Elizabethtown College was one of 10 vocal groups that competed at

Penn State University at University Park in the quarterfinals of the ICCAs on Saturday, Feb. 15. Two Elizabethtown College groups — Melica and Vocalign — were ranked the top two of the night and will proceed to the semifinals at Rut-gers University on March 29. Phalanx, Etown’s all-male group, fell just short

of advancing but received an unprec-edented standing ovation nonetheless.

“We think that we had the best per-formance that we have ever had, and we are so proud of what we brought to that stage,” Owen Howson, senior vice-president of Phalanx, said. “As we stood up and took our bow, we saw members of the audience giving us a standing ovation. This is something that is un-heard of at the ICCAs. We were by far the crowd- favorite. One member of the audience said to our music director that

all the groups were very good, but ‘you guys are the only group tonight I would pay to see.’”

“We made every single person know that this small 2,000-person liberal arts college can hold its own against 50,000-student schools. Were we bitter that we didn’t place first or second? Of course, but we are so proud of what we did and that both of the other Etown groups went on,” Howson said.

The Office of Marketing and Communications (OMC) at Elizabethtown College was recently presented

with several Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awards for its creative marketing work with multiple departments on campus, including the Office of Admissions, Office of Alumni and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS).

The College was awarded a gold in the “Creativity on a Shoestring” category for the “Tag You’re It” campaign, a bronze in the “Best Practices in Communication” category for the “Share Your Moment” campaign, a

bronze in the “Web Site: Student Recruitment” category for the redevelopment of the website for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies and an honorable mention in the “Illustrations” category for the 2012 Holiday Card.

The “Share Your Moment” campaign was run by the Office of Admissions. The project “was an effort to create a ‘moment’ for accepted students and encourage them to share that moment — as they opened their acceptance letters — on social media, with the #etown2017,” Debi Murray, the director of admissions, said.

Elizabethtown College’s occupational therapy

depar tment hosted the American Occupat ion-al Therapy Associat ion (AOTA) president, Vir-ginia “Ginny” Stoffel, from Sunday, Feb. 23 to Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Joanna Davis, Pi The-ta Epsilon (Occupational Therapy Honors Society) president, thought it would be academically-enriching to have the AOTA presi-dent visit campus. Davis contacted and worked with Stoffel for about six months to figure out the logistics of the visit.

The society raised money through fundraising and by requesting money from Student Senate to pay for various expenses, such as

housing, transportation and meals.

Stoffel was affirmed as president-elect at AOTA’s 92nd Annual Conference and Expo in Indianapolis in April 2012. She became president on July 1, 2013, for a three-year term. As president, Stoffel will chair the association’s board of directors, serve as an am-bassador for occupational therapy in the United States and internationally and work to nurture the devel-opment of the profession and its members.

Stoffel is currently an associate professor in the department of occupational science and technology at the University of Wiscon-sin–Milwaukee. Stoffel has co-authored the mental health text, “Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: A Vision for Participation.”

According to D av is , Etown has never hosted the AOTA president before. A few years ago, the PTE society brought Michael Iwama, an occupational therapist who created a new model of practice called the KAWA model, to campus.

Davis thought it would be a great idea to try and get Stoffel to visit and in-teract with the department’s students and faculty. Davis didn’t think it would be possible to get someone so important to come to Etown and was surprised when Stoffel accepted.

Students and faculty members were very excited to hear Stoffel’s views about the future of the profes-sion. The undergraduate students looked forward to spending time with her in a small-group setting and getting to know her on a

personal and professional level. As for the graduate students, they were inter-ested to hear her views and experience regarding being a new occupational therapist.

“She is a very influential woman in the occupational therapy community, so we are very excited to have this opportunity to get to know her a little bit,” Davis said. “As a new president, she has some great ideas for the future of the profession.”

On Sunday, Stoffel at-tended a meet-and-greet at Davis’ house with the PTE members. On Mon-day, Stoffel attended sev-eral classes, initiated group discussions, attended a faculty lunch and presented at Leffler Chapel and Per-formance Center.

The Scholarship and Creative Arts Day Committee has an-

nounced this year’s keynote speaker, Peter Buffett. Buffett will present, “Life is What You Make It: Coffee and Conversation,” a multimedia and musical event that incorporates his music and life story on Tuesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center.

The SCAD Committee chose Peter Buffett because of his ability to speak to multiple departments on campus. Buffett will use his own life story and experiences as illus-tration to ultimately convey that it’s one’s values and what we are able to give back to society that shape and define us as individuals. Each year, the committee attempts to choose a speaker who will speak to the “ethos” of Scholarship and Creative Arts Day

and appeal to a broad audience. It also seeks to balance disciplinary themes from one year to the next.

The keynote event provides a focal point for Scholarship and Creative Arts Day. According to Brian Newsome, associate profes-sor of history, “The purpose of Scholarship and Creative Arts Day is to provide a forum in which stu-dents can present their scholarly and creative work to the entire campus community.”

Thursday, February 27, 2014

The Etownianwww.etownian.com Vol. 110. Issue 15

FEATURES Female engineer shares experiences working in male-dominated field | PAGE 4 SPORTS Women’s basketball falls in MAC semi-finals to Falcons | PAGE 11

SCAD Committee declares Buffet as keynote speaker

Campus hosts economic symposium

American Occupational Therapy Assoc. president shares expertise

Benowitz, DePuydt share campus’ history in recently-published book

Depts. benefit from CASE awards

by ANDREW CALNON

by CAROLYN LUKIEWSKI

On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Elizabethtown College hosted the President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry Gene Barr, Senior Economic Analyst and Research and Policy Support Manager for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Paul Flora, Etown’s Associate Professor of Economics Sanjay Paul and Chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees James Shreiner. The panel discussed basic economic issues such as recovering from the economic slump in 2008 and how the United States compares to other nations economically.

Photo: Stephen Hajcak

Photo: www.etown.edu

by ANDREW CALNON

President of the American Occupational Therapy Association Virginia Stoffel visited campus and spoke with O.T. students and faculty members on Feb. 24 to share her professional opinions.

Photo: Stephen Hajack

by KARLEY ICE

A cappella groups top ICCA quarterfinals;Melica, Vocalign advance to semi-finals

by GWEN FRIES

Jean-Paul Benowitz wrote a book called “Elizabethtown College,”

filled with historical pictures of and information about the history of Elizabethtown College. The book was released on Monday, Feb. 24.

Benowitz, the director of stu-dent transition programs and the assistant director of academic advising, took advantage of the collection of approximately 3,000 digitized photographs in the High Library archives. “I thought a book about the images of the College would be an effective way to tell the history of the College,” Benowitz said. Arcadia Publishing, which specializes in historical photo-graphs and images, published the book. Benowitz wants people to have a better understanding of the College and its history, which can influence people even today. “It is important for all of us to put things into context and to be knowledge-able of the people and events which

have created the College we have today. The study of history can inspire us in our ongoing work and the mission of the College,” he said.

SEE CASE PAGE 2

SEE BOOK PAGE 3 SEE ICCA PAGE 2

Photo: Jean-Paul BenowitzBenowitz released the book “Elizabethtown College” on Feb. 24. The book illustrates the College’s history through short written text and photos.

SEE AOTA PAGE 2

Elizabethtown College’s Science in Motion director, Wendy Martin,

presented at the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Convention on Dec. 6, 2013. Her presentation topic, “Advancing Inquiry-based STEM Education,” was an overview of how Pennsylvania teach-ers can get involved in the STEM and Science in Motion programs.

The theme of the conference was “Engaging the Next Generation in Sci-ence,” and Martin integrated STEM into her sessions. “I’ve been involved with Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association for over 15 years, and I used to be on the planning committee. Every year I do a different presentation or I help plan the conference,” she said. The attendees of the conference from year to year can range from 300 to sometimes over 1,000 teachers.

STEM is the learning technique that allows for science, technology, engi-neering and mathematics to be com-bined together in the classroom setting. Instead of focusing on one subject at a time, the STEM program believes that students can be at their highest learning potential when they are integrated. One of the STEM concepts is the Science in Motion (SIM) program. Working from a state grant, 12 different branches of this program have been established across the state. Etown’s SIM program is one of the newest, starting around five years ago, but works with about 20 different school districts in the area.

SIM allows for teachers from high schools to borrow research-quality equipment from a distribution center. It doesn’t break their budget and allows students to get a hands-on learning experience. The teachers can provide a “wish list” of resources and equipment

that they would need for their class-room, and the most requested items are purchased and loaned from the distri-bution center. Martin is also a mobile educator who delivers the equipment and acts as a helpful aid.

Martin is in charge of getting the equipment that teachers need to the school, as well as helping them come up with new and innovative ideas to incor-porate into STEM. “I never know who is going to call me up. One day it might be a teacher who needs equipment or helping them think of ideas for a lab or procedure. It’s never the same,” she said.

Students on campus are able to participate in the Science in Motion

program. Etown students help her when dealing with equipment as well. “Elizabethtown College students, called tech preps, will help me. A lot of them are STEM majors, either biology or engineering. They help me to get labs and equipment ready, so it’s really a hands-on, real-work application for the Etown students,” Martin said. Not only do the students get benefits by being a part of the SIM program, but the Col-lege also reaps benefits as well. Since Science in Motion and STEM strive for high school students to move away from the textbook-style learning, the usage of actual equipment prepares the students for college.

Elizabethtown College’s Assistant Professor of Social Work Dr. Andy Dunlap recently had his article published in

the Smith College Studies in Social Work. His article, “Sup-porting Youth in the Coming Out Process: Theory-Based Programming,” describes the importance of having support-ive programming for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth.

“I am a social worker by training and before I got my Ph.D. and started teaching, I helped coordinate and provide services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth. I’ve been doing this kind of work since I was in graduate school for my master’s in social work (about 17 years),” he said.

Dunlap writes about how the social work field would benefit from the help of support groups, peer counseling programs, speakers’ panels and gay-straight alliances. “We don’t currently offer a class dedicated to social support for LGBTQ clients and people in the social work program, but I have taught such a course in the past and hope to create one here at Etown that may be part of the human services minor,” Dunlap said.

In his article, Dunlap writes that “coming out is a socially mediated transitional stage for same-sex attracted individuals. It is the process of acquiring a healthy sexual minority identity

and involves divesting oneself of a heterosexual identity and adopting a new, often stigmatized sexual identity. For most same-sex attracted individuals, negotiating the coming out process involves a tension between self-shielding from stigma and honesty in connection with significant others. The dy-namic between these two needs often delineates the pace at which a positive minority identity coalesces.”

According to the College’s website, “The department of social work at Etown takes to heart the College’s motto, ‘Educate for Service.’ From students’ very first social work class, they are out ‘in the field’ working with people through service learning.” Professors like Dunlap allow students to reach a new group of people, developing a broader audience in the social work major.

“Dr. Amy Milligan and I hope to use the theories and prac-tices outlined in this article to improve the campus climate for LGBTQ students at Etown and are currently developing a project for the 2014 – 2015 school year,” Dunlap said.

The importance of teaching social work majors about LGBT people is becoming more important as the world viewpoints change. In his article, Dunlap says, “same-sex attracted youth (younger than age 21) are most often the population concern when discussing the process of coming out and are the focus of this inquiry. Current research on same-sex attracted youth indicate that decreased social stigma has led to coming out at younger ages.”

