CNN, stinkbugs

are causing se-vere damage to

several kinds of crops in Pennsylvania, Mary-

land and New Jersey. They’re currently swarming over corn and soybean crops across Lancaster County. Experts even report that dairy farmers across the mid-Atlantic are worried about their products. Apparently, stinkbugs can in-fest feed for cows, and in turn, make milk smell rank.

On campus, we’re beginning

to witness the “biblical” side of the stinkbug movement. Senior Caitlin Koller, an RA in Ober, has seen just how bad it can get.

“I thought originally that, since I taped my window shut, I would be fine,” Koller said. But apparently, that wasn’t enough.

“They like to crawl in ev-ery little crack in the wall or through the screens,” Koller said. It got to the point where she came back to her dorm one

September 30, 2010• Volume 107, No. 4 One Alpha Drive • Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298

Could you live without Facebook?

Opinion, page 11

Above and beyond YouTube

Campus Life, page 10

First Friday

Centerfold, pages 8-9

academicsMcClellan moves up

Peter S.NorthropAssistant Editor

For the past few weeks, Elizabethtown College has

been at the mercy of an ever- growing tide of stinkbugs. As temperatures drop, these harmless (albeit annoying) pests rush headlong to warmer places-namely, our dorms and classrooms. While it seemed merely irritating and isolated at first, the Great Stinkbug Ambush of 2010 is now a

on campus

See MCCLELLAN, page 2

Photos: Janelle K. DeAngelo

growing con-cern for the entire

mid-Atlantic region. Mike Raupp, an entomolo-

gist at the University of Mary-land, is justifiably worried about the stinkbug menace.

“ This is the vanguard,” Raupp said in a recent inter-view with the Washington

Post. “This is going to be Biblical this year ... The [bug] populations are just through the ceiling.”

The brown marmorated stinkbug (Halyomorpha halys) is actually an invasive species, thought to have been acciden-tally brought to the United States from either China or Japan. The first documented appearance of the stinky little pests was in Allentown, Pa., in 1998.

But now, 12 years later, things are spiraling out of control. According to a news release by

elizabethtown collegeEtownianthe

“This is going to be Biblical this year ... The [bug] populations are just through the ceiling.”

Mike RauppEntomologist, University of Maryland

See STINKBUG, page 3Image: commons.wikimedia.org

STINK

BUG INVASIONHuntley C. McGowanNews Editor

After his twenty-ninth year at Elizabethtown College, Dr. Fletcher McClellan has taken on a new responsibility as

Dean of Faculty. McClellan served as the Political Science Department Chair for nine years before being promoted to his new position this past July. He replaces Dr. Christina Bucher, current Professor of Religious Studies.

“My position is enjoyable because I get to work with dedicated and talented people among the faculty and staff. It is challenging because of the need to keep the academic program exciting and relevant,” McClellan said.

The Office of the Dean of Faculty has a number of goals for this academic year. First, to continue to support the teaching and scholarly activities of the faculty. “Simply put, we want the best teachers and scholars,” McClellan said.

Next, the office hopes to explore collaboration be-tween the academic areas and Student Life. “You see a lot of this [teamwork] in the First-Year Program,” McClellan said.

Another goal of the office is to promote Etown as an exciting intellectual and cultural venue. “My office supports the Writers House, organizes Wednesdays at 11 and contributes to the cultural life of the College,” McClellan said.

Their fourth objective is to keep the faculty working together collegiately. “The faculty here are very dedicated to helping students,” McClellan said. “As long as we keep our eye on the ball, it won’t be a problem.”

Lastly, the office hopes to support the academic depart-ments and give them the best resources available. “We want to provide students with the skills to succeed in their major beyond graduation,” McClellan remarked. “We are particularly focused on the core program because it belongs to everyone, not just one department.”

And the core program is exactly what sets McClellan apart from previous Deans of Faculty. His idea to revamp the College’s program, though still in the making, is an im-portant change that could shape the future of academic life. The core program supports the academic goals expressed in the College’s mission statement, “promot[ing] truth, tenable judgments and important ideas by assuring that a student

news September 30, 2010the Etownian2

continued from page oneMcClellan talks of possible core changes

Kalie M. Desimone Staff Writer

Some students feel there is a short-age of color at Elizabethtown

College due to the lack of color print-ers on campus. Currently, there are no printers available to the general student population that print color for free, and some students are very unhappy about the situation.

T h e c o m -m u n i c a t i o n s and English de-partments have color printing labs, but they are available only to students who are enrolled in those majors, or enrolled in certain classes.

The question that needs to be asked is: where do students go if they want a color document printed? Currently, there are minimal options for students. Copy Services can get the job done for 40 cents a page. The copies can be made from a hardcopy original, disk or net-work/online source. Students can also send their requests directly to COPY@etown.edu. However, some students feel 40 cents is too expensive for a

The Jayd-ed

edgesimple photocopy/print. Barb Shank, manager of Copy Services, says that 40 cents per page is actually a pretty good price for color copies. FedEx Office charges 59 cents a page for full-service copying while Staples, Office

Max and Boxes Etc. all charge 49 cents a page. Shank said she only sees about 10 percent of the student population come in for color prints.

Ron Heasley, ex-ecutive director of I n f o r m a t i o n a n d Technology Services, admits that he didn’t think the lack of color printers was such a large problem. “I had not received a large amount of students

suggesting we add color printers.” Additionally, Heasley be-

lieves that it is not economi-cally possible to provide a color printer for students to use for whatever they want at no cost. “It is so expensive to maintain the upkeep of these printers. The printers themselves are not too expensive but the ink cartridges and maintenance is really costly,” Heasley said. He also mentioned that if students really agree that having a color

on campusLack of color printers poses problem

printer is necessary, then ITS can look into the costs. But the printing would not be free like it is for regular black and white. However, the cost of color printing would probably be the same as color printing at Copy Services, so would the desired change even be worth it?

If students are unhappy with the provided color printing options, they may want to look into purchasing their own color printers. All-in-one printers are a lot cheaper than they used to be; currently, at Best Buy, there is a Brother Printer sold for just 70 dollars. If print-ing in color is a daily must, it may be worth purchasing a personal printer. It is important to understand, that for the printers that ITS and Copy Ser-vices provides, ink cartridges can cost upwards of 40 dollars each. For now, Etown College will remain without free color printing.

Photos: Matthew P. Butera

Mentoring just 1 ½ hours after-school, one day each week, can make a BIG difference in a child’s life!

Big Brothers Big Sisters ~ Elizabethtown Branch Office

(717) 361-9226 www.bbbslancaster.org

Be A Friend… Be A Role Model…

Be A Shoulder To Lean On… Be A Good Listener…

Be An Encouraging Voice…

BE A MENTOR!

has the opportunity to acquire significant knowledge and accepted methods of inquiry.”

However, not all students believe that the program lives up to its mission. Junior Kristy Castellini does not back the core class requirements. “Honestly, I don’t like the idea of core classes because that’s what we had to accomplish to even get into Elizabethtown. If it could be revised, we should not be required to take a Writing/Reading Intensive class. We are already in college, and it is enough writing as it is.”

The last reform of the core program took place in 2003 when the system went from three credits to four credits.

This change allowed the faculty to reduce their teaching load and the students to take four instead of five classes. But has this change been a positive one?

Sophomore Sarah Marcolongo thinks the College should offer more classes in which students are actually interested. “There aren’t many classes that I feel are truly beneficial in the long run. We’re all merely taking them because we are required to.”

Senior Mike O’Connell also feels that core classes are an unneces-sary part of a student’s education. “I would never rule out the possibil-ity of going to a school just because they made me take a math or a science course along with my major courses,” he said. “But do I think

they’re ‘necessary’ or going to further benefit our professions and careers? Not really, no.”

McClellan hopes that getting the facul-ty talking about where the core program is successful and where it needs improve-ment will spark insightful conversation about the possibility of change.

“The limitations of our current program are obvious,” McClellan stated. “If you like variety, the current program is fine. If you want commonality, it is a problem.”

According to McClellan, the current core program is too discipline based and is a dis-tribution requirement across different disci-plines. He does not believe there are enough interdisciplinary courses. McClellan plans to discuss the current approach and possible integrated programs with his colleagues. “We want to assess how the program is promoting speaking, writing and other important skills,” McCellan stated.

Overall, McClellan plans to introduce alternative ways of looking at the pro-gram to the faculty. So far, he has is still searching for an answer. “A new course here or a new course there. Maybe ex-plore new models. [But] if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Rachel A. MarstellerManaging Editor

Attempting the impossibleA h an d c u f fe d wom an w a s

accused of swiping a police car and leading officers on a chase at speeds topping 100 m.p.h. A police chief reported that nobody was injured in Friday’s chase, which began when a woman was arrested on a trespassing charge at a local college campus.

A witness told police that the woman managed to slide open the prisoner screen that separates the front and rear areas of the patrol car and crawl from the rear seat into the driver’s seat. The officer was outside the running vehicle, completing his investigation.

The chas e l as te d ab out 10 miles on the highway until the patrol car’s tires were shredded by spike strips thrown on the road by other officers.

Where’s Waldo?The FBI has made an arrest in

an Oregon bank robbery after the suspect posted a claim of respon-sibility on Facebook.

An FBI sp okeswoman said Ryan Homsley was arrested Fri-d ay a f te r charge s we re f i l e d against him for Tuesday’s robbery at a local bank branch.

A posting on Homsley’s Face-book page said, “I’m doing this to pay for my medical expenses. ... live for today!” Homsley’s brother said that Ryan has a serious drug problem and is a diabetic.

Homsley has been a hospital patient since Thursday and will be scheduled for a cour t ap-pearance upon his release. He was dubbed the “Where’s Waldo Bandit” based on his appearance in surveillance photos.

Sign banditsA rural Georgia county is los-

ing about 550 street signs a year to thieves. The local government has a solution: make the names boring.

Their s igns marking Green Acres, Boones Farm and Mary Jane Lane are frequently stolen.

It is believed that the thieves are targeting those signs due to the similarity to the popular TV series, a low-cost wine or, in the third case, a slang term for marijuana.

It has become a costly problem, with the area paying $17,000 a year to replace the signs.

Compiled from myway.com.

newsSeptember 30, 2010 the Etownian3

Lauren M. BusseStaff Writer

As early as October of this year, the Business Office at Elizabethtown Col-

lege will switch all invoices to an electronic format. By saving paper and sending invoices electronically, the Business Office will be do-ing its part to help the campus-wide initiative to “go green.”

A small campus like Etown can still produce large amounts of waste every day, This is why it is important that the students, faculty and staff of the College conserve paper, recycle and do anything they can to keep up with the eco-friendly trend. The Business Office would like to contribute by reducing the negative impact that their work has on the environment.

Soon, everything related to the students’ accounts will be handled on the Internet via electronic checks and online payments. This includes all tuition, room and board and anything else students charge to their accounts. In the next few weeks, students will receive e-mails from the Business Of-fice asking them to sign up for an account to access the online payment database.

