
is there to get excited about other than a poor
economy," Merryman said. "It's hard to get
stirred up about the current state of affairs."

See Polltlcs, Page 4

Meet the Staff

Laura Preby
Photo Editor

-I

�THE BEACON

I Nov. 6, 2012

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NEWS

I Nov. 6 2012

Professor publishes book on ecotourism in Costa Rica
By Christine Lee
News Editor

Pura vida. That is the expression that
comes to mind when one thinks of Costa
Rica. It's rainforests and beaches have in recent times been a popular choice of vacationers the world over.
This vacation spot is the topic of a new
book by assistant professor of political science Andrew Miller entitled, "Ecotourism
Development in Costa Rica: The Search for
Oro Verde."
The book examines the use of ecotourism as an economic development strategy in
Costa Rica and its applicability to other Latin
American countries.
Having traveled to Costa Rica on several occasions, Miller had been interested in
unique development initiatives and how they
have affected a country's economy.
"I had been interested in non-traditional
development strategies because if you look
at the economic development in Latin America, many of the things they've tried haven't
worked, and so I think if you look at Costa
Rica and the fact that they've achieved a
much higher average income than people in
their region, you start to then look at the reasons behind that," Miller said. "I was really
drawn to this particular topic because of the
success in Costa Rica and the fact that the development plans in other states have not been
nearly as successful."
Ecotourism, a form of tourism that involves visiting natural areas, as a development strategy is distinctive. In order for it to

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Assistant professor of political science Andrew Miller focuses on tourism in Costa Rica in his newest book.
succeed, it must preserve the natural environment, but it also must do so in a way that does
not preclude growth in other sectors of the
country's economy. The book examines how
the successful pursuit of foreign direct investment combined with Costa Rica's biodiversity
and its attractiveness as a tourism destination is
important to understanding the success of the
Costa Rican economy.
"What makes ecotourism interesting is that
people go some place to see something different," Miller said. "Ecotourism seeks to put
some of this money back into the environment
so it can basically be utilized as an incomegenerating activity but one that's non-destructive."
Miller said ecotourism is interesting because

it seeks to preserve what people to go to see
on vacation, such as Costa Rica's rainforests,
animals and volcanoes.
"I think that there can be an economic development path that makes money off the environment without destroying it," Miller said.
In addition to taking students to Costa Rica
this spring for Alternative Spring Break for the
fourth year in a row, Miller will also offer a
summer class during the first summer session
in Costa Rica that will spend two weeks in the
town of El Coco, partnering with the chamber
of commerce to help boost their ecotourism industry such as sustainability projects, translating brochures and making sure maps are correct.
Miller also has another book coming out this
summer entitled "Globalization, Neoliberalism and Ecotourism Development," which will
examine the applicability of the Costa Rican
model of economic development to Panama,
Belize and Nicaragua.
Senior psychology major Chelsey Schoch
will be getting her first taste of Costa Rica during Alternative Spring Break this year. She is
excited about experiencing a different culture
and understanding other people.
"It's really exciting to be able to go to another country and be able to meet with people that
are from another culture and see their perspective," Schoch said. "I'm a psychology major so
it's kind of our job to understand other people
as best as we can so I think it's really important for me to do something like this in order to
help other people as best I can."
Schoch hopes to completely immerse herself
into the Costa Rican culture and gain a better
understanding about the fair trade business.

She also hopes to gain a better appreciation of
coffee.
"I hate coffee right now so I'm hoping that
by the end of this I'll be able to at least be able
to drink a cup of coffee 'cause it's going to be
the coffee business fair trade we'll be learning
about," Schoch said.
Senior history major Alex Madaya traveled
to Costa Rica last year for Alternative Spring
Break and said there were so many amazing
things there. She also said she gained a better
appreciation for the United States' infrastructure.
"We put our recyclables on a curb and it is
picked up and taken away and it's not even
something we have to think about. We go to the
grocery store and we buy food that comes from
a farm that we don't even think about," Madaya
said. "With Costa Rica it's a little bit different.
With the recycling project, those were people
who volunteered to pick the recyclables out of
the garbage or we worked on a coffee plantation and it took me two hours lo pick one basket of coffee cherries where that would have
paid me about $2."
Madaya said she has an appreciation for the
U.S. economy and infrastructure as the result
of her experiences in Costa Rica. She would
recommend it to any students "in a heartbeat."
"Costa Rica is beautiful, the people there
are so welcoming, they welcome you into their
homes, they feed you dinner every night and
you bond with everyone on the trip so I would
absolutely without a doubt recommend it to
anybody who wants to apply," Madaya said.

christine./ee@wilkes.edu

Politics
Continued from Page 2
MjlYman also cites a lack of campus leadership and the exciting causes as some of the
reasons for the College Democrats not being
active. He said it has been hard getting students interested in the group.
"Our former president graduated, as did a
number of very active students, so it's a question of finding that core of politically active
students who can rally the troops," Merryman
said.
College Republicans president Ian Foley
said the club has been active in organizing a
watch party for the first presidential debate
that was open to all members of campus,
along with organizing several voter registration and absentee ballot drives and volunteering at the Romney campaign headquarters.
Foley said the group has gained five to six
freshmen, including one who is serving as the
group's secretary. He expects younger membership to continue into next year.
"I'm just glad we've been able to remain a
force on campus," Foley said.
Merryman said sees no reason why both
groups can't exist at the same time.
Baldino, Kreider, Merryman and Foley all
stress the importance of students getting involved and voting.
"I would say it is important for college stu-

The Bea con/Laura Preby
Pictured Is the Obama campaign
headquarters on Main Street In
WIikes-Barre.
dents to get involved in every election," Baldino said. "Government does have an impact on
your life, you may not see it directly as a young
voter but it has an impact on your life."

6pm
7:00pm
Spotlight
7:30pm
As You Like It
Classic Arts Showcase

-

Tuesday. Nov. 6, 2012
12:00pm
6pm
6:30pm
7:00pm
7:30pm
8:00pm
9:17:pm

Wilkes Now
Spotlight
Del. Stores
I Enjoy Being A Girl
Wilkes Now
Rosenn Lecture-Lee Zanny
Classic Arts Showcase

6:00pm
6:30pm
7:30pm

Spotlight
An American In Normandy
Wilkes Now

Wednesday.Nov. 7,2012

@Cleespot
christine./ee@wilkes.edu

•

y. a. Media
8:30pm
Kirby Lecture-Tom Zasky
Classical Arts Showcase

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012
6:00pm
SpotlightApril 8
6:30pm
Ax Of Murder
7:30pm
Wilkes Now
8:00pm
Kirby Lecture lawerence Reed
9:00pm
Philadelphia 2000
Classical Arts Showcase

Friday,Nov.9,2012
6:00pm
Wilkes On Wednesday
6:30pm
Reveille To Taps
7:30pm
Wilkes Now
8:00pm
Generation X
Classical Arts Showcase

�THE BEACON

I Nov. 6, 2012

NEWS

5

Stachacz's new role helps out IT Steele earns Bullard Fellow
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer

Mike Steele's acorn research interest lands him
spot at Harvard for 2012-13 academic year

Called to order at 5:58 p.m.

By Haley Adam
Correspondent

All college: $2,660
Conferences: $700
General funds: $6,313.35
Leadership: $600
Spirit: $873.34
Student Government total: $11,146.69
An update from library Dean John Stachacz
was given to the Student Government board.
Stachacz said he has assumed an additional
role on campus, and that is dean of Information Technology Services. He said his office
will remain in the library, but will now have to
two administrative roles to fill. He said that he
is hoping to get IT Services more responsive
and able to help students even more. He said
if anyone has any questions to please contact
him.
Representatives from Nursing Student Organization were present at the meeting. The
NSO is an organization that represents nursing students here on campus. Three student
representatives are requesting funds for a conference in Philadelphia regarding first-aid and

nursing. They are requesting $1,500 from SG
in order to attend the conference. There are 16
people registered for the trip.
There are several campus events coming
up in the next two months. Council of Clubs
will be held on Nov. 6. Wing Wars has been
rescheduled to Nov. 19. The Inter-Residence
Hall Council Study Break party will be on
Dec. 10. The SG Retreat has been scheduled
forNov. 14.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:35 p.m.
@shawncareyB
haley.adam@wilkes.edu

Wilkes biology professor and H. Fenner
Chair of Research Biology, Michael Steele,
was appointed a Bullard Fellow at Harvard for
the 2012-2013 academic year.
Steele's research interests focus on how
acorn characteristics influence how, why and
where animals move acorn seeds and how the
behavioral decisions they make, in tum, influence oak seeding establishment.
"My research examines the close ecological and evolutionary relationship between the
oaks, their fruit, acorns and the animals that
disperse acorns, primarily squirrels, other rodents and jays," Steele said.
The fellowship will allow Steele to spend
about a year conducting research at the Harvard Forest in Massachusetts, which is about
3,500 acres. In past research publications,
Steele has focused on the subject of oak dispersal and oak-animal interactions. He went
to the Harvard Forest to research more on the

New River Common statue
The Beacon/Laura Preby
On Thursday, Nov. 1 ,
"The Ribbon " was
finally unveiled at
the Mlllenlum Circle
Portal at the River
Common. The sculpture, designed by Mark
Boyer Dryfoos and
built by Ray Preby,
Is the first piece of
publlc art on the River
Common. "The Ribbon," expected to take
six months to build,
was finally completed
after two years. This
2-ton, 27-foot high
sculpture (30-feet high
if you Include t he base
and post) Is a gift to
the community from
Millennium Circle
members and The Luzerne Foundation. The
Millenlum Circle fund
of The Luzerne Foundation was created to
give assistance when
need Is displayed in
the community.

topic at hand. Since arriving at Wilkes 23 years
ago, this had been an ongoing focus of much of
Steele's research.
Steele will be working alongside several internationally renowned forest ecologists, and a
"small army" of very competent post doctorates, doctoral students, staff and technicians.
He is given complete freedom in his research
and study.
"On the one hand, it is at times intimidating to be surrounded by so many leaders in the
field, but its also energizing and inspiring," he
said.
Established in 1962, the Charles Bullard
Fellowship program was created to support
the study and advanced research of individuals likely to make important Gontributions as
scholars or administrators in forest ecology.
Steele has made important contributions, and
will continue to make more under this fellowship.
@wilkesbeacon
haley.adam@wilkes.edu

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1,000'S OF PROMOTIONAL ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROMI

Why trust anyone else?
I 46 SOUTH PINNHLVANIA AYINUI

�Nov. 6, 2012

Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

Americans should put reading on top shelf

BEACON POLL
I

With e-books and lending libraries, there is no excuse not to read
By The Beacon Edltorlal Staff

Americans read all the time when it comes
to Facebook posts, Twitter and Instagram captions all across the country.
The issue is, not many of these "reading"
sessions are longer than the amount of time it
takes to read 140 characters. When is the last
time that an American adult read an actual
book not required by some form of school?
A report released this year by the National
Endowment for the Arts says that only 43
percent of American adults read a book that
could be classified as literature in the past
year. While that is a significant increase from
previous years (the lowest being 14 percent in
2007), this has been attributed to the rise in
cultural cache and significance regarding certain book series such as Suzanne Collins' "The
Hunger Games" and E.L. James' "Fifty Shades
of Grey".
Many people will use the standard excuses
of "I don't have time," "It's too expensive"
or even "I'm too tired" to avoid reading. The
problem is that these excuses can be nullified
rather quickly.
Amazon's Kindle and Barnes &amp; Noble's
Nook are two of the world's best seller e-readers. Both boast about fast downloading speeds,
Wi-Fi connections, small size and minimal
weight. These devices are not only conducive
to reading, but owners can download certain
applic_itions, a moderate amount of music and
a num~er of games.
For those tech-savvy people with an iPad
instead of the Kindle or Nook, the application
iBooks serves the same purpose. Many books
can be downloaded and stored, becoming
transferable among all Apple devices you own.
Those who complain about having to carry
around the device (the lightest Kindle weighing less 13.9 ounces) also no longer have a
scapegoat. Smartphones like iPhone and Android both have Kindle and Nook applications that will wirelessly sync to your device
at home. This way, on the way to work, readers
can read five pages of a book, and then return
home and open their actual e-reader device to
the exact same spot that they left off during
their commute.
These innovations in e-reader and smartphone technology eliminate the need for thousands of books on a shelf, taking up space in
one's home, car, bag or office.
The second issue people tend to complain
about is cost. A brand new, hardcover book
will set a reader back approximately $20,
sometimes more. For that $20, the person may
never pick up the book again, leaving it to

The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on 11 responses.

Last week's question:
What is your favorite movie genre?

The Beacon/Laura Preby

According to the National Endowment for the Arts, only 43 percent of Americans have read at least one literature-classified book this year. But with the
creation of innovative reading technology, there really is no excuse not to read.
gather dust and take up space on a shelf.
The good news is, this problem has also been
solved. E-readers like Kindle now institute a
"Lending Library," where you can rent books
for no charge for a certain amount of time. If
you do not finish the book, readers can always
re-rent the title. The time amount a reader has
(usually 30 days) starts only when he or she
starts the book, ensuring that the amount of
time a reader gets with the book is fair.
In addition to the "Lending Library," many
classics can be downloaded free of charge
from computers, Kindles, Nooks, iBooks and
other programs. There are even sites on the Internet dedicated solely to providing free books
to readers.
The last option isn't new by any means, but
it still works. Going to the local library in your
town is still an option. Library cards are usually free or a very small amount of money and
the cards are good for life. This way someone
can take out books and read them relatively at
his or her leisure.
"This is a much better option than an e-reader for some. A lot of people still like having
the feeling of the pages between their fingers,
the smell of books ... it's also inexpensive,"
Librarian Jeanne Pearlman of the Osterhout
Library said.
There is generally a large divide between
people who pursue higher education compared

to those who stop at high school when it comes
to reading and literacy rates. According to
Suite 101, a site that publishes NEA reports,
those who continue to focus on reading can increase their success in life.
"There have long been correlations recognized between reading and literacy rates and
their impact on educational and financial success. Indeed, some have posited that the very
nature of democracy in an increasingly complex and technologically advanced society is
at risk if we lack educated, adaptive, logical
thinkers. And while reading alone cannot guarantee flexible, energetic minds, the absence of
such a fundamental cornerstone of thought development and information gathering harkens
towards sobering predictions of intellectual
decline."
Reading can transport someone to another
time and place by exciting the mind and giving
the reader a break from reality. Even if a book
isn't required by school, pick up a good fiction
and lose yourself.
For reading recommendations, look for The
Book Report in the Beacon Biogs.

@wilkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

This week's question:
How many books have you read
in the past six months? (excluding
textbooks)
•
•
•
•

O books
1-3 books
4-6 books
6+ books
Cast your vote onllne at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.

.

Send your name, major, year and opinion to:

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu
The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�7

OPINION

THE BEACON

I Nov. 6, 2012

Increase awareness for lesser-known health concerns
lI\'» ,.- --~-

By Carly Yamrus
Opinion Editor

October has come and gone, and Breast
Cancer Awareness Month campaign has come
to a close. As a supporter of the issue, I am
very glad people use this month to increase
awareness of this devastating illness.
Although it is important to continue to fund
and acknowledge breast cancer, I think by
this point we are decently "aware" that it is a
problem and should focus on other issues that
we recognize as serious threats to health and
safety.
That being said, I have compiled a list of
several diseases and health risks or days of
importance that people are hardly aware of:
The month of January is Cervical Health
Awareness Month. Cervical cancer affects
approximately 11,000 to 13,000 woman a
year, and is directly related to Human Papillomavirus.
There are more than 100 types of HPV,
with two specific high-risk types: HPV-16 and
HPV-18. HPV is said to be the most common
sexually transmitted disease. Nearly 80 percent of women by the age of 50 will contract
some type of HPV.
The majority of these strains only last about
two years. Those who do not detect the HPV
early have a greater chance of getting cervical cancer. Safe sex and routine check-ups can
help lower your chances of contracting HPV
or cervical cancer.
February 14th is National Donor Day.
According to organdonor.gov, there are currently over 116,000 people in need and waiting for an organ. Each day, 18 people will die
waiting for a match.
~ y becoming an organ donor, you can help
people recover from trauma, bone damage,
spinal injuries, burns, hearing impairment
and vision loss. One donor can help save up
to eight lives. You can register in your state to
become an organ donor today at organdonor.
gov.
April is National Distracted Driving
Awareness Month. Focusdriven.org (the advocates for cell-free driving) stated that cell
phones are a factor in one of four vehicle
crashes. In 2009, about 448,000 people were
injured in cell-phone related accidents while
5,474 people were killed.
Cell phones require the brain to multitask,
which diminishes the brain's capacity by 37
percent to collect and process information
necessary for safe driving. Texting while driving is 100 percent preventable, yet it causes
over 100 thousand crashes and thousands of
deaths every year. Don't drive distracted.
The month of May is Lupus Awareness
Month. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects various areas of
the body including the skin, joints, blood, and
kidneys. Antibodies that are supposed to attack foreign bodies instead attack healthy tissue causing inflammation, pain and damage to
parts of the body.
Lupus is a genetic disease and cannot be
passed to another person. Woman ages 14 to
44 are the most likely to get lupus, as well as
women of color. However, men, women and

/ :NtW

/ CHOLESTEROL

\ ~.M•
\

A
Cervical cancer, lupus, bullying, distracted driving and cholesterol are just a few health concerns that should have
Increased awareness.

children can also have the disease.
September is National Cholesterol Education Month. More than 65 million Americans
are affected by high cholesterol. High cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease and
the chances of having a heart attack. Cholesterol, which is a waxy fat-like substance found in
the body, can build up in the arteries if there is
excess. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising
and not smoking can decrease your chances of
having high cholesterol. Have your cholesterol levels checked every five years.
October is National Bullying Prevention
Month. The definition of bullying according
to stopbullying.org is, "unwanted, aggressive
behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance."
There are three types of bullying. Verbal;
saying or writing mean things, social; ruining someone's reputation or relationship, and
physical; hurting another person's body or personal belongings.
Bullying usually takes place during or after
school hours, such as at school or on the bus,
as well as on the Internet. Bullying can have a
lasting effect on the victims. Kids who are bullied often have anxiety or depression, loss of
appetite, sleep, and interest in activities. Bullying is often linked to suicide. Talking about
and understanding bullying can help prevent it
in the future.
I do hope this article has educated you on
atlleast one issue that you were truly unaware
of. These issues may not get nearly as much
publicity as breast cancer receives but they exist and are important none the less. Please take
the time to educate yourself on other national
health observances at healthfinder.gov.

@wilkesbeacon
carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

If you can answer that question, your overseas
experience can pay even greater dividends in the

.

Study Abroad Essay contest
Write a 500- to 750-word essay on the topic
and you'll have a chance to have your essay
published and win valuable prizes.
More information will be coming, in the meantime, contact
Godlove.Fonjweng@wilkes.edu or Loran.Lewis@wilkes.edu
Sponsored by the Center for Global Education and Diversity and The Beacon newspaper

�THE BEACON

8

OPINION

Food Critic: In search of the perfect gyro, Part 2
Are Euro Bistro's ingredient-packed, freshly shaved, pita wrapped gyros the area's best?
By Nicholas Wesley
Correspondent
Does Euro bistro have the best gyro in
Wilkes-Barre? To quote the dude, "that's just
like, your opinion, man." Despite that first
sentence, I will not subject this piece to open
biasness, before I have even tried all of the
limited options Wilkes-Barre has to offer.
What I will say is they got some damn good
gyros.
The first thing you notice when you walk
into Euro Bistro on the square is the atmosphere. This is an aesthetically pleasing joint,
not the place where you are worried about
how legit your food is going to be. There is
a very well done mural on the wall, definitely
take time to examine and enjoy it.
You also may see some sort of extraterrestrial garden; don't be frightened, be enlightened. That's an aquaponics garden, and
thanks to Enactus club here at Wilkes, Euro
Bistro is able to offer freshly grown, in-house
produce on their already superior products.
Definitely a big plus in my book.
Now enough with the environment, how's
the chow? Hold on, let's set up the experience
a little more. So you go up to order, if you
are lucky, you are greeted by the owner, Ivan
or his dad Emil, two interesting characters. I
will not say more about these folks, but if the
food doesn't bring you back (which I doubt),
you may find yourself stopping in for some
good conversation.
But seriously! How is the GYRO! Well,
they are good. They have a choice of chicken,
lamb and beef. All are delicious. They pre-

The Beacon/ Lau ra Preby
Euro Bistro's gyros are made with freshly shaved and slow roasted beef, chicken or lamb, tossed with fresh Ingredients In a panini pressed wrap or pita.
pare the meat early in the morning, slicing it
into thin wafers and putting it on a skew. Then
letting it roast, slooowly. They slice to order,
on your choice of pita bread or tortilla.
Then they have you choose your toppings,
olives, peppers, tomatos, spring mix lettuce,
they have more than eight choices (the exact
number evades me, but it's enough). You guide
Ivan through this journey of toppings, but then
the sauce. The Tzatziki sauce (that's the yogurt
sauce on a gyro for you noobs) is very good, a
nice and tangy complement to the dish, and the
hot sauce adds this special kick.
My recommendation is to add Tzatziki,
and a Iii' bit of hot. It gives it that kick, that is

promptly extinguished by the Tzatziki, giving
a nice complex variety of flavors.
After this dish is rolled into the pita or tortilla, mind you, this is not standard protocol in
the gyro world, they will toss it into a panini
press, to give it a compact warm finish.
Now he will add a chunk of sauce to the
top, don't be alarmed, and whatever you do,
DON'T BITE RIGHT INTO IT. I don't want
to sound overbearing and tell you how to eat
your food, but I feel you should be warned that
the best way to eat this is by chomping on the
side and returning to the Tahiti volcano side
periodically throughout the dish.
A quick side note before I cap this baby:

They have many other options of delicious
meals. Their paninis are fantastic; Emil bakes
the bread in house, the pizza is also a solid
slice. There are plenty of vegetarian options,
such as baked falafel, their fantastic mac and
cheese and the soups of the day, plus they got
a salad bar.
Back to the reason were here, how was it?
Overall they use a nontraditional approach to
the gyro, in the monotonized Greco-American
sense of the word. They push for the tortilla
which is good but the pita is always overflowing with ingredients, making for a messy lunch.
Nevermind the mess, how was the taste? It is
a very good eats, the meat is freshly prepared
and it shows! They clearly put a lot of care into
creating this and never substitute quality. Their
base ingredients are superior to anything you' d
find at those eerily similar gyro joints plaguing
any medium to large city.
With care and grace your food is prepared
in front of you, no room for question, no possibility of spit. Cost-wise the food is very fair
priced, 5-8 buck gets you full.
My recommendation is don't take my word
for it, try it for yourself. This is a great place to
have a lunch, if you go there enough, you will
notice regulars of an almost cult-like following. This is definitely a place that will stay in
Wilkes-Barre. Give it a try. •
Email me @ nicholas.wesley@wilkes.edu
and tell me what you thought about it, along
with recommendation for other local staples.

@wilkesbeacon
nicho/as.wes /ey@wilkes.edu

Benefits of re-electing President Obama
drastically outweigh replacing with Romney
By Austin Loukas
Assistant Photo Editor
There seems to be three things that upset
people about our president.
Ti. first and most obvious reason to not be
satisfied with President Obama is his failure
to fully repair or reverse America's high deficit and unemployment numbers.
The failure to close Guantanamo Bay is, I
believe, another one of Obama's large failures.
The third disappointment I have in our
commander-in-chief is his failure to abolish
the Bush tax cuts.
Obama has made the United States internationally popular again. He has ended the war
in Iraq and brought many of our troops home.
The war in Afghanistan is in the process of
ending. America has the best relationship
with Russia since the second World War.
Obama has also successfully held off Iran
as a nuclear threat by effectively using sanctions. Obama's face is seen on T-shirts around

the world because he is seen as a symbol of
progress and hope.
Other countries now see the United States as
having humbleness instead of hubris. This is a
change for which Republicans, Democrats and
Ron Paul fans especially should all be thankful.
Many people complain about the Affordable
Health Care Act because they do not understand what it is. To me, "Obamacare" does
two great things. First and most importantly,
it requires health care companies to cover individuals with pre-existing conditions.
Before Obamacare, if a doctor found a small
hole in your heart with the potential to be fatal that the doctor says you have probably had
since birth, you would not receive health insurance and you would most likely be forced into
debt.
Obamacare also lets us traditional collegeaged students stay on our parent's health insurance policy until we're 26. This means that if
you graduate from Wilkes and you can't find a
job with benefits, your health is still safe.
Obama also cares about middle-class fami-

lies. Over the last four years, Obama has
fought hard to give the middle-class tax cuts.
I believe that the middle class is truly the heart
of capitalism; if the middle class fai ls, all classes suffer.
Mitt Romney is not only planning on maintaining the Bush tax cuts, he is also planning
on stripping health care coverage of pre-existing conditions.
Perhaps the most disturbing part about Mitt
Romney is his inability to maintain an opinion
on health care, social security, international affairs, religion, taxes, abortion and the validity
of math.
It seems that for this election, people are
not voting for Mitt Romney because they like
Mitt Romney, but rather because they dislike
Obama. If you are one of these individuals, I
urge you to weigh the costs and benefits of our
current president. I believe you will find that
the benefits drastically outweigh the costs.
@wilkesbeacon
austin.loukas@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/ Austin Loukas

Although Obama failed to restore
America's economy, he successfully
ended the war In Iraq, made health
care affordable and fought for middleclass tax cuts.

�ITIBBffirB~
Contact editor: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Emotions alight in 'fire dance'
By Jennifer VIiia
Correspondent

base of classical Indian dance combinations.
"You really need to be concentrated and focused to get the repetition and movements,"
Leah Thomas said.
Fifteen-year-old Thomas is a student a
Scranton Prepatory School taking the beginner Indian dance course at Wi~es for dual enrollment. Dual emollment allows students to
obtain a head start by receiving college credit
for taking university courses while still in high
school.
Thomas said that, although the class is challenging, she has already been able to apply
some of the skills and lessons she's learned to
her personal life outside the class.
"The class helped me learn to focus more in
school," she said, offering an example.
In addition to the physical training and discipline the class offers, there is also an element of multicultural education to the course.
Bharata Natuam originated in South India,
where inspiration was taken from sculptures
from ancient temples.
The name Bharata is a combination of"Bha"
for "Bhavam," representing facial expression,
"Ra" for "Ragam," meaning melody and "Ta"
for "Talem," expressing beat pattern. The second part of the name, ''Natyam," means dance.
"I learned more about my culture," Thomas,
who is of Indian descent herself, said. "It was
really nice to explore different ethnicities."