February 27, 2014page 2 page 3February 27, 2014News News

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Student SenatePresident Carl Strikwerda and Board of Trustees Chairman Jim Shreiner address

recent increase in tuition, respond to Executive Cabinet letter, discuss money distribution

by LAUREN MERROTH

This past week in Student S e n a t e , P r e s i d e n t C a r l

Strikwerda and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jim Shreiner came to speak with us about this year’s increase in tuition. This presentation was in response to a letter drafted by the Executive Cabinet of Student Senate and sent to the Board of Trustees at their last meeting.

Shreiner wanted to first make it clear that the Board of Trustees t r ies to stay away f rom the management of Elizabethtown College. Their role is to judge the effectiveness of the procedures and to oversee the finances of the College. He also went over general figures of the board. For example, there can be a total of 42 members on the board, but there are currently 38 present at the meetings.

With regards to tuition, the key component is the College’s infrastructure; most of the Board is well aware of the impact and debt it takes to come to Etown. They evaluate the value of the degree versus the cost of tuition, and they believe Etown is a place that is well worth the investment. The Board also monitors the p ercent incre as e of tu i t ion

relative to academics and other experiences.

The letter sent by Student Senate outlined the possibility and benef its of a f ixed-cost tuition.

Shreiner explained that this type of tuition is fairly new within the academic community and that the Board will seriously consider it moving forward. However, when the tuition is locked in over four years, there must be a hard estimate for enrollment in those four years.

Accuracy is crucial to keeping the College afloat in that type of scenario. The positive side of this is that students can financially plan more ef f icient ly. Stress testing and risk planning of the College will be used to assess this tuition option. One point of this is to try to balance the services and items given to students in comparison to the price of tuition paid by each. In the future, there may be options between fixed and variable tuition costs, but those types of options will have to be explored.

In the tuition increase letter, one program that was highlighted as a reason for the increase was rea l world learning . S enior senator Kyle Farkas asked why some of these programs cost so much, and President Strikwerda

replied that a lot of the increase in tuition goes to financial aid first and foremost. The goal is to make the College as need-mutual as possible. Real world learning is more heavily invested in programs such as study abroad. There are also many smaller things that required a large sum of money, such as the new card access system, which will cost about one million dollars. There will also be improvements made to Nicarry Hall that will require high costs.

In addition, the reasoning behind the 4.5 percent increase was due to a three-year enrollment financial plan that was created in addition to looking at what other institutions are doing. They looked at what the built-in costs were, what the financial aid costs might be for the next couple years, how other costs are functioning (energy, healthcare, dining, facilities, etc.) and the cost of living adjustments.

The 4.5 percent increase was the projection the board came up with to meet the current costs and improvements that must be made. If students who attend the College are worried about their ability to continue attending due to the tuition increase, they may go to the financial aid office to seek help.

‘Smith College Studies in Social Work’ publishes Dunlap’s article Martin presents STEM and Science in Motion program ideas at local convention

Jays provide ‘Welcome Home Kits’ to homeless

ICCA PAGE 1

CASE PAGE 1

BOOK PAGE 1

by KELLY MOORE

by PATRICK SCOTT

by KAYLIN RUSSELL

This year, Elizabethtown College social work majors are involved in the “Welcome Home Kit”

program. The program is sponsored by Open Table Nashville, which, according to the organization’s of-ficial website, “is a non-profit, interfaith community that disrupts cycles of poverty, journeys with the marginalized and provides education about issues of homelessness.” Open Table Nashville provides furni-ture and assistance in the form of a “Welcome Home Kit” to individuals and families who are moving from the streets into housing. The social work students involved will travel to Nashville, Tenn. from March 1 to the 8 and stay in a church in Vanderbilt, Tenn.

The “Welcome Home Kit” provides the homeless with useful supplies. The supplies can include any-thing from dressers and couches to cleaning supplies. While in Tennessee, the students will volunteer at Thistle Farms and Open Table Ministries. One night they will cook dinner with together, along with help-ing them make their makeup products.

The agency Thistle Farms is a social enterprise run by the women of Magdalene. The women involved with the organization create organic bath and body products. Any purchase of Thistle Farms’ products directly benefits these women. It is a workplace where women obtain the skills they need to earn a living wage.

“I’m really excited to hear these women’s stories and see how far they have come,” sophomore Amanda Kiser said. “Since I am a social work major, this gives me an awesome experience to see what agencies like this can do and how they can help.” The women that are involved in these agencies have lives that are far from normal. Many have been homeless for quite some time, but they are looking to turn their situation around. Not only do these programs help during the process, but they provide hope to women who have been through so many various difficulties. The Etown students involved are willing to give up their own time to provide service to those who face challenges with the cost of living. Together, they give these women the help they need to prosper.

Admissions and OMC work together on about 80 percent of the communica-tion between prospective students and admissions. The officers meet bi-weekly to review different material designed for prospective and accepted students.

They also worked together to create a new and improved folder from which the students would receive their accep-tance letter. “Last year, we pushed the “moment” concept, and students seemed excited to share the very moment they opened their acceptance letters,” Murray said. The campaign has created a more significant amount of social media buzz among incoming students as they began connecting with each other even before attending Etown. Murray notes that the goal of the campaign was to create a sense of excitement among the accepted students, and she believes this goal has been reached.

“Tag You’re it” was a campaign run by the Office of Alumni Relations dur-ing Homecoming. The idea came from a brainstorming session involving OMC and the Office of Alumni Relations. This was the second year running it because of its tremendous success the previous year.

The Elizabethtown E-team, the Col-lege’s social media team, traveled the campus Homecoming weekend “tagging” individuals with blue stickers. On the stickers was information about the social media sites including URLs and hashtags. People were asked to tweet, Instagram or post on Facebook pictures or statuses us-ing the hashtags. Again, the goal was to generate social media buzz concerning the event.

“The ‘You’ve Been Tagged’ campaign has added a terrific dimension of inter-action and ‘audience participation’ to our Homecoming and Family Weekend festivities. It has provided a way for

participants and attendees to quickly and easily become part of the College’s documentation of the fun that was go-ing on throughout the weekend—all in real time,” Mark Clapper, the director of alumni relations, said.

The School of Continuing and Profes-sional Studies won an award for the re-development of its website. Etown faculty from several different departments, in-cluding OMC, ITS and the SCPS, worked together to create a smooth experience for potential and current students. Some staff helped to build the site itself, while others helped with design and content.

According to Barbara Randazzo, the assistant dean of Enrollment Manage-ment, the SCPS wanted three things from the new website. They wanted a clean and professional image, that displays the multitude of programs offered, encourage visitors to utilize the Contact Us option, which would drive more people to be in-troduced to Etown and offer content that visitors wanted as efficiently as possible.

“We have received very positive feed-back from our various stakeholders, including current students, faculty and prospective students. We are commit-ted to keeping the site up-to-date and refreshed with new student stories and positive messages about returning to school and accomplishing goals,” Ran-dazzo said. The new updates have driven additional traffic to the site — another goal and positive outcome of this project.

CASE is split up into eight districts distinguished by geographic region. Etown is part of District II, which is the largest district, comprised of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and West Virginia. District II holds an annual three-day conference in Baltimore, Md.

Senior Shannon O’Leary, the music director for Melica, ex-plained that the directors picked a piece of paper to determine their order in the show. As O’Leary had picked tenth out of 10, the girls in Melica had to wait at least two hours until they were even called to warm up.

“We had a lot of time to fill, so we ran our set, worked on some choreography and played some games I learned as a peer men-tor. We heard Vocalign perform while we were in the Green Room, and we were dancing and singing along as they performed,” she said. O’Leary recounted the mo-

ment Melica found out they had been awarded first place. “Half the group jumped up in the air, and the other half fell to the floor. Everyone cheered at the top of our lungs, and some even cried tears of joy,” she said.

After the competition, the girls in Melica received an invitation from President Strikwerda to have a celebratory dinner at his house along with the members of Vocalign and Phalanx. But Melica has taken no time to revel in their victory. “To prepare for Semi-Finals, we watched the video of our performance, reviewed what the judges said and critiqued

ourselves on how we can improve. We are keeping the same three songs for our set, and working to improve our choreography even more. We may tweak a few parts for additional effect to help us stand out against our upcoming competitors,” O’Leary said.

“The competition at Semi-Finals will be at a whole new level. We will be competing with the top two groups of the other Mid-Atlantic Region quarterfinals, so the talent will be even greater,” O’Leary said. “We’re going to give it our all, have fun and represent Etown the best way we can along-side Vocalign!”

Benowitz found inspiration for the book from President Carl Strikwerda’s inaugural address in 2011. “The best liberal arts programs have a morally rooted vision. A liberal arts education emphasizing the values of peace, human dignity and social justice is not a solitary pursuit. Excel-lence is almost always the prod-uct of a team effort,” Strikwerda said in his address from 2011. Benowitz reflected this theme in his book. “I wanted to tell the story of how this has been true in the College’s history, can be seen today and we can make it true in the future,” he said.

The research, writing, editing and selecting the photographs for the book took Benowitz an entire year to complete. Benowitz acquired most of his information

for the book from primary and secondary sources in the High Library, the High Library Breth-ren Heritage Room, the High Library Special Collections and Archives and the resources in the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.

Benowitz enjoyed most parts of the process of compiling his book. He particularly enjoyed the process of research, gather-ing information, taking notes, organizing ideas and developing and answering questions. He compared the process of writing his book to running. “The first mile is awful and then the rest of the time I absolutely love it,” Benowitz said. “Once I get into the writing mode, it just starts to pour out; all my research and thoughts come together in one story.”

Andy Dunlap recently had his article published in the Smith College Studies in Social Work. His article addresses the importance of supportive programming for LGBTQ youth.

Photo: Stephen Hajack

On Dec. 6, Wendy Martin attended the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Convention and presented on how teachers can get involved in STEM and Science in Motion programs.

Photo: Tyler Latshaw

Melica, Vocalign prepare for semi-finals

Benowitz retells campus history through photosDepartments benefit from

collaboration with OMC

Photo: Jean-Paul Benowitz“It is important for

all of us to put things into context and to be knowledgeable of

the people and events which have created the College we have today. The study of

history can inspire us in our ongoing work

and the mission of the College.”

-Jean-PaulBenowitz

AOTA PAGE 1

Stoffel addresses campusIn “The Centennial Vision for the

New Practitioner,” Stoffel addressed the AOTA goal, which is “to ensure that individuals, policy makers, popu-lations and society value and promote occupational therapy’s practice of enabling people to improve their physical and mental health, secure well-being and enjoy higher quality of life through preventing and overcom-ing obstacles to participation in the activities they value.” The occupational therapy department invited local practitioners and other occupational therapy schools to attend the presen-tation. Stoffel’s presentation provided these students and clinicians with a networking opportunity, as they were

able to speak with Stoffel after the presentation.