Etown currently uses a paper invoice system that gets sent out to each indi-vidual family. The switchover from mailed invoices to electronic invoices will save Etown a significant amount of paper and help to conserve our natural resources.

Benjamin Goodhart, director of busi-ness operations here at the College, fore-sees a few struggles in the initial stages of

going greeen

the changeover. The main problem that the Business Office will have is the fact that not every family has access to a computer and/or Internet in their home. While the world is moving into a more technologically based society, there are still families that do not have the resources to make online payments. Perhaps the best answer to this problem would be for these families to go to their local library.

There are other things that the Business Office is doing to be more environmentally friendly as well. For instance, the insur-ance waiver is now available electroni-cally. At first, the College sent insurance waivers to each home, wasting significant amounts of paper, annually. They now give families the option to opt out of using the College’s insurance policy online, making the process faster and more eco-friendly. The office regularly recycles paper, plastic bottles, cans and any other materials that are used around the office.

The Business Office is not the only department on campus that is trying to “go green.” Information and Technology Services has implemented a printing quota so students don’t unecessarily waste paper. Residence Life is also trying to be more en-vironmentally friendly by keeping recycle bins on every floor in each residence hall.

Students should be on the lookout for e-mails from the Business Office asking them to sign up for an account. By par-ticipating in the online payment system, students at Etown will be doing their part to conserve natural resources and be more environmentally friendly.

continued from page oneShooting rampage causes chaos

Paperless billing saves trees on campus

day to find 26 stinkbugs in her room. “I keep my air conditioner on as cold as possible

to keep them away,” Koller said.And it’s just as bad off campus. Junior Kelsie

LeVan, who lives in the Puppy Love SDLC, recently had to call Campus Security and Facilities Manage-ment after an unbelievable number of stinkbugs suddenly rushed into her house on Wednesday, Sept. 22. “They [Facilities] had to have killed at least 50, and then they found a nest in my air conditioner, so they had to send out for an exterminator, who never came,” LeVan said. “I don’t like the squishing and the popping noise that it makes when you squish them. I just can’t kill stinkbugs because the sound is really creepy. You should have heard me screaming. I am such a pansy when it comes to bugs.”

When it comes to combating the stinkbug blitz-krieg, Facilities and national experts agree that spraying the insects with a mixture of water and dish soap is your best weapon. Just spray them with it, and it will knock them right out. There’s a rumor going around that hairspray is an effective anti--stinkbug deterrent—but there’s no real grounds for that. You should also avoid using pesticides indoors.

Stinkbugs have no natural predators and even though scientists across the country are working on a way to control them en masse, no permanent solu-tions can be implemented anytime soon. Right now, soap and water is our only hope. According to ex-perts, the stinkbugs will decline by early November.

While there is a lot of debate and worry about exactly how badly this plauge of stinkbugs will af-fect our region, Koller voiced a desire that most of us can agree on: “I can’t wait for winter to come so they go away!”

‘Til then, folks, keep fighting the good fight.

Stinkbug ambushnational news

Janelle K. DeAngeloAssistant Copy Editor

Around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 28, a lone shooter terrorized

the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. Holding an AK-47 assault rifle and donning a ski mask, the student started his shoot-ing spree in front of the UT clock tower. He was later identified as sophomore Colton Tooley. Tooley opened fired indeterminately at a chapel, the ground and the sky as he ran across campus. He fired ap-proximately six total shots, none of which appear to have been directed at the people he passed.

Tooley entered the Perry-Casta-ñeda Library in an effort to evade the pursuant officers. No shots were fired inside the building despite the fact that the gunman passed a dozen people. Once he reached the sixth floor, Tooley shot himself in the head.

Police initially suspected that there was a second shooter on cam-pus due to conflicting reports of the shooter’s appearance, but a cam-pus-wide manhunt revealed Tooley to be the only gunman. After a thorough search, the lockdown was removed, and the campus was declared safe around 2 p.m.

The campus community was made aware of the shooter’s pres-

ence largely through cell phones and social networking. Twitter updates, in addition to text messages and e-mail, helped to notify the students, staff and authorities of the situation, according to Yahoo! News.

The University of Texas also em-ploys a specific emergency website to apprise people of situations such as this one. Yesterday, the website had this message: “The university is closed. The university is locked down. All organized classes for today, September 28, are cancelled. If you are off campus, stay away. If you are on campus, lock your doors and do not leave your building. Law enforcement are searching for a second suspect.”

Tooley’s death at the University of Texas broke over four decades of peace on a campus that experienced one of the deadliest shooting sprees in U.S. history. On Aug. 1, 1966, ex-marine Charles Whitman killed 16 and injured approximately three dozen people by shooting at them from the observation deck of the UT clock tower. This incident was the first school shooting in U.S. history.

The incident also came in the wake of the weekend killing of Se-ton Hall University student Jessica Moore in East Orange, N.J., accord-ing to the Atlanta Journal-Consti-tution online. Two men have been charged in the shooting of Moore and the wounding of four others.

Nicholas Welch, the alleged shooter, was arrested Monday night and made his first court appearance Wednesday morning to answer charges of murder, conspiracy and weapons offenses. Welch plead not guilty to one charge of mur-der and four counts of attempt-ed murder, according to NBC NewYork.com. The second suspect, Marcus Bascus, who allegedly pro-vided the weapon, is still at-large as of press time.

Welch, who is a student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, was apparently denied entrance to an off-campus party Friday night because he refused to pay. He al-legedly went to his nearby home, acquired the .357- or .38-caliber gun, returned to the site of the party and began firing.

The shooter did not appear to have a specific target, but Moore was shot in the head and died Saturday. The other victims’ injuries were not classified as life-threatening, accord-ing to AOL News.

The shooting occurred in an area that Seton Hall students are advised to avoid. The university’s main cam-pus is located in South Orange, N.J. and is gated due to the fact that East Orange is notorious for gun violence. Local store owner Rabu Anderson told AOL News that there were at least five shootings over the course of the summer in the neighborhood.

On Monday evening, Sept. 27, Franklin and Marshall College was put on lockdown for approximately a half-hour when a gunman was

reportedly on their Lancaster City campus. F&M security officers quickly ascertained that the alleged gunman was actually a student’s father, who was carrying tools in a hip holster, according to WGAL.com.

Although the three incidents had very different circumstances, all will have a profound impact on their respective campuses. The deaths of Tooley and Moore serve as sobering reminders of mortality, and the false alarm at F&M may cause students to question emergency response proce-dures here at Elizabethtown College.

At Etown, safety and emergency procedures are coordinated by an emergency management group. The group oversees things like the EC Alert system and coordinates emergency training scenarios which would be practiced with local law enforcement and emergency re-sponse teams.

On Thursday, Sept. 23, the Col-lege tested the EC Alert system, which would be employed if an emergency like the one at the Uni-versity of Texas ever occurred. Dale Boyer, assistant directory of Campus Security, reported that the overall success rate of the test was consid-ered good. This was evaluated by the number of people who reported that they did not receive an alert, which may have arrived in the form of a text message, a voicemail, an e-mail or some combination of the three.

Students should also be aware that, like the University of Texas, the College also has a website (etown.edu/EmergencyActionPlan.aspx) dedicated to emergency procedures and information.

Boyer explained that the College is always looking to improve emer-gency response procedures. He said that Campus Security always pays at-tention to events like the shooting at the University of Texas. It helps them learn so they can be better prepared if a situation like that arose at Etown.

“We’ll constantly be evaluating how we use technology,” Boyer said. “What would work best for our cam-pus and what can we do.”

Boyer emphasized that if there is ever an incident like the University of Texas shooting or a suspicious person like at F&M on campus, stu-dents and staff should immediately call Campus Security’s emergency dispatch line (extension 1111 from a campus landline or 717-361-1111 from a cell phone). Students should not call 911 because the call would go into the Lancaster dispatch center, which would then call Campus Secu-rity to confirm the details of the call.

“If there is an incident, we can have a responding officer there in under two minutes,” Boyer explained.

Not only will Campus Secu-rity officers arrive more quickly, they will also contact the bor-ough police and other necessary emergency responders. This is the most efficient way for emergency situations at Etown to be handled.

Image: wordpress.com

profiles • monthly series • campus events town events • facts & figures• business

features September 30, 2010the Etownian4

on campus

service opportunity

Youth center attracts multiple clubs’ desires to serveKatherine I. PebleyStaff Writer

In 1998, pastors in the Elizabethtown area came together to form Cor-

nerstone Community Ministries. The organization became a youth center in 2004, and now focuses on reaching out to lo-cal youth through its after-school and eve-ning programs.

According to their website (ccmetown.org), Cornerstone Commu-nity Ministries’ mission statement is “to provide a safe and fun environ-ment where youth can form trusting relation-ships, hear the Gospel and find wholeness in Christ.” The youth cen-ter describes its core beliefs: “We love youth, Jesus changes lives, transformation involves partner-ship, God delights in the joy of His people, and all things belong to God.”

While this is normally a great place for Elizabethtown College students to volunteer in this community, Director John Myers said that the youth center is about to begin a significant renovation project. It will take them out of their regular building and into smaller spac-

es for the next couple of months. They have a building plan but are currently waiting for bids from contractors, ac-cording to the center’s website. Because of that, they will temporarily have fewer kids and need fewer volunteers.

Myers did, however, point out that

the youth center will have a grand re-opening in the spring, and volunteers will be welcomed in large quantities.

Despite the apparent lack of need for volunteers at the current time, some groups on campus continue to be involved with the youth center. The Education Club will work with Corner-stone Community Ministries, but the secondary education majors are getting involved the most, considering that the

program serves middle school students. They plan to help out on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, tutoring students and helping them with their homework.

Senior Education Club member An-drew Burd emphasized his desire for children to come to the youth center. He

hopes the Elizabethtown area students will take advantage of the College’s vol-unteers and reach out to them, especially since education majors are preparing to teach and motivate younger generations.

Junior Hannah Desmond, a member of the service committee in Student Senate, believes that the youth center is worthy of our help. She recently met with Myers in an effort to plan an event or potential service project with the center.

Desmond has previously volunteered with Cornerstone Community Minis-tries, and her experience interacting with the kids and the center may facilitate her committee’s involvement.

Myers and Desmond discussed events such as a Thanksgiving dinner or Christ-

mas party at the College. Desmond also mentioned vol-unteering to assist with reno-vations and helping supervise the kids on Friday evenings. They would like to create more programs in the spring, once the center is re-opened and more children and volunteers can participate. +

In addition, Desmond sug-gested painting a mural for the kids or even with them, but she admitted all projects are in the idea and planning stages at this point.

From participation in reno-vation this fall to student community service in the spring, opportunities to get involved in Cornerstone Community Ministries can definitely be rewarding and broaden one’s horizons. It’s always benefi-cial for college students to make their mark on the communities around them rather than sitting idly by for four years.

As President John F. Kennedy said, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”

Photo Credit: Matthew P. ButeraThe youth center is open to teens of the area most weeknights for homework help and a place to hang out.