It's known as a "fire dance."
With its smooth, eloquent style, the style of
Indian dance called Bharata Natuam focuses
on fluid body movements in steps and hand
gestures. The graceful flow and strength behind each gesture expresses the personification
of fire throughout the body.
This semester, Wilkes University is offering
classes in Bharata Natuam for both beginnerlevel and experienced dancers.
"The classical Indian dance is most like
American ballet," Sujata Nair-Mulloth, the instructor of the course, said. "It's a whole new
set of movement vocabulary that could be used
in anything you do."
Courtesy of Teresa Fallon
Nair-Mulloth is not only an instructor; she
Those don't look like apostles! Updating the Gospel of St. Matthew for a
is also a choreographer and performer herself. The movement vocabulary she teaches in
modern age, "Godspell" blends biblical parables with modern pop music.
the class not only allows further flexibility in
By Nicole Zukowski
McGraw and choreography by adjunct faculty
dance, but also can be utilized for the improveStaff Writer
member Sean Harris.
ment
of everyday living.
Like Comoy, Baker said her religious backBeing
comfortable with the body's physical
A timeless tale combines with contemporary ground helped her connect with the script. Nevabilities
brings
an inner comfort psychologistyle this weekend, when "Godspell" takes cen- ertheless, Baker asserted that audiences don't
cally, Nair-Mulloth said.
ter stage at the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center have to be religious to find "Godspell" entertainThe entire class consists of nine dances, all
for the Performing Arts as the latest production ing.
"I would encourage the audience to look be- performed to fulfill one of the nine categories
ofWilces University's Performing Arts Departneath the surface to the growing relationship and of Bharata Natyam inspired by emotions and
ment.
moods like love, wonder and tranquility.
"Godspell" presents the Gospel of St. Mat- how the stories affect the characters behaviors,"
By challenging the body to learn the intrithew in an unconventional way: Jesus Christ she said. "(Godspell) has got great stories in it,
@wilkesbeacon
cate
steps, movements and gestures, students
joins a group and together they spread the word it's got music in it and whether you actually bewilkesbeacon@gmail.com
in the class learn about the style and rhythmic
of God by re-enacting biblical parables to the lieve in Christianity or not doesn't affect your
enjoyment of the show"
background of pop, rock and rap music.
"Godspell", Baker said, offers a high enStarring as Jesus is Cassidy Comoy, a junior
theater arts major. Comoy - who attended Na- ergy and an assortment of musical numbers
tivity B.V.M. High School, a Roman Catholic - by "Wicked" composer Stephen Schwartz school in Pottsville, Pa. - noted that, yes, filling brought to life by the a cast expressing immense
the part was somewhat daunting, but his own enthusiasm and flamboyance through their charfaith helped him tremendously.
acters.
"A lot of it is their creation, I just guided
"I could find the same morals to relate back
to the part," he said in reference to his religious them," she said. "It's the same basic idea, but
with just a little twist, our own little twist."
background.
"Godspell" will run in the Dorothy Dickson
Though tackling such a weighty figure as Jesus Christ was a challenge for Comoy, the actor Darte Center on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9 and
10, at 8 p.m., and on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m.,
has good faith behind him.
"I think he is going to do a good job," Naorni then again on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 and
Baker said. "He has the right balance of humil- 17, at 8 p.m., and on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m.
ity because he's not really an egotistical per- Tickets are $10 for general admission and Wilformer, and I think that's going to work right for kes alumni, $5 for students and seniors and free
this part."
for current Wilkes students with valid school ID.
The Beacon/Tauri Philip
Baker, an associate professor of performing
Sujata Nair-Mulloth teaches Bharata Natuam in her classical Indian dance
arts at Wilkes, is directing "Godspell," with musical direction by adjunct music instructor Ken
class, educating students of all ages, ethnicities and experience levels.

FRON1' ROW FILM SCHOOL

THE BOOK REPORT

with Bill Thomas

with Anne Yoskoski
"The Likeness," by Tana French

with Jake Cochran
Dealing with loss

�10

NEWS

Administration reacts quickly
to wrath of Hurricane Sandy
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor

With threats of flooding once again approaching the Wilkes community, campus
authorities had to find ways to keep students
safe.
Hurricane Sandy approached the WilkesBarre region this past weekend, as it did
much of the East Coast. Fortunately, Wilkes
and the surrounding area went untouched by
the category one hurricane dubbed "Frankenstorm."
"Wilkes University weathered the recent
storms caused by Hurricane Sandy with no
damage," President Patrick Leahy said in
an email to faculty, staff and students. "Our
campus was indeed fortunate to avoid significant problems."
And, although the university made it
through, it wasn't without preparations for
what may have been a repeat of what happened last year.
On Sunday, Oct. 28, the Emergency Preparedness Team, which includes Leahy, all
the vice presidents, facilities, student affairs
and residence life, met and discussed the
weather conditions approaching. Together,
they decided that it would be advantageous to
close campus Monday, Oct. 29, and Tuesday,
Oct. 30, due to the worst of the storm being
predicted to hit some time late Monday afternoon. Students were not told to leave campus,
as there was no mandatory evacuation put
into place by the governor and Wilkes-Barre
city officials.
Vice President of Student Affairs Paul Adams said the team as a whole wanted to find a
* Yto keep students safe and a way of doing
so was by saying the university was closing,
which would lead to several of them going
home prior to the worst of the storm.
Resident assistants were given the direction to meet with their residents and give
them the proper information regarding what
was going on at the moment and how future
issues would be handled.
"Keeping track of the students that were
on campus was one of the biggest concerns
for Residence Life," Director of Residence
Life Elizabeth Swantek said. "Making sure
that (students) understood that it could be a
severe situation."
For those students who remained on campus, they went under a state of low occupancy. Rules under low occupancy included
no guests permitted into the residence halls,
checking in and out with RA's at all times and
letting one's RA know if you were to leave
campus.
The city of Wilkes-Barre issued a curfew
for 9 p.m. Monday night. Students who had
to be out of their residence halls during that
time were only able to walk through campus
if escorted by a public safety officer.
With the threat of power loss, university
officials had to come up with a course of action.
"We always worry about the river, but we

were able to have some predictions that indicated that, it probably wasn't going to be our
biggest problem," Adams said. "We are probably most concerned about losing power on
campus."
In the case that the power would go, due
to predictions of a longer period of darkness,
students would be moved from their residence
halls to buildings on campus that have generators. This including the Marts gym, University
Center on Main, Evans and Roth halls and the
Student Union Building.
Students were issued front door keys to their
buildings in the event that they would not have
swipe card access. They were also given a list
of things to bring with them if they were to relocate and encouraged to keep their cell phones
and laptops fully charged.
"We had a good game plan with the help of
our colleges," Swantek said.
During the duration of the low occupancy
period, most things continued as normal.
"All of our RA's remained on campus, so
technically, the halls weren't closed, they were
still open, food services was operational, the
fitness center had hours for students, the library had hours," Assistant Director of Residence Life Danielle Kem said. "So, the halls
weren't closed, all of the RA's remained on
campus so that students didn't have to evacuate the residents halls that they live in."
When the emergency preparedness team
met again on Tuesday afternoon they determined that the worst of the storm had passed
and it would OK for everything to open back
up again.
Wilkes weathered the storm, although other
places were not as lucky. Several students had
families that were affected by the storm. Relief
efforts are being made by the university to help
those in need.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with all those
impacted by this historic storm," Leahy said.
"Members of the Wilkes community struggling with its effects remain in our thoughts."

@thewilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

Snapped trees In Bloomsbury, NJ and
Moscow. Above right, the river front In
WIikes-Barre after the storm, Cohen
science center damage, cleaning crew
picking up leaves from a storm drain.

�THE BEACON

I Nov. 6, 2012

NEWS

11

Hurricane damage leaves
direct impact on students
By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief

Above, snapped trees In Bloomsbury and Avenel, NJ and Moscow. Above bottom, playing cards In Avenel, NJ by flashlight. Right, a house In New Jersey lit
by candles followi ng a power outage.

Mikel Hartsough watched nervously as
ocean water seeped up the stairs of his house.
As the rain pounded his city relentlessly, the
flooding slowly and steadily crept higher. The
sounds of roaring wind and his dogs barking in
fright only added to the intensity.
"It was a little intense seeing the water rise
above your steps," the senior communication
studies major said. "It's definitely odd."
Hartsough was at his home in Ocean City,
N.J. when Hurricane Sandy struck. While Wilkes-Barre avoided the brunt of the storm, many
students like Hartsough were affected when
the storm hit their hometowns.
Hartsough was unable to leave the city until
Wednesday because of closed bridges. By the
time he left, and even the following day, he did
not have power at his house.
While there was no damage detected to his
house, Hartsough observed a great deal of
destruction to the physical properties of his
oceanside community, as well as the resulting impact on their economy. He said the local
businesses typically stay open until Christmas,
but many of them were forced to close early
due to the damage of their storefronts.
"There's no point in refurbishing, reopening
and whatnot," Hartsough said. "I know that'll
affect the business in the area."
He said the most destructive time was when ceeds going to an undetermined grassroots orthe storm started up again at night. Many resi- ganization that is aiding hurricane victims.
dents were wrongly informed that the worst
Wolfe, a senior communication studies mahad passed.
jor, said he decided to pursue the T-shirt sales
"The second half, when the eye had passed, despite having no personal connection to New
was actually much worse in Ocean City," Hart- Jersey and having only visited the Jersey shore
sough said. "That's when most of the damage once. He said it creates an easy way for the
was done."
Wilkes community to provide aid.
Besides damage to businesses, he said the
"I saw there was a need and a lot of people
major impact was on the Boardwalk, piers and need help," Wolfe said.
beaches.
He said the feedback to the fundraiser was
"The beaches are not even in existence any nothing but positive, and the numbers speak
more. It's weird."
for themselves: There were 137 pre-orders
He said the hardest part was seeing the dam- made for the shirts in less than 24 hours.
age to the Boardwalk, an icon that strikes up
T-shirts cost $10 for Small to XL and $12
memories of childhood and vacations for many for 2XL and larger. There are four designs and
students.
four colors to choose from. Pre-order can be
"The thing that was significant as far as made in the Student Union Building from 11
growing up there was just seeing the Board- a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, through Thurswalk in kind of shambles," Hartsough said. "It day or by emailing kyle.wolfel@wilkes.edu.
was the worst I've ever seen it."
Wolfe said enough orders could make a big
Hartsough is just one example of a Wilkes difference.
student living in the path of the destruction.
"Wilkes University is a small school in
According to the Wilkes Fact Book,
Pennsylvania, but we can still do big things."
253 students from New Jersey were emolled
at Wilkes in 2011.
Kyle Wolfe said this connection to the af@kirstinjeancook
fected locations is a reason to help out the
kirsti n. cook@wil kes. edu
victims of the storm. That's why he started the
Wilkes Cares campaign to raise relief money.
Photos courtesy of:
"A lot of our students are from the areas that James Daly
got hit by the hurricane," Wolfe said. "So I feel
David Lee
like showing them that even though we're in
Ron
Lee
Northeastern Pennsylvania that we still care
Austin
Loukas
about their homes and where they're from."
The campaign is a T-shirt sale with all pro- Rosie Singalewitch

I

�12

By Jake Cochran
Assistant A&amp;E Editor
Every group or fan base has its own little nuances and things that are accepted, cheijshed or
even worshiped. However, "Star Wars" is one
of Grose things that just goes above and beyond
most, its fans rivaling even the Kiss Anny in
their devotion to something that seems trivial to
most outsiders.
At almost every comic book convention, film
convention or other large gathering of those of
the more nerdy persuasion there will without a
doubt be some variation of a Stormtrooper and/
or Darth Vader. Even Mickey Mouse has gotten
in on the act, with no less iconic and all-American an institution than Walt Disney Co. recently
indoctrinating tales of "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" into its entertainment empire.
This is something that can be counted on almost
as definite as the sun rising, but the question is
why7 Why "Star Wars"?
It could be that the series has spanned generations of nerd-dom: Father nerds that somehow
managed to bring little nerds into the world,
raised these little nerds to love "Star Wars."
Those little nerds got brought up playing with
ancient relics like Luke Skywalker's original
X-Wing and reenacting battles between "Ben"
Kenobi and Darth Vader, and the father finally
being able to assert his fatherhood over the child
in an all-too-cliche fashion.
But that old, almost legendary phrase uttered
deep inside the bowels of Cloud City never did

stop echoing. It has been used in so much more
than a "Star Wars" context, and has never stopped
being relevant. If someone says "Lukkkkkke, I
am yourrrrr faathurrr'' into an old desktop fan,
everyone will get the reference. Even if the actual
line is ''No, I am your father." You get the point.
But what is even more amazing about the series is the way that it refuses to stop reinventing
itself, somewhat to the disdain of some fans. It
will constantly be updated with ''better" special
effects and sound. It has been a constant workin-progress with the addition of completely new
scenes on practically every re-release.
While these new scenes are not always welcome additions by the hardcore fans, they eventually learn to embrace them, although some
things like the case of the Mos Eisley Cantina
and whether Greedo or Han shot first give new
life to the series and keep the series only a page or
two away from the front of most Internet discussion message boards.
Furthemore, the expanded universe is literally
always expanding, with graphic novels and the
animated TV series "The Clone Wars" continuing to bring the series to new generations. To
keep up with all the material out there for the series would be an incredible task, and this is why it
the franchise receives so much enthusiasm from
its fans.
If someone is baffled by a character like a
Boba Fett or even an old Jedi like Kit Fisto, just
going online and typing in their name in a Google
search reveals page after page after page of results. Whether in the form of licensed books or
fan fiction or even just aimless speculation, there
is a wealth of material out there.
The casual fan may be thinking, "Well, big
deal." What some people don't realize is, for
example, in the three original movies Boba Fett
appears in, he's probably on screen for a total
of, like, an hour. Tops. He barely makes any real
impact. Nevertheless, people will spend upward
of $500 to get the full Mandalorian Battle Armor
suit so they can look just like him.
That fact alone shows how devoted "Star
Wars" fans are and, honestly, after sitting for a
long time thinking this over, it seems the reason
cannot be pinned down to one exact thing. However, the fact that the series is so expansive and
inclusive that any part of the series can be important definitely helps.
More important is that the series has constantly
reinvented itself. Most recently, with the advent
of extremely customizable and interactive video
games like "Star Wars: The Old Republic" and
"Star Wars: The Force Unleashed," the fans feel
they are making an impact on the series for years
to come by creating new characters. Every new
generation of fans feels like they are the most important generation of fans.
As the "Star Wars" franchise continues to
grow and evolve, it seems that will eternally be
proven true.
@wilkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

CHtATSHtCT . J
. . ~mall Fries in a Big Universe

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�Nov. 6, 2012

Contact editor; anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

Election Day: What it means for college st udents
around $16,266,170,704,733.51, could possibly be lowered by raising taxes. If Obama is
re-elected for a second term, there is a great
Depending on the result of the 2012 presi- possibility that Americans will have to pay
dential election, policies that impact lives of more to cover the government's debt. Romney
college students may change.
is against this, not wanting to raise taxes for
Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney anyone. Not raising taxes on anyone includes
have not only differing parties, but differing the 1 percent of wealthiest people in America.
views on several key issues that affect the Obama has said that these people should be
college aged population. Depending on who taxed more, and that the Occupy Wall Street
wins the election, many key policies voters movement that they are targeted by was a good
feel strongly about will be put in place or thing for Americans, while Romney thinks it is
stopped.
a damaging force.
According to ProCon.org, an organization
When it comes to outsourcing jobs to other
that takes political candidates and lists their countries instead of providing our own people
opinions taken from debates and speeches re- with jobs, both men think that this is damaging
garding certain topics, there are 75 issues that to the country and the economy.
voters should take into consideration. The isOne of the most important issues to colsues picked out for this article are specifically lege age students is financial aid in education.
related to the college , - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - ~ When asked if the fedaged voter.
era! government should
Although it should
. increase direct finanbe taken into considcial aid (loans/grants/

By Anne Yoskoski

"'