Davis believes Stoffel’s visit has had a positive affect on the occupa-tional therapy program because it has brought more awareness to the com-munity about occupational therapy. “I think it’s great to bring in influential people to the College, as it demon-strates Etown’s commitment toward scholarship and excellence,” Davis said. As the occupational therapy program continues to grow, the faculty and students will be able to tell pro-spective students about this event and explain the academic and real-world opportunities that Etown provides for its students.

february 27, 2014Featurespage 4Features page 5February 27, 2014

Female engineer shares experiences working in male-dominated field, encourages women to pursue scientific careers

“Most of us make our own stories, and I have a story,” Selma Wunderlich

stated to open her presentation “Glass Pipettes, Glass Ceilings: Women in the Sciences” on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Wunderlich began learning at a young age from her parents. “My mother began to teach me at two and a half,” Wunderlich said. Her father also instilled in her and her three siblings the importance of education and a love for learning. At the dinner table, her father would give her arithmetic problems, and he also took her to a mechanical institute. “That was, I think, what got me interested in science,” Wunderlich said.

Her love of science continued throughout her school years as well. “When I was in high school, I took almost every math and science course they had,” she said. During her junior year of high school, Wunderlich was asked to teach her trigonometry class when the teacher was away for three weeks. Wunderlich said that when the teacher came back, all the students performed well on a test given, which covered the material that Wunderlich had taught. The principal also suggested that Wunderlich study physics. “Girls weren’t taught physics in those days,” Wunderlich said, explaining that her all-girls school did not offer a physics course, and she would have to study physics at the

all-boys school. When Wunderlich spoke with the principal of the boys’ school, she was rejected. The principal believed she wanted to meet boys rather than study physics.

After high school, Wunderlich first attended Drexel University for accounting. “My father knew that I liked math, so he suggested accounting,” Wunderlich said. However, after her first year of college, Wunderlich left. “I found I didn’t like accounting. To me, it was more like arithmetic.” Wunderlich began working at a telephone company but said that she still wanted to study science if the opportunity ever came.

That opportunity presented itself when Wunderlich was told by her dentist about Chestnut Hill College, a college which prepared many students for medical school. Wunderlich said that because the college was a liberal arts college, students were required to take liberal arts courses for

the entire four years. However, by doing this, Wunderlich would not be able to take as many math and science courses that she considered to be critical. Wunderlich completed almost all the requirements in her first two years of school.

She was summoned to the dean’s office to be told that she would either have to take liberal arts courses for all four years or come back for a fifth year. Wunderlich responded, “Are you going to pay for my fifth year? I’m going to do it in the four years and do it the way I want.” Since then, she has been contacted by faculty of the college stating that students are now encouraged to finish their core courses the way Wunderlich did.

After finishing college, Wunderlich enrolled in a two-year program to become a staff engineer. She was one of eight women in a program and was taught by only male professors. Wunderlich was promoted to executive staff and started attending conferences.

At the first conference, she did most of the talking, and the chief of engineering called her into his office the next day to formally apologize. The men had expected Wunderlich to perform the job of a secretary and take the minutes instead of being more knowledgeable than most of the men. However, she wanted to be promoted. Wunderlich realized, “If I wanted to get ahead and be noticed, I should get more education,” she said.

Wunderlich began studying to earn her master’s degree in applied statistics and quality control at Villanova University. The program initially consisted of 50 people, and Wunderlich was the only woman in the group. She became the first woman to earn a master’s degree in applied statistics and quality control.

She said that the she was respected by the male students, and was one of seven students out of the initial 50 who graduated from the program. Wunderlich was still paid 30 to 40 percent less than the men in the same position. She then attempted to start a committee with the other women in her position to refute the salary difference, but none joined. “I became an activist committee of one. It didn’t work,” Wunderlich said.

After getting married, Wunderlich left her company. However, she still remains active in the alumni association at Villanova University. She added that every individual is gifted in some way. “It’s your responsibility to use those gifts, but you’re also responsible to share those gifts,” Wunderlich said.

by EMILY DRINKS

Gamer’s Club welcomes new members, hosts Mario Kart tournament

Th i s p a s t w e e k , Elizabethtown College

made way for a new club on campus. The recently-formed Gamer’s Club kicked off the spring semester with a video game-themed event. On Friday, Feb. 21, the club hosted their f irst event, featur ing a v ideo game tournament with Mario Kart games in Hoover.

The president of the club, sophomore Dante Weikel, assisted with a lot of the planning and development for the club. “The idea to start the club came when

some friends wanted to play larger-scale Halo games, especially with Grifball,” Weikel said. “We had to stick with two-versus-two matches or free-for-alls, and the thought has always been in our heads of getting a larger group of people to play with us and have fun.”

S oph om ore an d v i c e pres ident David Gal lop credited most of the creation of the club to Weikel. “He originally had the idea and has been the driving force behind the club,” Gallop said. “As for who helped, all of the officers have put a lot of work in to make this all happen.”

The Gamer’s Club was

founded for students as an escape during their stressful lives by providing an outlet t h r o u g h v i d e o g a m e s . “The goal of the club is to provide a relaxing, stress-free and fun environment on campus,” Weikel said. “The club typically has three rooms, and we will host casual gaming nights.” A few casual games, such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, Slender: The Arrival, Grand Theft Auto and Castle Crashers, were on the list for future events. “We will also do competitive tournaments, which might include games l ike Halo, Cal l of Duty, G oldene ye , Madden or BattleBlock Theater,” Weikel

said. For their first event, the

club hosted an evening of Mario Kart. “We had three generations of the game being played,” Gallop s a i d . “O ne w a s on t he Nintendo 64, one was on the Gamecube and one was on the Wii.” Weikel commented on the students’ interest and enjoyment of the first event. “It was definitely a great experience,” he said.

“We had a great turnout an d , a s f ar a s I k n ow, everyone had fun playing the Mario Kart games we had. It seemed like Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash were the most popular of the night, so we’ll

definitely keep that in mind for future events.” Gallop also said, “The participants all seemed to really enjoy the event, with different groups playing together and switching between game consoles.”

C o n c e r n i n g f u t u r e success of the club, both officers hope for knowledge of the club to spread. “I really hope the club will gain even more popularity in the future and possibly even collaborate with other groups on campus to put together some great events,” Gallop said.

In addition to garnering a larger club membership, the officers also hope to keep the club going for future students . “My goals for the club consist of having the club survive after we’re gone, gett ing this to be something a lot of people can enjoy for a long time,” Weikel said.

Weikel stated that the club appeals to students through many dif ferent mediums. “Video gaming has become mainstream,” Weikel said. “It’s become a full-on industry. To me, it’s the synergy of math, science and art and can be appreciated in a number of ways by anyone. I think this club can appeal to players

for the fun these games can cause, the re laxing atmosphere they can create, the pure adrenaline rush of screaming at your foes l ike a barbar ian as you exterminate them with a rocket-launcher. For the spectators, I feel like they get to witness an action-packed movie. Whether it’s Italian plumbers racing and throwing turtle shells at each other or cyborg humanoids blasting each other away, they get to witness all the action and socialize at the same time, which is another thing we want.” One of the goals of this club is to create at atmosphere where both participants and spectators that share an appreciation for video games can gather an alleviate stress.

The club has a few events lined up in the future for gamers around campus. “We’ll be hosting a buy-in Halo tournament, with two teams of four battling up the bracket for a cash prize. The Halo game will be decided the night of the tournament.

Te a m s c a n s i g n u p , but there will also be free agents.” The club’s Halo tournament will be held on Saturday, March 15, and there will be an event with Call of Duty and Goldeneye on Friday, March 21.

Photo: Stephen HajcakThe Gamer’s Club coordinated a Mario Kart tournament as part of the group’s kick-off event on Friday, Feb. 21. Some of their upcoming events include a Halo tournament on March 15 and a Call of Duty and Goldeneye tournament on March 21.

by KAITLIN GIBBONEY

Kreider Lecture features Professor of Rhetoric Vi DutcherDutcher visits campus, discusses importance of circle letter writing in Amish culture, community

On Feb. 20, Jeff Bach, director of the Young Center and

associate professor in the department of religious studies, welcomed Vi Dutcher to the Young Center as a guest lecturer with the simple statement, “Tonight’s lecture will warm your hearts.” Dutcher’s main focus of the night was the cultural impact and meaning behind a method of communication known as circle letters within the Amish community, particularly that of the Oak Glen Old Order in Ohio. Before diving into the matter, however, Dutcher gave a small overview concerning the practices and processes these letters entailed.

Dutcher explained that circle letters play an important part in Amish communities and help to achieve an overall sense of community within each town or county. Circle letters are typically written between women and are distinguished from other types of letters by the method in which they travel. A circle letter starts with one person who writes the first letter and encloses a list of women who wish to be included in the circle. The names are numbered so that a formal structure is followed as each letter moves from one woman to the next, starting with the first woman, then the second and third, etc. The letters follow this circular pattern until they make a “full circle” and arrive back to the first woman on the list. The letters are then discarded and a new circle letter is begun, sometimes with one or two women either being added or

taken off the list. Circle letters are taken very seriously

within the Amish community. If a woman neglects her circle letter duties, she may be forcefully removed from the circle letter altogether. Amish women take pride in not letting a letter “sit long” and, as Dutcher stated, “neglecting a letter is neglecting a friendship.” Although circle letters are taken quite seriously, there are a few exceptions in which a woman may neglect her letter duties. Understandable reasons for not responding to a letter promptly are illness within a family or an abundance of garden work.

Although there are many strict rules and procedures involving circle letters, they are not a private practice within the Amish community. The letters composed within a circle are written with the intention that they can be read by all who wish. Some women even will leave their recently-received letters somewhere in their home where friends and family may read them without asking permission. Letter topics include those related to personal health, weather and daily life events in a diary-like structure. These letters are written among aunts, nieces, sisters and friends, making them more of a social presentation than a formal one. “Communal rules for letter writing are constructed within the context of relational dynamics,” Dutcher said.

Letter-writing is an important part of the Amish community and is needed to keep strong communal bonds dictated by the church. While writing is valued by both men and women, women are chosen to write by the church. Their duty includes

sending out personalized letters to those in the community suffering from illness or simply needing a small piece of encouragement thrown their way as issued by the church. The Amish women do this enthusiastically and genuinely, spending entire days creating personalized cards and messages to send to such members of the community.

Along with letter writing, many

Amish women partake in other forms of writing. These include poetry and news writing as the most common practices found within Amish communities. As Dutcher stated at the end of her lecture, “the writing practices are communal means to communal ends.”

Dutcher is a professor of rhetoric and comprehension at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), where

she teaches writing courses as the director of the university’s writing program. Before teaching at EMU, she taught writing courses on women’s studies at Kent State University and other courses at The University of Akron and Cuyahoga Community College. At EMU, Dutcher continues her research of community literacy practices with particular focus on Amish and Mennonite communities.

Photo: Stephen Hajcak

As part of the Kreider Lecture Series, Vi Dutcher spoke in the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies on the importance of circle letter writing in Amish culture. Dutcher stated that letter writing is an essential practice to keep the Amish community connected and continue holding strong bonds.

by KAYLEIGH KUYKENDALL

“It’s your responsibility to use [your individual gifts], but you’re also responsible

to share those gifts.” ~Selma Wunderlich

“Video gaming has become mainstream. To me, it’s the

synergy of math, science and art and can be appreciated

in a number of ways by anyone.”

