april 2014 voices of central pennsylvania

Dealing with Centre County’s new heroin problem

pg. 3

Pa. couple finds marriage equality in Centre County

(and what happened after) pg. 5

VOICESOF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA

Thoughtful. Fearless. Free.

grad students worried by health cuts • avoiding doomcasting • native plants: Pa.’s ‘invasive native’ trees • birdwatch: brown thrashers, master mimics • local retail thrives amidst big chain stores • bone tired: the LA guide to living with sleep deprivation • planning a pedestrian-friendly State College • campbell: giving unto caesar • history of the garman in art • high school referendum pro/con • a&e calendar • page two •

April 2014

pg. 12

Fracking and your health: what the latest scientific

studies are revealingpg. 7

Thoughtful. Fearless. Free. © 2014 Voices of Central Pennsylvania Inc.

April 2014

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In This Issue...

POLITICS & ECONOMICS .................................... pg. 3Centre struggles with new heroin problemPa. couples search for equality in Centre County

ENVIRONMENT ................................................... pg. 7Drilling for Certainty: fracking and healthThe Snowstorm that Wasn’t: learning from forecastingBirdwatch: the Brown ThrasherNative Plants: Pa.’s ‘invasive native’ trees

COMMUNITY & LIFESTYLES.............................. pg. 14Local retail thrives amidst big chain storesSTEVIESLAW: Bone Tired: the LAW guide to living with SDPlanning a pedestrian-friendly State College

UNIVERSITY......................................................... pg. 18CAMPBELL: Giving to Caesar, like it or notGrad students worried by health plan cuts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ................................. pg. 21History of Garman documented by local

Sounds expands State College music scene

Arts & Entertainment calendar

OPINION ............................................................... pg. 25High School referendum: Pro/Con

...plus LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, CROSSWORD, SUDOKU

EDITORIAL BOARD

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Politics and Economics

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Arthur Goldschmidt Jr.

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Julia Hix

Members at large

Jesse Barlow

Jason Crane

Bill Eichman

Chip Mefford

Peter Morris

2 | PAGE TWO

I dislike gyms. One of my favorite parts of journalism is that the job demands you get out of the office, see new things, and occasionally soak up some sunlight. This is the exact opposite of a gym, which is completely indoors, demands ‘reps,’ and is

notoriously short on sunlight.So when my girlfriend (who was

feeling shut in after an endless winter) and I decided to get back in shape, we picked hiking.

Wiser people might have waited until it was above freezing, but we had

Gumption, by god, and that plus a good coat is all you ever need.

We thought we’d take on an easy trek to start. So we filled our Nalgenes and headed out to Shingleton Gap.

A hiking map favored by the locals warns that there are no easy trails in the Rothrock State Forest. Wiser people might have listened to the map, but maps are for people without Gumption and Resolve.

Before we even got out of the parking lot, we were warned off by a woman who was abandoning her attempt.

“The trail is pretty icy,” she said as she bolted for her car. We thanked her and completely disregarded her warning. Gumption shall overcome.

We expected some frost on the edges of the trail. Instead, what we got was an inch-thick ice rink in the shape of a trail that extended for miles.

The next two hours were a painful exercise in frustration. The parts of the trail that weren’t made of ice were made of pointy rocks, and the parts that weren’t pointy rocks led directly into the frigid waters of the Roaring Run creek.

We met a woman trying to inch her way off the trail in the other direction.

Her discombobulated Labrador retriever slid down the ice after her.

Wiser people might’ve taken a cue from the dog and turned around, but not us. Gumption got us here, and it would eventually lead us out.

We finally found a side trail that wasn’t covered in ice. It was hundreds of feet of largely vertical hiking. Gumption and Resolve disappeared halfway up the ridge, but turning

back just meant more ice, and I wanted to stall that unhappy thought as long as I could.

But when we got to the top of that ridge, we forgot the misery of the icy valley.

The ridgetop was peaceful in a way that is simply unattainable in the city. We basked in the silence that washes over you when you’ve left traffic miles behind. The cares of the world vanished. We were refreshed, renewed, and only slightly bruised.

The way back was worse than the way up: icy and full of rocks, and we were even more prone to slipping and falling going downhill.

But it didn’t matter. We were too busy planning the next hike to worry.

Hopefully it’ll be warmer.

Sean FlynnManaging Editor

[email protected]@VoicesPAEditor

Instant spiritual renewal, just add mountain

| 3Apr. 2014 POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

Heroin: a highly addictive and dangerous illicit drug that impacts people of all demographics and gives the stigma associated with heroin addicts. Over the past year, heroin usage has increased significantly in Centre County, and is affecting both the people exposed to it and the communities in which they live.

A heroin addict may have trouble recovering or keeping in control of their lives because of the drug’s very strong physical and psychological effects. Heroin users are perceived as being unproductive members of society, but in reality their relationships, careers and finances are destroyed because of their addiction.

Heroin’s prevalence in Centre County over the past year is due to the fact that the supply of it has increased and people addicted to prescription pain medication are turning to heroin because of the easy accessibility and cheaper price. The Bureau of Narcotics Investigation Regional Director, Tony Sassano, explained that Mexican drug cartels have increased the supply of heroin in Pennsylvania, and the market in Centre County is flooded because prices are so low.

Sassano believes that prescription pills, like vicodin or oxycontin, are gateway drugs to heroin. People who suffer car accidents are prescribed these medications for an injury they received, but due to the addictive nature of opiates they can become hooked.

“There is an undeniable nexus between Rx addiction [prescription pills] and heroin use, so that needs to be a priority message to our community,” said Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller.

They turn to heroin because on the street, Sassano explained, a 30mg tablet of a prescription pill can go from $25-$50 and lasts around four hours. A bag of heroin, on the other hand, can sell for only $10-$20 and can last the entire day.

“Opiate addiction does tend to progress from using pills to using heroin once a dependency develops, and it takes more and more pills to achieve a desired high,” said State College Medical Director Lisa McLain.

According to State College Police Chief Thomas King there’s been a substantial increase in heroin in 2013-14 compared to prior years.

“The reason we know that is because of overdoses on heroin, along with arrests involving possession and selling of heroin,” King said.

“This [heroin] is an issue not limited to one or a few jurisdictions,” said Ferguson Twp. Chief of Police Diane Conrad. “However, there has been an increase in heroin in the last year or so in our area as well as others.”

Heroin is also purer than it used to be and much cheaper than it was a few years ago, according to Parks Miller.

“I get emails daily from people who are concerned and have suffered because of heroin,” she said.

King said that heroin is not limited to metropolitan

areas. It is just as popular in rural or suburb areas like Bellefonte and Boalsburg.

“Heroin users can be anyone from a businessman, to a soccer mom, to a college or high school student,” said Parks Miller.

However, in State College at least, Sassano says there aren’t many students doing heroin. He said that in his personal experience with heroin, students can’t use heroin and go to school because they can’t be productive.

Crimes that don’t seem to have a tie to heroin, like burglaries and robberies, are actually directly linked to the heroin issue now.

“We recently arrested a couple of people over winter break in State College for a burglary, and then we found out they were heroin dealers that were about to drive to Philadelphia to pick up heroin,” said King.

Heroin dealers don’t typically buy in Centre County. They drive to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia and get it a lot cheaper, and then they come back to this area and sell it for a higher price. Sassano said heroin typically travels from Philadelphia, to Williamsport and then lands in Centre County.

In the efforts against heroin the Centre County Drug Task force acts as a narcotics unit, consisting of members of the municipal police departments and the district attorney.

“Members of the Drug Task Force are well trained, motivated and aggressive,” said Sassano. “With the task force officers can go out of their jurisdiction for a narcotics case.”

Sassano said that treating an overdose from heroin is potentially taking medical care away from someone else, because of the ambulance sent out responding to an overdose.

“It’s tying up resources that should be for other people with health problems,” he said.

Parks Miller said law enforcement is using highway and bus interdictions, an active core group of Pennsylvania State Police Troopers and the Drug Task Force to break up heroin rings [dealers].

Sassano said they try to look at the big picture in dealing with heroin by going to the main source, such as a big dealer, and eliminating that source instead of just arresting heroin users.

“We are doing our part, but it is hard because taking the dealers off the streets alone doesn’t solve it,” said Parks Miller. “If another drug dealer replaces the one we took off, and nothing else changes in the equation, we are not solving the problem holistically.”

King said they try raising awareness in the community because people need to be more educated. They work with the Criminal Justice Advisory Board

Centre struggles with new heroin problemsBy CHELSEA LABAR

VOICES University [email protected]

Photo by CHELSEA LABAR // VOICES University Editor

State College Medical specializes in substance abuse and addiction treatment, particularly in methadone treatment. The facility also provides medical and psychological services, clinical evaluations, counseling services, physicals, and referrals for their patients to other medical providers. The facility is located at 3091 Enterprise Drive, Suite 150 in State College.

“A lot of our time and arrests are focused on heroin; not to say we don’t pay attention to other drugs, but heroin causes the most problems here.”

Chief Thomas KingState College Police Department

see heroin, pg. 4

Instant spiritual renewal, just add mountain

4 | Apr. 2014POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

to prevent the distribution of narcotics as much as possible. The police go in posing as a “drug user” and buy heroin off of dealers in Centre County.

“A lot of our time and arrests are focused on heroin; not to say we don’t pay attention to other drugs, but heroin causes the most problems here,” said King.

Sassano said the way they are addressing the heroin problem in Centre County is a three-prong force composed of enforcement, education and rehabilitation. “If you take away one of these three parts than the rest are going to fail,” he said.

Recovering from heroin addiction can be a painstaking process, and normally most people aren’t successful on the first attempt.

It may take multiple attempts at rehabilitation in treatment centers to overcome it and there is still always a risk of a relapse, even after a long period of being clean.

“I’ve seen people go months, or even years clean, and then have a slip up and go back to it,” King said. “It’s a slippery slope.”

If someone is a heroin addict in Centre County desiring treatment one option is State College Medical, specializing in opiate addiction. State College Medical, located in State College, is a relaxed, small facility with a personable staff. There is a room for group therapy sessions and counselors who will work with addicts independently by providing individual therapy and a treatment program.

McLain said they utilize medication-assisted treatment, using methadone or Suboxone, as a tool in the recovery process.

According to McLain a recovering person must be aware of their triggers and have solid coping skills to combat them. Heroin addicts must make a lot of changes in their lives and those changes must be maintained. These include changing the people they are around, the places they go, the way they think and how they process their feelings.

The withdrawal period for heroin is described as the flu times 100 and the symptoms include: cramping, chills, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea and body aches. These symptoms aren’t pleasant, which may be why some addicts don’t want to get better.

“You know that using heroin will take away this intense physical discomfort of withdrawal, but you might not necessarily want to use,” said McLain. “This mental struggle is a tough one to overcome.”

Getting treatment at State College Medical relieves

the notorious withdrawal symptoms associated with heroin and helps eliminate the craving for it. McLain said she also thinks 12-step meetings are beneficial in the treatment process.

“Having a network of peers walking the same path as you is an incredible resource,” she said.

St. Joseph’s Institute for Addiction, in Port Matilda, is another choice for addicts seeking recovery.

The institute doesn’t believe in group therapy, like 12-step meetings, but rather individual therapy.

It also doesn’t use opiates like Suboxone in their detox program because they don’t believe an opiate should be used to treat another, and doing so prolongs the recovery process.

However, McLain asserted the medication they use in their program at State College Medical is simply a way of assisting patients in focusing on the psychological aspects of the disease to aid in their recovery.

She believes the way to help prevent heroin use is by breaking the stigma associated with the word “addiction.”

“Creating awareness that addiction does not discriminate and taking away some of the shame that accompanies the disease, so people are more comfortable seeking treatment is crucial to

addressing this problem,” she said.Unfortunately, while many addicts make an effort

to receive treatment, not all of them do. Those that don’t often end up in the hospital from

overdoses, which is why the Attorney General of the U.S. is now calling heroin a public health threat. ■

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Lisa McLain is the director of State College Medical, a treatment center in Centre County that helps people recovering from heroin addiction.

from heroin, pg. 3“Creating awareness that addiction does not discriminate and taking away some of the shame that accompanies the disease, so people are more comfortable seeking treatment is crucial to addressing this problem,” she said.

Director Lisa McClainState College Medical

| 5Apr. 2014 POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

Seventeen U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., have legalized same-sex marriage, but Pennsylvania has yet to jump on board, with a pending ACLU case that might just change things. Centre County has proven to be a progressive leader in the state, and several accomplishments toward marriage equality have been made in the area.

On August 19, 2013, Joseph Davis, now Joseph Scalzo, 50, and Gregory Scalzo, 47, from Bushkill, Pa., were married in State College in the home of Mayor Elizabeth Goreham. They were married by Church of the Brethren pastor Ken Kline Smeltzer, who was later fired from his church in Burnham, Pa., for going against the church’s stance on same-sex marriage.

The Scalzo wedding took place soon after Goreham told a reporter that she would be happy to officiate at a wedding for a same-sex couple as long as they had a marriage license.

Loathe to violate her oath of office, Goreham found Smeltzer, who was willing to perform the ceremony after she had been contacted by Joseph Scalzo. According to Scalzo, he immediately went to Montgomery County to get a marriage license after hearing back from Goreham.

“It [the ceremony] was everything I thought it would be and more,” Scalzo said.

Soon after the ceremony, Scalzo faced a few problems in terms of changing his last name and acquiring benefits that heterosexual married

couples are entitled to. Fixing his social security card was easy. Scalzo

said a new social security card was issued promptly, with his name properly changed. However, Penn DOT would not allow him to change his last name on his driver’s license because same-sex marriages are not legal in the state of Pennsylvania.

Another problem Scalzo encountered was denial of change in name on his voter registration due to same-sex marriage not being legal in the state. Also, his copy of his marriage certificate he sent in was never returned. Luckily, four copies of the marriage license were made, but the act was hateful since it could have been the only copy, Scalzo said. The only benefit Scalzo has thus far is the ability to get on Gregory’s health insurance.

