Vol. 87, No. 4 Dec. 1, 2008Christmas Edition

The McKendree Review

A Truly ‘Green’Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, and soon there will be presents, cards, wrapping paper and food galore. Christ-mas time may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it doesn’t have to be the most wasteful. Don’t stop being green just because of the holi-days! There are numerous ways to reduce waste during the holiday season, including cutting down on dispos-able items (like wrapping paper and paper nap-kins), refraining from wasting food, turning off Christmas lights at night and greening your Christmas gifts. If everyone cut back on the wrapping paper used at Christmas time, miles of paper would be saved. In the United Kingdom each year, 83 square kilometers are used. Trade your wrapping paper in for one of Forever 21’s cute and cheap reusable gift bags, or use your old newspapers to wrap gifts. Even if cutting back on the wrapping paper you use proves difficult, intact wrapping paper can be reused next year. All other wrapping paper can be recycled. Remember to re-cycle Christmas cards after the

season as well. Also, simply cutting back on paper platesand plastic utensils helps reduce waste. Delicious foods are most prevalent during the holiday season. No reason to cut back (it’s the holidays!), but what food doesn’t get eaten should be saved or given away to rela-tives or neighbors. There’s no reason to waste good food that others could make use of. Christmas lights are one

of the most fabulous aspects of the holiday season, but when left on all day and night, an extreme amount of energy is wasted. Dur-ing the daylight hours, leave the lights off. At dusk, when people are out and about, turn the lights on for everyone’s enjoyment. During the

dead of the night though, turning off the lights will save a huge amount of energy. Plus, no one is missing out. One of the most fun ways to be green during the holiday season is greening your gifts. Easy ways to do this include giving hand made gifts, pur-chasing thrift store gifts and

By Maia PaluskaStaff Writer

Index

Features...Pages 2-9•

Hodge Podge Col-•lage...Page 10

The Pulse...Pages •11-17

Sound Off!...Pages •18-23

Sports...Page 24•

Need an idea for

Christmas gifts?

Check out Fashion

Finds for Friends on

p. 12!

Continued on p. 6

Treasure Hunting:21st Century-Style

If you’ve ever seen a “suspi-cious” person hunched over a small device that looks like a cell phone and crawling around on the ground while running his or her hands over and under park benches, lamp posts or even tree stumps, all the while muttering “it says five feet!” you might have muttered a couple things under your breath too. It’s okay. What you have witnessed is not insanity or the planting of an explosive device. It’s Geocaching- the newest high-tech form of treasure hunting. Think of it as a large-scale treasure hunt in which people from all over the world can take part. In order to play, all you need to have is a GPS system (like those on many handheld

By Eric Pingolt and Deanne PulokaStaff Writers

devices), patience and an ap-preciation for the outdoors. People can hide containers of any size, called geocaches, outdoors, fill them with unique or fun little items and post the cache’s (pronounced “cash”) coordi-nates on websites like Geocach-ing.com. Other geocachers may then put the coor-dinates into their GPS and begin their own fun adventure search-ing for the cache and even trad-ing the items inside for trinkets of their own. Whether you go with friends, family, a significant other or just set out alone, geocaching is an amazing way to bond. The thrill of solving clues and hunting down the

caches are a great experience to share with anyone you care about, young or old. Spending time in these parks and forests

can enhance your appreciation for the beauty of nature and make you real-ize how precious a resource they are. Plus, getting some fresh air and exercise never hurt anyone! We joined the geocaching commu-nity in September. But geocaching first

began eight years ago in Port-land, Oregon when computer specialist Dave Ulmereast decided to test the accuracy of his GPS unit by hiding a con-tainer in the woods and posting its coordinates on an online GPS user forum. The idea was

Continued on p. 12

McKendree University mourns the loss of 21-year-old Junior Daniel D. Rivera, a beloved member of the football team and campus community. On his Facebook page, Daniel included the anonymous quote, “Live like no one’s watching and love like you have never been hurt.” After speaking to his friends at a memorial service on Mon., Nov 17 at West Clubhouse, it is obvious that Daniel lived by this quote before his full life was cut short on Sun., Nov. 16 in a car accident in St. Jacob, Ill.

A 2005 graduate of Civic Memorial High School in Bethalto, Ill., Daniel transferred to McKendree from Lindenwood University last spring to pursue a degree in criminal justice. According to friends, Daniel worked at Manda-rin Lounge in the Central West End and Club Buca in Laclede’s Landing in St. Louis as a bouncer and bartender. He was also a defen-sive lineman “red shirt” player for McKendree’s football team,

which meant he could only practice but not compete with

the team. On Sat., Nov. 15, while the McK-endree football team played its last game of the season, Daniel unknowingly celebrated his final football game with a win at home against Iowa Wesleyan,

48-3. According to teammate and friend Aaron Barnett, “He

In Memory of Daniel D. RiveraBy Theresa SchmidtEditor-in-Chief

Continued on p. 3

Tess, a Bhappy Bag

The geocaching logo found on all official geocaching containers and websites,

courtesy of Deanne Puloka.

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 2Features

In a time of the semester characterized by the due dates of projects and papers, it is of extreme importance to master the strategies required to obtain information of quality, and to do so in a timely manner. To this end, students can surf the internet for hours to find only limited and unreliable knowl-edge on their topic of research, or, better yet, they can use the resources and assistance provided by the staff members of Holman Library. Reference & Information Technologies Librarian, Bill Harroff, hap-pens to be especially diligent in providing assistance both to students, members of the faculty and even to the alumni who come back to their Alma Mater in search of information. Harroff, who has developed an admirable level of expertise throughout the years, tends to greet all of those who ask for his help with a friendly attitude and is frequently able to find solutions and to facilitate the research process. When asked to describe the various tools available through Holman Library, Harroff replied that the “strength of the collection is composed by a rich selection of online journal subscriptions.” According to Bill, as he is commonly known, “more than 60 electronic data-bases representing tens of thou-sands of journals that comprise the Database List” are available through the library’s website. These databases provide access to the latest work on differ-ent fields from kinesiology to political science and feature the publications of leading experts inside and outside the United States. The EBSCO Databases have been rated as the leading

providers of journal articles for libraries around the world. Ad-ditionally, these resources can be used to obtain correct cita-tion in different formats such as APA, MLA, Chicago and others styles, and are also valu-able when looking for books, magazines and other printed materials. Bill defined a database as “a collection of data in which item groups are related in some way. The aim of a relational data-base is to allow large amounts of data to be held and manipu-lated without the need for excessive duplication, and to group this informa-tion time.” The data-base Psych Articles, for instance, groups a vast number of publications in an organized way that allows users to find those that are relevant to their interest through the use of certain key words and without duplicate or redundant results. Students should be especially familiar with Lexis Nexis, which in Bill’s words goes beyond academic articles into “virtually any document out there.” However, the frame-work for the best scholarly material is built in EBSCO. Through the library, stu-dents can also access I-Share, a system that provides access to the college libraries of the State of Illinois and allows for the check-out of almost every book in any of these locations upon request. The quality of information offered by any of the tools mentioned so far is usually more reliable than what can be found through Google, Wikipedia and other search engines, and is thus better re-

ceived by professors when used in papers and assignments. The main difference be-tween Google and search en-gines like Ebsco is the fact that academic databases only fea-ture work that has been evalu-ated and revised by competent authorities, as opposed to the regular internet that contains everything under a workable domain. In addition, it is espe-cially important that students know about the EZ search button, an option that provides a vast list of articles limited by

discipline and other filters. Harroff’s most important advice may be to extend an invitation to become acquainted with the tools and resources mentioned above.

Despite the numerous visits Bill has done to several classes, some students are not familiar with the proper use of data-bases, web-sites and other aids found in the library’s website. When asked about what a student should do when having problems looking for infor-mation, Bill quickly replied: Please call 537-6950, email libraryreference@mckendree.edu, use AskAway, a 24/7 chat or visit www.mckendree.edu/academics/ask_a_librarian. Also, feel free to stop by for a visit!

Holman Help Us:It’s Finals Week!

By Carlos MarinStaff Writer

On behalf of the entire Review

Crew, good luck on finals and

have a safe and happy holiday!

Parents tend to be a constant provider of advice and recom-mendations. But age brings knowledge and college brings the opportunity to be your own person with your own opin-ions. You begin to realize what you want out of life, and in some cases, who you want to be with romantically. The pres-idential election, the passing of proposition eight and Eboo Patel coming to campus have raised vary-ing opinions and questions about today’s issues. I turn on the radio or TV and I hear constant debates over Obama’s race and religion. I personally have had to deal with all of the above issues in my home. Dating someone of a race, religion/belief or sexual orientation different from what your family expects can be like walking across thin ice with some parents. If so, it is likely that they have reasons behind their uncertainty. Past experi-ences and influences can affect ideas of certain groups of people. Sometimes it isn’t even a cultural issue--your parents just disapprove for no clear reason. So when you’re trying to bring your honey home for the holidays, what can you do?

Listen Remember parents usu-ally have you in mind, so if they show displeasure in your choice of a significant other after they meet him/her, it may be something other than just their preferences. If your mom/dad expresses distaste in your friend, calmly ask why. Don’t automatically assume anything. Listen with an open mind and take into consideration what

they have to say. They may ac-tually be noticing your “friend” tends to be rude or perhaps is just being, in their opinion, a bad influence. Ask and listen to why they don’t agree with your romantic choice. Try to put yourself in their shoes. If it is something cultural, ask why they feel that way toward that particular group.

Explain Explain why you feel a con-nection with this person. Point out his/her positive qualities. Elaborate on how this person

makes you happy. If they expressed a kind of generalization, such as “all those kind of people act this way,” provide ex-amples of how your date doesn’t match up with those negative

expectations.Encourage

Encourage your family members to be patient and try to view this person beyond his/her skin, beliefs or ideas. Also, suggest that they might not like your date, but it would be unnecessary to be rude. On the other hand, encourage your date to not react too negatively to any prejudice shown to them. Most of all, realize people aren’t always going to like one another. Stick to your mor-als and do what feels right. Involved in an inter-racial marriage, Craig Robertson is often asked what to do in situa-tions like these. He offered the advice of warning your parents before bringing your “friend” over and stressed explaining to your family how you are “at this point in your life” where you form your own opinions and choices. So if you are in this situation, know that you are not alone. Sometimes all it takes is some patience and time!

Bringing Your Honey Home for the HolidaysBy Melissa WilkinsonStaff Writer

Dating someone of a race, religion/belief

or sexual orientation different from what your family expects can be like walking

across thin ice.

Page 3 Dec. 1, 2008

always had a positive attitude, no matter what happened. He was good for morale, a good teammate.” Fellow teammate and Civic Memorial graduate Shane O’Brien added, “Foot-ball was his passion; he loved it.” According to football coach Carl Poelker, the football team signed a football and gave it and a jersey with Daniel’s number, 79, to the family as a way of remembering him. Coach Poelker shared, “He was just a genuine, nice human being. Always up-beat, fun to be around. As a defensive line-man he was a good-sized guy, but he was just a big old teddy bear.” At 6’2”, “Big Dan,” as some of his friends called him, made an impression both on the field as well as off. Daniel’s advisor and sociology professor Neil Quisenberry noted, “He was such a big guy that he was a presence, you couldn’t miss him in class but you know he always had a smile on his face, [was] always very polite, very respectful, [a] very friendly guy.” After talking to Dan-iel’s friends and teammates, it became clear that if there were two ways to describe Daniel, it was that he “always had a smile on his face” and was “full of life.” Reverend Tim Harrison, the University Chaplain, stated, “He didn’t have a long time to know a whole lot of people because he hadn’t been here very long at McKendree, and yet I see the outpouring of care and compas-sion for him that let me know that he did make a difference because there are a lot of stu-dents that have responded.” Dr. Quisenberry continued, “Even though I didn’t know him that well, I can tell what kind of

person he was just by the kind of response he’s gotten from his friends who have just really been devastated by his death. I think nothing speaks more to his presence on campus as the effect that his death has had on his teammates and classmates.” The 45 McKendree students who boarded a bus at 6:45 a.m. to attend Daniel’s funeral in Indianapolis on Wed., Nov. 19 certainly testify to the tremen-

dous effect Daniel had on those who knew him. Friend and team-mate Blake Novack not-ed, “I went through a hard time this year

and he took me under his wing. He was always on the positive side of everything and outgo-ing.” Ashley Parrott added, “He’d do anything for you. He was a sweetheart; everyone loved him. He was always on the go and always excited to see his friends.” Perhaps room-mate Robbie Kirk summed it up best when he said, “You’ll never find another Dan Ri-vera.” Daniel’s life may have ended, but the memories he has shared and the lives he has touched ensure that his spirit will live forever.