Life Editor

~~~~

~~b~

cies may reflect the
ideas and values of
their respective political parties rather than
the candidates themselves, the candidates
individual responses
do shed a light on their
political leanings and
which issues they are
willing to fight for.
When it comes to
abortion and the question of whether or • ·
not it should remain
a legal practice in the
United States, Obama supports a woman's
right to ownership over her body. As it stands
now, Romney is against abortion. Romney
has not said what he will do, if anything, to
the abortion laws if elected.
The idea of lowering the drinking age to
18 instead of the usual 21 has been floated
around, and the results are mixed. Obama is
against this, but Romney has not commented
either way.
Capital punishment has been debated for
decades, and surprisingly, both Obama and
Romney are pro death penalty. No matter
which man is elected into office, it doesn't
seem as if the death penalty will be debated
at all.

**
*

students, Obama has
said he is in favor of increasing financial aid.
Romney has not stated
a clear opinion on this,
but the Republican Party has voiced that they
do not see this as a major issue. What would
happen if a Republican
were in office would be
based more on the candidate himself rather
than the party at large.
One issue that has
been especially prevalent in Pennsylvania lately is the voter ID law.
Should voters be required to show photo identification in order to vote? Obama says no, and
Romney says yes. For college-aged students
this should not be an issue, as a college identification card is accepted as a valid form of ID
as long as it has an expiration date.
Another issue that has raised a lot of controversy is the March 2012 federal health care
reform laws, commonly called "Obamacare."
Obama is still standing behind his policies, but
Romney wants to repeal certain aspects of the
bill. There are pros and cons to "Obamacare";
one pro being that students can stay on their
parent's health care until they are 26 years old.
Romney has voiced no opposition to this. The
only part Romney has voiced an issue with

Courtesy of Jeremy Tobin

The main presidential candidates discuss issues related to college students
during a televised debate, which was screened in the ballroom.
publicly is the possible mandate that everyone
should be required to have heath care.
Another issue close to many people of the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area is immigration.
Obama does not believe that local law enforcement should be allowed to enforce federal immigration laws, while Romney supports
empowering local law enforcement to apply
federal law. Both Romney and Obama support
the continued construction of a physical barrier between the U.S. and Mexico. Both men
are also in favor of E-Verify, the federal government's electronic employment verification
system as a mandatory procedure for all employers.
The issue of gay marriage and adoption is
split between parties. Gay marriage is supported by Obama, but not by Romney. Adoption seems to be unclear for the republicans,
as they have made no clear statement through
Romney.
Marijuana as a medical option should still
be upheld in another Obama term, but possibly
repealed if Romney wins.
Requiring mandatory national service in
the form of a draft or required civil service
is something that comes up in every election.
Both candidates are against the draft policy.
Issues of embryonic stem cell research funding by the government also splits the two can-

didates, Romney not approving and Obama
supporting the cause.
Although the two candidates in this year's
election are very different people, they do
agree on some things. Many of the issues that
are important to college aged students are set
to stay in place or be changed, and many students have opinions on that.
President of Wilkes' College Republicans,
Ian Foley said, "It comes down to two different paths, a re-election of President Obama
would continue the failed policies of the past
four years and our future will be mortgaged to
pay for it. A Mitt Romney presidency means
we will have a proven job creator, who in his
career as a public servant has actually worked
across the aisle with members of the other
party. "
A local campus democrat, Jennifer Alban
said, "Obama should win. He has done well
the past four years. People just need to give
him more of a chance. Another year and the
country will be in a different place."
Whatever your opinion, no matter what party seems to have better answers, the important
thing is to be informed and get to a polling station to cast your vote.
@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

�14

LIFE

THE BEACON

I Nov. 6,

2012

A Taste of the world at Wilkes for students and faculty
By Alyssa Stencavage

''

Assistant Life Editor
Every year an event is held at Wilkes that
features a range of foods, including specialty
dishes such as gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian meals.
This year's cultural fo6d fest, also known
as the Taste of Wilkes, will be taking place
on Nov. 15 in the ballroom on the second
floor of the Henry Student Center. Tasters
will have from 11 :30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to enjoy
the various foods this event has to offer.
This event brings people together in a different sort of way.
"It's a fun and festive atmosphere," Meg~ (Boone) Valkenburg, community service
coordinator said. "It's a great way to enjoy
each other 's food and celebrate each other's
cooking."
Boone recommends that anybody who is
going should get there early for "the best selection of tasty food."
- The minimum donation for students, faculty and staff is $5 and all proceeds will go
to the United Way of the Wyoming Valley,
which the event has now been supporting for
19 years. There are many people who support this organization to provide the essential
resources our community needs.
The Children's Service Center of Wyo-

It's neat to see how
many different types of
cultures and people are
represented by the foods
that people make."
- Megan Boone Valkenburg,
Community Service Coordinator
ming Valley, Victims Resource Center, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America and
the Catholic Youth Center are just a few of
the United Way's partner agencies. This and
other information regarding the United Way
is available at http://unitedwaywb.org.
"It's important to keep those utilizing the
service of the United Way in our thoughts
as we make donations, because the donation
we contribute has a true impact on the life
of someone in our community," Valkenburg
said. "Five dollars may not seem like a lot,
but when you compile it all, it goes a long
way for those who utilize the services."
The goal of this year 's fundraising theme,
"Thanks-for-giving," is to remind families of

...

how fortunate they are to be able to spend this
time of year together.
The cooking that is the driving force behind
the Taste of Wilkes fundraisers has been going on for about 10 years, and United Way
also cooks and submits recipes, which will be
sold for $5 per recipe book.
All are invited to submit a favorite recipe
for this year's edition of the Taste of Wilkes
cookbook. Recipes must be submitted by Friday, Nov. 9.
"It's neat to see how many different types
of cultures and people are represented by the
foods that people make," Valkenburg said.
However, this year is the 20th anniversary
of Taste of Wilkes, which will mark the end of

the university's United Way campaign.
Departments and individuals are encouraged to support the event by contributing a
themed basket for the silent auction. The
deadline for basket donations and registration
to cook for Taste of Wilkes is Monday, Nov.
12.
To register or for more informatiot, contact
Valkenburg at megan.boone@wilkes.edu
Faculty bringing classes should also contact Valkenburg for information about a group
discount.

@wilkesbeacon
a/yssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

Comedy Night keeps students
laughing, relieves their stress
Brittany Budman
Sophomore
Psych Major

Kristen
Lopatofsky
Sophomore
Bio Major

"We mudbog."
"We make Jello
cake."

Marissa Kotar

Ryan Weber

Sophomore
Pre-Pharm
Major

Senior
Electrlcal
Engineering
Major

"We watch
a Christmas
movie."
~·,..;; !;'

"We watch
football and
eat cranberry
sauce."

By Holly Boyer
Staff Writer
As a part of the weekly Thursday night
events that the Programming Board hosts,
they decided to have a comedy night this past
Nov. 2. This event had three Wilkes student
entertainers as well as a professional comedian performing.
The student comedians were Jaleel Sterling,
Cartier Scott and Matt Gaines to open the
show.
"I thought the MCs did a phenomenal job,"
Gaines, a communication studies major, said.
"Jaleel and Cartier are absolutely hilarious
and are great at pepping up a crowd."
Gaines, who enjoys the thrill of making
people laugh, gets excited at the opportunity to
test out his jokes and delivery to the students
on campus. He tries to talk as much about the
school and its surrounding landmarks to give
the audience something they can appreciate.
"Matt Gaines was one of my favorites because he can make you laugh just by him
laughing and he made a lot of relatable jokes,"
Programming Board President Jess Short said.
After the student entertainers performed,
they finished the show with Ian Fidance, who
is a professional comedian. Fidance works

well with college crowds. He went through
the college experience and he remembers
all of the stupid and silly things that typical
college students do.
"Ian was absolutely hilarious, his jokes
and delivery are remarkable." Gaines said.
"He is a great inspiration to me, and I am
truly envious of his talents as a comedian.
He gives me something to shoot for. "
The event was clearly a successful turnout by the looks of the packed lounge in the
Henry Student Union Building.
"It was really impressive, I think we had
about 200 people in the lounge, which was
phenomenal," Short said.
Although many more students attended
this comedy night compared to past ones,
the comedy events are always usually a big
hit on campus.
"A comedy night is definitely a nice
stress reliever," Short said. "Especially if
it's some of the stu- ~
dents 'cause you know
:r.
them and they often ·. ~ · · ·
say things that can be
relatable."

@wilkesbeacon
holly.boyer@wilkes.edu

·~~
.. ~

,,.1,,,,

~~

�15

· LIFE

THE BEACON

I Nov. 6, 2012

R enovations scheduled to Weckesser, Bed f o rd halls
By Anthony Bartoli
Correspondent
Renovations to Weckesser and Bedford
halls arc scheduled to begin soon, and President Leahy's office will move to Weckesser
Hall following the renovations.
Weckesser Hall is one of ··the marquis
buildings on campus," as Vice President of
Finance and General Counsel Loren Prescott
calls it.
"Weckesser Hall is one the largest and maybe most visible," Prescott said. "It certainly is
in a key location in the central part of campus."
..
It is also listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
When you walk into Weckesser Hall, you
are greeted with a chandelier that hangs from
a 24-foot chain, an old elevator (which still
works), a beautiful grand staircase and exquisite detail everywhere you look.
From 1914 to 1916, Charles H.P. Gilbert of
New York constructed the home of Frederick
J. Weckesser. "The Castle," as it was previously known, originally had a ballroom on the
third floor, where School of Business classes
arc now located.
Wilkes acquired the mansion in 1956 after
Anna Weckesser passed away. From .1964 to
67, the hall was used as a female dom1.
Prescott says that Weckesser Hall hasn't undergone a major renovation in about 20 years.
Along with just general upgrades to the

building, there are more reasons why the renovations are taking place.
"The other reason is that our new president,
Patrick Leahy, very much wants his office and
the presence of the president's office. to be in
the central part of the campus."
The president's office is located on the edge
of campus in the University Center on Main
building.
"It is an important part of the university's
commitment to the community to have a presence on South Main Street," Prescott said, "but
his (Leahy's) feeling is that the president's office belongs in the heart of the campus."
The move from UCOM to Weckesser Hall
means that the president, along with his cabinet, will move their offices to Weckesser as
well.
The renovations to Weckesser are only to
make the building suitable for office space for
President Leahy and his staff.
"This is not a major, expensive renovation.
There will be some painting done, and I think
some of the floors are going to be refinished.
Just a basic facelift for a building that needed
it," Prescott said.
The renovations to Weckesser do not have a
final price because the university is still in the
process of pricing all of the work that needs to
be done to the building.
Another reason why there is no final price or
budget for the renovations to Weckesser Hall
is because Wilkes decided to push the renovations back until after Homecoming.

Prescott said
the university
is only in the
second week
of the prqject.
"Our hope
is that we can
have the president and his
staff in the
building
by
the first of December,"
he
said. " In other
words, we are
hoping
that
the renovation The Beacon/ Austin Lo ukas
work will go Historic Weckesser Hall
quickly. How- will soon be home to
ever, we also President Leahy.
recognize that
there are some uncertainties associated with
that work, and it might be that we have to delay
it until the holiday."
Changes will be made to Bedford Hall as
well.
Bedford Hall, which in 1967 was known as
the "new building on campus," was 1878 by
Bruce Price. The home, the former residence
of attorney Paul Bedford and his wife, was
given to Wilkes University in November 1967,
after Bradford had passed away.
The home was designed in High Victorian
Gothic style. The home is sai.d to be the earli-

est of Bruce Price's homes still in existence.
(Wilkes.edu)
Paul Kaspriskie, Wilkes University project
manager, is in charge of overseeing the construction projects.
"We are moving the art department to Bedford Hall," Kaspriskie said.
The art department was in Bedford Hall
originally, and then moved out several years
ago," Kaspriskie said, "Now they've decided
to go back to Bedford HaH."
"The first floor and second floor are going
to get a face lift. We are going to create some
classroom space, and some studio space on the
first floor. The printing press will be located on
the first floor, too."
Offices and a classroom/studio will be added on the second floor.
The university is also going to provide
handicapped access to the building, whi.c h will
include a wheelchair lift at the side entrance to
the bu ilding.
"The renovations are due to start any time
now, we are just putting together the final
pieces."
Kaspriskie said the renovations should be
completed during the holiday break.
Renovations to both Bedford and Weckesser
halls are scheduled to begin within the coming weeks, and to be completed by start of the
spring 20 13 semester.
•

@anthonybartoli
anthony.bartoli@wilkes.edu

�Contact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Expectations high
for wrestling team
By Grant Rogers
Correspondent

Photos courtesy of Sports Information
Brittany WIiiiams had 13 digs against DeSales, a season-high on Nov. 2 .

Playoff run leaves volleyball
team hopeful for next season
By Frank Passalacqua
Sports Editor
As the Lady Colonels volleyball
team closes the season at 9- I 6, it
moves to 4-3 in league play and
clinched the third playoff spot in the
Freedom Conference Tournament.
By defying the odds and making
the playoffs for the first time since
2009, Coach Joseph Czopek reflected on the season and looked forward
to what the future holds for the Lady
Colonels.
"This season definitely turned
out better than anticipated," Czopek said. "We were ranked sixth in
the Freedom Conference in the preseason poll and fought our way to a
third-place finish.
"Going into the playoffs this
weekend is a challenge due to the set
backs the storm caused. We hope to
regain our momentum that carried
us through the FDU match and play
at that level against DeSales."
Standout junior Casey Bohan
agreed the season has been a fun
journey.
"This season turned out to be so
much better than anything I had ever
expected," Bohan said. "Our team is
small, but the amount of heart we
play with is unable to be matched
in size. Going into our first playoff
game, we are the underdog.
"No one in the conference ex-

Casey Bohan at the net.
pected us to make playoffs at all, let
alone take the third seat," she said.
"We're just going to play with everything we've got, and hope to come
out on top. We've got nothing to lose,
and the world to gain"
Bohan earned First-Team AllFreedom Conference and recorded
a team-best and Freedom-best 406
kills for an average of 4.37 kills pergame. She is also second in the Freedom with 0.76 blocks per-set.
Unfortunately, when the Lady
Colonels took the court against the
No. 2 seed DeSales University, they
were swept 0-3 in the Freedom Conference semifinals at Muhlenberg
College. This ended the team's sea-

son and hopes for a championship.
Bohan led Wilkes with match-high
17 kills, five digs and one solo block.
Teammates Paige Trusty followed
with 13 kills and two assists, Megan Powers also recorded 32 assists,
while Erin Nothstein finished with a
team-high 23 digs on the night.
Czopek said the team can only improve and has an entire year to build
off what hindered them.
"The outlook for this team is a
continuing to grow as we will not
graduate anyone this coming spring,"
Czopek said. "All eight players are
returning, and we hope to bring in
some recruits that can help improve
the offensive side of our game.
"Our defense was spectacular this
season," he said, "and I can only see
the program growing from here on
out."
The Freedom Conference Championship was played Nov. 4 with
DeSales facing Eastern University
for the title.
Volleyball falls to DeSales
The Wilkes University volleyball
team saw it magical postseason run
come to an end falling in straight sets
3-0 against No. 2 seed DeSales University Friday night in the Freedom
Conference semifinals at Muhlenberg College.
@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

The Wilkes wrestling team has
high expectations as it is ranked No.
13 in the country heading into this
season and looking to top their last
year's 19-4 record.
"We will be looking to win the
new NCAA East regional as the format for qualifying for the NCAA
has changed," head coach Jon
Laudenslager said. "We would like
to get at least two more guys to the
NCAA National Tournament than
last year and certainly get somebody
new wrestling on the big stage in the
NCAA finals as Anthony Dattolo
was last year."
The Colonels return seven starters to the mat this season including
sophomore 125-pounder Michael
Fleck, who last season set a school
record for most wins in a season in
posting his 37-9 mark.
Also returning for the Colonels is
junior 133-pounder Myzar Mendoza
who went 28-8 last season and is
ranked No. 7 in the preseason polls.
Wrestling kicked off its season at
the King's College Monarch Invitational Nov. 3. The team won two

individual titles and finished in second place, posting 137 points to trail
SUNY Cortland with 14 7 points.
Thirteen Colonels finished in the
top six or better in their respective
weight classes.
"Some of the more competitive
teams that will be at King's this week
are York, Cortland, Roger Williams,"
Laudenslager said.
Next week the Colonels wrestle
Cortland, Centenary and Johns Hopkins. Cortland and Centenary are
ranked No. 7 and No. 8 in country
and Hopkins is No. 19. The Colonels
face six ranked teams in dual meets
these teams include Cortland, Centenary, Johns Hopkins, Wesle~ (20)
and The College of New Jersey (26).
"It's another year with a lot of
ranked opponents throughout the
schedule and a few tournaments
where we will have the opportunity
to send multiple wrestlers to the
mat," Laudenslager said.
The Wilkes wrestling team returns
home on Nov. 10 to host the John Reese Duals.
@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Golf ends with 1-3 record,
finishes 7th in conference
By Stephanie Hahn
Correspondent
Having only three matches this
season, the Colonels may have not
finished with the most ideal record
,but they didn't lose by much.
Finishing second in the King'sScranton tri-match, Wilkes shot a
338, but the University of Scranton
beat Wilkes and King's shooting
308.
Jeremy Nolt and Michael
Daubert both shot seven over par.
Wilkes met Scranton again for
a match-up but Scranton came out
on top again, 302-362. Wilkes also
fell in home debut to Misericordia
shooting a 386 but it wasn't enough
Misericordia shot a 335.
The Colonels' last match was
cancelled due to weather. Wilkes
then went on to Hershey for the
championship where they placed

seventh.
In the first round, the Colonels
shot a total of 364 round two of the
event they shot a total of 371.
Anthony Gagliostro placed 24th
by shooting 94 in round two and a
combined total of 176 in the contest.
Daubert placed 28th in the contest
having a team low in round two of
85 and a total of 180 in the two days.
"We may have not won the championships but we are very proud
of how we finished and maybe
next year we can do better," junior
Daubert said.
Wilkes golf team is looking to improve even more next year and place
better in the championships.
Having a lot of returning talent
will help the Colonels do better next
year and through using the off-season to practice and get further nest
season. The Colonels hope to finish
with all wins next season.

�.i

WE TREAT INJURIES AND
ILLNESSES FOR ALL AGES.
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+

MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED,
BUT NOT REOUlRED.

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ON SITE.
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�SPORTS

18

THE BEACON

I Nov. 6, 2012

Women's soccer team: 'Win or go home'
By Matt Ciampaglio
Correspondent

SCOREBOARD
Football
11/3 Delaware Valley - L 7-23

W-Soccer
11/2 Eastern - L shootout 4-5
Season Record - 11-4-4

M-Soccer
Season Record - 5-10-2

Volleyball
11/2 DeSales - L 0-3
Season Record - 9-16-0

Field Hockey
Season Record - 8-9-0

WEEK AHEAD
Cross Country

This year's Wilkes women's soccer team
are in a "win or go home" situation as they
head into the playoffs to face Eastern University on Nov. 2. The Colonels are 11-4-3
as they head into the playoffs with very high
hopes
The Colonels have already faced Eastern
this year when they played them on the road
in an intense game which ended up in a 0-0
tie. That tie appears to have given the Lady
Colonels a lot of confidence as they head into
this monumental game.
"The girls know they can play with Eastern, along with the rest of the teams in the
playoffs," said assistant coach Becky Barritt.
"We tied them on the road and we felt like we
should've won that game. Now that we'll be
at home we definitely feel like we have the
advantage."
The Colonels have been led this whole season by their leading scorers Alicia Roberts
and Katy Fissel. Roberts and Fissel have been
responsible for a combined 15 goals thus far.
What has also made this year such a successful one for the Lady Colonels has been its
tremendous defense. It has set a new record
for most shutouts in a single season.
The Colonels have gotten better every year

11/15 vs. Shenandoah

Go Colonels!
We Deliver to Wilkes University!
Call (570) 331-FAST (3278)
Ask about our combo specials featuring our complete line up of pizza, subs,
wings, burgers &amp; more!visit us online for a complete menu &amp; listing of specials at

What do you plan to do with your career
one day?
I would love to be a veterinary pharmacist.
I love animals so it would be the perfect job
for me.

M-Basketball

W-Basketball

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

i
the legendary taste

What made you decide your major?
My favorite subject in high school was chemistry, and I knew I wanted to do something
involving health care. However, I'm pretty
freaked out by blood so I knew I couldn't be
a doctor, so I did some research and decided
I wanted to be a pharmacist.

Preferable racket brand?
I just got a Wilson for my birthday, and I am
in love with it.

11/16 vs. Penn State Hazleton

ness, and team play that has made this season
a special one, no matter what happens in the
playoffs. Going 11-4-3 while also finishing
second in the conference and making the playoffs as well is something they should &lt;ifinitely
be proud of."

Rossi

11/10 vs. King's

Football

the past three years. They went 6-11-2 in 2010
and 8-6-3 in 2011, and look to add a playoff
victory to their resume this year as well. Whatever happens in the playoffs, the Colonels truly
feel like they have succeeded in many of their
goals this year.
"These girls have really earned all of the
success they have had this season," coach Barritt said. "It's been their dedication, selfless-

Continued from Page 20

How do you balance school work and athletics?
I actually find that during the season I don't
procrastinate as much as in the off-season
because I know I have to manage my time.
Also my coach is very flexible if I need to
take a day off of practice every once in a
while to study for a big test.

11/10 NCAA Regionals

..w"'·'

Photo Courtesy of Sports Information
Brooke Edwards had three assists In the game over King's on Oct. 27.

www.grottopizzapa.com
or visit our restaurant &amp; sports bar
Grotto Pizza, Gateway Center, on Rt. 11 in
Edwardsville (just across the bridge!)

Who is your favorite pro tennis player?
Novak Djokovic is my favorite male tennis
player and Maria Sharapova is definitely my
favorite female. She's been my idol since I
was little.

zza

the legendary taste

$5 OFF Any Order of $20 or More
For delivery or take out
Expires 12/31 / 12

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

L

valid only at Grotto Pizza locations in Pennyslvania

�19

SPORTS

Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

EACON

The Wilkes
Beacon provides access to:
.
• 2,600 full-time students

• Wilkes brings visitors, parents,

• 2,600 part-time students

alumni and guests to campus

• 157 full-time faculty

throughout the year.

• 308 part-time faculty

• Many departments host end-of-

• 375 full- and part-time staff

year banquets, buy supplies and

• 6,000-plus potential customers

make many other local purchases.
\

Email: wilkesbeacon.ads@gmail.com
Phone: 570-408-5903

*Ask about prices.

\

�-- - - - - - - - - - - - -

BY FRANK PASSALACQUA
Sports Editor

Amanda Rossi, tennis player
and pharmacy major, is in her
junior year at Wilkes University.
While attending Parkland High
S'}liool, Rossi was the recipient
of the Jean German award for
enthusiasm, sportsmanship and
courage. throughout the season.
She also ,,competed in states her
junior year of high school and
won the .Lehigh Valley Conference and won MA Cs in the sixth
singles bracket this past/all •
Bow old were you when you first started playing
tennis?
I g2tmy first racquet whenl was about 8 but I
choose to play soccer instead. J didn't start talcing
.
;ously until around,.seventh grade.
Bow is tennis in college different from when you
played in high school?
For the most part, the girls in college are more consistent than the girls I played in high school.
What makes you give it your all from week to
week?
I have a great team and great coaches who always
push me to be my best. I would never want to let
any of them down.
What is one moment you'll never forget on the
court?
I will never forget winning MACs this past fall. It
was the first time I made it all the way to the finals
and finally winning was such a great feeling.
Describe your pre-match ritual.
I always listen to music before matches. It keeps
me focused and calm.
What are you better at, forehand or backhand,
accuracy or power?
My backhand is better than my forehand and my
game is more about accuracy than power.
What made you .firsfstart playing?
Jloth 'Of my parents play, so they got me my first
racquet for Christmas wh~n I was about 8. My dad
has been my tennis coach since I started playing.
What is your favorite feeling when you step on
the court?
I feel as if nothing else matters, all the stress of
school and everything else talces a back seat.
'

..

f&gt;

"i-''

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See Rossi, Page 18

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~

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1947 August 8th&lt;br /&gt;1947 September 5th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 3rd&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 17th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 31st&lt;br /&gt;1947 November 21st&lt;br /&gt;1947 December 19th&lt;br /&gt;1948 September 9th&lt;br /&gt;1950 April 28th&lt;br /&gt;1953 April 10th&lt;br /&gt;1962 February 2nd&lt;/p&gt;</text>
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                    <text>Est. 1936
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Association Member

THE BEACON
The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow.

For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com

Volume 65 Issue 9

�Nov. 13, 2012

Contact editor: christine.lee@wilkes.edu

Increased optimism contribute to 2012 holiday retail forecast
Wilkes' business professor talks about why his forecast is lower than others for 2012 holidays
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor
For more than 20 years, Anthony Luizzo,
Wilkes professor of business and economics
has been predicting the percentage for which
Holiday retail sales will rise.
He began his retail sales predictions informally around 1990-91 by tracking sales, visiting malls and talking to different people to
get direct information about sales. Now, every year around Labor Day, he will nearly set
in stone his prediction and is almost always
right.
For his 2012 holiday retail sales prediction,
Liuzzo predicted lower than most other experts who went with a 4.1 percent increase in
sales, which he chose a 3.0 percent increase
due to many significant factors. While he
does believe if everything went smoothly in
the world, the estimate of 4 percent would be
idealistic, but there are always outside variables.
"I thought, something is going to happen,
not because I have a crystal ball, but because
something always happens, that's just the
way the world is," Liuzzo said. "Either there
is going to be a terrorist attack, or there is going to be some upheaval in the world or - and
this is the one I was right on - there is going
to be weather related event."
.Jieyond the uncontrollable variables, one
thul'g Liuzza thinks will strongly impact sales
this holiday season is the recent election,
which he said will effect retail sales positively no matter who wins.
"Whether it's Obama or Romney, more
people will be for the winner than for the
loser so, more people will be happy than not
happy," Liuzzo said. "Either way, presidential elections are always good forretail sales."
One of the other reasons Liuzzo believes
retail sales will have a 3 percent increase this
year is the amount of shopping days between
Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. 2012
has the longest amount of shopping days between the two holidays, with 32 total shopping days.
Because Christmas falls on a Tuesday, it

The Beacon/Laura Preby

Courtesy of Marketing Communications

also allows for a full five weekends of shopping before the holiday.
With the Saturday before Christmas being
the highest in store sale day, Christmas being
on a Tuesday gives shoppers the rush to buy
more on that day, Liuzza said.
Because Liuzza makes his predictions so

Business and economics professor,
Anthony Lluzzo, left, talks about why
his annual holiday retall sale forecast Is lower than most other experts
predictions. Lluzzo predicts that
retall sales wlll Increase this holiday
season by 3 percent due to the highest amount of shopping days avallable this season and the Impacts
of Hurricane Sandy and the latest
presidential election. The Wyoming
Valley Mall, above, wlll have one of
Its busiest shopping days the Saturday prior to Christmas.
early on in the year, around Labor Day, he
was a little nervous when there seemed to be
no negative factors coming into play, but because of Hurricane Sandy, he believes he will
be close to accurate this time.
Liuzza said people have begun their holiday
shopping much earlier lately. With the actual

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

PHONE: (570) 408-5903
WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook

News Editor: Christine Lee

Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro

Opinion Editor: Carly Yamrus

Ad Manager: Brittany Battista

A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas

Photo Editor: Laura Preby

Life Editor: Anne Yoskoski

Adviser: Loran Lewis

Sports Editor: Frank Passalacqua

shopping taking place around Nov. 1 and the
buying right after Thanksgiving. He said it's
not proven that people buy earlier, but that
competition drives people and stores to advertise the holidays much earlier than they
used to.
Beyond his predictions of how much the
retail sales will rise, he also made a guess at
what will be the "in" gift this season.
"Certainly, tech toys," Liuzzo said.
He believes things such as the iPad and
iPad mini 's, tablets, and apps will be a hit this
holiday season. Also, the comeback toy of the
year will be the Furby due to technology being applied to the childhood toy.
"We see this down through the years, that
toys, games, dolls and other kinds of memorabilia have made comebacks," Liuzzo said.
Associate director of marketing and communications Vicki Mayk has been working
with Liuzzo's predictions for four years now
and she said his calculations are pretty accurate, being around .5 to I percent off at the
most.
Since he began predicting formally, Liuzza
has had his predictions published in all of the
local newspapers and in hundreds of other
publications, including CNN, The New York
Times, USA Today, New York Daily News,
Philadelphia Daily News, The Chicago Tribune and The Washington Times. For this
seasons holiday forecast, he was chosen to be
an expert by IBM's Holiday Benchmark .
Why did he become interested and continue to make predictions?
/
Liuzzo said it somewhat of a sport for him,
a professional hobby and that it's almost driven in him.
"I like to be right," Liuzzo said. "That's my
personality."
Liuzza believes that because consumers'
drive around 70 percent of retail sales, as
holiday retail goes, so does consumers' and
as consumers' go, so does the economy.
"Unlike the old expression actually, money
is the route of all good, not the route of all evil
if used properly."
@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

.

Meet the Staff

Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor

�THE BEACON

I Nov. 13, 2012

3

NEWS

T-SHIRTS AND SO MUCH MORE!
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Go Colonels!

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SAFETY

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KOOZlES
BRACELETS POM
LUGGAGE TAGS I.
KITS ICE SCRAPER

We Deliver to Wilkes University!
Call (570) 331-FAST (3278)
Ask about our combo specials featuring our complete line up of pizza, subs,
wings, burgers &amp; more!visit us online for a complete menu &amp; listing of specials at
