Despite the increase in alcohol-related incidents in many colleges and universities this year, The University has seen a dramatic decrease in the number of alcohol-related incidents in comparison to last fall’s statistics. There were 134 students in Nov. 2009 that were involved in alcohol-related inci-dents. As of Nov. 17 of this year, there have been only 72 students involved in these incidents.

“Overall, I think things have been going very well this year,” University Police Chief and Direc-tor of Public Safety Donald Berg-mann said.

The University has taken many steps towards decreasing student involvement in alcoholic activities. This year, “Late Night at Scranton,” which is a program that began on

campus last year, has increased how many events they hold. The program provides students an al-ternative to partying on the week-ends. Past events have included bingo, a wing bowl and several concerts.

Another change undertaken by The University to help lower stu-dents’ involvement in alcoholic ac-tivities is the new program, called Royal T.A.P.S (Teaching Alcohol Preparedness for Students). Royal T.A.P.S. is a one-hour workshop that is mandatory for all freshmen to attend in the beginning of the school year.

“We have a candid conversa-tion with students about The University’s policy, state law, and their safety,” Director of Student Conduct and Assessment Lauren Rivera said.

The program aims to reduce personal harm if a student chooses to consume alcohol. Royal T.A.P.S. was created to be something

unique and specific for University students. In comparison to the other mandatory program, Alco-holEDU, which is an online pro-gram that all freshmen must com-plete, Royal T.A.P.S provides a more direct approach to relevant student issues on campus.

“The bottom line is that we re-ally just want our students to be safe,” Director of the Center for Health Education and Wellness Dr. Monica Thomas said.

Forty-six percent of all alcohol-related incidents on campus came from freshmen in 2009, according to statistics presented in the Royal T.A.P.S. program. The sharp de-crease in alcohol-related violations this year may be due to the success of the first year of this program.

“I do think there is a lot less con-flict with students and law enforce-ment, which is good...We all want a safe place to go to school. We really are looking out for everyone’s best interest,” Chief Bergmann said.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

BP oil spill effectsMonths after the oil spill, affects are still being discovered, includ-ing damage to coral life . (12)

Last Aquinas of the yearThe Aquinas wishes readers Happy Holidays and a great break

New Girl Talk AlbumGirl Talk releases its new album. (8)

Volume 83, Issue 10 The Student Voice of The University of Scranton November 18, 2010

Courtesy of mCt Campus

INSIDE Forum...................5-7Arts & Life........8-9

Business...........10-11Sci & Tech.............12

Weekly Digest.......2News......................3-4

Faith........................13Ads & Comics...14

Sports..............15-16 WEATHER Tonight: Showers Low of 32.

Want to write for The Aquinas?Contact aquinaseditors@gmail.com

Students illicitly use drug as study aid

University alcohol-related incidents down

Some students turn to caffeine, some like to listen music, and some need complete silence.

But a new and disturbing trend is emerging at the University and on college campuses across the nation as students hit the books. Studies now show that students are turning to the illicit use of the attention deficient hyperactiv-ity disorder (ADHD) prescription drug Adderall.

Adderall, according to PubMed, is a combination of dextroam-phetamine and amphetamine that is used to aid focus and to control movements for people that have ADHD. Students who do not have the disorder take Adderall for the same basic effects.

“I never took Adderall my fresh-man year, and my grades weren’t that great. First half of sophomore year, I never took it,” a male stu-dent at The University who does not have an Adderall prescription said. “I started taking it second

semester sophomore year and my grades have gone up signifi-cantly.”

Side effects of the drug can in-clude difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, which is appealing to those students who are study-ing or staying up late to do a pa-

per.“It doesn’t affect my test tak-

ing ability and I still do well in the end,” the male student said.

Other students have reported using Adderall for weight loss, as one of its side effects is loss of ap-petite.

According to the government agency Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis-tration (SAMHSA), full-time col-lege students between the ages of 18 and 22 were “twice as likely to use Adderall nonmedically in the past year as those who had not

been in college at all or were only part-time students.”

“It helps me study. I actually have no idea [if it helps my grades improve],” another male student at The University, who also takes the drug despite not having a pre-scription, said.

SAMSHA listed Adderall as a Schedule II drug under the Con-trolled Substances Act, meaning that it is easily abused and can cause the user to develop a depen-dence on it. The flat price per 10-20mg pill is estimated to be about $3 or $4, though the price may fluxuate around finals time, when the pills are in greater demand.

According to a 2005 survey by the Student Drug Research Ad-ministration (SDRA), students re-ported ingesting the pills orally, crushing and inhaling them, or taking them with coffee and other caffeine drinks for an added boost if they are studying.

Primarily those who have sup-plies of Adderall seem to sell them to friends and friends of friends. An overwhelming majority of

See “ADDERALL,” Page 4

By CoNor FoLEyANd KAThLEEN hUdsoN

Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor

A proposal made by Investiga-tor Jonathan Davitt last semester to implement a bicycle patrol unit through The University’s Police De-partment was approved and begun last week.

According to the proposal, the benefits of implementing a bicycle patrol unit include “increased com-munity relations, environmental and health benefits and improve-ments in law enforcement opera-tions.”

Officer Lisa Kimes is one of the officers who works on bicycle pa-trol, and she believes that this ad-dition to The University Police has already been beneficial.

“With the bicycles we are able to maneuver through traffic and crowds much more easily than if we were in patrol cars. We are still doing the same things we would be doing as regular officers, only we are able to cover more ground in a quicker way with the bikes,” Kimes said. “Students also seem to find [the officers] more approachable on bicycles.”

The approachability of officers is one of the major goals The Univer-sity’s Police Department is striving for, according to the proposal. In-vestigator Davitt said that the com-munity relations aspect was a major factor in the decision to implement the Bicycle Patrol Unit.

In his proposal, Davitt said that the department hopes the Bicycle Patrol Unit will reinforce the al-ready close relationship between staff, students, faculty and guests at the University due to the increase

of contact between bicycle officers and the community.

Davitt hopes that these close connections will “reinforce efforts to establish relationships of trust between the University community and the University Police Depart-ment.”

In addition to the community relations aspect increasing with the bicycle patrol, Davitt also said in his proposal that environmental and health benefits could increase by “promoting [the University’s] green initiative to the local community.”

As a leader in sustainability, the University will also benefit from the bicycle patrol because it will lessen the carbon footprint of the depart-ment, and it will also use fewer re-sources, Davitt said.

In his proposal, Davitt also said that law enforcement would be improved with the addition of a bi-cycle patrol.

“Bicycle patrols can go where traditional patrol vehicles cannot. One of the biggest advantages to bi-cycle patrol is its ability to navigate swiftly around a university campus, avoiding obstacles and hazards that would stop a patrol vehicle in its tracks,” Davitt said.

This only furthers Kimes point about bicycle patrols having the ability to deter crime in a faster way.

Both Davitt and Kimes said that bicycle patrol is currently only fo-cused on the University’s campus. According to the proposal Davitt produced, the department plans not only to utilize bicycle patrol to circuit campus, but also to pa-trol large campus events, including athletic competitions, parades and concerts.

Public Safety on bicyclesBy ChrIsTINA sCULLy

Staff Writer

By oLIvEr sTrICKLANdStaff Writer

THE PERCENTAGE of crimes based on class, according to Public Safety, above, shows a dramatic decrease in alcohol-related incidents as the academic class increases.

Courtesy of WikimediaUSE OF the prescription drug Adderall has risen significantly on college campuses in recent years. Students have been known to use the drug, pictured above, in order to stay awake while studying.

2 THE AQUiNASWEEKLY DiGEST THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Administrative Staff

Editor-in-Chief...................................................Conor Foley aquinaseditors@gmail.com

Managing Editor.......................................Kathleen Hudson aquinaseditors@gmail.com

Advertising Manager...................................Michael George AquinasAdvertising@gmail.com

Distribution Manager...............................Nicholas KurzumArchive Manager.........................................James TroutmanFaculty Adviser....................................................Scott Walsh

FOUR-DAY FORECAST

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Partly CloudyForecast from Weather.com

Staff Directory

Editorial Staff

News Editor................................................Tim McCormick news.aquinas@gmail.com

Business Editor............................................Michael Zaydon zaydonm2@scranton.edu

Forum Editor..............................................Rosemary Shaver shaverr2@scranton.edu

Arts & Life Editor...................................................Joe Wolfe wolfej3@scranton.edu

Faith Editors........Andrew Milewski and Amanda Murphy milewskia2@scranton.edu, murphya5@scranton.edu

Sports Editors.............................Joe Baress and John Lund aquinas.sports@gmail.com

Photography Editor...................................Jessica Rothchild rothchildj2@scranton.edu

Science & Tech Editor...........................Catherine Erbicella erbicellac2@scranton.eduChief Copy Editor....................................Rose Marie Wong wongr2@scranton.edu

BOX-OFFiCE TOP 5

Figures courtesy of yahoo.comPhotos courtesy of MCT Campus

and yahoo.com

“Megamind”

“Unstoppable”

“Due Date”

“Skyline”

“Morning Glory”

$29.1 million

$ 22.6 million

$15.4 million

$11.6 million

$9.2 million

By sTAFF WrITErDec. 6, 1963 Aquinas

It was a typical day at the Uni-versity of Scranton—students were sitting around the Student Center laughing and joking about their weekend plans. Others were in class half-paying attention to their instructors and half-dream-ing about their dates for Sat-urday night. The dorms were hum-ming as still other students prepared to go home.

Then, like a chilling gigantic blanket, the news spread through the campus. The first to know were the “dormies” who had their radios turned on. Someone brought the news to the Student Center and St. Thomas Hall. Some of the teachers, who were holding class, were notified, a few dismissed their classes, oth-ers did not. Other teachers contin-ued their classes unaware of the tragedy.

Laughing and scoffing were the first reactions to the rumor. But as the evidence built up and became undeniable, an uneasy stillness fell over the school. Faces became grim, tomorrow night’s date and tonight’s beer were forgotten. The chapel was remembered by many. Many people noted that they felt a feeling of unreality, of disengage-

ment. Move-ments were labored.

And then there was a pause in the radio’s flow of decibels and a voice, a voice broken and seemingly

gasping for strength, came over the air and said “The President is dead.” Only then did reality—an all too brilliant reality—come back. Moisture filled the eyes and emptiness filled the hearts of most. Few tears flowed but many trickled. Fists clenched and un-clenched. Nerves strained and the beating of your heart, the ticking of the clock became louder.

People froze for a few seconds.

In the gameroom cues became petrified swords in the hands of wax warriors and then they were slowly dropped and forgot-ten. Nobody screamed, but many mumbled.

There the individual stood or sat alone with horrible reality. Only the searing sound of the ra-

dio and the perpetual beating of your heart were heard. Then you moved your head. Somebody said, “ I do not think I ever felt worse in my life.”

That was Friday, November 22, 1963 at the University of Scran-ton.

December 6, 1963

University feels President Kennedy’s deathThe Aquinas Archives: This week in 1963

Courtesy of mCt CampusPRESIDENT JOHN F. Kennedy signs a document in his office.

Nov. 10 - 17Provided by

The University Police Office

Offense: Harassment Counts: 1 Date: Nov. 13

Offense: Disorderly Conduct Counts: 2 Date: Nov. 13, 14

Offense: Public Drunkeness Counts: 1 Date: Nov. 14 Offense: Intoxication Counts: 1 Date: Nov. 13 Offense: Underage Drinking Counts: 1 Date: Nov. 13

Offense: Retail Theft Counts: 1 Date: Nov. 10

NEWS 3THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

People Profile: Patricia Vaccaro, Community Outreach

Director of Community Out-reach Patricia Vaccaro was born and raised in Scranton. She grew up in the the city’s Hill Section and attended Bishop Hannan High School. She then went to Marywood University, where she received her degree in art educa-tion. After Marywood, she came to The University, where she re-ceived her master’s degree in community counseling. She also has done work towards her mas-ter’s degree in art therapy.

Vaccaro grew up in a large Ital-ian family. Her mother was one of 10 children, so she was always immersed in family activities. She has incorporated the impor-tance of family activities into her own family. She married her high school sweetheart, Bill, whom she dated through college. Together, they have raised their son, Nick, who is thirteen years old. One of the reasons she never left the area is because of the value she places on family.

Outside of her professional life, Vaccaro likes to cook and bake, which she does extremely well, having recently been featured in The Scranton Times for having won the “Local Flavors: Recipes We Love” contest with her tradi-tional manicotti recipe, a recipe passed down to her from her mother and grandmother, who immigrated to the United States from Naples, Italy. She also likes to travel with her family to dif-ferent cities around the United States, including a personal favor-ite, Las Vegas; she is an “accom-plished poker player.”

Her experience at The Univer-

sity began 23 years ago. At that time, what is now known as the Community Outreach Office was called Collegiate Volunteers. The office was run through an endow-ment from a University alumnus who had married a Marywood alumna. His goal was to have the two universities collaborate in community service. Vaccaro, therefore, had to split her time between these two institutions. However, within five years, Vac-caro’s involvement had resulted in an explosion in the size of the offices at both schools.

At this point, administration at the offices changed. Vaccaro be-gan to spend five days a week at The University, and an employee, whom she supervised, worked part-time directing the Marywood office.

Now, both institutions have fully employed offices.

“It’s been a real process to ac-tually start a program and see it grow and to see it be as popular as it is now,” Vaccaro said.

Today, the office is under Uni-versity Ministries. However, un-der different presidents, the of-

fice has been a part of Student Affairs. University Ministries, however, offers Vaccaro unique opportunities.

“I’ve had the opportunity here, which I think is something that you don’t find everywhere, to use what I find are my own personal skills and talents, to help shape students and work with students,” she said. “I had the opportunity to develop the “Art Through Spiri-tuality” retreat and series… that’s something unique about working in University Ministries. We are allowed to use what our best tal-

ents are to focus on helping stu-dents grow in different ways, and I think that’s something that you don’t find everywhere.”