~Dante Weikel

Features page 6February 27, 2014

Travels Abroad: Discovering

With an array of interesting clubs and groups to join, events to participate in and numerous trips to sign

up for, it is not hard to list all of the fun opportunities we benefit from as Blue Jays. Aside from all of that, another important aspect of college life that many students partake in is working on campus. At Etown, there are almost always openings for jobs on or near campus that students can apply for. This makes it easy for students to have the opportunity to be a part of their college community in a different way, and it also helps them make some extra cash. This is not only a convenience for some students, but it can also serve as a way of life for others. It helps to build work experi-ence, create opportunities to make new friends and develop leadership skills.

When I decided to study abroad in the United Kingdom for a year, I was told that I needed to apply for a student visa, since I would be studying and living in a different country for more than six months. Through this process, I was told that my visa would also allow me to work a maximum of 20 hours a week, if I would like, and if I was able to find a job. I was told that the chances of getting a job anywhere inter-national were slim to none. This was hard for me to believe.

At Etown, I have had the opportunity to apply for and work for multiple positions in Dining Services and the Of-fice of Student Activities (OSA). Regardless, I went into my trip thinking that it would be nearly impossible to be able to find a job as easily as I could at Etown.

To my surprise, I found it was much easier to find job opportunities as a student than I originally thought; many were willing to hire me. The University of Gloucestershire has a student website with a wide range of information for students, including job openings, both on and off campus, that is similar to Etown’s. Through this website, I was able to get a job with an agency called STA Travel, which was a short walk from my dorm.

STA Travel is the world’s largest travel organization, whose main audience is students wishing to travel around the world. I was hired as a campus brand manager and was

paid to promote several campaigns on campus by distribut-ing flyers and posters, as well as interacting and engaging with students at my university.

Working for STA Travel was an extremely rewarding experience. I was able to work as a student in the United Kingdom and further develop my skills in promotion, pub-lic speaking and leadership. Most importantly, I was able

to meet and converse with hundreds of different people, adults and students alike, in the United Kingdom. Not to mention, I was paid well through working with the com-pany and, therefore, was able to save more money towards traveling and experiences throughout my stay in the United Kingdom. I could not have asked for a better experience in the workplace while studying abroad.

by JAZMIN DEJESUS

Photo: Austin Whitlock

Bitkoff speaks on meditation, prayer through practicing Sufism

Author Stewart Bitkoff presented his reasoning behind his writing and insights into Sufism at Bowers Writers

House on Friday, Feb. 21.Sufism involves the individual’s reaching toward the

completed person through exercises, such as meditation and prayer. The completed person will have an extra level of spirituality added to them, which will help the person in all other aspects of life. “The outcome of all these added capacities is to help and serve others,” Bitkoff said. Sufism has also been referred to as the religion of the heart. “We were taught that the heart was a mirror,” he said. “We were to wipe it clean.” After wiping the heart clean, the inner light would be visible and, according to Bitkoff, the light should be sent out to others.

Consciousness is a primary focus in Sufism. The spirit and soul comprise the consciousness. The goal of Sufism is to master the conscious, thereby mastering the thought processes. Bitkoff explained that people cannot prevent themselves from thinking what they consider bad thoughts, but they can control the length of those thoughts. People can stop themselves from entertaining thoughts for longer than

they choose. Instead, individuals learn to open their minds to new thoughts and ideas.

Sufism believes that a person can reach enlightenment; however, this will not come in one moment. Instead, this will be a gradual process. The ultimate goal is to be a person who buys and sells, eats and works in the world on a daily basis, but whose heart is in the other realm. The process of achieving enlightenment begins with exercises, one of which is meditation.

Most individuals have heard of meditation before and attempt it in order to find peace. However, not everyone can meditate. “Some people can’t meditate. I couldn’t meditate,” Bitkoff said. Meditation is not completely essential, though. Bitkoff explained that meditation is just one exercise out of many, and individuals should find exercises that work specifically for them.

Bitkoff did not originally gravitate toward the Sufi lifestyle. He was born Jewish and raised in Manhattan, N.Y. He stated that religion meant nothing to him. However, he studied psychology in college and, while working with those who suffer from mental illnesses, realized that part of any healing and joy involves a spiritual aspect. Bitkoff began studying Sufism at a school in New York and a second school later

on, both of which helped him as he began following the Sufi way of life.

While studying Sufism, he realized that he needed to be a writer. He began writing at the age of 19. “I discovered in a very dark moment that I could write poetry,” Bitkoff said. His initial poems focused on teenage angst; however, while studying at his schools of Sufism, Bitkoff began to have dreams in which beings in white robes would read books to him. These dreams became especially significant because, according to Sufism, the majority of spiritual learning occurs during sleep and dreams. Bitkoff said he also felt physical discomfort if he did not write. “It was this urge that kept pushing [me]. I had to write,” he said.

The first topic Bitkoff wrote about was his commute. Each

day he commuted one hour and 15 minutes to work, via a highway that many others funneled into each morning. The commute helped Bitkoff realize that thoughts create a person’s reality, and Bitkoff learned to have neutral thoughts toward his daily commute.

“If spirituality was going to work for me, I needed to test it out in that environment,” he said. He learned strategies to minimize the craziness of his morning commute, such as making a checklist when leaving the house. He also followed his training of seeing what was actually in front of him and reacting, rather than facing the commute every morning as a negative task. Bitkoff began praying during his commute as well. Sufis teach that the heart is always praying. According to Bitkoff, he needed to reach the level of consciousness in which he could recognize this aspect of the heart and actively do it. Meditation was also another activity Bitkoff performed while driving. He remarked that his friends had told him he looked like he was in another zone, and Bitkoff stated that he reached even greater consciousness through this morning commute.

Bitkoff ’s books include “The Ferryman’s Dream,” “A Commuter’s Guide to Enlightenment” and “Sufism for Western Seekers”. The books address ways to benefit an individual in everyday life and reach a higher level of consciousness.

by EMILY DRINKS

Photo: Stephen HajcakWriter Stewart Bitkoff poses for a photo after his discussion at Bowers Writers House on Friday, Feb. 21. Bitkoff ’s lecture focused on Sufism, its spiritual insights and how it has influenced both his personal life and his writing.

“The outcome of all these added capacities is to help and serve others. We were taught [as Sufis] that the

heart was a mirror. We were to wipe it clean.”

~Stewart Bitkoff

If you like the idea of learning differential equations in a zebra-print onesie, online

school may sound like a dream. How about never having to sleep with your eyes open while others are finishing their presentations? One of the best qualities of online classes is that they enable students to set their own pace. Also, an online course’s content is, in most cases, entirely accessible. Perhaps most importantly, the kid who taps his pen behind your desk isn’t there. But what’s the price of learning in a zebra-print onesie?

Online courses are for visual learners. In high school, I took Advanced Placement (AP) Art History online, and the online aspect matched the content. Art is visual, and each work of art was presented in its full color online. To me, it was great to have access to the art at any time, not just during a certain class period or in a textbook’s dulled color.

However, discussion-based courses are not fun in an online format. Posting to

asynchronous discussion boards limits students, because by the time someone responds via an online discussion board, the momentum of the initial thought is lost. Having a group discussion online can

be slow and aggravating, especially since tone of voice doesn’t come across in writing. Italics only do so much! Even when they are used, there’s no way of telling whether someone is using a word sarcastically or not.

Many of my friends back in Florida didn’t like the idea of working on the computer alone. Frankly, it isn’t perfect — not even for me, an introvert. I missed interacting with other students and a teacher whose face I could recognize. I often did work more efficiently without distractions, however pleasant those classroom distractions might be, but that situation could mean depression for someone else. It really depends on personality. Of course, if an extroverted person is extremely motivated to complete a course online, he or she can make it work. It is definitely something that can be done, although it is probably not the most satisfying course option for social butterflies.

What about technical problems? Since the class and its content are online, don’t computer issues ruin the entire learning

experience? That certainly is a valid concern. Maybe computer issues drive people to frustration when it comes to online courses, but I think this concern can be applied to homework in a traditional course experience as well. Most of our actual work is done online, and computer problems can easily hinder our getting stuff done. As part of a college culture, we primarily type our essays and conduct our research online. Whether or not the computer malfunctions doesn’t make a difference, because much of the homework component of both online and traditional courses is in a Word document or EBSCO.

In my case, my schedule’s flexibility was worth the annoyance of computer problems. I could take a job in the afternoon and plan to do my homework around that schedule. Being able to take a test whenever I wanted took some of the intimidation factor from the teacher and gave it to me. It made me feel independent. At the same time, I wished that someone else told me what was best to do when. With online school, my learning was on my shoulders. It was my own responsibility as well as my own burden. If my academic performance was lacking, it was because of me.

The good thing about online courses is that they allow students to contact their teacher in different ways. Some instructors prefer texting, while others prefer that students give them a call or join a Blackboard session to discuss a problem. What’s even more essential than how teachers communicate with their students is that they respond to students’ questions. Physically going to class several times per week forces the instructor to acknowledge a student’s questions. If that student were to ask to meet with the professor via telephone, the question may not get answered before an entire week passes. It’s just another thing to consider.

My main point is this: the price of pajamas depends on what you’re willing to pay. If the cons seem trivial to you, online school is probably worth the risk. If not, say goodbye to zebra-print!

When I went to my f irst i n t e r v i e w , I w a s

understandably nervous. It was a volunteer posit ion for the Democratic Party’s Reelection Committee during the Oct. 2012 election season. I felt like I was burning, sweating bullets from the humidity that was so thick you could collect it in a bottle. I had combed the room 15 times: dull gray walls, water-stained and asbestos-made ceiling tiles with florescent lights that shone like the sun on the Mojave and a secretary who was taking tallies every time I gulped. She reached 38 by the time I was led into the manager’s office.

In the office, a sweaty, balding man donning a moustache and glasses fit for Ronald Reagan – the man who would be my manager – sat behind his desk. Pictures of Jackson, FDR, JFK, LBJ and Obama – as well as some minor Virginian politicians – stared at me as I shuffled to my seat. He looked over my résumé, and then, with a smile and folded hands, asked me the question I hope no one ever asks of me: “So, tell me more about yourself that I haven’t gotten from this résumé.”

It ’s a p anick ing quest ion . Humility is a form of pride where I’m from, and to talk about yourself is not only bad etiquette, but also a form of bragging which leads to hubris. To talk about oneself is something that is so often deflected that when one must do so for a job, the feeling is similar to digging a ditch with a grapefruit- spoon.

I tried my best, but after three sentences, I was forced to deflect to my résumé to save myself the embarrassment and possibility of not gett ing the job based on that embarrassment. I was hired as a telemarketer for the Committee to campaign on behalf of the President, our current junior senator, Tim Kaine, and Representative of the 11th District of Virginia Gerry Connelly, all of whom won their elections.

During the entire election, the most pressing thing on my mind regarding the interview was not why the place smelled like frogs or why the people hated telemarketers or why the coffee, even if freshly made, was ice-cold; it was this: why did I panic?