www.grotto pizzapa.com
or visit our restaurant &amp; sports bar
Grotto Pizza, Gateway Center, on Rt. 11 in
Edwardsville Gust across the bridge!)

- -

1,000'S OF PROMOTIONAL ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROM!

Why trust anyone else?

zza

the legendary taste

$5 OFF Any Order of $20 or More
For delivery or take out
Expires 12/31/ 12

- - -

valid only at Grotto Pizza locations in Pennyslvania

THE BEACON
The news of today reported by the Journalists of tomorrow.

Alyssa Stencav.age, As&amp;l Life Editor

Like us on
Facebook

.

o._ 1,, 2012

Some students spent their fall break
. cleaning stalls and pens, washing bowls and

tubs for larger animals, sweeping the barn,
cleaning the refrigerator, .•. READ MORE

&gt;»&gt;

Follow us on Twitter
@Wilkes beacon
W'ith the 2012 Efectlori Day weeks

, the pressure is on for national

�4

THE BEACON

NEWS

I Nov. 13 2012

Climate change impact on U.N. topic of lecture series
By Christine Lee
News Editor

The issue of climate change and its effects
on the United Nations is the latest topic of a
lecture series between Wilkes and the Higher
Education Alliance for the United Nations at 4
p.m. on Nov. 15. in Breiseth Hall Room 106.
The lecture will feature Mohammed Reza
Salamat, a senior program officer in the United
Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs .
Assistant professor of political science Andrew Miller, who has been coordinating the
U.N. lecture series speakers, said he thought
the topic of climate change was an important
topic for the latest lecture.
In addition to the lecture, Salamat will also
be on hand to answer questions from students
from 1-2:15 p.m. in Stark Learning Center
270. Miller said several classes are attending
this informal discussion.
Salamat has been a part of the U.N. Division
for Sustainable Development since January
2002. He has written various articles on international environment and sustainable development ideas, particularly on climate change.
"I hope people listen to what he has to say
about climate change," Miller said.
James Case, professor of earth and environmental science and environmental engineering
, is teaching a class on global climatic change
this semester. He explains that the term 'climate change' refers to the fact that, although
air and ocean temperatures are rising on a regional basis there can be either a cooling or
warming effect.
"In the past, the climate record of the earth

Courtesy of Ron Lee

Professor James Case said climate change is being blamed for an increase in
severe storms, leading to destruction such as Hurricane Sandy, pictured above.
clearly indicates that we can have rapid swings
in temperature. We can go really warm for a
while for short periods of time or really cold
for a while but it's not necessarily the whole
Earth," Case said. "We use the term 'global climate change' because it is not out of the realm
of consideration that our current global warming might result in a drastic cooling in Europe
and in the Northeast U.S., while at the same,
time the rest of the planet stays exceedingly
warm."
Case, who was one of the first to teach a
class on the topic of climate change in the U.S.,
said it is evident across the scientific community that climate change is occurring and being
caused by human activity.
"Scientists have nearly a complete consensus that global climate change is occurring,
that includes over the last 50 to 100 years a
temperature increase of around 2 degrees Fahr-

enheit, perhaps a little more, and that is primarily attributable to increasing concentrations of
carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere," Case said.
Case said the increasing concentrations of
carbon dioxide, methane and other forms of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are attributed to human causes. He said this because
different radioactive isotope dating techniques
prove that the proportion in fossil fuels used
to fuel our economy is the same as that in the
atmosphere.
Case said some immediate effects of climate
change are the increase in the intensity and frequency of storms. He explains this has to do
with the amount of water vapor contribute to
this because it is a greenhouse gas.
"Water vapor is the primary greenhouse gas.
Normally water vapor condenses and you get
precipitation, or water vapor evaporates and

you get water vapor in the clouds. But with
global warming, the warmer the air, the more
water vapor the air can hold. So as global
warming occurs, you have more water vapor in
the atmosphere, and this provides more energy
for hurricanes, tornadoes, northeasters, storm
systems," Case said.
Case said water vapor enhances the vigor of
the weather system and 1 gram of water vapor condensed into water and brought to room
temperature is the equivalent of700 calories of
heat, which creates a huge amount of energy.
Earth and Environmental Science lecturer
retired Lt. Col. Mark Kaster, a meteorologist
by training, explains that as oceans and the atmosphere warms up, the more extreme weather events occur.
"Global models indicate more extreme
events, however there is no positive answer,"
Kaster said.
Kaster said the weather phenomenas El
Nino, La Nina, and the Arctic and North Atlantic Oscillation can be partly blamed for the
recent weather phenomenas such as last summer's drought and unseasonably warm winter.
"These are normal patterns but we do not
know what climate change's effect will be on
these patterns," Kaster said.
Both Case and Kaster explain individual
people can make a difference in reducing the
effects of climate change in the world.
"Collectively communities and nations need
to do everything they can to reduce their carbon footprint," Case said.
The event is free and open to the public.
@Gleespot
christine.lee@wifkes.edu

Food drive for the hungry of W-B

The Beacon/Laura Preby

On Friday, Nov. 9, members of Zebra Communications and WCLH came together
to collect canned goods, dry food and loose change for the Salvation Army to
assist hurricane victims. Members of WCLH broadcast live In the SUB and gave
out cookies to those who donated. The food drive will be going on until Nov. 20.

12:00pm
6:00pm
Barre
6:30pm
7:30pm
8:00pm
9:49:52pm
6:00pm
6:30pm

onday November 12, 2012
Wilkes On Wednesday
Reveille To Taps
Wilkes Now
Generation X
Classic Arts Showcase
Tuesday November 13, 2012
Wilkes Now
The Revitalization of Downtown Wilkes
Flyboys
Wilkes Now
Rosenn Lecture-Greg Mortenson
Classic Arts Showcase
Wednesday November 14, 2012
Wy-Val-Media: Challenges and Changes
Class of 1986

6:00pm
Val.
6:30pm
7:30pm
8:00pm

6:00pm
6:30pm
7:30pm
8:00pm

Rosen Lec.-Michelle Rhee
Classical Arts Showcase
Thursday November 15, 2012
Iron Horses: A History of Railroads in the W
Mqgic to Do
Wilkes Now
OLF-Eli Wiesel
Classical Arts Showcase
Friday November 16, 2012
Wilkes Barre History Documentary
Cross Gen. Focus Group
Wilkes Now
Much Ado About Nothing
Classical Arts Showcase

�THE BEACON

I Nov. 13, 2012

NEWS

5

Perry presents on environmental effects of shale gas in state
By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor
Simona Perry joined faculty, staff, students
and community members Wednesday, Nov. 7,
to tell them about "the community and environmental health implications of shale gas development."
The Institute for Energy and Environmental
Research held its first forum for the research of
Marcellus Shale gas drilling at 7 p.m. in Stark
Leaming Center. Student researchers Keri
Skalvara, Kristi Ciaston, Stephen Forney and
Emily McGrath were all beneficial in putting
the presentation together.
Being the first of two lectures to come this
semester, the topic of this speech hit home
with the impacts shale gas development has
on Bradford country, which has undergone the
"boomtown phenomena." The boomtown phenomena is when small towns undergo cycles
of rapid business and industrial growth, which
when shale gas development hit Bradford
County did happen.
Perry presented data from research she has
been doing for nearly four years on the impacts
shale development has on towns people and
there everyday life. Before she began with that
she touched on the fact that most people don't
get their information from factual sources and
are misconstrued and misunderstand the impacts.
Some of the impacts she mentioned during
her speech were, economic, which she said
have not seemed to change since the start of

the shale gas development, increased competition and conflict between land owners, local
business growth, damaged or closed roadways
and health problems.
For places like Bradford County, who has
1,105 working well sites at this time, what impacts them the most is the usage and damages
done to roadways by the influx of water and
gas trucks constantly traveling them. Perry said
the people of this town find a sense of pride in
the fact that most of the roads in their area dirt,
much more easily damaged by serious travel.
Another big issue Bradford County has been
facing is health issues. Perry said a portion of
persons who live there have been breaking
out in rashes through which the cause is not
known. Some have also been dealing with gestural intestinal issues.
Institute Associate Director Ken Klemow
who has given many presentations about the
industry, said that presentations like this are
important to Wilkes' students because the Marcellus shale industry is so big in northeastern
Pennsylvania He feels that knowledge about
the industry varies among people.
Klemow would like for the IEER to continue
with presentations such as this. He'd also like
to further the education of students by keeping
the potential option of offering courses in energy, such as produced in the shale industry. He
would like to know, how many students would
find interest in such a course.
@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

Courtesy of Institute of Energy and Environmental Research
Applied anthropologist Simona Perry talked about shale development in rural
parts of Pa. like Bradford County. Above, a Marcellus Shale drilling rig.

President Leahy updates SG on various campus issues
Updates include progress on science center, formation of Relay for Life team, Mayor's Cup march
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer
The Student Government meeting on Nov. 8
was called to order at 6:11 p.m.
All college: $2,660
Conference: $700
General funds: $6,313.35
Leadership: $600
Spirit: $873.34
Student Government total: $11,146.69
The Health and Wellness club was present
at the meeting to give the SG board a club update. HAWC is an organization for the purpose
of living a healthier lifestyle both on and off
campus.
Trey Tietz and Samantha Hickert represented the club and gave a recap on the Shaun T
event that was held on campus Nov. 3. Tietz
said that there were more than 220 people in
attendance and included students, alumni and
surrounding community members.
He also said merchandise sales and half of
Shaun T's paycheck from the event were going
to be donated to the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Tietz said it would be a donation totaling
more than $4,000.
Hickert said the club is still waiting on totals
from the event and will give back any money

to SG that was not used for student participation. Tietz said the club has held many healthy
bake sales on campus as fundraisers. He also
said they have 30 active members in the club
and offer workouts five days a week. Also,
HAWC is working with Chef Brian Kaden to
offer healthier options for students and faculty
in the dining room.
President Patrick Leahy was present at the
meeting. He said he hopes to make regular appearances at the meetings to know what is going on with students and opened the floor for
questions from student members.
Topics discussed included the campus's
emergency preparedness regarding Hurricane
Sandy, pre-registration for classes and the
problems with parking on campus.
SG President Kris Rivers said he is working
with Commuter Council and Student Affairs
to help with the parking situation on campus
to help alleviate any problems in the future.
President Leahy also discussed that the more
students, faculty and alumni that he meets
makes him more enthused to be president at
Wilkes and it is an unbelievable privilege to
be president.
He gave an update on the new Cohen Science Center, saying that it is on budget and on
schedule to be finished for the fall 2013 semester. He also announced the first Mayor's Cup
March. The event was held on Saturday, Nov.

10.
He invited students and faculty to march
with him from the River Common's Northampton Street corridor to Ralston Field for the
Mayor's Cup. He also announced that he is
forming a Relay for Life team for the event in
April.
The Nursing Student Organization was back
for a second week for their fund requests to attend a conference near Pittsburgh. President
Emily Christian was there along with Vice
President Kaci Rirosik and Secretary Kellie
Taylo.
Christian said they have decided to bump
down the amount requested to just registration
costs. The NSO previously requested $1,500,

but bumped it down to $560. A motion was
made to allocate $560 to the NSO to attend the
conference. The motion passed 36-1-6.
Phi Beta Lambda, or Future Business Leaders of America, was there for the first week
of club recognition. Adam Wychowanec was
there to discuss the club with the SG board. The
purpose of the club is to highlight the business
department at Wilkes. The club will attend regional, state and national competitions in fields
within the business world. Wychowanec will
be back the following week for the final week
of club recognition.
Junior Class..President Julie Miller presented for the Capital Projects Committee. They
want to purchase two new water fountains for
the campus. The cost for the two fountains is
$1,866 and they are also asking for $400 for
additional supplies. Representatives will be
back next week for the final week of funds approval.
Nominations for Members of the Month
were announced. Nominations included Samantha Earley, Kyle Wolfe, Christian Victoria
and Logan Rutch. The winner was Kyle Wolfe
for his work in organizing the T-shirt sale for
Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

@shawncareyB
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

�Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

State-level officials call the shots too
Presidential election glamour outshines other important offices
By The Beacon Editorial Staff
Not enough students are aware of the 2012
election results.
No, not the presidential election. By now,
everyone knows the winner of that. The result
was broadcast all over television and social
media outlets the night of Nov. 6, on the front
pages of all major newspapers on Nov. 7 and,
even days before the election, exploited in the
projections of ambiguous polls.
But some election results haven't received
as much attention by the public. Not many
Wilkes students were excited about the battle
for congressional spots in Pennsylvania. Few
were examining the results of the senate race.
There wasn't enough attention on state-level races, even though these are more likely to
have an impact on issues that matter to voters. Now that they're over, there's still tlie
opportunity to become informed on the winners of these elections and their stances. It's
the chance to get to know the public officials
that will be making major decisions for our
country.
According to the Pennsylvania Department
of State, Democrat Bob Casey was re-elected
as the U.S. senator representing Pennsylvania.
Democrat Kathleen Kane was won the election for Attorney General in the state. Republican Lou Barletta was re-elected to the representative position in Congress for the 11th

District, which encompasses Wilkes-Barre.
When things are going wrong in the country,
the public tends to blame the president. While
our commander-in-chief has major responsibilities and powers, he is one man. There is a
great deal of other elected officials that have
just as much, if not more, influence over issues
facing our country.
These officials make up the legislative and
judicial branches to our government. There
were some major politicians elected to these
positions in the state of Pennsylvania that
didn't receive the same level of hype as the
presidential candidates, but will have just as
much impact on our lives
These officials will have many powers in
their respective positions.
Through the powers of Congress, they have
the major responsibility of creating laws. Article I of the Constitution states: "Congress
shall have Power ... To make all Laws which
shall be necessary and proper for carrying into
Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other
Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof."
Under this duty, any senator or congressman
can introduce a bill. They also have the heavy
responsibility to vote on whether a bill should
become a law, as described by Usgovinfo.
about.com.
Congress members can also amend the
constitution - granted in a long and difficult

The Beacon/Dan Lykens
On Election Day, there were important Congressional races on the ballot along
with the highly publicized presidential race.

process - create money, collect taxes, regulate
international and domestic commerce, declare
war and more. Sounds like a lot of things that
impact every American.
Within congress, House.gov states there
are 435 voting representatives in the House of
Representatives, corresponding to the population in each of the 50 states.
The Senate is the upper and more limited
legislative unit with only 100 members. Its exclusive ranks also make it the more powerful
chamber in the legislative process. Not to mention, a senator's term is six years compared
to two years for a representative's term. The
vice president oversees the senators - disproving the myth that the vice president doesn't do
anything.
Basically, these two selective groups that
make up congress are the main vehicles of
change and development in our country's laws.
This is why we should pay close attention to
who is elected to represent us.
The president has some role in the legislative process involving working with congress
to suggest legislation and lobbying for laws to
pass. He also must sign each law into power or
exercise his ability to veto it.
However, the president cannot enact laws.
The influence the president does have over
legislation is not significant enough to justify
'issue voting' - that is, voting for a president
according to their opinions on laws regarding
things like legalization of marijuana or gay
marriage. Supporting representatives or senators that have the ability to actually create these
types of laws would leave a bigger impact.
The presidency, of course, is a highly valuable office with duties regarding foreign policy, the military and enforcement of laws in the
U.S. But the roles within Congress are valuable too and deserve a comparable level of attention during election season.
Now that these positions have been assigned
for the 2012 elections, the most beneficial
thing citizens can do is inform themselves on
their representatives and their work. The Internet makes it easy to look up the elected officials and read about their policies. You can also
easily look up the bills introduced in Congress,
what action Congress members are taking on
them, who is sponsoring them and more.
And if you don't like what an elected official
is doing, contact their office. Make your voice
be heard. After all, they're in that office to represent you. That's why their appointments deserve our full attention, even if they're without
the glamour of the White House.
@wilkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on 10 responses.

Last week's question:
How many books have you read in
the past six months?

This week's question:
What is the best pizza in WilkesBarre?
• Januzzi's
• Frank's Pizza
• Angelo's
• Grotto Pizza
• Pronto Via
• Mr. Pizza
• Other
Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to h"ear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu
The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�7

OPINION

THE BEACON

I Nov.

13, 2012

Cat fights: Competition among women in the workplace
By Lyndsie Yamrus
Assistant Opinion Editor
As much as I hate to say it, woman might
as well just accept the fact that we're living
in a man's world. Not because men are stronger or smarter or more competent, but because
women can't get along with each other long
enough to make it to the top and join the boys.
Women are complex creatures. You might
even substitute the words "crazy," "irrational"
and "overcharged."
These are all acceptable adjectives because
it's true: women are nuts. I will be the first to
admit it. There are many reasons for which I
say this, and I'm sure you can come up with
a few examples on your own to support this
claim.
In any case, it seems as though most women
have created a lonely existence for themselves
in this world. We don't like men half of the
time because they're animals, they're stupid,
they're selfish, they can't read our minds ...
But the thing is, most women don't like other women either, for many reasons: They're
"bitchy," obnoxious, too pretty, too smart, full
of themselves ... the list goes on and on.
We hate on each other because we grew
up in a world where there's only one Miss
America. There's only one crown and winner
takes all. Runner-up means close to nothing.
It might even be a mental competition within

The Beacon/Laura Preby
Jealousy and intimidation often drive women to Intense competition In and out
of t he workplace, even if it hinders business and decreases diversity.

us- but regardless, we sense danger and instinctually feel the urge to remain on top.
Threats come in every form imaginable;
from clothes to looks to attitude to intelligence,
though two categories in particular trump all:
men and careers.
Our competition for male attention stems
from desire. In the simplest of explanations, it
often goes that if you have someone that I or
the next girl wants, we're not really going to

like you.
It won't always be an intense, raging hatred,
but there will be some degree of aversion, even
if very mild.
It's a jealousy thing.
It has actually been studied and observed
that many women particularly select attractive
females and identify any negative aspects, as
positive characteristics are threatening to one's
self-image.

You are an intimidation. It's all superficial
and it makes us look catty, but we're envious
and we can't help it.
More importantly, this domineering competition has regrettably spread to the workplace. You'd think women would help each
other out a little when it came down to it. A
little diversity in the male-dominated workplace would do us all some good, right?
Definitely, but is it worth the risk?
Women are clearly underrepresented in
business, which may be partially attributed to
the fact that the women that are already on top
are less inclined to welcome female newcomers into businesses.
According to a new Time business study,
this is the case.
We again feel threatened. What if she has a
better work ethic? What if she is more beneficial to the company than me?
Women most certainly do not want to take
these risks.
We also don't want to look bad. If I hired
someone who turns out to be completely incompetent or just down-right bad, all fingers
point to me. We can't have that either.
This territorial attitude leads to the hiring
of more men, which is fine, but come on girls.
Let's not lurk in the shadows. Push fear out of
the way and get up there with the guys.
@wilkesbeacon
Jyndsie.yamrus@wilkes.edu

In defense of the Garden State: Representing NJ with attitude
By Carly Yamrus
Opinion Editor

When people ask where I'm from, I usually
get the same responses from everyone. Some"'1ere along the lines of"That sucks."
I get the occasional "Uh-Oh" but mostly I
get, "Jersey sucks," usually followed by some
obscure claim and unflattering stereotype.
Like how Jersey drivers can't drive.
False. You're just driving. Every New Jersey driver knows the real rules of the road:
Speed limits are arbitrary.
Everyone knows that 65 means 90. As my
sister says, "If you can't keep up, go home."
When crossing lanes, always make sure to
do a "Jersey sweep," or in other words, cross
from the left all the way to the right, or viceversa, in one smooth motion. Make sure you
cut off at least three people.
Turn signals are optional.
If you need to get to an exit, always cross
over at the last second to cut off whoever is in
front of you. Odds are they will honk at you,
which you will respond to with your middle
finger and you'll both be on your way.
New Jersey has what we call ''the traffic circle." People hate traffic circles. Traffic
circles, sometimes called roundabouts, are exactly what they sound like: a circular intersection. They usually have four exits on the top,
bottom, left and right sides. Cars entering the
roundabout have the right of way. Apparently
it is too hard for some to handle.
We get a lot of grief for our ''jughandles"

too. A jughandle is a type of exit ramp used
in place of a left turn. Instead of making a left,
drivers simply go straight and then bear right
into a large loop that dumps them off in the
direction that they were heading- left. ''But
why not just go left?" With the placement of
said jughandle, now the driver does not have
to risk death crossing oncoming traffic. Wow.
Brilliant. We know.
Also, we do not pump our own gas. Not because we are lazy or stupid. This is because
we're simply too cool for that kind of non-

sense.
OK, this next one is important. If you come
to New Jersey and order a sandwich, you are
ordering a sub. Not a hoagie. What the hell is a
hoagie? It's a SUBmarine sandwich. It makes
logical sense. Also, it is not Taylor ham, it is
porkroll. And it is our unofficial state meat.
You wish you had a state meat. But you don't,
so you should call it what it is and that's not
Taylor Ham.
People ask me why New Jerseyans have an
excessive amount of pride for their home state.

The Beacon/Laura Preby
Despite popular belief that New Jersey Is the worst place In the world, there is
more to the state t han pollution, crime and bad drivers.

Well at least we have pride for something ... I
have never heard anyone express any love for
the state of Pennsylvania.
Haters gonna hate.
I love when people from out-of-state tell
me that Jersey is filled with trash. I'm not sure
if they're referring to trashy people or straight
garbage but I'm assuming it's both.
Let me just say that the only place in New
Jersey that smells bad is in the upper portion
near New York City where there are many refineries and chemical plants. Were busy making the rest of the country pharmecuticals,
chemical products, and tomatoes. Knock it
off.
That's less than 5 percent of the state. Otherwise, we smell like pine trees and salt water
and perfection.
As for the trashy people ... well, we can
thank MTV's "Jersey Shore" for that because
the real New Jersey is fine, fierce and fabulous. YOU can leave.
There's a stereotype that New Jersey people are rude!' Get out of my face.
People often tell me that New Jersey has
disgusting, fake beaches. Then when summer
rolls around they ask me if they can stay with
me so they can go to those same disgusting,
fake beaches. Spare me.
Welcome to New Jersey: We don't like you
either.

@wi/kesbeacon
carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

�THE BEACON

I Nov. 13, 2012

8

OPINION

Food critic: In search of the perfect gyro, Part 3
Gyros from (Gyro King' on Public Square are mediocre and do not deserve the crown
By Nicholas Wesley
Correspondent
My latest quest to find the most delicious,
juicy meat kabob creation led me to a likely
spot on the square known as the Gyro King.
Like most kings, this title was self appointed,
this was not the president of gyros, chosen by
the lamb and beef college, nor was it worthy
of such title. This king has led us astray.
This is what I call a mass market gyro
place. Located on the southern comer of the
Square is this hole in the wall.
Quaintly decorated with sticky notes from
loyal fans praising the king and one 8.5 inch
by 11 inch sheet saying merely, "Chicken/
lamb, $6.75 reg. $7.75 king," Obviously not
a very diversified menu, but hey, there's nothing wrong with specialization.
Barely the size of my Jerry Brown bedroom sits a spit, roasting a pre-packaged,
beef, lamb and filler meat chunk. Sitting next
to it was a plastic box. The sole employee of
this place would shave the meat, set it in this
box and wait for someone to order, then he
would shuck it into an electric skillet, probably purchase at your local Wal-Mart.
To his credit, he did not let the concoction

overcook on the spit, a plus in my book.
I quizzed him for a bit about the origins of
the hunk of meat cooking behind him, the origins of his Tzatziki sauce, was it home made,
where he gets his produce.
This was probably one of the most awkward
experiences in my travels here in Wilkes-Barre.
This 29-year-old townie was obviously not
the king, but merely a serf, and as any good
servant to the royal court, was not trying to slip
up and make trouble for his boss.
I was clearly making him extremely nervous, being possibly the only customer who
has ever asked the origins of his tomatoes besides possibly the health inspector, whom the
king answers directly to.
So behind the extreme anxiety I was causing
came these truths, they have a supplier, whom
the king orders meat logs, and Tahiti sauce. The
veggies, lettuce, tomato and onion come from
a similar supplier. So nothing special about this
dish, really just you're run of the mill gyro.
Once I finished my law-and-order styled interrogation things got more relaxed. Then I got
my dish.
I must say it did smell great. I was not super disappointed. It was not anything special
though, just to make that ultra clear. It tasted

like it should, had a toasted pita, sauce, tomato's lettuce onion.
I have absolutely had worse. But going as
far as to call yourself the king, well you need
a bit of an ego to do that. But how many kings
are modest? It did fill me up and the portions
were nice. Not unpleasant, but nothing special,
did I say that already?
To put it in perspective, the SUB makes a
comparable gyro to the king. Just to beat a
horse while he's down I will reiterate, NOTHING SPECIAL.
The one thing I feel about the king, his peasants are making him a rich man. This place
has basically one choice of dish in all of 100
square feet (that's tiny).
They definitely had a steady stream of customers throwing their hard-earned cash on a
dish that cost about $1. 75 if even to produce.
Maybe one day a revolt will happen and an
emperor will be dubbed to save these people
from mediocrity, but to quote Mel Brooks, "It's
good to be the king."

@wilkesbeacon
nicho/as.wesley@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Gyro King on Public Square pumps
out meat and pita creations from
their closet-sized store.

America's small town Staten Island forgotten in wake of storm
By Joseph Pugliese
Staff Writer
When someone say New York City, what do
you think of? Maybe it's Manhattan, the concrete jungle that contains Wall Street, Times
Sca,are and Broadway? Maybe it's Brooklyn,
the cultured melting pot that produces great
food and diversity. How about the Bronx
and the Yankees and 27 World Series? Maybe Queens, the amazing Mets, home of the
World's Fair Globe and known for that scene
from Men in Black. But I bet Staten Island
didn't cross your mind. Staten Island doesn't
have any skyscrapers, pro sports teams or
worldwide events that happen. Staten Island
is a place all of its own; so close to the place
everyone thinks of when you say NYC, yet in
a separate world all together.
Staten Island has no yellow cabs, no mass
amounts of people walking the streets in
big crowds, no streets lined with dirty water
dog carts or street vendors selling knock-off
Coach Bags and Ray Band glasses.
What makes Staten Island great is not flash
or fame or fortune, it's not what people can
see just by looking at it. It's something you
have to live; something you have to experience. It's the little things, it's Lee's Tavern
with some of the best cracker-thin crust pizza
and fried calamari in the world, and yet its located under a train station with no sign calling
to people, only visible to those who already
know where it is. It's going to one friend's
house as his mother cooks perogies or another as they cook special meatballs with a
secret family recipe. Staten Island is playing

ball with your friends anywhere you can find a
school yard or an open field- basketball, baseball or football. It's washing your car in your
drive way while your neighbor does the same
thing. Staten Island is the image of suburbs
mixed with small towns, an ideal picture of
America. Houses of every style and era line
the streets and parks give a small country feel
when you walk through them.
On Monday Oct 29, Staten Island changed.
We no longer are content with being forgotten
and ignored, we no longer could live on our
own like almost all the 470,000 people living
in a SO-square-mile area were content with
doing. Hurricane Sandy came and turned our
small town upside-down.
We need help. The shore is completely gone,
midland beach has lost nearly every home in
the area. We have lost 21 of our neighbors,
friends and family as a result of the storm,
more than half of the deaths in all ofNew York.
FEMA and the Red Cross until this week concentrated on New Jersey and other areas that
need help, but they have close to ignored us.
Our own Mayor Michael Bloomberg has
concentrated on Manhattan and Queens and
even tried to run the NYC marathon, which
starts in Staten Island, also a place where
there are no more homes. Numb to what was
really going on until immense public pressure changed the mayor's mind. Intermediate
School 2 Egbert was used as a morgue as victims were found among the wreckage.
The baseball fields that I played on as a kid
in south beach are covered in sand that used
to be the beach. Great Kills harbor and pier,
where me and my friends fish, is now a graveyard for boats that the storm surge carried off

their docks and stands and parked them in
people's houses and yards. Restaurants like
Puglia's by the Sea and Cole's Dockside are
no longer standing and may never come back.
A big portion of the island is still without
power, warmth and shelter. We need help, the
help of our friends in all communities, man
power is most needed we need people to help
clean up and help us rebuild.
Yet in all of this destruction that I never
thought I would see there is hope. I have never
been so proud to carry Staten Island as a part
of me. The people have come together and are
working around the clock to help anyone and
everyone they possibly can. Neighbors have
taken people in; almost every school has started a food and clothing drive.
Staten Island is what America is all about,
we are coming together as a community with
love and compassion, the generosity of everyone has been more than anyone could ever ask
for. We are going to rebuild and we are going
to come back together. We need help to do it,
your help please donate or volunteer it would
mean so much to the community and it will not
be forgotten.
Buy a shirt from Wilkes Cares Hurricane
Relief event. Ten dollars goes a long way and
pays for a meal and a bed for someone. Donate
to charities that are set up locally like the Tunnel to Towers Foundation for New York and