The office’s growth is, in fact, obvious.

Twenty-three years ago, there was one international service trip and no domestic service trips. To-day, The University’s students vol-unteer with hundreds of organi-zations every year and participate in many service trips through the International Service Program and Community Outreach Office.

“It’s great that we go out into the community and help all these organizations, but…watching the students really grow and change their attitudes from the service, that’s most important to me,” she said.

“I love watching the students initiate a program and take an idea and run with it, and watch-ing the students really have that “a ha” moment around service,” Vaccaro said, when asked what she liked best about her job. “Most of our programs that have been successful are programs that our students initiated and started. I want to see students integrate experiences into their lives, to see students really develop some new initiatives that are long-lasting and can leave a mark here, to have students really feel like they can contribute to the community and make an impact, to make some sustainable contributions to the community.”

Favorite Music: The Beatles, Van Morrison, music of the 60s and 70s

Favorite Movie: “Elf,” “Sandlot”Favorite Book: “The Glass Cas-

tle” by Jeanette WallsAlternate Profession: To work

with disadvantaged youth doing recycled art

By TIMoThy MCCorMICKNews Editor

timothy mCCormiCk / NeWs editorPAT VACCARO, Director of Community Outreach, has worked at The University for 23 years, dur-ing which she has developed the Office of Community Outreach.

University offers weekendopportunity to learn Chinese

After several months’ prepa-ration, Scranton Chinese School started its fall semester on Sun-day, Sept. 19. The main goal of the school is to teach Chinese language and culture and to pro-mote cultural diversity and U.S.-China cultural exchanges. This helps meet the needs of the lo-cal community to learn Chinese language and culture. The school was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the Common-wealth of Pennsylvania and also under the federal government.

We are very grateful to The University community and our students and their parents for their warm support. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the administrators of The University, the registration office and especially Ms. Kelly Cook, and the maintenance staff in Brennan Hall. We also owe a big thank-you to Dr. Susan Trussler of Economics/Finance Department, for her efforts to spread the in-formation to her email list of the families with adopted children from China.

The Chinese School meets ev-ery Sunday from 2:00-3:30 p.m. except on holiday weekends and fall/spring break on the campus of The University. For this fall semester we have five wonder-ful teachers and five classes (two intermediate-level classes, and three beginner-level classes) with over 50 students. The two intermediate-level classes focus on listening, speaking, reading and writing. The three beginner-

level classes concentrate on con-versation while also teaching ba-sic pinyin and Chinese character writing.

Next semester we hope to re-organize the classes, setting up one separate class for adults, and one or two beginner classes for kids. After this fall semester’s ex-periment, we have had some ba-sic idea about what type of text-books are good for our different levels of classes. We plan to order textbooks for all of the classes.

Our spring semester will start in early February. The Chinese School does not discriminate against anyone based on race, color, nationality or ethnic ori-gin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies and programs. If you are interested in attending Chinese School, please contact us as soon as possible. The deadline is Fri-day, Jan. 14. We will need to know student number in order to order textbooks and make other plans accordingly.

Please help spread the word to anyone who may be interested in learning Chinese language.

If you are interested in learn-ing Chinese language/culture or have questions, please feel free to contact us.

• Dr. Shuhua FanDepartment of HistoryThe University of Scrantonfans2@scranton.edu• Dr. Chaogui ZhangDepartment of MathematicsMarywood Universityczhang@marywood.edu• Dr. Yaodong BiDepartment of Computing SciencesThe University of Scrantonbiy1@scranton.edu

By shUhUA FAN, Ph.d.For The Aquinas

Calendar of EventsThrough December 2010

Through Dec. 12 Exhibit: “When Humanity

Fails,“ featuring the Abe Plot-kin collection and more.

The Heritage Room, Fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

Free during library hours. Call 941-6341.

Nov. 19 — 7:30 p.m.Concert Band Recital.Houlihan-McLean Center.Free admission.

Nov. 20 — 8:00 p.m.Men & Women for Octaves’

Christmas ConcertThe DeNaples Center - Mosk-

ovitz TheaterGet into the Christmas Spirit

a little early this year at the Men & Women for Octaves’ Christmas Concert!

Hear a mix of oldies, con-temporary hits and holiday music from performance group including Royal Harmony, the women’s group and The Oc-taves, the co-ed group.

Admission is free. Donations for food and drinks will be ac-cepted

For more information, con-tact Natalie Picciano at pic-cianon2@scranton.edu

Nov. 22 — 6:00 p.m.“Encounter Thailand” The DeNaples Center Fourth

Floor and Moskovitz Theater Activities include sampling

of Thai food, learning Thai his-tory and culture, and public screening of a Thai film. All are free of charge and open to the public.

6:00 p.m. - Food 6:15 p.m. - Dr. Pornthip Cha-

lungsooth: Overview of Thai History and Culture

7:00 p.m. - Thai Film, Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior

The events are organized by Asian Studies, The Office of Study Abroad Programs and Global Initiatives, and Interna-tional Programs and Service. “Tour of Asia” is in part sup-ported by the Diversity Initia-tive Grant awarded by The Of-fice of Equity and Diversity.

For more information about “Encounter Thailand,” contact Mr. Mike Simons, organizer of the evening’s events, and Director of Study Abroad Pro-grams and Global Initiatives, at 941-4303.

Dec. 1 — 8:30 p.m. Gasland. The University of

Scranton will join with col-leges across the country for a simultaneous showing of the film about natural gas drilling followed by a live internet ap-pearance by director Josh Fox.

Rose Room of Brennan Hall. Free admission. Call 941-7520.

Dec. 2 — 8 p.m. Esprit public reading. Room 405, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 941-7619. Dec. 2-58 p.m. Thursday, Friday and

Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday

The University Players pres-

ent Tiny Alice by Edward Al-bee, directed by Jose Zayas. McDade Center for Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary.

Call 941-4318.

Dec. 4 — 5:30 p.m. University Alumni Club of

NEPA Noel Night ReceptionHoulihan-McLean Center. Reservations required. Call 1-800-SCRANTON.

Dec. 4 — 8 p.m. Performance Music 43rd

Annual Noel Night featuring The University Performance Choirs and small instrumental ensembles.

Houlihan-McLean Center. Doors open at 7 p.m., pre-

lude begins at 7:05 p.m. Free admission. Call 941-7624. Dec. 9 — 7:30 p.m. Empty Stocking Benefit

Fund Concert with Santa Ron Leas and The Christmas Big Band, presented by Perfor-mance Music at The Univer-sity.

Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: donation of a

new toy or item of children’s clothing.

Call 941-7624. Dec. 25 — 8 a.m. -

11a.m. The University Christmas

Breakfast3rd floor of the DeNaples

CenterFree admission. Reservations requested. Call 941-4094.

4 THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

NEWS

students surveyed in the SDRA survey responded that it was very easy to obtain Adderall, and that they knew someone who takes Adderall for non-medical reasons.

“I don’t sell it to random peo-ple,” a male student at The Univer-sity who has a prescription for Ad-derall said. “I sell it to my friends, who I know just take it for school. [They say] it works for them.”

The student was prescribed Ad-derall for his ADHD, but said he never uses the whole prescription.

“By the doctor, you’re supposed to take one a day, but it strings you out. I just like to take it if I have a test or for finals,” the stu-dent said.

The use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes is not a new thing on college campuses, but in recent years, according to Medical News Today, students have been choosing amphet-amine-dextroamphehetamine combinations like Adderall over methylphenidate products such

as Ritalin. Nearly 75 percent of students who used illicit prescrip-tions drugs chose Adderall over Ritalin in the last year.

Adderall can also be taken with alcohol in a party setting, with some students taking the drug be-fore they go out so they can stay awake longer and party later. The SDRA survey suggests, however, that using Adderall at a party or in a social setting is less socially acceptable then using illicit pills to study or prepare for tests and

exams. The SDRA survey also sug-

gests that many students view non-medical use of Adderall for studying purposes as less danger-ous than if the Adderall was being used in a party setting.

Medical professionals have labeled the drug as highly addic-tive and The University maintains a strict disciplinary code for stu-dents caught selling, buying or using controlled substances for nonmedical purposes.

“ADDERALL” CONTiNUED FROM PAGE ONE

The fourth annual East German Film Festival, held Nov. 1, 2 and 3 in DeNaples’ Moskowitz Theater, in-troduced The University and Scran-ton community to three films. Or-ganized around the theme “Women in East German Film,” this year’s festival included two documenta-ries and one feature film.

Gunther Scholz’s “The Beauties of Leipzig” (“Sag mir, wo die Schönen sind,” Germany, 2008) was shown the first night. The documentary film interviewed nine candidates of the 1989 “Miss Leipzig” Beauty Pageant, held mere months before the Berlin Wall fell and the borders of East Germany were once again opened to the West. The candidates were first interviewed by photogra-pher Gerhard Gäbler before the 1989

pageant . He took photographs of the women in the workplace and at home, and interviewed them about their lives and hopes for the future on a tiny cassette player.

Eighteen years later, Gäbler and Scholz began to follow-up to the 1989 interviews. The women, now between 38 and 42 years old, are married, single or divorced, and liv-ing in Switzerland, Dubai or still in Leipzig. They see their old photos and hear their old interviews. They discuss the changes they experi-enced after the fall of socialism in East Germany and their current situation in a capitalist society. The film addresses the problems of un-employment and lack of consumer goods in East Germany, but also draws attention to positive aspects of East German society such as universal childcare and other re-sources for women. “The Beauties of Leipzig” is a unique portrayal of women in both the socialist society

of East Germany and the capitalist societies they live in 18 years later.

“Herzsprung” (Germany, 1992), directed by Helke Misselwitz, was the first East German feature film released after the reunification of East and West Germany. The film follows a young mother and widow, Johanna, as she battles her way through life in the town of Herz-sprung — meaning “heart break” or “heart leap” in German. In a small town plagued by unemployment and rising nationalist and xenopho-bic sentiment, and Johanna’s new love for a dark-skinnedstranger scandalizes the villiage, and Johanna falls victim to the tragedies of East German society in the early 1990s. “Herzsprung” is a beautifully direct-ed tragedy that not only portrays the difficulties women faced in East Germany, but subtly portrays the common struggles women endure in every society.

“After Winter Comes Spring”

(“Winter Adé,” East Germany, 1988), also directed by Helke Misselwitz, was shown the third night of the Film Festival. The documentary film, in which she documents the personal and professional lives of women of different ages and back-grounds in East Germany, brought Misselwitz international recogni-tion. Powerful stills accompany profound interviews as Misselwitz delves into the hardships, compli-cated familial relationships and historical events these women were exposed to. Misselwitz addresses issues such as divorce, the nuclear family and marriage in the lives of women who range in age from 15 to 85. The film, although released in 1988, still resonates with today’s audience as these issues continue to affect our lives in 2010.

With the success of this year’s German Film Festival, The Universi-ty community can look forward to the next Film Festival in Fall 2011.

German film festival addresses women’s issues in East GermanyBy MELIssA BELTz

Staff Writer

University joins in national screening of sundance’s “Gasland”

On Wednesday, Dec. 1, The University will be showing the Sundance award-winning “Gasland,” a documentary ex-ploring the many issues associ-ated with domestic natural gas drilling. The University is join-ing with colleges and universi-ties across the United States in a national screening, which will be accompanied by a live web-cast question and answer ses-sion with director Josh Fox im-mediately following the film.

The documentary highlights Fox’s cross-country quest to chronicle the impact of the Halliburton-developed process of hydrofracturing, more com-monly known as “fracking,” in the United States. According to the official “Gasland” website, gaslandthemovie.com, “Frack-ing” is a means of natural gas extraction employed in deep natural gas well drilling. Once a well is drilled, millions of gal-lons of water, sand and propri-etary chemicals are injected, under high pressure, into a well. The pressure fractures the shale and props open fissures that enable natural gas to flow more freely out of the well.”

The process of “fracking” uses a great deal of potentially unsafe materials and damages the area surrounding the drill-ing, making it hazardous to the environment. The practice is, however, protected by the Bush/Cheney Energy Bill of 2005. Fox and his production team reveal multiple health and environmental issues following “fracking.”

The film “Gasland” began as a documentary exposing the process of tapping the country’s immense natural gas reserve, but it has become a national action campaign dedicated to initiatives such as advocating for clean drinking water and raising funds to keep “frack-ing” out of watersheds. Those who wish to learn more about the movie can visit the official movie website, where informa-tion about the movie and ways to participate actively in the fight for environmental aware-ness are included.

The presentation of “Gasland” at 8:30 p.m. is in the fifth-floor Rose Room in Brennan Hall. The event is sponsored by The University’s Sustainability Task Force. Admission is free of charge and open to the public.

By KAThLEEN hUdsoN

Managing Editor

Courtesy of mCt CampusSCOTT BLAUVELT, the regu-latory compliance coordina-tor for East Resources Inc., holds a core sample of shale taken from a gas well in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Jan. 6.

As tuitions climb in a still-shaky economy, college is feeling less like Animal House and more like Career U.

To prove their worth, 20 Califor-nia State University campuses are leaders in a national movement to measure education in dollars and cents, publicizing the salaries of their graduates.

What’s a degree worth? It’s no longer measured by the number of days devoted to Milton, Marxism and margaritas. New data show that the midcareer median salary of a San Jose State University graduate is $92,900 — 21 times the current $4,440 investment for annual tuition.

“Families want to see the rate of return on their investment,” said King Alexander, president of Cal State Long Beach, who with Cal State Chancellor Charles Reed is leading the campaign to measure a college degree like a mutual fund, IRA or 401(k).

“Educators have always said: ‘Trust us, it’s worth it.’ Now we can say ‘Here’s the data — make up your own mind.’ We think it shows that we’re a great bargain.”

It also emphasizes how some courses of study are more lucrative than others, and how some universi-ties are even altering their curriculum to cater to the new way of measur-ing what a degree is worth.