There is no logical answer. I’m not the best person in the world, but I haven’t committed any genocides or hate crimes recently, so I don’t think I’m the worst either. Going into an interview, we expect our résumé to say everything for us. How we’re educated, where we’ve worked before, what we do for our communities, how to contact us; it even conveys qualities that we have already said about ourselves. The best part of it? It’s prepared. Every word is calculated, every bit of ink is placed just right on the paper. There’s no stumbling with writing, no “ummm”s, “err”s or “I don’t know”s. If there is an error, it is either edited out or strategically placed. We tell as much as we need and hide what we don’t.

Interviews aren’t like that. The employers do this to make sure you mess up. While this sounds cynical, it is a fact. If you misspeak

and then correct it, it can show that you’re going to correct mistakes in work. If you release information that you wouldn’t on your résumé – either because it’s irrelevant, like how much you watch Glee, or it’s a quality you didn’t want them to know, like that weekend you streaked across campus – it shows that you might release sensitive information.

I n l i f e , e s p e c i a l l y i n a n individualistic country like the United States, we are forced to express our strengths. A major

problem with this is that the question posed by my manager is too big. It overwhelms people. It re wards w ho e ver i s most self-confident, not who is most qualified. I’ve met many people who are far smarter than me but quiet, shy and extremely reserved; furthermore, I have met a lot of people who will willingly talk about themselves, but it’s a miracle that they can get the circle block into the circle hole.

Here at Elizabethtown, we take an oath: the pledge of integrity,

a pledge to be honest citizens. If we are honest, there’s no reason to panic, because the employer will see that; however, the fact of the matter is that there’s a certain degree of hubris involved with interviews so that someone can be the alpha and get the job. What do we do when humility isn’t a form of pride? When being modest will land you on welfare? What happens if we’re so paralyzed by the fear of rejection that our mouths don’t move?

Brag. You haven’t a choice.

Opinion page 7February 27, 2014

What are your plans for spring break?

Compiled by STEPHEN HAJCAK

theSound Off

“Spend time with my family.”

Heidi Isaac ’16

“Sleep as much as possible.”

Miranda Sweetman ’17

“Going to Maryland with friends.”

Joshua Swint ’17

Success with job applications, interviews necessitates braggingby VINCENT MCGONIGLE

Photo: Tyler LatshawAt Elizabethtown College, just like at any other institution, those interested in obtaining coveted on-campus jobs and outside internship opportunities require a strong resume and solid interview skills.

Online classes, cyber school bear equal amount of positives, negatives

by TIANA FERRANTE

“It really depends on personality. Of course, if an extroverted person is extremely motivated to

complete a course online, he or she can make it work. It is...probably not the most

satisfying course option for socialbutterflies.”

Individual need for social interaction plays large role in effectiveness of online classrooms

Something that seems to be growing in-creasingly prevalent in Core and WRI

courses –– most of these being housed within the English department –– is the utilization of peer editing exercises. If used properly, peer editing helps you in two ways: You the Writer receive feedback that escaped you while you were actively invested in the writing process, and You the Reader become hyper-sensitive to every nuance of the writing process, which in turn will help you upon revising you own work. On top of that, sometimes students find it easier to relate to one another or at the very least, find it easier to relate to one another, mak-ing peer editing a less stressful experience in comparison to a one-on-one paper confer-ence with a professor who you don’t know very well. Unfortunately, though rooted in

good intentions, I often find peer editing to be one of the most frustrating experiences of a semester.

I think we can all share a collective face-palm at the mentioning of group projects. We all hate them, and we all know how it goes: the overachieving partner who wants to meet four times a week, or the partner you’re not entirely convinced is actually enrolled at the college judging by his attendance in the class. And then there’s you. It might not be your favorite class, but hey, you’ve got a job to do, so you might as well bite the bullet and get the work done. It’s a train wreck, but at least you’re forced to work together due to a common stake in the grade. Now, peer editing is kind of like taking all of the parts of group projects that make you want to cry, and removing the smidgen of responsibil-ity you feel towards actually assisting your fellow human being: “Oh yeah, I forgot to bring your draft to class today, I’ll just email

you my notes if I remember later tonight, or tomorrow or some time.”

Granted, a lot of the time the aforemen-tioned disposition comes hand-in-hand with core-level classes that half of those enrolled don’t care for at all. They’re there because they have to be and their attitude reflects that. Another scenario that involves peer editing comes with creative writing courses, which more often than not garner more en-thusiasm than required courses. Contrary to those courses is that you run into students who like these courses. Like, really, really like them. You’ll be able to spot them on the first day of class during introductions: “I’ve been writing since before I can even remember. I mainly dabble in poetry –– Keats is such an inspiration –– but sometimes I pick more eclectic modes you probably haven’t heard of …” These people are terrible. Enthusiasm is wonderful and infectious, viewing your work as the second coming of Shakespeare is another thing.

What it comes down to in both of these situations is the presence of overwhelming ego. Whether you’re selfish to the point that you’re not giving a classmate the time of day to help them or that you’re unwilling to listen to any feedback on your short stories, ultimately mean the same thing: you’re too

concerned with yourself and what you think to take other people into consideration. And furthermore, it perpetuates the psy-chic barriers already in place across campus among students –– the “me-first” attitude that should be anathema at a school which has a motto centered around service (which even then often doesn’t focus on the micro, interpersonal, everyday experiences in the classroom).

Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes peer editing is great. If anything, it’s a neat trick a professor can use to promote in-class participation or conversation between indi-viduals who wouldn’t normally cross paths or intellects. If anything, sometimes I just appreciate seeing a particular topic presented by a student in a way I’ve never thought of, especially in Core classes that include plenty of non-English major students who don’t think the way I’m accustomed to. And that, at the core, is the goal of an interdisciplinary, liberal arts approach to education: bring-ing people from different areas of interest together, exchanging ideas and viewpoints.

Unfortunately, when it doesn’t work, it illuminates a problem that is growing more noticeable –– intellectual apathy. It’s sort of like a collective “meh” from across the cam-pus. Students aren’t interested in other stu-dents’ pursuits; if its not directly pertinent to your major, or, more importantly, if it won’t lead directly to skills easily transferable to a workplace experience while at or after college, it’s not worth it. So, peer editing’s success or merit can only be measured on a student-by-student basis. Some people want to make it work, others don’t see the point. Sadly, the latter group will most likely pass through college and graduate no worse for wear, so, it comes down to a personal choice. It comes down to the question of whether you favor seeking interconnectivity between all of your academic pursuits here at college, or if you prefer the streamlined system that follows the classroom to workplace trajec-tory. One is definitely better than the other, but what’s good and better isn’t always re-warded for being such.

Like the end of almost any other class period,

you throw your notebook, textbook and writing utensil of choice into your back-pack while half-listening to the professor’s closing remarks. You briefly glance at the homework listed on the board as you leave the room. Are you going to complete the assignment by the time your class recon-venes in two days? Probably not—the professor made the homework optional. One less thing for you to do and you’re totally okay with that.

For the majority of stu-dents, optional homework assignments typically equal no homework at a l l . So why should professors even bother assigning optional homework? Depending on your major, you might not receive a single optional homework assignment dur-ing your time in college. Certain majors , howev-

er—mathematics being a prime example—depend on repetition and constant practice in order to master the concepts being taught. Naturally, a student in such a class should expect to receive homework at the end of every session. Are professors ultimately cheat-ing their students by making homework optional, thus removing the necessity for students to complete the assigned work?

Optional homework is not necessarily a waste but

can backfire if it is imple-mented carelessly. A profes-sor who frequently makes homework assignments op-tional runs the risk of ap-pearing lazy to his or her students—after all, non-mandatory assignments do not have to be graded. A lazy attitude from the pro-fessor will be met with an even lazier response from a classroom full of college students. Certain situations do exist, however, where optional homework benefits the class as a whole.

Students of multitudi-nous majors, backgrounds and skill-sets enroll in core classes at Elizabethtown College. Considering the broad range of subject area aptitudes among the stu-dents taking a core class, optional homework works well in such a scenario. That way, students who have taken significantly harder classes than the core class in question—in the same subject area, of course—will not be bored to tears with

menial, mandatory home-work assignments. Those who struggle with the ma-terial, on the other hand, might benefit from giving the optional homework a whirl. This strategy, though, assumes that students are willing to do the optional work should they struggle with the material. College students taking charge of their own learning? Incon-ceivable! Optional assign-ments give us exactly what they suggest: an option. Think you’re good to go

on the course material? No extra work for you. Bombed that last test in the class? Maybe you shouldn’t have skipped over that assign-ment. You do as much work as you care to. No one can blame you for your choice.

Homework should ul-timately benefit students’ learning—otherwise, the assignment is just another number in the gradebook. Students who take the time to do the optional work need some way to check their work, whether that is through an answer key, class discus-sion or some online resource. This may seem like common sense, but it is still an impor-tant consideration. Graded homework is returned with marked errors and, some-times, corrections. If a pro-fessor chooses to make an assignment optional rather than graded, he or she has robbed students of a learning experience if they have no way to check their answers.

In a similar vein, a student loses the chance to receive credit for his or her work when an assignment is made optional. If a student has a strong grasp on class mate-rial throughout the semester, professors forgo a valuable means of assessing that stu-dent’s understanding by not issuing grades. As such, if the bulk of homework assignments from a class are deemed optional, there should be another method in place to periodically assess students’ understanding. Occasional quizzes work as a viable way to gauge students’ learning as the semester goes on. I can think of as many

people who enjoy quiz-zes as there are windows in Nicarry (hint: not very many), but I think most students appreciate more grades than just a mid-term and a final. From a future teacher’s stand-point, professors need to keep tabs on how well stu-dents are absorbing and synthesizing the material long before exams hit the desks. Homework grades often fill this role. And at the college level, under-standing the material is—justly or not—reflected by one’s grade in each class. Optional assignments sound too good to be true until you consider what often replaces that homework category in the gradebook: some other kind of periodic assess-ment.

So do I like optional assignments? In concept, I don’t. I dislike the idea of being asked to do work that will go un-credited, regardless of whether or not I actually do the work. At the same time, I under-stand the value of option-al assignments in more difficult majors, where eschewing those practice problems is like a death sentence. The benefits of doing optional homework are purely intrinsic. Non-mandatory assignments certainly have a place in the classroom, but only when utilized appropri-ately and carefully by the professor. Otherwise, that homework might as well be graded or simply not assigned at all.

My first impression of E l izab ethtown

College was a beautiful one that left its mark like a postcard in my mind. I first noticed the school shortly after relocating to Etown, as my boyfriend and I were riding our mud-splattered mountain bikes home from the Conewago Rail Trail on a sunny April day.

“Look,” he shouted back to me, nodding over his shoulder in an offhand manner. “There’s the local college.”

I hadn’t been in town long and had no idea it was big enough to house a col lege! As we biked up College Ave. toward Campus Drive, we passed Lake Placida and took in the gorgeous cherry blossom trees which weeped petals of snowy white and rose onto our upturned faces.

Stowing this stunning image away in my mind, I soon began driving the long way home from work simply to pass the campus and breathe it in. Wheels were turning in my head; I was curious. “Does it really make sense to go back to school at 32?” I questioned myself. “Can I do this? Do I want to?”