Daniel Ctd.Features

Dealing with GriefBy Theresa SchmidtEditor-in-Chief

The sudden and early death of one of our own can be shocking and hard to understand. According to the University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center, some common grief reactions include feeling as if you are “going crazy,” hav-ing difficulty concentrating, lacking energy and motivation and feeling like you “want to escape.” However, Tim Har-rison, McKendree’s Chaplain stressed, “Everybody deals with it [grief] differently. I just hope that people will feel that if they are having trouble and they’re grieving in a dif-ferent way than everybody else, maybe they can’t cry, that that’s okay too. All of us are different and we should just honor that.” After the sudden and tragic loss of McKendree Junior Daniel Rivera, you may find yourself asking questions like why did this happen? How can I go on without him? Football coach Carl Poelker

advised, “You got to think about what he [Daniel] would have wanted you to do. Don’t quit functioning, don’t quit going to class.” Reverend Harrison continued, “A lot of times you just feel like you can’t do anything in the ordinary realm because it somehow takes away the integrity of grieving over this person that you’ve lost that’s so important, but I think part of the way of dealing with it is to talk and share stories of the person. That’s the first step of healing--just being able to acknowledge that person’s im-pact on your lives, share funny stories as well as sad stories, ways of making that person real to you in your memory and how you want to remember them and just keeping involved and connected.” Helpguide.org offers some great tips for dealing with

grief: “Don’t let other people tell you how to feel, and don’t tell yourself how to feel either.” Like Reverend Harrison explained, different people deal with grief dif-

ferently, and you should let yourself grieve in your own way. As the website says, “if watch-ing the entire oeuvre of the Marx Broth-ers helps you heal, no one

has the right to tell you it’s inappropriate.” At the same time, the website stresses that you need to take care of yourself physically; getting a good night’s rest, eating healthy and exercising will all improve your mood and make the grieving process easier. Also, find a creative or tangible way to express your feelings: “write the per-son a letter saying the things you never got to say, create

Continued on p. 7

“Don’t stand beside my grave and weep,For I’m not there, I do not sleep,I am a thousand winds that blow,I am the diamond’s glint on snow,I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn’s rain.(Ctd. on p. 7)

Theresa’s Quote of the Issue:

On behalf of the entire

Review Crew, we’d like to express our

condolences to Daniel Rivera’s

friends and family. Rest in peace, Daniel.

“You got to think about what he [Dan-iel] would have want-

ed you to do. Don’t quit functioning,

don’t quit going to class.”

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 4Features

A married couple working together in the same industry at the same location transcends McKendree. For the focus of this article, however, I talked with three couples who teach here at our university. My research showed me the many aspects of marriage and work overlapping. Dr. Brenda Boudreau, As-sociate Professor of English met her husband here at McK-endree. Duane Olson, Associ-ate Professor of Religion, was lucky enough to have an office situated across the hall from Dr. Boudreau. The two were married almost two years ago on December 29, 2006. You won’t find these two cuddling up in Piper Lounge, a sense of professional-ism keeps them from that, but they both enjoy working at the same institu-tion. “It’s great to be able to bounce things off of your partner and really have [them] understand what you are talk-ing about,” Dr. Boudreau said. “We both like being part of a campus community…so

we attend concerts, plays, etc. together and that’s really enjoy-able,” She continued. Dr. Olson agrees. “We clearly have many of the same interests and commitments…that’s an extra connection,” He said. The pitfall may be turn-ing work off when the day is done. “Because we both work at the same place, it can tend to absorb our conversation away from work. We try not to let that happen,” said Dr. Olson. “Sometimes it’s hard to leave work behind at the end of the day,” Dr. Boudreau com-mented. Dr. Boudreau finds that while being able to talk about work-related things is enjoy-able, they must work to keep their personal lives separate.

She claims that students are usually very surprised to hear that the two are mar-ried. Dr. Olson reflected back on the first time students connected

the dots. “There’s always that moment of ‘So, you’re mar-ried to Dr. Boudreau?’ She’s so much more interesting than me that I think students are usually

trying to figure out how she ended up with [me].” When Neil Quisenberry, Associate Professor of Soci-ology at McKendree for the past six years, met Darryn Diuguid in 1985, he thought Mr. Diuguid was a bit snobby. After getting to know the new pledge in the fraternity at West-ern Kentucky University, Dr. Quisenberry, an already active member of the frat, discovered the real Darryn. “He was just a shy person, not snobby at all,” he said. The two have been a couple ever since. For 23 years they have shared their lives together. In 2002, they adopted their son Evan from Vietnam. He came to America at four months old and currently attends Whiteside Elementary School in Shiloh. Evan is a very social little boy. He has experienced life at McKendree University since he was six months old. Even as a first grader, Evan looks for-ward to being a student at McK someday. On Oct. 11, 2008, Dr. Quisenberry and Darryn Diu-guid, first year instructor of Education, were married. The ceremony took place in San Diego, California in the court-house of San Diego County. The celebration, however, con-tinued throughout the day and night with some close friends from the area. “The marriage did not seem

like such a big deal at first. We felt as if it was important for Evan’s sake, but knew the commitment was already there. It wasn’t a big deal until the ceremony began,” said Mr. Diuguid. Although they both work on campus, they don’t interact a lot on a day to day basis. Mr. Diuguid’s office is in Piper Academic Center, and Dr. Quisenberry is stationed over in Carnegie. They try to do lunch on Friday’s, but with teaching, committee work and Diuguid’s observation of students off campus, they don’t always get the opportunity. Feza Ozturk and Pat Folk met when Ozturk began work-ing here in September of 1988. The Associate Professor of Chemistry and the Professor of History began talking as friends. Twelve years later, the two married at the Belleville Courthouse. Dr. Ozturk pointed out the convenience factor when asked what she enjoys most about working with her significant other. “Knowing his daily sched-ule so I can ask him to run er-rands for the family, like pick-ing up our son from school,

grocery shopping…” Most people on campus may not even realize that these two are married. Dr. Ozturk works diligently in Voigt Sci-ence while Dr. Folk has an office in Carnegie. Due to the detective work

that McK students are capable of, Dr. Ozturk finds that students discover the connection after having them both in class at the same time.

“Suddenly one of our stu-dents will discover that we’re married. Pat’s scarce Turk-ish vocabulary and the other implications about his wife, brings students to come to me with excitement to ask if her/his prediction is correct.” Next time you see these couples around campus they won’t be wearing posters that say “We’re married!” and they probably won’t even be in the same building. However, I thought it was important to bring to light the fact that pro-fessors are not just people who make you write papers and do presentations. They are mem-bers of a family as well, a fam-ily that enjoys being involved in the McKendree community.

By Kristie ManningManaging Editor

Married to Work Takes on a Whole New Meaning

“There’s always that mo-ment of ‘So, you’re mar-

ried to Dr. Boudreau?’ She’s so much more

interesting than me that I think students are usually trying to figure out how

she ended up with [me].”

Mr. Diuguid and Dr. Quisenberry shortly after they got married in California on

Oct. 11, 2008.

Every year, Americans make enough plastic film to shrink-wrap the state of Texas.

What are you doing for the planet? *Information from the Clean Air Council (cleanair.org).

Page 5 Dec. 1, 2008

With the giving season just around the corner, shoplift-ing will heighten. In light of this, I sent out a poll regarding shoplifting which came back with some interesting results. Though many people say they have never stolen anything, some girls admit to taking make-up and clothes. The more dra-matic kleptoma-niacs from my poll are guys. Males who responded to the poll stole items such as alcohol, clothing, hats and shoes. Out of the female answers, one responder reported fre-quently shoplifting from malls. “I do it because it’s their own fault for not catching me. Why spend money when I can get away with it every time?” re-sponded the shoplifter. “I may be a kleptomaniac or what-ever but I’m officially a well dressed kleptomaniac.” The female said she would estimate she has stolen $5000 worth of merchandise throughout her theft career. For the males, the biggest answer was alcohol. One guy reported stealing $100 worth of alcohol every Friday night. When asked why he did it, he responded, “Because I don’t have money to pay for it.” There are many differ-ent kinds of shoplifters, and they’re classified into seven major groups according to Cleptomaniacs And Shoplifters Anonymous (CASA). “Addictive-Compulsive Shoplifters” are people who emotionally have a lot of repressed anger and often show signs of other compulsive ad-dictions. These people often give to others and don’t take care of themselves. Typically, they will steal items that are often inexpensive and then

give them to others as gifts. If caught, they will show guilt, shame or remorse. Often, they will breakdown and cry when caught and confronted. “Professionals” steal for profit and try to steal expensive items, often stealing multiple items at one time. This group will resist arrest if confronted

and will attempt to flee the store. “Impoverished” steal out of eco-nomic need and take necessities like food, diapers, toiletries or chil-dren’s clothing. If

caught, they will usually show remorse, but state their frustra-tion with their lack of money. “Thrill Seekers” steals on a dare or for excitement and are usually teenagers who steal in groups. “Drug and Gambling Ad-dicts” steal to pay for their habit. They prefer stealing expensive, high end items, usu-ally multiple items at a time. “Kleptomaniacs” have a disorder characterized by a re-current failure to resist stealing. Kleptomaniacs are impulsive and often careless, taking items they don’t need and can’t use. If caught, many will admit they are kleptomaniacs and do not feel much remorse or shame. They will often use common excuses such as “I don’t re-member taking it”, or “I don’t know why I took it because I don’t even need it.” “The Absent Minded” are people in a hurry, elderly people, people on medications or those who would have cog-nitive or memory issues. Shoplifters, when caught, pay huge fines and often result in up to a year in jail. So be smart. No matter how tempt-ing shoplifting may be, just remember you have everything to lose. For more information, visit CASA’s website at www.shop-liftersanonymous.com.

Features‘Tis the Season to Be...

Shoplifting?By Christen RobertsStaff Writer

“Why spend money when I can get away with it every time? I

may be a kleptomaniac...but I’m officially a well dressed kleptomaniac.”

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! You cannot help but be in the holiday spirit as deco-rations like Christmas trees, snowmen and Santa Claus adorn streets and stores. The radio is getting us in the spirit by playing a variety of Christ-mas classics. Everyone knows when Christmas is around the corner – that is, if you live in America. What if you were somewhere else? What type of music, decorations and tradi-tions would you encounter if you lived in Japan? Or South America? There are many dif-ferent cultures that celebrate Christmas in their own unique style, and here are some de-scriptions of just a few. England: English culture is somewhat similar to America’s, and Christmas is no exception. British folks decorate Christ-mas trees, sing Christ-mas carols and exchange presents just as Americans do. Their Santa Claus is referred to as Father Christmas and he delivers toys to good boys and girls the night before Christmas. A typical Christmas dinner is vast with roast turkey,

vegetables and sauces. A fruity Christmas pudding with brandy sauce tops off the meal. Yum! Japan: According to some sources, about 1 % of Japanese believe in Christ. Nonetheless, many of them partake in this festive time by gift giving and deco-rating with evergreens. Japan’s Santa Claus is actually a Buddhist monk dressed up as Hotei-osho. He also leaves gifts for the good boys and girls. Rumor has it that Hoteio-osho has eyes on the back of his head so children try to behave properly at all times. In the Christian Japanese Christ-mas tradition, families do not partake in eating a succulent dinner. Instead, families show act of kindness to others, par-ticularity the sick in hospitals. Brazil: Due to it’s many different cultures, Brazil holds a variety of Christmas tradi-

tions. Since Brazil was once a Portuguese col-ony, many of the traditions origi-nate from that country. Brazil has Papai Noel or Father Noel as the bringer of gifts. A typical Christmas dinner

is a juicy ham, turkey, colored rice, vegetables and fruit. Some of the Brazilian cities adorn the night sky with fireworks

and electric-lighted Christmas trees. The celebration passes on through the New Year until January 6. This day, called

Three Kings Day, is when the Bra-zilians believe the Wise Men visited Baby Jesus. Ethiopia: Christmas in Ethiopia is cele-brated on January 7. It is referred to as Ganna. People gather in churches for a Christmas

mass, which can lasts three hours. Ethiopia’s Christmas feast may consist of foods such as injera (“sourdough pan-cakes”) and dora wat (“spicy chicken stew”). Although Ethiopians exchange gifts, it does not play a huge part as it does in other countries. Ethio-pians also celebrate Christmas Eve significantly. The day is spent praying, chanting and go-ing to worship. After worship, people celebrate with dancing and feasting. As you can see, there are many different ways and dif-ferent times in which countries celebrate Christmas. No matter how, where or when people celebrate Christmas, each per-son is sharing in the special joy and love of their culture.

*Thanks to Santa’s Net for supplying me with oodles of

interesting information!*

By Tirzah DawsonStaff Writer

Christmas Across the Globe

On behalf of the entire Review Crew, Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas, Merii Kurisumasu, Feliz Natal and

Melkin Yelidet Beaal!

One of Brazil’s lighted Christmas trees, courtesy of Google Images

A Japanese hotei-osho figurine, courtesy of Google

Images

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 6

The Devil Wears Wiki:Fact-checking Wikipedia

By Heather BelmonteAssitant Editor

Wikipedia, the free en-cyclopedia, is a fairly recent phenomenon. Launched in 2001, the project has steadily grown to include millions of articles. Despite the plethora of information one may get from this tool, much controversy surrounds it due to the collaborate software used to run it. “Wikipedia is the devil,” said Melanie Jenkins, Adjunct Profes-sor of Psychology. “Anyone can alter a Wikipedia entry.” “Wikis are the current wave of how we share information. This is a basic building block and a working tool of today,” said Bill Harroff, Holman Li-brary’s Reference and Informa-tion Technologies Librarian. Harroff is an editor of Wikipe-dia and has the students in his research classes become editors as well. “It’s just another tool, but unfortunately for some students it’s an ‘out’.” “I feel that Wikipedia

does not even compare to the academic superiority that one can receive from peer-reviewed journals and textbooks,” said Jenkins. “Plus, to me, us-ing Wikipedia promotes lazy research. Therefore, I highly discourage Wikipedia as a reference for all the projects I assign in my classes.” When asked if he suggests

students use Wiki-pedia, Harroff said, “For research? Never. For a bunch of other entertainment or in-formation purposes? You betcha. For anyone who wants to learn, it can be a great platform.”