It is Scalzo’s hope that everything does work out in favor of marriage equality in Pennsylvania. He has seen other states gain marriage equality through judges very quickly and does not understand why it has been so hard for Pennsylvania to do the same.

According to Goreham, public opinion has swung overwhelming in favor of marriage equality in recent years. When Goreham was campaigning for re-election last fall, she spoke to an attorney who helped gay couples adopt, and the attorney said she believed the Pennsylvania law that bans same-sex marriage would be overturned within the following two years.

“Over the last week, I was in Seattle, Washington visiting an aunt and uncle who are in their 90s - Republicans, conservative,” Goreham said.

“And she told me how much she thinks how important marriage equality is. And why? Because

people are discovering that people in their own family, who have just said nothing, have been gay for years, and the family never knew.”

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Photo by JACK MATSON // Special to VOICES

Gregory (left) and Joseph Scalzo (right) after their wedding ceremony at Mayor Elizabeth Goreham’s home.

see equality, pg. 6

Pa. couples search for equality in Centre

6 | Apr. 2014POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

Goreham said that while Pennsylvania is progressive in several ways, it is also still very conservative when it comes to family values. She believes many communities have lived by the same rules for centuries and thus do not feel or understand the need for change.

In State College, specifically, people are overwhelmingly in favor of marriage equality, Goreham said. Most constituents Goreham has spoken to have voiced their support for legalizing same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania.

According to Goreham, State College has a history of being a leader in regard to progressive actions. One example is that of State College Borough’s domestic partner registry, which was created in 2011.

Many couples, both same-sex and heterosexual, were inspired to take advantage of this registry when it first came out, but not so much in recent years since they can now go to a neighboring state to get married, according to Goreham. She said she knows of a few couples who are just waiting until same-sex marriage is legalized in Pennsylvania.

Under the ordinance of domestic partner registry, unmarried couples can document their relationship to create public recognition of their partnership. The two individuals need to sign, have two witnesses sign, and have a notary notarize their declaration of domestic partnership in order to make their commitment official, according to the ordinance.

Should marriage licenses for same-sex couples be issued again in the state, Goreham said that another pastor has approached her and would be willing to officiate. She said that she would be happy to host until she is able to officiate herself.

Centre County also has a very active Pennsylvania

National Organization for Women, Inc. chapter, especially when it comes to equal rights.

According to Joanne Tosti-Vasey, president emerita of PA NOW and National NOW board member, PA NOW has written several letters to Pennsylvania and national legislature in support of marriage equality, and the organization has participated in marriage equality rallies. PA NOW has also helped write State College’s anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit gender and sexual orientation discrimination in housing, public accommodations and employment.

Five cases concerning marriage equality are currently in the Pennsylvania court system, according to Tosti-Vasey. Four of those cases are pending, while one has been thrown out.

The big case coming up is Whitewood v. Wolf, an ACLU case that will be going to trial on June 9 in Harrisburg, Tosti-Vasey said. The case came about from a federal lawsuit filed on July 9, 2013, on behalf of 23 Pennsylvanians seeking the right to marry in Pennsylvania.

“As with Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia, as Earl Warren said, it’s a right that should not be denied,” Tosti-Vasey said.

“You love who you love, and the state should have no say in the marriage of the adult that you love.

Religions can make their own decisions based on their premises/religious prelates, but that should not dictate the state’s [decision].”

Goreham said she hopes the Pennsylvania law banning same-sex couples from getting married is overturned when the ACLU case goes to court. She believes it is one area of civil rights that has not received appropriate attention.

Joseph Scalzo remains optimistic as well, especially when it comes to getting the benefits, insurance and pensions that heterosexual married couples already have.

“I just hope that same-sex couples get marriage equality in every sense of the word,” Scalzo said.

“I mean, as far as us being able to get married with no problem, for our marriages to be recognized and respected.” ■

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from equality, pg. 5

In the study, researchers set up a sampling station close to a well and collected air samples every week for 11 months, from when the gas wells were drilled to after it

began production. The samples produced evidence of 57 different chemicals, 45 of which they believe have some potential for affecting human health.

Photo courtesy Elizabeth Goreham // Special to VOICES

State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham has been one of the leading local proponents of marriage equality.

| 7Apr. 2014 ENVIRONMENT

Religions can make their own decisions based on their premises/religious prelates, but that should not dictate the state’s [decision].”

Goreham said she hopes the Pennsylvania law banning same-sex couples from getting married is overturned when the ACLU case goes to court. She believes it is one area of civil rights that has not received appropriate attention.

Joseph Scalzo remains optimistic as well, especially when it comes to getting the benefits, insurance and pensions that heterosexual married couples already have.

“I just hope that same-sex couples get marriage equality in every sense of the word,” Scalzo said.

“I mean, as far as us being able to get married with no problem, for our marriages to be recognized and respected.” ■

For years, environmentalists and the gas drilling industry have been in a pitched battle over the possible health implications of hydro fracking. But to a great extent, the debate — as well as the emerging lawsuits and the various proposed regulations in numerous states — has been hampered by a shortage of science.

In 2011, when ProPublica first reported on the different health problems afflicting people living near gas drilling operations, only a handful of health studies had been published. Three years later, the science is far from settled, but there is a growing body of research to consider.

Below, ProPublica offers a survey of some of that work. The studies included are by no means a comprehensive review of the scientific literature. There are several others that characterize the chemicals in fracking fluids, air emissions and waste discharges. Some present results of community level surveys.

Yet, a long-term systematic study of the adverse effects of gas drilling on communities has yet to be undertaken. Researchers have pointed to the scarcity of funding available for large-scale studies as a major obstacle in tackling the issue.

A review of health-related studies published last month in Environmental Science & Technology concluded that the current scientific literature puts forward “both substantial concerns and major uncertainties to address.”

Still, for some, waiting for additional science to clarify those uncertainties before adopting more serious safeguards is misguided and dangerous. As a result, a number of researchers and local activists have been pushing for more aggressive oversight immediately.

The industry, by and large, has regarded the studies done to date — a number of which claim to have found higher rates of illness among residents living close to drilling wells — as largely anecdotal and less than convincing.

“The public health sector has been absent from this debate,” said Nadia Steinzor, a researcher on the Oil and Gas Accountability Project at the environmental nonprofit, Earthworks.

Departments of health have only become involved in states such as New York and Maryland where regulators responded to the public’s insistence on public health and environmental reviews before signing off on fracking operations. The states currently have a moratorium on fracking.

New York State Health Commissioner Nirav Shah is in fact conducting a review of health studies

to present to Governor Andrew Cuomo before he makes a decision on whether to allow fracking in the state. It is unclear when the results of the review will be publicly available.

Other states such as Pennsylvania and Texas, however, have been much more supportive of the gas industry. For instance, Texas has been granting permits for fracking in ever increasing numbers while at the same time the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the agency that monitors air quality, has had its budget cut substantially.

An Exploratory Study of Air Quality near Natural Gas Operations. Human and

Ecological Risk Assessment, 2012.

The study, performed in Garfield County, Colo., between July 2010 and October 2011, was done by researchers at The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, a non-profit organization that examines the impact of low-level exposure to chemicals on the environment and human health.

In the study, researchers set up a sampling station close to a well and collected air samples every week for 11 months, from when the gas wells were drilled to after it began production. The samples produced evidence of 57 different chemicals, 45 of which they believe have some potential for affecting human health.

In almost 75 percent of all samples collected, researchers discovered methylene chloride, a toxic solvent that the industry had not previously disclosed as present in drilling operations. The researchers noted that the greatest number of chemicals were detected during the initial drilling phase.

While this study did catalogue the different chemicals found in air emissions from gas drilling operations, it did not address exposure levels and their potential effects. The levels found did not exceed current safety standards, but there has been much debate about whether the current standards adequately address potential health threats to women, children and the elderly.

The researchers admitted their work was compromised by their lack of full access to the drilling site. The air samples were collected from a station close to what is known as the well pad, but not the pad itself.

The gas drilling industry has sought to limit the disclosure of information about its operations to

Drilling for certainty: fracking and healthBy NAVEENA SADASIVAM

[email protected]

Photo by JAMES WENGLER // Creative Commons

This drilling rig in Weld, Colorado is similar to those studied in the surveys below. Air sampling near hydraulically fractured wells in 2010-2011 revealed 57 different chemicals, primarily in the initial drilling phase. None of the chemicals found exceeded safe levels.

see studies, pg. 8

In the study, researchers set up a sampling station close to a well and collected air samples every week for 11 months, from when the gas wells were drilled to after it

began production. The samples produced evidence of 57 different chemicals, 45 of which they believe have some potential for affecting human health.

Photo courtesy Elizabeth Goreham // Special to VOICES

State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham has been one of the leading local proponents of marriage equality.

In 2011, when ProPublica first reported on the different health problems afflicting people living near gas drilling operations, only a handful of health studies had been

published. Three years later, the science is far from settled, but there is a growing body of research to consider.

8 | Apr. 2014ENVIRONMENT

researchers. They have refused to publicly disclose the chemicals that are used in fracking, won gag orders in legal cases and restricted the ability of scientists to get close to their work sites. In a highly publicized case last year, a lifelong gag order was imposed on two children who were parties to a legal case that accused one gas company of unsafe fracking operations that caused them to fall sick.

In 2009, the Independent Petroleum Association of America started Energy In Depth, a blog that confronts activists who are fighting to ban fracking and challenges research that in any way depicts fracking as unsafe.

Energy In Depth responded to this Garfield County study and criticized its lack of proper methodology. The blog post also questioned the objectivity of the researchers, asserting that their “minds were already made up.”

The industry has also been performing its own array of studies.

Last year, for instance, an industry-funded study on the methane emissions from fracking wells was published in the prestigious journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It concluded that only very modest amounts of methane — a known contributor to climate change — was being emitted into the air during fracking operations.

The study came under heavy criticism from Cornell researcher Robert Howarth, who two years prior had published work that claimed methane emissions from shale gas operations were far more significant.

“This study is based only on evaluation of sites and times chosen by industry,” he said.

Birth Outcomes and Natural Gas Development. Environmental Health

Perspectives, 2014.The study examined babies born from 1996 to

2009 in rural Colorado locations — the state has been a center of fracking for more than a decade. It was done by the Colorado School of Public Health and Brown University.

The study asserted that women who lived close to gas wells were more likely to have children born with a variety of defects, from oral clefts to heart issues. For instance, it claimed that babies born to mothers who lived in areas dense with gas wells were 30

from studies, pg. 7

Photo by TIM HURST // Creative Commons

Sections of a drilling pipe and a drilling rig sit on a six-well pad in an unnamed site in Colorado.


A ground-up view of a natural gas rig in Colorado.

see studies, pg. 9


percent more likely to have congenital heart defects.

The researchers, however, were unable to include data on maternal health, prenatal care, genetics and a host of other factors that have been shown to increase the risk of birth defects because that information was not publicly available.

A common criticism of many scientific studies is that they do not fully analyze the possibility of other contributing factors.

The study has thus come under attack from both the industry and state public health officials. In a statement, Dr. Larry Wolk, the state’s Chief Medical Officer, said “people should not rush to judgment” as “many factors known to contribute to birth defects were ignored” in the study.

But Lisa McKenzie, one of the lead authors of the study, said there was value to the work.

“What I think this is telling us is that we need to do more research to tease out what is happening and to see

if these early studies hold up when we do more rigorous research,” she said.

In Pennsylvania, Elaine Hill, a graduate student at Cornell University, obtained data on gas wells and births between 2003 and 2010.

She then compared birth weights of babies born in areas of Pennsylvania where a well had been permitted but never drilled and areas where wells had been drilled.

Hill found that the babies born to mothers within 2.5 kilometers (a little over 1.5 miles) of drilled gas sites were 25 percent more likely to have low birth weight compared to those in non-drilled areas.

Babies are considered as having low birth weight if they are under 2500 grams (5.5 pounds).

Hill’s work is currently under review by a formal scientific journal, a process that could take three or four years.

Health Risks and Unconventional Natural Gas

Resources. Science of the Total Environment, 2012.

Between January 2008 and November 2010, researchers at the

Colorado School of Public Health collected air samples in Garfield County, Colo., which has been experiencing intensive drilling operations.

Researchers found the presence of a number of hydrocarbons including benzene, trimethylbenzene and xylene, all of which have been shown to pose health dangers at certain levels.

Researchers maintained that those who lived less than half a mile from a gas well had a higher risk of health issues. The study also found a small increase in cancer risk and alleged that exposure to benzene was a major contributor to the risk.

“From the data we had, it looked like the well completion phase was the strongest contributor to these emissions,” said Lisa McKenzie, the lead author of the study.

During the completion phase of drilling, a mixture of water, sand and chemicals is forced down the well at high pressure, and is then brought back up.

The returning mixture, which contains radioactive materials and some of the natural gas from the geological formation, is supposed to be captured. But at times the mixture

comes back up at pressures higher than the system can handle and the excess gas is directly vented into the air.

“I think we ought to be focused on the whole thing from soup to nuts because a lot of the potential hazards aren’t around the hydraulic fracturing step itself,” said John Adgate, chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Colorado School of Public Health and co-author on the study.

Energy In Depth, the industry blog, responded at length to this study and cited several “bad inputs” which had affected the results of the study. The researchers’ assumptions and data were criticized.

For instance, the researchers had assumed that Garfield residents would remain in the county until the age of 70 in order to estimate the time period over which they would be exposed to the emissions.

“Unless the ‘town’ is actually a prison, this is a fundamentally flawed assumption about the length and extent of exposure,” Energy In Depth said. ■


Excess natural gas is vented, then flared at a natural gas refinery in the Piceance Basin in Colorado.

from studies, pg. 8

Hill found that the babies born to mothers within 2.5 kilometers (a little over 1.5 miles) of drilled gas sites were 25 percent more likely to have low birth weight compared to those in non-drilled

areas.


Upon arriving at my son’s day care on the morning of Thursday, February 27, 2014, I was quickly asked about the giant snowstorm heading our way. I was puzzled. Giant snowstorm? What are they talking about? Apparently it was stated by local radio broadcasters that there would be a major snow storm on March 3 that would affect a large portion of Pennsylvania.