Months later, on a whim, I parked my car in front of the admissions office and asked for a tour. A hospitable senior walked me through the halls of Nicarr y, up the heated steps of the High Library and past the swimming pool, all the while gushing about Emotion auditions and sushi in something called “the Nest.” And he gave me a free carrot cake with buttercream frosting. Score!

This was my second impression of the college but my first with members of its community, and it was just as pleasant.

Taken with the campus’ beauty and the friendliness of the staff and students in the admissions office, I was sold. I took a deep breath and enrolled as an English major.

In the two years since making that leap, those excellent first impressions

of the school have only been enhanced. I’m often taken aback by the approachability of the students, who never hesitate to offer directions to an unfamiliar corner of campus, instructions on how to scan documents in the library or where to go when the printer in the Baugher Student Center (BSC) runs out of paper. As they pour out of the BSC between classes, students and staff alike go out of their way to smile and hold open doors for the people behind them.

In a school the size of Etown, many of those faces now seem familiar. The people in the English department have become a family to me, comprised of some of the most talented students and brilliant professors I’ve ever had the privilege to learn from. I’ve absorbed much more than simply the proper way to write a news release and how amazing the experience of unlocking Shakespeare’s plays can be – I’ve witnessed true compassion and discovered, by example, the ability to appreciate life, no matter how trying it can be. And the kindness extends beyond the classroom to the campus bookstore , maintenance, counseling services and every department in between. There will truly be a void in my heart come May.

At 34, I know that people and places come into our lives for a reason: to help us grow to our fullest potential by means of valuable life lessons, some excruciating and others magnif icent. Etown came into my life at a time when I was feeling like a spinning compass. That first positive impression while riding up Campus Drive stayed with me and led me down a path of growth and camaraderie I couldn’t have imagined two years ago. Since taking a chance and seizing that opportunity, I’ve been blessed with new chances for growth every day, in recently-learned m ar ke t ab l e s k i l l s , f re s h connections and newfound confidence. Remembering the impact Etown made on me—right from the start—I’ll continue to put my best foot forward in life. Inspired by experiences at Etown, I’ l l strive to make positive first impressions of my own.

Because first impressions are powerful things.

Well, we are at that time of the semester again; that’s

right — early warnings. Hopefully you were fortunate enough not to receive one. If you did, try not to worry about it too much. You have some time to pull that grade up. This came as a surprise to me, because I never really thought about it before; only classes of the 100 to 200-levels are eligible to re-ceive early warnings. I was always under the impression that you could receive an early warning no matter what the class level was, but clearly that’s not the case. So here’s the question at hand: is this fair?

All students, no matter what course level they are in, should be held accountable for their own grades. We’re in college now and we are adults; we need to keep after ourselves. However, I don’t agree that early warnings should only get sent out to 100 and 200-level classes. While higher course num-bers can signify that the course will be harder, that doesn’t mean that a 100 or 200-level class is any less challenging.

The way I see it, the higher the course number you are in, the closer you are to your desired ma-jor or minor. With this in mind, I personally would feel more pres-sure to do my absolute best and want to know how I am doing in those classes, because they are preparing me for my future career. Yes, keeping track of your own grades yourself is important, but

just out of consideration, profes-sors should let you know how you are doing.

Professors have their own tech-niques and ways of doing things. This means that they each tend to grade differently. I know I’ve had my fair share of professors who don’t weigh a test grade as heavily as a project.

So what if it’s the beginning of the semester and you do a terrible job on a test? It’s only worth five percent of your grade. You con-vince yourself that you’ll just make it up on the project. But wouldn’t you want to know exactly how much more effort you have to put in for the rest of the semester as opposed to simply guessing?

I get that the first test in a class is hard, and it can be frustrating when you studied so hard and it doesn’t seem like it paid off in the end. The next thing you know, you get an early warning and it might be really discouraging, but that doesn’t mean you should just give up. I think that early warnings are kind of a saving grace in a way. I mean, if you think about it, they can be like a wake-up call.

Now I don’t know any first-years who are taking or have taken a 300-level class their first spring semester. But I personally could not imagine having the pressures of being in a higher level class and then not knowing how I was doing in that class. All of that lies on top of adjusting to a whole new level of academia.

I think, to some extent, we can all agree that school is stressful

the way it is, so why should we be burdened with the additional fear that we are not doing as well as we would hope? The ultimate goal should be to do as well as pos-sible and to be able to keep track of your own grades to the best of your ability.

However, I think that all aca-demic grading standards should be the same. If 100 and 200-level classes give out early warnings, then 300 and 400-level classes should as well. Students have the right to know how they are doing by checking their own records with

their professors’ records. It only happens twice a year and

it may be a stressful time wait-ing to see how you are doing, but remember, it is only twice a year. Early warnings are not the end of the world. There is time to get that grade up; you just have to try.

page 8 Opinion February 27, 2014 page 9OpinionFebruary 27, 2014

PUT YOUR RECORDS ON

On the Turntable: Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Rating: Add some fresh, easy-listening indie folk to your “get stuff done” playlist

If I’ve said it once, I’ve likely said it a thousand times: user-generated music playlists posted online, especially on websites like 8tracks, are a great way to find new music. I use 8tracks frequently to find indie bands because of its unique capability to stream music not posted or recorded in the United States. You would be surprised how limiting the Internet is on our side of the pond when it comes to trying to download or stream the music of many smaller, European-based bands. It was on one such music-venture that I uncovered Benjamin Francis Leftwich. His name was intriguing enough to capture my curiosity, but it was his music that caught my attention.

Leftwich, 24, originally from York, England, began honing his musical abilities at the age of 10. He grew up listening to The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, both of whom he lists as his early musical influences. Leftwich released his first extended play (EP), “A Million Miles Out,” in 2010. As his musical reputation grew, Leftwich continued putting out new music: another EP, “Pictures,” debuted in 2011. However, it was his July 2011 full-length album, “Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm,” that caught

the attention of music critics and recording studios. The Fly, a UK-based music magazine, called the album a “majestic debut.” Last Smoke is soft-spoken; Leftwich’s voice has the quality of smoke rising off water. The power in his songs is derived from short, entrancing lyrics loaded with emotion and infused with reflective questions. His song “Pictures” hangs in the air with these haunting lyrics:

“If you crash a car into your best friend’s house,Would you be quiet as words came out of their

mouth?Stop, don’t do it, I have been waiting for it,Stop, I knew it would come.” While not all of his songs are as hard-hitting as

“Pictures,” Leftwich’s music does lean lyrically more towards self-reflection and social commentary. Leftwich’s ability to fingerpick on guitar gives his songs a music box-like rhythm, in addition to a full orchestra that gives the songs depth.

Leftwich and his band have performed around the UK in addition to their brief North American tour last year, with stops including the Black Cat nightclub in Washington D.C. and World Café Live in Philadelphia.

by ALEXA VISCARDI

Genre: Acoustic, Indie Folk

Early warnings serve as effective wake-up call300, 400-level classes should not be exempt from early warnings

by ABIGAIL PISKEL

Success of peer editing depends entirely on personal outlookby ANDREW HERM

Senior reflects fondly on first impressions upon entering college

by GINA KURTZ

The Etownian

The Etownian is the student newspaper of Elizabethtown College. All editorial decisions are made by the student editors. With the exception of editorials, opinions presented here are those of quoted sources or signed authors, not of the Etownian or the College. For questions, comments or concerns about a particular section, please contact the section editor at [section-title]editor@etown.edu.

If you have a story idea, suggestion, or if you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please do so to editor@etown.edu.

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Editorial Policy

Editor-in-Chief | Jill NorrisManaging Editor | Sarah Kennedy

News Editor | Andrew CalnonFeatures Editor | Kaitlin GibboneyOpinion Editor | Matthew Walters

Sports Editor | Adam MoorePhotography Editor | Stephen Hajcak

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Photo: The Mind of a Child Blog

Optional homework assignments only aidlearning when executed properly

by MATT WALTERS

“Optional assignments give us exactly what they suggest: an option. Think you’re good to go on the course

material? No extra work for you. Bombed that last test in the class? Maybe you shouldn’t have skipped

over that assignment.”

Photo: Stephen HajcakPeer editing is required of students in classes of all different disciplines. Whether peer editing proves meaningful or a waste of time depends on student attitudes and egos.

“Unfortunately, when [peer editing] doesn’t work, it illuminates a

problem that is growing more noticeable —

intellectual apathy. It’s sort of like a collective ‘meh’ from across the

campus.”

The Elizabethtown College Men’s Lacrosse Team won its season-opener against the United States

Merchant Marine Academy at home this past Saturday afternoon. The Blue Jays built a 4-0 halftime lead and scored five fourth-quarter goals to win 10-4.

The win is the first under new head coach Drew Delaney. Etown (1-0) had two-score games from junior Russell LeClair, sophomore Jimmy Waters and first-years Jason Clough and Nick Specht. Senior captain Craig Hunsberger and first-year Mike Specht also tacked on goals in the six-goal victory.

The Jays played a solid first half, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the opening seven minutes. The Jays scored one more goal with seconds left in the first quarter to make it 3-0. They then went up 4-0 midway through the second quarter. Junior goalie Chris Wenger stopped the six Mariner shots that came his way before halftime.

The Mariners got onto the scoreboard in the third quarter with a goal from Phil Walker but was answered by Hunsberger later in the period. Etown pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring five of its ten goals.

Etown outshot Merchant Marine 36-26 and converted 90 percent of its clears (18-of-20) in the win. First-year Matt Rucci won 8 of 14 face-offs for an Etown team that held an 11-7 advantage at the circle on the afternoon. The Blue Jay defense hounded Merchant Marine’s attackmen all afternoon, resulting in 26 Mariner turnovers. 11 were caused by Etown,

including three from Nick Specht and two each from the starting defense of juniors Matt Frey and Jason Kelley and sophomore Jake Snyder.

Coach Delaney was slightly uncertain about many factors going into the game. “With all the snow and ice on campus, we were only able to get out on a field six times over the course of a month. We lost out on our pre-season scrimmage, so we really lacked in-game experience,” he said. However, he believes that the coaching staff used “creative ways in preparing the team” and “was very pleased with the win.”

Hunsberger thought that the home opener was a success for the Jays, saying that the team “played as a cohesive unit. The defense played great, giving the offense many chances to score.”

Next week’s game is against Neumann University. It marks the first of four consecutive away games for the Blue Jays, and Delaney is looking to use the opener to the team’s advantage. “Saturday’s game will serve us in a lot of ways,” he said. “The film will be a great teaching tool to reinforce some of the concepts the staff has introduced. But I also think the win validates to the players all the work and preparation that went into the preseason. Hopefully, it will also illustrate how important that preparation is for every opponent we will face.”

The Blue Jays look to continue their season this Saturday at Neumann University in Aston, Pa. This second of three non-conference games is a warm-up for their match against No.1-ranked Stevenson on March 12.

The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) may be looking to merge with the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)

in an attempt to gain recognition for the indoor game.The main figurehead behind the push for this merger is

Baltimore Blast owner Ed Hale. Even though the Blast have one of the highest attendances in the MISL and have won multiple championships in recent years, Hale is wary of the league’s sustainability in the future.

The merger would combine the seven-team MISL with the 20-team PASL, making for a more competitive and lucrative enterprise heading into the future.