Freshman Erin Kilian said, “I use it to get the general idea of something.” She said that high school teachers encour-aged this type of use. She also said that she checks out the links in Wikipedia to gather more in-depth information. “I love their hyperlinks,” said Harroff. “The folks at Wikipedia do an outstanding job of getting copyrights to photos and of keeping hyper-links updated.” Kilian related the story

of a friend who posted false information on Wikipedia and forty-five minutes later, it was gone. Anyone can edit infor-mation on Wikipedia pages; however, as this story shows, there are checks to the system. When adding information to a wiki site, if one doesn’t provide references, the added “facts” are subject to removal. Senior Tori Galle says that she does use Wikipedia, but she only uses it for personal information and for getting a quick answer to a question. Galle said, “I think that Wiki-pedia can be more credible than Google but still not as credible as actually researching something.” Galle is an Intern at the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, where she’s the box office manager. When book-ing people at the Hett, Galle will sometimes check them out using Wikipedia. Regard-ing the information she finds there, however, Galle said that wikipedia is often out of date. One time Galle looked up a performer and found him listed as part of a band that she knew he hadn’t been a part of for two years. Galle summed up her views of Wikipedia by saying,

Features

“I’ve never used it academi-cally and never plan to use it academically. That’s why we have Holman.” Senior Joe Witthaus works as a Clinton County reporter for The Centralia Morning Sentinel. In his line of work, Witthaus said that he uses Wikipedia as a “ground start-ing point” but always follows up by double-checking facts. “I never use it as a direct source,” Witthaus said. “It is what it is. It’s there if you need it, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” “I rarely use Wikipedia,” Jenkins said. “The last time I used it was during the Sum-mer Olympics when I wanted to know more about Michael Phelps. So…I use it for my thirst of pop culture and en-tertainment, not for academic purposes.” “I do occasionally use Wikipedia to look up material quickly, mainly for my own personal knowledge,” says Dr. Jenny Mueller, Assistant Professor of English. “If I find information in a Wikipedia article that strikes me as useful for my writing or for my teach-ing, I confirm the information elsewhere. I tell students it’s

fine to look at Wikipedia in the same way: for personal use as they’re brainstorming an idea. But they should not use it as a research source and that they should always find more scholarly sources to confirm Wikipedia information.” “I love the concept of Wiki-pedia,” Mueller continued. “I like its flexibility, its creativity, its public accessibility, and its responsiveness to the contem-porary obsessions of our times. However, in practice, I have found that its contents are very much a hit or miss affair. This is to be expected, given the nature of its construction.” For those interested in becoming editors, Wikipedia offers an editing tutorial to help users get started on the process of both using and contributing to the site. Harroff recommend-ed creating an account before posting edits because the user’s IP address will be recorded publically in the page’s edit history unless he or she has an account. “This is an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourself,” said Harroff. “It’s a good process and a great teaching tool.”

Green Christmas Ctd.buying green gifts from web-sites like bhappy-bags.com and ther-ainforestsite.com. Bhappy Bags sells reusable grocery bags, which would make great gifts for others. The site also sells gift certificates which would allow loved ones to pick out their own items from you. The Rainforest Site store sells fair trade clothes,

jewelry and handcrafted knickknacks. The sale of all

of these items goes to preserving the rainforest, and in turn purchasing these fair trade items supports merchants in poverty all around the world. For more fair trade items, check out part-nersforjusttrade.org. And don’t forget

to bring back any unwanted presents after break to trade

Reusable gift bag from Forever 21.

in one of McKendree’s six new Swap boxes located in each of the dorms, Carnegie and Clark Lounges and Voigt. The holiday season is a busy time for all, and it is easy to forget to save energy and resources, to recycle paper and to ‘green’ your gifts, but it is well worth the effort. Take the time to make this holiday extra special and keep the season as eco-friendly as possible by trying out these tips for a truly ‘green’ Christmas!

Page 7 Dec. 1, 2008

an appropriate memorial in his or her honor (for example, if the person loved flowers, plant or fund a garden), [or] get involved in a cause or organization that was impor-tant to him or her.” You and some buddies might organize an annual football game in Daniel’s honor, or volunteer to coach little league foot-ball for a summer. Lastly, the website advises that you plan ahead for anniversaries or holidays and accept it if you have difficult moments during times like these. Let your family and friends know what’s going on and how they can help ahead of time; decide on ways to honor and remember the person. Final-ly, Reverend Harrsion said, “If you continue to withdraw and find lack of purpose and are not able to get back into the ordinary than you prob-ably need to see somebody on a regular basis to kind of work with that grief profession-ally and talk through that.” McKendree offers a wide variety of resources and pro-fessionals to help deal with grief, including Reverend Harrison, Newman Catholic Minister Erin Hammond and the University’s two coun-selors, Robert Clipper and Amy Champion. Also, do not forget that friends, Resident Assistants, Resident Direc-tors and your professors are always available and can provide support. Everyone talks about mov-ing on, but where do we go from here? Daniel’s advisor and criminal justice profes-sor Neil Quisenberry shared, “I think that the tragic thing to take away from this is that

life is temporary and that any of us at any moment could go…and so I think the mes-sage for all of us is don’t take life for granted, don’t take your friends for granted, don’t assume that you’re going to see them everyday for the next fours years or whatever. Hopefully it makes us all ap-preciate each other more and makes us tell our friends that we love them and how much we appreciate them.” Rev-erend Harrison added, “We are given a certain amount of time to love one another and to develop relationships and we need to make them count. Don’t get caught up with the little things in life because sometimes we put so much emphasis on the things that don’t matter--the money we make, the cars we drive,

the stuff we surround our-selves with that we’re not going to take with us. I think we’re just reminded of how impor-tant it is to have some-

body that loves us and cares for us and that we can hang out with and be a great friend to and I’m hoping that all of us will just reaffirm that; that we’ll take time to be with each other and value our time together.” Dr. Clipper is available from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and his office phone number is 618-537-6502. Champion is at McKendree on Mondays and Wednesdays and her office phone number is 618-537-6416. Their offices are located in Clark Lower Level 2 (LL2). Take the time you need to grieve and remember that you are not alone.

McKendree Says Goodbye to Daniel Rivera

“Dear Dan,Over the past year or so you have become a teammate, one of my best friends and also a brother to me! You helped me out when I was down. You helped pick me up and made me realize that life goes on. You lived life in the fast lane and I too will continue my journey of life in the fast lane!!! Thanks for all of the wonderful memories and great times! I love you Dan! You will be greatly missed! I’ll cya at the gates. RIP.”Blake Novack

“I only wish we could have hung out more Daniel; you will be missed.”D. Quals

“Daniel, you were an amazing person and a great friend. Thank you for all the memo-ries; I wished we could have had more. I know you will be watching me on my 21st. Love you and miss you!”Ashley Parrott

When you awaken in morning’s hush,I am the swift uplifting rush,of quiet birds in circle flight,

I am soft stars that shine at night,Don’t stand beside my grave and cry,

I am not there. I did not die.”~Source Unknown

Theresa’s Quote of the Issue Ctd.:

Grief Ctd.

“If watching the entire oeuvre of

the Marx Brothers helps you heal, no

one has the right to tell you it’s inappro-

priate.”

Features

Mornings Just Got Sweeter!Get a “latte” for your money by

showing your McK I.D. and get 10% off! Check out our featured espresso drinks, smoothie or Frappe of your

choice. 210 W St Louis St

(618) 537-6145

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 8

Whether in the form of beer, wine, or harder liquor, alcohol has become a glorified staple for college life. Whether or not it is the staple of college life is another question, but it is nonetheless the focus of a longstanding discussion that has recently been revitalized. In July 2008, the Amethyst Initiative, headed by John Mc-Cardell, came into realization, launched by the support of college presidents around the United States. The Initiative believes “it is time for a serious debate among our elected representa-tives about whether current public policies [regarding alcohol consumption] are in line with current realities,” the Amethyst Initiative’s website states. For many, the Initiative is a means to spark conversation versus an outright demand

for lowering the drinking age; however, the possibility of low-ering the limit is not unfavor-able to many contributors. Dr. James Dennis, McKendree’s current President, while not a supporter of the Initiatives’ statement, agrees with some of the sentiments of the fledgling organization. “I believe it is an important national conversation that must take place. I agree that we con-tinue to have serious problems with alcohol abuse among college students. At this point, I support the conversation, but I do not support the lowering of the drinking age. It is my opin-ion that we must have more research and debate before we take such a significant step,” Dr. Dennis said. As with all discussions, there are positives and nega-tives regarding the lowering of the drinking age. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, criticizes the group, and argues that any lowering

of the drinking age is an easy means to get out of a problem which is plaguing the school system. “MADD certainly has a valid point in their argu-ments, and those of us who deal with the college-age students express our concern about alcohol con-sumption and the breaking of rules,” Dr. Den-nis said. However, the question may be whether or not this Prohibi-tion-era conversation is truly needed, or is it merely talking about something for the sake of argument. The answer for many is “yes,” especially with the rise of binge drinking and its obvious dangers. “From what I have heard is that it [binge drinking] is

Amethyst Initiative Creates Buzz About BoozeBy Michael AndersonStaff Writer

prevalent on college campuses. It is somewhat expected in our culture, sort of like a rite of passage,” Dr. Melissa Barfield-

Works, Assistance Professor of Soci-ology, said. Binge drink-ing, in the sim-plest sense, is an excessive measurement of alcohol a person consumes in one sitting. * Dr. Barfield-Works explained that in

her area of expertise in social welfare recognizes there is a connection between binge behavior and later alcohol problems. The Amethyst Initiative wishes to focus on a program of moderation and educating students how to drink conser-vatively, rather than drinking for the sake of drinking. The group also believes that absti-nence from drinking has been

shown to be unsuccessful. “I think we need to be careful on how we proceed. I’d want to be sure that it isn’t entered too lightly. As a parent, I’m not sure how it would be, but as a professor, [I realize that] college is about striking out on your own and making decisions. If you completely ban alcohol, the students will go out on their own. It goes down to the question on who is responsible. I think there are still big questions we need to hear before we proceed,” Dr. Ann Collin, Assistance Profes-sor of Political Science, added. Many members of the Amethyst Initiative also have stated several things which students often cite as reasons for discussing the drinking age, such as the eligibility to go to war or to vote. “If you’re allowed to have those responsibilities, then you should have the other rights of adult life,” Senior Sara Petter-son said.

Why Amethyst? According to the Amethyst Initiative website, “The word Amethyst is derived from the Ancient Greek words mean-ing “not” (a-) and “intoxicat-ed” (methustos). According to mythology, Amethyst was a young girl who incurred the wrath of the God Dionysus after he became intoxicated with red wine. Am-ethyst cried to Goddess Diana for help. Diana immediately turned the girl into a white stone. Upon dis-covering what had happened Dionysus wept, and, as his tears fell into his goblet, the wine spilled over the white rock, turning it purple. The purple gemstone am-

ethyst was widely believed to be an antidote to the negative effects of intoxication. In An-cient Greece, drinking vessels and jewelry were often made of amethyst and used dur-ing feasts and celebrations to ward off drunkenness and

to promote moderation. The am-ethyst is thus a meaningful symbol for this initiative, which aims to encourage moderation

and responsibility as an alter-native to the drunkenness and reckless decisions about alco-hol that mark the experience of many young Americans.” Visit amethystinitiative.org for more information.

Amethyst rock from Google Images.

Features

“As a professor, [I real-ize that] college is about striking out on your own and making decisions. If you completely ban alco-hol, the students will go out on their own. It goes down to the question on

who is responsible.”

Page 9 Dec. 1, 2008

As my heart raced every step of the way, I departed from the tour bus. I was with Dr. Will and Sarah Monical, the other McKendree representatives, waiting in line patiently outside of Technos College. We were about to meet the Japanese students on a large scale for the first time and I could hardly think what it would be like. A petite, adorable Japanese girl approached us and asked that we follow her in line... and the waiting began. We filed into a stadium-like area which was the main lobby of the school. There I was greeted by a shocking display of affection and a scene that I would not soon forget. Students were EV-ERYWHERE flying flags from New Zealand, England and the United States; their enthusiasm was blatantly put on display as they unashamedly screamed out and smiled their greetings. I was so surprised at this encounter, and at this time I realized how very much we were apart from our world, how very much the students at

Technos wished to interact and understand. They were excited to have international friend-ships and to get to know the world around them. It was a sight repre-sentative of many things but mostly of a common bond between young people, the wish to know and be known, to learn and be eager to grow. I won-dered if the companions I had on the trip were all as excited to have these same interactions, to have this same growth. I knew that I would try my best to become an ample breeding-ground for growth, though it can be difficult to step outside of what you know. After stepping on stage and introducing ourselves to the masses, our little group of internationals walked up the stairs on a red carpet. We were then escorted into a cafeteria, where Dr. Tanaka, our beneficiary, was waiting to address us. He spoke to us sincerely about the importance

Features

of international understand-ing and friendship. The reason he brought us all kindly and graciously into Japan was to

offer us that opportunity of growth and realization. His stately presence was accented by the wise image of an elderly man who had been through

many stages of life and wished to bestow some of that wisdom upon us. We were each urged to make what we could of the trip and to never forget what we had learned on our journey; each person had a separate revelation whether big or small and this cultural explosion was the catalyst toward some kind of change. Dr. Tanaka struck me as the kind of man who appreciated the younger generation for what it was: the future of the world and pos-sible change for the future. After speaking to us, he wished us well, and we were ready for the next destination on our itinerary: Midori No Mura, the Technos spa retreat.