So far, University of California schools and Stanford University have not followed Cal State’s lead in touting graduates’ median salaries, which are compiled by the Seattle-based compensation company Pay-scale.com.

San Jose State, UC Berkeley and Stanford grads start out somewhat even in pay — but after two decades in the work force, Berkeley and Stan-ford grads were earning significantly more — $109,000 and $119,000, com-pared with $92,900 for SJSU grads.

With tuitions soaring, value is hard to ignore. This month, Cal State lead-ers adopted a two-step undergradu-ate fee hike that will raise tuition by a

combined 15 percent by next fall. UC leaders are looking at increasing fees 8eight percent for next school year.

So, borrowing a page from Con-sumer Reports, the campuses seek to prove what they’re worth. College grads earn 1.8 times the average sal-ary earned by those with only a high school diploma, and 2.5 times more than high school dropouts, accord-ing to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta-tistics.

“Earnings are one of the real out-comes you can measure,” Cal State’s Alexander said. “And with high earn-ings come many other things. Gradu-ates are good taxpaying citizens. Their homes are less likely to go into foreclosure. They read more. They have more leisure time, and contrib-ute to their communities. There are huge spillover effects.”

Walnut Creek parent Marie Ciano, whose two sons attend San Jose State, concurs.

“I have been teaching high school physics for 38 years and have seen far too many students attend college only to end up with $80,000 in stu-dent loans and selling shoes at Nord-strom’s,” she said.

“I did not want my own children to make the same mistake, so their choice of majors and schools was with employability as a first priority,” she said.

One son, an aviation engineer, works part time at a job acquired through SJSU’s department of avia-tion. The second, a mechanical engi-neer, was accepted by UC but chose SJSU because it’s in Silicon Valley, she said.

But some say the value of a col-lege degree can’t be measured by money alone.

“It changes how you see the world, and gives you more options for what you want to do with life,” San Jose State grad Joel Bridgeman said; he grew up in a low-income Richmond neighborhood and is now consider-ing law school.

Many universities have resisted using graduates’ salaries as a mea-sure of “educational outcome.”

However, Cal State took the lead, in 2008 becoming the first and only university system in the nation to publish its graduates’ salary data. It’s

available on a website launched after a federal commission called on col-leges to do a better job of measuring and publicizing students’ academic success. Now other public schools are following Cal State’s example. Within the next six months, 300 public uni-versities will post salary information compiled by PayScale.com.

The data — which only include graduates with bachelor’s degrees — show that students with the great-est “return on investment” are those who do well in technical majors, such as science or engineering, at a rigor-ous public school.

For instance, graduates of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo earn just as much as graduates of the private Pomona Col-lege or University of Southern Cali-fornia — at less than half the cost. And the top 10 percent of students from Fresno State earn as much as midlevel students from Stanford, Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis at PayScale.com, said.

Some schools are even changing their course catalog. In Michigan, where the recession hit early and hard, Michigan State eliminated ma-jors in American classics, and the University of Michigan created 100 new courses in entrepreneurship. Minnesota’s state colleges distribute colorful graphics that list how many

students pass professional licensing exams.

“Most parents don’t say, ‘Here’s $200,000, do whatever you want.’ There’s a utilitarian streak,” Lee said. “They ask, quite reasonably, ‘Will my child earn enough to make it worth-while?’“

The highest-earning college grad-uates in the U.S. come from Harvey Mudd College, surpassing Harvard, Princeton and Stanford. This fact is attributed to its heavy focus on math, science and engineering — as well as a strong alumni base in Southern California, where salaries are high.

Students with the lowest “return on investment” are those who go into debt to finance a private edu-cation, then pursue nonlucrative ca-reers like theater, he said. Even worse are those who never graduate.

“If you’re accepted by Stanford and get financial aid, it’s a slam dunk. You’ll be earning six- or seven-figure income, for little investment,” Lee said. “But families need to know that if their student does well at CSU-San Luis Obispo, or SJSU, they’ll still earn good pay.

“Education is not a consumable good, like a sports car,” he said. “It’s an investment in a child’s earning potential — and their future.”

California universities put a price on graduate degrees

Courtesy of mCt Campus

By LIsA M. KrIEGEr

McClatchy Newspapers

5

Editorial Board

Kathleen HudsonEditor-in-ChiefConor FoleyManaging Editor

Serving The University and

community since 1931

THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Rosemary Shaver Forum EditorForumExtremism codified evident in Los Angeles policy

drone strikes in yemen suggest deceitGraduating senior reflects on

Do you like to argue?

Write for Forum!Contact the editor: shaverr2@scranton.edu

undergraduate experience

See “SENiOR,“ Page 7

CoMMENTAry

By rosEMAry

shAvEr

Forum Editor

Courtesy of mCt CampusHEAL THE Bay activists James Alamillo, left, and Amada Griesbach leave a rally staged outside of Los Angeles’s Hall of Administration Nov. 16 in support Los Angeles County’s proposed ban on plastic bags.

CoMMENTAry

By TIM

sIMPsoN

Staff Writer

Courtesy of mCt Campus

CoMMENTAry

By ChrIsTIAN

BUrNE

Staff Writer

W a l k i n g down the Com-mons this se-mester has been particular-ly challenging. Not only do I have to park far away from campus, I must also endure the bittersweet reality that I

recognize less people than ever before. Most of my friends are student teaching this semester, as I will do next semester. In ad-dition, many others have gradu-ated and started their careers.

My undergraduate career at The University represents a sig-nificant chapter in my life that I will remember for as long as I live. As I prepare to graduate in May, I reflect on the past with the goal of imparting some words of wisdom as I prepare for the future.

I began my Scranton experi-ence in 2007 as an elementary education major. However, I was surprised when I discovered that I was required to choose a second major in the field of education in order to receive my bachelor’s degree from The University. Therefore, I decided to major in Special Education because it was suggested to me by an advisor. I also believed it could help make me more mar-ketable during the job search process. Initially, I was skepti-cal of this field of study early in my undergraduate career be-cause I never had an interest in working with the special needs community. However, my opin-ion has changed drastically.

I completed one of many field work requirements in an autistic support classroom and developed a true appreciation for diverse learners. I also be-came co-president of The Uni-versity’s chapter of The Council for Exceptional Children, a na-tional organization that prides itself on serving the special needs community. It amazes me how close-minded I was as a freshman. I used to believe that somebody else would work with special needs students while I taught the rest of my class. I realize now how critical my role will be as both a regular and spe-cial education teacher. My back-ground in both fields will un-doubtedly benefit every student in my class regardless of his or her individual learning style.

Before classes began during my first semester at Scranton, I participated in F.I.R.S.T., also known as Freshman Involved in Reflective Service Together. The experience made it very clear to me what Scranton stu-dents stand for. The people I had the chance to meet dur-ing our service activities helped make the transition into stu-dent life slightly easier. In addi-tion, I have been a commuter all four years and wanted as much exposure to life on campus as possible. I remain in close contact with two people I met on F.I.R.S.T. and catch up with many others in passing.

I was also involved in S.E.L., or Scranton Emerging Lead-ers. As a freshman I partici-pated in S.E.L. I and learned about leadership and work-ing collaboratively with others

Los Angeles County supervisors passed a measure Tuesday that will prohibit stores in unincorporated re-gions of the county from distributing single-use plastic bags, a measure that will affect an estimated 1.1 million persons. Component

to this policy is a 10 cent tax on paper bags requested upon checkout. The California cities of Fairfax, Malibu, Palo Alto and San Francisco enacted similar measures in the recent past, all designed with the intent of encourag-ing the usage of reusable cloth or du-rable plastic bags.

According to the Los Angeles Times, opponents of the policy, in-cluding the 67 affected stores, will challenge the supervisor’s decision be-fore it goes into effect in July.

Although interest groups such as Heal the Bay, a non-profit environ-mental group concentrated on the restoration of the Santa Monica Bay, verbalized support for the Los Ange-les plastic bag ban, it essentially ref-erences a particular issue with which the general public is unfamiliar. Thus, public consensus was not the decid-ing factor in the supervisor’s decision, but a reflection on personal bias.

Admittedly sympathetic to envi-ronmental issues, I cannot help but

recognize the apparent flaw in the Los Angeles policy, which effectively forces consumers to make a choice between a tax and alternative trans-port. The line between progress and fascism is of fine design, and I beg to suggest that Los Angeles has crossed that line with its latest environmental initiative.

Environmentalism is a lifestyle

choice. Unlike any other, it cannot and should not be elicited by force, but gradually fostered through optional education or the example of others.

Extremism on the micro-level, whether from the left or the right, can be excused within reason. However, when a government codifies the ele-ments of extremist agendas, this sug-gests a flawed system. Modern po-

litical theorists, including John Locke, often reference the danger present in making law of a faction’s particular opinions, judging it contrary to the elected representative’s role as enforc-er of the public will.

Often lost in the rash tone of ex-tremist rhetoric is a sense of universal humanity, which connects all per-sons, no matter their origin or opin-

ion. When groups of citizens become caught up in a concentrated policy controversy, this tends to imply op-position to an alternative ideology or group. Movements such as the Tea Party and environmentalist are all guiltily of losing the big picture in the detail of a particular cause. The same is true of politics in regard to devote Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians or socialists.

Thus a restructuring of sociopoliti-cal communication is in order.

Verbal debate is necessary for germinating progress within the so-cietal core. However, debate must be properly ordered and rational for the success and maintenance of that progress. It is unlikely, for example, that congressional healthcare reform, bread in the partisan inferno, will be very successful considering the man-ner in which it was passed and the controversy surrounding it.

Politics is all relative. Policy shifts according to the make-up of the national legislature and the social circumstance of the era. While pro-jections and analysis of government policy are worthy pursuits, they are rarely accurate and almost never ob-jective.

While the Los Angeles ban is frus-trating, it is likely to be overturned. Despite this, rational debate is worthy in reference to the issue. If ignored by some, commentary will at least foster thought in a small but valuable por-tion of the population.

As a result of the recently failed terror plots to explode bombs aboard cargo planes bound for the U.S. from Ye-

men, it is ex-pected that the U.S. will step up its drone use to locate al Qaeda

targets in the country. Drones have been employed by the U.S. as a means of keeping watch on, and even targeting, al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula since at least 2002, when a Predator Drone-launched missile killed six al Qaeda members in Yemen. Obtaining a clear description of just what the drones have done since, their frequency of use or even who controls them is an extremely difficult, if not im-possible, path to follow. The U.S. does acknowledge the use of unmanned ariel vehicles (UAV’s), or drones, in Yemen for both surveillance and attack. For its part, the Yemeni gov-ernment confirms that it has allowed the U.S. military to op-erate the drones inside its bor-ders for surveillance, but con-tends that the Yemeni Air Force has carried out the majority of the attacks, not the drones themselves. Further complicat-ing the matter is the strong CIA presence in the region. The CIA also operates UAV’s and has used them in both surveillance and strike roles, but they rarely publicly reveal their hand in these missions. This mix of

missions and conflict of reports leaves the legality and account-ability of these missions very much unclear.

On May 25, 2010, a deputy

provincial governor in Yemen was killed by an airstrike, set-ting off a wave of violent pro-tests. Officially, Yemen’s presi-dent took responsibility for the attack. However, the attack was not carried out by the Ye-meni military, but rather by a U.S. military special forces-op-erated RQ-1 Predator Drone. No matter how many safeguards or how advanced the technol-ogy, civilians are going to be killed in a war zone. It is an un-fortunate reality. Yemen, how-ever, is not a war zone. The U.S. asserts, most likely cor-rectly, that taking on terrorists in their home countries is the most effective method for deal-ing with the threats they pose. The cost for such an approach can be incredibly high, not only in financial terms, but also in the realm of public opinion and diplomatic relations.

The U.S. needs only look to the current situation in Af-ghanistan to know that a for-eign government can quickly turn hostile when it loses faith in or disagrees with U.S. policy. Though it is still early, the U.S. could be quickly heading down this road in Yemen. The U.S. presence there currently con-sists of UAV flyovers and the presence of a small number of “military advisors.” The U.S. must walk a very fine line by allowing the Yemeni govern-ment to feel that it is still com-pletely in charge of operations within its country, while still maintaining the U.S. ability to target and eliminate al Qaeda targets.

6 THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010Forum

The content of The Aquinas is the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and Executive Staff and does not necessarily reflect the views of The University, its staff or faculty. The University adheres to the principle of responsible freedom of expression for its student editors.All letters become the property of The Aquinas and will be considered for both print and online editions unless the writer explicitly states otherwise. The Aquinas will not print anonymous or pseudonymous letters, except in unique circumstances.Letters will only be edited for style.

Letters to the Editor

Forum Policy

Courtesy of mCt Campus

SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO shaverr2@scranton.edu

Exploring intent of ‘zero tolerance’ bullying policy through ‘Glee’

Courtesy of mCt Campus

Courtesy of mCt CampusTHE POPULAR television show “Glee” explored bullying in a recent episode. Cast members, from left to right, include Cory Monteith, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch.

Courtesy of mCt Campus

University policies make activism impossible

The issues surrounding bully-ing have recently been brought to the forefront of national at-tention, largely due to the tragic suicides last month. Tim Simpson discussed several of the issues and effects in last week’s The Aquinas.

Also, the topic was at the cen-ter of the plot in last week’s “Glee” episode, where Kurt, the only openly gay student at the school, was mocked by the glee club, a group of misfits themselves, and told to join the ‘fairies’ at an all boy school.

Kurt was hurt, but was inter-ested to check out the school and went to spy on the group. He found more than he bargained for. I believe the directors went to great lengths to make the school unrealistically perfect. The ceil-ings were decked in expensive chandeliers, all the students were perfectly in uniform, including ex-pensive matching suit coats, and Kurt runs into actor Darren Criss, a confirmed new member of the cast who runs with Kurt through a set of shortcut passageways to make it to an impromptu a cap-pella performance in a gorgeous high-ceilinged room.