New Jersey. Together we can rebuild America's biggest small town.

@wilkesbeacon
joseph.pugliese@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Joseph Pugliese

A boat In Staten Island parked Itself In
a nelghbofs yard after massive storm
surges from Hurricane Sandy devastated the area.

�Dark impulses in 'White Vespa'

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

Frank LlttleBear performed tradltlonal music and dance from his Cree tribe
heritage In the SUB last week as part of Native American Indian month.

LittleBear's big message
By Jennifer VIiia
Correspondent

The Native Americans from the Northern
Plains Cree tribe out of Canada and northern
Montana pride themselves in their spirituality
and respect for others. Their language does not
have a word for "lie."
On Thursday, Nov. 8, Frank LittleBear, an artist, dancer, musician and lecturer from the First
Nation Cree tribe, visited Wilkes University's
Henry Student Center to perform in conjunction
with November being Native American Indian
Month. Th~vent was sponsored by the Office
of Diversity Initiatives to promote awareness of
Native American Indian Month on campus.
"What I try to do within my program is
broaden peoples' perspectives," LittleBear said.
"I hope it gives them a better understanding that
we're not just Nakata or Cherokee. There are
so many different tribes and regions with great
diversity among who and what we are as indigenous people."
During his visit at the university, LittleBear
shared stories of his people's customs and beliefs, ancient legends, philosophies and historical lessons while dancing and playing tribal
instruments, including drums and woodwind
instruments.
"Every culture should have the opportunity to
share the best quality and aspects of who they
are," LittleBear said. "Learning about the his-

tory, and getting that out to the schools and into
the community and public is how people can pay
tribute to who these people are."
LittleBear's own passion for the art and culture of his people came out of an accident where,
as a young child, he was blinded in his right eye
by a BB gun. He was told that the incident was
a gift or a blessing and he drew inspiration from
the experience, expanding his knowledge of
indigenous tribes and devotion to his ancestral
spiritually in order to help create an educational
platform for others.
Since then, LittleBear shot documentaries
presented historical depictions of First Nation
culture and now regularly performs interactive
presentations, like the one he did at Wilkes, to
share his passion.
LittleBear explained that it is important for his
audience to take part to truly understand his people 's identity and encouraged onlookers to join
in the festivities by dancing and hooting along to
the excited calls of his people.
With a little reassurance, the nervous audience
danced to the drumbeats. They partnered up and
marched in a circle, turning about and yowling
during certain pivotal parts of the song.
"It is to the heartbeat of Mother Earth to which
the people dance," LittleBear said.
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

While working on his latest book,
"White Vespa," one specific memory stood
out in the mind of author Kevin Oderman
and helped shape one its central conflicts.
"When I was just a young person, there
was a very handsome fellow in my circle
of acquaintances who was kind of a sociopath," Oderman recalled. "I saw him trip
a little kid in a store once, so that the kid
fell face-first right into the linoleum. The
kid's mother got after the kid for causing a scene and this boy that I knew, who
tripped the kid, he was laughing about it.
He was very pleased with himself."
Oderman, who is also one of the faculty
members for Wilkes University's graduate
Creative Writing program, said that the
described incident not only stayed with
him ever since, but also spurred the creation of "White Vespa."
The book, which comes out this week
courtesy of on-campus publishing house
Etruscan Press, tells the story of several
American expatriates living on the Greek
island of Symi, among them Myles, a photographer trying to work through the trauma
of a lost child and failed marriage, and Anne,
a barmaid whose bad blood with her brother,
Paul, is coming to a boil.
It is the latter tale of sibling strife that
Oderman said has its roots in the ·memories of
the "kind of' sociopath he knew in his youth.
"I could never get that out of my head,"
Oderman said. "That kind of person, what
makes them tick? How do you deal with them
if it's somebody you know, particularly if it's
somebody in your family?"
In trying to answer those questions, the author had to tap into his own dark side.
"I had to some of what I call 'couch
work,' which is the best part of writing
where you just lie around on your back and
imagine,"Oderman said. "If you're writing,
you have to have some part of you - in this
case, I hope a very small part - that can identify with any one of your characters and find
similar impulses in yourself, even if they're
not necessarily acted-upon impulses. I had
to understand this character from the inside.
I had to identify with him, even though he is
a bad guy."
Long-held memories and deep-seated impulses aren't all Oderman drew upon while

Courtesy of Starr Troup
writing "White Vespa," though. No stranger
to the expat lifestyle, he has spent time living in Greece himself, as well as Asia and the
Middle East, among other places.
For "White Vespa," Oderman didn't set the
action in Symi simply because of its exoticism or beauty (though he opines that it has
plenty of both). More than that, he explained,
the ancient, crumbling state of Symi's Neoclassical architecture reflects the lives of the
novel's damaged protagonists.
"I'm using (Symi) for its metaphorical res- ·
onance. I guess you could say it's a little bit
like a character, but it's more that, in a way,
it externalizes what would otherwise just be
internal states in the characters," he said.
"Many, many of the buildings are in a
somewhat falling-down state. I like that feeling of transience, where we walk around and
look at buildings and it seems like they've always been that way, but of course everything
is falling down sooner or later."

�10

A&amp;E

THE BEACON

Song, dance acts reign supreme at annual MSC talent show
By Sarah Guth
Correspondent

Zobadia Azad and Kyle Henry were the
winners of this year's Multicultural Student Coalition Talent Show.
The Talent Show was held Thursday
night, Nov. 8, in the Henry Student Union
Building Ballroom. The Multicultural
Student Coalition, which sponsors the
event, participates in community service
projects, ethnic celebrations, scholarly
presentations and other activities that
help to increase intercultural understanding.
This year's talent show, hosted by
Jaleel Sterling and Cartier Scott, had 14
different acts that ranged from dancing to
singing to baton-twirling to comedy.
There were also special appearances
from the brothers from the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity of University of Pittsburgh,
who performed multiple different stepping routines.
"I was completely amazed by everyone's performance," said Samantha Volk,
a junior psychology major. "It was a great
show to watch. My friends and I had a
great time."
The judges were all faculty members

and staff: Jamie Miller, Missy Howells,
Dr. Barbara King, Phil Ruthkosky and
Mark Allen. They judged every performance and then narrowed it down to the
top five.
Third place went to Macey McGuire
and Brandon Schmeer singing "Sweet
Escape," by Gwen Stefani. After performing, McGuire, a sophomore communication studies major, said, "I love performing. I've been singing since I was 5 years
old. I have such a passion for performing.
It's my dream to go somewhere with it."
Second place went to Jaqueline Harrison, Alyssa Daniels, Joyce Eshun and
Martinique Watson who performed a hiphop dance routine.
But first place and $300 prize went to
Zobaida Azad and Kyle Henry who performed a hip-hop and traditional Indianstyle dance.
"I am so excited that my partner and I
won," Azad, a sophomore communication studies major, said. "We have been
practicing for almost a month. It was well
worth it."
@wifkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

�Opposite page, clockwise
from top: First place winners Zobaida Azad and Kyle
Henry performed hip-hop and
Indian-inspired dance, Ashton
Zanecki sang Rihanna's "California King Bed," Brian Palmiter and Katie Cirone played
Sixpence None the Rlcher's
"Kiss Me" with accompaniment from Ryan Wood, Adam
Bailey played guitar and sang
Adele's "Rolling in the Deep"
This page, clockwise from top
left: Victoria Yeselegive-Rudovitz twirled batons, Marissa
Spryn sang Carrie Underwood's "Last Name," Rachel
Gill performed an Irish step
dance, Martina Barna played
piano and sang Christina
Perri's "Jar of Hearts, second
place winnersMacey McGuire
sang Gwen Stefanl's "Sweet
Escape" while Brandon Schmeer played guitar
Photos by: The Beacon/Austin Loukas

�A&amp;E

12

By BIii Thomas
A&amp;E Editor
The following are excerpts from the jd\n"nal of
Wilkes University student Bill Thomas, written
prior to hls interment in Willows County Mental
Hospital. Perhaps they will provide some clue as
to the origin ofhis descent into near-catatonic depression and dissociative schizophrenia:
(Fri., Nov. 9 - 9 p.m.) Everyone's been telling me how bad an idea it is to do an all-night,
non-stop movie marathon of all the "Twilight"
films, especially considering I've never seen any
of them before, but it's too late now. The final
movie in the :franchise, "Breaking Dawn Part 2,"
comes out this week. With that in mind, I figured
I'd open my mind a little and give these flicks a
shot. How bad could they be?
(9:02 p.m.) I spoke too soon. Just minutes in,
I feel a weight in the pit of my stomach. I don't
think i:S:: the pizza and wings I'm eating, either.
(9:08 p.m.) I feel a brief surge of excitement
when the adorable Anna Kendrick, who impressed so much in "50/50," appeared. The thrill
subsides when I realize her role is so insignificant as to barely warrant more than five minutes
of screen-time. This movie is mocking me.
( 10: 16 p.m.) Edward just admitted to breaking
into Bella's bedroom on a regular basis to watch
her sleep without her knowledge or permission.
Is that supposed to be romantic?
(11:42 p.m.) Maybe these movies aren't so
bad after all. I'm watching the first sequel, ''New
Moon," now and the directing is already better.
Bella's still ignorant, irritating and self-involved
- I have no idea why everybody in these movies
loves her so much - but Jacob is emerging as the
first truly likeable, multidimensional character in

the whole series. On top of that, Edward has run
off to who-knows-where, so that's a relief. Bella
took it pretty hard, but maybe with her supernatural stalker gone she'll be able to grow up a little.
My spirits are lifting.
(11 :56 p.m.) Oh yeah, I almost forgot this Jacob guy is a werewolf. What are the chances that
Bella would just happen to move to the one small
town in America that not only has both vampires
and werewolves coming out of the woodwork,
but vampires and werewolves that specifically
are madly, inexplicably in love with her?
(Sat., Nov. 10 - 12:14 a.m.) "You've killed
people," Bella says to Jacob, explaining why
she can't be with him. Meanwhile, back in the
first movie, Edward said "I've killed people," to
which Bella responded "It doesn't matter." What
a fickle bitch!
I've officially traded in my Proof of Manhood
certificate for a Team Jacob membership card.
(1:34 a.m.) Watching the third movie,
''Eclipse," now. Edward and Bella are not only
back together, but talking about marriage. It's
a lot of melodramatic ''My life is meaningless
without you" and "I would do anything for you"
nonsense. It's the very definition of romance to
the immature mind, but just a psychotic, obsessive, unhealthy relationship to everyone else.
(2:44 a.m.) The big, scary villainess the series
has been building up for the past three movies
just got defeated in about 12 seconds.
Her head fell off.
(4:05 a.m.) ''Nice hat, Daggett." Watching
"Breaking Dawn Part 1," that's the best insult
my delirious mind manages to conjure up. I've
been cracking jokes and throwing insults at the
screen all night, but there's no character named
''Daggett" whatsoever. I have no idea why I said
that. I'm very tired and the lack of intellectual
stimulation is causing my brain to devour itself
(4:59 a.m.) Everyone loves Bella. Everyone
wants to protect Bella. All the bad guys want to
kill Bella. Bella is irresistible. Bella is special. No
one's superpowers work on Bella. Now, Bella is
proving herself a true miracle as the unwaveringly resilient mother of a seemingly unprecedented
human/vampire hybrid child.
I hate Bella.
(5:35 a.m.) Ding-dong, the witch is dead! If
nothing else, I give the "Twilight" series credit
for having the balls to kill off its main character, an uncharacteristically daring and admirable
twist.
(5:44 a.m.) Bella's alive?!? Just a second ago,
she was dead as a third party politician's presidential ambitions. I was so happy. I was more
than happy, I was free. Free. What a cop-out.
This isn't the way the world is supposed to
work. This isn't the kind of fiction that is supposed to garner legions of fans, especially impressionable preteen girls. I don't know what to
believe anymore. I don't know who I am anymore. Nothing makes sense.

@wilkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

THE BEACON-

I Nov. 13: '2012

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�• Contagt editor: anne.yoskos~i~wilkes.edu

Military friendly Wilkes celebrates Veterans Day
By Anne Yoskoskl
Life Editor
As America celebrates Veterans Day, Wilkes is hosting a fundraiser event honoring
veterans that are a part of the Wilkes community.
Mark Kaster, professor of environmental
sciences and retired lieutenant colonel of the
United States Air Force has helped Veterans
Club President Alex Magee and club Secretary Cassandra Mignot plan the fundraiser in
honor of those who have served the United
States.
Magee, junior pre-pharmacy major, sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and
president of the Veterans Council, described
the Veterans Club as "a club for military and
government service veterans and those who
support them. We provide various services,
networking and camaraderie to Wilkes University applicants, as well as those currently
enrolled at Wilkes."
Nothing would be possible, however,

without a mentor. "Thanks to our club mentor, Mark Kaster, and our members, we have
a great working knowledge of how to best resolve many of the issues that plague veterans,"
Magee said.
The goal of the fundraiser is for students
to donate one dollar or more and to place the
name of a family member or friend who served
or is currently serving the military on a yellow
ribbon. The yellow ribbon will be attached to a
flag which will be placed on the greenway on
Nov. 12 to show thanks and honor the veterans
that have touched the lives of our students and
faculty.
All donations will go toward creating and
sending care packages to troops who have recently been deployed overseas.
Wilkes has been named a military friendly
school for several years, and Magee would
agree with the nomination.
"Wilkes University has shown their support
ofus by continuing to participate in the Yellow
Ribbon Program, as well as getting several of
the FYF classes directly involved with veter-

ans. Many ofus have been in areas that are not friendly towards
military members, so being a
veteran who is part of the Wilkes community has been a very
refreshing experience."
Wilkes has been surprisingly
welcoming to veterans, in Magee's opinion.
"I've been surprised on multiple occasions at the level of support that the students here show
towards our veterans."
To support Wilkes' veterans
and veterans all over the country, donations can be made to
woundedwarriorproject.com or
yellowribbonproject.com. Donations of goods can be dropped
off at the local VA hospital in
Wilkes-Barre.

•
ll'f)IJNI) l~I) ll'1l lllllf) ll
11llf).Jl~fj'I'
Courtesy of Stock Exchange

@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

You don't have to be 'hardcore adventurous' to have fun
By Alyssa Stencavage
Assistant Life Editor
For someone who has been a ropes course
facilitator for 13 years now, Adventure Education Coordinator Jill Price said she loves her
new job.
"I love it," Price said. "Wilkes is a great
place. The people are friendly and open, and
the students are really fun."
Price said a lot of people have been asking
her how she likes Wilkes University and her
new job here, and she tells them it is a great
fit for her.
"I've been in adventure education for a
while in other states so to finally do it here in
the area where I grew up is really meaningful," Price said.
Now, for those who love a good adventure
or just simply being outdoors, the newest edition to the list of adventurous activities, there
will be a five-part hiking series in the Spring,
and Price said finding students who like to
hike who will lead the series is a current goal
of hers.
The hike will begin easy, but like anything
else, will gradually get more challenging.
There will be some simple hikes to start that

will carry through for a while, and the last one
will be a culmination of what was learned on
the simple hikes and will also be a bit more
challenging.
"Hopefully people will enjoy something
about it- connecting with nature, just enjoying
the outdoors or getting some exercise outside
of the gym," Price said.
Price said she is trying to find people who
enjoy being outdoors to start to connect them.
"I'm trying to find students who love adventures and outdoors and then picking their
brains to see what we can do for the spring,"
Price said.
As for the activities that aren't so new, Skirmish Paintball is coming up on Nov. 17.
The climbing walls have been opened up for
those who enjoy climbing, and the weekly bike
rides still continue as well.
If you'd rather just go to the gym to play
some basketball, run some laps or play a game
with friends, open gym is on Mondays from
7-9 p.m., as has been the case for a while.
Those who work with Price and have gotten
to know her think very highly of her and the
work she's been doing.
"She is very, very ambitious and loves meeting new people," Student Development Activities Assistant Jamie Miller said. "She is full of

new ideas, and is extremely creative and goal opportunities that are easily accessible," Price
driven - so whether you just want to rock climb said. "So why not make Wilkes the most fun,
for fun or you want to bring your class, club, or adventurous University you could go to?"
organization in for a leadership development
Price also said if you want to see results
ropes course, she will work with you to find, from any activity that you engage in, you have
or design, a program that's right for you. She is to be willing to give it your all.
really nice, and loves meeting new students, so
"What you put in is what you get out," Price
pop in and say hello when you get a chance."
said. "You could play a thousand garpes un"Jill is a great addition
der the sun, but if you
to our staff; she has ter- , ,
don't put the energy
rific energy and the perWilkes is a great place ... into it, it's just a game
feet attitude for working
d h
d
versus an experience."
in student development an t e stu ents are rea Y
Finally, Price thinks
"learn by doing!" Sharon fun "
change is important,
Castano, student develop.•
.
.
and that if a person
ment coordinator said.
- Jill Pnce, Adventures Coordinator wants to see something
Our new adventure
done, that person has
education coordinator made it very clear that to start by taking action first.
you don't have to be "outdoorsy" or "hard"If you start to make a change, you'll nocore adventurous" to be a facilitator of a ropes tice everyone and everything around starts to
course group; you just have to enjoy "purpose- change and get better too," Price said.
ful play."
This is why she tries to promote growth and
"The job of a facilitator is to guide the group activity in everything she does.
from beginning to end and share in group dyPrice has offered some important advice and
namics," Price said.
insight into the world of adventure, so let's all
Furthermore, she sees the opportunities we think about what we can do for ourselves and
have open to us to enjoy the outdoors and con- for the university we belong to.
nect with ~ature.
@wilkesbeacon
"We're m an area that has a ton of outdoor
I
•tk d

II

a yssa.stencavage@w1 es.e u

�14

I L!IFE

THE BEACON

I Nov. 13, 2012

The man, the myth, the laugh: the life of Matt Gaines
By Jake Cochran
Staff Writer

Some people can move around without being detected or barely being noticed. These
people can travel across a crowded room and
a busy path without doing as much as picking their head up from their phone, iPod or
whatever distracting devic_f that's currently
at their disposal.
Communications Studies Professor Dr.
Loran Lewis said that he always knows
when, Communications Studies Senior Matt
Gaines is on the greenway for a simple undeniable reason, his laugh. Lewis said that he

''

All it takes is a smile and
kind words to make anyone,s day a little brighter.
And everyone has something to say at some point
or another so ru provide
them with the ears to
listen."
- Matt Gaines
Communication Studies Major

can hear his laugh from his third floor office
of Capin Hall as clear as a bell.
Gaines is clearly not one of these previously mentioned invisible people. When Gaines
takes to the greenway, it is more easily likened to a promotional club appearance than a
walk to class, filled with laughter and greetings from all sides.
One of the reason's Gaines seems to be
such a man of the people would be his constant positive outlook on life and his ability
to see the bigger picture to keep that perspective.
"Bad stuff is always going to happen, but
much worse stuff is happening all over the
world, just because you are a college student
and you are a little flustered, overwhelmed
because of a workload that doesn't really
mean anything," said the senior communications major.
Gaines went on to count his blessings and
talk about how he sees his situation as extremely positive no matter whether or not the
school work is piling up or he just a bad day,
"There are people around the world that don 't
even have shoes on their feet, or food in their
stomachs, people who are dying at young
ages, so you have to think about how good
you have it."
Keeping on the point of how good he has
it and just to reiterate how he has kept his
perspective, Gaines spoke about how he just

wants to see the world as it is, "And I really
do have it good: What it all comes down to is
seeing the world for what it is and then looking in the mirror and appreciating what you
have."
Gaines also noted the simple things. Not
to sound too poetic, he emphasized the importance of a smile and how little common
courtesies have helped him build up a great
amount of friends at the university and just
throughout life in general.
"All it takes is a smile and kind words to
make anyone's day a little brighter. And everyone has something to say at some point or
another so I'll provide them with the ears to
listen," Gaines said.
With this simple idea, Gaines attributed
that as the way he essentially knew everyone
he came in contact with. The positivity that
Gaines was emulating throughout the interview was astounding.
So to try to get a sense of how Gaines was
like when he was in his natural environment
his longtime roommate and friend Justin Franiak commented about what he is like when
at home. "There is always laughter, there's
always music playing, and he NEVER leaves
the couch."

@wilkesbeacon
jake.cochran@wilkesedu

�15

. I ~IFE

THE BEACON

I Nov. 13, 2012

Getting lucky at Casino Night: Students have fun, win prizes

The Beacon/Laura Preby

Students participated in Casino N~ht
by playing classic casino games such
as blackjack, poker and roulette. Several prizes included Vera Bradley bags,
a Tiffany and Co. necklace and an
XBox. Some of the bigger prizes were
a 32-inch and a 42-i nch flatscreen TV,
a Macbook Pro and an iPad. Some
other events occuring during Casino
Week were Texas Hold'em night on
Monday and bingo on Wednesday.

Council of clubs meets, reviews Beat diabetes through testing
past year, plans future events
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer
Once again, the Student Government held
its usual Council of Clubs on Election Night,
Nov. 6, during club hours.
Council of Clubs is a chance for club presidents to come meet with Student Government
and discuss issues, events, or announcements
that the club may have to share with the SG
board. It also gives SG a chance to relay any
news to the clubs.
"It is an opportunity for us through Student Development and Student Government
to make announcements to all the clubs,"
Jamie Miller, Activities Assistant, said "It is
an opportunity for club presidents to make announcements to all the other clubs."
Council of Clubs is usually held four times
a year. One is held at the beginning and end of
each semester.
Student Government President Kris Rivers said that about 30 clubs showed up to the
meeting on Tuesday.
"Ideally we would like to have all clubs
there, both that get SG funding and those that
are SG budgeted," Rivers said. "We would
like everyone there so that way everyone has a
chance to hear about each other and a chance
to interact with each other."
During the meeting topics discussed were
the new GiveGab program, an introduction of

Jill Price, the new Adventure Education Coordinator, the new van policy, and also events
and community service opportunities for clubs.
Also discussed in the meeting was how
clubs can effectively report to Student Government and to have clear communication with
the SG board.
Each semester, clubs are supposed to give a
report to SG. However, there was not much of
a clear idea of what each party wanted.
"For a long time that has been open ended,
and give an idea of what there club has been
doing throughout the semester," Miller said.
"We are going to make it a little bit more structured so the clubs have a real idea of what the
Student Government is looking for."
@shawncareyB
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

November is national Diabetes Awareness Month. St udents participated in
diabetes testing thanks to the pharmacy and nursing students who tested
students in the Henry student center. Diabetes is a disease t hat kills many
but early testing and diabetes prevention steps, such as changing diet and
exercise rout ines, can set treatment plans in motion early.

�Contact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Nov. 13, 2012

Getting to know ...

D.J.
Shuttleworth
Junior football player
BY EVAN WILLEY
Staff Writer

Courtesy of Mollie Reichard

Members of the women's field hockey team will be taking a volunteer trip to Hillside Farms in
Shavertown. The athletes wm participate In the Christmas Tea and Tour event.

Field hockey team leaves turf
and _h its the farm to help out
Athletes will volunteer on Nov. 17 and 18 for the
Christmas Tea and Tour event at Hillside Farms
By Frank Passalacqua
Sports Editor

The Lady Colonels field hockey
team leaves the turf and hits the cottage as they will volunteer at Hillside Farms for the annual Christmas
Tea and Tour event on Nov. 17 and
18.
Starting at 1 p.m., The Lands at
Hillside Farms will be celebrating a
weekend full of events. Enjoy traditional decorations, live music, and
special holiday desserts and beverages while the Wilkes University
field hockey team helps put on this
special event.
Not only does Hillside Farms
benefit from the volunteer work, but
the team grows from the opportunity as well.

Junior Ashley Hahn acknowledges the extra time together in the offseason as a time to build chemistry.
"We like doing community service because it brings us closer as a
team off the field and we get to help
others at the same time," Hahn said.
"We are excited to help out Hillside
Farms with the Christmas Tea and
Tour Event."
Head Coach Mollie Reichard said
the team has helped out in the past
and was thankful for the chance to
return.
"We spent three hours on the farm
painting fences, walking the goats
and touring the area on Aug. 25,"
Reichard said. "The girls on the team
really enjoyed it."
Hillside Farms is no stranger to
having people help around the cottage. Along with Wilkes, Kings Col-

lege, Misericordia, and other local
students from the area have volunteered numerous times in the past to
make the lands a better place.
"It's wonderful," said Guy Kroll,
special events manager. "Volunteers
are what makes Hillside Farms run.
When groups of students, like the
field hockey team, come out to help,
they make it all work."
The Christmas Tea and Tour event
at Hillside Farms will start at 1 p.m.
and end at 4 p.m. Tickets are $15
and can be purchased at their Dairy
Store.

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Even though Wilkes'
football season is coming to an end, D.J. Shuttleworth 's dedication to
his team and friends will
never be forgotten. He
went to Schuylkill Valley
High School in Reading,
Pa., where he excelled
not only in football but in
basketball and volleyball.
D.J. is a junior accounting major who is not only
praised for his athletic
ability but how he holds
his head high with a great
attitude on the .field and in
the classroom. D.J. says
he wouldn't be the man he
is today without his family, but then Wilkes' football wouldn't be who they
are without their Colonel,
D.J.
When you play football how does
it make you feel? I love the game
of football, but when I'm playing it
doesn't seem like it because I play
like I'm mad.
What position do you play and
what are your responsibilities at
this position? I play outside linebacker. As a linebacker you have a
lot of responsibilities, but my first
responsibility is to stop the other
team from running the ball.

Shuttleworth
What is your major and what are
you looking to do with it? I'm an
accounting major, and right now
I'm not sure what I am going to do
with it, but I've been most interested in forensic accounting.
What do you love most about
Wilkes University? I love my
teammates and the people that go
to Wilkes. I also enjoyed the greenway, before the new building was
put there.
When playing football, what is
your most memorable moment?
I have two memorable moments.
First, I was a sophomore and had a
breakout game against a great team
and made the front page of the paper. Second, when my best friend
Dylan Mohring broke his elbow my
senior year of high school, I wore
his number the next game because
his season was over. I told him
when I score it was for him and on
my first carry I scored.

See Shuttleworth, Page 17

�17

Shuttleworth
Continued from Page 16
What motivates you to keep playing and do
well in school? My family really motivates
me because, without them, :ftwould not be any
where I am right now. Also, Coach Sheptock
motivates me to become the best man, student,
and football player I can be.

THE BEACON I Nov. 13, 2012

SPORTS
realize how good it was for me to have a great est strength, I've been told, is my personality.
man like him in my life. My mom is the most People usually come to me for advice and like
amazing person in the world. She has always to hangout with me because I can make them
been there for me and I don't know what I laugh and always have a good time.
would do without her. I would be lost.
Do you have any special rituals you do beIf you could choose one word to describe fore every game, if so what? I say a prayer in
yourself what would it be and why? One the locker room holding my chain with a cross
word to describe me would be "hardworking." on it and a dog tag saying "I will always be my
No matter where I am at with any aspect of life, brother's keeper."
I'm always trying to improve myself.
Would you rather be liked or feared? On the
Before a big game what do you eat to get field, feared. Life, liked.
yourself ready? Before every game, I actually
barely eat. I usually get really nervous, but I Where do you see yourself in five years? In
usually get a bagel and right before the game I five years, I honestly don't know. I'm more of a
will have half of it.
"go with the flow" kind of guy.

Who do you idolize most in footballmfe? I
actually idolize my younger brother in football, Edward. He is only 16 and a sophomore
in high school, but the dedication he has and
the way he plays is just incredible. In life, I
idolize both my parents. My dad has always
been really strict with me, but being older I What is your greatest strength? My great- Do you have any lucky charms? I feel like my

family is my lucky charm. They never miss a
game unless my brother and I have a game on
the same day, then one comes to mine and the
other goes to my brother's.
What are your other bobbies when you're
not playing football? When I'm not playing
football, I'm usually working out, playing
basketball or volleyball. During summer I'm
always outside, have to love the outdoors.
What is your biggest goal in life? My biggest goal in life is that at the end when my
wife, kids, all my other family members,
friends, and people that just know me, come
and can say, he was the best man I ever knew.
@wilkesbeacon
evan.wi//ey@wilkes.edu

••

!PORT! JUNICII!!
Want to be more involved in Wilbes University athletics?
Want to earn credits while writing about Wilbes sports?

The Beacon needs sports writers
Writing for The Beacon
allows you to indulge
your passion for
sports, while you also
• earn credits
• improve your
writing skills
• move into editing
positions that pay
tuition stipends
Contact The Beacon for more information about the
opportunities: 570-408-5903

�THE BEACON

SPORTS

w

Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

I Nov. 13, 2012

EACON

The Wilkes Beacon provides access to:
• . 2,600 full-time students

• Wilkes brings visitors, parents,

• 2,600 part-time students

alumni and guests to campus

• 157 full-time faculty

throughout the year.

• 308 part-time faculty

• Many departments host end-of-

• 375 full- and part-time staff

year banquets, buy supplies and

• 6,000-plus potential customers

make many other local purchases.

Email: wilkesbeacon.ads@gmail.com
Phone: 570-408-5903

*Ask about prices.

�THE BEACON

I Nov. 13, 2012

19

SPORTS

BUSINESS PLAN - ~2"''

+

Would you like to gain experience
running a business?
Become advertising manager or an ad rep for The Beacon. You'll
have an opportunity to:
• develop and implement a business plan
• work with local businesses
• manage and train co-workers

• earn revenue for your organization
• earn a stipend toward your tuition
• develop a portfolio for your career

•

�SPORTS

THE BEACON

I Nov. 13, 2012

The WIikes football team
captured the Mayor's Cup
for the third year In a row
with a 44-32 win over
King's College. The 17th
annual Mayor's Cup game
served as a Mlddle At lantic
Conference victory against
next-door rival, King's. The
game took place on Saturday, Nov. 10, which was
also Senior Day for football
athletes. It was held at
Wilkes' very own Schmidt
Stadium. Both teams set
a new record with the
cumulative points scored
on both sides reaching 76,
which is the most points
scored for any Mayor's Cup
game. The game closed out
the team's season with I
5-5 overall standing and
4-5 in MAC play.

The Beacon/Bryan Calabro

Cross countrv team competes at NCAA Regional