Part Four: Reception

Technos 2008:By Miranda LinnemanStaff Writer

The Doctor Is In:AIDs

By Shawn PrintyStaff Writer If you’re like the vast majority of college students, AIDS is one of those things that you hardly ever think about. If you do think about it, you would dismiss it as being something relegated to other continents or those who pursue other lifestyles. It’s certainly not something the average college student has to worry about. This is un-true, however. There are many vectors that col-lege students can contract AIDS through, but luckily, there are also extremely simple ways to protect yourself, that involve nothing more than common sense. First, a quick lesson on HIV/AIDS. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus; that is, it is a human afflicting virus that damages your immune system, making you less able to fight off dis-eases, including HIV itself. After a span of years, the HIV infection can progress to AIDS, which is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This is essentially a state at which your body is unable to mount any resistance to for-eign bacteria, at which point

death is inevitable. There is no cure for AIDS, except for prevention, but there are many drugs that can be used to help maintain the immune system to extend the life of those who have the disease. The two main methods that the blood borne HIV is spread through are illicit drug use and unprotected sex. Since HIV is blood borne, it

is only contract-ible through blood contact, meaning that causal contact will not spread the disease. Avoiding HIV exposure is simple. To avoid exposure through things like illicit drug use, the easiest way to

prevent it is to simply not partake in the usage of said drugs. Preventing HIV transmis-sion through sex is also just as easy. Again, abstinence is the most effective way to prevent exposure. However, since many college students are not abstinent, practicing safe sex is the key to avoiding exposure to the HIV virus. AIDS is more prevalent than most people would give it credit for. It is something to be wary of. Awareness and proper education are the foun-dations of a healthy society, stay vigilant!

Courtesy of Google Images.

Contact Us:The McKendree Review

701 College RoadLebanon, IL 62254

Phone: (618) 537-6821E-mail: mckreview@mckendree.edu

What’s new with Newman?

*Advent Retreat*Looking for a little quiet in the rush to the end of the semester? Join us to contemplate God’s presence in your life. We will pray through words, through silence, through art, and as a community. Take a little time to work on your relationship with God on Dec. 7 from 11a.m.—1:30 p.m.*Way of Lights at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the

Snows*Over 1 million lights! A laser show. A petting zoo (with camel rides). A Puppet Show. A Christmas Tree display. A Trolley Ride. Live Music from area choirs. What more could you want? You can do most of this for FREE! Only the camel ride and the laser show will cost you $8. We will leave at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 and will return

at 9:30 pm at the LATEST!

*Last Mass before break on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 8 pm in Bothwell Chapel (upstairs)*

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 10Hodge Podge Collage

Jeff is a junior at McKendree whose passion for helping others and great sense of

humor make him stand out from the rest. In five years, Jeff sees himself either as a social worker in the Peace

Corps or doing whatever he can to serve those around him. If he could meet the

girl of his dreams right now, he says, “I would be able to watch football for hours on end while eating delicious food with her. All I would

have to say is thank you and I love you.” If Jeff could be an animated superhero, he would be the Green Lantern because

he can do so many things, such as fly, travel through

space and change the channel when he can’t find the remote to the TV. One interesting fact about Jeff is that he has been skydiving and would like to

experience it again.

Josie is a junior at McK-endree who is majoring in Religion/Christianity and

minoring in Art/Photography. Her exciting personality and dedication to her faith make

Josie more than just your average girl next door. In five years, she sees herself

finishing graduate school and having a job as a youth min-

ister. If Josie were to meet the guy of her dreams, she would soon overcome her feelings of modest shyness by intro-ducing herself and getting his number. Josie quickly

chose Batgirl as the animated superhero best representing

her because she is a huge fan of Batman characters. When asked for a unique fact about herself, Josie’s own selfless-ness spoke for itself as she

humbly noted, “I like to have people make their own deci-

sions about me.”

Josie Juelfs Jeff Dillow

McK SinglesMcK Fact Attack:Harold Kaeser: One of McKendree’s Oldest

Living Alumni Turns 102By Stephanie CoartneyAssociate Editor In the fall of 1926, Bel-leville native Harold Kaeser moved into the McKendree men’s dormitory, then Carnegie Hall, as a college freshman. With high spirits and a new sense of independence, Kaeser began his college career taking classes and excelling in the athletic department, where he participated in basketball, foot-ball and baseball. During the course of his four years at McKendree, Kaeser won a total of ten var-sity letters and took on the role of assistant coach in Bearcat basketball his senior year. In addition to his talent on the field and court, he was recog-nized by coaches and fellow students alike by his noticeably blond hair, which earned him

the nickname “Whitey.” Some of the most lasting memories Kaeser has of McK-endree are the close friendships he formed while living in the dorms and serving as a Resident Assistant on the first floor of Carnegie. With the Great Depression drawing near, he earned extra money by working in the student cafeteria, now the recently renovated 1828 café, and acting as chauffeur to college President Cameron Harmon whenever he had a speaking engagement that required him to travel. Kaeser’s most unforget-table memory of McKendree, however, was when he met his would-be wife Juanita Bush, with whom he has now shared

almost 78 years of his life. Although it was long ago when he first set eyes on her, Kaeser

still remembers the ex-act location on campus where he met her. Upon graduating, he soon earned a job coach-ing and teaching social studies at Kinmundy High School and later became superintendent of the school district in Greenup, Ill. Kaeser

was formally inducted into McKendree’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002 for his outstand-ing performance as a college athlete. Continuing to follow the progress of Bearcat sports pro-grams, Kaeser currently lives with his wife in Carbondale, Ill. He will celebrate his 102nd birthday on December 7.

Introducing Blink and Rorschach in “Grammaz” by Sarah Adams

Harold Kaeser

Page 11 Dec. 1, 2008

Sleep Out Surprise Struggling to find a warm and comfortable way to lie inside my box, I licked my dry lips and pulled my sweatshirt down to cover my exposed skin. I’m sure some homeless people dream of having lotion and Chap Stick during the winter. This new found reality didn’t really start to sink in until about 3am. Everyone had long retired to their boxes to try to get some sleep. The friend I had been sharing my box and body heat with went back to the dorms, and all that was left was the distant sound of snoring and the sound of the chilly breeze through the trees. I thought about what might go through the mind of a homeless person. I tried to imagine being out on the streets without friends, shel-ter and necessities. Would the distant sound of laughing make them sad, being a reminder of when they used to experience joy? What about those struggling with mental issues? What gives them hope to keep going? Homeless people don’t have layers upon layers to keep warm; some don’t even have a box. I also noticed a pang of hunger in my stomach. I thought about the homeless person who hadn’t eaten for days and felt sad. I remem-bered that just last week my psychology professor lectured on Maslow’s hier-archy of needs and realized I had descended back and was struggling for the first level, physiological needs. The thoughts of school, friends

and homework were thrown into the back of my mind. I wasn’t sleeping, I couldn’t get warm and my body ached from lying on the hard ground. At about 4:30am I couldn’t take it anymore; the wind had picked up, I couldn’t get warm and in the effort of covering my face for warmth for so long, my asthma started acting up. I felt guilty as I realized how lucky I was to have a warm bed just a couple of hundred feet away. Sophomore Bobbie Carroll admitted, “It was really cold and I ended up heading back to my suite at 5 a.m. [I was] wrapped up in my blanket still absolutely freezing and I just had one of those mo-ments where I got really, really sad because I realized that I could walk back to my warm suite but people who are really homeless don’t have a suite to go to. So it just sort of sunk in a way that it hadn’t before.” Since I can remember, my mom and I have dealt with our

local Section 8 authorities. Section 8 is a federal assistance program that provides subsidized housing for low-income families

and individuals. While being under this program, you must abide by certain rules and your residence is subject to routine inspections. My mom used to tell me if I didn’t help her keep the house in decent shape, we would be kicked out and be-come homeless. I never really believed her; I thought home-lessness was just something from the movies. I learned dif-ferently as I grew up, but until the Sleep Out, I never really considered what life might be like for the homeless.

The Sleep Out definitely raised my awareness of the struggles of those less for-tunate. I felt moved by two fellow students who chose to sleep on benches in the Quad. Freshman James Mur-phy, one of the students who slept on the benches, said, “I actually enjoyed myself during Sleep out in the Quad because I just wanted to feel what so many others in poverty have to go through. It helped me obtain a sense of just how hard it would be to live a homeless life. I only stayed out until 2:30 because it was really starting to get cold. However, the real homeless have to maintain that lifestyle for not for just a few hours, but rather for long periods of time. It allows one to realize just how bad reality can be for people who live in poverty.” On any given night in America, anywhere from 700,000 to two million peo-ple are homeless, according to estimates of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. Half of those people suffer from mental health issues. Children under the age of 18 account for 39% of the homeless popula-tion. 42% of these are under the age of five. So what can we do to help? We can of course donate money, food and time to shelters and food kitchens. We can participate in the activities around campus and at our jobs. There are many places who organize home-less survival shoe boxes. But what about those times you see someone less fortunate and look the other way? This year take the time to spread the holiday cheer: say a few kind words and be that glimmer of hope so many are searching for.

By Melissa WilkinsonStaff Writer

The Pulse

McKendree University has many different student groups on campus that serve various interests-- from anime to art, environmen-talism to edu-cation, and the list goes on. But recently, McKendree obtained a new group--one that Rev. Harrison says the school was in desperate need of, “We have an incredibly diverse campus and we just weren’t catering to all our students’ needs.” An interfaith group is a discussion group that focuses on learning about faiths other than one’s own. One such group was established on campus just a few months ago with a helping hand from the Campus Ministries Office. And after only a few meetings, several students have begun surfacing as leaders. Namely senior Sara Darnold, the current presi-dent of the organization. “She has just really stepped up to the challenge.” Rev. Harrison says that start-ing the group and having Eboo Patel speak on campus was no accident. “We live in a world with people from many different backgrounds and traditions. The more we understand our neighbors on a personal level the better neighbor, cowork-er, citizen of the world and person of faith we will be.”

Eboo Patel, executive director and founder for the Interfaith Youth Core, who spoke at the McKendree Distinguished Speaker Series, was well received by the campus. While first year stu-

dents were required to attend the event, Patel’s message attracted up-perclassmen as well as local inter-faith group leaders. Speaking on the impor-

tance of understanding and appreciating other faiths, Patel called for students to recognize that this generation would be the one to cross the “religion line”, comparing it to the human rights move-ment 60 years ago and the environmentalism movement that began 20 years ago. Patel said, “We live in an age where we have truly crossed the color line. And the people that crossed it, the people that put Barack Obama where he is today, were 18, 19, 20 years old. You believed before anyone else believed. You got us across that line. Now your generation’s issue is the faith line.” The Interfaith group at McKendree has spent much of this semester planning for Eboo Patel and Noah Silver-man’s visits. They are now working on planning specific service projects in conjunc-tion with two other interfaith groups; Faith Beyond Walls

McKendree Weaves New

Interfaith Web By Deanne Puloka Staff Writer

Continued on p. 18

Catch up on the latest campus happenings, entertainment news and more!

(From left to right) Back row: Anne Dulski, Rev. Harrison, Noah Silver-man, Sara Darnold and Grace Fisher. Deanne Puloka and Bhushan Shrestha

in front.

Snug as three bugs in a box: stu-dents tucked in for the night at the

Sleep Out.

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 12Fashion Forward:

Fashion Finds for Friends

The Pulse

Some of you may be lost when it comes to picking gifts for friends and family, but never fear. With Black Friday quickly approaching, I am here to tell you what’s hot, what’s not and what to buy all the fashion-forward people in your life this holi-day season. Don’t you worry though, because there are ways to do it without putting too much of a strain on your pockets. A must-stop for the preppy shopper who would rather play it safe with a clas-sic look is American Eagle. Sweaters and hoodies are a must-have for everyone on your gift list this season. A simple cable knit is a staple in any woman’s closet; you can never go wrong with a simple sweater. Most of their sweaters start at just $34.50, and come in several differ-ent colors ranging from light blue to red. Those hood-ies that fly off the shelves at AE are mostly purchased for men. Most guys live and die by their favorite hoodies, often-times wearing the same hoodie for a week straight, which is a HUGE fashion no-no. So $39.50 seems like a decent price for something so versatile. I’d suggest steering away from white, though; guys can get pretty dirty.

If you are just looking for stocking stuffers or secret San-ta gifts, AE has great accesso-ries. Keeping with the season, check out its hats, scarves and mittens. They are warm, cute and start at $15.50. If you want to go a little less prep-py, Old Navy is the stop for you. Its cute, cheap clothes are not quite J. Crew and not quite Express, so they sit just happily in the middle of not too trendy but not too traditional. On the Old Navy Web site, there is help for the clueless. The company has an-ticipated that people sometimes feel lost in the holiday season, so it supplies a holiday gift guide, outfit ideas and more. This guide helps customers see the latest trends and score the best deals, which is perfect for the college student. Pick up a few button-

down shirts, a steal at only $10 each, for every guy you know. You can afford it with that price, and while you’re at it, pick up an Old Navy logo perfor-mance fleece. At only $15,

this comfortable, affordable fleece fits under most coats and will warm you up on the bitter, windy days that Illinois sees during the winter. Lastly, there’s Forever 21,

which caters mostly to women but has a small collection for men as well. Its extensive collection of witty screen T-shirts for wom-en, starting at only $14, can be paired with one of its many

zipper sweatshirts. It quickly becomes the perfect outfit for both class and the bar scene. More importantly, Forever 21 carries three different lines of clothes within the brand and is sure to appeal to any woman you know. As a gift, try any of the store’s tops. Keep in mind that

sequins, metallics, jeweled necklines and silk prints are in this season. Though prices vary, they are on the relatively inexpensive side. Between its collections of going out clothes to work clothes to comfy clothes, there would be little reason to visit any other store when shopping for women. Also, remember you can ask any of the sales associates for help picking out a gift. If none of these ideas seem appealing, you can always pick up a gift card to any store or mall, or just give a Visa gift card that is usable almost everywhere. No matter what you choose, there is an entire world of pos-sibilities out there this holiday season, with plenty of deals for the bargain shopper. So scour those Sunday ads, look online and check out the mall in your area to see what’s available. ‘Tis the season to be shop-ping!