Once there, the audience en-countered not only the season’s best musical number thus far, thanks to Tufts University’s Beelzebubs from The Sing Off, but also opened up several questions into the topic of bullying. Blaine, the character played by Darren Criss, quickly dis-pelled the myth that the entire choir was gay, although he himself was.

He explained that the school had a ‘zero tolerance policy on bullying

of any kind’ and that ‘everyone is treated the same no matter what they are.’ It seemed for Kurt that the only drawback to the school was its high cost.

I wondered two things: first, why did the directors go through so much trouble to create an elaborate and superficial environ-ment? Secondly, what exactly is a zero-tolerance policy on bullying?

To my first concern, I think back to my old high school. In some ways there were similari-ties to the “Glee” school; a uniform code, relatively high cost and single sex. Areas we differ would be the lack of anything expensive for fear it would get smashed by a stray hallway dodge ball, our choir sounds worse than a dog crying after getting it’s tail caught in a door and there was too much homophobia to afford secret pas-sageways where lovers could gal-livant in slow-motion through bookshelves clouded by an ever present fog that sets the mood. This being said, I still deeply love my high school.

I think that the point that the directors were making is that this issue should not be so foreign in actuality, when in popular opinion it is widely agreed upon. No one in their right mind would argue that bullying has positive effects, yet, as Simpson mentions, “every human being is guilty of bullying another person in some form or another.” Simpson believes that this stems from ignorance, but I think that it is either carelessness or personal insecurity that enables people to pick on their peers. As

“Glee” shows, the bully at Kurt’s school eventually awkwardly makes out with Kurt in a moment of anger and frustration.

Bullying is a reality because the things people are most self-conscience about, height, weight, sexuality, gender, race, etc… are the easiest ways for others to as-sert themselves. The amount of pain that bullies, or everyone, at times, if we agree with Simpson, can cause is not realized because people do not share the same in-securities.

Not everyone cares about their weight, gets uncomfortable with topics about family life or strug-gles with sexuality. Yet, every-one shares the commonality that there is that one topic that can shut out all emotion and shatter all defenses. It is this reality that prevents the all-too-perfect high school from becoming actuality. The TV version was unreal not be-cause the people were accepting, but because the characters simply had no insecurities.

This brings me to my second question: what is a zero-tolerance policy on bullying? Simply, a school should not ignore any case of bullying just because it is seem-ingly harmless or insignificant. At a Catholic and Jesuit institution, zero-tolerance should not neces-sarily mean any kind of formal disciplinary action. While cir-cumstances may require certain repercussions, up to and including expulsion, appropriate to a situa-tion, the call for forgiveness and education should guide the pro-cess of understanding and con-

quering this issue that is present every day.

Like in “Glee,” the process gen-erally must start with the person who is bullied. In the event that no onlookers are willing to take a stand, a reality Simpson adamantly despises, the recipient of the per-sonal attacks must speak out. In “Glee” they point to the need for “courage.” Because the insecurities are so personal, keeping the topics out of a spotlight is often crucial. Yet, in working through these is-sues, breaking this boundary is of-

ten a necessary starting point.At our school, everyone is a part

of the answer to this topic. Limit-ing the responsibly to RAs, admin-istrators and faculty, removes a personal imperative. Because of the inherent shared nature of the issue, only a collective effort can bring about a cultural shift. Please keep this in mind today and have some courage.

Bryan Heinlein is a graduate student at The University.

In one semester as head of the College Republicans here on campus I have encountered more trouble than I could have ever thought imaginable. I thought coming into this job that it was a mix of poor student leader-ship and apathetic students that made The University one of the most politically apathetic schools in the nation. It turns out the last barrier; The University adminis-tration is the one that gives activ-ists the hardest time.

In August, I laid out an entire agenda with The University and some of it was shot down due to a set of rules that seemed to bar activism. On the list of events the College Republicans could not perform was a fundraiser for the Wounded Warriors Project. A project designed to help veter-ans of the United States Armed Forces. The club t-shirt was re-cently rejected because it did not have the Scranton “S” on it. However, if the “S” is on the shirt the shirt must be bipartisan. As the leader of a partisan club on campus I look to advance our agenda at every turn to promote the banner of small government to the normally liberal base of college students. The slogan on the shirt was, “I hope Obama’s last two years in office go by as quickly as my seven years in col-lege.” You would have thought that we were one of those crazy fringe radical groups you here so much about. That’s as partisan as these shirts were. The shirts basic message, “I sure hope our

guys win in 2012.” That’s far too partisan.

Another event lost due to administration was a tentative video conference with Congress-woman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) a major leader in the con-servative push nationwide. The school said we could not do this

because it constituted a “rally.” How many of our members are registered to vote in Minnesota. Zero. Also, what kind of rule is that? No rallies. You mean the one thing that people get to-gether and get excited about ac-tivism? I can see why we don’t want those.

It took over one month to get my speaker approved, I was told to schedule events the same week as the other club leaders with little regard for the schedule of myself or the leaders of Young Americans for Liberty or the Col-lege Democrats. The University makes outrageous demands and limits greatly what we can do as club leaders.

The University has three club leaders, who for once are pas-sionate about their causes, and want to advance the ideals of their club onto the normally apathetic youth. It is like they want us to fail. They don’t want messages of political activism to thrive. It makes me wonder aloud to friends, colleagues, and members of the faculty if The University prefers for us to be on the apolitical list every year for the Princeton review. They are the major obstacle toward political activism. It is time for a radical overhaul of these rules to make this campus a friendlier place for politics, political con-versation, and debate.

Mike Mulraney is a junior at The University.

7THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010 Forum

“SENIOR“ CONTINUED FROM PAGE FIVEtowards reaching a common goal. During my sophomore year, I ap-plied for S.E.L. II and had the op-portunity to put my new knowl-edge into practice. Throughout the year we had bi-weekly meet-ings where we would learn more about leadership along with other invaluable information.

The pinnacle of my undergrad-uate career occurred when I had the opportunity to work closely with several peers on a change project for S.E.L. II. Our goal for this project was to bring atten-tion to campus smoking habits and recommend a re-evaluation of the current policy. We worked our way up the ladder and spoke with many key people. However, we failed to continue our journey due to conflicting schedules and eventually lost touch with each other.

It is also interesting to note the photograph used every time I publish an article in the Forum section. It was taken prior to the publication of the first issue I con-

tributed to when I was a fresh-man. I have no idea why I kept forgetting to get a new picture taken year after year. However, I think it is interesting how the same picture accompanied every article I wrote during my time as a staff writer.

Before I conclude, I must cite an ironic metaphor that seems to indicate that it is the right time for me to move on. As The Uni-versity expands to accommodate the changing times, life for com-muters has become slightly more inconvenient. For example, there used to be parking lots where De-Naples and the new science cen-ter now stand. However, as these buildings went up, parking lots moved further beyond campus boundaries. I believe this may suggest that it is time for me to prepare to move beyond the se-curity of The University and share my experiences with the world. I will never forget the time I spent here and look forward to what lies ahead.

As an alumnus of The Univer-sity, I intend to pick up my copy of The Aquinas every time I pass through. The newspaper has giv-en me an opportunity to voice my concerns about campus is-sues or other current events that may have directly or indirectly impacted The University. I have mainly covered topics relevant to campus life and never spoke of anything politically driven be-cause I wanted to provide some-thing different for readers to en-joy.

I am also eternally grateful to most of my professors for helping me acquire the skills necessary for becoming an effective teacher. In addition, I would like to thank ev-eryone I have worked with on the newspaper staff throughout the years for allowing me to express myself in a public forum. Finally, I would like to thank the readers for allowing this publication to remain in production. It has been a pleasure sharing my work with all of you.

Courtesy of mCt Campus

Joe Wolfe / arts & life editorWHAT USED to be a student favorite turned into an object of student loathing Thursday, Nov. 11, as Circle K hosted an ice cream eating contest to raise money for the March Of Dimes. The contest featured around 20 teams that had to split among four members a gallon of ice cream, a bottle of whipped cream, a bottle of chocolate suace, a cup of oreos, a cup or marshmallows, a cup of sprinkles, three ice cream cones and a cup of cherries. The teams competed admirably, trying to shovel down spoon fulls of vanilla ice cream, while at the same time trying to avoid a brain freeze that could derail the psyche of the team. The dining area of first floor DeNaples was crowded with students cheering on their peers, hoping that the team they came to support would bring home the title of best ice cream eaters in the school. Seniors Kate Ritinski, Jill Barry and Mia Messina (left to right) teamed with Patricia Cermignano for Thursday’s contest. The team fought tooth and nail trying to finish all the items to advance to the next round. In the end, the team fell short, but exhibited exactly what the contest was about: having a good time with friends, raising money for a cause and, of course, providing entertainment for everyone watching.

In 2006, Gregg Gillis’ musical project Girl Talk took the industry by storm with its unique arrange-ments. Gillis’ ear for composing multiple songs within the same track exceeded that of anyone who ever tempted his or her fate in the mash-up industry. With the release of “Night Ripper,” a 42:05 album that sampled close to 220 different tracks, Gillis began to acquire his cult following. In 2008, Gillis released “Feed The Animals,” an album that continued to build upon his legacy. “Feed The Ani-mals” followed in the same fash-ion as Radiohead’s “In Rainbows;” it was available for download via the Illegal Art website for what-ever fee the customer wished to choose. Coinciding with this re-lease, Gillis also made available his previous three albums for the same value, which allowed him to further his musical scope.

For the past three years Gillis has been at work perfecting his newest release, “All Day,” which hit the web this past Monday. “All Day” is the fifth album to be released under the Girl Talk

moniker. It further highlights Gil-lis’ musical knowledge and knack for juxtaposing genres that few others could see a connection be-tween.

Similar to “Feed The Animals,” “All Day” has been released via the Illegal Art website for no fee. The album can be downloaded in two ways: as a seamless file that does not differentiate between any two tracks or as a twelve-track album. As indicated on the site, “All Day” is meant to be lis-tened to as a seamless album; the twelve-track option is meant “for easier navigation.”

Gillis continues to impress on “All Day” with combinations of songs that boggle one’s mind. The most notable example of this is in “This Is The Remix,” when he mixes Lil’ Jon and the East Side Boyz’s “Get Low” with Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecilia.” The boldness in the decision to mix two art-ists that could not be farther on the opposite sides of the musical spectrum displays the utter con-trol that Gillis has over his craft.

Other examples of this are Beck’s “Loser” set behind Jim Jones and Ron Browz’s “Pop Cham-pagne” and Snoop Dogg and Phar-rell’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” in “Let

It Out,” Phoenix’s “1901” mixed with Ludacris’ “How Low” in “Tri-ple Double,” and Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” with Young MC’s “Bust A Move” in “Down For The Count.”

One of the best combinations of tracks however is in “Jump On Stage,” when Gillis mixes Ra-diohead’s “Creep” with Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” In the beginning, the listener gets ODB’s rapping layered on top of Johnny Greenwood’s gui-tar, which leads to the screeching guitar that’s featured in the transi-tion from the song’s bridge to its chorus. From there, Thom Yorke’s elongated vocals lead into Prince’s “Delirious” mixed with Master P’s “Rock It.” The entire transition is beautiful to listen to, especially when the track ends with a fan-tastic combination of Iggy Pop’s “Lust For Life” with the Beastie Boy’s “Hey Ladies” and Lady Ga-ga’s “LoveGame.”

Gillis even picks the perfect song to provide the backbone for the album’s finale, “Everyday.” John Lennon’s “Imagine” brings a softness to UGK’s “One Day” that no one would expect. Len-non’s lyrics of “You may say I’m a dreamer,” as the song comes to

an end perfectly describes Gillis’s part in the music’s society. His vision and confidence in test-ing music’s limits place him atop the most influential artists of to-day, even without lifting a pen to write a lyric or picking up a guitar to churn out a stunning solo.

“All Day” will easily be in the

running for the best album of 2010; it may not win, but without a doubt it will be in the top ten (“Feed The Animals” was number two on “Blenders’” 2008 list). Re-gardless of whether or not you’re familiar with Girl Talk, “All Day” is definitely worth the listen. It will be a must have on any playlist.

Arts & Life Arts & Life EditorJoe Wolfe

CoMMENTAry ByJoE WoLFE

Arts & Life Editor

Girl Talk offers new tracks ‘All day’

8

Bruce Springsteen’s (The Boss) grasp of the concept of music is incomparable to other musicians. Lyrically, he’s a younger Bob Dylan; instrumentally, he’s similar to Neil Young. These three artists sum up the inherent beauty in music that is blurred in today’s music scene.

On Tuesday night, The Boss performed on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” in sup-port of the release of “The Promise,” a double album that features unreleased tracks that were recorded during “Dark-ness On The Edge Of Town (1978)” sessions. The Boss teamed up with Fallon, who was dressed as Neil Young, for a rendition of “Whip My Hair,” which provided the eve-ning with laughs. It wasn’t until later in the show, however, that Springsteen would hit the stage once more to perform this week’s “Download of the Week.”

Joined by Steven Van Zandt and The Roots, The Boss covered Patti Smith’s “Be-cause Of The Night,” a song that was ac-tually written by Springsteen during the “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” sessions. Smith’s song was an instant classic when it was released with her trademark vocals and attitude. Just as you thought “Because Of The Night” could not be improved upon, the

aforementioned combination took the track to an entirely different level.

Words cannot describe Van Zandt’s work on the guitar; throughout the song his powerful chords gave the song an attitude that Smith would love and his shredding of the guitar as the song came to an end made jaws drop. What enhanced Van Zandt’s gui-tar work even further was Questlove’s work on the drums. The beauty in which the song ended could not be stressed enough. Between Van Zandt and Springsteen in-terweaving their guitars and Questlove’s pounding of his drums, the cover should easily be considered one of the best of all time.