I knew there was a potential for a winter storm, but not that big, and not necessarily here. Sitting at my PC later I got a ping on Facebook alerting me to a message. It was from a neighbor with a link to a picture: the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) model output from the previous night .

This image was apparently the source of the radio forecasts which mentioned that anywhere from 6 to 22 inches of snow would fall across the state by the end of Monday the 3rd, about 5 days away.

A review of all the weather models did show a fairly significant storm for the eastern portion of the U.S., but exactly where the snow would fall and how heavy it would be varied greatly in the data. So about a week away there was already a lot of uncertainty about who would get what, and where it would fall.

On Thursday night the model solutions had already begun to show a trend of the storm moving to the south, with the Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC)’s model leading the predictions. This forecast showed that a parcel of Arctic air would rotate around the strong polar vortex over eastern Canada and push the energy arriving from the West Coast southward into Virginia.

By Saturday, March 1st the consensus of most of the models continued this southerly trend. They also indicated that a fairly large portion of Pennsylvania would receive substantial snow, with up to 4 to 5 inches indicated by the ECMWF for State College.

However, by the time the predictions were due the actual snowstorm was a far cry from the modeled predictions, and it appears that combined solutions from the GFS (the U.S.’s Global Forecast System) and the CMC as early as Saturday afternoon had the storm hitting Virginia and areas well south of

Pennsylvania. All through the weekend many media sources were

still calling for “ground zero” to be in Pennsylvania, and the Weather Channel was still forecasting six inches of snow for a large portion of the state.

Further, it was stated as early as Friday night that confidence in the forecast was very low and that “this storm could easily move south and bypass Pennsylvania altogether.”

As early as Saturday morning, I had reduced my prediction for State College to 3 to 6 inches, and then reduced it again the next morning to 2 to 4 inches. Finally on Sunday afternoon I informed people that no significant snow would fall in State College. So what led to this seemingly endless supply of inaccurate predictions so far in advance? Here are

Doomcasting and the snowstorm that wasn’tBy JAY SEARLESVOICES Staff Writer

[email protected]

Graphic courtesy Jay Searles

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) weather model created this accumulated snow forecast on Feb. 28, days before the snowstorm was scheduled to hit. It called for a prodigious amount of snow, a forecast which some media outlets and commercial weather organizations were quick to adopt — despite the large uncertainties inherent in forecasting snow accumulations days in advance.

The Forecasts...

Graphic courtesy Jay Searles

Through the weekend before the snowstorm was scheduled to hit, The Weather Channel was still forecasting six inches of snow for a large portion of the state.

see snow, pg. 11

from snow, pg. 10

In early March, nearly a week before the Snowstorm that Wasn’t, commercial

forecasters and media outlets alike jumped on the snowpocalypse bandwagon, which turned out

to be a dud.

Why did they alert the public days before the models settled down on a different forecast? What kinds of forces drive

doomcasting, and how can we avoid it?


some thoughts.One major problem is the

commercialization of weather information. The hyping process begins with ratings. February is a ratings month, plus survey books are not sent until well into March.

What is the best way to crank up ratings? Make whatever is being talked about exciting — and nothing excites (or panics) a large number of people more than bad weather, especially a storm that could dump 20 inches of snow.

The media outlets pounced on this potential storm so hard that they couldn’t let it go, even after it became obvious that Pennsylvania wasn’t going to get hit as badly as predicted and that the storm would, indeed, weaken and shift south.

What about the National Weather Service, which shouldn’t be affected by ratings and market forces? That system is a bureaucracy caught up in rules and procedures (consider their various manuals and thousands of pages on how to do things, including

forecasting the weather). The highly trained meteorologists

on the front line are also caught up in rotating shift work — every 7 to 14 days or so, your body is on a different schedule, including overnights. I experienced it when I was part of this crowd.

Some people claim they can handle it, but no one handles rotating shift work; it handles you! The quality of product suffers, sometimes dramatically, though it’s still a step better than the media sources.

But in this storm event, advisories and warnings for PA were still posted well into Sunday evening, after the models had shown the storm moving far to the south of the area.

The other problem causing the forecasting issues is the rip and read fiasco: The local radio, and to some degree television stations, do what the business calls “rip and read” for weather forecasting.

This means that the station takes the NWS forecast and read it to their listeners.

There is little or no information about the accuracy of the forecast

product that is being delivered. It is common for the forecast to be out of date, sometimes by several days or more, and often does not correlate to the real world.

That can happen for many reasons beyond the scope of this article, but it is a major source for the “stone throwing” at meteorologists for poor forecasts.

A final problem comes from mobile technology. Inexpensive or free smartphone apps do not give you the best forecast.

Those predictions actually come directly from what is called MOS, Model Output Statistics (which means, directly from computers), or some geographical derivative of that output.

Human beings rarely ever interact with this data, much less experienced meteorologists, except occasionally in the largest cities.

These forecasts are not vetted for precision or accuracy, and contribute to the poor perception of meteorological forecasts.

And if you value your privacy at all, these are not the way to go. ■

Jay Searles has been a member of the American Meterological Society for 26 years and is a professional forecaster for Weather Ranger.

The Forecasts...

Graphic courtesy Jay Seales

This graphic shows the total amount of accumulated snowfall for the 24 hour period ending 11:28 a.m. on Mar. 4, 2014. Central Pennsylvania, previously forecasted to receive more than a dozen inches of snow, received non, while points that did receive snow received far less snow than predicted.

from snow, pg. 10

... versus reality

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On the Penn State campus there’s a sweet gum tree. It’s rather unassuming in spring and summer, but in the fall its beautiful five-lobed star-shaped leaves take on lovely colorings of blended red, yellow, and green shades.

They look especially striking on a wet day when the pointy shapes arrange themselves in brilliant compositions against a darkened concrete backdrop.

Recently during this extra wintry winter there have been lots of birds in and under this tree, pecking away busily at the abundant spherical brown seed pods littered around the base. What a boon to the juncoes, cardinals, chickadees, and finches hard pressed for a food source when the snow is deep!

The sweet gum presently ranges from New York State and Connecticut south all the way to Florida, and west to Texas and even California, but its native range was apparently narrower. In fact, one team of scientists has called it an “invasive native” tree.

Today it is found in Pennsylvania, but in the main it is usually considered a southern tree. The sweet gum tolerates wet conditions well, but is adaptable.

This deciduous tree can grow to sixty or even a hundred feet tall, and its underground structures are vigorous too; in appropriate conditions it develops a deep taproot with strong roots growing sideways.

The “liquidambar” in its scientific name refers to liquid amber, a sticky resin that people have long collected and used for various purposes, supposedly including a version of chewing gum and even contraception.

We were surprised to learn that (according to the Native Plant Identification Network) the sweet gum is second only to the oak among hardwood lumber sources in the US.

The wood is used in some furniture (historically the better grades were known as “satin walnut”) and also in pallets, crates, and the like.

The sweet gum is noteworthy for its spiky brown spherical seed balls. Trees have to be mature in order to produce the seed balls (also confusingly known as gumballs), but once they get going they can keep on for a century or more and produce them in abundance.

About an inch in diameter, they are unpopular with some gardeners and city managers, who claim that they are uncomfortable to tread on barefoot and that they are a litter hazard. (Some horticulturists even have tried to develop seedless cultivars or sprays to inhibit seed production!)

But surely the gumballs’ odd beauty and bird appeal make up for these minor faults. Dark-Eyed Juncoes, Northern Cardinals, American Goldfinches, and Black-Capped Chickadees regularly hang about the tree on campus, attacking the seed balls or perching above.

Web images and other sources suggest that the seeds are also eaten by Common Redpolls,

Crossbills, several species of sparrow, and even wild turkeys.

Apparently the un-ripened seed pods contain shikimic acid, an important starting material for bird flu vaccine, so whether green or brown the seeds have an important function.

The sweet gum tree is a host for some spectacular moth species, most notably the Luna moth (Actias luna), the Royal Walnut moth (Citheronia regalis) and the Promethea moth (Callosamia promethea).

The luna is an ethereal pale green moth with diaphanous trailing tails. Its larvae eats sweet gum leaves; the adults don’t even have mouths since their only purpose in life is to mate. The Royal Walnut moth is much smaller, reddish brown with golden mottled patterns.

This insect achieves its most spectacular phase as an orange-horned green caterpillar that can be four

or five inches long! It’s distinctive enough to have its own name -- the Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar. The Promethea moth is a handsome creature, the females brown and tan and the males black with lacy tannish edges.

When ready to pupate the caterpillar attaches itself with silky fiber to the base of a leaf and then curls the leaf around itself. The leaf hangs all winter, an innocent looking dead leaf disguising the pupating organism inside. This is a strategy similar to that employed by the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.

The sweetgum has a good deal going for it for humans and wildlife alike. It seems that it would probably be best to plant it in a spot where no one cares about spiky seed balls or powerful root systems, and perhaps also in company with other deciduous tree species. But do put it somewhere you can enjoy the fall color and winter bird display. ■

Photo by GLENN BRUNETTE // Creative Commons

The sweet gum is noteworthy for its spiky brown spherical seed balls. Trees have to be mature in order to produce the seed balls (also confusingly known as gumballs), but once they get going they can keep on for a century or more and produce them in abundance.

NATIVE PLANTS: Pa.’s ‘invasive native’ treesBy SALLY MCMURRAY

andELIZABETH GOREHAM

VOICES [email protected]

[email protected]

Recently during this extra wintry winter there have been lots of birds in and under this tree, pecking away busily at the abundant spherical brown seed pods littered around

the base. What a boon to the juncoes, cardinals, chickadees, and finches hard pressed for a food source when the snow is deep!


Early last spring, I found myself wandering around the Penn State Arboretum, along the Bellefonte Central Rail Trail. Bird song filled the air. But just what birds were they that were singing? I couldn’t seem to recall.

Each spring I have to go through a short refresher period to brush up on my ability to identify birds by their songs. I usually start in late winter by playing some bird song CDs in my car. Then I spend a little time outdoors listening to the birds and trying to match them to their songs. Thankfully, the recognition comes back quickly.

At one point on my walk through the arboretum, I came upon what seemed to be a nice mixed flock of singing birds only a short distance away. As each song was belted out, I did my best to determine who the cantor was.

The first song I recognized was the tea-kettle, tee-kettle of the Carolina Wren. Next was the drink-your-tea of the Eastern Towhee, which was followed quickly in succession with the fee-bee-o of the Black-capped Chickadee. Then I heard what sounded like a car alarm followed by two gunshots. Then a red squirrel. What the…?

As I closed in on the flock, I soon realized that there was no flock at all. I had been duped by an imposter – the infamous copycat known at the brown thrasher. The thrasher was prominently perched in a hedgerow at the top of a small incline and continuously singing one song after another. I settled down at the base of a tree while the thrasher entertained me.

During the 30 minute span that I listened, the thrashed delivered over 500 songs. With few exceptions, each song was repeated twice before moving on to the next.

The brown thrasher is a member of the Mimidae – a family of birds well known for their ability to mimic the songs of other birds. The brown thrasher is a handsome bird. It is roughly about the size of a blue jay. The upper parts are a bright chestnut brown, while the underparts are a buffy white. The breast and flanks are marked with thin dark streaks.

Overall, the thrasher appears superficially similar to the more familiar wood thrush; however, it can be distinguished from the thrush by its lengthy tail, a long and slightly decurved bill, and brilliant yellow irises.

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the brown thrasher is its song – or more appropriately, its large repertoire of songs. Like its close relatives the catbird and the mockingbird, the thrasher is an accomplished song mimic. Popular misconception holds that the mockingbird is the champion of avian impersonation. In reality, there is no contest. The thrasher is far superior to its more diminutive cousin in the vocal arena. While the mockingbird has an impressive repertoire of 200 or so distinct songs, the thrasher has up to 3000!

As the thrasher’s reputation as a mime suggest, many of these songs are replicas of verses sung by

other birds; however, the majority appear to be song improvisations, imitations of other environmental sounds (other animals, sirens, gunshots, etc), or musical phrases that are simply made-up on the fly.

This raises some obvious questions. If most birds get by with catalogs composed of a small handful of songs, why do thrashers need so many? And why do they mimic?

Unfortunately, the answers to these questions are not so obvious. Ornithologists have speculated that having large inventory of songs, be they mimicked or otherwise, is an indicator of reproductive fitness, thereby making the crooner a good choice as a mate.

Others have suggested that it serves to put males of both the same and the mimicked species on alert that a territory and its associated resources have been claimed.

Research continues in this area.The thrasher’s habitat preference overlaps with

that of Mockingbirds and Catbirds, so if you hear a bird singing the counterfeited songs of other birds, you may want to listen carefully.

With a little practice, one can readily distinguish thrashers from their kinfolk by their vocalization patterns.

The catbird song typically consists of a single phrase pilfered from another bird, followed by a meandering babble of whistles and cat-like mews. The thrasher delivers his phrases in pairs, each of which is punctuated with an attendant pause.

Mockingbirds repeat their phrases three to six times, pause briefly, and then move on to the next series.

As March advances into April, thrashers begin returning from their winter quarters.

The best local places to find them are Millbrook Marsh, Toftrees Pond, the Penn State Arboretum or any other areas with dense, tangled thickets.

The best time to go is in the morning when the birds are singing, although chances are that they will be singing late in the afternoon as well. ■

BIRDWATCH: Brown thrasher, master mimicBy JOE VERICAVOICES Columnist

[email protected]

Photo by DAN PANCAMO // Creative Commons

A brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum). The thrasher is an accomplished mimic, and can learn hundreds of songs, improvisations, and environmental sound mimicry. Researchers continue to search for reasons.

NATIVE PLANTS: Pa.’s ‘invasive native’ treesRecently during this extra wintry winter there have been lots of birds in and under this tree, pecking away busily at the abundant spherical brown seed pods littered around

the base. What a boon to the juncoes, cardinals, chickadees, and finches hard pressed for a food source when the snow is deep!

Photo by HENRY T. MCLIN // Creative Commons

A brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) perches on a tree branch in Cordorus State Park in Hanover, Pa.