A large portion of the PASL’s teams are based out of the western half of the country. This reconfiguration of leagues would help grow the indoor sport across the United States.

One barrier that teams like the Blast will have to overcome is their partnership with their parent company, the United Soccer Leagues (USL). The MISL’s contract with the USL will expire in early April, and all signs point toward no renewal.

An attempt at a merger had occurred in the past, but with little coming to fruition. Talks on the merger may reconvene once the league’s contract expires.

This is the type of change for indoor soccer that we may look back on one day as the deciding factor for the success of the sport. This merger needs to happen so that the sport can grow into a sustainable entity rather than just a side job for many of its athletes.

Many, if not all, players in both the PASL and MISL have full time jobs on top of playing professionally. These athletes play for the love of the game, rather than the paychecks. These are the types of athletes who should be rewarded for their hard work.

As it stands right now, the MISL’s seven-team league is not that competitive. Both the Blast and Milwaukee Wave are hands down the best teams in the league. For the sport to grow nation-ally, the league must become more competitive. The merger to create a new 27-team league would make this a possibility.

Elizabethtown College’s track and field teams returned to Susquehanna Univer-

sity on Saturday to compete in their last meet before the Indoor MAC Championships this upcoming weekend.

Senior Lucas Dayhoff took first place in the weight throw with a throw of 14.95m (49’0-3/4”). Junior Andrew Khela, also competing in the weight throw, took eighth place out of 18 other throwers with a throw that measured in at 12.48m (40’11-1/2”). This throw was three feet farther than his previous throw and gave him a fourth place spot on the indoor top ten list. Senior Kevin Brady took first place in pole vault with a jump of 4.40m (14’5-1/4”) and qualified for the finals in the 60-meter hurdles. He ran 8.99 to give him fourth place.

Another first-place finish for the Blue Jays went to first-year Max Mahan, who jumped 1.88m (6’2”) in high jump. Mahan also com-peted in long jump and received third place with his 6.23m (20’9”) jump. This jump gave him third overall at the meet and ninth on the program’s all-time list.

Racing the mile was sophomore Zach Tra-ma, along with first-years Andrew Lesko and Jon Anderson. Trama crossed the finish line in 4:31.88, giving him third overall. Lesko finished in 4:37.19 and Anderson finished

just .64 seconds after Lesko with a time of 4:37.83. Lesko and Anderson finished in ninth and tenth places, respectively.

Junior Dan Gresh and sophomores Sam Cooper and Ryan Conway all competed in the 3k. Gresh placed third with a time of 9:05.07, and Cooper and Conway crossed the finish line in 9:15.98 and 9:22.54, re-spectively, to give all three runners a top-ten place on Saturday.

The women’s team also had an eventful day at Susquehanna University. First-year Alexis Groce set her second school record this indoor season. She already held the 500m dash record and secured the 400m dash record on Saturday. Her time of 1:00.12 placed her in third overall at the meet. An-other promising performance going into MACs was from senior Monica Loranger, who took first overall in pole vault with a jump of 3.20m (10’6”). She also competed in high jump and took eighth place overall with a height of 1.52m (4’11-3/4”).

The distance runners had a successful day on the track as well. Senior Megan Tursi raced the mile and finished in 5:21.83, earning her ninth place on the all-time list and first overall at the meet. Second to cross the finish line in the mile was junior Amelia Tearnan in 5:27.77. Senior Amanda Kerno finished in 5:29.12 in fourth place, with first-year Liz Wedekind in seventh at 5:34.41. First-year Casey Quinto came in

ninth place in 5:41.65. Senior Traci Tempone took first place

in the 3k with a time of 10:11.23 First-year Samantha Gehly took sixth in 11:20.74 and senior Elaina Nellis placed eighth overall, finishing in 11:26.09. Senior Eileen Cody finished the 5k in 19:27.82, giving her a second-place finish. First-year Samantha Zarzaca placed sixth in the 5k with a time of 21:09.93.

On the field, first-year Amanda Porter achieved a new personal record in the shot put with a throw of 11.24m (36’10-1/2”), giving her third overall. Senior Eileen Kro-szner took sixth place overall with a throw of 10.94m (35’10-3/4”).

Both the men and women’s track and field teams will be competing in the Indoor MAC Championship meet this weekend at Lehigh University.

The Elizabethtown College wom-en’s basketball team wrapped up

their regular season at Albright Col-lege by defeating the Lions 71-49 on Saturday afternoon. The victory was the Blue Jays’ 14th conference win of the season and 20th overall. The 20 wins are the most for the program since the 2000-01 season. With the win, Etown locked up the number two seed in the Commonwealth Conference Playoffs, guaranteeing the Blue Jays at least one more home game this year.

Lebanon Valley College grabbed the number one seed in the playoffs, while Messiah College, Stevenson University and Lycoming College took the third through fifth seeds, respectively.

In the game against Albright, soph-omore guard Rachel Forjan led the Blue Jays with a game-high 20 points on nine of 11 shooting from the field. Senior forward Taylor Kreider was the only other Blue Jay in double-figures with 14 points and nine rebounds. Every player scored for Etown, as the bench combined to score 15 points for the Blue Jays.

A tight first 10 minutes of the first half turned into a blowout, as Forjan

scored Etown’s final five points to lead 47-26 at halftime. The Blue Jays’ defense was a big reason for their comfortable halftime lead and ulti-mately their 22-point victory. Etown held the Lions top two players to 11 points and forced Albright to com-mit 23 turnovers, which the Blue Jays turned into 29 points.

Etown entered the playoffs win-ning five games in a row in its final season as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference before making the move to the Landmark Confer-ence next season.

“This team has so much chemistry that we can go as far as we believe possible. Obviously the goal is to win a conference championship, and to make it to NCAAs would be fantastic,” Forjan said.

The Blue Jays come off a week of high emotion with Kreider’s 1,000th point, senior day and the 1,000th program victory occurring in less than a 10-day span. “To be a part of the 1,000th victory is awesome, and it shows how successful our program has been,” Forjan said.

The Blue Jays hosted the third-seeded Messiah College Falcons last night in the semi-finals of the Confer-ence Playoffs. Etown played very well in the confines of Thompson Gym-nasium this season, winning nine of

their 11 games at home. Both offenses struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, as Messiah shot 30 percent to Etown’s 27. The Falcons owned a 26-20 halftime lead, taking advantage of 10 Blue Jays first-half turnovers.

After the break, the Falcons sec-ond-half surge gave them a lead they never relinquished, defeating the Blue Jays 64-51. Etown’s leading scorer, Kreider, scored 14 of her game-high 22 points in the second half. Kreider

also grabbed 11 rebounds in her final collegiate game.

Senior Kendra Beittel scored six points and fouled out to a standing ovation in her final game. First-year Krissy Pennell played an outstand-ing game for the Blue Jays, scoring 10 points and grabbing four steals while playing major minutes in place of Forjan who was saddled with foul trouble. Forjan finished the game with six points, all in the second half.

Messiah moves on to face Lebanon Valley College in the Commonwealth Conference Championship game on Saturday in Annville, Pa. The Blue Jays’ season has slim hopes of staying alive after a 20-5 season. An at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament may be possible.

An emotional Kreider left the game to a standing ovation with 13 seconds left on the clock; an ovation that lasted almost a minute in length.

Elizabethtown College’s women’s lacrosse team fell short this past week after losing to Dickinson College on

Tuesday and Messiah College on Saturday. The Blue Jays remained scoreless in their loss to Dickinson when they were defeated 18-0 at Biddle Field. First-year Addie Stang recorded the first goal of the season for the Blue Jays dur-ing Etown’s 18-1 loss to Messiah.

First-year goalie Beata Palosz made seven saves against Dickinson, but the Red Devils opened up an 11-0 lead en route to handing the Blue Jays their first loss of the season.

The Red Devils (1-0) scored within the first three min-utes of the game when Caroline Clancy found the back of the net. Clancy, Catie Ledwick, Sophie Waine and Maddy Siebold each scored twice, and Dickinson built a 10-0 lead by the 10:35 mark of the first half. Clancy completed a hat trick right before halftime, and Siebold added to her four-point afternoon in the second half.

Palosz stopped five of 12 Red Devil shots on goal in the second half.

Dickinson held a 38-2 shot advantage and won all 20 draws. Etown was 6-of-18 on clears, including 3-of-8 in the second half.

The Blue Jays were restricted to just two shots on goal. One attempt was from first-year Kasey Scully, and the other attempt was a shot from first-year Becky Graessle.

Etown’s Assistant Coach Linda Delany learned from this first game of the season that the Jays need to improve in some skill areas, but she explained how the team has a realistic grip on their team goals and the players have a great attitude to help them be successful. “Our main focus is for the girls to enjoy playing lacrosse with one another,” Delaney said. “It is exciting to see how far the team bond-ing has come along, and I know it will only get stronger as we continue our season.” Additional goals this season

are for the players to become more competitive, improve their athleticism and work on their stick skills. 

The Blue Jays faced Messiah on Saturday in Grantham, Pa. and Etown already began to show improvement since facing Dickinson. Although the improvements did not show on the scoreboard (18-1), the game was still a sign of progress, since the Etown roster has minimal experience in playing together.

Liz Keeney and Shayna Delaney finished with hat tricks for the Falcons. The Blue Jays generated eight shots on goal and earned five free position attempts.

Sophomore midfielder captain Dana Robidoux won three draws and Scully won two. Etown took 8 of 20 draws, varying tremendously from the Dickinson game when the Jays left without a single draw.

Messiah was able to spread out its scoring amongst the team with 11 players scoring at least one point. Carly Ba-jus, Claire Stikeleather and Courtney Farlling each scored two goals, allowing five Falcons to record multiple goals.

Palosz made five saves in 51 minutes for Etown before sophomore Leah Nissley came in to relieve her. Nissley stopped a single shot by the Falcons in the final nine minutes of the game. Messiah goalie Sarah Dolan earned the win with four saves in 48 minutes.

Graessele had a strong game, picking up a game-high five ground balls for Etown, causing a turnover and con-tributing to one of the team’s eight draw controls.

Sophomore captain Briana Rogers said that the first game was a big learning experience for many of the girls on the team. Due to the inclement weather, the Dickinson matchup was the first time many of the players had an opportunity to play on a field together. “Our main focus is on the fundamentals and technical skills,” Rogers said. “Therefore, in practice, we are making sure we are a tech-nically sound team that can play with consistency.”

Etown will be back on the field March 5, where the Blue Jays face Rutgers-Camden at 4 p.m. in New Jersey.

SportsFebruary 27, 2014 page 11Sports

in Etown athletics...The men’s basketball team ended its season on Saturday when it fell

to Albright College 73-64.The women’s basketball team finished the regular season by defeat-

ing Albright College 71-49. The women hosted a conference semi-final game last night against Messiah College and fell to the Falcons 64-51, ending their season.

The men’s lacrosse team opened up its season with a 10-4 victory over the Merchant Marine Academy last Saturday.

The women’s lacrosse team fell for the second time this season with a final score of 18-1 at Messiah College.

The men’s track and field team saw eight of its competitors finish third or better in individual or relay events at the Susquehanna Open on Saturday.