Positive approach to handling stress and mental healthJohanna H. GoslinStaff Writer

From October 11 through October 15, Eliza-bethtown College in conjunction with Health

Services will host Mental Health Week. Taking place in the Baugher Student Center, this week will be devoted to helping educate students for a better understanding of what mental health actu-ally means. Other groups involved include SPARC (Students Promoting Awareness and Responsible Choices), and Get ABSURD (A Better Safer Un-derstanding for Responsible Drinking).

Many students may not be well-informed on the matter; some may forget that mental health is not a determination of sanity versus insanity, but rather a measure of cognitive or emotional well-being. Students’ or faculty members’ mental health can be affected by many aspects of thier everyday lives, such as stress, lack of sleep, anxi-ety, sickness and, of course, excessive Internet use/computer games,(especially with the grow-ing popularity of Facebook!). The PowerPoint “Living a Balanced Life” provided from Student Wellness states that students tend to spend many hours a night socially interacting with their friends on the networking website, which can cause a lack of sleep and potentially lead to physical or psychological health problems.

Sandy Spayd, the College’s Director of Student Wellness and Campus Health, is in charge of the production of Mental Health Week. Spayd empha-sized that “all stress isn’t bad; we just have to learn how to handle it.” Therefore, learning different techniques for coping with stress is a primary focus of Mental Health Week.

Sophomore Ashley Zehner, a new member of SPARC and Get ABSURD, is a

strong advocate of their goals. Zehner sees a strong correlation between responsible decisions and mental health.

“I think that students sometimes get too caught up in the aspects of college and do not fo-cus enough on resting themselves for the work that is needed of them,” Zehner said. “If [stu-dents] don’t always make responsible decisions, they may not have time to take for themselves, and the responsibility of their mental health.”

Spayd agrees: “We do not spend enough time on our mental well-being. We say we don't have the time for ourselves; we need to make the time. We need to create oppor-tunities to focus on our mental health. We focus on our physical health a lot. We do not make the time to nurture our well-being.”

Many students become too focused on appearance or even creating a large nexus of friends; they forget that mental health is one of the most important components of sustaining a healthy lifestyle.

One solution to a healthier mind would be counseling, which is provided at no cost to students on campus through Counseling Ser-vices. Mental Health Week aims to inform and promote the use of such services.

"Many people think counseling is only for serious issues. Mental health is a seri-ous issue,” Spayd said, encouraging every-one to keep in mind that help is available

when tough situations arise. Mental Health Week promotes healthy living through many activities such

as free depression screenings, all of which can be found at the Mental Health table, which will be set up in the BSC for the week.

Photo Credit: www.nmha.orgIt is important to be aware of signs of stress as well as the ways to prevent it. Counseling Services is always available to help students cope with stress and mental health issues.

featuresSeptember 30, 2010 the Etownian 5study abroadCastles, culture color European countrysideLaura A. FarnishVolunteer Writer

Castle Life

It’s January 2, 2010. Dreary-eyed and nervous after a seven-hour plane ride, (and subsequent two-

hour bus ride), we slowly wind the long road to the Herstmonceux Castle. In awe of the beautiful castle we would soon call home, each stranger starts tak-ing photographs through the smeared, fingerprinted windows. We continue past the castle, noticing ducks wading in the moat, fields that stretch for miles around us, trees and flowers lining a dirt path to our new abode.

Herstmonceux Castle provided a study abroad experience unlike most. Classes, offices and the caf-eteria were all located in a fifteenth-century castle. Located in Hailsham, East Sussex, England, it is an hour south of London and functions as a satellite campus for Canada’s Queen’s University, as well as a place where students from various universities at-tend. Aside from four American girls; students from Korea, China and the Bahamas also traveled to study in England.

Going to the castle everyday provided a new experi-ence. Walking down a dirt path to class, you never knew what to expect – foxes were sporadically seen under the trees lining our walkway. Classrooms were poorly heated, causing many students to wear their coats in class. Lunch and dinner were always a surprise; we were served mixtures of many different meats and vegetables, and you never knew if there would be enough dessert left or whether we would be given permission to use the toaster or not. Breakfast, however, was something everyone could count on to be the same: eggs, bacon and porridge.

Allison M. O’BoyleVolunteer Writer

Traveling in Europe

The world was at my fingertips, literally. An entire con-tinent sat in my computer while I studied abroad in

England, and it was up to my best friends and me to make that privilege worthwhile. After a few hours online, we had three tickets to Dublin and Venice. There isn’t much that is cooler than your family asking about your plans, and you get to say, “Taking long weekends to Ireland and Italy!”

Dublin felt like walking in your front door. As the first trip we planned solely on our own, our nerves never died, but in the city our bus driver started singing and told us, “Here, nobody’s a stranger, just a friend you haven’t met yet!”

We found a hotel less expensive than a hostel and found ourselves in heaven when our room was furnished like a modern Irish castle. The coastline of Dublin County, seals in the bay, a pint of Guinness (because we were of legal age), Irish stew, the Irish-Scotch Rugby match and beautiful weather made for a weekend of bliss and good old fashioned Irish hospitality.

Since the luck of the Irish paved our way in Dublin, I was nervous that things would not run as smoothly in Venice. But my first glimpse of the city resembled a Renaissance work of art: the sun hit the water, and buildings reflected it’s golden glow. Walking in awe, we stumbled upon our “hotel” in its less-than-glamorous state. After its owner took our information in case we were terrorists, we experienced the bella italia of dreams. Public transport’s water taxis resembled cruises that weren’t crowded, cappuccino began my day, pizza satisfied 50 percent of our meals, and we said goodnight with two scoops of gelato after touring a palace, cathedral and colorful islands.

Granted, none of us expected these trips to be so seamless, so we must have had the heavens on our side. The indepen-dence, resourcefulness and culture shock of traveling taught us lessons we will never learn anywhere else. But having learned them, we can use these lessons at home, appreciating the beauty and culture other countries have to offer.

Michelle L. HareVolunteer Writer

Field Studies at the BISC

There is nothing else like it. Experiential learning is the best resource available to students. My two friends

and I were able to fully embrace this privilege while studying at the Bader International Study Centre at the Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England.

As if studying inside a fifteenth-century brick castle wasn’t cool enough, we were able to travel throughout the area to see artifacts, pieces of art and places that we were learning about in class. These learning excursions are known as field studies, and for each class enrolled in at the BISC, two to three field studies were scheduled for students to attend. For our Jacobean Shakespeare class, we traveled to the Globe Theatre in London, where we could witness the kind of atmosphere in which a Shakespearean audience would have been placed.

However, field studies were not limited to places in England. The program at the BISC included a weeklong midterm trip to Paris and Brussels on which certain field studies were planned. While in Paris, my Art History class visited the Louvre and the Museé D’Orsay, where I was able to see the strokes from Monet’s paintbrush on his Impres-sionist masterpieces. The incorporated field studies did not take away from the trip being a leisurely vacation but rather added a new dimension of an enjoyable learning adventure.

Courtesy PhotoWhen studying abroad students may travel all over, to places like Venice, Italy.

Courtesy Photo

Courtesy PhotoHerstmonceux Castle is one of several locations available in England where students can study.

on campusAuthor makes history come to life at Writers HouseBrett A. AntoshStaff WriterPatricia A. CangelosiCopy Editor

“I can’t ever conceive of not writing,” said historian Dr. Randy Roberts at a writing workshop held at the Bowers Writers House.

Yesterday, Roberts hosted a historical research and creative nonfiction work-shop at the Bowers Writers House. Roberts is a widely published author and a distinguished professor of history at Purdue University. He specializes in recent U.S. history, U.S. sports history and the history of American pop culture.

After the workshop, Roberts read aloud from his own work; among other top-ics, he has published books on popular figures such as John Wayne, Mike Tyson, The Pittsburgh Steelers and Charles Lindbergh.

Roberts described his subjects as “more real to me than the people I meet with every day.”According to Writers House Director and English professor Jesse Waters, Roberts

presents his ideas to the campus community so that they can learn about people they would otherwise never get to meet; through him, students and faculty become acquainted with unique historical characters. “[Roberts] brings the presence that history is alive and all around us,” Waters said.

Yesterday’s workshop revealed to attendees the “grunt work” behind fiction and nonfiction publishing, Waters explained. Although the workshop was free, space was limited in order to maintain a close-knit atmosphere.

Waters believes that students and faculty members learn better when they are included in “a small, select group” to provide “an intimate experience with an author.” The connections developed from such an experience can carry over to future projects and networking opportunities.

Waters informs his students and colleagues of the workshops and events the Writers House has to offer, hoping to achieve a domino effect. If one person enjoys the experience, he or she may tell friends, and those friends will continue to spread the word. Eventually, Waters explained, a strong reputation will build around the Writers House, and everyone will want to check it out.

Even though the Writers House has only been sponsoring events for a month, its schedule is surprisingly busy for the semester. On Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m., Har-risburg novelist Libby Malin Sternberg will offer a free creative writing workshop.

“This is an exciting opportunity to participate in a few creative exercises led by a publishing writer and to ask questions about the publishing business,” Waters said.

On Oct. 25 and 26 (Monday and Tuesday), both at 4 p.m., award-winning poet Richard Jackson will give a talk and workshop about the craft of poetry. Waters believes any student or faculty member would be lucky to engage in a workshop with Jackson.

“Rick is a former mentor of mine and just an amazing person,” he said. Jackson’s work has been translated into 15 languages, and he has been internation-

ally recognized for his humanitarian work as well as for his writing.To sign up for any of these events, e-mail Waters at watersj@etown.edu, and he

will do his best to reserve a space for you. To find out more about the Writers House or to view the activity schedule, log on to www.etown.edu/writershouse.

Field studies may take students to nearby cities.

on campus

movies • music • television • humor • travel lifestyles • arts • advice • college issues

campus life September 30, 2010the Etownian6

Kristen N. Lacaillade Staff Writer

“Trust intuition. Be a bad victim. Learn to fight!” These three steps were instruct-

ed to Elizabethtown College’s female students last night courtesy of OSA’s Girls Fight Back program held at 7:30 p.m. in the KĀV. As de-scribed on the Girls Fight Back website, “Girls Fight Back teaches young women to live safe, strong and empowered lives ... and to never make choices stemming from fear.”

Founder and CEO Erin Weed started the pro-gram after she heard the tragic story of Shannon McNamera, an Eastern Illinois University student who was attacked and killed in the middle of the night in her off-campus apartment. McNamera chose to fight back against the man and because she did, investigators were able to collect enough evidence to capture and convict the 26 year-old killer who lived across the street.

McNamera’s life and subsequent murder inspired the national organization Girls Fight Back. The name came about because McNamera chose to fight back against the man attacking her. Over 200,000 women nationwide have seen this program, and there have been numerous success stories because of it. Although McNamera may be gone, her fight is the reason numerous women across the nation are still alive.

So how did the program, based in Illinois, make its way to campus?

OSA member and Step Up coordinator senior Heather Rhoads explained, “Every year, the Office of Student Activities sends the Director of Student Activities and a select number of OSA Student Employees to the National Association for Cam-

pus Activities conference. The conference lasts for a total of four days, during which registered participants follow a series of scheduled events where they are taught programming and attend showcases where performers, artists and lecturers ‘pitch’ their programs to the college market.”