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the brown thrasher is its song – or more appropriately, its large repertoire of songs. Like its close relatives the catbird and the

mockingbird, the thrasher is an accomplished song mimic.

14 | Apr. 2014COMMUNITY AND LIFESTYLE

Local retail businesses in State College cater to a wide audience—a mix of both college students and local residents. By providing a plethora of styles for all ages, locally owned businesses are holding their own.

Big chain clothing stores come and go in downtown State College, but local favorites stay. Access, a female clothing store, is located on a prime spot of College Avenue. Olivia Nourse, a sales associate at Access, attributes the success of the store to the surrounding population.

“I’d definitely say [the demographic] would be college students, but we try to hit a variety of people. It’s dependent mainly upon college students though,” said Nourse.

According to Nourse, Access has been at its current location for 13 years as an established retail store. Establishing a local business in a small geographic location like State College can be challenging, she says.

“I think it’s when corporations open and they have the name and everything it will be hard. But it’s also getting yourself out there, because people don’t know you—you’re a new business, a local business, there’s no branding, no franchises. It’s hard to get yourself out there and advertise,” said Nourse.

Despite the challenges Nourse listed, Access has thrived in State College. She equates their style more to popular women’s stores like Forever 21 or H&M, than their neighboring competitor, Urban Outfitters. But what sets local stores, like Access, apart from the others is the uniqueness and the commitment, according to Nourse.

“[We] carry different designers. People know one designer and they come in for that designer. Also the jewelry too, we carry local people’s jewelry, not cheaply made, but by people who make it themselves,” said Nourse.

Connections Clothing, located on South Allen Street, also shows uniqueness in its selections. Owned by Bob Steinbach, Connections Clothing features both women’s clothing and men’s formal wear. Steinbach says he sells clothing to women up to age 45, but still he channels his clothing to where the business is.

Connections Clothing’s big brand is Free People: a natural, bohemian line full of colors, patterns and textures.

“It’s a unique style,” said Steinbach. “We’re a niche and that’s why we’re still here.”

Steinbach attributes challenges to the general setbacks of owning a business and he also listed more retail specific challenges, like the growing trend in online shopping.

“There’s an onslaught of internet business—new companies where you can ship for free and return for free. They don’t have to look nice,” said Steinbach.

Connections Clothing differs from other retailers with their selection of men’s formal wear. Catering mostly to career men, the menswear

section of the store provides local citizens and college students with options in formal wear. Compared to bigger franchises, a complete suit from Connections Clothing is economical at $129.

“We cater to college students, or else I wouldn’t be in business,” said Steinbach.

Employees at Access have dabbled in the idea of introducing men’s clothing into their stores, however

Local retail thrives amidst big chain storesBy EMILY NACEYVOICES Staff Writer

[email protected]

Photo by EMILY NACEY // VOICES Staff Writer

Connections Clothing is a locally-owned clothing shop in downtown State College. The store features women’s clothing and men’s formal wear, and carries Free People, a bohemian line full of colors, patterns and textures.

see retail, pg. 15

While big, chain retailers storm the State College area, local, settled retail shops are adjusting, selling similar styles of a

reputable quality to students and community members alike.

| 15Apr. 2014 COMMUNITY AND LIFESTYLE

section of the store provides local citizens and college students with options in formal wear. Compared to bigger franchises, a complete suit from Connections Clothing is economical at $129.

“We cater to college students, or else I wouldn’t be in business,” said Steinbach.

Employees at Access have dabbled in the idea of introducing men’s clothing into their stores, however

Photo by EMILY NACEY // VOICES Staff Writer

Connections Clothing is a locally-owned clothing shop in downtown State College. The store features women’s clothing and men’s formal wear, and carries Free People, a bohemian line full of colors, patterns and textures.

see retail, pg. 15

doing so would take away from their women’s clothing selection, according to Nourse.

Other retail stores in the downtown area of State College include stores like Metro, People’s Nation and Cheap Thrills—all local businesses owned by Art Fine. After a redesign, People’s Nation now features women’s clothing appropriate for daytime and enjoying nightlife. Similar to Metro, these stores fit the same demographic as other retail clothing stores in the downtown State College area.

Blue I.V., owned by Susan Dreibelbis, carries women’s fashion. Soon, Blue I.V. will make the move down to College Avenue.

Dreibelbis’ business gives back to the local community by donating the profits of certain earrings or accessories, or through donating clothing to those in need. Good customer service is important to Dreibelbis.

If she knows a loyal customer and they can’t afford a pair of earrings, she’ll give them away knowing it will make that customer happy.

“Those are things are a lot of local stores will do that big chains won’t do,” said Dreibelbis.

Dreibelbis selects clothing of better quality, something local stores are known for. When buying clothing for the store, she considers whether she personally would buy something of that quality, before trying to sell it to her customers.

“I figure if I wouldn’t wear it, I wouldn’t pay for it,” said Dreibelbis.

Outside of the confines of State College, local businesses in Boalsburg and Lemont tailor their stores to more mature and specialty markets.

In Boalsburg, Riley on Main, owned by Patricia Gordon, features not only women’s retail but also specialty home goods products.

Gordon elaborated on some of the problems similar retail businesses can

have competing with chains.“You’re [competing] against people

that have bigger buying power and can get better deals for bigger quantities that small businesses can’t get,” said Gordon.

Riley on Main caters to an older, “more established” female audience, according to Gordon, but occasionally men shop the store during the holidays, like Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

A college class recently examined Riley on Main as a local business and traveled to the store.

“The whole class traveled to the store and they said they didn’t even know we existed,” said Gordon. “Everything is so focused on downtown.”

Gordon stressed the importance of making the store’s presence known, which she does by tailoring her merchandise to the customers of the nearby restaurants and hair salons.

Because the store’s location is not in downtown State College, Gordon can focus on the “established audience” that comes to that area.

Another store, Diamond and Lace Bridal Shoppe, currently in Lemont, is moving to North Atherton Street in May.

Owned by Diana Zeisky, this store caters to women, ages 16-65 years old, and features formal attire for prom and bridal occasions. A big challenge for this store, according to Zeisky, is “location at a reasonable price”.

“[It’s been] a two-year excursion to find a location that we could [use] within our budget,” says Zeisky.

The new location of the store will be close to the Martin Street and North Atherton Street intersection, where other chain retail stores sit.

Zeisky says 1,200 more cars travel the new area than the location her business is currently in, and the move will allow her to target everyone.

While big, chain retailers storm the State College area, local, settled retail shops are adjusting, selling similar styles of a reputable quality. ■

from retail, pg. 14

While big, chain retailers storm the State College area, local, settled retail shops are adjusting, selling similar styles of a

reputable quality to students and community members alike.

Shape the future.Your Voice Matters.

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16 | Apr. 2014COMMUNITY AND LIFESTYLE

My next door neighbor and friend, Sally, is an avid gardener. So, I was surprised when she wasn’t out with her rake and hoe on the first day of spring. The next day she announced from under her straw hat, “I failed my sleep test yesterday and have just been fitted for one of those pressurized breathing devices to help with my sleep apnea.”

As you know, a sleep apnea device is basically an air compressor coupled with a mask that, in principle, pulses air directly into your lungs so that you can sleep.

In practice, it is an uncomfortable, ill-fitting device that makes very loud, rude noises and weighs a little less than your refrigerator.

It is so effective at keeping you and your significant other awake all night that the manufacturer has started marketing a “tandem his and hers device,” so no one can be blamed.

In fact, just one of those devices is as effective as a house full of college freshmen at keeping everyone within a half mile radius awake all night. Certainly, the worth of the device, as explained to me by a medical professional, is in providing the wearer with a more consistent sleeplessness than can be achieved by apnea alone.

Most Americans don’t need to be diagnosed with sleep apnea to find sleeping next to impossible — worry will do. There is plenty for the average American to worry about.

Statistics show that just two out of every hundred thousand Americans over the age of 50, has more than $70.13 in their retirement accounts, so that the odds of an American worker retiring before the age of 147 are slightly worse than those of winning Powerball two weeks in a row.

Then, there are terrorists. There are hourly product recalls. There are endless wars in countries with names we cannot spell in locations we have never heard of. And for relaxation, we watch cable news, where we are bombarded with things to fear with the same frequency and cacophony as that

provided by a sleep apnea machine.

With the average American now getting only 2.23 hours of sleep a night, sleep deprivation has become a way of life, and that is the reason, we at Stevieslaw shall publish “Bone Tired,” The Less-intelligent-than-average

American Guide to living with sleep deprivation.

In the guide, you will learn techniques to cope with sd, including:

1. Learning to Relax. Of course you aren’t sure where you

are, who you are with or why the police have taken an interest in you, but that is no reason to panic. Remember, no one does.

Troubled by the incoherent babble that passes for conversation when you speak? Haven’t you been listening to the talking heads on cable TV? And they get paid to babble. Learn to enjoy the surprises that life constantly offers you in your sleep deprived state, in or out of jail.

2. Limiting the Life of the Mind.Since your attention span is shorter than that of

an average toddler, it is probably not useful to spend your time unraveling the mysteries of cosmology. Instead, turn your attention to the 3 a.m. get-rich-quick programming on cable TV or to mindless sporting events.

Football works too. Did you ever wonder how fans are able to put up with sitting on metal chairs for hours, exposed to the elements---generally ice, rain, snow and wind---while dining on tubes of concentrated animal fat and flat beer? Simple. They are too tired to know where they are. Learn to root for the team with the brightest uniforms.

3. Accepting the wired life: Legend has it that an Ethiopian goat-herder noticed that when his goats dined on beans from a certain tree, they became frisky and didn’t want to sleep at night. The coffee craze was born.

Most Americans now accept the fact that lack of sleep goes perfectly with the wired feeling you get by

consuming large quantities of caffeinated beverages. And today, you need not limit your intake to just

coffee. Jolt Cola anyone? The latest craze and the one we highly recommend is the ingestion of large quantities of 5 hour energy drinks. Not even the manufacturer knows what’s in them!

They have become so popular, particularly with the driving public, that stores which sell nothing but five hour energy drinks (in fourteen simulated berry flavors) are opening at interstate exits all over the nation.

4. Leaving important tasks and decisions to the experts, like Banking, Cooking, Dressing, or Driving.

For example, if you are destined to end up in Milwaukee with a blank expression on your exhausted face, it seems better for everyone if you take the bus.

Remember, the alternative is sharing the highway with long distance truck drivers, at least as exhausted as you, who are driving 72-wheel trucks at nearly supersonic speeds and care only about their next hit of pomegranate 5 hour energy drink.

Although the latest research suggests that eating the fruit from two tart cherry trees every night will give you an extra 4 minutes of sleep, we believe that sleep deprivation will only get worse. Buy yourself a guide, in your next moment of clarity, and learn to live with sleep deprivation. ■

Bone Tired: The LA guide to living with SDBy STEVE DEUTSCH


STEVE DEUTSCHVOICES Satirist

With the average American now getting only 2.23 hours of sleep a night, sleep deprivation has become a way of life, and that is the reason, we at Stevieslaw shall publish “Bone Tired,” The Less-intelligent-than-average American Guide to living

with sleep deprivation.

Statistics show that just two out of every hundred thousand Americans over the

age of 50, has more than $70.13 in their retirement accounts, so that the odds of an American worker retiring before the age of 147 are slightly worse than those

of winning Powerball two weeks in a row.

| 17Apr. 2014 COMMUNITY AND LIFESTYLE

Downtown State College may see some drastic changes in its landscape in the coming years with the recent adoption of a new Downtown Master Plan by the Borough Council. This plan has two phases focusing on the marketing and branding of downtown, but also focuses on creating a more pedestrian friendly environment.

The purpose of the Master Plan is to hAvenuelong-term effects that would make downtown into a center for people to come and visit. It aims to give downtown a unique identity, transforming it into a more pedestrian friendly and multi-modal district, improving the comfortability and cohesiveness, attracting more people to the area, and having the area thrive as a safe and appealing destination.

With a big university just across the street and a thriving shopping and dining scene, it is no surprise that there is a high density of foot traffic downtown. One of the most drastic changes is the second theme of the plan, the “Navigating the District” theme. It looks to alleviate some of this tension by transforming the downtown so that the management of people becomes the priority over cars.

Borough councilman Jim Rosenberger is most looking forward to a streetscape improvement that would transform the 100 block of Allen Street, including the intersection with College Avenue, into a promenade. He says that this is “the heart of the downtown, and the gateway to the campus from downtown.” This project would revamp the current Allen Street into an all brick street with the sidewalks at street level. Rosenberger says that “these improvements will greatly enhance the visual beauty of this area with the use of brick pavers and improved sidewalk for pedestrians.”

Some techniques for pedestrian improvements proposed in the second theme are adding curb bulb outs, road diets and widening sidewalks.

Curb bulb outs are extensions to the curb that shorten crossing distances for pedestrians, and allow for better visibility for drivers where previously their view may hAvenuebeen obstructed by parked cars. These are projected to be utilized mainly along College Avenue between Atherton Street and University Drive.

A road diet is a planning technique that reduces the width or number of travel lanes, freeing up space that can then be used to add cycle lanes, widen sidewalks or add landscape features. Road diets would be implemented on College Avenue between Atherton Street and University Drive, between Atherton and Buckhout Streets, and on Beaver Avenue between Atherton and Garner Streets and Garner and High Streets.

There is also talk of shutting down Allen Street to vehicles, at least partially, some of the time to allow for more pedestrian traffic. This is an attempt to make Allen Street a hub for activity in the downtown area allowing for festivals, pop-up cafes and other events. Most of the time though, the street will function like usual with two-way traffic and parking on both sides.

The Master Plan encompasses many aspects of transforming the downtown area but there may still be some things lacking. Borough Council member Evan Myers suggested there are some things he feels

aren’t being considered that would contribute to making State College more pedestrian friendly.

Myers suggests changing Calder Way and even College Avenue, at least part time, to pedestrian-only traffic, much like the 16th Street Pedestrian Mall in Denver. He believes that there needs to be an adoption by the whole community in order for this to successfully work.

The adoption of the Master Plan is a good place to start in the effort to make State College more pedestrian friendly, but it is still in its beginning stages. As of now the plan has just been developed and Rosenberger says that the borough is inviting comment from the public.