The women’s track and field team had first-year Alexis Groce break her second school record of the season in the 400-meter dash at the Susquehanna Open.

in the pros...At the NFL Combine, former Kent State University running

back Dri Archer ran the 40-yard dash in 4.26 seconds, falling just short of NFL running back Chris Johnson’s record of 4.24. Also at the Combine, former South Carolina University defensive end Jadeveon Clowney ran a blistering 4.53 seconds in the 40-yard dash, the fastest by any defensive lineman.

Sunday’s NASCAR Daytona 500 race was delayed six hours be-cause of inclement weather, but when the race finally concluded, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came out victorious. It was Earnhardt’s second Daytona 500 victory of his career. Dale’s father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., died in a crash at the Daytona 500 in 2001.

Days after signing with the Brooklyn Nets, Jason Collins became the first openly-gay athlete to play in one of North America’s four major professional team sports. He played 11 minutes in a 108-102 win over the Lakers on Monday night.

in the NCAA...For the first time since the 2007 season, the Florida Gators are

the number-one team in the AP Top 25 Poll that was released on Monday. The previously undefeated Syracuse Orange, which was last week’s number one team, lost twice to Boston College and Duke University. It dropped to the fourth spot in the poll. Syracuse University is the first number-one team since the Texas Longhorns in 2010 to lose twice in the same week. Wichita State University is the only undefeated team left in Division I and moved up one spot to number two in the rankings.

Creighton University’s senior forward Doug McDermott passed Alfredrick Hughes for tenth on the NCAA all-time scoring list in college basketball. McDermott, who sits at 2,917 career points, is in striking distance of catching Danny Manning and Oscar Rob-inson by the season’s end. Robinson is the NCAA’s eighth all-time leading scorer.

page 10 February 27, 2014Women’s basketball falls in MAC semi-finals to FalconsFoul trouble haunts Blue Jays; team finishes final season in MAC conference with 20-5 record

Baltimore Blast Owner Ed Hale is attempting to have the MISL merge with the PASL in an effort to expand popularity.

Photo: Baltimore Sun

by ADAM MOORE

Indoor soccer leagues merge for growth of sport

Youthful women’s lacrosse team falls to Dickinson, Messiah in first games of season

Photo: Athletics DepartmentFirst-year women’s lacrosse goalie, Beata Palosz, made seven saves in her first game in a Blue Jay uniform against Dickinson College. Palosz followed up this performance with a five save effort against Messiah College on Saturday.

by KELCI SCANNAPIECO

by BRIAN LUKACSY

The women’s basketball team lost in their final game as a member of the Commonwealth Conference, 64-51, to the Messiah Falcons last night. However, an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament is still possible.

Photo: Athletics Department

Blue Jays outplay Merchant Marine Academy in first game under Delaney

Photo: Athletics Department

Junior Matt Frey and the Blue Jay defense played a major role in Etown’s victory, 10-4, over the Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday. In the contest, Frey had three ground balls and two caused turnovers. The Blue Jays will head to Aston, Pa. on Saturday to face-off against Neumann University at 1p.m.

Track and Field teams prepare for MAC Championships at Susquehanna

First-year Max Mahan was the third Blue Jay to win in an individual event this past weekend at Susquehanna University. Mahan won the high jump with a height of 1.88m.

Photo: Athletics Department

by AMANDA ROBERTSON

by KYLE FARKAS

Seniors Dayhoff, Brady take first place in respective events, look to continue success Saturday

Despite getting double-doubles from senior Andrew Mantz and junior Lee Eckert, the

Elizabethtown College men’s basketball team didn’t have enough left in the tank in the second half against Albright College Saturday afternoon, when it lost its final game of the season by a score of 73-64.

With the win, the Lions, who were leading by nine at halftime, nabbed the Commonwealth Conference’s final postseason spot.

Mantz, playing in the final game of his colle-giate career, scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. The senior also pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds in the loss. Mantz finished his Etown career with 943 points and 621 rebounds.

Along with Mantz, seniors Ryan Borzager and Joe Schwalm concluded their Blue Jay careers on Saturday. Borzager finished with four points on the day and Schwalm was able to grab a pair of rebounds in the contest.

Eckert finished the game with 13 points against the Lions to go along with his 10 rebounds and two assists. The junior will be relied on to become even more of an offensive threat as the Blue Jays look towards the 2014-15 season.

Another junior who will be looking to con-

tinue his offensive success is Phil Wenger. The captain ended with a game-high 14 points for the Blue Jays, along with three assists and three steals.

Etown led for much of the game’s first half on the backs of Wenger, Mantz and Eckert. But with the stakes high, Albright turned up the pressure to ensure a playoff berth. In the end, the Lions (13-12, 9-9 CC) were too much to handle for the Blue Jays.

Albright turned to its top offensive threats, first-year Josh Marquez and senior Kyle Jordan, to get the Lions going in the first half. Marquez and Jordan combined for 11 points in a 14-2 run to put the Lions ahead 34-23 with only a few minutes left in the first half.

Marquez ended the game with a career-high 20 points. The first-year missed just one of the eight shots he took and knocked down six of seven free throws on the day. The tale of the tape was at the free-throw line. The Lions earned 28 trips to the foul line in comparison to Etown’s 15 attempts at the line.

Jordan, determined to keep his college career going, scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds and had five assists to help the Lions get past the Blue Jays.

Even though the Blue Jays out-rebounded Albright by 15 and had 20 offensive boards,

Etown could not handle the Lions’ major offensive threats. Etown shot 42.6 percent, and the Blue Jays were able to turn those extra opportunities into 17-second chance points but could not keep up with Marquez and Albright.

Head coach Bob Schlosser and Etown completed their final season in the Com-

monwealth Conference with an 8-17 overall mark and a 5-13 record in the MAC. Next season, the Blue Jays will compete as a first-year member of the Landmark Conference. With a large number of contributors return-ing for next season, look for the Blue Jays to bounce back to their winning ways.

One of the biggest signings of the off-season was the New

York Yankees’ pickup of Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka for a reported $155 million over seven years. Some base-ball analysts have expressed skepticism at the amount of money being given to the pitcher, who previously has only pitched in the Japanese league. He was 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in Japan in 2013. Yu Darvish, a Japanese pitcher for the Texas Rangers who entered the MLB in a similar manner, publicly stated that he thinks the Yankees gave Tanaka too much money. 

Another new addition to the Yan-kees, catcher Brian McCann, has been quoted as saying that Tanaka is “as good as advertised.” His split-fingered fastball has dazzled the players and coaching staff.  “His motion’s com-pletely the same as his fastball, and that’s the key to getting swings and misses,” McCann said of his splitter.

Tanaka is not the only big signing for the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers also inked McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran to multi-year deals. Former Yankee Robinson Cano, however, signed  a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners, who made a splash of their own in the off-season.

The National League East is ex-pected to be dominated by the Wash-ington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves. The Nationals have a great starting rotation that includes star pitchers Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman. They also have a fairly deep lineup with players like Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond, Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth. The New York Mets are getting better and could be a contender. They added Bartolo Colon to their starting rotation, and they have a pretty solid infield led by starting third-baseman David Wright.

The Philadelphia Phillies are not expected to be very competitive. They have an aging starting rotation and, during the offseason, have added older players to their roster, including

39-year old Bobby Abreu, who last played for the Phillies in 2006.

The American League East should be very competitive. The 2013 World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox, could very likely be the team to beat in the AL East in 2014. The Tampa Bay Rays avoided arbitration with starting pitcher David Price and re-signed him to a multi-year deal. The Yankees hope that Tanaka can add a big kick to their starting rotation. If Ellsbury performs as well as his contract indicates, they could find themselves playing postsea-son baseball after missing the cut last season. The Orioles have a deep lineup, which could easily lift them to the top of the division. They signed starting-pitcher Ubaldo Jiminez to a four-year deal. Their signing of power-hitting, outfielder Nelson Cruz could add a spark to their offensive lineup as well. It would not be too surprising to see the Orioles at the top of the AL East come the end of the regular season.

The central divisions in both leagues are pretty straightforward on paper. The NL Central should be the St. Louis Cardinals’ division to lose. Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina will lead a team that made it to the World Series in 2013 only to lose to the surging Red Sox. The Cards have a deep, firm system that should be able to pick up the slack in case of injuries. The Pittsburgh Pirates will look to follow their first postseason birth in 20 years with another shot in the playoffs, but they will have their work cut out for them in a division with the Cardinals. 

The AL Central should be domi-nated by the Detroit Tigers, who have an outstanding pitching trio in Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez, as well as arguably the best hitter in the major leagues, Miguel Cabrera. As far as predictions go, the Tigers seem to be a lock for top of the division.

The west divisions are not so cut and dry. The Los Angeles Dodgers of the NL West have arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw, as well as Zack Greinke and Yasiel Puig, who will look to expand on a phenomenal start to his career in his

sophomore season. They could find themselves at the top of the division at the beginning of October. The San Francisco Giants, with players like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Mike Morse, could be an offensive force that could lift the Giants over the Dodgers.

The Texas Rangers of the AL West could end up having the best offense in the league. They acquired Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo, who should strengthen their offensive po-

tential significantly. Japanese pitching phenom Yu Darvish could also lead their defense well enough to clinch the division. The Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics could give the Rangers a run for their money. With another great season from Mike Trout and a healthy Albert Pujols, the Angels could break into the postseason for the first time in five years. The A’s scored almost 800 runs last season and signed a resurging Scott Kazmir in the off-

season to add to their starting rotation. The A’s are not giving people many reasons to count them out of the playoff picture.

The Dodgers and the Arizona Dia-mondbacks will open the 2014 regular season with a historic two-game series in Sydney, Australia on March 22 and 23. Opening Night for baseball in America will be March 30, as the Dodgers take on division rival, the San Diego Padres. 

Feb. 28 Mar. 1 Mar. 2 Mar. 3 Mar. 4 Mar. 5 Mar. 6

TM

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Indoor MACChampionships

February 27, 2014

Baseball vs.M. Maritime

M LAX vs. Neumann

Spring training offers MLB teams chance at fresh startby MATT SHANK

by ADAM MOORE

Etown will look to players like junior Joe Bodnar to have even more of an impact next season as the Blue Jays compete for the first time as members of the Landmark Conference.

Photo: Athletics Department

Men’s basketball season comes to close with loss to rival AlbrightSports

Andrew mantz

Andrew Mantz completed his collegiate career with a double-double against Albright College on Saturday. The senior finished with 11 points, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out five assists. The 6’7” big man will be hard to replace next year for the Blue Jays on both sides of the ball. For his career, Mantz totaled 943 points and 621 rebounds.

Major: Criminal JusticeHometown: Sunbury, Pa.Favorite athlete/sports team: Tom Cooney/Philadelphia EaglesHardly anyone knows that...I worked at a daycare.Favorite Jay’s Nest item:Standard Egg Jay.Favorite musician/band:J. ColeFavorite place to visit: Hanover, Pa.

by ADAM MOORE

Photo: Athletics Department

In 10 years, I want to be … teaching my children how to be awesome at life.Favorite Etown Memory:Too many to just pick one.Greatest Etown accomplishment:Graduating in May.Greatest athletic accomplishment:Winning the intramural pool basketball championship later this year.I started playing basketball... in the 4th grade.

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