Photos By: The Beacon/Austin Loukas

The men's and women's cross count ry t eams finished their seasons by competing at Dickinson College for NCAA Regionals on Saturday, Nov. 10. The women
placed 46th out of 49 teams and the men finished 37th out of 49. Left, Rachel
Constant finished with a Gk time of 28:51. Right, Jordan Siddons came In first
for the WIikes men with a time of 29:12 in the 8k.

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&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Missing Issues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1947 August 8th&lt;br /&gt;1947 September 5th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 3rd&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 17th&lt;br /&gt;1947 October 31st&lt;br /&gt;1947 November 21st&lt;br /&gt;1947 December 19th&lt;br /&gt;1948 September 9th&lt;br /&gt;1950 April 28th&lt;br /&gt;1953 April 10th&lt;br /&gt;1962 February 2nd&lt;/p&gt;</text>
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                    <text>Est. 1936
Pa. Newspaper
Association Member

Nov. 20, 2012

THE BEACON

‘A Grand Ball’

The news of today reported by the journalists of tomorrow.

Wilkes music ensembles prepare for
upcoming December concerts,
Page 9

Mulligan’s safety issues
Shooting at bar before
senior pub crawl, Page 3

A day of mourning

America’s Thanksgiving
isn’t authentic, Page 6

Kinney says farewell

Com professor bids adieu
after 39 years, Page 15

Billiards gets status

Pool group is now an
official SG club, Page 16

Volume 65 Issue 10

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

For more information and content, check us out at: thewilkesbeacon.com

�WHERE’S THE MONEY?
Page 4
Nov. 20, 2012

Contact editor: christine.lee@wilkes.edu

Many printer issues resolved; Jams, refilling problems remain

Library dean’s new position targets helping out with various technological frustrations

By Kirstin Cook
Editor-in-Chief

With ﬁnal paper deadlines approaching,
it’s more of a priority than ever for students
to have access to printers on campus. This is
why Farley Library Dean John Stachacz is
trying to ﬁnd ways to make printing better and
easier for students.
“Because it’s important, if you have to turn
a paper in you’ve got to have a printer that
works,” Stachacz said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Stachacz helped facilitate the replacement
of outdated printers in the library to try to
solve problems that had been occurring during printing. However, there is an existing
need for continued maintenance and updates,
which Stachacz hopes to assist in his new
position as dean of Information Technology
Services.
Stachacz said there were some issues with
the older printers from the beginning of the semester. Mostly, these stemmed from software
problems rather than hardware problems.
“They were out of date, even though they’re
not that old,” Stachacz said. “The technology
changes so quickly.”
The old software was not adapted to upgrades in things like the online classroom system Desire2Learn and a new style of PDFs.
“So what would happen is the machine
would blink, trying to ﬁgure out how to do
it, and while that was occurring other students were getting into the cue with trying to
get prints done, and the machine would just
go nuts,” Stachacz said. “It was just overwhelmed.”
Another problem was the absence of a color
printer. The Xerox machine was set up to process color prints, but Stachacz said that wasn’t
a solution.
He felt these were vital problems to address
because he said those machines are among the
most popular on campus.
“These are the workhorses of campus,”
Stachacz said. “Students probably use those
six printers probably more than any of them
around campus. From almost 7:30 in the
morning to midnight those printers are going
almost constantly.”
To resolve the issue, the four black and
white printers on the main ﬂoor of the library

were replaced
with two newer black and
white printers and one
color printer.
Stachacz said
the new machines
are
faster
and
have higher
capacity.
“We haven’t
seen any of
the problems
Stachacz
that we’ve had
before,” he said.
Even though there are fewer black and white
printers to work with, Stachacz said the quality
outweighs quantity.
“It’s better to have two working printers than
to have four nonworking printers, which is
where we were at some points,” Stachacz said.
Gloria Barlow, chief information ofﬁcer of
ITS, said the decision to replace printers depends on the individual wear and tear rather
than a speciﬁc age.
She said they are generally replaced when
it becomes more costly to repair them than buy
a new one.
Though, she said minor problems like jams
come with the territory, even for the new
equipment.
“I think it’s important for students to understand, ﬁrst off, printers are mechanical,” Barlow said. “They jam. They break.”
Barlow said the main concerns she has heard
from students are on jams and running out of
paper.
She said these can be frustrating for students
to deal with, especially when they’re printing
assignments a few minutes before class.
“I do know that it gets frustrating for students and it’s difﬁcult to support sometimes
when people are angry or frustrated. If the
printer jams, rather than try to clear it they just
leave it for the next student.”
This frustration is what she thinks led to
vandalizing one of the printers in Stark Learning Center earlier this semester. The machine
had to be replaced.
“It was completely smashed and broken,”

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Senior Marissa Kwiatkowski picks up paper printed from one of the two new
printers on the ﬁrst ﬂoor of the library.
Barlow said.
If students run into problems, Barlow encourages them to call the help desk at 4082FIX to report things like jams.
Since all the printers are connected by a network, students can also send their print jobs to

PHONE: (570) 408-5903

WEBSITE: thewilkesbeacon.com

@kirstinjeancook
kirstin.cook@wilkes.edu

Corrections:
In the Oct. 30 issue story “Effects of shale gas topic of upcoming presentation,” one source should have been quoted as “If there are any negative
implications from shale gas, it not only affects the state but the community as
well.” Another source should have been quoted as “Shale gas is decreasing in
cost, making it a more attractive fuel for many customers.”
Also, in the Nov. 6 issue, the proper title of Jeanne Pearlman is library patron. The Beacon staff apologizes for these errors.

THE BEACON Editorial Staff 2012-13
130 S. River St.
First Floor, Conyngham Hall
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

another location to pick up by selecting “ﬁnd
printer” in the print screen.

Editor-in-Chief: Kirstin Cook
Managing Editor: Bryan Calabro
Ad Manager: Brittany Battista
Photo Editor: Laura Preby
Adviser: Loran Lewis

News Editor: Christine Lee
Opinion Editor: Carly Yamrus
A&amp;E Editor: Bill Thomas
Life Editor: Anne Yoskoski
Sports Editor: Frank Passalacqua

Meet the Staff

Anne Yoskoski
Life Editor

�THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

3

NEWS

Senior pub crawl not in danger despite bar shooting

By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor

A recent shooting at a downtown establishment leads to concern for seniors participating
in an organized event.
According to police reports, officers Conmy
and Ference responded to the disturbances
coming from the rear of Mulligan's Irish Pub
at 41 S. Main St. around 1:58 a.m. on Nov. 9.
Ference called for back up due to a shooting
inside the bar with at least one known victim at
the time. When the arrived they would find that
there were actually two victims at the scene of
the crime.
Anthony Rossi, a security employee of Mulligan’s, suffered a gunshot wound to his right
upper thigh and was taken from the scene by
Wilkes-Barre paramedics to a local hospital.
Joseph Rutkoski, also a security employee
with Mulligan’s suffered abrasions to his groin
area, possibly from a bullet.
Police were directed to a nearby gold Chevrolet Impala, where two black males were
found. One of the men was pointed out by
many witnesses, including Shawn Butterfield,
a Mulligan’s bouncer, as being involved in the
shooting.
Conmy ordered both of the men out of the
vehicle by gunpoint. They were put into handcuffs and detained by both Conmy and Ference. Arrest reports say police got a search
warrant for the vehicle and located a 9mm pistol inside of it.
The original 911 complaints identified the

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Police responded to noise in the rear of Mulligan’s Irish Pub around 1:58 a.m.
on Nov. 9. Stefen Smith and brother Cleve would later be taken into custody for
a shooting inside the pub. Smith is being held in jail on $750,000 cash bail. The
case is still under investigation.
shooter as a black male wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt with yellow letters on the front.
Stefen Smith was wearing a black-hooded
sweatshirt with the letters “PITT’ in yellow on
the front.
Both Stefen and brother Cleve, of Scott
Street, Wilkes-Barre, were identified as being
involved in the shooting by several eyewit-

nesses.
When Stefen, 21, was questioned, he told
investigators that a fight had broken out and he
was being assaulted by a group of men inside
of Mulligan’s when he fired his gun to “make
space,” arrest papers say.
Senior class vice president, John Sweeney,
had organized a “Pub Crawl” as an event for

the senior class to participate in Saturday evening, the day following the incident. They
chose to continue with the pub as a stop for
the event.
“The decision to leave Mulligan’s on the senior event was after careful assessment of the
safety of students participating,” Sweeney said.
“Based on news stories, the shooting appeared
to be an isolated event and all involved were
taken into custody. However, the main reason
we felt it was acceptable to leave Mulligan’s
on the tour was because of a conversation I had
with manager. He assured me that there would
be four extra security guards at the door alone
and anyone who appeared suspicious would be
turned away.”
While attempts were made to contact the
manager, no responses were given.
Sweeney would later add that in his conversation with the manager, he stated that Mulligan’s was taking the issue seriously and were
hoping to avoid any negative reputations.
Sweeney also said that students were told
about the safety precautions being put into
place but were not pressured to make that stop
and most, in fact, chose to skip that stop.
According to police reports, Stefen was
charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person remains in jail on a $750,000 cash bail.

@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

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THE BEACON | Nov. 20 2012

NEWS

Money from activities, flex dollars spent well after semester ends
By Christine Lee
News Editor

Each day, more than a hundred students
print from campus computers and swipe their
cards at campus dining outlets. Each year,
clubs and organizations spend money on various activities.
But has anyone ever considered what happens to this money when students are ﬁnished
with classes at the end of the fall or spring semester?
Chief Information Technology Ofﬁcer Gloria Barlow said the money on the green print
management software seen when students log
onto campus-owned computers is not producing any revenue.
"The money that you get at the beginning of
each semester, there is no fee for that 'money'
that's basically free. It's just the way the software manages it," Barlow said. "But the way
the software displays it, is it shows it as a dollar amount, so at the beginning of each semester you'll see it saying $55, which gives you
550 pages at no cost."
Barlow said the software doesn't charge to
any account. She added that most semesters 6
to 7 percent of all students print beyond those
550 pages. If a student prints beyond that
amount, they are charged 10 cents per page,
which is charged and paid the same way as any
other campus bill.
"Basically every student is getting (550)
pages a year for free and if you duplex that's
2,200 pages a semester, that's a lot of printing,"
Barlow said.
Barlow said, during the 2011-12 academic
year, $585 was paid by students who exceeded
the 550-page printing allocation. This money
goes to replenish the paper supply budget for
printing.
Barlow explains everyone is reset at zero at
the beginning of every semester for everyone
to start with a fresh each semester.
"The reason it's done is this way everyone
starts with a fresh balance," Barlow said.
Barlow said the way the software is established, it needs to be on what is known as a
global setting to make things equal for all students across the board.
Barlow said the goal of this software is to
make students more aware of what they are
printing each semester.
"The goal is to make people more conscious, to be greener, to be more aware of our
resources," Barlow said. "My goal has always
been to provide as much service to students
as possible and it certainly causes me dismay
when I'll walk around and see stacks of paper
in the garbage because that's not a service to
(students)."
Barlow said when papers are thrown out, it
means there are fewer resources available for
students to use.
Procurement director Justin Kraynack explains student ﬂex dollars will roll over from
one semester to the next but not between academic years, which ends May 31.
"If you buy dining or ﬂex dollars in June,
they will roll over every semester, so they'll
go from summer to fall, fall to spring. We do
not carry them beyond the spring semester, it's
basically a ‘use or lose it’ program," Kraynack

The Beacon/Laura Preby
Students use their “use it or lose it” ﬂex dollars at Rifkin Cafe. Money on students accounts seems to disappear, but it is used to make improvements around
campus. Money for student clubs never runs out as clubs use it as they see ﬁt.
said.
Kraynack said if a student purchases ﬂex
dollars at any time during the year, it will roll
over. The program stops May 31, which is the
end of the ﬁscal year. The next day starts a new
year for the program. He explains that money
not used after May 31 goes back into the dining program to get re-invested.
"All the money that students put in, anything
that would be unspent, by May it's usually a
really nominal amount that stays in the program. We add it to make enhancements on the
program, usually for the next year, because we
don't use them before May for that," Kraynack
said.
Kraynack said the money not used by students on their ﬂex dollars is generally spent
on things such as making improvements to
the dining program and paying for different
needs, like replacing equipment. He explains
this helps procurement budget the amount of
money that is in the particular fund.
"It helps us to budget the amount of money
that's in that particular fund," Kraynack said.
"We have to be able to monitor that somehow
and by having a ﬁscal year that just helps to do
the checks and balances."
Kraynack explains the amount of money left
over on student ﬂex dollars is generally not a
huge amount, as dining services and the university does a lot of marketing toward the end
of the year to remind students to use up the
money on their dining and ﬂex dollars.
"What you'll see is food services put on
different programs like selling gift cards, the
bookstore does a big push and, now that we
have expanded the ﬂex program those vendors,
everyone is trying to get a piece of those dollars," Kraynack said.
Assistant Controller Jessica Swingle explains that money in student clubs and organizations rolls over from semester to semester
and from year to year. She said student activity
fees is under the control of Student Government and never comes back into the general
operating budget.
She said the student activity fee is assessed
to students only, so it doesn't go back to the
general operating budget.

purpose of student activities solely so we don't
retain that money for any other purpose, we
don't blend it in with general operations or anything like that because that's really the intent of
it is that it's for student funds so we leave that
with the Student Government," Swingle said.
Swingle said it is up to student government
to use the money paid from student activity
fee.
Student Government President Kris Rivers
explains that the money in the individual accounts of clubs and organizations doesn't run
out because SG wants clubs to have continuous
growth. Each is given $300 for general funds.
"The money that they don't use at the end of

the year stays in their account and rolls over
for the following year for the clubs to utilize in
future events and things like that," Rivers said.
"This allows clubs to have continued growth.
We don't want to restrict them by taking the
money that they don't use. We want them to
be able to build up their funding from year to
year so that way, in future years, they can do
more things and have a much larger resource
to pull from."
Rivers explains the money that is not used
for allocations and events within Student Government goes into an SG capital projects fund
to help with such projects as the Student Union
Building and Farley Library lower level renovation. He said it gives SG the ability to use
money to improve the campus for students.
"It gives Student Government the ﬂexibility
during the year to know that there is money
available. We don't use it for our operations,
but what it does is throughout the years, the
things that (SG) sees that the university needs
to improve for the students, we have a source
of money to make those things possible," Rivers said.
This allows SG to have money for conferences and events that clubs want to host.
"We don't have to use the operating budget
and take away from allocating clubs that want
to go to conferences or clubs that want to host
events, we have that money for that, and we
also have this money that slowly accumulates
over time, what's left over from year to year,
for those projects that we see when they come
around," Rivers said.

@Cleespot
christine.lee@wilkes.edu

Wilkes University Television
Program Guide

Channel 97: Service Electric Cable
Monday November 19, 2012
6:00pm	
Honk
7:30pm	
Wilkes	Now
8:00pm	
Wilkes	Barre:	Making	A	Difference
8:30pm	
OLI-Eli	Wiesal
Classic	Arts	Showcase
Tuesday November 20, 2012
12:00pm	 Wilkes	World
6:00pm	
Comedy	Tonight
7:30pm	
Wilkes	Now
8:00pm	
Wikes	Barre:	Making	A	Difference
8:30pm	
An	American	In	Normandy
Classic	Arts	Showcase
Wednesday November 21, 2012
6:00pm	
Put	On	a	happy	Face
7:12pm	
Showbiz	Kids
7:30pm	
Wilkes	Now

8:00pm	
Lincolns	of	Springfield
9:00pm	
Don	Juan	In	Hell
Classical	Arts	Showcase
Thursday November 22, 2012
6:00pm	
Magic	To	Do
7:00pm	
The	Pharmacists
7:30pm	
Wilkes	Now
8:00pm	
Wikes	Barre:	Making	A	Difference
8:30pm	
Mavericks	At	Work
Classical	Arts	Showcase
Friday November 23, 2012
6:00pm	
This	Land	Is	Your	Land
6:30pm	
Showstoppers
7:00pm	
Wy.	Val	Media
7:30pm	
Wilkes	Now
8:00pm	
The	Pajama	Game
Classical	Arts	Showcase

�NEWS

THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

5

College dean honored for work with AIDS at hospital in Tanzania
AIDS 101
By Shawn Carey
Staff Writer

The dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences was recently honored
at a Jubilee Celebration for her work in Tanzania.
Dean Linda Winkler has been working with
the Nyakahanga Hospital in Karagwe, Tanzania, since 2001.
“There have been lots of rewarding things,
like seeing the children that we’re supporting
through Embrace a Child, gain hope and grow
up with the ability to go to school,” Winkler
said.
At the celebration, Winkler was honored for
her 10 years of service to the hospital. Among
the people who attended the ceremony were
the former President of Tanzania, a Tanzanian
Cabinet member, and the doctor that oversees
the hospital.
“The Jubilee Celebration was great and it
was a real local community event,” Winkler
said, “You get a sense of how a local community is working together and its partners come
together.”
Over her many years of service, Winkler
has done many projects, including writing a
children books series that was written in Swahili.
“We did a children’s book series with partners there. That was very rewarding because
we used grant money and we funded the printing of these books in Swahili,” Winkler said,
“We passed them out and it was great to be

World AIDS Day is Dec. 1. To mark this, here
are some AIDS statistics in Tanzania and the
U.S.
In Tanzania:
-Number of people living with HIV: 1,400,000
-Adults aged 15 to 49 prevalence rate: 5.6 percent
-Adults aged 15 and up living with HIV:
1,200,000
-Women aged 15 and up living with HIV:
730,000
-Children aged 0 to 14 living with HIV:
160,000
-Deaths due to AIDS: 86,000
-Orphans due to AIDS aged 0 to 17: 1,300,000
Source: UNAIDS

Courtesy of Dean Linda Winkler

Dean Linda Winkler is pictured with orphans at Tanzania, where she has been
working since 2001.
a part of that partnership, particularly because
our partners there were really proud of these
books.”
Winkler also added that it is great to have
students and faculty involved with the projects
over the years.
“It is incredibly rewarding when you are
working with students and they have experiences that they consider life changing; things
that transform them and their career,” Winkler
said.

Winkler discussed that she wants to be able
to work with her partners for future projects in
Tanzania.
“I am hoping to work with them and to help
accomplish what they want,” Winkler said,
“My commitments are to my partners and to
assist them in whatever ways I can.”

@shawncarey8
shawn.carey@wilkes.edu

In the U.S. (as of 2010):
-Number of 20- to 24-year olds diagnosed
with HIV: 7,565
-Transmission by male-to-male sexual contact: 28,782
-Transmission by injection drug use: 3,766
-Transmission by male-to-male sexual contact
and injection drug use: 1,443
-Transmission by heterosexual contact: 12,875
-Perinatal: 8,617
-Pennsylvania had 1,074 cases
-Most commonly diagnosed race was African
Americans with 473,229 cases
Source: Centers for Disease Control &amp;
Prevention

Coordinator leads activity Bianco’s research abroad
Adventure’s education provides a difference

By Abbey Haldeman
Assistant News Editor

The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m.
All College: $2,660
Conference: $740
General Funds: $6,313.35
Leadership: $600
Spirit: $493.44
Student Government Total: $10, 806.79
Phi Beta Lambda, or Future Business Leaders of America, returned for the second week
club recognition discussion. Adam Wychow-

anec gave a recap of what the club was asking
for speciﬁcally. Student Government motion to
table the request to do further research within
the business school for a place for the group.
Junior class President Julie Miller spoke
again for Capital Projects Committee. A motion to grant $2,300 to purchase new water
fountains was made and 29-0-13 was passed.
Choral Club was present for their ﬁrst week
of fund request. Steven Thomas, the adviser of
Choral Club, presented the donation information to Student Government. They are looking
to hire professional musicians to play during
an event which the Wilkes choral ensembles,
which includes the University Chorus and
Chamber Singers, will perform with the Robert
Dale Chorale a rendition John Rutter’s "Gloria" and other works. A representative will
return to the following meeting for funds approval.
Samantha Bickert gave a recap of Casino
Night.
Jill Price, Adventure Education coordinator
was present and helped SG have a retreat from
its normal meeting business. SG funds the Adventure Education program and was grateful to
have Price come.
The meeting was called to an end at 7:48 p.m.

@wilkesbeacon
abbey.haldeman@wilkes.edu

By Cameron Hinkel
Staff Writer

Paola Bianco recently took a year off to
complete her sabbatical in which she traveled
abroad and interviewed writers for her upcoming book about Spanish women writers.
Her book that is coming out in December
of this year is titled “Conversing with Literature.” The book will be used with students next
year once it comes out and it covers a wide
range of topics.
Some of the topics in the book include domestic violence, ethnical identity and other array of topics.
“The book has very controversial topics in
it,” said Bianco.
Bianco had to travel to a couple countries
to interview some of the writers she used in
her book. She traveled to Spain a couple years
ago, Costa Rica three years ago and this past
August she recently traveled to Chile.
However, there are some requirements she
had to fulﬁll in order to do her sabbatical. She
had to be a 10-year professor and have completed extensive research in the topic her sabbatical was on. She had to travel and talk to
certain people that can help her complete her
research.
Secondly, she needed to have an adequate
amount of time to complete the sabbatical.
Bianco took a full year off to complete her
research needed for her book. Look for Bian-

co’s book “Conversing with Literature” coming out in December.

Courtesy of Marketing and Communications
“Prisma” was written by Paola Bianco
had written in March of 2002. Her
most recent book, “Conversing with
Literature,” was based off her time
spent abroad, talking with Spanish
women writers about controversial
topics.

@wilkesbeacon
cameron.hinkel@wilkes.edu

�Digital Natives
Page 8
Nov. 20, 2012

‘Turkey day’ not a day for celebration

Thanksgiving a national day of mourning for Native Americans
Dr. Diane E. Wenger

Associate Professor of History
As we eagerly anticipate the holiday break,
many of us also look forward to a traditional
American Thanksgiving meal of turkey, cranberries and pumpkin pie. As we sit down to
dinner, we may be reminded of stories of the
“first Thanksgiving” feast held by Pilgrims
and their Wampanoag neighbors (as described
by Pilgrim Father William Bradford) in 1621.
However, for many Native Americans, this
is not a time to celebrate. Rather, “Thanksgiving Day” is a reminder of the genocide
of millions of their people, the theft of their
lands,and the relentless assault on their
culture. It is the National Day of Mourning.
Presidents George
Washington (in 1789)
and James Madison
(during the War of
1812) each declared
Thanksgiving days
during times of crisis.
But
Thanksgiving did not become a
national holiday until
1863, when Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the
last Thursday in November a “day of thanksgiving and praise” during the Civil War. Each
president since Lincoln has issued a similar
annual proclamation.
At first, the holiday was not associated
with the Pilgrim-Indian feast. That connection came in the 1890s. By then, the U.S. government had won the “Indian wars” and had
forced Native Americans onto reservations;
Indian children were being removed to boarding schools where the policy was “kill the Indian, save the man.”
Natives experienced all of this as profound
loss, but, for mainstream Americans, the West
was finally “won” for white settlement and exploitation. With the Indian obstacle removed,
Americans could afford to see Natives in a
more favorable light.
They seemed to be a vanishing race, and
it was more pleasant to recall a harvest feast
than broken treaties, massacres of Indian
women and children, or their forced removal
to unfamiliar territories.
Since then, presidential proclamations have
linked Thanksgiving with the happy story of
Pilgrims and Indians sharing dinner. Last year,
in announcing the annual holiday, President
Barack Obama invoked the image of “an autumn harvest centuries ago, when the Wampanoag tribe joined the Pilgrims at Plymouth

Colony to share in the fruits of a bountiful season” and went on to acknowledge the debt that
the colonists owed to Native Americans.
Some Natives see it a bit differently. For
them it all goes back to 1970, when the Massachusetts Department of Commerce decided to
celebrate the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrims’
arrival by having Native American Frank
James (whose Wampanoag name is Wamsutta)
speak during the annual Thanksgiving dinner
at Plymouth. But officials rescinded the invitation after they previewed Wamsutta’s speech:
“This is a time of celebration for you—celebrating an anniversary of the beginning for
the white man in America … It is with a heavy
heart that I look
back on what happened to my people.
Even before the Pilgrims landed, it was
common practice
for explorers to capture Indians, take
them to Europe and
sell them as slaves
… The Pilgrims had
- Diane Wenger, hardly explored the
shores of Cape Cod
Professor of history for four days before
they robbed the
graves of my ancestors and stole their corn and
beans …Massasoit, the great Sachem of the
Wampanoag, knew these facts, yet he and his
People welcomed and befriended the settlers

“Thanksgiving day is a re-

minder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft
of their lands and the relentless assault on their culture,”

… This action by Massasoit was perhaps our
biggest mistake. We … welcomed you … with
open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end … . Although our way of life
is almost gone and our language is almost extinct, we the Wampanoags still walk the lands
of Massachusetts … What has happened cannot be changed, but today we work toward a
better America, a more Indian America, where
people and nature once again are important.”
Barred from speaking at the official ceremony, Wamsutta gave his speech to a handful of
listeners at Cole’s Hill, a site just above Plymouth Rock, overlooking a replica of The Mayflower, near a statue of Massasoit. The event
became known as National Day of Mourning.
This year marks the 43rd National Day of
Mourning. At noon, Nov. 22, United American Indians of New England will gather at
Cole’s Hill to listen to speakers and then march
through Plymouth’s historic district. Many attendees will fast from sundown Wednesday
until Thursday afternoon when the event concludes with a pot-luck meal.
According to UAINE, the event is meant to
“honor Native ancestors and the struggles of
Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of
remembrance and spiritual connection as well
as a protest of the racism and oppression which
Native Americans continue to experience.”

@wilkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

Contact editor: carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

BEACON POLL
The Beacon poll is unscientific and
does not claim to reflect the overall attitudes of students on the
Wilkes campus. These poll results
are based on 13 responses.

Last week’s question:

What is the best pizza in WilkesBarre?

Frank’s Mr. Pizza
Pizza 8% 8% Pronto Via
Angelo’s
15%
Januzzi’s
23%

23%

Grotto Pizza
23%

This week’s question:
What are your plans for the Thanksgiving holiday?
•	 Studying
•	 Sleeping
•	 Spending time with family
•	 Shopping
•	 Watch/play football
•	 Traveling
•	 Other
Cast your vote online at:

www.thewilkesbeacon.com

SPEAK UP!
The Beacon wants
to hear your voice.
Send your name, major, year and opinion to:

carly.yamrus@wilkes.edu

For Native Americans, Thanksgiving is not a day of celebration, but a day of
mourning. Thanksgiving day is a chance to remember the millions of Natives
who were exploited and massacred.

The Beacon reserves the right to edit
submitted pieces for length and content.
Anonymous letters will not be published.

�7

OPINION

THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

New melting pot majority demands respect, acceptance
By Lyndsie Yamrus

Assistant Opinion Editor
When I heard the words “Ew, why would
you ever give your phone number to a Mexican?” come out of one of my co-workers
mouths, I almost smacked the girl. Instead,
I remained composed and fled from the waitress station before she or anyone else could
say anything more on the subject.
That was definitely one of the more ignorant comments I’ve heard at work, but it certainly wasn’t the only one ever made. This
girl’s comment was more discriminatory than
usual, but other equally demeaning comments
are made on nearly a daily basis, all virtually
baseless, mostly about how the guys “suck at
their jobs” and “are so annoying.” I feel like
much of the dislike stems from their inability
to accept the Spanish language or even broken
English.
I’m convinced that this attitude is not uncommon for individuals around my age. If I
were paid for the number of times I’ve heard,
“Why should I have to learn Spanish? If you
come to America you should accept our language and learn English,” I’d be rolling in it.
That’s sad. Same with jokes about African
Americans and Jewish individuals, or any ethnicity or religion for that matter. They’re not
funny.
The most messed up part about it is that the
girls who make these narrow-minded com-

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Accepting diversity is crucial for a functioning heterogeneous society where
white people are becoming the minority group.
ments are generally all between the ages of 15
and 23, with the majority being on the lower
end of that range.
Looking back, I should have stuck up for the
Latino guys I work with. I should have shot
back, “‘Ew’? ‘Ew’ to you, this pretty little
17-year-old girl who thinks she’s the center of
the universe because she’s white. ‘Ew’ to the
fact that you don’t like them because they’re
different than you and came from another
place. How unattractive that makes you.” But
I was just too shocked to even do anything besides walk out.

There was no logic or reason to back up her
opinion and no additional explanation about
why she felt that way either. The girl next to
her nodded in agreement. I was livid.
This is something we all need to overcome.
Diversity is vital. As an online Q&amp;A responder put it, we need diversity like we need
cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots and croutons in
a salad. Otherwise you’d just have lettuce, and
how exciting is that? Not very.
Diversity expands our growth and intelligence. With different experiences, beliefs
and perspectives, we are able to think more

lava. Turkish coffee, if you haven’t tried it, is
like the middle road between espresso and coffee. It is loosely filtered so don’t finish that last
sip unless you like coffee mud.
As I sat back sipping my coffee, looking
out the window, contemplating my life and
the numerous things I should have been doing/

finished already, the papers, reports, emails
I have to send, laundry I need to take out of
the washer from yesterday, my mind begins to
wander off.
I begin to contemplate what life is all about.
It’s not about making your mark, like some dog
with a fire hydrant. It’s about being comfort-

critically and develop ourselves into a more
wholesome society.
The talents and characteristics of individuals from different backgrounds contribute
vastly to our complex civilization, allowing
us to achieve, create and develop more in our
country.
It’s good to be well-rounded. If this country
functioned solely on the ideas of white Americans, we’d probably be at half of where we
are now.
There’s no use having a bad attitude about
diversity or being fearful of it either. We are
descendants of immigrants, after all. The
problem is that many individuals do not like
change. They don’t want to adjust. They’re
happy with how things are, and new languages, beliefs and customs scare them.
But whether you’re happy about it or not,
the white American will someday be the minority in the United States, they’re actually