Rosenberger says the next move in making State College more pedestrian-friendly is “improving and widening the sidewalk at Locust Lane and Beaver Avenue, [this] will provide improved safety for pedestrians crossing Beaver Avenue at that location.”

He added, “also, adding an island on Park Avenue, at McKee Street will make crossing Park Ave. for pedestrians much safer, since pedestrians can cross one lane at a time, when traffic is heavy, and wait in the middle of Park Avenueon the island.” Rosenberger says that construction of the island will be under way once Penn DOT gives the final approval.

The projected timeline for the whole Master Plan is not set in stone, as the plan is more of a guideline for improvements over the next decade or two. As priorities change over the years, the plan may never be truly finished, but the borough seems eager to make improvements to enhance the overall and pedestrian experience.

Myers believes that in order for the plan to be efficient, it has to be a collaborative effort between the community, the government and the University. “The Master Plan is a good place to start, but the question is how far should we go,” Myers said. ■

IT WILL BE LIKE MAGICOne day you’ll think, “I need a website.”, or,

“I need to fix this website.”. You’ll contact me. Next day your new site will be on the internet.

Bill Eichman at [email protected] or 814-826-3032

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Planning a pedestrian-friendly State CollegeBy EMILY EDLINGVOICES Staff Writer

[email protected]

Graphic from the Borough of State College Downtown Master Plan

This artist’s rendering of a potential Allen Street promenade appears in the Downtown Master Plan adopted by the Borough of State College. This is one of many scenes and plans contained in the master plan, which presents a wide variety of options to make downtown State College more attractive and navigable to pedestrians.

Rosenberger says the next move in making State College more pedestrian-friendly is improving and widening the sidewalk at Locust Lane and Beaver Avenue, to allow pedestrians to cross Beaver Avenue safely at that location.

18 | Apr. 2014UNIVERSITY

Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. It’s tax time yet again, and let us consider what

this means. We pay taxes every year, (or at least you are supposed too) and every year most of us complain we get those little pieces of paper telling us how much we made in the previous year.

Consider for a moment what we are paying for. First, taxes pay for a great number of things

that we cannot do without: teachers, firefighters, police officers and dare I say the government.

Second, a good bit of our taxes go to those freeloading children, who cannot seem to get a job or provide themselves with good meals, heat in the winter and decent housing all year round. The nerve of them!

So with that being said my question is this: should we be mad that we are getting what we pay for? Our educational system is; well to be nice, horrible. Our public school teachers are often paid less than some high end restaurant workers. Our academic buildings are in disarray, leaking ceilings and paint peeling, but they do have that new hi-tech dial up internet service.

Those who willingly protect and serve are being told on a regular basis that their services are

not needed and the community will not hire any additional officers.

Not to be left out, did you know quite a few fire departments are completely self-sufficient? I mean these folks pay for their new equipment (in some cases) with spaghetti and gravy. Is there no end to the power of a good sauce?

So, I guess the adage “you get what you pay for” is a better statement for this time of year.

If you want better schools and better academic facilities, that will cost you. Good builders and good educators cost a pretty penny, and understandably

so; they should. Students are our investment in

the future; do they not deserve the proper tools to get ahead? Many of us go ahead and gladly hand over to our favorite coffee shop anywhere from four to seven dollars each day, yet a majority of people complain that their taxes are too high, and they should not have to pay for education for children that are not a part of their immediate family.

As a community are we willing to pay for a latte, but not basic math skills?

Taxes fund everything, from public servants to education yet the complaints about raising taxes are deafening.

You cannot have it both ways. If you are going to complain about the current state of education, at least have the decency to pay some taxes and engage

your local elected officials to get their attention on this issue.

I know that I mentioned education heavily here, but just insert fire fighter, postal worker, police officer and you will have the same conclusion. You [we] are willing to spend frivolously on the best consumables, but not for the best civil/civic workers

The quote that started us off is a very well known biblical passage. It is important to remember now because Easter is rapidly approaching and secondly, it’s one of those misused quotes.

Think about it for a second, those of us who consider ourselves Christian are supposed to be by definition “Christ-like.” Meaning you take care of the sick, feed the hungry and so on.

Yet it is most often that these same Christians do not want to pay the taxes that would help them live the lives they profess to want to live.

Again, you cannot have it both ways, so give Caesar what is his or you will wind up giving the devil his due.

Have a good Easter and Passover; keep in mind those who need our help. ■

YOUMATTER


CAMPBELL: Giving unto Caesar, like it or notBy JAMIE CAMPBELL

VOICES Staff [email protected]

JAMIE CAMPBELLVOICES Columnist

If you want better schools and better academic facilities, that will cost you.

Good builders and good educators cost a pretty penny, and understandably so;

they should.

| 19Apr. 2014 UNIVERSITY

Penn State graduate student Tanner Cooke has had enough healthcare entanglements this year. He recently discovered he had a congenital heart defect. He saw a cardiologist in Hershey, underwent batteries of tests and must receive yearly checkups.

Cooke’s one saving grace: nearly all of it was covered by his health insurance.

But when a proposed new graduate healthcare plan takes effect in August, Cooke is one of thousands of graduate students who could see hundreds or thousands of dollars per year in increased costs.

The details of the new plan and its potential impact on graduate students haven’t been fully released, according to Graduate Student Association President Scott Rager.

But under the current thinking, monthly health insurance premiums and deductibles will increase, while in-network coverage will decrease. Most notably for graduate students like Cooke, the new plan now covers 90 percent of in-network costs, instead of 100 percent. Children and spouses on a graduate student’s insurance are covered at an even lower rate.

And while some graduate students are upset about the new plan, Rager says there will be “no helpful changes from the insurance plan,” and that any adjustments will have to be subsidized by the university.

Cooke’s appointments have so far been free, but the regular examinations he’ll need will cost him

more than $1,500 per year under the new plan, a substantial portion of the median graduate student salary of about $17,000.

“I already can’t afford to have [my wife] on my insurance,” Cooke said, and the new plan is “making an already difficult or undoable situation even more unattainable.”

And it’s not just the premium payments that worry him.

“The $30 per month increase isn’t the big issue. It’s that we’re gonna pay $30 more a month, but then also have less coverage,” he said.

Rager says the university was between a rock and a hard place, and that healthcare is a complex issue with no simple answers.

The university was faced with increased utilization, plus new restrictions from the Affordable Care Act stating that plans may have an actuarial value of no more than 92 percent. That is, a graduate student should pay about 8 percent of their healthcare costs.

Given those restriction, there were few plans that

the university could pick from, said Rager.“The university had a choice between the current

options and a lower deductible but a much higher out of network cost.”

Faced with the possibility that graduate students could incur crippling out-of-network emergency charges, Rager said the GSA preferred the current plan.

“People don’t like when I say this, but it’s a complex issue – from the ACA and utilization to actuarial value. It’s good for everyone to keep in mind that [the university has] an interest in keeping the best faculty and graduate students here. It’s a complicated issue,” said Rager.

“I want people to know that it’s not something that’s going to be solved by Thursday or Friday. It’ll be a minimum of weeks before there’s a solid solution,” said Rager.

But some graduate students aren’t happy with

your local elected officials to get their attention on this issue.

I know that I mentioned education heavily here, but just insert fire fighter, postal worker, police officer and you will have the same conclusion. You [we] are willing to spend frivolously on the best consumables, but not for the best civil/civic workers

The quote that started us off is a very well known biblical passage. It is important to remember now because Easter is rapidly approaching and secondly, it’s one of those misused quotes.

Think about it for a second, those of us who consider ourselves Christian are supposed to be by definition “Christ-like.” Meaning you take care of the sick, feed the hungry and so on.

Yet it is most often that these same Christians do not want to pay the taxes that would help them live the lives they profess to want to live.

Again, you cannot have it both ways, so give Caesar what is his or you will wind up giving the devil his due.

Have a good Easter and Passover; keep in mind those who need our help. ■

Grad students worried by health plan cutsBy SEAN FLYNN

VOICES Managing [email protected]

see grads, pg. 20

“People don’t like when I say this, but it’s a complex issue – from the ACA and utilization to actuarial value. It’s good for everyone to keep in mind that [the university has] an interest in keeping the best faculty and graduate students here. It’s a complicated issue.”

Scott RagerPresident, Graduate Student Association

20 | Apr. 2014UNIVERSITY

that solution. Jeffery Masko, a graduate student in the College of Communications, says he represents a group of students “organizing from within and without of the GSA.”

While he fundamentally supports the GSA in its discussions with the administration, Masko said that the healthcare issue has caused some graduate students to lose confidence in the GSA.

“We’d like to see the organization concentrate not on the details of the plan, which it should be said are still open to further investigation, but on the main concerns of graduate students.”

In an email to Voices, Masko wrote that graduate students can’t afford a solution that causes them a net loss in their funding.

“The financial position of many graduate students is already precarious, and this kind of burden would be catastrophic,” he wrote.

He’s also worried about the speed of the discussion, saying that graduate students “need more time to work this out together and craft a solution that will work for everyone.”

“To decide such a crucial decision so quickly is against everything President Erickson has called for in his change of culture,” he wrote.

Masko believes that the GSA needs to shift its focus to issues he believes to be more in line with the concerns of the general student body.

“These positions are not in general what the GSA is advocating; rather, they are focusing on the options given by the administration,” he wrote.

Masko, Cooke and Rager will all soon have the chance to address the administration directly. The GSA is hosting a public panel on Mar. 30, and upper-level Penn State administrators are scheduled to attend.

So many graduate students have signed up for the panel that the GSA was forced to move the location from

22 Deike to a larger room in the Dickinson School of Law’s Lewis Katz Building.

Cooke says he wants to find a solution that keeps grad students solvent.

“I hope that the administration is willing to listen to the graduate student community, and hear our concerns and hopefully try to work with us to find a solution that ultimately equates to us not feeling any more financial burden than we already feel,” he said.

“If people are feeling more of a financial burden, then it puts more of a burden on Centre County. You’re gonna have more graduate students applying for food stamps, heating assistance, other assistance. We’re already barely making ends meet.” ■

from grads, pg. 19

May 23 - 25, 2014

Concerts • Workshops • Master ClassesSinging • Coaching • Jamming • Dancing

For all instruments and levels

PLUS: Bruce Molsky • The Hot Seats

Members of Genticorum Dede Wyland • Richard SleighTomchess • Mariel Vandersteel Laura Cortese • Jerry Trusty

Orrin Star • Ira Gitlin • and moreA fun & friendly weekend of Folk Music

Held in Huntingdon, PA at Juniata CollegeJust 30 miles from State College

Huntingdon County Arts Council 814-643-6220

www.folkcollege.com

Concerts: Friday & Saturday, 7pm

Tickets Available at the Door, $12

Hosted by

Simple Gifts

| 21Apr. 2014 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Bellefonte’s Garman Theater may be gone, but local artist Mary Vollero is making sure it’s not forgotten.

Her latest art exhibit at the Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County chronicled the historic building’s demolition through a variety of media including computer paintings, videos and relics from the Garman.

Computer paintings, which she created using a touchscreen art application that allows her to finger paint over her photographs, depicted the Garman during and after the demolition.

A flat screen TV atop a pedestal played two videos. One was a compilation of still and motion pictures of the excavator at work and features a narrative written by Vollero in response. The other was recorded by her husband and shows scenes of the Garman’s tattered interior shortly before it was razed and ends with the excavator dropping a piece of wall into a dumpster, while Vera Lynn sings her 1939 hit “We’ll Meet Again” in the background.

The Garman’s red curtain, which the demolition crew rescued from the dumpster for Vollero, served as the backdrop for a portion of the exhibit.

She titled the exhibit “A Cold Winter in Bellefonte” not only because of the exceptionally chilly past season in Central Pennsylvania but also the cold manner in which she felt key decision makers disregarded the historical importance of the Garman Theater.

Vollero fell in love with the charming architecture of Victorian Bellefonte over 20 years ago and made many happy memories in the Garman Theater. In it she held her wedding reception, took her son when he was young to see movies and enjoyed watching foreign films with her husband. In 2004, she organized the Big Spring Film Festival, which was held at the Garman and screened 22 short films by 17 independent filmmakers.

So when the Garman seemed bound for demolition, Vollero and other members of the Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association started the “Save the Garman” campaign. She served on the planning committee, designed the campaign sign and acted as media spokesperson for BHCA.

For months she and fellow campaigners fought and, at nearly every stage of the process, were met

with resistance. First, Bellefonte Borough granted conservatorship of the Garman to the Bellefonte Area Industrial Development Association. BAIDA then sold the Garman to State College real estate developer Ari Kervandjian, who intended to raze the Garman and build workforce housing in its place. Next, BAIDA allowed BHCA to make a proposal for purchase, but, even after meeting BAIDA’s many difficult conditions within the short 11-day deadline, BAIDA did not reverse its decision to sell the property to Kervandjian. Finally, at a November Bellefonte Borough Council meeting, Kervandjian’s request to raze the Garman was approved 5-4 despite BHCA member attendance that led to nearly 3 hours of public comment.

Demolition began on the morning of Jan. 4, 2014. In below-freezing temperatures, Vollero and others watched the excavator tear down the Garman one section at a time. Vollero had also watched the neighboring Hotel Do De being demolished starting at the back of the building and then to the front. But the Garman demolition began with the façade. Vollero recalls, “It was just in your face and so cruel how they did it. …

Some of us were physically ill.” But Vollero was compelled to witness it. Daily she

stood along High Street capturing photos and videos of the demolition. She acknowledged that some who were active in the campaign didn’t want to see it and still hardly look at the site now. “I had to be there

History of the Garman documented by localBy MARGARET COOK


Photo by MARGARET COOK// VOICES Staff Photographer

One of the pieces in Mary Vollero’s exhibit, a painting by Vollero herself, portraying the Garman Theater after it was demolished.

see Garman, pg. 22

“When the stage came down, I was able to stop documenting. When I had that

video done, I felt relief that I could move on.”