The Girls Fight Back program was featured at this conference, and it inspired the members of Etown’s OSA committee so much that they were determined to have it on campus. “Erin Weed, founder and CEO of Fight Back Productions, was showcasing, and I was incredibly intrigued by her story, passion and overall message of the Girls Fight Back program,” Rhoads explained. “Although our campus is not particularly notori-ous for acts of violence, it can happen anywhere even on a small, tight-knit campus like Etown.”

“I think it’s important for every girl to learn self-defense because you never know when you’ll need to use it,” sophomore Alyssa Broda said.

Sophomore Allison Keidat spoke from per-sonal experience. “I was put in a situation where self-defense was something I needed to know right at that moment, so knowing even a little can help someone greatly,” she explained.

First-year Kyle McNulty believes the program is beneficial for other reasons as well. “I think it helps because it gives girls more confidence and a better peace of mind,” he said. “Knowing that they can keep themselves safe and don’t have to rely on anyone else if they’re the only ones around.”

OSA hopes the program motivated girls to “be empowered, inspired and confident that regardless of their physical build, they can defend themselves against predators by learning how to properly and effectively fight back!”

Images: rlv.zache.com

campus lifeSeptember 30, 2010 the Etownian 7Compiled by Campus Security andJoelle E. AtkinsonAssistant Campus Life Editor

• On Sept. 22, a student reported what was thought to be the distinct scent of gas outside a campus dormitory. After Campus Security inves-tigated the odor, it was found to be the smell of manure.

• That same day, the Athletic Department re-ported several items that were missing from Thompson Gymnasium.

• Campus Security investigated what they thought was a loud party in the Schreiber Quadrangle on Sept. 24. However, no party was found; students simply were playing loud music.

• Sept. 25, a student had reportedly been partying off campus when he was brought back to the College by friends. He was taken to Campus Security where an ambulance was dispatched, and he was treated at Hershey Medical Center.

• On Sept. 26, an officer on patrol caught four students sitting down by the track. Once the students spotted the Campus Security vehicle, they fled the scene. Upon further inspection, the officer found beer cans.

• During the same evening, two students were seen walking up Cedar Street, one male and one female. When he saw Campus Security, the male ran away, leaving the female to speak with the officer. Security noticed that she was injured, and an ambulance was dispatched.

• A noise disturbance was issued in Schlosser to two male students who were running up and down hallways and banging on doors in the early hours of Sept. 26.

• A second noise disturbance was handed out that day to students gathered in one of the Quads around 4 a.m. The students were told to turn the television down and lower their voices.

student activities series Faculty view: in need of solutionPeter S. NorthropAssistant Editor

If there’s anything we pride ourselves in here at Elizabethtown College, it’s how involved our

students are. One of the biggest selling points that prospective students hear on campus tours is just how much stuff one can do at Etown.

But with the ever-rising number of clubs and student performance groups tacked on to the voluminous amount of activities both the College and OSA provide, a big question starts to creep up: exactly how much activity is too much?

Over the next three weeks, the Etownian will be delving deep into the miasma that is the student activities scene — everything from OSA’s ever-expanding calendar to how you, the students, spend your time on campus.

For the first installment of this series, we went to the faculty to get an academic per-spective on our ever-busier lives.

Associate Professor of Music Dr. Matthew Fritz thinks we’re already at a level where students may be overextending them-selves. “Maybe we’re just not giving ourselves enough time to just be,” he said.

Fritz has been one of the strongest proponents of taking a fresh look at all of the, well, stuff students do on campus. He’s not advocating that we scale back on what we do. However, Fritz explained that his main concern is that “students seem to be stretched way too thin.” And it’s true — we are a heavily involved campus.

And it’s not only Fritz who feels this way. While he hasn’t gone as far to advocate for change, Dr. Michael Swanson of the theatre department did observe, “I’ve never encountered this many student clubs or this level of involvement in them at any institution where I’ve ever taught or studied.”

Is students’ involvement a problem?

Fritz cited that in the not-so-recent past, there have been several students who were heavily involved in organizations like OSA or Student Senate who actually dropped out of college because they were taking on far more than they could handle.

“We need to recognize that all the opportuni-ties, wonderful as they are, have a potential nega-tive impact … and it’s getting worse,” Fritz said.

The main issue is that there is no real unify-ing influence behind all of these OSA-sponsored gatherings, academic events and club perfor-mances. If students try to plan and attend fun activities on campus, they can consult the R25

room schedule, the OSA calendar, or flyers posted around

campus: three different methods, which can

get confusing. Fritz points out

that students have no “real, usable cal-

endar” to spell out every single event that takes

place at the College. If we had one, it could make scheduling

events and attending them much easier. “It’s also far too easy to make a new club,

get funding and draw even more students in a different direction,” Fritz said.

Fritz would like to see more faculty involve-ment in the student club process. Each club should have an adviser who actually has an interest in whatever the club stands for, and that advisers should take a lot of stock in what the clubs do. Too many advisers simply exist in clubs just to sign papers and then seem to disappear for a semester.

In the end, it’s possible that some of us get overextended by how much we take on in our time here. This is something that can only re-ally be solved on a person-to-person basis, but maybe with a little more in oversight, we can make the miasma of student activities a little more comprehensible.

How much is too much? The Etownian is exploring this question from several angles; here, we focus

on the Office of Student Activities in an attempt to figure out how exactly it affects student life on campus. No one denies that OSA has a huge presence at Eliza-bethtown College. According to junior and SWEET coordinator Katie Gantz, when all branches of OSA are accounted for – SWEET, E-fit, A-Step Up and Intra-murals the organization holds roughly 90-100 events every semester. In addition, students seem to be more and more stressed as time goes on and work piles up. Could there be a correlation between the ever-rising number of activities available and students’ struggles with time management?

“The number of events has continued to increase each year I have been a member of OSA,” Gantz said. “From increasing the number of movies shown each semester to adding new E-Fit programs, and this year with the acquisition of intramurals, we are trying to keep ex-panding the number and breadth of OSA events.”

OSA events coordinator and senior Mike White stressed that OSA members strive to supplement the college experience, to add spice to students’ everyday lives, not to take away from their schoolwork. “It’s not feasible or practical to go to all of the events,” he said. “We don’t expect anyone to attend everything. I don’t

even go to everything.” He added that most of the ac-tivities take place on weekends, and those that occur during the week are typically no longer than an hour.

Among the most popular of OSA’s events, in terms of attendance, are Mr. Etown, bingo, E-fit programs and dances. According to Gantz, the group’s members work hard to time each activity so that it doesn’t interfere with other campus happenings. “The main goal of OSA is really to serve the student body. We aim to provide all students a wide variety of activities to participate in each and every day,” she said.

Junior and OSA office assistant Karen Perko empha-sized that the group tries to cater to a mix of students: those who want to be actively involved in events, such as playing The Price is Right, and to those who prefer to enjoy from afar, such as watching a movie. “We try to appeal to a wide range of interests,” she said. Perko does not believe that the abundance of available events is doing any harm to students. She considers it a learning process for college students to develop time manage-ment skills, prioritize and get to know their limits.

Several semesters ago, when SWEET clumped all of its activities into a few weekends, students complained that there was too much on those weekends and noth-ing on the others. Therefore, as junior and OSA office assistant Krystal Talley explained, the organization

did away with Super SWEET weekends. Now, events are more spread out, there is something offered every weekend and students have more options.

However, the actual number of events, as Gantz pointed out, is constantly rising. From concerts, comedians and trivia nights to game shows and self-improvement programs, are students overwhelmed just by looking at the monthly OSA calendar?

Junior Amanda Tyson does not feel this way at all. She attends an average of two to three OSA events per week, including the recent Elevators concert, and does not associate the activities with stress. “I think I’m pretty good at managing my time. I make schedules and to-do lists to help me find time to complete all of my work,” she said.

Sophomore Kyle Kovatch agreed. He usually does not choose to attend OSA events because he does not like the atmosphere they create. “The small amount [of events] that I have been to usually just consisted of a bunch of tight-knit groups standing around, not associating with each other,” he said. Like Perko, Ko-vatch does not see any reason why full event calendars should cause alarm for anyone. “If students are getting over-involved with activities and getting swamped with work, it is their own fault. They should know the line between work and play.”

student activities series Are we overextending ourselves?Patricia A. CangelosiCopy Editor

Image: www.etown.edu

Girls Fight Back

website review‘Today’s Big Thing’ offers best of the dayShelby D. SamartinoStaff Writer

campus life September 30, 2010the Etownian10

celebrity dish

Bail, Broadway, ‘Bachelor,’ boycotts

Have your friends ever told you about hilarious video they

saw on the Internet, but when you searched YouTube, you got lost in the infinite abyss of videos? You just wanted some easy entertain-ment without having to look too hard? If those scenarios sound familiar — and even if they don’t apply to you — this new website may be just what you’ve been looking for.

Today’s Big Thing (TBT) is the freshest of websites in the “time-waster” category. It was created earlier this year and has already received booming reviews and an avid fanbase. The mission of the website is simple and sweet: “Ever y day, we f ind the best thing on the Internet and put it on this site.”

All the best videos on the web are found and uploaded daily. They are then split up into catego-ries depending on their subject matter. This feature makes the website much easier to navigate than its distant cousin, YouTube. The eight sections of the website are: TBT, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, Music, Funny Vid-eos, Cute Animals and Pictures.

This allows a large, organized variety for viewers to choose from.

“It saves me the hassle of look-ing to find videos my friends talk about,” sophomore Hannah Reagan said.

TBT seems to be targeted at anyone and everyone who hap-pens to need a little entertainment during their day. Sophomore Jon Gabriel loves the site for its wide array of content, and he checks it regularly. “The site has hi-larious clips ranging from a video that’ll make you laugh, so hard you’ll cry to videos that’ll make your mouth drop in amazement,” he said. “All in all, it’s a great website to watch some of the amazing videos one can find on the Internet.”

One of the best features of the TBT is its organization and easy access to videos that strike a certain interest. Students seem to favor this availability of videos compared to other websites.

“I think the website is cool, espe-cially if you like shows like Tosh.0 or The Soup. It’s pretty similar to some other videos websites, though I like how each day there is one video that is featured,” senior Pete Cellini said.

Similarly, sophomore Jenna Niedermayer enjoys how easy it is to find subjects that fit one’s exact

interest without having to search too hard.“

A person can spend hours aimlessly browsing through the countless num-bers of videos on the site.  It is not always fun or rewarding,” Neidermayer said. “To me, I only really enjoy watching a handful of clips ... therefore, hours of searching thousands upon thousands of videos can be deterring and boring.”

She feels that TBT is well-organized and it saves her from the boredom of rummaging around.

For the most avid fans, TBT

has its o w n F a c e -book and Twitter page that viewers can follow. Committed users are able to subscribe to the site to get the newest videos and pictures sent daily to their e-mail inbox. The site also features various sister websites on the top of its browser, including CollegeHu-mor, SportsPickle, BustedTees and Dorkly — a new website fea-turing video game humor.