saying 2042.
The Census Bureau announced last May
that white births are no longer the majority
in America. Non-Hispanic whites ranked at
49.6 percent in the past year (ending in July).
Hispanics, Asians and African-American minorities reached 50.4 percent. It’s certainly
strange to think about, but it’s happening. So
why fight it?

@wilkesbeacon
lyndsie.yamrus@wilkes.edu

In search of the perfect gyro, Part 4: A Pete’s Place awakening
By Nicholas Wesley
Staff Writer

It’s hard to find good Middle Eastern food
in the middle of Pennsylvania, but not impossible.
Pete’s Place, located on South Street, across
from University Towers, next to the Crimson
Lion, is a superb example of great Middle
Eastern cuisine.
They have a range of options, most meals
under $10. Falafels, lamb and chicken kabobs, various wraps a range of desserts such
as baklava. All very good options, and if
you’re a vegetarian there are many different
options for a great meal.
And now for the real reason you’re reading this article. No, it’s not because you have
nothing better to do with your 10 minutes between your 9 and 10 a.m. classes, it’s because
you want to know how was their gyro! Well,
let me tell you, it was pretty good.
They have three options, lamb beef or
chicken, and my choice was the lamb. I would
love to have tried all three, but so far, I have
an effective budget of zero dollars (cough,
cough).
As far as the lamb gyro goes, it was lettuce
and tomato on a pita, smothered in a homemade, tangy, Tzatziki sauce that perfectly
complements the tender lamb. This marvelous meal was a great breath of fresh air.
After I thoroughly enjoyed this gyro for a
full 1 minute 38 seconds, I sat back and enjoyed a Turkish coffee with an almond bak-

The Beacon/Laura Preby
Pete’s Place on South Street offers a wide range of Middle-Eastern food, as
well as a place to collect your thoughts and appreciate life.

ably full, enjoying a hot beverage, and having
time to contemplate.
An unexamined life is not worth living.
This Thanksgiving, while all America is
working on a glutinous spree, complaining
how full they are after eating in two hours
what effectively could have been a months
worth of food for some small African village.
Bitching about having to wake up early, so
they could get a third 32-inch LED TV for
only $299, so they are able to watch reruns of
“Law and Order: SVU” while checking their
iPhone on the toilet.
Then complaining how this “great recession-era” Best Buy parking lot makes a
“Great Depression-era” breadline look like
Buddhist monastery.
In the middle of all this thanks and giving
madness, I want YOU, yes YOU, to take a
moment by yourself, in that one comfy spot in
your home, you know, the one with the view,
maybe with your dog curled up by your feet, a
fire going, a warm blanket?
I want YOU to take a moment, sit down
with a hot drink, in a mug of course, maybe
some tea, a coffee, a hot chocolate, hot buttered rum?
Take your drink, sip it, sip it slowly, sip it
and dream - you cannot dream amiss, sip it
and dream - it is a dream itself.

@wilkesbeacon
nicholas.wesley@wilkes.edu

�THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

8

OPINION

Digital natives: Understanding our high-tech world
Embracing technology as it continuously and rapidly changes is key to future success

By The Beacon editorial staff
Do you even know what a digital native is?
If so, you are in the minority.
A digital native is a person born during or
after the general introduction of digital technology here on our green earth, and supposedly, this person should have a greater understanding of technology’s concepts.
More than likely, you are one of these people who adopted technology as a form of life
at an early age … but why, then, do you not
know basic concepts associated with a computer? Presumably you are too busy having
multiple broken English banter conversations
on social media sites and your smartphone.
Granted, The Beacon knows you can turn
on a computer or maybe you even know how
to work a smartphone but is that enough to
make you a tech savvy digital native? No.
Being a digital native is easy; all you need
to know is how to Google any question you
ever have about anything, know the differences between file extensions, and know how to
use any program other than Microsoft Word.
Knowing Microsoft Word is not abnormal
and does not make you a tech savvy junkie;
our staff’s brothers and sisters learned how to
use Microsoft word in third grade.
So to better inform yourself, here are some
basic facts you should learn about the computer and internet. Now, you will be able to
impress that special someone on a hot date or
add depth to a scholarly conversation.
Whatever your professor, Google or Wikipedia teaches you about a program or accepted
method of computing, it is already outdated.
According to CNET.com, Moore’s Law, a
law observing the history of computing hardware, states that the number of transistors
on integrated circuits doubles approximately
every two years. This means our processing
power and technological innovation exponentially multiplies every two years.
Yes, that means the smart phone you have in
10 years will eat your current smart phone for
breakfast. Not only will the processing power,
size and capabilities each computing process
change, but also the software and technologies
used to harness this new power.
Everything can be found on the Internet so
do not be afraid to use any search engine for
an answer.
Most computer processing is done using binary code using only two numbers: 0 and 1.
To illustrate a textual example, 0101011101
1010010110101101110000011001010110010
00110100101100001, is the word Wikipedia.
Did you know that the dark faded circle on
the outermost edges of Instagram pictures is
called a vignette? Or the process after you tap
that icon to change the filter is called an automated action script?
An action script is a set of algorithmic-like
methodical and predetermined functions set
in place to automate the filtering process of
the photo as soon as you tap the icon on your
phone with your greasy finger.

Note: Instagram does not make you a professional photographer.
Programs like Photoshop and Lightroom are
far more complex versions of Instagram editing because they allow you to create your own
action scripts along with nuanced editing.
Hold “shift” when you are resizing pictures
in any program so you do not squash or distort
them.
Next time you are on your browser, you can
right click and view the page source if you
want to steal some code for your website or
find out true semi-secret information about
their site.
What browser are you using? Do you even
know what a browser is? Internet Explorer
is one of the slowest browsers. If you want a
better browser, our staff recommends Google
Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
If you are a mischievous Internet user and
you do not want your history to be saved, clear
your history or set a schedule for history clearing. Don’t know how to do this? Search and
figure it out.
Be weary of your emails. More than 247 billion emails are sent each day and of that, 200
billion (81 percent) of them are spam. Make
sure you can tell the difference between a real
and fake email. If it is too good to be true, it is
not true.
You did not win the lottery in Kingston, Jamaica, and your dead third cousin didn’t leave
you any sum of money in a foreign bank account.
Don’t believe anything that pops up about
your computer being infected while you are
searching the internet. Nearly all of those supposed malware checks are fake. The bad people want you to install a fake program on your
computer.
Start using a free cloud storage drive so you
never have to worry about losing your flash
drive ever again; some of our staff’s favorite
online cloud storage services are Dropbox and
Google Drive. Although, Dropbox is now integrated with Facebook so we recommend you
start with this service, then use Google Drive
for additional storage.
Times are changing in the digital world; if
you do not know the basics of this realm, you
will be left in the dust and, worst case scenario,
you won’t have a successful career.
The Beacon staff has heard many times that
technology is killing our generation, and we
all laugh. Technology has totally uprooted and
changed the way we live our lives. It expedited
the process of information sharing throughout
all countries and truly made all knowledgeseekers equal.
Growing up in a digital empire has given
us a chance to grow with technology, so why,
then, are we not growing with it? Instead of
playing on the computer, learn from what the
computer offers you: an immeasurable amount
of information available to you for free.

@wilkesbeacon
wilkesbeacon@gmail.com

The Beacon/Bryan Calabro

Learning from the computer instead of wasting your time surfing the web for
the cutest cat picture is much more beneficial to you and society.

~

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�A Choral Christmas
Online Exclusive
Contact editor: billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Nov. 20, 2012

Taming Shakespeare at Wilkes
By Nicole Zukowski
Staff Writer

ferent interpretations of Shakespeare, another
workshop station was “Translations,” which
sought to make Shakespearean language more
accessible to modern audiences.
“Learning what the meaning is when you
translate the play makes it easier to understand,” Amy West, a ninth grader at Gillingham, said. “That’s why I liked the ‘Translations’ station the best.”
Another workshop station, “Lights, Camera,
Action,” used YouTube videos to show even
more different interpretations of the story.
The workshop that seemed to steal the night,
however, was “The Wooing Station”. Here, the
students were able to separate into groups and
perform a “wooing” scene from the play.
“I liked acting it out,” Anthony Knabb, a
ninth grade student at Gillingham, said. “It
gave me a better understating of what that
scene was really about.”
The event was as much as a learning experience for Wilkes student as it was for the
Gillingham students, Jon Kadjeski, a senior
English and education major, said. Kadjeski
was also a group leader at the event and saw
firsthand the effect of the event on the Gillingham students.
“My group started out really quiet and shy
but when we got to ‘The Wooing Station, the
kids came out of their shells and started to talk
more. It’s fascinating to see how performing
helps the kids to develop a better understanding and grasp of the play.”

Associate professor of English Janet W.
Starner and her English 324 Shakespeare
class welcomed eighth, ninth and 10th grade
students from Gillingham Charter School in
Pottsville to Wilkes University on Thursday,
Nov. 15, for an event celebrating the iconic
scribe’s play “The Taming of the Shrew.”
The event went from 7 to 9 p.m. in Kirby
Hall and took students through four different
workshop stations, each lasting 25 minutes.
“This experience will help us gain different
The Beacon/Austin Loukas approaches of teaching Shakespeare,” ElizaThe Wilkes University Chamber Orchestra has been rehearsing for the music beth Dollman, a junior English, Spanish and
education major who volunteered her time for
program’s upcoming Viennese Ball fundraiser event.
the event, said.
“The Taming of the Shrew” is about two sisters whose father implements a rule that one
some polkas and other European styles of dance is to be courted before the other. The sister to
By Bill Thomas
music, as well as a little 1920s style ballroom be courted proves spiteful, however, and scares
A&amp;E Editor
away all potential suitors. The play was one of
dancing.”
Simon himself will also perform with his Le- the required texts read by the Gillingham stuFor those involved with any of Wilkes University’s various musical groups, there’s more high Avenue Jazz Quartet, playing more modern dents.
“I thought it would be fun to pair college
than holiday shopping and finals to prepare for ballroom dance music from the 1930s through
the ‘70s. Ballet Northeast will also perform a students with high school student and see the
this winter.
On Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1 and 2, the demonstration of a stylized waltz, after which different interpretations,” Starner said.
One of the workshop stations at the event
Wilkes University Chorus and Chamber Singers they will offer to teach interested attendees how
was named “Editions, Editions, Editions.”
will team up with the Robert Dale Chorale for to dance the waltz themselves.
Tickets for the event cost $7.50 for current Here, the Gillingham students read portions of
a pair of performances at St. Luke’s Episcopal
Church in Scranton and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Wilkes students with valid ID and $15 for the “The Taming of the Strew” from different ediChurch in Wilkes-Barre. The Flute Ensemble general public. For $60, attendees will receive tions including Oxford Edition, the play script.
and the Jazz Orchestra will also perform on Sat- two tickets, program sponsor designation, have the Norton edition — the one Starner’s class
@wilkesbeacon
urday, Dec. 1, and Thursday, Dec. 6, respective- their names listed in the program and also receive used — and the First Folio.
nicole.zukowski@wilkes.edu
In keeping with the idea of comparing difly. And on Sunday, Dec. 9, the Civic Band will four beverage tickets and free snacks.
“We’re seriously in need of money for various
present a free concert called “Made in America,”
focusing on music composed by Americans and things in the music program,” Simon said. “It’s
a risky experiment, but there’s enough of an auimmigrants who made their home here.
Of course, all of these undertakings cost mon- dience out there for this kind of music, enough
ey, which is why proceeds from one unique new interest in this region for people to come out and
event will go directly toward funding the music dance to this music, that I think (this event) will
be successful.”
program at Wilkes.
Ever the educator, though, Simon emphasized
On Saturday, Dec. 8, from 7:30 to 11 p.m., the
Chamber Orchestra will perform as part of a “Vi- that equally important to him is the chance the
ennese Ball” on the main stage in the Dorothy event offers to broaden the musical horizons of
the student body.
Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts.
“What I’m hoping for more than anything is
“This will be a grand ball,” Philip Simon, associate professor of music and director of the that we can get some students involved and interorchestra, said. “We’re going to have a Viennese ested in coming in contact with this music, learncastle backdrop and chandeliers. We’re serving ing to the dances, perhaps becoming somewhat
beer and wine for people over 21, we’re serving of a life pursuit, something they like doing on a
snacks. People will be able to sit at round tables regular basis.”
The Beacon/Austin Loukas
and they will be able to dance to the waltzes of
@wilkesbeacon
College
and
high
school
students
came
together
to
for
a series of workshops
Johann Strauss Jr. – we have about 10 waltzes
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com shining a light on Shakespeare’s play “The Taming of the Shrew.”
we’re going to play throughout the evening –

Ball highlights winter music

VISIT THE BEACON ONLINE @ THEWILKESBEACON.COM FOR EXCLUSIVE ‘BEACON BLOGS’
FRONT ROW FILM SCHOOL
with Bill Thomas
“Breaking Dawn - Part 2” review

THE BOOK REPORT
with Anne Yoskoski
“The House at Riverton” by Kate Morton

THE GRAVEYARD SHTICK
with Jake Cochran
The problem with Michonne

�10

A&amp;E

THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

The Beacon’s Holiday Shopping Guide for Gaming Geeks
By Cody Bauman

Staff Writer
It isn’t always the easiest thing getting a gift for a friend or family member who is a gamer. There are so many new games out every month,
that it’s hard for someone not engrained in the culture to keep up with it all. This guide will serve as your sherpa through the seemingly endless
shelves of the nearest game store on Black Friday this week, guiding you to that choice gift that will solidify your position as the best friend or
favorite family member in your nerdiest pal’s tech-obsessed heart.

Wii U-Basic Model ($299.99) Deluxe
Model ($349.99)
The Wii U is the big new system of this
holiday season. The key differences between the Wii and the Wii U is that the
system is HD compatible and the new
Wii U tablet-esque controller. With the
new controller, Nintendo hopes to bring
another new experience to the households
of gamers everywhere. This tablet is fully
touch screen capable and allows for different actions, such as a map, menu, or

even the game itself to be transferred over
to the the tablet’s screen. The Wii U is also
backwards compatible with all the Wii
games and the Wiimotes. The system will
also be seeing some high-class re-releases
in the form of games such as “Darksiders II,” “Assassin’s Creed III” and “Call
of Duty: Black Ops II.” With these games,
the Wii U is hoping to show the core gaming audience that Nintendo means business in their efforts to bring serious, AAA,
third party titles over to the Wii U.

11

A&amp;E

“Dance Central 3” (Xbox 360, w/Kinect)
The Dance Central series has been one
of the best reasons to get a Kinect for a
while and “Dance Central 3” is Harmonix’s best case yet. The game brings back
the same dance gameplay that you love
with great new songs. “Dance Central 3”
also has several new game modes including a competitive mode where two players
go head-to-head creating dance moves for
the other player to perform. Think of it as
“HORSE,” but with dancing. “Dance Central 3” does everything right and should be
owned by any party happy Kinect owner.

“Dishonored” (Xbox 360)
“Dishonored” is a stealth-action game focused on your character’s thirst for revenge
against those that wronged him. The main
character dispatches his enemies with agile
kills, acrobatic maneuvers, clever gadgets,
and even dark magic. This game caters to
whatever your playing style is, be it running
in and destroying everything in your path until you get to your target or stalking your prey,
careful not to move a single spec of dust,
careful not to leave any trace of your stay.
“Dishonored” is a fresh new take on stealth,
giving players a new and interesting stealth
experience.

“Scribblenauts Unlimited” (Wii U, Nintendo 3DS)
The Scribblenauts series exempliﬁes
the sense of discovery and imagination
that so deﬁnes childhood and reminds us
why we love games to begin with. These
titles allow the player to solve different
puzzles by typing in the name of any object they want to create and, presto, the
game would create it. Need to get something out of a tall tree? You could make a
ladder, or you could make a lumberjack
to cut down the tree and bring the object
to you. This game continues that creative
spark and encourages fun-ﬁlled problem
solving that should bring a smile to the
face of any child, including the one who
lives deep down inside of you.

“ZombiU” (Wii U)
“One of the ﬁrst “mature” games made speciﬁcally for the Wii U,” ZombiU” sees players taking control of a survivor of a zombie
outbreak who is the main muscle of his group
of survivors. This game looks to show what a
new, mature experience on a Nintendo console
could look and feel like. Holding the pad up
level with the screen, the player uses the tablet to aim and shoot at the incoming zombie
hordes. This game looks like a go-to for those
looking for a game for the more hardcoreminded Wii U owner in your life.

“Halo 4” (Xbox 360)
The franchise that made a system is
back for another installment. “Halo 4”
isn’t made by the old guard at Bungie but
instead is comes to us anew from 343 Industries and, frankly, they’ve done a fantastic job of breathing new life into the
series. “Halo 4” delivers all of the fastpaced action a Halo player is used to, with
some new twists such as the new enemies,
The Prometheans, and a multiplayer mode
with tweaks making it akin to “Call of
Duty”’s level-up multiplayer. “Halo 4”
doesn’t disappoint and sets up gamers for
another great run with a new studio.

“Tokyo Jungle” (PS3)

“XCOM: Enemy Unknown” (PS3 and
Xbox 360)
“XCOM: Enemy Unknown” is a turnbased strategy game where you are the
commander of the world’s last hope against
an invading alien scourge. “XCOM” has
incredible depth, as it also allows you to
control all the behind-the-scenes actions
of the alien-ﬁghting organization, giving
you the freedom to develop new weapons, armor, robots, psychic abilities, etc.
“XCOM” makes you feel like you are
truly commanding the world’s ﬁnal line of
defense in a dire struggle for survival.

This game is different. “Tokyo Jungle” is
a game where you take the role of animals as
they try to go on living after humans no longer exist. The goal is survival and that means
a literal dog-eat-dog world where you must
do anything you need to to stay alive. As you
play, you unlock bigger and better animals
from meager deer to the daunting lion, all the
way to totally absurd dinosaurs. This game
is for those who enjoy something weird or, at
the least, just plain different from the usual
“Call of Duty” or “Final Fantasy” fare.

@wilkesbeacon
cody.bauman@wilkes.edu

�A&amp;E

12

THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

Every issue, A&amp;E Editor Bill Thomas and Assistant A&amp;E Editor Jake Cochran indulge their vanity and give a thoroughly biased crash-course in whatever madness happens to be dwelling in their
warped minds. Their views do not reﬂect those of The Beacon, its staff or Wilkes University.
Blah blah blah. This week, Jake Cochran is preppin’ for doomsday and weighing his…

Options for the End of the World

By Jake Cochran

Assistant A&amp;E Editor
Not trying to brag or anything but yours
truly has survived two raptures, Y2K, the
Swine Flu, the Asian Bird Flu, the jitterbug,
butterﬂies in the stomach, the Black Plague,
polio, the Great Depression, the Great Recession, Beatlemania, 9/11, Pearl Harbor, Bieber
Fever, the less popular but still memorable
Beaver Fever and the common cold.
All right, maybe I exaggerated just a little
bit there.
In any case, I’ve seen some serious stuff
in my time and a lot of it was scarier than
some antique calendar created by people who
thought human sacriﬁce made the sun rise and
didn’t even work on the Juilan System anyway. So sorry if I come off a little cocky, but,
2012, come at me, bro.
Of course, in the event that this “end of
days” is actually the true-blue honest-to-Emmerich end of days, if it takes away Christmas,
so help me, there will be hell to pay. I will
pull a real life Paul Bunyon and sucker-punch
that cosmic whatever-the-hell-it-may-be back
to space or Hell or an alternate dimension or
wherever it hails from.

'

•

. ........

~---

: . . : .. .
-

.~· ,

.,

. :..

Obviously, straight-up uppercutting Armageddon in the taint isn’t an option for everyone.
So, if this really is the eve of absolute extinction for all life as we know it, it’s probably a
good idea to ﬁgure out how you want to spend
your last moments on this spinning blue globe.
Maybe everyone should make his or her way
to the nearest Sam’s Club or Costco to load up
on supplies. Or, hit up a mass Bible distribution outlet if that’s your bag... and if such a
thing exists.
Lest we forget, there is always the classic “off yourself” routine which really never
worked out for anyone, but, hey, it’s your
choice. I make no such recommendations.
Seems kind of redundant to kill yourself in the
midst of an apocalypse.
While enjoying possibly the last Thanksgiving ever, make sure you tell all your relatives
how you really feel about them. Then you
won’t have to die with that guilt in your mind
of how you never told Aunt Ethel she wore
way too much perfume and gave extremely
sub-par gifts. Because there won’t be any subpar gifts this year. Only destruction.
Also, be sure to go out and run up a huge
credit card debt because everyone knows that
credit isn’t real money anyway. Besides, why
bother making payments when an apocalypse
is going down? Just don’t opt in for the online
banking option because then you can’t blame
the lack of mailboxes as to why the bill didn’t
get paid.
Another thing everyone should deﬁnitely
do post-haste is get down to the gym so everything is all tight and toned for the rapture.
You want to look good when you meet your
maker, don’t you? Then again, maybe just eat
all the greasy, nasty, artery-clogging food your
cholesterol-choked heart desires because, well,
why the Hell not?
That triple-decker pizza you’ve been dreaming of, the one with a full bacon weave between each layer and a bedding of Pringles on
top? Make that for breakfast, lunch ,and dinner
every day until the end is upon us.
Because “YOLO.” Or something like that.
After you’re done gorging yourself, go ahead
and quit that pesky job. Everyone knows how
much of a jerk your boss is, so why don’t you
just go ahead and tell him to face. Hell, tell it to
his car with some good old-fashioned slashed
tires, spray paint and smashed windows.
Hmm, maybe this is all just a crazy overreaction. Maybe we should stop working on that
bomb shelter and just relax, enjoy the holidays
and quit ﬁlling the pockets of charlatans, opportunists and 2012 hysteria-mongers with our
hard-earned cash.
Maybe “2012” isn’t a synonym for “the
apocalypse.” Maybe it’s just another year.
Then again, maybe not. Get ready for Armageddon, motherf***ers! Lock and load!

@wilkesbeacon
jason.cochran@twilkes.edu

CHEAT SHEET (J
r

The End of the World, Around the World

Lock and load!
Mayan
You barely need to type anything more than the word “Mayan”
into Google before getting a million results as to what exactly the
Mayans think is going to go down
this year. But when actually looking at the end of the Mayan calendar and the beliefs surrounding
it, one ﬁnds there isn’t really as
much apocalptic prophesizing as
the crazy people from the middle
of nowhere who somehow made a
website with MySpace Proﬁle Editor 2.0 would have you believe.
The truth is, no one seems to
know what the hell the Mayans believed or what the calendar system
they devised “means,” if anything.
Unlike the Julian System, the Mayan calendar isn’t cyclical. It has a
set end date: Dec. 21, 2012.
Some people are expecting universal annihilation. Other New Agers theorize humanity will undergo
i'
a spiritual rebirth. Still others say
that saying the Mayan calendar
“ends” is a misinterpretation of
how it works.
In other words, the whole
“2012” thing is just fodder for nut..,,,. job prophet wanna-bes and their
doomsday delusions.
Norse
In Norse mythology, nothing
is more important than the idea
of Ragnarok. And if there isn’t a
black metal band named Ragnarok
already, then we are truly screwed.
Regardless, idea of Ragnarok is
just about the most generic “end of
days” scenario you could devise.
Basically, there’s going to be
a big battle that’s going to kill all
the gods, followed by some good
old-fashioned natural disasters,
concluding with the Earth being
completely submerged in water.
When all is said and done, there
will be two human survivors who
will completely ignore the taboo
incest for years to come and thusly
repopulate the Earth.
Huzzah!

\

Bible Thumpers
I
A true classic, the Christian end
of days, as described in the Biblical Book of Revelations, begins
with the breaking of the Seven
Seals, which unleashes the Four
Horsemen. No, not Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard and the Andersons;~
I
Death, War, Famine and Conquest
(or Pestilence, depending on who
you ask).
Next up, the sun turns black and
the stars fall to Earth. Cue some
earthquakes and storms. Then sev'
en trumpets are sounded. Cue more
disasters. Then some monsters
show up. It goes on like that for a
while, part Slayer song, part Dio.
And everybody dies and goes to
Hell. Except the believers. Because
they’re better than everyone else.
Obviously.

!

r.J

(

,-

r·
(

Conspiracy Theorists
The Illuminati. The New World
Order (again, not a reference to
pro wrestling). Reptile aliens. Take
your pick. According to conspiracy
theorists, the wheels are already in
motion. Backroom deals by guys
like Bill Gates, Barack Obama and
Damien Thorn are being hatched as
we speak with the express purpose
of enslaving you and everyone you
love, branding them with bar codes
and then marching the world inexorably toward devastation.
The Beacon is now (unofﬁcially) taking bets on who’s behind it
all. My money’s on reptile aliens.
Hollywood
Sadly, I cannot count myself
among the proud few to have seen
the movie “2012,” which I assume
is a shockingly accurate documentary about the way the end will ultimately go down. Thankfully, I did
manage see “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Planet of the Apes.”
So, with the knowledge there
is going to be a ton of snow, I’m
pretty pumped for a white Christmas. I recommend everyone go get
a picture with the Statue of Liberty before it ends up neck-deep in
sand, though.

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�Study-Break Party
Dec. 10
Contact editor: anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

Nov. 20, 2012

Making a Thanksgiving away from home in W-B

By Alyssa Stencavage
Assistant Life Editor

Hurricane Sandy has left a lot more than
just physical destruction in her path. She is
also leaving some students and their families
separated for this Thanksgiving.
Senior and double major in elementary
education and English/language arts Ikechukwu Nwaro said his plans are to “spend his
Thanksgiving with his family “down south”. 	
After all the devastation from the storm, my
family just wants to get away from the East
Coast and meet up.”
But that doesn’t mean their Thanksgiving
has to be nonexistent. Even if students cannot
be at home surrounded by family and friends,
whether because of the devastation caused by
Hurricane Sandy or simply just not returning
home, there are ways to make a Thanksgiving
of their own at Wilkes.
Executive Director for Global Education
and Diversity Georgia Costalas said the timing of Thanksgiving brings a “culture shock.”
Some people suffer from home sickness,

mostly first-year students, and Thanksgiving
happens to hit at the bottom part of the cycle
where students are most vulnerable.
“You want to be at home with people who
you know and love,” Costalas said.
There are a number of things students can
do to better their Thanksgiving experience, and
Costalas said that begins with being proactive.
“It’s good to make a plan for that time,” she
said. “Students should try to go to someone’s
home or do something else they might want to
do.”
In general, it’s important for students to
reach out to an adviser or counselor and see
what they can do.
“You have to really look,” Costalas said.
“See where you can go, make a plan, find a
friend, see what restaurants or stores will be
open, get out of your comfort zone, Skype.”
Costalas said a lot of international students
will be studying, but otherwise students should
see if there is somewhere else they can go.
There are people on campus who are willing
to reach out.
Costalas said about 30 to 40 international

students each year go to American families for
Thanksgiving and have a great time.
“I try to hook them up with families on
campus or in the community so that they can
experience Thanksgiving with an American
family.”
Director of Residence Life Elizabeth Swantek said there are varying degrees as to why
students don’t go home for the holiday.
“Some students don’t want to go home for
domestic reasons, while others cannot leave
for financial reasons, such as not being able to
afford to take a bus or because they don’t have
a car,” Swantek said.
Swantek also said an athletic or academic
commitment sometimes prevents students
from going home. In this case, they would be
leaving with a coach, faculty or staff member
every day.
Regardless of the circumstances, students
and RAs are supposed to check in with one another on a regular basis so that everyone is on
the same page.
Swantek said Evans Hall and University
Towers are kept open for low occupancy pur-

poses. RAs do the rounds and then students
who do not live in either of those buildings get
placed in one of those buildings or stay with
friends. If any problems should arise, Residence Life is to be contacted.
Some students know they cannot go home
and ask to be placed in either Towers or Evans.
There have been cases in the past where students have stayed with friends, etc.
“I think the main thing is that we have a set,
open protocol for breaks,” Swantek said. “If
there are students who cannot go home, they
need to see either Assistant Resident Life Director Danielle Kern or Swantek. As long as
students communicate with us, we will do anything we can to help them.”
For questions or details about Thanksgiving
break, contact Swantek at elizabeth.swantek@
wilkes.edu or Danielle Kern at danielle.kern@
wilkes.edu.

@wilkesbeacon
alyssa.stencavage@wilkes.edu

Residence halls work together for IRHC’S Cake Challenge
By Anne Yoskoski
Life Editor

A Cake Challenge was hosted by the InterResidence Hall Council in the Henry Student
Center from 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 14.
The Cake Challenge is an event that the
IRHC holds every semester to encourage residence halls to work together to bake a cake
that aligns with a particular chosen theme.
The theme for this year’s challenge was
board games. Another stipulation was added
to the challenge, stating that all cakes must
have cereal used somewhere in the design.
Residence halls were given a set budget in
order to keep things fair.
“The event was very successful. Seven
residence halls participated and we had great
attendance of both participants and student
cake-eaters,” Behtnay sharpless, IRHC coordinator said.
Cakes were judged based on dedication to
the theme, the taste of the cake and the cake’s
overall appearance.
The cakes were judged by a panel of “celebrity judges” including Residence Life staff
and some of the school deans.

“The creativity put into the cakes was amazing” Jen Talliona said. “It’s so cool to see what
people can do with a simple idea and some cereal.”
“It was a good bonding experience,” she
said. “I feel like it helped me relieve a little
stress, getting away from all the work due before the Thanksgiving holiday. I’m sure I’m
not the only one who felt that way. Besides, we
get to eat cake.”
All residence halls participated, and most
had a good time making the cakes with friends
and RA’s.
“It was a good time,” Carrie Presbytz, freshman biology major, said.
The winning hall was Evans third floor,
with Amber Konopka as the floors resident assistant. Second place was awarded to Evans
fourthfloor with Samantha Blincoe and Mike
Ogar as RAs. Third place was Ross Hall led
by RA John Sweeney. The people’s choice was
Waller North with Allie Giammanco.
The halls with the winning cakes will receive funds for their RAs to host a special reward program.

@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Austin Loukas

The winning cake was Evans Hall’s third floor, led by RA Amber Konopka.
The theme of the cake was board game Hungry, Hungry Hippos.

November 22 is Thanksgiving Day

For this year’s Thanksgiving, there are several places looking for volunteers. The Salvation Army is looking for anyone who would like to help deliver food or collect
canned goods at 163 Hazle St., Wilkes-Barre. Ruth’s Place: House of Hope, a homeless shelter for young women, is looking for anyone would like to donate nonperishable or canned goods at 425 North Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre.