YOUMATTER


22 | Apr. 2014ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

and I had to document as much as I could,” Vollero explained. She states in the narrative of her “The Long Good-bye” video:

Its how I process lossto be in itto record itIt helps me if I know I can make something from

it that I can shareLater in the video she compares the demolition

of the Garman to her father’s fight with lung cancer that eventually took his life. In her narrative, she reveals the metaphor:

the surreal slow motion day after daythe careful demolishing piece by piecea drawn out long good-bye.Like with my Dad who I couldn’t save eitherShe explained that as her dad passed away she sat

by his bedside every day, and since she couldn’t film or photograph his last days, she recorded it in her mind and wrote poems to document it.

Eventually, she was able to experience some closure about the Garman. “When the stage came down, I was able to stop documenting. When I had that video done, I felt relief that I could move on,” Vollero said, although talking about the Garman still brings her to tears.

Visitors of the exhibit express gratitude to Vollero

for capturing that chapter of Bellefonte’s history. One visitor told her, “It was a very powerful video — very sad — but it needed to be done. … Of all the images, somehow I think the bricks in snow conveys what I feel. … It really jumped out at me as being terribly meaningful and symbolic.”

The show also features computer paintings of winter scenes around Bellefonte. Explaining why she didn’t focus solely on the Garman, Vollero stated, “That was a tough decision because I could fill up a room, but I just felt like it was

unbearable. … But there is also a beauty in the snow that I wanted to share as a relief.”

The show at the Bellefonte Art Museum ended on March 30, but pieces from the exhibit will be on display in the storefront of the future Bellefonte History Museum, at 121 N. Allegheny Street. The Museum, scheduled to open in this spring.

Vollero’s etchings of the Garman and other Bellefonte buildings can be seen in the Bellefonte Art Museum studio, where she holds workshops on printmaking and computer painting on the first Saturday of each month.

“The Long Good-bye” can be viewed at maryvollero.com. ■

Household Hazardous Waste Collec�on Event

Friday, May 2, 2014; 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday, May 3, 2014; 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Loca�on: The Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority 253 Transfer Road, Bellefonte, PA

BRING: Insec�cides, weed killers, pool chemicals, cleaners, poisons, corrosives, flammables, oil based paints, mercury/ mercury related items, fluorescent light tubes & bulbs and most other hazardous chemicals from households only.

DO NOT BRING: latex paint, used motor oil, an�freeze, medica�ons or alkaline ba�eries.

Questions?

(814) 238-7005 [email protected]

Photo by MARY VOLLERO // Special to VOICES

(Left): Part of the curtain from the Garman Theater saved in by Vollero. (Above): “Bricks in Snow,” painted by Vollero. One of the visitors said, “I think the bricks in snow conveys what I feel. ...It really jumped out at me as being terribly meaningful and symbolic.”

from Garman, pg. 21

| 23Apr. 2014 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Misha Cleveland’s career path has been more of a maze. Through twists and turns, it has directed her towards a future that appears to have been hidden within all along.

Cleveland’s path has led her to travel throughout Brazil’s misty Amazon rainforest, to wait on tables, to dig deep in the soils of central Pennsylvanian wetlands, and to perform on-stage with a guitar in her hand and a dream to be a rock star.

Ironically, the combination of her misty, mucky adventures and her eyes half-shut from stage fright have given Cleveland a sense of clarity.

Thus, what was once just a vision for Cleveland shape-shifted to become a tangible reality, and in February 2013 the nonprofit organization Sounds was founded.

Sounds’ mission is to give State College’s current live music scene another dimension by providing a variety of alternative, alcohol-free events for people ages 14 and up within the community.

“I began to see that there wasn’t a place for youth and others to go if they wanted to hear live music or play the music that they had been working on, and just be in a safe and fun environment,” said Cleveland.

Her roundabout career path and extensive time spent traveling around the world helped Cleveland develop a deep appreciation for her own community. After graduating from Penn State in 2009 with a master’s in Ecology, she decided that State College was where she wanted to be.

As Cleveland’s ever-changing life stilled, she settled down with her husband and began to seek out ways to help make her community an even better place.

“I had decided that this was my community and this is where I can be of the most service, not in the rainforest in Brazil,” said Cleveland.

And with that decision, the 33-year-old began to develop the vision for Sounds.

Considering her passion for music and being a musician herself, Cleveland found that she could

relate with students in the area who were

not able to attend and experience certain events because they were underage.

“When I was younger and under 21, I couldn’t go see live music because it h a p p e n s

mostly in the bars,” she

said.

“I wasn’t of age to go, even though I would have really liked to see good, live original music.”

Cleveland realized that she could have a positive impact on her community by reaching out to an abundant audience of college-aged students.

“I began to see that there wasn’t a place for youth and others to go if they wanted to hear live music or play the music that they had been working on, and just be in a safe and fun environment,” said Cleveland. “There’s like 35 bars in our town, and I feel like we should be able to have at least one place for people to go without any pressure to drink.”

Although Sounds doesn’t have an exact location yet, the organization has been focusing on building connections with the community, and reaching out to their target audience an audience, and finding out what their target audience through focus groups and surveys to understand what they want.

“That’s a really important one for me to remember, because it’s not about what Misha wants or thinks that everybody needs. It’s about figuring out what the young adults in our community want and then providing that,” said Cleveland.

Until Sounds has it’s own space, the organization has been hosting music-centered events in already established locations at locations such as

Webster’s Bookstore and Café, which was an event that consisted of four different bands, open-mic and audience jam sessions.

“It’s about giving people the opportunity to get comfortable and express themselves musically, and otherwise.”

As far as future hopes and aspirations Cleveland has for Sounds, she plans for the organization to one day have a space that can offer more than just an evening event.

“A pie in the sky is to be able to have a space for bands to come in and record. We also want to be doing certain kinds of apprenticeships. So when an event is going, our sound guy can be teaching a student how to run sound, and our lighting guy can be teaching a student how to do lighting. If we could have that kind of thing, it would be filling a hole that isn’t necessarily being filled right now,” said Cleveland. ■

Sounds expands State College music sceneBy RENAE GORNICK


Photo by MISHA CLEVELAND // Special to VOICES

(Above): The logo for Sounds, an organization dedicated to providing a varitety of alternative, alcohol-free events for people ages 14 and up within State College. (Below): Misha Cleveland who founded Sounds in an attempt to give back to the community and give local college-aged students an opportunity to express themselves musically.

24 | Apr. 2014ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

GORDON: HS needs incremental updatesBy DON E. GORDON

Guest [email protected] STATE THEATRE — statetheatre.org

Apr. 3, 8 p.m. – Don Juan in Hell presented by The Next Stage Apr. 3, 8 p.m. – Pirates of Penzance presented by Penn State Opera PreviewApr. 4, 8 p.m. – Don Juan in Hell presented by The Next Stage Apr. 4, 8 p.m. – Pirates of Penzance presented by Penn State OperaApr. 5, 1 p.m. – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD: Puccini’s La BohemeApr. 5, 8 p.m. – Don Juan in Hell presented by The Next Stage Apr. 5, 8 p.m. – Pirates of Penzance presented by Penn State OperaApr. 6, 3 p.m. – Don Juan in Hell presented by The Next Stage Apr. 10, 7:30 p.m. – GodspellApr. 10, 8 p.m. – Don Juan in Hell presented by The Next Stage Apr. 11, 7:30 p.m. – GodspellApr. 11, 8 p.m. – Don Juan in Hell presented by The Next Stage Apr. 12, 7:30 p.m. – GodspellApr. 12, 8 p.m. – Don Juan in Hell presented by The Next Stage Apr. 13, 3 p.m. – Don Juan in Hell presented by The Next Stage Apr. 13, 3 p.m. – GodspellApr. 18, 7 p.m. – Free event! Whiplash Apr. 19, 1 p.m. – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD: Massenet’s WertherApr. 21, 7:30 p.m. – The GodfatherApr. 22, 8:30 p.m. – The Devil Makes Three with Joe Fletcher & The Wrong ReasonsApr. 25, 7 p.m. – Kids for Cash followed by panel discussionApr. 26, 1 p.m. – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD: Mozart’s Cosi fan tutteApr. 26, 7 p.m. – The Blue and White Film Festival Apr. 27, 4 p.m., 7:30 p.m. – Kids for Cash Apr. 28, 4 p.m., 7:30 p.m. – Kids for Cash Apr. 30, 6:30 p.m. – We Won’t Be Shaken Tour Featuring Building 429, Family Force 5 & Hawk Nelson

WEBSTER’S BOOKSTORE CAFE — webstersbooksandcafe.comApr. 1, 7 p.m. – Community Argentine TangoApr. 2, 7 p.m. – Open Mic Poetry Series featuring Jill CrammondApr. 3, 6 p.m. – Wide Open MicApr. 5, 12 p.m. – Rag and Bone Vintage Clothing Trunk ShowApr. 5, 6 p.m. – Gallery Opening featuring Emily Van Clief and Brittany Roob-HaishmaierApr. 6, 10 a.m.– Sunday Music Brunch with JT Blues and Andy TolinsApr. 8, 7 p.m. – Community Argentine TangoApr. 13, 12 p.m. – Sunday Music Brunch with Harold TaddyApr. 15, 7 p.m. – Community Argentine TangoApr. 20, 10 a.m.– Sunday Music Brunch with Richard SleighApr. 22, 7 p.m. – Community Argentine TangoApr. 27, 10 a.m.– Sunday Music Brunch with Eric FarmerApr. 29, 7 p.m. – Community Argentine Tango

ELK CREEK CAFÉ — elkcreekcafe.netApr. 3, 7:30 p.m. – Pub Hang: Whiskey Wayne ProjectApr. 5, 8 p.m. – Ramsay MidwoodApr. 6, 5 p.m. – Pure Cane Sugar Apr. 10, 7:30 p.m. – Pub Hang: Richard Sleigh + friendsApr. 12, 8 p.m. – Dave Bielanko + Christine SmithApr. 13, 5 p.m. – The Carper Family Apr. 17, 7:30 p.m. – Pub Hang: Troubadour Third ThursdayApr. 19, 8 p.m. – The Hello Strangers Apr. 26, 8 p.m. – Hannah Bingman BandApr. 27, 8 p.m. – Riversongs Fest

GAMBLE MILL — gamblemill.comApr. 4, 6 p.m. – J.Mac and JuniorApr. 5, 7 p.m. – Triple A Blues BandApr. 6, 5 p.m. – The StrayersApr. 11, 6 p.m. – Biscuit JamApr. 12, 7 p.m. – Sean Farley BandApr. 13, 5 p.m. – Kris KehrApr. 18, 6 p.m. – J.Mac and JuniorApr. 19, 7 p.m. – Mama CornApr. 20, 5 p.m. – Jay VonadaApr. 25, 6 p.m. – Pure Cane Sugar

Apr. 26, 7 p.m. – Natascha and the Spy Boys Apr. 27, 5 p.m. – Girls Guns and Glory

PENN STATE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTSApr. 1, 7:30 p.m. – Pasquerilla Spiritual Center: Cantus presents A Place for UsApr. 1, 8 p.m. – Eisenhower Auditorium: Shaping the Future Summit with Peter H. DiamandisApr. 3, 7:30 p.m. – Eisenhower Auditorium: The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra featuring New York VoicesApr. 5, 8 p.m. – Esber Recital Hall: Penn State Jazz FestivalApr. 6, 2 p.m. – Eisenhower Auditorium: Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo LiveApr. 6, 8 p.m. – Esber Recital Hall: Penn State Jazz FestivalApr. 8, 2:30 p.m. – Palmer Museum of Art: Are Beethoven’s Late Quartets “Autobiographical”?Apr. 17, 7:30 p.m. – Eisenhower Auditorium: Bring It On: The MusicalApr. 22, 7:30 p.m. – Eisenhower Auditorium: Nittany Valley Symphony’s presents A Hero’s LifeApr. 23, 7:30 p.m. – Schwab Auditorium: Lionel Loueke Trio

GENERAL EVENTSApr. 2, 10 a.m.– PSU HUB: AgDay 2014Apr. 2, 6:30 p.m. – Millbrook Marsh Nature Center: Get the Dirt on Backyard CompostingApr. 2, 7:30 p.m. – Pennsylvania Military Museum: Koontz Memorial Lecture: Richard M. NixonApr. 4, 9 a.m.– Schlow Library: Free Children’s Developmental ScreeningsApr. 4, 6 p.m. – Mount Nittany Winery: Fourth Annual Mount Nittany Wine NightApr. 4, 7 p.m. – Playhouse Theater: Graduate Exhibition Music and Theatre PerformancesApr. 5, 9 a.m.– Mountain View Country Club: Centre County Democrats Spring BreakfastApr. 5, 9 a.m.– Home Depot: Build a Birdbath/BirdfeederApr. 5, 6 p.m. – Bryce Jordan Center: Touch of AfricaApr. 5, 4:30 p.m. – Penn Skates: Double Header Roller Derby Bout Apr. 5, 6:30 p.m. – Fairmount Building Auditorium: Rock Your Art Out Apr. 5, 7:30 p.m. – Center for Well Being: Acoustic Brew presents Del ReyApr. 5, 11 p.m. – Schlow Library: Writing the (un)known [Contest Deadline]Apr. 6, 12 p.m. – PSU HUB: Graduate Public Research Presentations and Reception Apr. 8, 4 p.m. – Schlow Library: Writing Science for the Masses Roundtable DiscussionApr. 9, 6 p.m. – Life Sciences Building: Russell Marker Lectures in Genetic Engineering: Life at the Single Molecule LevelApr. 9, 6:30 p.m. – Millbrook Nature Center: Large-Scale Composting: Bins & Beyond Apr. 11, 4:30 p.m. – Palmer Museum of Art: Arts CrawlApr. 12, 9 a.m.– Lowes: Build a Recycling Truck Events Apr. 12, 6 p.m. – General Potter Farm: 2014 Gala for HOPEApr. 13, 12 p.m. – Bellefonte Tallyrand Park: 8th Annual Easter Egg HuntApr. 13, 1 p.m. – State College YMCA: Underwater Egg HuntApr. 13, 1 p.m. – Tudek Memorial Park: Birds of the Snetsinger Butterfly HabitatApr. 13, 2 p.m. – Millbrook Marsh Nature Center: 8th Annual Earth Day CelebrationApr. 13, 2 p.m. – State College High Thespians presents Children of EdenApr. 15, 7 p.m. – PSU HUB: A Voyage with Mary Roach, Author of Packing for MarsApr. 16, 6:30 p.m. – Millbrook Marsh Nature Center: Organic Gardening WorkshopsApr. 16, 8:30 p.m. – Millbrook Marsh Nature Center: Teen Flashlight Easter Egg HuntApr. 17, 9 a.m.– Ag Progress Days Site: Master Gardener’s Garden Fair and Plant SaleApr. 19, 10 a.m.– Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center: Vernal Pools TourApr. 19, 2 p.m. – Orchard Park: CRPR Easter Egg HuntApr. 19, 2 p.m. – Bellefonte Tallyrand Park: Community Easter Egg HuntApr. 19, 7 p.m. – Bryce Jordan Center: The Revealed North American Bus TourApr. 20, 8 a.m.– St. John’s UCC: Easter Pancake BreakfastApr. 25, 9 a.m.– Huntingdon Community Center: The 23rd Huntingdon Quilt ShowApr. 25, 6:30 p.m. – Tussey Mountain Lodge: Shepherd’s Ball and PSU Ireland RaffleApr. 26, 9 a.m.– Huntingdon Community Center: The 23rd Huntingdon Quilt ShowApr. 26, 2 p.m. – Pegula Ice Arena: Arena Rock presents A Figure Skating ShowcaseApr. 26, 10 a.m.– Pennsylvania Military Museum: Kid’s DayApr. 26, 7:30 p.m. – Center for Well Being: Acoustic Brew presents Pesky J. NixonApr. 27, 8:30 p.m. – Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center: Earth Day Work DayApr. 27, 4 p.m. – UNICO Pig Roast and Cigar DinnerApr. 29, 8 a.m.– State College Technology Center: Shale Energy 101 Small Business Supply Chain Opportunities

Arts and Entertainment CalendarFor more events going on this April and every month, check out our online calendar at voicesweb.org.