Springsteen presented the vocals in his typical fashion. Watching the video of the performance, you can see the pure emotion in his face with each line from the song’s in-troduction, “Take me now baby here as I am / pull me close, try and understand / desire is hunger is the fire I breathe / love is a ban-quet on which we feed” to the repeated line of “because the night belongs to lovers.”

“Because The Night” is a must listen for any fan of The Boss. If you wish to watch the performance from Tuesday night, you can find it on somekindofawesome.com.

Download of The Week

“Because The NighT” By

Bruce spriNgsTeeN

“Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.”

Ken W. MonestimeJunior, West Orange, N.J.

“Wonderful Christmastime.”

Maggie RhatiganSenior, Floral Park, N.Y.

Campus Comment What is your favorite Christmas song?

“All I Want From Christmas Is You.”

Laurel CoyleSenior, New City, N.Y.

“Dominic The Donkey.”

Carolyn QuainJunior, Harrisburg

Courtesy of WikimediaGIRLS TALK’s “All Day” is sure to appear as one of 2010’s best.

“Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.”

Michelle CainJunior, Havertown

THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Classic hollywood duo still ‘Unstoppable’

“Carol Of The Bells.”

Tom ConmyJunior, Scranton

“My Only Wish This Year.”

Karen HudzinskiJunior, Pittston Twp.

Director Tony Scott reunited with his frequent leading man, Denzel Washington, in the high-stakes runaway train film “Unstop-pable.” The two have collaborated on a number of movies before, but this latest film is one their best in years. After the disappointment that was “The Taking of Pelham 123,” returning to the subject of trains may not have looked good on paper. However, Scott and Washington make it work and the result is very entertaining.

“Unstoppable” is the type of film that is not going to win any awards and those involved with the film seem to know that. In light of that, Scott and company elected to give moviegoers pre-cisely what they wanted: intense action sequences. A story about a runaway train lends itself to spectacle by its very nature. Ex-plosions, derailments and death-

defying stunts are all present. The film claims to be inspired

by true events, but, as Hollywood tends to do, these events are ex-aggerated to make the film more entertaining. The bulk of the story concerns two men, Frank Barnes (Washington) and Will Colson, played by Chris Pine. Viewers may remember Pine as Captain Kirk in 2009’s reboot of the “Star Trek” franchise. The two charis-matic actors put the film on their shoulders and carry it all the way through.

Though certain parts of “Un-stoppable” come dangerously close to pushing the suspension of disbelief too far, the objective was never to present a masterpiece. The set-up to the runaway train is laughable, despite it actually oc-curring in real life. But it’s once the train takes off that the film kicks into high gear and really becomes truly compelling. As it turns out, the runaway train is carrying some severely toxic chemicals that could devastate urban areas

if the train were to derail. It is here that the main charac-

ters come into play. Barnes is an older worker, trying to maintain his place and put his daughters through college. Colson is a young conductor who is estranged from his wife. The two men don’t get

along at first, but, after spending a long day at work, they grow to respect each other. However, they soon receive word of the runaway train. At first, they are told to avoid it at all costs. However, Barnes de-cides to try to stop the train and Colson reluctantly agrees to help.

Various attempts to halt the runaway train comprise the sec-ond half of the film. However, every attempt fails. The hope still lies with Barnes and Colson. They are by far the most developed and fleshed out characters in the film and, as a result, the only ones that the audience truly connects with. Most of the other characters are relatively flat, stock characters and none of the actors impress in their roles.

The film makers clearly did their research, as there is much technical jargon regarding trains and railroads. Most of the expla-nations are well-written and easy to understand, even for someone with no knowledge of the railroad industry. “Unstoppable” quite sim-ply has the makings of a solidly entertaining film. It brings the ac-tion and intensity one would expect given its subject matter. However, it is Washington and Pine who truly shine here. It is on the strength of these performanc-es that the movie really works.

CoMMENTAry ByJErEMy EvANs

Staff Writer

9

Courtesy of yahooCHRIS PINE (left) and Denzel Washington star in “Unstoppable.”

Must-have holiday songs

Everyone has heard the rule, “No Christmas music until after Thanksgiving,” and, as good as a rule as it may be, being that this is the last issue of The Aquinas until after the holiday an exception will be made. No matter who you ask, everyone has a favorite Christmas song, whether it’s an old classic from Bing Crosby or a newer hit from Mariah Carey. Either way there’s always that one song that needs to be played each of the 25 days leading to Christmas. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best Christmas songs.

“The Christmas Song” – Wee-zer

Weezer’s rendition of “The Christmas Song” is not the typical carol you’re used to hearing. The instrumentals bring a constant strumming of power chords and the drums pound monotonously as Rivers Cuomo offers his high, screechy vocals. The unique thing about “The Christmas Song,” how-ever, is its punk feel. It is what helps separate “The Christmas Song” from any other carol.

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” – Death Cab For Cutie

If you like Death Cab, “Christ-mas (Baby Please Come Home)” is a must have on your Christmas playlist. The band doesn’t add any-thing to the classic, which has been covered multiple times before; rather, Death Cab just slightly in-tensifies the instrumentals, giving the song a fuller, more complete

sound, and Ben Gibbard’s vocals stay true to those of the original.

“Last Christmas” – Jimmy Eat World

For the subject matter of “Last Christmas,” Jimmy Eat World does a nice job of creating upbeat in-strumentals to downplay the song’s emotion. What makes this song so applicable to a variety of listeners is that most can share in the emotions of the lead singer.

“Christmas When You Were Mine” – Taylor Swift

As far as Christmas songs go, there aren’t too many that stir the emotional pot as much as “Christ-mas When You Were Mine.” Be-tween Swift’s soft acoustic guitar and gentle vocals, the listener can’t help but fall silent for the 3:04 long song. As the first couple notes are strung, one gets the impression that the song will be something that you could listen to at night in front of a fire with someone special, until Swifts lyrics of heart-break begin. Even though the song can touch on a sensitive subject around the holiday season, it is too good of a song to overlook.

“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” – Coldplay

Christopher Martin’s piano is what sends this cover of a Christ-mas classic to the top of this list. The song invokes everything Christmas should be about: for-getting about your troubles, remi-niscing with friends and family and hoping that everyone’s future will bring about newer and greater things. Coldplay does a fabulous job of improving upon a song that has been a Christmas staple for 65 years.

“Sleigh Ride.”

Amanda MurphySophomore, Scranton

“All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.”

Colin HolmesSophomore, Scranton

CoMMENTAry ByJoE WoLFE

Arts & Life Editor

“Dreaming Of A White Christ-mas.”

Michael MulraneyJunior, Berlin, N.J.

THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010 10

Business Michael Zaydon

Business Editor

MAJOR U.S. INDEXES

DOW

NASDAQ

S&P

NOTABLE GAINERS

MCD

PCS

PWR

NOTABLE LOSERS

FSLR

HD

BAC

COMMODITIES

OIL

GOLD

SILVER

CURRENCIES

EUR/USD

GBP/USD

USD/JPY As of press time Wednesday night

$78.37 +0.95

$11.84 +0.55

$17.73 +0.68

$80.95 +0.51

$1346.20 +9.30

$26.05 +0.539

11007.88 -15.62

2476.01 +6.17

1178.59 +0.25

$122.83 -7.86

$30.83 -0.88

$11.62 -0.32

1.3579 +0.0054

1.5905 +0.0002

83.35 +0.16

The Marketing Society has re-cently submitted a proposal to the Student Government that will strengthen The University Com-munity. The Society understands that a vital part of communication on campus is through The Aquinas and offering of students’ opinion to be read by faculty, administra-tion and fellow classmates. The proposal consists of conducting an in depth study on the student publication.

They are planning to do a stu-dent wide survey raffling prize incentives to participants and taking pictures and statistics of where the most popular pick up points are around campus. The society will also look into high traffic areas around campus to get the paper positioned in the best possible areas. The proposal to design, develop and conduct the online survey will offer the Society an opportunity to take the theories learned in class and apply them to a real life application.

The Marketing Society plans to

analyze the results of the survey and offer up critical suggestions to create an open channel of com-munication of what the readers want. The overall goal and objec-tive of this venture is to increase

the readership of The Aquinas on campus.

The Marketing Society also in-tends that this survey can bring awareness of the many benefits and ways of reading The Aquinas.

For example, few people know that The Aquinas can now be viewed online and delivered into any student’s email on a weekly basis.

If the student government ap-

proves this initiative at their next meeting, the society will be able to go forward with their prize in-centive for those who participate. The plan is to structure the prizes day by day.

What that means is that they will raffle prizes each day for whoever had completed the sur-vey. If you take the survey on the first day, you will be eligible to win every day thereafter.

Now, if you complete the sur-vey on the last day, you will only be eligible to win on the last day and grand prize raffles. The So-ciety has not figured how many days the survey will be open, but make sure to be on the lookout in your emails. After the study is complete, the Marketing Society will hold a ceremony where the results will be presented and the raffle winners will be awarded their prizes. All will be welcome to join in on the presenting of re-sults. So start thinking of what you like and don’t like about The Aquinas and get your voice heard when the survey comes out.

If you are interested in being a part of the creation, development and implementation of the study, contact vahlel2@scranton.edu for meetings and updates.

student Gov. mulling Marketing society research proposalBy MIKE GEorGE

Business Correspondent

On Monday, Mark Biedling-maier, class of 1980, spoke in the Pearn Auditorium at The Universi-ty about his experiences working for the U.S. Department of State and gave advice for those consid-ering careers in the government. Mark is assigned to the German-led Regional International Security Assistance Force Command-North in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, as the deputy U.S. Senior Civilian Representative. In this capacity, he coordinates political and econom-ic reporting to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He lives with 4,700 German soldiers and works with 22 other staff members. Cur-rently, Mark is on a rest and relax-ation trip in the United States.

During the speech, Mark re-counted some of the experiences from all across the globe while working for the U.S. State De-partment. He told of his humble beginnings as a clerk typist in Washington, D.C., in 1982. He de-scribed his “hardship” tours in Af-rica, serving in countries like the Central African Republic, Angola and the Congo. In Africa, he met with Congolese President Denis Sassou-Nguesso about human rights violations and was able to tell him exactly how the United States felt about the situation. He told us how rewarding it was to initiate “American Corners,” now called “Lincoln Learning Centers,”

in the Central African Republic and Congo. These learning centers teach natives English and make the uses of internet and American films available to them. They have served as media central for Afri-cans eager to watch the news and have hosted a number of guest lecturers, such as naturalist Jane Goodall and ambassadors from around the world.

Lastly, Mark talked about the is-sues U.S. forces are currently fac-ing in Afghanistan. The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, recently stated that all private se-curity contractors must leave the country within 90 days, a move that would significantly decrease American forces in Afghanistan and would make it harder for us to reach our objectives there. An-other current issue in Afghanistan is the upcoming meetings at the Lisbon Summit on Nov. 19 and 20, where meetings will focus on the United States’ timetable for a with-drawal from Afghanistan, some-thing that will build the strategy for U.S. forces going forward.

Mark also gave helpful advice for anyone considering a career with the government. Our genera-tion will be tasked with fixing the overwhelming deficit problems our country has. He gave us the stark statistic that all American children owe $37,000 to the gov-ernment before they even enter the workforce. He suggested that we do not overlook the CIA. They are actively recruiting, and they are a great way to start a path to-wards a successful career working for the government.

Joe Wolfe / arts aNd life editorLEFT TO right, standing: Kathleen Hudson, John Rogers, Laura Vahle, Mike George, Conor Foley. Front row: Corrie Szapka, Dana Carusa.

CFA speaks at Finance Club Meeting

On Thursday, Nov. 11, the Fi-nance Club met with Jim Barnes, a Senior Fixed Income Manager at National Penn Investors Trust. He spent an hour telling the group about his career, the finance pro-fession and the CFA (Chartered Fi-nancial Analyst) designation.

Jim started his financial servic-es career in 1998 at Merrill Lynch & Company as an Assistant Super-visor in the Business Financial Ser-vices Group. In 2000, he became a Junior Trader at Paine Webber, where he was responsible for the administration of their short-term asset management processes.

In 2006, he went to work for A.M. Best Company as a Financial Analyst, and at the beginning of 2008, he came to National Penn Investors Trust Company. Jim has earned both the Chartered Finan-cial Analyst (CFA) and the Certifi-cate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM), two of the most distinguished designations in the field of finance.

Jim is a member of and cur-rently serves on the Board of the CFA Society of Philadelphia, and his opinions have been quoted by Business Week, Wall Street Jour-nal, Reuters, CNN Money, Market-Watch, Bloomberg, Dow Jones and other financial news services.

Barnes briefly described his career and then began to speak about the CFA designation. The CFA charter is one of the most re-spected and valued credentials in

the global finance community. A CFA has superior credibility, com-petitive advantage, global connec-tions and recognition from em-ployers and peers. In many cases, employers prefer the curriculum of the CFA designation to an MBA. While CFAs do typically make more than non-CFAs, Jim added that that was only one benefit. He found the increased network-ing opportunities and the chances to expand his knowledge much more rewarding and important to his career. As the designation has gained more prestige and power over recent years, worldwide en-rollment in the CFA has increased dramatically.

Becoming a CFA is not easy. There are three levels, all of which require an exam to pass in order to move to the next level. Four years of work experience and/or a bach-elor’s degree are also required. If it is your last year of college, you may begin the CFA process early. The first level focuses on knowl-edge and comprehension of in-vestment valuation and portfolio management.

Professional ethics are also heavily stressed. Level Two is all about analysis and application, particularly with respect to as-set valuation. The third and final level is primarily about the port-folio management process, but re-quires the application of concepts learned in the previous two levels. The tests themselves are very dif-ficult; over half of the participants fail each year.

Jim is also an instructor for Stalla. Stalla, a division of Becker Professional Education, helps CFA candidates prepare for their CFA exams. Stalla offers a guarantee: Should you complete the require-ments but fail the exam, Stalla will let you repeat the course for free. As long as you keep complet-ing their requirements, they will keep letting you take the course, though they want you to pass on your first try.