By Nicole NealStaff Writer

Rose print dress, one of the “Top Picks for Her”

from Forever 21

AE’s MockNeck Sweater, from AE’s “10 Must Have Gifts”

Have a fashion tip or trend you’d like to share? E-mail us at mckreview@mckendree.edu!

Treasure Ctd.Catch up on the latest campus happenings, entertainment news and more!

that you would take something from the container and leave something else behind. He left a small log book and a couple of prizes in the container- never thinking that his simple hunt would spark the phenomenon now known as geocaching. Hunting for a cleverly hid-den cache has made us feel like brilliant spies one moment, and complete fools the next. While on one hunt we pulled aside a carefully placed rock to reveal the treasure concealed beneath, but the next had us walking around in circles and jumping into a mud-dy creak bed, only to realize that the cache was right next to the path. For one particu-lar cache in O’Fallon, Illinois we arrived at the cache quickly, but had to spend several min-utes sending evil glares to an elderly couple that was sitting on top of it in order to get them to move! While geocaching, you have to be careful to dodge not only poison ivy and oak, but also the prying eyes of “muggles” (a geocaching term for non-geo-cachers). Caches’ descriptions usually include a note on how “muggle-proof” the area is. Amongst the items you may find in the cache are travel bugs and geocoins. These track-able items move from cache to cache added by geocachers that found them, picking up stories along the way. The items can be purchased at specialty shops or even at Target. However, in our many adventures we have only found one travel bug. Most of the time we have col-lected unique items such as a plastic pink flying pig, a smiley magnet, and a Kung Fu panda toy from McDonalds.

Geocaching is a lot of fun for people of all ages, but even college students can get frustrated by the vagueness of some cache hints and inexact-ness of the coordinates. There have been many caches we have stomped away from, dis-appointed that even though we were only five feet away from it there were simply too many logs or leaves to look under. For any new geocachers or those aspiring to start, we would like to offer a few tips:•Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes, even if it’s hot out,

because you never know what you’ll be traips-ing through. (Deanne got poison ivy on our very first trip)•Be sure to write down any clues for

a cache before you set out. We’ve had coordinates lead us only to a parking lot near a park, at which point we needed to follow the clues to find the actual cache. Also, it’s impor-tant to note the difficulty and terrain ratings at geocaching.com, especially if you bring kids along.•Remember to bring a variety of trinkets along with you to put in the cache. Some caches are huge Tupperware contain-ers, while others are tiny film canisters. And play fair- if you don’t put anything in, don’t take anything out.•Just enjoy the hunt! It’s easy to get irritated when you don’t find a cache and want to turn on your fellow geocachers. Try to focus on enjoying the adventure, environment and company and let the actual find be secondary.

Godspeed and good luck on your future treasure

hunts!

For one particular cache in O’Fallon, Illinois we arrived at the cache quickly, but had

to spend several minutes sending evil glares to an

elderly couple that was sitting on top of it in order to get

them to move!

Page 13 Dec. 1, 2008

When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Unfortunately his life had gotten harder -- and money tighter for his family since his father died and the family bakery closed. Eddie dreamed that some-how his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning. What he got from her instead was a sweater. Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don’t always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life’s most valuable treasures, that Christ-mas morning was the beginning of Eddie’s dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family -- and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell -- to help Eddie find his path through the storm clouds of life and finally see the real signifi-cance of that simple gift his mother had crafted by hand with love in her heart.

Hear It, See It, Read It offers students a little insight into new releases of music, movies and books.

Hear It... Read It...See It...

Mac is a grief-stricken father in mid-life and about to have an extraordinary experience with God. His “great sadness” began four years ago on a weekend camping trip, when his 6-year-old daughter, Missy, was murdered. What he couldn’t know then, but is about to learn, was God’s purpose for Missy’s death. As the story begins,

Mack receives a strange note that is apparently from God. God invites Mack to return to the place where his daughter was murdered, a shack, for a get together. Though uncertain, Mack visits the scene of the crime and there has a weekend-long encounter with God, or, more properly, with the godhead.

The ShackBy William Paul Young

The Christmas SweaterBy Glenn Beck

There are heroes, there are super-heroes, and then there’s Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough

- as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn’t the kind of man who cares what other people think - until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet. The film stars Will Smith and Charlize Theron.

Action/Fantasy/Drama:Hancock

Tropic Thunder is an action com-edy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive war film. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of

Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys. Filled with satirical humor about Hollywood and lined with some over-the-wall offensive comedy, this is a “love it or hate it” film,. starring an all-star cast including Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Nick Nolte, and Steve Coogan.

Comedy:Tropic Thunder

Nickelback have estab-lished themselves as one the biggest rock bands in the world. With over 26 million albums sold worldwide, they have made their mark in rock and roll history. Their new album is one

of the most anticipated releases of the year. The band brought in legendary producer Mutt Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard) to produce the record with them and also longtime collaborator Joey Moi. With “Dark Horse,” frontman Chad Kroeger spends no time grousing about his hecklers, instead embracing the classic image of rock-star philosophy. He offers cartoonish tales of sex, drugs and rock-and-roll, all in an ill-fitting growl that misrepresents the good times he’s supposedly celebrating.

Rock:Nickelback: Dark Horse

By David HodgesPublic Rela-tions Editor

Pop:Pink: Funhouse

Pink has done it again in 2008 with her highly anticipated and provocatively personal Fun-house album, addressing both her public and private persona, as only Pink can. Much of the album’s subject matter alludes

to the fact that she recently divorced her husband Carey Hart. The first single, “So What”, opens with: “I guess I just lost my husband/I don’t know where he went”. “Please Don’t Leave Me” also ad-dresses the split. Teaming once again with hitmak-ers Max Martin, Billy Mann, and others, She is poised to leave another memorable mark. She has been widely hailed as a fearlessly talented singer and songwriter and her genre-defying creative risk-taking has propelled her to global stardom. To date, the chanteuse has sold 22 million albums cumulatively worldwide.

Released Nov. 18, 2008

Released Nov. 25, 2008

The PulseCatch up on the latest campus happenings, entertainment news and more!

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 14

Imagine yourself taking a very important exam. You have been studying for three hours and are fully confident. During the exam, you find yourself stumped on a mul-tiple choice question and can’t decide between two possible answers. You try so hard to remember, but to no avail. The pressure of time builds as you finish the rest of the exam except for that one multiple choice question. You need to do the best you can on this exam to achieve an A, so ev-ery question counts. As the time is being called, you quickly make an educated guess that is either right by luck or wrong because you couldn’t remember. How many times have you found yourself in this situation? Most students experience this many times throughout school, but there is a very fun way to change this situation for the better. You may be wondering about how you could possibly have fun studying for an exam. One simple answer is by play-ing a board game known as

chess. Chess is a mentally challenging game used for rec-reational and competitive play, but there is a lot more involved than what meets the eye. Studies have shown that grade and high schools that teach chess to their students as part of the curriculum consis-tently do better on achievement tests and even in their normal grades in general. Why does chess improve one’s grades? The reason is that when one

plays a game of chess, he or she stimulates the mind that ends up hav-ing many positive ben-efits. A few of these good benefits include improved problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills in the areas of logic, pattern recognition,

perception, coordination, spa-tial relations, decision-making, and visualization. Also, two very important benefits not listed here are memory and mathematical ability. As you can see, the benefits of playing chess are nearly limitless. In addition to all of the benefits, a lot of people find chess to be real fun game to play. It takes a lot of practice to become a more advanced player, but there are plenty of resources

How Checkmate Can Help You Get Your Grades in Check

at a person’s disposal to help them improve their chess game. If someone is looking for something to do in their spare time, why not have fun and im-prove their mind’s capabilities at the same time while play-ing a game of chess. Whether you’re playing alone against a chess computer or against someone else, you will soon find yourself getting better mentally as time goes on. Also if you want to meet new people and make new friends that share the same similar inter-est in chess, you can also join a local or national club since there are many available. The best advice regarding chess is that chess is what you make it. It can be used for casual play against a friend, or you can even spend a few days a week studying it. After you have played chess for a while and you find your-self in that same stiff situation trying to decide between two possible answers for a question on an important exam, you will have a better memory and will most likely remember the an-swer. In this way, chess has the potential to increase your grade in any of your subjects which is also a benefit of chess.

For a $15 fee, you can receive each copy of The McKendree Review right on your doorstep! With approximately nine or ten issues per school year, you’ll never miss out on the latest news and stories from McKendree, so get your issues today!

Visit www.mckendree.edu/StudentLife/publications.aspx for an application.

Those applying after the start of the semester will receive copies of back issues if available; otherwise, the subscription will begin with the next issue’s release.

The McKendree Review now delivers!

Love is the Movement: Rescue is Possible

While walking through Piper Thursday, Nov. 13, you may have been asked if you would like to have “love” writ-ten on your arms. Perhaps you no-ticed a peer who had love adorned on his/her wrist or arm. Nov. 13 was the second annual To Write Love on Her Arms day. TWLOHA is a non-profit movement dedicated to spreading hope, knowledge and encouragement for those struggling with depression, ad-diction, self-injury and suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 18-24 year olds. TWLOHA exists to reach out to those who feel so helpless that they turn to harm-ing themselves and to let them know they are not alone. It also

By Melissa WilkinsonStaff Writer

exists to inform the public to be apart of lowering the sad statistics by aiding those who are going through rough times. Alpha Phi Omega and I wrote love on over 60 bearcats’ arms and informed many more.

If you know someone who doesn’t seem to be them-selves lately, talk to them, listen to them. If they give any clues that

they are contemplating harm-ing themselves, ask them if they have a plan. If the plan is something they would have access to do, get them help as quickly as possible. If you need help, tell someone or call 1-800-SUICIDE. For more information, visitTWLOHA.com, hopeline.com,befrienders.org or selfinjury.com.

Do You Sudoku?

See page 17 for the answers!

By James MurphyStaff Writer

The PulseCatch up on the latest campus happenings, entertainment news and more!

Page 15 Dec. 1, 2008

The Review Crew

Staff Writers: Sarah Adams, Michael Anderson,

Chelsea Arnold, Heather Belmonte, Stephanie Coartney, Tirzah Dawson,

Mariano Flowers, Emily Gavilsky, David Hodges, Miranda Linneman,

Kristie Manning, Carlos Marin, James Murphy, Nicole Neal, Maia Paluska, Eric Pingolt, Shawn Printy, Deanne Puloka, Christen Roberts, Theresa

Schmidt, Kendra Sigafoos and Melissa Wilkinson.

Advisor: Gabe Shapiro

Do you like playing video games? Whether you play all the time or just once in a while, you may not know that many stereotypes are associated with playing video games. These stereotypes can be both ben-eficial or against the normal gamer. Many studies have been conducted in the last few years to learn more about the stereo-types of gamers, and the results are very surprising compared to the preconceived notions involving a typical modern gamer. I recently had an opportunity to interview Senior Jason Fin-ley, a big gamer who works at the GameStop in the St. Clair Square Mall. Due to his job, he is in contact with a lot of other gamers on a regular basis. I compared his answers to the studies that I had researched to see if he agreed or disagreed with the stereotypes. The first stereotype con-cerns the average age of the U.S. gamer. The most common response would be a teenager to early 20’s; however, this stereotype is false. Finley said that three years ago the average age of a video gamer would probably be between 18 and 30 years of age. Although Finley’s response fits with the stereo-type, his age range goes be-yond it up to 30. This slightly contradicts with what studies have shown. Many of the stud-ies show that the actual age of an average gamer is typically between 29 and 31 years of age which is close to what Finley noted. One of the studies was compiled by the Entertainment Software Associate (ESA) which showed that the average age of gamers is 29 years old while another study conducted by the Annenberg School for Communication assistant pro-fessor Dmitri Williams found that it was 31.

“The standard demographic of the age of gamers was blown way out of proportion about two years ago with the release of the Nintendo Wii. An example is that some nursing homes are now even starting bowling leagues with the Wii to help keep the elderly people more active,” said Finley. As one can see, the most likely age of the average U.S. gamer is closer to 30 years old rather than a teenager. The second stereotype deals with female gamers. The first thought that comes to mind for most people would be that only a small percentage of gamers are female, but this concep-tion is wrong. Finley estimated between 20% and 35% of gamers are females while studies and surveys made by the ESA reported between 20% and 40%. The reason that this number is higher than one would first think is that most of the female gamers only like certain types of games such as ones that are less violent or more casual than what men usually like to play. “As assistant manager of GameStop, I have learned that games that have graphics dealing with killing and murder really turns most women off to video games. There are only a few genres of games that women usually like to play,” said Finley. A third common stereo-type concerns whether or not gamers are more social than non-gamers. The most wide-spread answer would be that they spend a lot of time to themselves playing games and don’t get out much, however, both Finley and actual studies conducted by IGN and Ipsos

Media CT show that gamers are more social then non-gamers. Another study by IGN confirmed that most gamers are more likely to marry, date, have kids and typically get out more. Finley stated that sociability mainly depends on the player and the game. “Some games like World of Warcraft allow players to work with one an-other such as raiding a guild. It allows people to socialize with other people in the game which helps them to develop better social skills.”