So when you’re sick of working on those prob and stat questions, and you just need a quick laugh, check out Today’s Big Thing for your daily dose of entertainment.

As singers nationwide warm up their vocal cords for the tenth year of American Idol

auditions, they are left to wonder who will be judging them. Fox’s hit reality show is facing a ma-jor panel change with the loss of Kara DioGuardi, Ellen DeGeneres and the infamous Simon Cowell.

Cowell left his spot to focus on his own show, “The X Factor,” while DeGeneres felt the show wasn’t a good fit for her. Lastly, DioGuardi’s posi-tion opened up when she was forced to leave so that the show could return to its original three-judge format.

In recent months, there has been a lot of speculation that Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain,

Steven Tyler, Justin Timber-lake or Bret Michaels

could be joining the show. The two contenders who were in the lead to replace

DeGeneres and C o w e l l were Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. However, rumors surfaced that Lopez was asking for too much money and the deal had fallen through. Then, many believed that Shania Twain was the front runner to become the female American Idol panelist.

The judges were officially presented at a press conference Sept. 22. Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lo-pez and Steven Tyler round out this years panel.

Lopez’s single diva moment was rumored to be when she asked for only yellow M&Ms in her dressing room, an event which Lopez denies.

Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M, will also join the show as an in-house mentor.

Besides the change in judges, “American Idol” is adding new aspects to its audition process. While the original audition format still applies, there is now another option. Hopefuls can audi-tion through video by uploading their auditions onto “American Idol’s” MySpace page. Also, for the first time, 15-year-olds are eligible to try out.

Several students are worried that the show will lose viewers because of all of the changes, espe-cially since Cowell has left. Some only tune in to American Idol during for the first few episodes. “The bad auditions are the only good thing about it,” sophomore Sarah Knight said. “The rest is sort of cheesy. There’s better things to pay attention to.”

Others loved the show until recently. “I used to watch up until the fourth season,” junior Rachel Saul said. “I stopped watching it because I was sick of watching people I liked not win.”

Some simply disliked the show. “It’s trash tele-vision,” stated sophomore Christina Savage.

The “Idol” shake-up might bring in new view-ership, however. “I might watch it a little more,” first-year Elizabeth Pearson explained, “because I hated Simon.” On the other hand, some loved Simon. “I’m not going to watch it,” junior Brooke Wachtel said, “partly because I don’t have the time, and partly because Simon left. I liked his input.” Many didn’t see much of a problem. “I might watch the first one,” sophomore Suzanne Laucks said, “but I really don’t care that much.”

The changes made to the show may cause “American Idol” to lose viewers, but they may also gain fans are eager for a change. Either way, American Idol can be sure that they will have many views the first night to see how things unfold.

television preview‘Idol’ judges revealedRachel E. Barr Staff Writer

Joelle E. AtkinsonAsst. Campus Life Editor

Celebrities fascinate us. We can’t deny

that we love hear ing about the failures of those in the spotlight. We love to see them get knocked down to the ground. Ce-leb Spotlight, the newest column from the Etown-ian, will do just that.

Lindsay Lohan: She’s come such a long way since “The Parent Trap.” But that freckle faced innocence has faded away, and now her shocking chocies have really taken a toll. After being arrested for vio-lating parole, Lo-han was released on $300,000 bail. She followed this quick trip to the slammer with a visit to a homeless shelter. The former-child star is scheduled to enter rehab sometime in the current week. Interestingly enough, her lawyer enjoys working in the spotlight.

A veteran of the O.J. Simp-son case, Shawn Chapman Holley is used to posing for pictures and working with the media. The law-yer worked under Johnnie Cochran in the Simpson case, and whenever Holley enters a sticky situation she thinks, “What would Johnnie do?”

Katy Perry booted from Sesame Street: Though Katy Perry’s “Hot N’ Cold” duet with Elmo on Sesame Street was pulled from the airwaves for

being too sexy for young fans, Perry will get a second shot

at singing with s o m e f a m o u s

characters. The singer, who made

her pop debut with the Billboard hit, “I Kissed a Girl,” will now be shar-ing the stage with the yel-

low cartoon characters of Springfield, Ill. She will guest star on a Christmas-themed episode of “The Simpsons.” According to Entertainment Weekly’s website, Perry will be play the role of Moe’s girlfriend.

New bachelor, Brad Womack: The newest man to win the hearts of 25 ladies will be … well, not very new at all. Brad Womack previously held the title of the Bachelor for Season 11. He was best

known for not choosing any of the women

from the season in 2007. Womack is back for a second

chance at love … and maybe this time it

will stick. John Stamos originally

boycotted Glee: According to CNN’s entertainment blog, John Stamos admit-ted he originally was not a fan of the show. In an early episode of the hit Fox television series, guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, played by Jayma Mays, said “They say it takes certainty more than talent to make

a star. I mean, look at John Stamos.” The swipe an-gered Stamos, and he called the executives at Fox to complain. The actor, best known for his role as Uncle Jesse on “Full House,” told the Los Angeles Times that he was protesting the show: “Yeah, I was the only one in the world that boycotted ‘Glee.’ Me, the guy who’s on the show now.”

Billy Joe Armstrong headed to Great White Way: Lead singer of Green Day Billy Joe Armstrong is headed to the Broad-way stage. According to Playbill.com, the rocker will take his turn as St. Jimmy in the Tony-win-ning musical, “American Idiot,” that he helped to create. The show is based on the best-selling album by Green Day. “American Idiot” takes the songs on the album and turns them into a tale of three pals from suburbia who take separate paths in a post-9/11 world. Armstrong will take his turn Oct. 3, for one day only. That’s your Celebrity Dish!

Images: vacabspace.wikispaces.com, www.usa,philips.com

the Etownianopinioncampus controversies • letters to the editor national debate • our take • guest columns

September 30, 2010 11after college affairsLoan debt cripples graduates entering job marketMichelle L. HareStaff Writer

What is big and scary and loves to creep up on graduating students?

Student loan debt, with its ominous shadow and bloodthirsty teeth, is always ready to snatch students’ money as soon as they step offstage with their diplomas.

Students nationwide are being crushed by intensifying tuition prices. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, prices for under-graduate tuition, including room and board, have increased 30 percent since 1998. As a consequence, students and families have often had to resort to borrowing larger sums of money. Other factors, such as increasing unemploy-ment rates, the economy crisis and parents losing jobs are forcing young adults pursuing higher education to accept lives hindered by debt. USA Today recently reported that student loan debt (surpassing $850 billion) has exceeded national credit debt ($828 billion). Regardless of this significant difference, tuition prices continue to skyrocket, thus making it likely for this gap to widen.

We all received the dreaded e-mail from the Financial Aid Office declaring that tuition for the 2010-11 academic year has been raised to $41,750, an $1,800 increase from last year. For a quick mathematical reality check, that price multiplied by four equals

$167,000 for a degree from Elizabeth-town College. Most students receive some sort of scholarship and/or finan-cial aid package, so taking that into consideration, most students are still likely looking at a lower bill, perhaps closer to $100,000. It is a depressing fact to face, and yet we still chose to at-tend this beautiful private college, hop-ing it would make our dreams come true and secure our picture-perfect fu-ture. The part where we would have to pay for our four-year wonderland was not a huge concern at the time we signed the bolded line to attend class at Etown.

N o n e t h e l e s s , growing up in Gen-eration Y, most of us are preached the idea that a college educa-tion is a necessity for a prosperous and suc-cessful lifestyle. For many students, going to college is not a choice but a standard requirement in their “Life Handbook,” written by their par-ents. Statistics prove that attainment of higher education is directly associated with a higher median income. Accord-ing to the U.S. Department of Educa-

tion, National Center for Education Statistics, 72 percent of young adults ages 25-34 with a bachelor’s degree or higher were full-time workers in 2008. The recorded median income of this 72 percent was $46 thousand, compared with $36 thousand for individuals with an associate’s degree, and $30 thousand for those with a high school diploma. However, even though those

who earned a higher degree are making more money, they are the ones who have more debt to pay off. So, with the weight of thousands of dol-lars in student loan debt upon gradua-tion, one may ques-tion how necessary higher education is if students are just going to suffocate under massive stu-dent loans. Once we receive our diploma on graduation day, we have expectations. We expect our degree to open the job mar-ket’s windows and let

the sweet-smelling breeze of success blow on our skin. However, getting the degree is not enough. Employers seek individuals with years of experience. This requirement leads into another

problem stemming from our nation’s economic downfall: the lack of job opportunity.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the class of 2010 faces 10 percent unemployment in the job market, where one in five 20-24 year-olds are unemployed. In a CBS News article from May 18, Tyler Sanborn, a 22-year-old graduate, shared his story of struggles with student debt and find-ing a job. “I don’t want to be generation whine here,” Sanborn said. “I want to be generation Y and be productive, but I just haven’t had the chance yet.” From a lack of opportunity, eager, young job-seekers are not getting the experience needed to land the type of job they pre-pared for in school. As a result, many students have to make sacrifices and settle for jobs in different fields, lower incomes, or even offer to work without pay just to gain experience. Despite their degree, graduates are continually facing a tough job market.

One big question remains: is all of this financial stress worth it? I can honestly say now, as a junior, that my Elizabeth-town College experience is invaluable to me. The welcoming atmosphere, endless opportunities, and genuine people have all given me cherished memories that will last a lifetime. However, if you ask me 20 years from now if this experience is worth the $80 thousand of student loans I will still be paying off, I am not sure my answer will be the same.

Harrisburg University flips switch on social networkingJulia M. Escudero PonceStaff Writer

Ten months after its creation, Facebook reached one mil-

lion users. Six years later, Face-book has reached 500 million active users. People all around the world have joined the social network to “connect and share with the people” in their lives. Even though this social network has been useful in contacting friends, it also involves a big social question. What does it reflect about our generation?

The Harrisburg University of Science and Technology tried to answer this question. They blocked access to Face-book, along with Twitter and other social networking sites, on campus for one week. They wanted to see how students would react to losing access to their favorite social portals. Although they didn’t get a concrete answer, they did get some interesting responses. There were people who were very mad about it, while oth-ers didn’t care. Actually, a lot of students went to hotels and

other places to get connected to these networks. So, the main answer is that we depend on Facebook. We feel that we NEED to log on. Again, what does it reflect about our gen-eration? I don’t know, but the answer may be concerning.

It does show the neces-sity of publishing our thoughts, our political and re-ligious views, the things that we like, our relationship s t atus , and t he activities that we do. By announc-ing a l l of these things, we are let-ting our Facebook “friends” know ex-actly who we are and what we do. We are even let-t ing them com-ment about it. A few years ago, it was nice to take pictures of the activities that we did so that people could see them. Now, we take pictures to place them on Face-book. We post our activities

so that people will know exactly what we are doing. What’s the point? Why does everybody have to know everything about our lives? To gossip? To comment on it? Why do we need Facebook?

The positive side of Face-book is that it has connected us with the people we never see.