See what’s going on in Happy Valley this month, or submit your event for free!

| 25Apr. 2014 OPINION

All State College Area School District voters will be asked to decide YES or NO on $85 million new debt for the district’s high school. The election is May 20th.

During the SCASD’s community survey, 70 percent of those responding supported a $115 million high school. Incongruously, only 36 percent supported the 7.2 percent property tax increase required to pay for it. The district broadcasts loudly the 70 percent but remains quiet about the 36 percent.

Widespread hesitation among the district’s voters is met with reasoned argument that previous generations invested in public education for today’s taxpayers. We owe nothing less. Pay forward for future generations. Public education is the soul of democracy. Don’t be selfish. Those are fair propositions.

SCASD taxpayers do support the school district generously. The community is education friendly. Taxpayers now spend over $17,000 per student per year (total budget divided by enrollment). We provide employees well-deserved and exceptional

salaries, pension, and health care benefits. We paid unselfishly every year to maintain the high school.

The district’s tax revenue increases 5 percent each year on average. Property tax increases average 3 percent each year and well beyond personal income growth for most employees including those working at Penn State and the school district. Many fellow citizens have fixed or declining incomes. The district’s earned income tax revenue is flat since 2008. That places more pressure on the property tax.

Now the district asks for a 7.2 percent property tax increase for the high school in addition to the annual 3 percent base budget tax increase – total 10 percent.

Also looming is a school employee pension crisis. The district’s pension obligation is twice as much as the cost of the high school. Asked to explain how we will pay the extra 4 mills of tax (generally another 10 percent tax increase) the district says no problem. The district has a pension reserve of 11 million against a $50 million obligation

for the next 5 years. Contribution rates are increasing from 17 to 33 percent of payroll. The plan is to spend $9 million of the reserve over the next five years. Then what? The pension crisis extends to at least 2030. Last year the state sold 7 percent of PSERS assets to make pension payments. When challenged, board members explain they cannot commit future school boards.

School employee contacts expires in 2015. The district projects fewer teachers and payroll increases limited to 1.9 percent in the future. How many teachers furloughed or retirees not replaced to reduce payroll growth 45 percent?

Asked to provide a comprehensive total tax table for five years following the referendum the district points to: “Financing the State High Project” brochure with a Property Tax Forecast table absent methodology. The brochure includes a small print caveat that it does not represent the board of school directors or the school district.

The high school problem was solved in 2010 when the board unanimously

signed a resolution to implement the District Wide Facilities Master Plan. The plan directed incremental and concurrent improvements in the elementary and high schools. Two years’ work by the Schrader Group went up in smoke when the school board and a new superintendent abandoned the resolution and started over.

The question is now asked, what is Plan B if the referendum fails? Is Plan B implementing Option C, 2009 District Wide Facility Master Plan, fix the high school, $75 million, and no referendum? We paid to maintain the high school the last 20 years, now we are asked to pay again.

Readers are welcome to visit my website, www.StateCollegeWatchdog.com to obtain more information about SCASD school taxes, salaries, and PSERS impacting the referendum. The website is a member of the National and Pennsylvania Coalitions of Freedom of Information and no other group. ■

GORDON: HS needs incremental updatesBy DON E. GORDON

Guest [email protected]

The high school problem was solved in 2010 when the board unanimously signed a resolution to implement the District Wide Facilities Master Plan. Two years’ work by the Schrader Group went up in smoke when the school board and a new superintendent abandoned the resolution

and started over.

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE

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22 April 2014

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Jump, Shake and Waltz to “Nugrass” Band

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“Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.” Mark Twain

But WHO do you know, that buys ink by the barrel?

YOU DO! YOU own a newspaper!

“Whaaaaaaaaaaa...?”, I hear you thinking. Seriously, it’s true. You own Voices of Central Pennsylvania, the only independent free newspaper in the area. Voices is a 501c3 public nonprofit, which means it is owned by you. You own this newspaper.

CENTRE GIVES, the community giving event sponsored by the Centre Foundation, is coming up on May 6-7.

Many deserving non-profits will ask for your gifts, includ-ing Voices of Central Pennsylvania, a pillar of this active community for 20 years, which prints your paper, Voices.

Voices, as a free and independent newspaper read by the public and community leaders, is a force-multiplier, magnifying the work of all other non-profits.

To MAGNIFY the power of your gift, give to Voices too.

26 | Apr. 2014OPINION

Have you ever been in a building while it is flooding?

Almost two years ago I was attending a performance inside the State College North High School Auditorium. We were having a good time but then something strange began to happen. It was spring and raining hard. Suddenly the crowd turned toward one of the Auditorium doors and began whispering. I looked and saw water pouring in from under the door.

I have heard numerous complaints about the high school facilities for years. The campus is so large that classes often start late. Students have to cross Westerly Parkway many times a day in all kinds of weather.

The ventilation equipment is overtaxed so some of the classrooms smell bad and others are too hot or very cold. Lockers are rarely conveniently located so students carry 40 pound backpacks or use their car as a locker.

I used to figure that’s just teenagers. They like to complain. The school flooding made me see the situation with a new perspective. They are not complaining about high school in general but are complaining about the nearly 60 year old high school facilities and with good reason.

Not having grown up in State College, I had never seen a high school campus composed of two widely separated buildings, located on the lowest spot in the neighborhood and separated by a major street. I was not even born when the campus was planned. Why are the people of State College allowing this decision to negatively affect the community more than 60 years later?

Something needs to be done and soon. The State College area needs to

build a facility that will serve us well for the next 60 years, not a piecemeal remodeling of a facility that clearly isn’t meeting anyone’s needs.

The current school board has been open about the new high school planning process. They randomly surveyed 10% of the voters in the district and used the feedback. Voters want the high school to remain on Westerly Parkway but also want a safer facility where students do not have to walk outdoors in all kinds of weather.

Based on voter feedback, the school board’s goals are to enhance the educational environment, increase safety and security, and update aging and deficient facilities.

Within the constraints of the voter feedback, enhancing the educational environment, increasing safety and security, and cost, the school board is proposing a combination of remodeling and new construction on the current Westerly Parkway campus. Almost all classes will be in one building on the south side of Westerly Parkway. The location is higher than the North Building so flooding should no longer be a concern.

Once students enter the school, most will not need to leave until their day is over. This alone will greatly improve safety and security. The new high school project will enhance the educational environment with

ventilation systems that meet code, science rooms designed for 21st century science, a library and cafeteria designed for the current

student population, and properly designed classrooms grouped together by area of interest.

The new high school project will benefit the community in many ways. The new facility will greatly reduce traffic issues on Westerly Parkway. New auditoriums will be handicapped accessible,

with better parking, and more comfortable seats.

Bathrooms for the new high school will be larger and more modern. The current

high school facilities are used by many community groups. Newer, better designed facilities can be utilized even

more effectively. A better facility could also accommodate more regional educational events. This will increase tourism and dining revenues for the region.

Other important benefits are improved reputation and economic development. I have friends who moved to State College in part because of the excellent school district. Some do not work in Centre County but live here to benefit their children. The new high school project will further enhance the reputation of the school district. When companies look to expand or relocate to a new area, they often want to tour the largest local high school. Let’s face facts, our current facility does not show well.

Yes, there is a cost to the new high school project. It will run an additional $193 a year in property taxes for the average homeowner. Even though my youngest child will be in the completed high school for one year, I still support the new high school project. The current facility is past its useful life, there are many advantages to the new high school project, and it’s time the people of the State College Area School District did something about it.

If you live in the State College Area School District, please be one of the people who votes YES for the high school referendum on May 20th. ■

“Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.” Mark Twain

But WHO do you know, that buys ink by the barrel?

YOU DO! YOU own a newspaper!

“Whaaaaaaaaaaa...?”, I hear you thinking. Seriously, it’s true. You own Voices of Central Pennsylvania, the only independent free newspaper in the area. Voices is a 501c3 public nonprofit, which means it is owned by you. You own this newspaper.

CENTRE GIVES, the community giving event sponsored by the Centre Foundation, is coming up on May 6-7.

Many deserving non-profits will ask for your gifts, includ-ing Voices of Central Pennsylvania, a pillar of this active community for 20 years, which prints your paper, Voices.

Voices, as a free and independent newspaper read by the public and community leaders, is a force-multiplier, magnifying the work of all other non-profits.

To MAGNIFY the power of your gift, give to Voices too.

HIGGINS: Voting yes on HS is worth the costBy MARK HIGGINS


I still support the new high school project. The current facility is past its useful life, there are many advantages to the new high

school project, and it’s time the people of the State College Area School District did something about it.

MARK HIGGINSGuest Columnist


Dear Cosmo,First we had the Nanny State with the government

intruding on personal decisions to protect us from ourselves. Now State College Boro is becoming the Nanny City.

The town fathers and leading citizens want to keep their image all squeaky clean, so they told us all “not to waste our time,” with State Patty’s Day and they actually PAID bars and liquor stores to stay closed.

Well, it’s our time, and our money, and we spend a lot of it here. We work hard for it, so why can’t we waste it the way we want? What do they care if we get our swerve on?

I’m sick of all these supposed do-gooders who act all holier-than-thou, but actually behave even worse than we do. If they’re ever able to whittle down their misdeeds to a day or two per year, then maybe they’ll have room to talk.

Signed, Lemme Party, Already!

Dear All Ready for the Lemming Party, Fasten your seatbelt already. The Nanny State

called, and it wants you to give back its clean drinking water, tuberculosis epidemics and basically safe food and drugs.

Don’t get me started on State Patty’s day again this year. I think it’s a dumb contrived “holiday,” and I think the boro’s solution is equally dumb and contrived. But I’m super content to gnaw endlessly on a nice, juicy conspiracy bone.

So let’s get the rumors started, shall we? It wouldn’t surprise me if tavern owners and liquor outlets were cahooting with patrons ahead of time to increase the whiff of a threat to civic order.

All they need to do is sponsor some Kelly green pub-crawling themed T-shirts, offer a few comp drinks in late January and early February to encourage their co-conspirators to get the whisper campaigns started, and voila! Widespread civic fear.

With the feared aroma of drunken destruction wafting through town, the pigeons are prime for the plucking.

Then the local government buys the ruse, and pays the booze peddlers to stay closed that day. It’s like an ag subsidy where producers are paid NOT to grow a crop, all in the name of market stability.

Plus, with all the bars closed, the revelers wander aimlessly, growing bored, with a surplus of funds in their pockets, so the food places get packed.

Those establishments make out like bandits. Town is happy because the businesses are turning a nice dollar.

Bars are paid not to serve, restaurants rake it in, alcohol-related emergency admissions and arrests are pared down to half what they had been on previous State Patty’s Days—dropping to about the same rate as a typical home football weekend.

Law enforcement gets to serve, protect and collect, bumping up patrol numbers and piling up

overtime. So everybody wins. The only losers are the drunken young people

bent on participating in a spectacle. Oh, wait, we already knew that. That’s why paying the bar owners some lush money reduced alcohol-related arrests by 65 percent.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Northeast, University of Massachusetts holds a similar Erin Faux Bragh event, called the Blarney Blowout.

This year there was a little dust-up between revelers and police, which resulted in large flocks of migrating beer bottles flying everywhere before spring break, dozens of arrests and several injured police officers.

Dateline: BELCHERTOWN (I kid you not; I’m not smart enough to make up stuff this good.) The Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, Mass. held two days’ worth of arraignments for 73 defendants, since the hamlet’s courthouse can only handle about 40 defendants at a time.

According to coverage in the March 9 edition of Masslive.com, the school’s chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy stated that students who misbehaved had disgraced the state’s flagship university by “devaluing the college degree that all of our students work so hard to achieve.”

“It was a sad and difficult day for our campus and for the town of Amherst,” he said, condemning “the outrageous behavior of those students who acted out without any regard for public safety and the community in which they live.” He added that such students “brought shame on our fine university.”

Clearly, them’s fightin’ words.

And we know from local experience that those isolated, perennial, national headline-grabbing disturbances at the Arts Festival, the firing of Joe Paterno, and various State Patty’s Day observances in Beaver Canyon were all caused by out-of-towners.