Another very argu-mentative stereotype involves whether gamers are more likely to be de-pressed or

have a better chance of suffer-ing from substance abuse. The natural reaction would be that this is true, and actual studies conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California (USC), Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and the University of Delaware (UD) have shown that gam-ers are more likely to suffer from depression. However, the researchers noted that this correlation between video games and depression doesn’t necessarily equal causation as the mental ailments could be a reason for video game playing as much as a product of it. Finley went the other direc-tion and said that this is not true. “I would only think that certain isolated cases would cause video games to cause de-pression. At times, some video games actually help people fill a void in their life which would have a more positive impact

Gamer Groupings Proven FalseBy James MurphyStaff Writer

The PulseCatch up on the latest campus happenings, entertainment news and more!

Theresa Schmidt: Editor-in-ChiefStephanie Coartney: Associate Editor

Kristie Manning: Managing EditorHeather Belmonte: Assistant EditorKendra Sigafoos: Assistant Editor

David Hodges: Public Relations Editor

Editors

“Some games like World of Warcraft allow players to work with one another such as raid-ing a guild. It allows people to socialize with other people in the game which helps them to develop better social skills.”

Continued on p. 17

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 16

Campus Activities

Corrections Box

--The $17,000 cappuccino machine mentioned in Kendra Sigafoos’ last Soapbox was actually purchased by So-dexho, not McKendree.

Pre-Cram Comedy Jam with Jen KoberWed., Dec. 8 at 9:30 p.m. in Ames

Get your laughs in before it is time to cram for finals! Com-

plete our survey at the end of the show and get free wings in the

Lair while they last!

White Elephant BingoFri., Dec. 5 at 9:15 p.m. at the Lair

Come to the Lair for bingo with a twist…All of the prizes will be gift wrapped. Win a game, pick a prize – It could be a $50 Gas card, could be $10 in quarters for laundry, could even be a chia pet…who knows? When all of the prizes are gone, then the fun begins! Can you keep your prize or will someone steal it from you? It will be a game of surprises – Don’t Miss It! THIS IS THE FINAL NACHOAVERAGEFRIDAY! EVENT OF THE SEMESTER! Stop in and grab some free nachos while you are playing bingo!

Office of Student Affairs Pancake Study BreakMonday, Dec. 8 at 9:00pm in Ames Dining Hall

Come to Ames Dining Hall for the Annual Pancake Study Break for free food served by members of the Office of

Student Affairs staff. Check campus email for a complete list of Stress Fest events sponsored by Campus Activities

Board!

Have an event you’d like to share? E-mail us at

mckreview@mckendree.edu!

In any college or univer-sity English classes are gener-ally associated with the same things. Students read articles and books, analyze writings and write papers. But for the Honors English 111 and 112 at McKendree, classroom activities are starting to move outside the realms of thought and into larger projects. In English 111H, a com-bination of literature and philosophy with an emphasis on African-American culture, students have already complet-ed their integrative project for the semester. Any student who has a class in Carnegie room 303 will have encountered the Harlem Renaissance Museum Project displayed on the wall. The display makes use of pe-riod advertisements and photos as well as images of prominent black writers and philosophers. The images are captioned to tell stories of what life was like during the Harlem Renaissance and to elaborate on its histori-

cal significance. Students in the class were challenged to make connections and integrate literature with history to make the exhibit, which will be up for viewing until the end of the semester. Next semester’s project for English 112H will have even more rel-evance out-side of a classroom. Students in the class will be teaming up with high school juniors from East Saint Louis Senior High School to construct a website on the rich history of East Saint Louis. The website will focus on 20th century history in East Saint Louis: race riots, the presence of jazz and blues, the rise of gangsterism and the civil rights movement. The class will research how East Saint Louis has become almost

Freshmen Honors English: Out of the Classroom and Into

History synonymous with urban blight, as well as explore its history of famous people like Miles Davis and Ike and Tina Turner. Stu-dents will conduct interviews

with older citizens for an oral history project. The class will serve the dual pur-pose of provid-ing real world applications for McKendree students, and as a college preparation course for the

high school students involved. Participants will be given credit as contributors on the website. Dr. Martha Patterson, who will team-teach the course with Dr. Ann Collins, looks forward to this new and exciting project. She commented on how it is much easier to do integrative projects like this on smaller campuses with small groups of dedicated people. “It is very much a McKendree event,” she said.

By Sarah AdamsStaff Writer

The PulseCatch up on the latest campus happenings, entertainment news and more!

Freshmen Ryan Vincent and Sarah Adams review their work on the Hralem

Renaissance Exhibit.

Congratulations to Senior Kamara Owens for being chosen as December’s Bearcat of the Month by SGA! While serving as a peer mentor for University 101, Kamara impressed her fellow University 101 instructor Besty Keigher for being a great peer mentor. Described by Keigher as being “mature, kind, friendly, hard working and willing to help any student,” Kamara has gone above and beyond as a peer mentor and exemplifies everything the Bearcat of the Month award stands for. On her Facebook page, Kamara states, “I like to give out free hugs to make people smile and have a good day.” A biology major and theater minor, Kamara is a member of McKendree’s Dance Team, Sigma Zeta (the National Science Honor Society), Alpha Psi Omega (the National Honorary Theater Fraternity) and Rotaract. She is also a New Student Orientation group leader and a Resident Assistant at McKen-dree West. On behalf of the entire Review Crew, congratulations to Kamara Owens for being awarded December Bearcat of the Month! Stay tuned for the next issue to see who the next Bearcat of

the Month is!

December Bearcat of the Month:Kamara Owens

By Theresa SchmidtEditor-in-Chief

Lebanon Care Center Christmas Party!Sun., Dec. 7 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at LCC

Come celebrate Christmas with Lebanon Care Center! We’ll eat snacks, sing carols, dance and have a great

time! Take a break from finals and join us Sun., Dec. 7 from 6:30-8:00 p.m.! We’ll meet at the stairs to Upper

Deneen at 6:15 p.m. See you there!

Page 17 Dec. 1, 2008

than negative one. I would say, concerning substance abuse, that the cause is rather a dis-order and not the video game itself.” The last stereotype that I researched was whether or not gamers are healthier than non-gamers. Most people would view gamers to be rather large since they are playing a game rather than exercising. Both the actual studies made by the same researchers from USC, PARC and UD as well as Finley con-firmed that gamers tend to be healthier. The studies showed that gamers are more likely to get out. They would also be more likely to exercise more to become physically healthier and less overweight. “Depending on what types

of games you play, you can lose weight and have fun at the same time. A good majority of the games, though, involve the Nintendo Wii since a lot of actions are involved in play-ing most of the Wii games. One good example is the very poplar Wii Fit which helps you lose weight in a number of ways,” said Finley.

Video games can be fun, but a lot of negative stereotypes are usually attached to gamers. These stereotypes,

however, are often incorrect. Finley stated that a lot of these stereotypes are being proven false primarily because of the Nintendo Wii, which is causing believed demographics to be thrown out of proportion espe-cially in the last two years.

Gamers Ctd.

Another study by IGN confirmed that most

gamers are more likely to marry, date, have kids and

typically get out more

The McKendree Bearcat Rotaract Club recently received a Presidential Citation award from Rotary International for their participation in projects in club service, community service, voca-tional service, and international service from July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008. The award was pre-sented at the Rotary District 6510 Conference held October 24-26 at the Regency Conference Center in Shiloh and was the first time a Rotaract club in District 6510 has received this award.

Pictured above receiving the award from Dr. Harry Henderson, Past District Governor, Rotary District 6510 are (left to right): Meg Bhandari, treasurer; Kumud Bhandari; Tonya Schartung; Ivan Stoyanov, Past-President and Webmaster; Bhushan Shrestha, vocational service chair; Lau-ren Szakielo; Lauren Hettenhausen, recording secretary; Jennifer Fletcher, club service chair; Chris Andrews, vice-president; Sara Darnold, corresponding secretary; and Nishant Timilsina, President.

Rotaract club meetings are held in Piper Academic Center on alternate Monday nights 8:00-9:00 and all students are invited to attend.

Rotaract Receives Award

The PulseCatch up on the latest campus happenings, entertainment news and more!

McKendree Students Present Work at Regional Conference

On November 7 Kendra Sigafoos and I set out for the Midwestern Regional Confer-ence of Sigma Tau Delta (STD), the English Honor Soci-ety. The conference was held at Stephens College in Columbia Missouri. We had both attended the national conference last May and were excited at the prospect of presenting our work at the regional confer-ence. A collection of my poetry and a short story were accept-ed, and Kendra had a short story and an academic essay accepted. It was an awesome experience to present work before our peers from around

the region. At each Sigma Tau Delta con-ference, the presenters are di-vided into panels based on type and topic. For the national con-vention, presenters are divided

more specifically by genre. Panels of academic essays, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction are then separated into presentation categories based upon topic. For the

smaller regional conference, the panels were not as finely divided by genre, but instead were grouped together based largely upon theme. The two day Mid-western Regional Conference was intimate. Everyone had an opportunity to see nearly every panel, and there were alumni

as well as student presenta-tions. The Missouri State Poet Lauriet Walter Bargen, who re-cently spoke at a McK Brown Bag, presented, as did several authors who discussed publish-ing. We were also given ample time to network with students from the region as far as West-ern Tennessee and as close as St. Louis. For those interested in becom-ing a member of Sigma Tau Delta, you must have complet-ed three English courses that are 200 level and above, with a minimum 3.0 GPA in those classes as well as in general scholarship. Contact Sigma Tau Delta’s faculty advisor Dr. John Greenfield at jgreenfi@mcken-dree.edu or at (618) 537-6890 for more information, or visit Sigma Tau Delta’s website at www.english.org.

By Heather BelmonteAssistant Editor

Do You Sudoku? Answers

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 18

Many of you have noticed the two playful cats that have been staying in the quad. A lot of people see these cats on a regular basis, and the lon-ger they stay, the more it seems like they belong here at McKendree University. I think these cats are definitely a positive influence on the stu-dents that attend this university. I personally enjoy see-ing them day to day when I am walking to my dorm after a stressful day of classes. It really feels good to see these cats, since I have some at home. Instead of missing my cats, as it turns out, I have two I can observe and play with at McKendree. They may not be bearcats, but they are cats in a Bearcat atmosphere. I also had a chance to talk to Junior Theresa Schmidt about her thoughts on these cats. “I love the cats at McKendree; I think it’s so cool that we have our own sort of unofficial pets! From a psychological point of view, I know they help a lot of students’ transition to life away from home and life at McKendree; they provide a lot of laughs and comfort during times of great stress or pain,” said Schmidt. Like Schmidt explained, these cats have definitely helped me transition to McKendree. They seem to always make me laugh and this is especially good on those stressful exam days. I also had the opportunity to talk to Freshmen Airika Tyler and Melissa Wilkinson. “I like

The Cats in McKendree’s Hat

By James MurphyStaff Writer

the cats that roam the quad all the time. I think they are a part of McKendree now. It is almost like they are our real mascots. I know a lot of people enjoy feeding them and trying to catch them, but they never

seem to interfere with anything or anybody. I like having them around and plus they are cute!” said Tyler. “Cats are my favorite animal

and my mom is allergic to them, so it is especially nice to have two here on campus! I can recall a few days when I was having a bad day and while walking into Ames I spied the kitties playing together and it brightened my day. I think in some sense they bring some of the students here together. I’ve had conversations with stu-dents I haven’t talked to before while playing with the cats. I hope they are still here after the holidays,” said Wilkinson. Theresa also stated, “I think it’d be really cool if McKen-dree officially adopted them and got them Bearcat collars and put a cat door and little cat beds by the vending machines insides Ames’ exit; they just really make McKendree feel even more like home so it would be great if we could make them official members of the Bearcat family!” As a student, I support keeping these cats here on campus because of the impact they have had on my own life. That the cats are staying here at McKendree makes me a bit happier that I’m staying here too.

Meet Mack and Kendree in a special mock-edition of McK Singles on p. 23!

Sound Off!Let your voice be heard! Write to us at mckreview@mckendree.edu.

“Is that a cell phone you’re using Mariano?” asked my professor. I answered “Of course not,” although I was in the middle of writing a text message. I was not going to tell on myself because this particular professor does not allow texting in her classes and has a cell phone policy in her syllabus that states that your phone is to be turned off when you enter the class room. She believes that it is “the height of rudeness for cell phones to in-terrupt classes or public events. It suggests immaturity and lack of consideration for others.” She also has strict penalties for people whose cell phones ring while in class. If your cell phone goes off when another student is giving a presentation, you will automatically lose a

full letter grade on that speech assignment. Don’t let your phone ring more than once dur-ing that semester. If your cell phone goes off twice during the semester, she will confiscate the phone, and you will have to meet with both her and the Academic Dean to get it back. Although I wasn’t actually talking on the phone, she still doesn’t allow texting while in class either. Almost all students text while in class and it’s hap-pening more now than ever. Teachers have been expressing their dislike for texting in class lately too. One of my foot-ball teammates got in trouble because his professor told our coach that he doesn’t pay attention in class because he texts on his cell phone instead. Personally I don’t think that teachers should make students

By Mariano FlowersStaff Writer

Can You Hear Me Now?A Look at Student Cell Phone Usage in Class

turn off their cell phones be-cause it’s our personal prop-erty. Another reason I don’t believe it should be a strict issue is because in case of an emergency, either personal or on campus, you will need to use it to call for help. I believe that students should check that their phones are put on vibrate but not completely turned off. Some people, like myself, who has newer highly technological software cell phones also use it as a planner. If a professor changes the due date of an as-signment while in class, I like to mark that in my calendar on my cell phone as a reminder, and some teachers have a prob-lem with that. I think some of these teachers need to under-stand that times have changed and need to understand a cell phone is used more now than just to talk.

and the Metro East Interfaith Group that they met during the Interfaith Week at McK-endree. During the week’s events, the group also added 10 more members, which really en-couraged President of the group, Sara Darnold. “It is important to belong to an In-terfaith Group and learn of various faiths because we live in a society that contains all these diverse people and we need to understand their religious or spiritual paths as well as our personal path.” Darnold says that while their group’s goal is to educate themselves and oth-ers on the true meaning of interfaith the group’s main

purpose is to provide service projects to the community and to the world to stop vio-lence, stop hunger, and make the world a wonderful place for everyone to live in. She

says, “While re-ligions differ, all religions believe in helping the poor, stopping wars, and help-ing those less fortunate.”