While the path to becoming a CFA is challenging, the rewards are great. Increase networking opportunities, additional learning experiences, a larger salary and the knowledge that you are one of the elite in your profession are all great reasons why anyone seri-ous about working in the finance sector should look into becoming a CFA.

By KENNETh dUBsBusiness Correspondent

JessiCa rothChild / photo editorJIM BARNES speaks to the Finance Club Nov. 11.

Alumnus speaks on careers in United States government

CoMMENTAry By NICoLAI JohNsoN

Business Correspondent

11THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

WiLL QUANTiTATiVE EASiNG

KiCK START THE UNiTED STATES ECONOMY?

in 1000 words, or less, write an essay taking a position

and defending it.

The best submission will appear in the first spring semester issue of

The Aquinas.

E-mail submissions or questions to

zaydonm2@scranton.edu by

December 13 at midnight.

The PRISM group continued its alumni interaction at this weeks’ meeting via conference call with former University student Fred Fuchs. Fuchs, a 2010 graduate and former PRISM chairman, cur-rently works in the Fixed Income sales and trading department at Morgan Stanley. On the agenda for the discussion were European debt concerns, recent stock mar-ket performance and general ca-reer advice. Considering Fred’s rigorous 60 hour work week, the group made sure to make the most of the 45 minute discussion.

Fueling the majority of the con-versation, Fred discussed the mar-ket sentiment revolving around the European contagion debt is-

sues. In short, the Euro Zone has five countries in particular that are on fragile financial footing, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. In the investment world, they are referred to as the PIIGS. If one of the PIIGS countries de-faults on their debt, meaning they are unable to pay bondholders, then a considerable amount of concern will emerge for the Eu-ropean Union officials and global investors alike.

This will occur primarily be-cause of the European Unions’ fi-nancial structure. In that, all of the 16 member nations in the EU have a common currency, the euro, and the same Monetary Policy that is controlled by the European Cen-tral Bank. This means that Mon-etary Policy actions good for one country are not necessarily good for another. Furthermore, a seri-ous financial problem for one of the member nations can be “con-tagious” and very detrimental to the growth and development for

rest of the EU.A general indicator of the im-

plied investor risk in the PIIGS is the spread that investors demand for what is perceived as “safe debt” and the required return on “distressed debt.” German 10 year bonds which are considered to be safe debt, due to the fact that the German economy has reached near 20 year highs in GDP growth, currently yield 2.62 percent. Con-versely, the yield that investors are requiring on Irish debt of the same maturity is 8.44 percent. In other words, investors are demanding a 5.82 percent higher return given the amount of uncertainty that is currently plaguing the Irish finan-cial system.

This spread can be attributed to the fact that many of Ireland’s large banks are very closely tied with the government. While these banks struggle to meet financial requirements, so may very well be the case for the Irish government. As aforementioned, the EU’s in-

terconnected financial structure may also be at risk. Fortunately, the Irish government believes that they have the capacity to fund its liabilities through 2010 and into 2011. After that, however, is anyone’s guess. Accordingly, the European Central Bank will meet to discuss possible measures that can be taken to ensure that the government does not default on its debt and that the threat to the entire EU is quelled. It was con-fusing, but fortunately Fred Fuchs, being a finance guru, was able to explain the complexities of the is-sue very fundamentally in a way that students could understand.

From there, after stating that the views expressed in the call were strictly his own and not the opinion of Morgan Stanley, Fuchs explained his outlook on the stock market.

“Short term, I am a technical bull, long term is a different story. I think that a number of market headwinds still are in place that

will undermine a continued equi-ty recovery. Fundamentally, I am rather bearish on the longer term outlook,” he said.

In English, he thinks that for the short-term outlook, a num-ber of technical factors will allow for the U.S. stock market to per-form well. However, in the long-term, he believes that the global economy still has many structural problems, namely a struggling consumer, which will plague the market for a little while.

Career wise, Fuchs insisted “that the students take a passion for the work they look to do, if they do not, 60 hour work weeks will seem like hell.”

Looking ahead for PRISM, the organization will be working to-wards positioning the portfolio for the winter break. This week, the group will be receiving pitches from equity team members on do-mestic stocks, emerging market ETF’s and Real Estate Investment Trusts.

Students who have worked diligently and secured a summer job, an internship or a full-time position often ask, “What are the things that I can do to contribute to my success on the job?”

In “The Ultimate New Employee Survival Guide,” Ed Holton, Ed.D, suggests students follow these twelve steps to ensure success in the workplace:

Working cooperatively with others requires that new employ-ees adopt the right attitudes. Re-spond with a positive attitude to instructions, suggestions and feedback from supervisors and with openness and respect to co-workers.

Those interns and new gradu-ates who have unrealistic expecta-tions about the world of work are often surprised by the amount of extra hours required, the simplic-ity of tasks they must perform and the lack of support they re-ceive from others. Those who re-alistically expect work to be dif-ferent from college will be more prepared for the differences they

are sure to face. While it is wise to be eager and

enthusiastic, students should use caution when trying to “break into” any organization. It is best to ease oneself into the work, culture and relationships to demonstrate the willingness to do what it takes to pay one’s dues.

A common quote is “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.” This is true with the initial impression stu-dents make on a new internship or job. The best advice for a new employee is to strive to be profes-sional in all interactions with oth-ers throughout the entire working relationship.

It makes sense to establish and nurture relationships with not only the supervisor, but also the co-workers, subordinates and customers. No one person can succeed on the job without sup-port and assistance from others. Keeping professional relationships separate from personal relation-ships is advisable.

When beginning a new posi-tion, there is value in following the dress code, break schedule and work ethic of fellow employees. Once established in the position, employees can make decisions that allow for more autonomy.

Each organization has its own set of rules and norms. Students can learn relatively quickly what values, norms and behaviors are preferred in a work environment. Success on the job depends on un-derstanding how to communicate and how to work together with others in that particular organiza-tion.

One’s supervisor is the most im-portant person in a new internship or job. Students who understand what the boss wants, needs and expects can produce results that contribute to the organizational goals and to their own career de-velopment.

As new hires, students under-standably want to contribute and show their worth. The new-hire role means allowing some time to understand the way things are done and to demonstrate a desire to “fit in.”

The ability to set and priori-tize goals, organize workload and manage time well will demon-strate one’s work ethic.

Completing work assignments correctly and on time are respon-sibilities of each new employee. Taking the initiative to take on more responsibilities once your assigned tasks are completed is looked upon favorably.

Preparing for success on your internship or job

Alumni discussions continue to aid PrIsM members

By BETTy rozELLECareer Services Correspondent

The largest initial public offer-ing (IPO) of common stock in the United States occurred in 2008, when Visa Inc. went public with a $19.7 billion offering. However, financial analysts are predicting that Visa won’t hold the top spot much longer.

According to a report by Reu-ters, General Motors (GM) will be-gin trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) this Thursday after increasing the value of its common stock by more than 30 percent to $15.5 billion. Although the terms of GM’s IPO are sched-uled to be finalized Wednesday, analysts predict that the U.S. au-tomaker could raise close to $23 billion in capital, depending on whether or not underwriters exer-cise an overallotment option. As a result of the IPO, the U.S. Treasury will no longer be a majority stock-holder in GM.

A higher outlook for the size of the IPO materialized after inves-

tors exhibited stronger-than-ex-pected demand for GM securities, already placing $70 billion worth of orders for the automaker’s com-mon stock by Tuesday afternoon. Analysts point to the increased demand as a sign that investor confidence in the U.S. automaker has grown since the company de-clared bankruptcy just less than a year and a half ago.

In order to strengthen its bal-ance sheet by reducing its pen-sion debt liabilities, GM will also increase the size of its preferred stock this week. This offering, when considered in conjunction with the possible overallotment provision, brings the latest expec-tations of the deal’s total value to approximately $22.7 billion. Still, a high value for the IPO is con-tingent upon the offering pricing at the higher end of its expected range.

“Teetering on the brink of fail-ure before the government in-tervention in 2009, the U.S. auto industry has come through the punishing downturn of the past two years with sharply lower costs and higher profit potential,” an analyst said in the Reuters re-port.

One relevant concern for pro-spective investors in GM is the revitalization of auto sales after their recessionary decline. In fact, forecasts show U.S. automobile sales rising from 10.4 million in

2009 to 11.5 million in 2010. Many estimate that this increasing trend most likely marks a return of auto sales to pre-recession levels.

“I think part of it may be the market looking at a restructured

General Motors and thinking this can be a cash cow again under certain market conditions,” Brad Coulter, a director at Michigan-based advisory firm O’Keefe & Associates, said. “If you get back to an even moderate market of 13, 14, 15 million units, I think the market is expecting GM – and you are seeing it with Ford as well – to be making a lot of money.”

Analysts also forecast that GM will earn its first yearly profit since 2004. The automaker had previ-ously lost $88 billion between 2005 and its bankruptcy in 2009. Con-versely, quarterly reports show that GM has already earned $4.1 billion in profit in 2010.

Such profit returns and a suc-cessful IPO are two significant steps that will help to increase GM’s market value. As GM’s market value increases, taxpay-ers come closer to the breakeven point for their investment in GM, roughly estimated to be $66 bil-lion.

“If the GM IPO performs well, it could trigger a shift in public sentiment about the Obama ad-ministration’s unpopular bailout of the U.S. auto industry in 2009,” Coulter said.

General Motors iPO to raise billions at $33 per share

CoMMENTAry By MIKE dWIEr

Staff Writer

By NIChoLAs CAsELLIStaff Writer

Courtesy of mCt CampusGENERAL MOTORS announced Wednesday that its IPO would be priced at $33 per share.

Catherine Erbicella

Science & Technology EditorScience Tech12 THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Want to write

for Science and

Technology?Contact the

editor at erbicellac2@scranton.edu

Don’t forget: Got a cool new website you would like us to review?Shoot an email to georgem4@scranton.edu.

Got a video game you want to tell us about?Email us at erbicellac2@scranton.edu.

Although the disastrous Be-yond Petroleum (formerly British Petroleum or BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has stopped, the damage done by the spill is far from over.

Considering the damage al-ready known to have been done to the birds, ducks and fish in the Gulf area, it was only a matter of time before attention turned to the life under the sea.

According to the AP, federal scientists have found damage to the deep sea coral and other ma-rine habitats on the ocean floor. This discovery suggests that pre-vious estimates of the damage from the spill have been seem-ingly underestimated. The coral in question is sparingly found along the muddy bottom of the Gulf; however, it has its uses as a habitat for such organisms as fish, snails and crabs.

The destruction of this coral could be devastating for the al-ready-damaged organisms that reside in the Gulf. To make mat-ters worse, the cold temperatures on the floor of the Gulf make the re-growth of the coral a difficult task. It is suggested that years,

or perhaps decades, are needed for the recovery of the damaged coral.

Scientists employed a robot called Jason II in order to ex-plore the ocean floor, a difficult task considering the magnitude of area that was affected by the oil spill. Through research ef-forts and probing done by many groups, it is estimated that nearly 25 different coral sites have expe-

rienced damage in the vicinity of the well. Tests to be conducted at a later time will attempt to prove the hypothesis that this ob-served damage is due to the oil rig’s spillage, but the scientists in-volved in the research are already convinced that the hypothesis is true.

These indications of damage come after statements by federal representatives that the ocean

floor was believed not to have been damaged by the oil spill. Previous statements held that nearly 70 percent of the 170 mil-lion gallons of oil that was spilled into the ocean has been taken care of in some manner.

It was either dissolved natu-rally, evaporated, burned by the cleanup efforts, skimmed off the surface by the skimmer nets or dispersed or captured by the cleanup vessels. These state-ments, it seems, only accounted for the oil visible on the top of the ocean, and they did not account for the possibility that some oil may have sunk to the bottom of the ocean or gotten caught in the wildlife in the bottom.

Even the oil passing over the coral as it gushed out of the well could have caused the coral to feel threatened, and release mu-cus. This suggests that the oil would have killed the coral as soon as the spill began. This def-esive mechanism of mucus would have trapped the oil, leading to the death of the coral.

Researchers and scientists who are working on the effects of the oil spill stress that more research is needed to assess the full impact of the damage done by the oil.

Given the nature of oil and its toxicity, the expectation of further damage is now relatively high.

Researchers in Cambridge, England are using tarantulas to track the human brain’s response to fear.

According to Reuters, the sci-entists have found that proxim-ity, direction and expectation of fear yield different responses in the brain.

They have found that the feel-ing of fear is a network of con-nections in the brain, which work together to make up the fear re-sponse.

To determine these findings, scientists used fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging, in order to track brain activity of the 20 volunteers in the study. The procedure involved placing a tarantula at their feet and watch-ing the brain react as it moved closer to the subject.

In another part of the experi-ment, the tarantula was placed in a compartmentalized box near the foot of the volunteer, and it was moved around to nearer or farther parts in the box. Re-sults seem to indicate that when the spider moves closer from a relatively far distance, there is a switch from the anxiety regions of the brain to the panic regions. Regardless of how close the spi-der was in the first place, there was always more observed ac-tivity in the panic section of the brain whenever the spider moved

closer to, rather than farther away from, the volunteer.

It was then revealed to the volunteers that the spider was actually an elaborately created video of the spider, which they believe to be real and by their feet. The reason for the video was to diminish the variability of the behavior of the spider and to keep its movements constant for each volunteer.

They had also asked the vol-unteers, pre-experiment, how scared they expected to be of the tarantula. The researchers found that those who expected to be most scared possessed a false impression of the size of the spider afterwards. Scientists believe that this “expectation er-

ror” may be the key to people’s development of a phobia, defined as “an irrational, intense and persistent fear of certain things, people, animals or situations.” It seemed that the expectation of fear appeared to make a person exaggerate the size of the threat to themselves, which may trigger a cascading effect in the brain. This effect could lead to the dis-torting of the other processes in the brain to react to a seemingly larger threat and panic as it crept closer.