The term “outside agitators” comes to mind, previously coined

by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to characterize Martin Luther King’s civil rights activities in Alabama.

It was a lame attempt to discredit civil disobedience, but it’s doubly lame to try diverting the blame for uncivil delinquency.

In response to the Amherst arrests, a group calling itself Defenders of UMass Blowout Hardcores, or DUMass Blow Hards (OK, I made that one up) converged on the school administration building to protest the chancellor’s vicious remarks.

According to the March 12 edition of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, one student complained that it was “unfair that the students are taking the rap” for Saturday’s debacle.

“I think that it’s really unfortunate that the chancellor chose to blame the students first when 60 percent of the arrests were not UMass students.”

“By focusing on the fact that the students were participating in it, they completely missed the point that the police have militarized to some extent


WE CORDIALLY INQUIRE AS TO WHETHER YOU MIGHT BE WILLING TO PART WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF YOUR HARD-EARNED FINANCES FOR OUR MUTUAL BENEFIT. PLEASE DO SO AT YOUR LEISURE BY FOLLOWING THE BELOW HYPERLINK TO OUR WEBSITE WHICH DISPLAYS A FEW SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS AS TO HOW THIS MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH AS LITTLE TROUBLE AS POSSIBLE FOR BOTH INVOLVED PARTIES.

ASK COSMO: Why all the St. Patty’s hate?By COSMO the Spaniel

VOICES Late Canine Columnist

see cosmo, pg. 28

ASK COSMO is written by Cosmo, a springer spaniel of considerable standing and respect in the Centre County community.

Unfortunately, Cosmo passed away in 1995, and so VOICES receives his missives

via collect-call faxes from beyond the grave, at considerable long-distance fees.


around the UMass Amherst area, and all the videos show that there was a rash use of police force against unarmed students.” Unarmed, bottle-throwing students plinking cops in riot gear.

The calculus of student involvement apparently doesn’t involve 73 arrests, but 55. According to that accounting, of the 55 people taken into custody by Amherst police between 8 a.m. on March 8 and 8 a.m. on March 9, 21 were UMass students, (38 percent) 14 were non-students (27 percent) and the other 20 (36 percent) were students at other colleges and universities. Hell, that’s still a plurality of UMass students. If this were a three-way presidential race, they’d either be Lincoln or Nixon…minority presidents.

According to a charge-by-charge analysis of the police reports, here are the Lemmings-Over-the-Cliff Notes:

Out of 19 charged with failure to disperse, seven (37 percent) were from UMass.

Six people were charged with inciting a riot, and five (83 percent) were UMass students.

One of the two (50 percent) charged with assault with a dangerous weapon was a UMass student.

Out of the 17 arrested on liquor law violations, only four (24 percent) were from UMass.

Out of six arrested on disorderly conduct charges, two (33 percent) were from UMass.

Another way of framing the stat that 60 percent of those arrested didn’t attend school there is that UMass students dominate their non-UMass counterparts in inciting riots and assault with dangerous weapons, but represent only one-quarter of the liquor law violations.

The student government president demanded a direct apology from the local police department to the entire community of Amherst for the “obscene behavior of select officers.”

He did place a teensy bit of responsibility on students, saying “I’m angry at our peers for getting a little

violent,” but maintained he was more disturbed by the police actions.

His peers may have been a “little violent,” whatever the hell that means, but statistically, they were considerably more violent than the non-UMass representatives.

I’m only a dog, but I understand what the rolled up newspaper is for, and when I’ve earned it.

I’m old school, and when it comes to smarting off to cops, throwing bottles and vandalizing public property, I think young adults should have gotten that out of their systems in grade school. Certainly by high school.

It’s a harsh indictment of the American system of education when the thuggery of our college students remains so damned remedial.

And worse, they’re so damned whiney about any pushback when they’re the ones starting the ruckus.

Now get back to your studies and work on some good white collar crimes for which there are hardly any consequences but ample opportunity for whining. ■

CROSSWORD by Alyssa AppelmanVOICES Crossword EditorSolution on pg. 31

from cosmo, pg. 27

When it comes to smarting off to cops, throwing bottles and vandalizing public property, I

think young adults should have gotten that out of their systems

in grade school.


And worse, they’re so damned whiney about any pushback when they’re the ones starting the ruckus.

Now get back to your studies and work on some good white collar crimes for which there are hardly any consequences but ample opportunity for whining. ■

State College Municipal Building243 S. Allen St. Suite 337

8am-10pm Weekdays (5pm Fri.)Closed Weekends

[email protected] | 814.206.7616

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meetinn roomm

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SUDOKU by Peter Morris Special to VOICESSolution on pg. 31

CROSSWORD by Alyssa AppelmanVOICES Crossword EditorSolution on pg. 31

We’ve made changes to the New Leaf website, and we need your help in ensuring our story is clear. Visit us, try our new system for booking use of the space, and let us know what you think.

http://brandnew.newleafinitiative.org/How can you help? Shoot us an e-mail at [email protected] with: Your questions and ideas, and to learn how to get more involved with New Leaf Initiative.


In February, I went to the State Theatre for a screening of this year’s Oscar nominations for best live action short film. This is what I saw: White people in Denmark, England, and France dealing with a range of experiences (terminal illness, domestic violence, questions about self and God), and black people somewhere in Africa chanting “blood, blood, blood,” armed to the teeth, psychologically torturing and murdering white European doctors, and raping a white woman.

I want to think that this was an isolated incident, an accidental conglomeration of images that reinforce the same old dehumanizing story: White people are emotionally complex, they live nuanced lives, they can be doctors or poor or gay or straight, they have names, while black people are one-dimensional, nameless, either savage or repentant, but never fully human—that is, complicated.

But, if this is an isolated incident, where are the images, in these and all the other Oscar-nominated films this year and every other year, of black people falling in love, black people going to work, black people starting businesses or mending relationships or dealing with illness, or wondering about the stars?

Instead, we have Spanish director Esteban Crespo’s short film Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me), a befuddling tangle of apparently good intentions and poor choices. Aiming to educate audiences about the lives of African child soldiers, the film re-inscribes many of the most dehumanizing stories Westerners have told about Africans. Aiming to uncover injustices done to children, it perpetuates the injustices of misogyny, racism, and colonialism. Perhaps most disturbingly, Aquel No Era Yo aims to “raise awareness,” but feels woefully unaware, itself.

Filmed in a style somewhere between faux-documentary and box office action hit, Crespo’s film tells the story of an African child soldier, Kaney. (I wasn’t able to learn, from the film or from its website, exactly where in Africa the film is intended

to take place.) Most of the film’s 24 minutes focus on graphic, explosive violence—in the opening scenes, we watch Kaney and other children ordered to shoot the kidnapped, weeping European doctors kneeling in front of them. We watch one of the doctors, Paula, who has been kept alive for this purpose, raped by one of the soldiers. A few plot twists and explosions later (critics have praised the film’s “big budget” look), and Paula escapes, dragging Kaney with her. Through flash forwards, we briefly see an older Kaney speaking about his experiences to an auditorium full of white Europeans. The end.

I’ve thought a lot, since seeing this film, about the kinds of questions and intentions that might go into the making of such a story. As an artist, I often struggle against the supposed dichotomy between politics and aesthetics, and I’m interested in the ways that skilled creative people bridge and erase that dichotomy. Ultimately, I’m hardly shocked that an Oscar-nominated film failed to do something politically sensitive or to be aesthetically nuanced, but what disturbs me about Crespo’s film is its failure to understand the connection between political and aesthetic aims. Here are some of the questions Aquel No Era Yo raised for me, and that it seems the people involved in making and nominating the film forgot to ask:

When was the last time white European doctors were kidnapped, tortured, and raped by African child soldiers and their adult leaders? If the film aims to raise awareness about real-world issues, why introduce this fantastical, pronouncedly un-real-world plot element that does more to re-inscribe narratives about black violence against white people than to humanize Africans?

Is showing a bunch of nameless, vicious people in an anonymous African country the best way to encourage empathy for child soldiers?

What are the intentions and effects of writing, staging, and filming a graphic scene of sexual violence? When the woman who is the victim of such violence is not the central character, when the story focuses, in fact, on the victimization of the children brutalized by the men who rape her, what

value does such a scene contribute? From where does the motivation to write and film such a scene come?

In staging scenes of torture and sexual violence, I’m not sure the filmmakers thought about exactly what they were inspiring, what fantasies and narratives they were perpetuating, what pleasures they were invoking. I’m not sure anyone asked those most basic creative questions: “Is this our story to tell?” and, “How should we tell it?” And so I left the theatre wondering, and I’m still wondering, exactly of what is our awareness being raised?

This last question leads me to a final one, a question about perspective: If the filmmakers were deeply interested in documenting the real, lasting effects of trauma, why did no one ask how the film itself would affect survivors of trauma? Does a movie that attempts to deal with trauma need to re-inscribe trauma? Why did no one wonder, finally, who this film was for?

I don’t think Aquel No Era Yo is, at its heart, concerned with how people live through trauma. There is a thinly veiled layer of pleasure—not empathy—underlying the filming of its most horrific scenes. The film does not seek to unravel any of the most basic oppressive assumptions it invokes, assumptions about black men and white women and sexual violence; assumptions about Africa and brutality; assumptions about the West as a redemptive force for a continent of savage people; assumptions about who is fully, complexly human and who is not. The film is for, in the end, those whose sense of self relies on these assumptions. Although it masquerades as a story about marginalized people, it is by and for white, male, Western eyes.

Art, if it is art, enlarges our sense of what it means to live and feel in the world. Living through trauma is complex. In failing to look at its subject complexly, in failing to enlarge our sense of what it means to be in the world, Aquel No Era Yo fails as a document of trauma, and it also fails as art.

I think it’s time we start asking for, expecting, and telling other stories. ■

I was talking the other day to Whitey Blue, longtime Centre Region resident and hardnose.

Whitey, any comments about the relatively quiet State Patty’s Day in State College this March?

“It was too darned peaceful! We need some spirit and spunk, some good old-fashioned, rip-snortin’ Hell-raisin’!”

That would harm too many innocent people who just happen to be in downtown State College that day!

“Let ‘em stay home and sit by their firesides sipping tea, and let the student celebrants have their fun!”

— David M. Silverman(Who had his rip-snortin’ drinking

days overseas in the U.S. Army in WWII at times when he wasn’t in combat.)

Whitey Blue weighs in on State Patty’s DayBy DAVID SILVERMAN


MINOR: Our movies need new storiesBy ABBY MINOR



— David M. Silverman(Who had his rip-snortin’ drinking

days overseas in the U.S. Army in WWII at times when he wasn’t in combat.)

Letters to the Editor

Music scene? What music scene?

I read Renae Gornick’s “Breaking Into the Music Scene in State College” (March 2014 issue) with interest. However, Gornick’s article only further confirmed for me that there IS no “music scene” in State College.

The fact is (as the article makes clear), State College has a limited set of venues for live music that offer coveted weekly performance slots for musically conservative bands playing a narrow range of familiar and predictable covers of contemporary rock and pop songs.

As Michael Caruso, manager at the Darkhorse, states, “it doesn’t necessarily matter how good (the band is) as long as they can bring in a crowd.”

And as Pat Usher, singer in a local band relates, “I write my own music and was looking for a place to play…but I kind of realized that no one in this town wants to hear original music.”

It’s a mystery (and a shame) that the local music mainstream in State College is so sterile and uninteresting, while other comparable university towns are able to support thriving and aesthetically challenging musical and artistic communities (for example, Chapel Hill, NC, Austin, TX, and

Ithaca, NY to name just a few). Gornick doesn’t take this question

on. Nor does she expend any effort to identify local musicians, bands and venues within Centre County and the surrounding areas that intentionally take risks all the time in pursuit of new and visionary musical and artistic directions.

Kai SchafftMillheim, PA

Kai,It is indeed a mystery and a shame

that State College lacks the thriving original music scene found in other college towns. Ms. Gornick’s article was written in part to draw attention to this.

We’re always happy to write about about new artists and venues in the greater Centre County area as we discover them.

Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to write.

Sean FlynnManaging Editor

Kudos for an issue well doneThe March issue looks great.

Please pass along my compliments to Sean and the others who put it

together. Several of the stories are harder

hitting, better researched and better written and edited, and all the content is laid out much better in terms of nearby jump pages.

Well done.

Katherine WattEditor and PublisherSteady State CollegeState College, Pa.

Thanks to a longtime writerWhat is Voices trying to do? Not be an echo of PSU, Nor parrot the CDT view, But to bring an alternative to you. (11/17/14) Verse by Dave Silverman,

better known to Voices as Whitey Blue.

David is our most senior writer, has written 20 years of columns, and given our community years of humor and service. He wrote this iconic “Whitey Blue” verse as his response to a our question, “What is the role of Voices in our Valleys?”

As a member of the Voices Board, I have the honor of giving Dave much deserved Kudos.

Thank you Dave, for everything that you do and have done, everything you have written, your contributions to Voices community, your endurance and constant support.

(The next paragraph is my personal opinion.)

And, my personal thanks to you David, for writing this reminder-in-verse of the value of a not-for-profit free press, truly local, and owned by the people.

Because Voices takes no profits, we are free to print what the for-profit, non-local media can’t afford to risk.

We can investigate and report without fearing advertisers, the university, or the local large businesses.

Visit this page to become an editor or journalist at Voices:

voicesweb.org/write

Bill Eichman Board memberVoices of Central Pennsylvania

Voices encourages letters to the editor and opinion pieces commenting on local issues. Send submissions to [email protected]. Letters should be a maximum of 250 words; opinion pieces should be a maximum of 800 words. We reserve the right to edit for length. Because of space limitations we cannot

guarantee publication. Letters become the property of Voices.

Whitey Blue weighs in on State Patty’s Day

INTERFAITH HUMAN SERVICES, INC. presents SEMIFINALS—MAY 9

FINALS—JUNE 1

7:00 PM

Centre County’s PREMIERE SINGING COMPETITION!

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church 250 East College Avenue, State College

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT

www.ihs-centrecounty.org

2014

april 2014 voices of central pennsylvania

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