To go along with Patel’s visit to the campus, Campus Ministries along with the Black Student Organization and the International Student Organization hosted a day series of workshops concern-ing youth and ministry. “The event was well timed with the elections because young people were very

“The more we under-stand our neighbors on a personal level the better neighbor, coworker, citizen of the world and person of faith we will be.”

excited about being involved and doing something that made a difference. So I think the week’s events were very relevelant to the students and the situation,” said Rev. Har-rison. .He hopes to hold similar workshops next semester to build on “Interfaith” awareness on campus. Currently, McKendree’s In-terfaith Group has an emailing list of about 40, with around 20 dedicated, active members. President of the group Sara Darnold says that even though the numbers seem small she believes that work is being done on an individual basis even when members cannot attend. The group meets every other Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. in the Circuit Rider’s Room in Bothwell Chapel.

Interfaith Ctd.

Page 19 Dec. 1, 2008Sound Off!

Let your voice be heard! Write to us at mckreview@mckendree.edu.

The Issue of the Issue:Lowering the Drinking Age

By Theresa SchmidtEditor-in-Chief

“I do think that the drinking age should be

lowered. I think that lowering it would be

better because the ma-jority of college students

would legally be able to drink, something that no doubt a lot of them do anyways. Because

there is no age at which everyone would be

responsible enough to be able to drink, I think lowering it so most col-lege students would be allowed would be good. Also, once people are legally able to drink,

they seem less interested in binge drinking and getting out of control. I think that part comes with the illegality of it

all.”

“I think the current drink-ing age is ac-

ceptable. If any change is made,

it should be raised in order

to accommodate brain develop-ment. Accord-ing to www.fu-turepundit.com, ‘The part of the brain that inhib-its risky behav-ior does not ful-ly develop until

age 25.’”

For each issue of the Review, we choose an issue that we think is relevant and important to McKendree’s students. We then randomly select one student from each grade level, ask them their views on the issue and tally the score. Please remember that these are individual student views and may not represent those of the entire student body or the adminis-tration. On. page 9, we read about the amethyst initia-tive and the administration’s opinion on lowering the drinking age, but where do the students stand? I set out to find some answers.

Senior Elizabeth Jeremiah

Freshmen Chelsy Durbin

Junior Ben Simon

“I don’t think that the drinking age

should be lowered to 18 years old. The reason why I think this way is because

a lot of people under 21 are not respons-

able enough to drink. If 18 year olds were

allowed to drink there would be a lot more drunk driving accidents because

18 year olds would think it was okay to drink to an excess.

This would result in a higher percentage of deaths in young

adults.”

Sophomore Whitney Baillie

“I’m against lowering the drinking age for a few reasons, but the

primary one is simple: there is no reason to

make the effort. Chang-ing the law would do

nothing for the country except give in to the

irresponsible demands of young adults who

already drink and simply want their fears of ar-

rest to be lifted. Clearly with all the underage drinking arrests that

occur, and even alcohol induced accidents, our

youth is not responsible enough even at 18-- so removing the penalty

for childish rebellion is giving up on one frac-tion of the fight against

delinquency.”

Yes: 1

No: 3

Final Tally

Got an idea for next issue’s issue? Send

us an e-mail at mck-review@mckendree.

edu.

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 20

McKendree’s Major Problem

By Chelsea ArnoldStaff Writer

Sound Off!Let your voice be heard! Write to us at mckreview@mckendree.edu.

McKendree University offers a broad range of majors and minors for its students, from Theater and Philosophy, to Math and Sciences. However, for being a liberal arts cam-pus that recently upgraded to a university level, I find that McKendree lacks more mod-ern and increasingly popular majors, as well as the option to put emphasis in a select area of study for a major. It would be incorrect to say that McK lacks emphasis programs, but they do not have emphasis in certain studies. Currently, art majors must take all basic and upper level art classes, including paint-ing, sculpture, drawing and designing, compared to a music major, which allows multiple areas of emphasis. Students are not given the option to focus on one special degree of art. Depending on the type of art field one is looking for, certain classes would not be needed for future jobs; other classes in other areas, commonly com-puter editing or photography, would be. For example, McK-endree lacks classes that would allow a degree in computer-aided graphic design. “[I would like to add] web design; it’s becoming a popular field - and McK needs more computer courses with graphic art and such. Also because I’m a web design major and I’m

trying to make my own by tak-ing and substituting classes,” Junior Edward Gillman said. One could possibly form a degree in this field by combin-ing an art and computer sci-ences major with a marketing minor, but there are no con-crete programs for that particu-lar area. I feel the modern arts are somewhat discriminated against: if McKendree brings in IRS agents to teach about crime investigation, couldn’t a designer come in to lend their knowledge to art students? As stated by the University course cata-log, journal-ism is cur-rently only available as a minor and mainly cov-ers print journalism, rather than broadcasting or online news production. Although millions of people still read the daily newspaper, televised news and pod casts are far more popular and readily available. “I think we need a Jour-nalism major. I hear a lot of people talk about that. We have some classes that involve journalism, but no set major; you can always do that ‘create a major’ thing,” Junior Tonya Schartung said. Journalism does not have to be as simple as paper or radio; it can branch out into sev-

eral other areas of emphasis, including photography, lay-out designing and copy-editing. One could also point out a lack of classes in some stud-ies. Earth science, while a broad topic, is classified as a Geology-type class in the 2008 Course Catalog, but with influ-ences of astrology, meteorol-ogy and climatology. Geology on its own can be broken down into several field of study, from minerals to core-work. I feel McKendree should allow emphasis in specialized

areas of majors. Since gaining university sta-tus, one would think more specialized majors would be readily avail-able. McKend-ree University,

already in the top 10 percent of the nation’s colleges, could bring in more students with modern majors that keep up with the changing job markets, and continue to grab the atten-tion of potential students. One solution would be to bring in professors or even professionals who work in the desired fields, such as the IRS visitors, to fill in what current teachers cannot. The Univer-sity has the ability to bring in adjunct teachers needed for the fluctuated class sizes for fresh-man; why not do the same for modern majors?

McKendree University... could bring in more students

with modern majors that keep up with the changing

job markets, and continue to grab the attention of potential

students.

Attention:The McKendree Review Crew and Editors do not neccessarily agree with the opinions experessed in the Sound Off! section of the paper, nor de we claim to represent the views of the entire student body. We do strive, however, to create a public forum for students to express their comments, concerns and opinions. If you have an opinion and would like to share it, please e-mail your ideas or article to mckreview@mckendree.edu. The McKendree Review reserves the

right to edit or not print any submission.

Want to know what McK alums are doing

in your field?

Here’s how!

JOIN the CCNMentor Network TO-

DAY!

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Page 21 Dec. 1, 2008Sound Off!

Let your voice be heard! Write to us at mckreview@mckendree.edu.

At one point or another in every college career, students start to dislike their school. In fact, some of us even hate it. We are so sure that there’s somewhere out there better suited for us. A better school to suit our personalities. And we may be right. I’ve had the advantage of experiencing both a large and small university. I went to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SIUC) for two years. I had a really good time and I loved what I studied, but I never really felt like I be-longed. As much as I loved my friends and my major, I didn’t love where I was. I didn’t even really like it. I felt like I belonged somewhere smaller, more intimate and more per-sonal. I left SIUC and moved back home to Staunton. I had my choice of local schools – SIUE (the sister school of the place I’d just fled), Blackburn or McKend-ree. I wasn’t interested in Blackburn, and everyone I’d talked to who went to SIUE said to avoid it at all costs. I turned to McKen-dree. When I was young, my mom and I used to come to Lebanon once in a while to go shopping or antiquing. I’d always enjoyed the tiny town, but I’d never paid attention to its college until I was in the market for a new one. I fell in love with McKendree immedi-ately, and I still am.

I’ve seen things to critique at McKendree. The buildings are old and never a consis-tent temperature. I think the lawns are over watered and parts of the campus are paid extra attention to while other parts are neglected. I think that so much attention has been paid to promoting McK as a “whole new U” that the important things have been forgotten. For example, the humanities are suffering, and the science building is in need of serious upgrades. On large campuses, the buildings are usually updated. The income for large univer-sities means a more stable temperature for learning envi-ronments and more up to date equipment in the class rooms. But the buildings are miss-matched. The dorms in which I lived at SIUC are triplet concrete eyesores on the southern Illinois landscape. One building in which I was lucky enough to never have

a class, was terribly long and confusing. Every hallway of every floor looked exactly the same. The few times I was inside made me feel like I was

trapped in the hotel from The Shining. A common complaint at McKendree is the parking situation, and even though many students have serious issues with McKendree’s parking, I have none. McK is a small campus, so park-ing will naturally be an issue. I don’t mind walking half a block to class. In fact, I don’t mind walking two blocks, and I’m sure anyone who has

The Soapbox:The Grass is Always Greener on Somebody Else’s Campus

By Kendra SigafoosAssistant Editor

received a freshman parking sticker at SIUC will agree with me. To drive and park on SIUC’s campus would have put me further from my classes than if I’d walked the roughly one mile from my apartment. The lot was way at the back of campus behind the engineer-ing build-ing on the far side of the student center opposite all the lecture halls. It was a hike. No, it was a trek. Even without a sticker, visitor parking was rarely available and almost always guaranteed a parking ticket. I certainly pay a lot more to go to McK than I ever did go-ing to SIUC. I commute every day, so the cost in gasoline alone is significant. Also, SIUC had so many courses to offer it would take days to go through them all to decide what you want, and there were Advisors who only advised, while at McK professors double as aca-demic advisors on top of their course loads. However, one of the ben-efits at McK of having your professor also be your advisor is that he or she knows your strengths and weaknesses. You can be given feedback and get direction that you wouldn’t re-ceive from an advisor who only knows you from a file. One of the biggest assets of McKendree is its big heart. Until McK, I’d never had a professor care so much about me, not only as a student, but as a person. I left SIUC a changed person; I was once outgoing and opinionated, but when I got to McKendree, I was shy and nervous. A lot had

changed in my life and it took me a while to get back to who I’d been. Clearly, my opinions haven’t left me completely. It’s hard to appreciate how lucky you are to be in a class of a dozen or so until you’ve been

an uniden-tifiable face in a class of one hundred. At McK, if you have an opinion you can say it and people will listen! Profes-

sors care about what you think. They want you to succeed. They want you to have opin-ions and concerns. They want you to learn. And they know if you don’t. At larger universities, most professors can’t tell one face from another. Most don’t bother to learn your name at all. Our faculty is pretty over loaded with personal projects, multiple classes and advis-ing so many students, but I’ve never been in a class at McK where a professor didn’t learn

every student’s name. I pay a lot more and my student loans have grown from toddler-sized to teenage, but I’m glad that I have something to show for it. I’ve received a better education here than from anywhere else in my life. So I pay a lot more, and there’s a lot to complain about, and McK is lacking much, but the benefits are worth all the negatives. Every McK student is benefit-ing from being here because this school is so small, because professors know their students so well, and because we’re re-ceiving education from people who both know the material and want to help you know it too. The campus is about to split at its seams and it’s growing steadily. The idea of this upsets me a bit. I don’t want McKen-dree to get bigger. McKendree is beautiful and charming. It’s comfortable and kind. As long as McK maintains these characteristics as it grows, then those who want either a small or large university can find a home here. And that’s worth every penny.

As I’ll be graduating at the end of this semes-ter, this will be my last official

Soapbox column. I will always

cherish my time at McKendree. I became an adult

here. Part of me wants it to

never end. I have enjoyed working on the McKendree Review and

A Final Farewellhave especially enjoyed working on this column.

Thank you to those who’ve read it, discussed it, influ-

enced it, loved it and hated it. All the work is worth it in knowing that what I’ve written has af-fected, entertained

or influenced some-one. I’m going to

miss so much about McKendree and I’m

thankful for every moment here. So long…

Kendra

By Kendra SigafoosAssistant Editor

It’s hard to appreciate how lucky you are to be in a class of a dozen or so until you’ve

been an unidentifiable face in a class of one hundred.

One of the biggest assets of McKendree is its big heart. Until McK, I’d never had a professor care so much about me, not only as a student, but as a person.