We can stay in contact with friends from high school, in-ternational friends or friends who live abroad. On the other hand, it is creating a society of false people. It is creating

a society in which everybody is constantly trying to fake who they are. It has created a society that thrives off the comments of others. Pictures are not natural anymore. Ev-erybody knows exactly how to pose so that a picture is nice. Life is not real anymore! We

live to publish it on Facebook.

One of the larg-est problems: If you don’t use the privacy settings for your pro-file, any person can stalk you. If you don’t erase “party pictures,” companies will look for you on Facebook and probably not hire you because of those pictures. Also, you can’t eliminate your profi le from Face-book. If you decide to leave it, perfect, but

your information, pictures and wall will remain there, blocked to viewers. How would we react if Etown would prohibit Facebook for a week?

I think it would be a chal-

lenge. It would be interesting to disconnect from Facebook for one week. We could try to do other activities instead of constantly commenting on other people’s pictures and statuses. Consider that you spend one hour per day on Facebook: Then you will be spending at least 30 hours on it per month. This means, you will be spending one day and six hours connected to Face-book each month, or 15 days each year. Instead, what would you do during those 15 days? During that hour per day you could sleep, practice in sports or even read a book.

It would be really interest-ing if the College banned the use of Facebook for one week. We could start thinking about the time that we spend on it. We could try to contact those friends personally. We could send them a personal e-mail rather than writing on all of their “walls.”

At this point, we should really start thinking about the benefits that Facebook brings to our lives.

social networking

Image: www.milkyourmoney.com

Image: www.gradconnection.com.auFacebook and other social networking sites were recently banned by a local university for one week in an attempt to study students’ behavior.

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opinion September 30, 2010the Etownian12

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letter to the editorArticle criticism wrongRachel L. Jesten Guest Writer

I’m writing to defend Samantha Phillips’

“Inebriated ambassador” article. I’m with Sam in Australia: we live in the same building, participate in the same programs and have made many of the same friends. And I can say with full confidence that she has been a shin-ing example of an Ameri-can and an Elizabethtown College ambassador. Sam is a favorite among our new Australian friends, specifically because of her ability to laugh at those taboo topics no one else wants to talk about.

To clarify, many of the “embarrassments” Sam addressed  were Orien-tation Week activities organized by our Austra-lian hosts, and “singing Queen on the steps of the Sydney Opera House” was a challenge we all had to complete on a group trip to Sydney – not an act of ignorant Americanism.

  Before sending her article to the paper, Sam read it to a group of Aus-tralian and American students, who laughed out loud at her satirized

stereotypes of both cul-tures.  Alasdaire Boyle, an Australian student in his second semester at Macquarie University, called the article “a funny poke at American college students,” noting how it exaggerated the behavior of so many fresh-off-the-boat American students he’d observed.

Studying abroad is about experiencing new cultures and making new friends, but what I’ve re-alized most since I’ve been here is that people are the same no matter where you go. There are just as many wild Austra-lian students as there are American, and they’re in the minority. And, yes, a large group of excited Americans can absolutely embarrass themselves, which I doubt any student who’s been abroad can deny, but the best part of those first few days weren’t the mistakes. The best part was learning to accept, and most impor-tantly change, those poor “American” habits which stand out all too clearly when we go abroad.

Readers should not be so quick to judge Sam’s personal character by the

character in which she writes. We’ve toured the Opera House, camped on the beach, taken tours of the Northern Beach-es with local friends, and, as I write this letter, Sam is snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. It doesn’t take much critical reading to realize that Sam was obviously not bragging about what she called “horrifyingly embarrass-ing mistakes.”

I’m not sure how an article which began by discussing the perils of “dangerously teeny shorts” could possibly have been taken as any-thing other than satirical, but I realize that the title of the article may have been misleading and that this style of writing is not necessarily for everyone. Regardless, such harsh personal attacks on Sam’s personal character (spe-cifically, “She is not an ambassador, she is a dis-grace”) are atrocious. Try to remember that even if you disagreed with how Sam wrote her article, she’s a student and a peer, with valid (though ex-aggerated) observations about the tendencies of Americans abroad.

Gift of gab not enough to carry Gingrich

Abroad debate reaction

Kristin D. WhiteGuest Writer

I am writing this letter to respond

to the harsh criti-cism that Samantha Phillips’ previous article “Inebriated ambassador” has received. I am so disappointed that her integrity and character have been called into question over an article that was intended to be taken lightly.

I am currently studying abroad at the same university in Australia with Samantha, and I can honest ly say that the group of Elizabethtown stu-dents living here have had countless invaluable expe-riences that have been completely unrelated to drink-ing. Samantha’s ar-ticle was intended to be satirical, as

the Americans here recognize our ten-dency to stand out.

I b e l i e ve t hat Et o w n s t u d e nt s have portrayed our-selves as respect-able indiv idua ls who have tried our best to immerse ourselves in the Australian culture.

I would like to make it very clear that Samantha’s ar-ticle barely scratch-es the surface of o u r a d v e n t u r e s here. Our time in Australia has given us brand new ex-periences, lifelong friends and an en-lightened view of a culture that we have completely fallen in love with.

In my opinion, Samantha has been a wonderful Amer-ican ambassador, and Etown should be proud to have her representing our college.

national politics

Dr. Sanjay PaulAssoc. Prof. of Economics

Newt Gingrich, former House speaker and fu-

ture Presidential hopeful, recently used strong lan-guage while speaking about President Obama. He suggested Obama had cleverly conned America into elect-ing him into office, and additionally, to understand Obama, one had to consider his “African anti-colonial behavior.”

Newt has many admirers who claim he is a brilliant man, an intellectual and a history professor! He is a man full of ideas — one day he is pontificating on health care, the next on the proposed Islamic com-munity center near Ground Zero (or, as he might call it, the Ground Zero mosque). He reads avidly — his views on Obama, he admits freely, were shaped by a Forbes

magazine article written by yet another dazzling intel-lectual, Dinesh D’Souza, who had earlier blamed the 9/11 attacks on American liberals. Liberals, D’Souza pointed out with the sort of acumen that comes from

spending long months at the Hoover Institution, are also to blame for the Abu Ghraib torture and for subverting traditional standards of de-cency in American culture.

His supporters admir-ingly say the man displays such learning, such wis-

dom! Such encomiums, alas, are rarely heaped on eco-nomics professors — Phil Gramm, that sterling wor-thy, is a notable exception. Another likely candidate, Greg Mankiw, President George W. Bush’s economic

advisor, was hounded out of Washington, D.C., after stating the eminently reasonable proposition that in-ternational trade was good for America in the long run.

But even his most ar-dent supporters would concede that Newt has a slight problem: that he is occasionally im-politic. There is no doubt, his defenders would hasten to add,

that Newt has the gift of gab. He is a masterful orator, weaving history and learning and stuff into his speeches to stunning effect. But not all his learning is artfully phrased; Newt, they admit grudgingly, gets carried away on occasion. He uses words

that he shouldn’t. Troublesome words. Words that can be dif-ficult to justify later on CNN (though not on Fox News, as all is forgiven there).

However, that is expected from a man of ideas; you get ideas, mainly boiling down to government bad, tax-cuts good, but you also get the oc-casional prickly phrase. You hear him call the President a con man. You hear him deprecate the President’s “anti-colonial behavior.” (Wait a minute! If Obama is anti - colonial, and Newt is against Obama, it must mean…ah, never mind.)

But will anyone remember all this? Some members of the Tea Party movement probably think Newt was being chari-table towards Obama.

In any event, the 2012 presi-dential campaign will be here soon, and Newt will have other things to worry about. How is he going to run against Sarah Palin? He will need all his wis-dom to counter her raw appeal. And if that fails, well, there is always the Hoover Institution.

Image: www.episcopalifem.wordpress.comNewt Gingrich has recently come under fire for criticizing Obama’s presidency and the American people who elected him

Amy L. BaugherStaff Writer

What is the Tea Party? Didn’t that hap-pen years ago in the 1770s? Well the

truth is folks; it’s back. We are not talking about chai tea being thrown over the side of a boat, though. The Tea Party Movement has become a recent phenomena in Wash-ington, D.C., that is catching the attention of many people in America today and showing our government just how unhappy citizens are with their current situation.

But what exactly does the movement stand for? The Tea Partiers, as they are now called, are protesting how corrupt the gov-ernment is and how big it has become. The Tea Party wants less government in America: less taxation and fewer government officials making a career out of their office.

They are planning on doing this by electing people that are barely known to office. Just recently they showed how much support they had, when Christine O’Donnell, a dark horse from Con-necticut, beat Mike Castle, a nine term congressman and former governor. Bill Clinton also surprised Americans when he stated to the press that he thought this movement was healthy for America.

Clinton said that the movement was making members of the government check and justify everything they were spending and doing in office.

Some people have the wrong idea about the Tea Partiers and believe they are a group of Republicans trying to bring down

big government, but really the Tea Party consists of people from both parties who are just unhappy. It is hard to wrap your head around just what this party stands for because the party consists of diverse people. The party doesn’t stand for anything other than reducing the size of government. If you were to ask several different people from the party about their views on abortion or imgration, for instance, you would get very

different answers from each person.

The more I find out about this move-ment, the more I like it. I think this movement was a long time coming, and

now people are finally taking initiative. The government right now gets most of its money from the middle class, and for most of us, we are going to be in that class when we graduate. If we work for a private company, a lot of what we make will be going to the government. For those of you who want to start your own business, you will learn firsthand just how much the government takes to pay

for their expenses. I am not against taxes. I believe

that it is necessary for there to be taxes to pay for good public ser-vices. However, I don’t necessarily believe that it is my job to support the people who are in the lower

class right now, who get money from the government because they

don’t make enough to support their families. To me, that sounds a little bit like socialism. It is also a shame that the middle class is paying a lot of taxes while the “people sitting on the hill” are giving themselves pay raises. The presi-dent elected to give all federal workers a 1.4 percent pay raise this year, which just doesn’t seem right to me.

I think the Tea Party is something to which we all need to pay attention. It brings to light one of the most prominent issues throughout history: how much should government actually be able to control? I encourage you all to follow this issue, and to take an interest in what these people are doing right now. This is affecting us now. As Thomas Paine said, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

Image: www.wowowow.comLately, Republicans and Democrats alike have been at odds over the initiatives and policies the Tea Party Movement has proposed in rallies across America.

the Etownianthe board

Editor-in-ChiefEmily M. ReigartManaging EditorRoss M. BenincasaAssistant EditorPeter S. NorthropNews EditorHuntley C. McGowanFeatures EditorKhouri E. McGrannCampus Life EditorMelanie R. GiardinaOpinion EditorVanessa L. AndrewSports EditorT. Gavin NevillPhotography EditorMatthew P. ButeraCopy EditorPatricia A. CangelosiManaging Copy EditorNancy C. BriscoeOnline Editor Zachary T. JohnsonLayout EditorAllison A. GowerAssistant News EditorJamie L. BartolinoAssistant Features EditorErika C. SurockAsst. Campus Life EditorJoelle E. AtkinsonAssistant Opinion EditorYour name could be hereAssistant Sports EditorJanna M. RichardsAsst. Photography EditorJackie QuidortAssistant Online EditorAndrew R. SidesAssistant Copy EditorsSamantha M. AllemanJanelle K. DeAngeloElizabeth A. EnwrightCraig H. MeaneyBrianna E. WiestAssistant Layout EditorYour name could be hereBusiness ManagerMarc E. Weber Asst. Business ManagerAaron A. Salgado Advertising ManagerKatie L. BornholdtAssistant Ad. ManagerBrooke S. WachtelFaculty AdviserKirsten A. Johnson

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.