�14

THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

LIFE

Spring concert band to be chosen with student survey
By Anne Yoskoski
Life Editor

Every year the Programming Board and
Wilkes Events brings an artist to Wilkes-Barre
to perform a concert for Wilkes students.
Many students do not know how the options
presented to students are chosen, and with
the survey planned to debut to students at the
Snow Ball dance, members of the Programming Board and Events Planning would like
to clear that up.
The Events Chair, Lindsey Covel, starts in
the summer and early fall semester posting on
the Programming Board Facebook looking for
students to give their suggestions about who
they want for the concert.
“This year we also did a poll at Club Day,”
Covel said. “From there we take the suggestions to the Programming Board general board,

as well as a list of every possible artist we
could use for the concert. The general board
goes through the artists, keeping in mind the
suggestions in an effort to make more suggestions.”
The executive board then takes the suggestions and, working with a middle agent and
the Kirby Center, ﬁgures out availability and
pricing for each of the artists in relation to the
Kirby Center.
This process narrows the options down
enough to go back to the general board to pick
the ﬁnal artists to go on thesurvey.
Once the results are calculated, they “go
ﬁrst with the artist that came in ﬁrst on the
survey, then we work down the line if for
some reason pricing or availability changes,”
Covel said.
“With artists being asked to perform on different shows, availabilities tend to change often, or their requests become too excessive for

“We ask our friends, we have our members ask their friends and we ask agents who
is hot on the college scene right now and who
is up-and-coming and we have a whole meeting dedicated to going through lists of artists,”
Short said.
To vote for who should perform at Wilkes,
ﬁll out the survey distributed after the SnowBall dance on Friday, Nov. 30. Some of the current choices are Imagine Dragons, 2 Chainz,
Tyga, Childish Gambino, Young the Giant,
Walk the Moon, Kit Moore, Florida Georgia
Line and Hunter Hayes.
Any suggestions for future artists can be
submitted to the Programming Board’s Facebook page, an email to the Events Chair or

what our budget can handle, so unfortunately
those are our biggest challenges once the survey closes.”
The money used to hire an artist comes from
Student Government.
“We are a budgeted club through Student
Government, so student activities fees ultimately help fund our club.” Jess Short, Programming Board director, said. “We really
want students to know that we care about them
and their choices. We want to make the best
concert possible for the majority. Also, we are
very fortunate here at Wilkes because some
schools don’t even have a budget to have a
concert. And, of course, we do not just pick
whoever we want for the concert, there is a
process.”
Even after the survey and Facebook and
Twitter suggestions via the Programming
Board pages, Short still asks for more information.

@annieyoskoski
anne.yoskoski@wilkesedu

‘Chopped’ winner Ernest Servantes to visit
By Melissa Thorne
Correspondent

“I’m only good until the next meal I cook,”
is not only the motto of Food Network’s
“Chopped Grill Masters” champion Ernest
Servantes, but also words he lives by.
Classically trained with 15 years of culinary,
Servantes will be gracing Wilkes University
with his southwestern, Texas BBQ ﬂavors for
two days only. After having his food critiqued
by some of the most well-known food critics
and defeating worthy opponents for the title of
Grill Master on national television, Servantes
has proven to be a highly talented individual.
The Sodexo chef will leave his Texas University kitchen to cook a ﬁve-course meal for 12
lucky students and their plus ones.
Students will ﬁrst get to see the famous chef
on Wednesday, Nov. 28, in the Student Center third ﬂoor cafeteria for a meet and greet.
His personal sandwich recipes will be served
during the meet-and-greet so students can
get a preview of the chef’s cooking style that
Wednesday night from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Twleve handpicked students and their
guests will be invited for a private ﬁve-course
menu tasting where they can have a more private session with the chef.
Participating students shouldn’t feel bad
if they aren’t selected for the private tasting
because on Thursday, Nov. 29, Servantes will
have his own station in the center of the cafeteria where all students will be able to get in
on the possible once in a lifetime experience.
After being at Wilkes, Servantes will continue to make his way through to other states
to continue to share his talents with other
schools.
Kaden said he hopes students will take this
opportunity seriously since it was by mere
chance that the university was selected.
“I hope they see that Sodexo goes over
and above to try and make things a little new,
exciting and different,” Kaden said. “That’s
what this program is about.”
The entire process that led to Servantes

coming to Wilkes is a part of the Signature
Chef Program in which Sodexo sends chefs
out to different colleges as an expansion of culinary horizons.
Not only will students get to try something
new and exciting, but the kitchen staff working alongside Servantes can hopefully pick up
new recipe ideas that may become new lunch
or dinner dishes.
Further accomplishments by Servantes include being featured on Destination America
“BBQ Pit Masters” and competing in numerous “Taste of Town” competitions.
He also won three state BBQ titles and more
than 100 wins in the past two years in BBQ
cooking. As a member of the Texas Chef’s Association Culinary Federation and the World
Association of Chefs Societies.

Meet Ernest Servantes!
Date:
Nov. 28
Time:
4:30-6 p.m.
Location: Henry Student Center
Cafeteria
Contact: Ron Williams (408-4991)

@wilkesbeacon
anne.yoskoski@wilkes.edu

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�15

THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

LIFE

Bradford Kinney ready to retire after 40 years at Wilkes
By Bill Thomas
A&amp;E Editor

Bradford Kinney has almost 40 years of
grade books in a drawer in his ofﬁce. He isn’t
sure why.
It might have something to do with Kinney, the senior professor of communication
studies at Wilkes University, describing himself as “a frustrated historian.” Proof of that
can be seen in more than just the history major he dabbled with in college or the interest
in genealogy he indulges in his spare time. It
is tangible. Kinney’s ofﬁce is a museum of
sorts, ﬁlled with relics.
Against the right-hand wall, on top of the
same cabinet holding the near four decades
worth of grade books, is a framed newspaper
from 1968. The front-page story tells of thenPresident Lyndon B. Johnson’s decision to
not seek re-election. Kinney brought it in to
show the students of his Presidential Rhetoric
class, but it could easily be just another artifact in the Kinney Museum.
Next to that cabinet is a shelf crammed
full of awards. Amusingly, a few appear to be
mere Coca-Cola cans topped with gold-plated statuettes of horse rear-ends. These are
“Kinney Awards,” an all-in-good-fun invention of the forensics team Kinney coached for
25 years, a team whose members had taken to
dubbing themselves “Kinney’s Kids.”
“When he was coaching debate, you always knew when Wilkes was in the room,”
Jane Elmes-Crahall, a longtime peer and onetime forensics rival of Kinney, said. “They
were like a second family and they all had a
personality you could see they inherited from
Kinney; very competitive but also just plain
goofy.”
On the right side of the room, more awards
line the walls. Buried among them, though,
is something arguably even more signiﬁcant.
It’s a framed illustration that once hung in the
store of Kinney’s grandfather and the ofﬁce
of his father.
The illustration shows a horse-drawn cart,
loaded with miscellaneous items. Brooms,
coffee pots, rolls of fabric. A little bit of everything, really. Standing in front of it all is a
grinning salesman, peddling his wares.
Beneath the image, a single piece of advice: “You can’t do business from an empty
wagon.”
“Kinney has always made sure the communication studies department’s wagon has
not been empty,” current department chair
Mark Stine said.
Stine pointed to the 1,399 awards Kinney’s nationally ranked forensics team gathered over the years as examples. Kinney was
also chair himself once upon a time. At one
point or another, he’d advised every co-curricular activity in the department – save for
the student-run PR ﬁrm Zebra, a relatively
recent creation – and he was instrumental
in establishing the school’s co-op/internship
program. In many ways, Stine said, it was
Kinney who laid the groundwork for the entire department.
“Kinney’s always had a vision, and that’s
kept the department’s wagon, if you will,

overﬂowing,” Stine said.
At the center of his ofﬁce museum, surrounded by exhibits telling the story of his life
as an educator, Kinney sits. He is small, but his
smile is wide. The color of his hair matches
that of his two-tone sweater: gray on gray.
It is the fall semester of 2012. Kinney’s last.
The “frustrated historian,” who’s lined the
walls with framed and laminated memories,
who’s kept in touch with damn near every
Kinney’s Kid to ever pass through the halls of
Wilkes University, who’s rich past is so intrinsically woven into not just his present but the
present of the university itself, is closing down
the museum, packing up his hoarded grade
books and moving into tomorrow.
“This is my 40th year at Wilkes. I’ve been
teaching for a total of 45 years,” Kinney said.
“Two years ago, I had open-heart surgery. That
sort of thing makes you stop and say ‘Huh, I’m
not as young as I used to be.’”
You’d never know it from speaking to him.
At 69 years old, Kinney displays the exuberance and animation of an excitable teenager
ﬁrst discovering what makes him tick. He talks
with his hands, moving around in quick, birdlike movements. He makes jokes at his own
expense and laughs heartily. Sometimes, with
a chuckle, he’ll slap or grab his desk in an act
of tactile punctuation.
When he does, the whole room shakes. Just
a little. As if the walls themselves can’t stand
as strong as this man’s personality.
“This retirement is a bittersweet retirement.
Bitter in the sense that I’m giving up something that I truly, truly, truly enjoy. Teaching
is really something I just enjoy immensely. I
don’t mind coming to work. I expend a lot of
energy in the classroom because it’s something
I enjoy. So that’s bitter. But it’s sweet in the
sense that I’m at a point in my life when I need
to spend some time with my grandchildren
and my wife, do some traveling, do some research,” Kinney said.
“I reﬂect back many times on the things I’ve
seen at Wilkes. I’ve had dreams and I’ve seen
them both fulﬁlled and not fulﬁlled. I’ve seen
the world turned over numerous times. I just
hope, down the pike, somebody will say ‘Brad
Kinney did a good job. He tried his best. He
didn’t have all the successes in the world and
he didn’t have all the failures in the world, but
he tried. Now, I want to try. I can better him.’
If someone can come out of what I’ve taught
and be a teacher and be a better one than I am,
that’s neat. I would like that.”
On a small table in the farthest left-hand
corner of the soon-to-be-shuttered Kinney Museum, almost hidden amongst the bric-a-brac
autobiography that is Kinney’s ofﬁce, are some
of the only allowances of modern technology
the room proffers: a ﬂat-screen desktop computer and a slender laptop.
Directly across, in the right-hand corner, as
if in retort to the computers’ existence, sits an
old Panasonic television set, the bulky kind
based on obsolete cathode-ray tube tech. Beside it rests an equally outdated stereo and a
vinyl record player.
Despite being outnumbered by antiques
to the point of feeling anachronistic, the two
computers in Kinney’s ofﬁce boast more power and promise than just about anything else in

The Beacon/Austin Loukas
Kinney during his time at Wilkes has been a professor of communications,
taught hundred of classes and led the Wilkes Forensics Team to 1,399
awards.

Roast and Toast
of Dr. Kinney

the room. It is the power and promise of the
future itself.
“I’ll always remember what Johnny Carson
said when he retired from TV. He said ‘The
best time to retire is when they’re still laughing.’ In other words, quit while you’re ahead
and go out on your own terms. The more I
thought about it, I just thought I’m not getting
any younger. There are too many faculty members that hang on and hang on and hang on
and become stale. With the world changing so
much, you need to get that energy, that young

@wilkesbeacon
billthomas@thewilkesbeacon.com

Celebrate the retirement of Bradford
Kinney from Wilkes University after 40
years. Roast or toast the man who has
made signiﬁcant contributions to the
Department of Communication Studies and Wilkes as a whole. At Kinney’s
request, students past and present are
encouraged to attend.
Date: Saturday, Dec. 8
Time: 7 to 10 p.m.
Location: Henry Student Center
Ballroom
Register: on the Roast and Toast
Facebook page
Who to contact: Brittany Battista,
Jane Elmes-Crahall, Zebra
Communications

�Athletic Tweeting,
Page 19
Nov. 20, 2012

Contact editor: frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Wilkes billiards team becomes Aiming high on the court
official, welcomes all players
By Frank Passalacqua
Sports Editor

From just a student hobby and
playing tournaments at Pepe’s Pizza, the billiards team is finally an
official club of Wilkes University.
The Wilkes University Poolplayers Association meets and
shoots pool in the bottom floor of
the sub, commonly referred to as
“the spot.” When Wilkes renovated
Rifkin Café during the summer, the
game room also received a makeover, along with all new tables and
equipment.
This was all possible due to two
students wanting to take their hobby to the next level. In spring 2011,
senior Adam Burt, a pharmacy major, and senior Tim Cheung, computer information systems major,
teamed up and ran the recreational
club together.
Today, Mark Margavage, a senior
earth and environmental sciences
major, holds the title as president.
“It’s not the stick,” Margavage is
known to frequently say.
Margavage now oversees the
club and looks back at his roots of
shooting pool.
“I started playing regularly back
in 2010,” Margavage said. “I would
always go to the bar with my dad,
and since I was too young, I would
always just play pool and I learned
from there.”
This year at club day, the pool
team saw the roster jump dramati-

cally as 76
members
signed up.
“ I ’ m
very happy
with
the
turnout we
had
after
Club Day
and we can
only
add
to
that,”
Margavage said.
“Guys and
girls both
Courtesy of Mark Margavage
signed up Joe Fortini takes aim at a billiards tournament in
and we are the SUB. Matches are Tuesdays during club hours.
getting off
the ground
you have, come down whenever and
with a running start.”
With the number of players avail- we’re always there to help and shoot
able, the pool team can finally run with,” Margavage said.
Ryan Foster, a sophomore meorganized tournaments monthly.
Next semester, the team hopes to chanical engineer major, commonly
schedule one tournament series per takes up the offer.
“I usually go down because evmonth with three brackets. Tournaeryone
is really chill and open to
ments will be played on Tuesdays
during club hours from 11 a.m. to 1 play with,” Foster said. “It gives me
something to do in my free time and
p.m.
Along with the tournaments come it’s always fun.”
Any students interested in becomprizes to the winners. The armature
bracket wins a $20 gift card, the in- ing a part of the billiards team can
termediate bracket wins a $25 gift email Mark Margavage and get set
card, and the bracket open to all re- up in a bracket immediately. Any
ceives a $30 gift card, each to place Wilkes University student is welcomed and encouraged to play.
of the winner’s choice.
The Wilkes pool team is open to
players of all skill levels.
@wilkesbeacon
“It doesn’t matter what skill level
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

Wrestling team opens up season 1-3
By Trevor Gilliam
Correspondent

The Wilkes University wrestling
team finished 19-4 overall in 201112 and the team has many strong returners that look to succeed in their
weight classes.
The Colonels were nationally
ranked at No. 11 in the country last
season and look to repeat that this
year.
“I really like our team this year,
the guys are improving everyday
are only getting better,” head coach
Jon Laudenslager said. He will be in
his 10th season at Wilkes University
with an overall record of 135-66-5.
Although the Colonels lost their

top wrestler last year, Anthony Dattolo, who was a two-time All-American, two-time conference champion
and national runner-up, the team
looks to fill his shoes with its returners.
The Colonels got off to a rocky
start with a record of 1-3 coming out
of the John Reese Duals at the Marts
Center earlier this month. However,
the team defeated Elizabethtown and
stands at 2-3.
The Colonels stack up pretty well
in with the other teams in their conference. With having a few veterans
return to the team, they look to the
young guns to step up and show that
they know what they’re doing.
Sophomore
Michael
Fleck,

has a career record of 37-9 in the
125-pound weight class broke the
single season all-time record wins in
a season and also a NCAA qualifier.
“This season will be a test for me
and the rest of my team,” Fleck said.
Junior Myzar Mendoza finished
fifth in the Metropolitan Conference Championships and looks to
succeed in farther than last season.
He finished with an overall record
of 28-8 in the 2011-12 seasons and
has a career record of 58-16 in the
133-pound weight class.

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

The Beacon/Dan Lykens
Jeremy Hartman, sophomore guard/forward, shoots for the
basket during the men’s basketball home opener against PSU
Hazelton. Hartman helped lead the front court with seven
boards. The Colonels won 68-61.

RosRo

Basile

Continued from Page 20
Why did you choose Wilkes and
how do you like it so far?
I chose Wilkes because it is a great
academic school. I also love the
campus and surprisingly the small
size. Mainly, I had the opportunity to
play basketball so I took it. I really
love it so far!
How would you define your success on the court?
I would say I’m a stronger defensive player than offense and no matter what I will always hustle on the
court no matter the score.
Where do you see yourself in five
years?
In five years I, hopefully, see myself
having a job that I enjoy every day.
As an upcoming freshman on the
team, how has the team welcomed
you?
The upperclassmen on the team are
amazing. I think they welcomed us
freshmen since the first day, and they
really made the adjustment easier.
They’re the best!

Is it hard adjusting from high
school basketball to college?
It was a little hard at first adjusting
to the faster pace, but I’m getting
used to it.
What is your team’s biggest goal
for the season?
I think our biggest goal as a team
is to win the MAC championship
at the end of our season.
What is your most memorable
moment in basketball?
My most memorable moment was
beating our rival school in districts my senior year. It was the
best feeling ever.
Who is your favorite basketball
player/team?
I’m not the biggest fan, but if I had
to pick the one, I’d say the Philadelphia 76ers.
What is a warm up song that
gets you pumped before a game?
“Give Your Heart A Break” by
Demi Lovato.

@wilkesbeacon
evan.willey@wilkes.edu

�17

THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

SPORTS

UFC on Fox: You’re doing it right, opens up future

Network’s free viewing is perfect venue to bring more recognition to sports top fight contenders
igree to get near the belt.
But when the cage locks behind him in December he will get to make his case as to how
close he is to wearing that belt.
Two veteran warriors
The ﬁnal ﬁght on the main card between
Mike Swick and Matt Brown is a match-up between two veteran warriors. They have a collective 26 UFC ﬁghts between them, so these
guys have been around the block for a while
and Swick has ﬂirted with title contention for a
few years before getting set back by more than

By Jake Cochran

Assistant A&amp;E Editor
More often than not, people will complain
that they feel like the free ﬁght cards feel just
like that -- ﬁghts they couldn’t charge people
to buy.
But with the upcoming UFC on FOX 5 card
in December and not to mention UFC on FOX
6 card coming up in January, the fans will be
getting something for nothing, something that
most fans would actually pay for.
The UFC on FOX 5 will feature a free title
ﬁght and two ﬁghts with possible title implications, and the fourth ﬁght is set to be an incredible barn-burner.
The free title ﬁght will feature the lightweights, defending champion Benson
“Smooth” Henderson and former Ultimate
Fighter Season 4 winner, Nate Diaz.
The lightweight bout came to fruition after
Henderson defeated former champ Frankie
Edgar for the second consecutive time at UFC
155. The challenger, Diaz, stamped his ticket
for the ﬁght after defeating Jim Miller at UFC
on FOX 3.
After a somewhat unsuccessful run at welterweight ending in a two-ﬁght losing streak,
Diaz is now back down to 155, a weight he
feels much more comfortable at and is currently on a three-ﬁght winning streak. Two of
the three wins came by stoppage in the ﬁrst
and second rounds, respectively.
Henderson on winning street
Henderson is on a ﬁve-ﬁght winning streak
since merging over to the UFC after losing his
title at WEC 53, the ﬁnal event in the promotions history. In the loss to Anthony Pettis,
Henderson made history as “the guy who got
kicked in the face by the dude that jumped off
the cage.”
Henderson made it a point to not let that be
the moment that would deﬁne his career and
has put on incredibly entertaining and dominant performance each time out since then.
With all of his wins coming by the way of
decision, Henderson has his ability to ﬁnish a
ﬁght called into question.
However of his last ﬁve opponents, not taking into account their ﬁghts after him, and
counting Edgar twice of Mark Bocek (9-4),
Jim Miller (20-3), Clay Guida (29-12) and
Frankie Edgar (14-2-1 and 14-3-1) with 112
total ﬁghts between the group, they have accumulated a record of 86-24-2.
While that statistic itself may not be incredibly astounding, of the 24 losses only eight
have come by the way of stoppage with one
of those stoppages belonging to Frankie Edgar
over Mark Bocek.
Winning by decision
So Henderson has not exactly been ﬁghting
people that are easily ﬁnish.
The reason this ﬁght is on free TV though is
because while Henderson and Diaz certainly
have the skill sets to make this ﬁght an incredibly entertaining ﬁght for hardcore and casual
fans alike. They don’t have the name recognition to push pay-per-view sales and typically
the lightweight belt.

just a few injuries.
Both warriors come into this ﬁght on a win
streak and a win over the other would put either ﬁghter back into the top 10 of an extremely
packed welterweight division, regardless of
who wins this ﬁght don’t count on it going the
distance as they have accumulated 24 wins by
stoppage.

@wilkesbeacon
jason.cochran@wilkes.edu

STUDY ABROAD
December showdowns
Henderson vs. Diaz
Rua vs. Gustafsson
Penn vs. MacDonald
Swick vs. Brown

Even though the title ﬁghts are often ﬁght-ofthe-year caliber ﬁghts, they never really did big
pay-per-view numbers even with the animosity
that Edgar-Maynard created, or even when it
was Penn-Edgar.
The ﬁght often needed a strong co-main
event and even was pushed to co-main event
itself.
So the UFC on FOX is the perfect venue for
this ﬁght, especially with the strong name backing of the next few ﬁghts. Former UFC Light
Heavyweight Champion and 2005 Pride FC
Grand Prix Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
is facing off against up-and-comer Alexander
“The Mauler” Gustafsson.
Then B.J. Penn will be doing his best Brett
Favre impersonation by going back upon his
retirement decision after UFC 137 to face off
against another quickly rising prospect in Rory
MacDonald.
Welterweight war
Finally rounding out the card will be a sureﬁre welterweight war of Mike ‘Quick’ Swick
and Matt ‘The Immortal’ Brown.
Shogun is making his return off of a one-sided thrashing over a very out-matched Brandon
Vera at UFC on FOX 4.
Rua is looking to ﬁnish this ﬁght and put
himself right back into line for a title shot at
205, while Gustafsson is looking to keep his
win streak going and get some more recognition with possibly getting his ﬁrst shot at the 12
pounds of gold.
The Penn-MacDonald ﬁght is the classic new
breed versus old guard ﬁght. Penn has held the
belt in two division in the UFC and is a shoe-in
for the hall of fame when they decide to call
his number, but that won’t stop “The Prodigy”
from making one last shot at the title.
“Ares,” however, is looking to get one step
closer to the title and put a win over Penn on
his resume. MacDonald is a training partner of
the current welterweight kingpin, Georges St.
Pierre and lost a close battle late to the interim
champ Carlos Condit, so he clearly has the ped-

GRAND PRIZE: STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF
CAN WIN ONE OF 3 FREE TRIPS ABROAD!
Sundance Vacations is offering the grand prize for each of the three categories: A fournight trip to Punta Cana in May or June 2013 with airfare departing from Philadelphia to
stay at Dreams Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic- all inclusive meals, drinks (for those
21 and older), transfers and taxes.

This contest is open to all Wi

Lgraduate students who have studied or are currently

studying abroad, Wilkes~national graduate and undergraduate students currently studying
abroad in the US, Wilkes faculty, graduate students and staff with any international travel

experience. Faculty and student essays wilt be assessed separately.

FOR DETAILS CONTACT: GODLOVE.FONJWENG@WILKES.EDU OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WILKES.EDU/ABROAD.

�18

SPORTS

s1·uoENI

1

TREPRENEIR
BUSIN(SS PLAN

THE BEACON |Nov. 20, 2012

sports Junkies!
Want to be more involved in Wilkes University athletics?
Want to earn credits while writing about Wilkes sports?

The Beacon needs sports writers
Writing for The Beacon
allows you to indulge
your passion for
sports, while you also
• earn credits
• improve your

tai~

Would you like to
experience
running a business?
Become advertising manager or an ad rep for The Beacon. You'll
have an opportunity to:
• develop and implement a business plan
• work with local businesses
• manage and train co-workers

• earn revenue for your organization
• earn a stipend toward your tuition
• develop a portfolio for your career

writing skills
• move into editing
positions that pay
tuition stipends
Contact The Beacon for more information about the
opportunities: 570-408-5903

FREE

QUOTES

�THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

SPORTS

Joseph Pugliese
Columnist

SCOREBOARD
Football
11/10 King’s - W 44-32

W-Soccer
11/11 Stevenson
(@Swarthmore) L 1-2 (OT)

Wrestling
11/10 Centenary L 15-24
11/10 New York L 16-18
11/10 SUNY Cortland L 18-19
11/10 Johns Hopkins W 28-6

WEEK AHEAD
M-Basketball
11/16 PSU Hazleton
11/20 Baptist Bible
11/25 Lycoming
11/28 Misericordia

W-Basketball
11/17 PSU Wilkes-Barre
11/20 Marywood
11/28 Misericordia

Wrestling
11/16 Elizabethtown
11/17 ESU Open

We have entered a new stage in the world
of sports. Social media have changed the landscape forever. Facebook and Twitter are bringing information to fans in an instant, and fans
know of scores, trades and injuries as soon as
they happen.
Almost all athletes now have Twitter accounts and Facebook pages that thousands of
people follow, and where they can post their
opinions and thoughts any time they want.
Who wouldn’t want to be retweeted by their
favorite athlete?
But is all of this a good thing?
Social media are very dangerous tools in this
day and age. Companies and employers now
comb through a potential employee’s pages in
an attempt to gain a better grasp on the candidate’s character and personality they cannot see in an interview. Social media also can
make news sources like newspapers and magazines almost extinct.
No one will go out and read about a sports
story from yesterday in the morning paper if
they already know about it from Twitter or
Facebook. Social media are a blessing to those
of this new technology ridden era, but it is the
worst nightmare for those who like old days
of listening to a game on the radio then reading about the rest of the world in the morning
paper, AKA my grandfather.
Social media are also dangerous for another
reason: Organizations no longer have control
over what the athletes say to the world. A Twitter account to an athlete is like having their
own media crew following them around their
whole life. In the past, athletes would need a
camera or a recorder around if they said something to get in the news. Joe Namath made the
only guarantee in Super Bowl history when the
camera crew sought him out that day, but now
Namath could make that guarantee on Twitter
anytime he wants.
Athletes can post anything at any time, like
frustration with their coach or other players on
the team. They can trash talk the other team.
They can say whatever they want. The problem is we are coming to a crossroads. Soon, organizations are going to ban their athletes from
using social media to the extent that they do.
While the athletes have the right to freedom
of speech, while under contract with an organization they can be held responsible for their
actions. Soon you will see clauses in contracts
reserving the right to terminate an athlete if
they use social media to paint the organization
in a negative light.
In the professional world if you say something to paint your company in a negative light
you can be ﬁred.
Why couldn’t this be the same in the sports
world?
Athletes are a reﬂection on the organization.
They wear their colors and represent them;
they should be held responsible for anything,
positive or negative, they say.

@wilkesbeacon
joseph.pugliese@wilkes.edu

FACE OFF

Almost everyone is on
Twitter these days.
Here are some top pro
athletes you can follow:
NFL:
Drew Brees - @drewbrees
Michael Vick - @mikevick
Chad Johnson - @ochocinco
Larry Fitzgerald - @larryﬁtzgerald
NBA:
LeBron James - @kingjames
Dwayne Wade - @dwaynewade
Dwight Howard - @dwighthoward
Shaquille O’Neal - @shaq
Kevin Durant - @KDTrey5
MLB:
Nick Swisher - @nickswisher
Brian Wilson - @brianwilson38
Justin Verlander - @justinverlander
Soccer:
Christiano Ronaldo - @christiano
Kaká- @kaka
Wayne Rooney - @waynerooney

Tweet us:

Send messages
and pictures to:

@WU_BeaconSports

Frank Passalacqua
Sports editor

Think back to around ﬁve years ago. The
days when Facebook was just starting to become popular, Myspace was still the “cool
thing,” and Twitter wasn’t even a word, let
alone an addiction for some people.
Today, we ﬁnd ourselves surrounded by a
social media news hub, making communicating easier than ever.
Look at today’s most popular athletes. Have
you tweeted at them to get them to reply?
Some people have, and some people are lucky
enough to have their role models actually acknowledge them and give them a shout out.
This is extremely cool, as it gives the fans a
personal link to see what the people they look
up to are saying or talking about to others. In a
way, it’s like we are reading their texts.
However, that can be a bad thing. There
have been numerous times where players
have been ﬁned for saying bad things about
the organization they play for, other players,
or even just tweeting their thoughts.
When Twitter ﬁrst came out, there were no
rules about Twitter anywhere to be found in
a player’s contract. Well guess what, players
now have to sign their name, acknowledging
a serious ﬁne or penalty if they tweet during
a game.
Back in 2010 when the Twitter phase was
starting to appear, NBA players Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire were ﬁned
$7,500 each for tweeting during halftime. In
the NFL, Chad Johnson was ﬁned $25,000 for
a tweet sent during a preseason game. What
has this world come to?
Sometimes, it’s not always what they say,
but what they show.
Micheal Beasely of the Minnesota Timberwolves was ﬁned $50,000 for posting a picture of himself with a bag of marijuana faintly
in the background. Granted he was in control
of an illegal substance at the time, he simply
just posted a picture of himself for his fans.
Let’s not even get into how many times
player’s accounts were hacked into and posted
offensive things, or sent out a tweet that was
supposed to be a text for someone personal.
Even though it is rather humorous, it is still a
problem the professional leagues have to deal
with.
Should athletes be ﬁned such a hefty
amount for tweeting during a game or ranting
on a rage? Personally, I say no. It’s silly to ﬁne
a player for posting a status on Twitter.
With that being said, players should take responsibility more for their actions. If you have
millions of fans that look up to you every day,
then don’t do something stupid or post something that will ruin your image.
Players represent their team and their organization, they are not spokesman for Twitter.
Leave them be.
However, I will go out by saying I do love
when athletes trash talk each other.

@wilkesbeacon
frank.passalacqua@wilkes.edu

�SPORTS

20

Getting to know...

THE BEACON | Nov. 20, 2012

Cara Basile
Freshman basketball player

BY EVAN WILLEY
Staff Writer

Wilkes University players are excited for the upcoming women’s
basketball season to start. Cara
Basile hails from Whitehall, Pa.,
and is undecided on a major,
but is looking into communications. Not only did Basile letter in
basketball all four years of high
school where she was team captain, also she ran cross country
and received the Scholar Athlete
Award. As a freshman at Wilkes,
fans will get to see Cara grow as a
basketball player-student during
the next four years.
How does playing basketball make you feel?
Basketball makes me feel happy. I love this sport.
When I am having a bad day basketball always
makes it better.
When did you ﬁrst realize you had a talent for
basketball?
Well, I started playing in third grade, but I think in
eighth grade I noticed I wanted to go somewhere
with it.
What position are you?
I love playing all over the court but in games I am
one of the guards.
What is your biggest motivation in life/basketball?
My biggest motivation is too not disappoint my
family and friends. I also would not like to take
anything for granted. Lastly, I always want to play
for one of my teammates in high school who passed
away from cancer.
What do you like to eat to fuel up before you
play?
I like to eat pasta or a sandwich before practice or
games.
Who were some of your role models growing
up?
I have always looked up to my mom and high
school coaches for basketball and also in life.
What is your major and what are you planning
on doing with that?
I’m currently undecided now, but I am really interested and looking at majoring in communications.

See Basile, Page 16

The Beacon/Laura Preby

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