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 22

Let me begin by indicat-ing how much I look forward to reading The McKendree Review. I find it to be a good reflection of campus news and issues and it represents an ex-cellent forum to present matters of importance to the campus community. Thanks to the edi-tors and all of the staff writers for the good work being done. It is in that spirit of ex-changing points of view and encouraging dialogue that I would like to respond to an article included in a recent edition of The Review. In particular, I will focus my remarks on the article entitled, “The Issue of the Issue: The Cost of McK.” The writer presented the views of five students who responded to the questions relating to the cost of attending McKendree and the worth of their investment. The student responses seemed to re-flect a range of sentiment and opinion. My intent in this response is to add an additional voice and to provide some fac-tual material for consideration. Clearly, this is a challeng-ing economic period. The signs of struggle are every-where from Main Street to Wall Street. The administration of McKendree University is aware of the economic climate our students and their families are living in. We know be-cause we function in the same environment. To some degree we share a common concern and experience. McKendree University is classified as a non-profit

institution. Unlike a corpora-tion, our pricing structure is not designed to make a profit. We need to meet our bills, pay our debts and invest in pro-grams, services, facilities and personnel. Like the families of students attending the univer-sity, we are also dealing with increasing utility charges, the rising cost of health care benefits, greater travel expense, increased interest rates and all of the other financial pressures that have become increasingly evident. To meet its financial obligations the university gen-erates income from two general sources. Approximately 60 percent of our operating budget comes from student tuition and fees. The remainder of our income is generated through outside gifts, grants and fund raising. Essentially, student tuition accounts for 60 cents of every dollar it takes to oper-ate the university. The other 40 cents needs to be raised

from sources outside of the university. I should note that this relationship between student generated sup-port and outside support is not unique to McK-endree. It is a formula present

in most institutions of higher education. I comment on it here to underscore the fact that substantial funds beyond those provided by student tuition are required to operate the univer-sity. Relative to specific ques-tions raised in the article by students, let me offer the fol-lowing thoughts:

Work Study Hours The university is awarded a specific amount of money by the federal government to fund the Work Study Program.

We have established a cap on per-student earnings in order to maximize the number of students who can benefit from the allocated funds. The federal government never allocates sufficient funds to cover the entire amount of work study awards granted to our students, so we have adopted a formula that allows us to do the greatest good for the greatest number of students within our allocated funds.

Flex Dollars The flex dollars program is a benefit built into the student meal plan system. Therefore, the money has to be restricted to meal costs. It is not pos-sible, for example, to use meal flex dollars to pay for books or other goods from the book-store. However, students can place discretionary funds on their Higher One card and use it at various campus locations.

Giving McKendree Merchan-dise Away

Some offices do give McKendree merchandise away. The NSO program provides a shirt for all incoming students; the same can be said for the Center for Public Service (Into the Streets) and the Alumni Office. McKendree style shirts are made available to workers in the IM program, the Fitness Center and for CAB members. An institution-wide systematic giveaway of McKendree mer-chandise is not feasible without those costs being passed on to the general student population. In other words, if you want more giveaways you will pay higher tuition.

Free Food Day at Ames Our food service is a contracted arrangement with Sodexo. Providing a day/week of free food to the boarding student community will not happen in a vacuum. The

costs of one “free day” per week would have to be paid by someone; most likely the student boarding community.

Federal Work Study Pro-gram

Student eligibility for the Federal Work Study Program is determined by the federal govern-ment through their review of student submission of the FAFSA form. The awarding of work study to each student is deter-mined via a formula based on individual student need and assigned through the student’s aid awards.

The Cost of Academic Majors All student tuition is the same regardless of major. However, there may be some additional costs associated with one degree or the other that goes beyond tuition charges. Science majors will have addi-tional lab fees in some of their classes. Other majors might re-quire special instruments and/or equipment not provided for in their tuition costs. Student teachers and other students whose majors provide an in-ternship experience pick up the cost of driving back and forth from campus to the student teaching or internship site. My impression is that the added costs associated with some programs and/or courses are inherent within the educational enterprise. On the question of the worth of the investment and what McKendree is doing to help students meet their costs, I of-fer the following data related to McKendree University. Much of it is cited in the College Board survey of 2008: •Institutional aid available to students has increased 89% over the past 5 years.

•82% of first-time, full-time freshmen were awarded finan-cial aid based upon need.•77% of all undergraduates were awarded financial aid based upon need.•First-time, full-time freshmen were awarded on average 85% of their total need.

•Undergrad-uates were awarded on average 82% of their total need.•McKendree Univer-sity awards

nearly $22,000,000 in need based assistance to students.•In total, (need based and non-need based students) 99% of first-time, full-time freshmen were awarded some form of aid.•The placement rate for McK-endree graduates (other than those entering graduate or professional programs) within six months of their graduation is 96%.•McKendree University is ac-knowledged by several external agencies as being an institu-tion of outstanding academic quality (U.S. News & World Report), a “Best Buy” within the higher education commu-nity and it is recognized as a “College of Distinction.”•The cost to attend McKendree University is ranked in the low-er half of all “private” schools within the State of Illinois and throughout the country. Hopefully, you will find the information cited above to be helpful in confirming that McKendree is a worthwhile investment. Furthermore, I would urge any student who is experiencing financial dif-ficulty to visit with the Office of Financial Aid. We will do whatever we can to make the McKendree education available and affordable to as many of you as possible.

A Calculated Look at the Cost of McK

Sound Off!Let your voice be heard! Write to us at mckreview@mckendree.edu.

By Todd ReynoldsVice President of Student Affairs

The cost to attend McKen-dree University is ranked

in the lower half of all “private” schools within the State of Illinois and throughout the country.

Every year, freshmen receive free t-shirts duing NSO’s “Into the Streets.”

Picture from 2006.

Page 23 Dec. 1, 2008

Buy any large specialty pizza and get a small streusel pizza free

*Expires 12/31/08. Cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions.

$3 off any large pizza*Expires 12/31/08. Cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions.

Maid Rite 501 South Madison in Lebanon IL*Call ahead and pick your order up in Drive Thru at 618-537-8458.*

--Buy a Large Pizza and get another of equal or lesser for only $5 anytime for the rest of this year

--Add a Maid Rite to any Basket for only $1.99

--Breakfast Sandwich cooked fresh with real eggs and sausage or bacon for only $1.99

--Come in and check out our “Value Rite Deals” Menu which includes The Original Maid Rite, a veggie wrap, a beef or chicken crispy burrito and more where you can pick 2 items for $3.50, 3 items for $5.50, or 4 items for $6.95

“Penelope Miller from Richmond MO writes, ‘Maid Rites are so good we drive 40 miles just

to eat one’”

“Too Good to be a Patty”

“Maid Rite our name says it all”

Maid-Rite Supports the Bearcats!

Sound Off!

You have probably seen Mack and Kendree around campus. They are two of several stray cats that we have on the campus that have been dumped and left to fend for themselves. None of these cats are neutered, so the problem will multiply in the spring. They are a bit shy, which is un-derstandable, as I’ve seen sev-eral mean-spirited students run screaming at them and throw-ing things at them. Why? These are kittens, barely five months old, and near starvation. Those individuals who are so full of

hate for themselves that they need to lash out to a smaller weaker creature are few. There are many students whom I’ve seen feed or coax these poor kittens to come closer, as these students prob-ably miss their own pets at home. I would like to propose having a collec-tion taken up, perhaps by one of the sororities or other campus organizations, to have these animals get their shots and be neutered. By our campus contributing the cost of the vaccinations and the neuter-ing, we are keeping the burden

off of the shelters, which are al-ready inundated with stray cats and dogs. We are showing the responsibility that their original

owners never did. How many cats can two cats pro-duce in ten years? According to the American Humane Association, al-lowing two cats and their offspring to breed for ten years will produce

80,399,780 cats! That’s a lot of cats. Let’s do our part in our own corner of the world, and help these animals. Let us not turn a blind eye to those who are less fortunate, be they two or four-legged.

Cat-tastropheBy Mack, Kendree and FriendContributing Writers

Hi, my name is Kendree. My brother is listed in the singles column, and I thought I would

give it a shot, too. I, too, am looking for that special someone to cuddle with and to protect me. I’ve had my

heart broken in the past, so I am a bit shy, but I am willing

to try and lighten up. I like to try new foods, and am not very fussy. I love running and climbing. I have brown hair

and a white belly.

Hi, my name is Mack. I’d love to snuggle up with the one I love on cold, rainy nights.

I’m not fussy about food; I’ll eat just about anything. I love to run and climb; physical fit-ness is rather important to me. I live on McKendree campus,

and chances are good you have seen me. I have brown-ish hair and greenish-yellow

eyes. I am looking for my forever friend, and hope that it

may be you.

Mack Kendree

MocK Singles

Let your voice be heard! Write to us at mckreview@mckendree.edu.

I would like to pro-pose having a collec-tion taken up, perhaps by one of the sorori-ties or other campus

organizations, to have these animals get their shots and be neutered.

Vol. 87, No. 3 Page 24

Last week the McKendree Cross Country Team ended one of its most remarkable sea-sons. On the men’s team, Elias Melly finished ranked 3rd in the conference and qualified as an individual for the National Championship, which will be held at Kenosha, Wisconsin. The team earned the second place in the Conference, a few points behind William Woods, and ob-tained numerous honors both ath-letically and aca-demically. Team Capitan Mike Mendez was named an all Con-ference performer and received the All-Conference Academic Award for his achievements inside the classroom. Freshman Darren Hooks was named the Conference Freshman of the year, not only for his perfor-mance in the Conference meet, but also for his consistency throughout the season. Hooks and was also named an All Conference Runner along with Mendez, who finished his third year as a runner. In reference to Hooks, Cross Country Coach Neal West remarked that it is rare that an incoming freshman is able to make the transition from high school, where a race extends for 5 kilometers, to college, where meets are of 8 kilometers or 5 miles. On the women’s team,

Sophy Yapsabila was the number one runner in all meets but one. She was also 4th at the Conference Championship, ranked 4th in the overall stand-ings of the season, while the team was ranked third in the AMC Conference. Both teams have improved their academic

standards and plan to continue to do so in the future, Coach West said. Distance Run-ning provides one of the most profound physical challenges of all sports. After the last Conference meet, and during the 15 minute cool down, freshmen

Tom Crivellone remarked, “What you go through after the third mile of a cross country race in indescribable, I know that sports like football are hard, but I wonder if you get this type of challenge anywhere else.” When asked to explain his fascination for the sport, Mike Mendez said “Cross Country is probably one of the world’s most true sports… On the road there is no one to blame for your short comings. There is no escape; there is only yourself.” He added, “It is also difficult for people to understand what it takes to go out everyday no matter the weather, no matter how you feel, and beyond any excuse that you may have to go and maintain an honest battle with you and you only.” Mendez also described run-ning “as very simple, the fur-

ther you run, and the more of-ten that you run, the better you will be....I do not think I could have performed at the level that I did this season without the help of my new teammate (and conference freshman of the year) Darren Hookes. Training is a lot easier when you have someone to push with you.” As for the future, Coach West stated the goal is very simple: “improvement.” Ac-cording to his experience and knowledge, distance running is an activity in which improve-ment is a gradual process that takes weeks, months, and years of consistent training. As for those returning, he sent a clear message: “Everyone who wants to be a part of our Cross Country teams next year will have to prove themselves daily during Indoor and Outdoor track, even despite the weather or their fatigue or a busy sched-ule. The summer months will also be extremely important. There really is no ‘off season’ in Cross Country. November success is a result of dedication in June, July, and August. If you want to be college athlete in our sport, you have to get out the door each and every day in the summer as if your November races depended on it, because it does.” Coach West expects a dedicated effort from all team members in order to show that the “team is ready to go” by mid September. If this occurs, McKendree University will add another squad to those that regularly attend the national championship each fall.

Cross Country UpdateBy Carlos MarinStaff Writer

The McKendree women’s soccer team earned their place in the 2nd round of the Na-tional Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. Dec. 1-5. A 1-0 win at home in the first round against Kansas Wesleyan University gave the team their first win at the National level. Junior Sarah Ryan, who was named the AMC Player of the Year, scored the game winning goal in the 2nd half. Along with her teammates, Ryan is very excited for the trip to the Sunshine state. She stated, “I am very excited for nationals but nervous at the same time. I know it’s going to be hard work but I know that our team is capable of winning. I think all we need to do is focus and have faith in each other. If we just play they way we know and with all our heart it will hopefully turn out in our favor.” Ryan leads the team with 21 goals, fol-lowed by AMC Freshman of the Year Sulyn Keomanivane, who has scored 20. Adding to the offense is standout Katelyn Cleveland, who set the record for career assists with over 31 this year. Also helping out up front is Ashley Varns, who recorded eight goals and eight assists and Alex Adams, who had nine goals. In the middle for the Bearcats are Ilana Milkez with seven goals on the season and Theresa Kaiser, who dished out eight assists. Defensively, Kelsey Johnson, AMC Newcomer of the Year

Chrissy Ghirardi, Sarah Eck-elkamp, Lindsey Freeman and Danielle Kuberski lead the team. In goal for McKendree is Liz Yanko, who completed an almost perfect season and only had one loss against her. Rounding out the roster are Megan Ansley, Jess Au-gustine, Darcee Bair, Sarah Brede, Sam Hartman, Cassie Jones, Kathy Kentch, Erin Kilian, Kyla Nighohossian, Cassie Lofink, Sarah Lueck-ing, Brittany Lowell, Lindsey Ponder, Corie Sanders and Erin Spotanski. The team is under Coach Tim Strange, who was named AMC Coach of the Year for the sixth con-secutive year. Kelsey Johnson, the cap-tain of the team, also has high hopes for a great showing in Florida. She stated, “It’s an honor to be one of only 16

teams still playing. We have high expectations this year and are very ex-cited to get to Florida and play.” When asked what the team needs to do to con-

tinue winning, she stated that the team just needed to do “the simple things. We need to make crisp passes, give 110% and stay positive as a team no matter what is hap-pening. If we play with heart and never give up I think we can beat any team we play.” The Bearcats will face the number one ranked team in the nation, Lindsey Wilson, on Mon., Dec. 1 at 11 am in Daytona Beach, Fla. For live game feed, visit naia.cstv.com.

Sports

Junior Sarah Ryan receives her award for AMC Player of the Year from

Dean Reynolds.

Soccer Sweeps Competition

By Emily GavilskyStaff Writer

AMC Freshman of the Year Darren Hooks

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