Researchers hope to use these results to diagnose and treat pa-tients with chronic phobias, due to the knowledge of specific threat-response function identi-fied by the experiment.

Did anyone notice the new icon on Google searches?

That little magnifying glass is Google’s new Instant Pre-views search feature.

Announced last week, this new tool allows users to pre-view websites before clicking on them in an attempt to by-pass irrelevant or unnecessar-ily cluttered sites.

In case you have not yet tried it, clicking on the magni-fying glass icon will give a pic-ture of the site to the right of the search results, apparently within a tenth of a second.

Google has set up the fea-ture on its web searches, as well as those for news, video and businesses.

The preview photo display is designed so as not to interfere with the search results listing and clutter up the list of results in the Google page. In the pho-to, Google will also show a box,

showcased in which is the pas-sage containing the searched-for terms. The specific terms will also be highlighted in that passage in the box. Users can also quickly compare websites by rolling over the other web-sites’ titles while in the preview mode of any one website.

Google explained that the reason behind the Instant Pre-views function was the lack of info present in the little blurb that accompanies the tradition-al search results. According to Google, people will feel five percent more satisfied with the website they chose due to the use of Instant Previews.

It is anticipated the Google will premiere Instant Previews in 40 languages in the near fu-ture. This feature is a compan-ion to the other new Google feature, the Instant Search, which updates the search re-sults as users continue typing in the search engine. The In-stant Search debuted in Sep-tember. Google announced re-cently that the Instant Search feature is now available for those running Google’s Android software on smartphones.

By CAThErINE ErBICELLASci/Tech Editor

By CAThErINE ErBICELLASci/Tech Editor

By CAThErINE ErBICELLASci/Tech Editor

BP oil spill affects ocean floor life in Gulf

Courtesy mCt CampusUNDERSEA CORAL is dying due to exposure to oil.

Tarantulas help uncover pathways to fear Google launches Instant Previews tool

Courtesy of mCt CampusTARANTULA SPIDERS are being used to research the human reponse of fear in the brain.

13THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Faith Andrew MilewskiFaith Editor

Amanda MurphyCo-Editor

Mass ScheduleMonday-Friday

12:05 p.m. & 4:40 p.m.Chapel of the Sacred Heart

Sacrament of ReconciliationMonday-Friday 11:30 a.m.

Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Reconciliation Room

Sunday11 a.m., 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.

Madonna Della Strada ChapelRock Hall, 419 Monroe Ave.

Who was ‘Good King Wenceslaus’?By Fr. LEo MANGLAvITI,

s.J., Ph.d.Jesuit Community

Christmas is naturally asso-ciated with St. Nicholas, who is perhaps overly popularized as Santa Claus in the Dutch ver-sion of his name. Nicholas is, however, a real saint, a fourth century bishop of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) who was known for his generosity and custom of leaving gifts for the poor during the Nativity sea-son. Patron of young people, sailors and Russia, his feast day, Dec. 6, is a major holy day in the Byzantine Rite of the Catholic Church.

But as we approach Advent and prepare our hearts to re-joice in the coming of the poor and humble Savior, what about this other Christmas saint, Wenceslaus? He is called a saint — anglicized as Wence-slas — in a 19th-century English carol, written by John Neale and set to an ancient Finnish tune. Wenceslaus was indeed officially canonized (feast day, Sept. 28).

Renewed interest in him came just before Christmas in 1989, during the peaceful “Velvet Revolution” in the land then known as Czechoslovakia. Daily news images showed his statue on horseback, in Prague’s Wenceslaus Square, a rallying spot — in peaceful, “velvet” opposition — for overturning

Communist rule. Wenceslaus was hailed as a lasting symbol of the Czech people, who have revered him as a legendary pa-tron saint for many centuries. With the Czech Republic and Slovakia now separate nations again, Wenceslaus is no less a hero to all who strive for free-dom and holiness.

Wenceslaus was born about 903 in Bohemia, combined af-ter World War I with Moravia and Slovakia to form Czecho-slovakia. Not exactly a king, he was Duke of Bohemia (922- 929), dying as a Christian martyr while seeking to unite a semi-pagan land. Bohemia later became a kingdom, ruled by a succession of monarchs named Wenceslaus.

One, Wenceslaus IV, became Holy Roman Emperor in the 14th century. But the fame of St. Wenceslaus surpasses all. Eng-lish-speaking countries know him as the miracle-worker in the carol (as in his young life), providing food and warmth for a poor man “gathering winter fuel” on a bitterly cold “feast of Stephen” — Dec. 26, feast of St. Stephen, first martyr.

John Neale’s lines recall the simple miracle: Wenceslaus heated the snowy ground where he stepped, thereby al-lowing his freezing servant to trod on, “though the frost was cruel,” as the monarch brought food, wine and firewood to the lowly peasant gifts for the poor at the birth of the Christ Child.

This small miracle, and numer-ous others during his lifetime, was added to his major one, bringing peace in Bohemia’s fierce struggle with an invad-ing German army.

Thus began the “St. Wence-slaus Tradition” of compromise and recognition of political re-ality — realpolitik — prevent-ing needless slaughter while facing overwhelming military odds. The Czech people em-

braced this sensible tradition in 1968 against Soviet tanks. A modern irony occurred in 1989: former communist rulers in Prague forced to compro-mise with the masses about to conquer them. Throughout the 1989 revolt, many saw Wenc-eslaus as still the inspiration to his people after eleven cen-turies, gazing down on the Prague square in full knight’s armor for battle, this time

peaceful and complete.The struggle against pagan-

ism is another curious histori-cal link. On his way to church, Wenceslaus was murdered by his brother, Boleslav, jealous of losing the throne because the saintly duke’s wife bore a male heir. But Boleslav was also tir-ing of his brother’s attempts to encourage Catholicism, such as bringing the relics of St. Vitus to Prague and trying to unite Christians and non-believers in the recently converted nation.

In fact, the wife of Wenc-eslaus, Drahomira, was still virtually pagan. In 921, she had conspired to murder his grand-mother, St. Ludmilla, resenting her Christian influence on the young duke. Wenceslaus the teenager courageously took power, embarking on peace-making and defending the faith. Today, the Czech and Slovakian Church is revital-ized for its resistance of Com-munism. And curiously, Vaclav Havel, the hero of the Velvet Revolution, later president and considered a new Wenceslaus, bears the modern version of that name.

The rebirth of the Catholic Church is a fitting legacy for St. Wenceslaus, young martyr—“witness” to the faith, love and hope that only a peacemaker can bring. And at the end of the Christmas carol the choir sings the eternal lesson: “Ye who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.”

Courtesy of Wikimedia A STATUE of Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, stands as part of Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc of the Czech Republic, built in 1716–1754 in honor of God.

Muslim punk rockers raise compelling ideas on modern worship in U.S.By ChrIs LEEMCT Campus

LOS ANGELES — They are, to be sure, ideas that go unexplored in the Koran: Is it a sin to slam dance? Can a person wear his hair in a mo-hawk, smoke weed like Snoop Dogg and still call himself a devout Muslim under the eyes of God? The micro-budgeted feature “The Taqwacores” — which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is now playing in theaters in New York and Los Angeles — tackles such issues head-on.

An adaptation of Michael Mu-hammad Knight’s self-published 2003 novel and directed by novice film-maker Eyad Zahra, “The Taqwacores” encapsulates a shotgun marriage of two seemingly incompatible world-views: “taqwa,” an Arabic word that can be defined as “piety” (but also “God fearing”), and the anarcho-re-bellion of hard-core punk.

“If you strip down what punk is really all about, it’s questioning the standards of the status quo and so-ciety and really looking for the ulti-mate truth,” Zahra said. “And that’s the same thing that religion does.”

The movie follows a nerdy Arab-

American college student named Yusef (played by Bobby Naderi) who moves into a dilapidated Buffalo, N.Y., apartment populated by an ar-ray of broad punk archetypes who also are devout Muslims — “the boys who missed the Islamic center picnic and the girls who date behind their father’s backs,” as a character named Jehangir (Dominic Rains) puts it. Each of them navigates the middle ground between the mosque and the mosh pit in a different way.

There’s a burka-clad Riot Grrrl who scribbles Patti Smith lyrics on her wall and puts forward the no-tion that a woman doesn’t neces-sarily need to make her face visible to qualify as an outspoken feminist. Another electric guitar-playing skate-boarder character tests the limits of his faith by chugging beer and de-claring, “I’m not big on the ‘Islam is one way’ approach.”

The Taqwacores generally reject specific tenets of Koranic dogma: that homosexuality is a sin, that mas-turbation amounts to “self-harm” and that a man is justified in beating his wife to discipline her.

But outside of mashing-up of punk with Islam, “The Taqwacores” presents compelling ideas about how

modern Muslims worship in this country. The film presents Islam as a dynamic faith that’s endlessly argued and debated — and in one case, straight-up revised when a character crosses out a verse in the Koran — to fit unruly American lives in the post-9/11 world.

“The point of the film was to por-tray Muslims in this whole new way,” the director explained. “There’s a no-tion that Muslims are zombies; they only regurgitate what they’re told by the leaders of their community. But there’s a huge spectrum. We’re show-ing an extreme of it.”

Knight, who converted to Is-lam at age 16, says he wrote “The Taqwacores” as a “kiss-off” to being a Muslim in 2003.

In appropriately punk DIY-fash-ion, Knight Xeroxed copies and self-distributed “The Taqwacores” more as an underground fanzine than a vanity publishing venture.

“The idea that Islam was either all or nothing started to fall apart for me,” Knight, who is now enrolled at Harvard pursuing a graduate degree in Islamic studies, recalled. “Then in college, I encountered punk rock kids who taught me to believe in myself and not compromise who I am. So

out of that, I wrote the novel as a fan-tasy, almost like science fiction. It’s an artificial world I wanted to exist.”

Knight ended up providing a rally-ing point to an emergent movement decidedly off the mainstream radar. In a case of life imitating art, a real-life Muslim punk scene claimed the name Taqwacore as its own.

“I didn’t imagine there could be Muslim kids like that out there,” Knight said. “There were, they just didn’t know about each other. Giving it a name made it real.”

The film project began to take shape in 2007 when Zahra was work-ing as an assistant to director Andrew Dominik (2007’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) and stumbled across Knight’s Wikipedia page. Reading a descrip-tion of “The Taqwacores” as “a book about punk Muslims” stopped Zahra in his tracks.

“It was like having the wind knocked out of me,” he recalled.

Despite having only a couple of short films to his credit, Zahra con-vinced Knight to sell him the movie option. After securing a tiny bud-get through independent financ-ing, the director set about casting “Taqwacores” with the help of an

established Hollywood casting direc-tor who delivered some bad news: “There aren’t enough minority actors to fill these roles.”

Ignoring that advice, Zahra ended up finding his actors through an on-line casting call. And in a cost-cutting move, he moved back home to Cleve-land, crashed at his parents’ house and enlisted film school pals and lo-cal punk rock scene volunteers for the production’s three-week shoot.

To provide added realism — and avoid the kind of sub-cultural backlash that plagued “inauthentic” punk-themed movies like 1998’s “SLC Punk!” — the filmmaker enlisted Marwan Kamel of the “doom-crust punk band” Al-Thawra from Chicago to serve as production designer.

“I understood the characters in the book and the film as punk ar-chetypes as well as Islamic arche-types,” Kamel said. “They’re both politicized identities. So I tried to make the characters almost car-toon-y versions of the real thing. I wanted them to be realistic but also over the top.”

Added Zahra: “This isn’t just characters with mohawks running around spray-painting things. Hon-esty was our guiding point.”

14 THE AQUiNASCOMiCS/CROSSWORD THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Want a copy of The Aquinas delivered to your inbox?

Send an e-mail to aquinaseditors@gmail.com.

Courtesy of mCt Campus

Dr. Picchietti and Dr. Caporale of the Depart-ment of World Languages and Cultures are

pleased to announce the fourth annual Summer Study Abroad in Florence, Italy.

This faculty-led academic program will run from may 28 to June 25, 2011. Students will enroll in

courses and live in the beautiful city of Florence for the duration of their stay.

The program will also include several group meals with samples of Tuscan food, a cooking class and day trips to many exciting locations such as the

Chianti region and Venice. Applications and information fliers are available

from Dr. Caporale (O’Hara 319) and/or Dr. Picchi-etti (O’Hara 320).

For more information, please contact picchi-ettv1@scranton.edu or caporalem2@scranton.

edu. Deadline for registration is December 2.

Courtesy of mCt Campus

Courtesy of mCt Campus

WANTED

A student artist to help with illustrations for SIFE project Great experience for your portfolio

Contact Megan Byers at byersm2@scranton.edu

SPORTS 15THE AQUiNAS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

MEN’S BASKETBALL11/19-20 Radisson Invitational 11/23 @ Misericordia 7:30 p.m.

UpcomiNg gamesWRESTLiNG

11/18 Wash. & Jeff. 7:30 p.m.11/20 @ Oneonta St. 11 a.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL11/20-21 Desales Tournament

11/23 King’s 7 p.m.

WOMEN’S SWiMMiNG11/21 @Susquehanna 2 p.m.

12/1 Marywood 6 p.m.

MEN’S SWiMMiNG11/21 @Susquehanna 2 p.m.

12/1 Marywood 6 p.m.

“B-BALL” CONTiNUED FROM PAGE SiXTEEN

Heat off to cool startLeBron James, Dwayne Wade

and Chris Bosh signed with the Miami Heat this offseason with one goal in mind: win champion-ships.

More than three weeks into the 2010 NBA season, James and the Heat are struggling to stay above .500.

At 6-4, the Heat have lost both of their matchups against the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Boston Celtics, and failed to close out a game against Utah in which they led by 22 points.

University student, junior Casey McFadden still thinks it’s too early to give up on the Heat.