The Etownian is published most Thursdays during the academic year by Susquehanna Printing.

Submissions to the Etownian are always welcomed. We will make every effort to print submissions, but we do not promise publication. Submit letters to OPINIONEDITOR@etown.edu.

opinionSeptember 30, 2010 the Etownian 13national politicsTea Party brings light to US spending issues

community issuesBorough separation remains pressing issueMichael A. McGrawStaff Writer

Elizabethtown and its residents seem to have little tolerance

for the college crowd. When I first arrived here as a first-year, I was impressed that across the street from my dorm, Ober, there was property containing houses informally known as “the Farm,” “Ranch,” and “Mushroom.” The houses were not considered to be on campus and were a haven for college students looking to safely enjoy a Saturday night without having to consider driving drunk or wandering through town. Dur-ing my first year, I rarely heard any stories involving college students vandalizing or causing problems.

As I neared the end of this year, I heard the school bought the properties and planned to tear them down to “create new dorms.” Afterwards, the students were informed that the College actually did not have the money to build the new dorms as prom-ised. This was particularly annoy-ing because it seemed as though the College tore the houses down to curb the amount of partying, not for new residence halls.

As someone of age, I am in no way condoning the act of underage

drinking or even binge drinking, but I do know that if college kids want to drink, they will find a way to do so.

After the houses were shut down, students were forced to travel into the town to visit houses further away. This seemed to lead to an increased

amount of students driving drunk on a weekly basis and to the vandalism of several houses along Cedar Street.

Previously, I had never seen a strain between Etown residents and the College, but after the shift in party location, it was appar-ent. Last year, the neighborhood went so far as to create a coalition

against a house located at the end of Cedar.

In order to create a good atmo-sphere with the town’s residents, there must be an understanding between the student body and the locals. We as students must see that they live in this town and that we cannot treat it like a dump.

Instead, we should work with people to keep it clean and safe for everyone in the area.

This is a belief that is important for the town and school to have a mutual relationship. I, for one, don’t necessarily believe that a rela-tionship is actually that important. I’d be happy if we could just leave one another alone. If the students

learn to respect the town and its residents, and they in turn let go of any personal vendettas or grudges held against the students, then it is possible to live with one another without any issues arising.

As for the idea that it could be economically beneficial for the school and the town to integrate, I think that it is possible, but not in any fashion that the administra-tion would necessarily agree with.

Like most college towns, hav-ing specials for students at local bars or even just making them student-friendly would greatly increase the amount of business that the bar would accumulate. In turn this would create an atmo-sphere where students and locals would mingle and possibly bond. If the school were to create some sort of shuttle that went to and from local bars, they could turn a profit by charging a minimal fee for students thus being an economically positive situation for the school and the town.

Needless to say, it does not matter what I think, but what the student body and the town thinks about the relationship. It is possible to create some sort of beneficial relationship in the future, but I for one don’t feel that it will happen anytime soon.

Image: www.greatrealtyusa.comThe divide between the borough and Elizabethtown College continues to affect students’ perception of the Etown community.

Kara J. BurkholderStaff Writer

It’s gut check time for the El izabethtown Col lege

men’s soccer team.The Blue Jays have two

big games coming up in the next week. On Saturday, they have their first Com-monwealth Conference game against Alvernia University at home, and on Wednesday, they host Franklin & Mar-shall College in the annual competition for “Das Boot.”

The team has high hopes for confer-

ence play this season. “Our goals this year definitely include winning the conference tournament and making a deep run in the NCAA tournament,” senior midfielder Cameron Gettel said.

It’s time for the team to turn those goals into reality, as Alvernia travels

to Ira R. Herr Field for a 7 p.m. showdown this Saturday.

It won’t be easy; Alvernia is carrying a strong record of 5-2-1. But Gettel isn’t worried. “If we play with our composed style, it will be difficult for opponents to beat us,” he said.

It’s true that the Jays are do-ing well so far this season. With

an overall record of 5-1-2, the team is playing well together and relying on strong defense and finishing power to win. In their last three games — all wins — the Jays have held their op-ponents to one goal per game, while

scoring 16 goals themselves. They also have nearly double the number of shots on goal as their opponents this season. The team has 23 goals to their opponents’ eight this year.

The Blue Jays are looking forward to hosting Lancaster County rival Franklin & Marshall College for the Smith-Herr Boot game at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 6.

“The F&M game is always one that we circle on our calendars,” Gettel said. Last year, the Blue Jays brought “Das Boot” back to Etown, and they’re looking to do everything they can to keep it here.

sportsthe Etownian14 September 30, 2010

field hockey

If we play with our composed style, it will be difficult for opponents to beat us.

Senior Cameron GettelBlue Jays’ Captain

field hockey

Robert E. KoehlerStaff Writer

The Elizabethtown College field hockey team is off to a steady start for the 2010 season and looks to improve its record when it faces Alvernia University

and Gettysburg College this week. The Lady Jays currently have a 5-3 record as they enter their October games.

Before falling 5-0 to the No. 1 ranked team in the country, Messiah College, on Sept. 25, the Lady Jays had a three-game winning streak. The team cruised to a 4-1 win against Swarthmore College Sept. 14, with senior captain Liz DeMatteis scoring two goals in the first half. Junior Caitlin Grimes and sophomore Nadine Yunginger also contributed to the win, scoring a goal apiece in the game. Other key victories for the Lady Jays this season included matchups against Dickinson College Sept. 11 and a 3-2 win over Susquehanna University Sept. 22 that ended in penalty strokes.

In Etown’s 3-2 victory at King’s College on Tuesday, Sept. 28, the Lady Jays again used penalty strokes to hand the Monarchs just their second loss on the season. DeMatteis and Grimes tallied goals in the Lady Jays’ win.

DeMatteis has high expectations for the upcoming games and thinks the Lady Jays can pull off future wins. “Alvernia and Gettysburg are always good games for us,” DeMatteis said. “Alvernia is in our conference, so it will be important for us to [do] well against them to improve both our record and our standing in our conference. Gettysburg always plays hard, and they bring out our best game. If we come out hard right from the start in both games and play a full game, I know we will have great success.”

Other players also have high expectations for these two matchups. Senior captain Julie Foster expects exciting but challenging games ahead. “Both games next week should be good, competitive games, with a quick, high-scoring of-fense with a strong defense,” Foster said. “Our team is doing well with learning from our mistakes early in the season. It will be shown throughout our game playing the rest of the year.”

The team has been playing very well together, looking at every game as a new building block for the next game.

“There is so much talent on our team and it is so exciting to see it all come together on the field,” senior Jackie Macharsky said. “We are a united team that is willing to work hard so that there are no regrets at the end of a game.”

‘Das Boot’ up for grabs, team has tough competitionmen’s soccer

Christian V. SammartinoStaff Writer

This weekend, the Blue Jays can literally take the next step up the

mountain toward championship form at the Slippery Rock Invitational. In their third race of the season on Saturday, the men’s cross -country team will travel to Cooper’s Lake Campground in Slippery Rock, Pa., for the event.

According to senior captain Adam Derkacz, the team will take, at least, their top 10 to 13 runners. The physical status of the runners will be considered along with their time trial results to make the final decision. The tournament group will then battle a field of around 150 runners at Cooper’s Lake.

The course the runners will traverse begins with a large hilly stretch, which will test their balance and endurance early in the race.

“The first 600 meters or so is all up-hill from the line,” Derkacz said. “The last few regional courses have been flat, so it will be a challenge.”

The tough terrain of the course will also play a factor in the race. “The foot-ing isn’t so great in the woods,” Derkacz said. “You can run into crevasses where guys can turn their ankles.”

Referring to the approach his team will take at the Slippery Rock Invita-tional, Derkacz explained, “Coach typi-cally wants us to go out conservatively, then get faster. For Saturday, we want to be conservative but establish a good position on the hill. You have to balance when you’re attacking your race.”

In addition, he pointed out that “we have to have everyone healthy. The people in the top five to seven must be in the race mentally and work together.”

The captain shows confidence in the depth of his team: “With our talent in the top five to seven guys, it’s hard to say who will be up there because they shuffle around so much.”

The Blue Jays aim will be to take their talent, and, as Derkacz said, “Put Eown on the map.” With their core intact – the team only graduated one runner from last year - they have been able to set their sights on large targets.

“Last year we focused on getting to nationals, and this year we want to go top ten,” Derkacz said.

The energetic captain has a very per-sonal approach to pumping his team up for races like the one at Slippery Rock this weekend. “I always go around to everyone on the team and give them high-fives,” Derkacz said. “I point to their heart and tell them as long as they give everything they have, they will run a good race.”

He knows that in addition to talent and togetherness, his team must be men-tally ready for the physical challenges of running. “Cross-country is a mind game. When you run cross-country, your body is in so much oxygen debt that running becomes anaerobic and the body literally eats itself to keep going,” Derkacz said. “You have to keep going even if that means running until your eyes roll back into your head.”

In order to face the challenges the course will present on Saturday, the team will continue their group running strategy. With this tactic and their overall talent, the Jays can reach the peak of their potential. “Coach will tell the top five to seven run-ners to run together towards a goal time,” Derkacz said. “With teammates around you, it’s easier to keep going. If that goes as planned, we have a better chance at packing guys in at the end.”

Hoping to improve recordmen’s cross-country

Running as a strong team

Sports by the Numbers

0.56Blue Jays’ goalie Andy Barnes’ goals against

average this season

Photo: EtownBlueJays.comSenior Meg Cassels assisted on Lady Jays’ second goal in their 3-2 over King’s College on Tuesday, Sept. 28.

sportsSeptember 30, 2010 the Etownian 15

Ashley N. KuferaStaff Writer

The Elizabethtown College women’s soccer team, holding a 4-4-1 record, is laboriously

preparing for the start of league play, with motiva-tions to collect some wins.

The team is in a bit of a slump, recently suffer-ing a four-game losing streak. Sophomore forward Laura Wingert believes that the team has been playing well but not as consistently as it could be.

“As soon as we put two good halves together, we will be able to win these closer games that we have been struggling with,” she said.

Wednesday night the Jays faced Misericordia. The showdown ended in a 1-2 loss, despite a goal from senior Elyse Carabello, assisted by Wingert.

It is imperative for the Lady Jays to step up their game, especially with Commonwealth Confer-ence play beginning Saturday, Oct. 2, at home against Alvernia University.

Wingert believes it is vital that each individual be responsible for continuing her own personal improvements. “If everyone does this, and we work on just the little aspects of the game, we will ultimately improve the team as a whole,” she said.

Scoring early is another factor that will benefit the Lady Jays. “If we score early and get the second and third goals quickly after, I think that will help us win,” senior captain Paige Minka said. “That’s how we have obtained most of our wins.”

It became obvious this past week that the team has been working on these individual technicali-ties and scoring early, when the Lady Jays brought

home a 4-0 shutout against Moravian College on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Wingert, along with seniors Carabello and Kelly Fisher and first-year Alex Topa, contributed goals, three of which were scored within the first 25 minutes of the game.

Last Saturday, the Lady Jays carried high en-ergy into their nonconference match, grabbing a 3-0 shutout against Stevenson University.

It is now essential for the team to carry this en-ergy and playing style into their upcoming games against Wilkes University and Alvernia University.

The Lady Jays will battle Wilkes in an away match Tuesday, Oct. 5. The Wilkes Colonels, with a 3-6 overall record, brings a strong defense that will put a lot of pressure on Etown’s offense as they engage in a very physical, high-intensity game. It is necessary for Etown’s team to implement a game plan in order to shut down Wilkes’ defense.

“If we play high pressure against them and cause them to make mistakes, we think we will be successful in defeating Wilkes,” Wingert said.

The same mentality goes for Alvernia. The Crusaders, possessing a 7-2-1 record as of press time, will bring a solid defense to the game. Alver-nia’s 300-minute shutout streak was just broken in their game Wednesday against DeSales University. The Lady Jays will need to put high pressure on Al-vernia in order to break down their defensive line.

If the Lady Jays continue to put 100 percent effort into every minute of the game, they have the potential to be a threat in league play.

“We have great talent on the team,” Wingert said, “so it is just a matter of continuing to play better, together as a whole.”

Thomas D. HagertyStaff Writer

October 2 is going to be a busy day for the Elizabethtown College

volleyball team, as the Lady Jays travel to Annville, Pa. for a Middle Atlantic Conference Crossover Tournament. They will play match-es against two of the best teams in the Freedom Conference: Eastern University and DeSales University.

Although the Lady Jays have not been back to Lebanon Valley College’s gymnasium, the site of the Crossover tournament, since their loss in the MAC Champion-ship last season, the team did not seem concerned about going back to Annville.

“I’m excited to go there and play some exciting games of volleyball,” junior Kelsey Hayes said. “I want LVC to see that we are still the team to beat. What better way to do that than win some games in their gym?”

One of the teams the Lady Jays hope to beat is the Eastern Eagles. Eastern is a team that has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the coun-try this season. Their only loss came to second-ranked Juniata last weekend. As a team, the Eagles are outstanding on paper with a .277 hitting percent-age on the strength of 674 kills. Junior outside hitter Courtney Reinhold has 247 of those kills on a whopping .370 hitting percentage. It’s that kind of

efficiency that makes this team hard to beat, but senior captain Amanda Ritchey claimed the Lady Jays are full of confidence.

“We’ve played them before,” Ritchey said. “Last year we were pushing them and had them scared. We don’t have any fears going in.” Junior Katie Gantz agreed with her captain, believing that the Lady Jays will elevate their play next weekend. “They drive you to get to that next level.

We need to play up to their level.”Following the first match, the Lady

Jays will go right back to work against DeSales University. DeSales is a much

less intimidating opponent than East-ern, as the Bulldogs lost in three games to Eastern earlier this season. However, they have players with a great deal of experience at this level. Last weekend, DeSales senior middle hitter Kylie Fehnel recorded her 1,000 career kill.

The Blue Jays will have to shut down the diminutive 5’6” Fehnel if they want to beat their Freedom Conference foe.

Three days later, the Lady Jays will travel to Grantham, Pa. to face their conference rivals, the Messiah Falcons. After starting the season 0-2, the Falcons have won 12 of their last 13 matches. Messiah has 531 kills but only a .137 hitting percentage. With only one senior, the Falcons are led on the stat sheet by sophomores Lauren Rees and Lindsay King. Both Rees and King have over 100 kills. If the Lady Jays want to have a chance to win in Grantham, they will need to get up and block these two competitive players. If they can do that, they should have no problem winning the MAC matchup.

When the Lady Jays take on the Falcons, it will be their third match in four days. The team will have to keep their energy level up to compete at their highest level. First-year Carolyn Lukiewski is not worried about the team’s stamina.

“If one person gets down, the whole team is there to pick that person up, and it helps a lot. If we work together like we know

how, we won’t have trouble keeping the energy level up,” she said. Gantz had similar feelings. “Throughout the season we have a lot of competition” she said. “We had four matches last weekend. We should be okay. Playing our rivals will get us pumped up.”

Junior Kelsey Hayes, on the volleyball team’s games at Lebanon Valley College this weekend.

“I want LVC to see that we are still the team to beat. What better way to do that than win some games in their gym?”

They said it ...

Photo: EtownBlueJays.com

volleyball

Lady Jays set for Crossover Tournament this weekend

Photo: Matthew J. ButeraSenior Molly Northway sets the ball for the Lady Jays as junior Katie Gantz (16) and senior Kara Burkholder (25) get into position at a recent game against Arcadia University.

Upcoming Blue Jay sporting events being covered by WWEC 88.3 fm

“The Sound of Elizabethtown”-Oct. 2 Men’s soccer vs. Alvernia University, 7 p.m.-Oct. 13 Women’s soccer vs. Lebanon Valley College, 4:30 p.m.-Oct. 16 Women’s soccer vs. Arcadia University, 2 p.m.-Oct. 16 Men’s soccer vs. Arcadia University, 4:30 p.m.

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sports September 30, 2010the Etownian16

Field Hockey (5-3)Messiah 5, Etown 0 King’s 2, Etown 0

Women’s Soccer (4-4-1)Etown 3, Stevenson 0Misericordia 2, Etown 1

Men’s Soccer (5-1-2)Immaculata 1, Etown 3Moravian 1, Etown 7

Volleyball (11-6)Etown 1, Gettysburg 3Etown 3, Alvernia 0Juniata 3 , Etown 0

Men’s Cross-CountryOctober 2:@ Slippery Rock

InvitationalOctober 16:@ Oberlin Inter-

Regional Rumble

Women’s Cross-CountryOctober 2:@ Slippery Rock

InvitationalOctober 16:@ Oberlin Inter-

Regional Rumble

Field HockeyOctober 2:AlverniaOctober 6:@ GettysburgOctober 9:@ Arcadia

Women’s SoccerOctober 2:Alvernia October 5:@ WilkesOctober 9:@ AlbrightOctober 13:Lebanon Valley

Men’s SoccerOctober 2:AlverniaOctober 6:Franklin & MarshallOctober 9:@ AlbrightOctober 13:Lebanon Valley

VolleyballOctober 2:vs. Easternvs. DeSalesOctober 5:@ Messiah

EtownBlueJays .com

Athlete of the Weekthe etownian’s

Laura Wingert

Major: BiologyFavorite Jay’s Nest item:

Buffalo chicken stripsFavorite sports team: UNC Tar HeelsFavorite musician: John MayerFavorite TV show: “Grey’s Anatomy”Favorite movie: “The Notebook” Song currently playing

on my iPod: “Teenage Dream” by

Katy Perry Biggest Fear: not being successful.

Q&A

SportsRecap

Scheduleof Sports

In 10 years, I want to ...

be a doctor, married and starting a family.

Hardly anyone knows that ...

I hate feet. I’m a sucker for: anything chocolate.I started playing my

sport... when I was 5 years old.G r e a t e s t a t h l e t i c

achievement: first team all-confer-

ence freshman year

InsideSportsField Hockey

Page 14Men’s Soccer

Page 14Men’s Cross-country

Page 14Volleyball

Page 15Women’s Soccer

Page 15

Gavin T. NevillSports Editor

Sophomore Laura Wing-ert has scored or assisted on nine of the Lady Jays 16 goals this season.

O n S e pt . 2 2 , Wi ng -ert helped halt the Lady Jays’three-game skid by pro-viding a goal and an assist in their 4-0 win at Moravian College.

Against Stevenson Uni-versity on Sept. 25, Wingert scored and dished out an-other assist in Etown’s 4-0 shutout.

The forward from Ha-nover Township, Pa., leads this year’s team in shots and shots on goal.

Kelly J. Clayton Staff Writer

Now in her fourth and fi-nal season as a Lady Jay,

senior Teresa Beshore knows she will always have her cross-country family with her, even after graduating from Elizabeth-town College. Beshore is having a busy yet exciting year.

Beshore is student teaching this semester and leads the defending Middle Atlantic Conference cham-pion cross-country team. “[It’s]hard, but since student teaching determines whether I graduate or not, it has priority, but balancing cross-country with it has shown me [how] important the team is to me every day,” Beshore said.

Beshore comes from a family of six children, growing up with four brothers and one sister. She was playfully forced into sports. Her first experience in cross-country was when she went with her mom to pick up her older brother from practice at high school. Her brother still had to run a mile cool down, so Beshore ran with him. At nine years old, she ran the entire trail in flip-flops. It wasn’t long before she was hooked.

“Running became an outlet for anything that I was feeling, and became a part of who I am,” Beshore said.

“I have had some of my best conversations while run-ning with other cross-country teammates. I have seen some amazing sights on trails and

Beshore continues the tradition and leadswomen’s cross-country

First-year runner Abigail Mitchell said Beshore had a calming influence on the young team.

“On the first week of practice I was really unsure about cross-country, but while running, Teresa explained to me what the sport was really about and reassured me about my decision to run,” Mitchell said.

“Teresa is an amazing leader.

Photo: Tom WilliamsSenior Teresa Beshore leads the Lady Jays to the Slippery Rock Invitational this weekend.

have just had overall amazing experiences.”

For Beshore, it was these ex-periences that made her want to continue running in college. After an overnight at Etown with the team, she knew that she wanted to become a Blue Jay.

“It was an impressive education department, and the close family atmosphere on the cross-country team that made me feel comfort-able,” the senior captain said.

In her four years, Beshore said that the most important aspect of the team is “family closeness.”

“You put so much effort and time into being a runner that it only makes sense to surround yourself with those people,” Beshore said. “Our family-like bond has a lot to do with our coach. He stresses family, so that is what we are.”

Beshore said this year’s team has their eyes on a qualifying spot for the NCAAs, which would mean they would have to win the MAC. As the leader of the team, Beshore said, “I would like to go to the NCAAs to run, but if my best help is by cheering, then that is great, and I will be there for my team.”

Due to the 15 first-year runners on the team, the captains have a larger responsibility.

“I don’t feel any pressure be-ing a leader because there is so much drive in all of them that they go along with everything and support each other, so it’s always fun,” she said.

From the first moment I stepped onto the team, I was proud to have her as my captain.”

Beshore said she wants to end the year by making the past leaders proud of the women’s cross-country legacy.

“It is important for me to con-tinue the legacy and tradition of the team,” Beshore said. “I want the first-years to know how important the family of the team is, and, of course, to have fun.”

Photo: EtownBlueJays.com