“Give it some time,” McFad-den said. “They haven’t had a lot of time to play together because

Wade was injured in the preseason, so I think that right now they are just getting used to playing with one another. In a couple months, I think that they will be competing with the Lakers and Celtics for the best overall record.”

The defending NBA champion, the Los Angeles Lakers, have con-tinued where they left off, win-ning eight of their first 10 games despite playing without their starting center, Andrew Bynum, who is recovering from his offsea-son knee surgery.

Because of Bynum’s injury, La-mar Odom, the Lakers’ sixth-man, has moved into the starting lineup and has been productive for Los Angeles, averaging a double-dou-ble with 15.1 points and 10.9 re-bounds per game.

Los Angeles’ offseason sign-ings of Matt Barnes, Steve Blake and Theo Ratliff have helped to

replace Odom’s production off the bench. The three have combined for more than 15 points, 10 re-bounds and five assists per game.

But even with their revamped bench, the Lakers don’t own the best record in the Western Confer-ence.

That claim belongs to the New Orleans Hornets, who before their loss to the Dallas Mavericks Mon-day were the last remaining unde-feated team in NBA.

Despite a tumultuous offseason in which its franchise player, Chris Paul, was rumored to be leaving, first-year head coach, Monty Wil-liams, guided New Orleans to an 8-1 record and a share of first place in the NBA.

Paul has led the way for the Hornets, averaging 17 points, five rebounds and 10 assists per game, while seventh-year veteran Emeka Okafor has controlled the

low-post, shooting a career high 61 percent from the field.

University student, junior Mike Kelleman, is surprised by the Hor-nets success, but doesn’t think it will last.

“I think the Hornets are start-ing to build in the right direction but there are a lot of good teams in the Western Conference this year,” Kelleman said. “I think the Hornets will end up missing the playoffs.”

Although it’s still early in the season, the Heat will look to make a statement Tuesday when they travel to Orlando to take on the Magic for the second time this season.

If Miami can beat Orlando as they did in the first meeting, a 96-70 win Oct. 29, James and the Heat will take another step toward their ultimate goal. The teams played in Miami in their first game.

The University’s women’s rugby club team, the Valkyries, earned a promotion to Division II in the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union after an undefeated regu-lar season and an appearance in the championship game Nov. 7 against Drexel University.

The Valkyries started the sea-son off with a non-league home win against eventual champion Drexel 17-5. Scranton continued its strong play in the Division III West League, defeating Millersville, Ur-sinus and Franklin & Marshall to gain first place in the league.

Scranton dominated during the season. The Valkyries won three of the four games by at least12 points, and two of those wins were by at least 22 points. The Valkyries scored 92 points against 28 points allowed and recorded 16 tries this

season. The three other teams in the Division III West League com-bined for only 75 points and 11 tries.

The Valkyries earned the top seed in playoffs, which were held Nov. 6 and 7 at Princeton. Scran-ton won the first-round matchup against St. Joseph’s University but lost in the championship game to Drexel. Despite the loss, Scranton moved up to Division II. Scranton earned a promotion to a higher di-vision for the second straight year after moving up from Division IV last season.

Senior team captain Siobhan McKenna said she was very happy with how the season turned out.

“This season was really awe-some for me,” McKenna said. “I got to see this team transform in the past four years from losing ev-ery game when I was a freshman to being undefeated in a higher

division as a senior. I’m sad that I won’t get to see what it will be like to play Division II, but I’m proud that I was part of something so huge and exciting for this team.

McKenna also gives credit to volunteer coaches Stef Hollenbach and Tim Pearage for the team’s success.

Junior Nina Giordano said she also enjoyed the successful sea-son and is excited to compete in a higher division next season.

“It’s been really exciting to watch the team progress over the past two seasons,” Giordano said.

“It’s rewarding to work hard and play other teams in our divi-sion, especially in tournaments. I think we’re ready for the future season. We have new captains who are ready to work hard along with the rest of the team. ”

McKenna said she believes Scranton will continue having suc-

cess in Division II next season. “Moving up to Division II is in-

credible for our team,” McKenna said. “Now the girls are going to have to practice and condition that much harder because they will be playing even better teams next fall.

She also hopes all club sports continue to improve over the years.

“I would like to see people rec-ognize not just rugby, but all club sports more seriously,” McKenna said. “People don’t realize that we practice and train hard all season and off-seasons, but don’t get some of the benefits that varsity sports get and a lot of the times, these teams don’t have a coach, which makes it even harder.”

The University of Scranton supports 15 club sports, including men’s and women’s rugby, fencing and ice hockey.

By Cory BUrrELLStaff Writer

Cross country team at regionalsBoth the men’s and women’s

cross country team competed in the NCAA Mideast Regional in Slippery Rock Saturday.

The men’s team finished 28th out of 47 teams with 788 points. The women’s team finished 20th out of 45 teams with a total of 585 points.

Junior Jason Bohenek crossed the finish line first for the Royals on the men’s side with a time of 27:52.2. Bohenek finished in 122nd place in a field of 361 runners.

Freshman Stefan Bossbaly and junior Jeremy Evans finished next in 141st and 170th.

Bossbaly ran the course in 28:08.0 and Evans ran it in 28:37.2. Junior Patrick Casterline and soph-

omore Matt Willcox rounded out the Royals’ top five runners. Cast-erline came in 173rd with a time of 28:41.8 and Willcox finished in 183rd with a time of 28:57.8.

“We didn’t take well to the course, we could have done bet-ter,” Willcox said. “However, Ste-fan [Bossbaly] found himself this weekend and was huge part of our weekend.”

Junior Chris Cummings also competed for Scranton and fin-ished 192nd with a time of 29:10.3. Sophomore Brock Walsh finished in 200th with a time of 29:24.3.

“Our season as a whole went well,” Walsh said. “We are looking forward to next season. Our team is relatively young and we are looking to be Landmark Confer-ence contenders in 2011.”

Willcox is also excited for next

season and wants to take down the defending champions.

“We have our eyes on the Landmark Conference title next season.” Willcox added. “We really want to knock off Susquehanna and the dynasty it has had for the past couple seasons.”

Sophomore Kathleen Druther and senior Maria Cifone paced the race for Scranton on the women’s side.

Druther and Cifone covered the course in 24:11.8 and 24:19.0 to fin-ish 60th and 68th in the field of 314 runners.

Sophomore Marisa Dussel, se-nior Diana Martin and sophomore Veronica Kurtulik rounded out the Royals’ top five. Dussel finished 104th with a time of 25:02 and Martin came in 110th with a time 25:08.2. Kurtulik placed 202nd

with a time of 26:49.2.“We did well this weekend and

had a lot of fun.” Dussel said. “Our coach pushed us to our fullest po-tential this season. We are looking forward to next season, but we’ll miss our senior leadership.”

Junior Erin Hayes and fresh-man runner Ariana Moliere also competed for the Royals in the race. Hayes finished 227th with a time of 27:29.4 and Moliere came in 233rd with a time of 27:36.0.

Scranton’s theme this year was teamwork, which is often over-looked in cross country, according to sophomore Shannon Lavelle.

“People don’t think cross coun-try is a team sport but it is,” Lavelle said. “We all ran for each other and the benefit of the team.”

Both teams competed in their last race in the Mideast Regional.

By PAT CAssIdyStaff Writer

Women’s rugby team moves up to Division II

The University relay team of Andrew Urban, Joseph Clifford, Marc Dezii and Paul Vignati swam their way into the school record books by completing the 200 free-style relay in 1:28.34 to give them the record for fastest time for the event. The previous record of 1:28.51 was barely broken in the final event of the meet, a fitting way to cap off the Royals’ 120-61

win over Goucher College to open conference play. The win gave the Royals a 2-2 overall record and a conference record of a perfect 1-0.

Dezii was at his usual best, winning both the 100 and 200 free with respective times of 49.43 and 1:49.52. He was also named Land-mark Conference Swimmer of the Week. Joseph Costello followed up last week’s strong performance with another win in the 1650 free

timed at 19:01.53. Joseph Clifford won the 500 free, while freshmen John Hughes and Adrian Silva won the 100 breaststroke and 100 but-terfly, respectively. Andrew Urban won the 50 free in 22.37. Scranton’s Andrew Kelly, Nathan Wynosky, Hughes and Urban took the 200 medley in 1:42.48.

“It’s awesome that we were able to break the record this early in the season,” Clifford said. “The entire team is swimming really fast for it

being this early and we’re looking for great swims to come.”

Louis Yorey finished second in the 1650, and David Hovey was a runner-up in the 200 individual medley for the Royals. Steve Nico-losi and Tomasz Chec also came in second in the 100 butterfly and the 100 free, respectively.

The Royals head to Selinsgrove next Sunday to take on Susque-hanna in their second Landmark competition.

By JACK hAMBrosEStaff Writer

Urban, Dezii, Clifford, Vignati earn school record

“It definitely sets the tone for the rest of the season,” Kopecki said. “We obviously wished we would have played a little better but a win is a win. We hope to continue to improve and continue to win.”

The Lady Royals’ will face off against William Paterson Satur-day at the DeSales Tournament. The following day the team will be back in action for the second round of the tournament and will play either Ursinus College or De-Sales University. The team will take on King’s College Tuesday.

The Lady Royals realize that part of being a great team is hav-ing each and every opponent play its best against them. They are prepared for the long season with their sites set on the Landmark Conference Championship.

“Most team see Scranton on our jersey and automatically get pumped up and focused to beat us so we can’t take any team light-ly,” Kopecki said.

The wrestling team came up short in its match in Gettysburg College Nov. 10. The Bullets man-aged to pull away and take the final six bouts in the 24-18 win to drop the Royals to 3-2 on the sea-son. Scranton managed to pin two opponents out of its three wins. Four of the Royals’ six losses were decided by three points or fewer.

The day began in dramatic fashion in the match between Scranton’s Mike Murcia and Get-tysburg’s Abe Evans. Late in the third period, Murcia trailed 3-2 but took the lead by a takedown with four seconds left in the match. Only two seconds later, Evans tied the bout by earning a one-point escape, forcing overtime. Alas, Murcia could not regain the lead and the Royals found themselves in an early hole.

It only took two minutes and fifty-nine seconds for Vinny Si-gnoriello to give the Royals the lead after pinning his opponent, Matt Spano. The pin was Signori-ello’s seventh of the season and his eighth win of the year.

Scranton’s Nick Proto built a 6-3 lead over Gettysburg’s Dan Trafi-canti until Traficanti tied the score by squeezing out a 2-1 win. Get-tysburg would quickly relinquish the lead again as Scranton’s Tom Manning won by forfeit, giving the Royals a 12-6 edge. Gettys-burg would claw its way back and take the lead with wins from Joe Fiore, Dan Grabfelder and Jared Leon. Facing a 15-12 deficit, Scran-ton’s Chris Silakoski dug deep and emerged with an overtime win to give the Royals an 18-15 lead. Scranton would be unable to hold the lead as Marshall Puls tied the score at 18-18 for the Bullets and Bobby Christopher closed out the Gettysburg victory.

The Royals will be back in ac-tion against Washington & Jeffer-son College Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Long Center.

By ToM FoTIStaff writer

Wrestling team drops match to Gettysburg

By MIKE IorFINoStaff Writer

The women’s basketball team won its opening game of the 2010-2011 season 58-46 Tuesday at the Long Center against the Montclair State Red Hawks. The team was well prepared entering the game, according to senior guard Megan Kopecki.

“We’ve played Montclair every year and knew what to expect,” Kopecki said. “We were well con-ditioned this year, and did a lot of film and preparation on MSU.”

Scranton took the lead in the opening minutes of the game and never looked back. The Red Hawks kept the game close and went into halftime down five, but Scranton

relinquished the lead. “The game was definitely clos-

er then we wanted it to be. I think our nerves got the best of us and we got a little out of control with turnovers and missed box outs,” Kopecki said. “However we’re just happy to come out with a win in our first game.”

The Lady Royals shut down Montclair State in the second half, allowing just 19 points.

“I thought we played well and with composure,” Scranton coach Mike Strong said. “We did a bet-ter job rebounding and playing defense the second half.”

Senior captains Kopecki and Jennifer King led Scranton in scor-ing with 15 and 11 points. With her 15 points, Kopecki moved into the

10th spot on Scranton’s all time scoring list with a total of 1301 points.

“I thought our seniors did very well and played as seniors should,” Strong said.

Scranton also had significant contributions off the bench, espe-cially from freshman Katie Cun-ningham, who had seven points for the Lady Royals. Sophomore forwards Taylor Pallotta and Sher-nai Bentley also contributed points off the bench. As the season pro-gresses, Strong hopes to improve the rotation and feels confident that it will happen.

After the game, Kopecki stressed the importance of win-ning the first game.

16 THE AQUiNAS

IN THIs IssUE

ALso INCLUdEdNBA early season reviewRugby moves up division

Cross Country at RegionalsMen’s swim team wins meetWrestling loses to Gettysburg Sports

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

See “B-BALL,” Page 15

Not so sweet sixteenBy MATT AMLING

Staff WriterThe women’s soccer team’s

post-season run came to an end Sunday after losing to William Smith College.

William Smith defeated Scran-ton 3-1 in the second round of play in the NCAA tournament. The loss knocked the Royals out of the tournament and ended their sea-son.

“We definitely wanted to win on Sunday, but we were up against a great team and we put up a very respectable effort,” Scranton coach Colleen Murphy said. “William Smith is one of the best teams in the country and we played with them for most of the game. We have nothing to be ashamed of and I am very proud

of the team’s effort on Sunday and in the season as a whole.”

William Smith scored twice in the first three minutes when sophomore midfielder Whitney Frary and junior Chelsea England kicked the ball past Royals’ senior goalkeeper Caitlin Byrne. The Roy-als could not break through until the 71st minute, when junior mid-fielder Christina Cognetti scored her third goal of the season on an assist from freshman Samantha Russo.

Sunday was the first time the Royals reached the second round of NCAA play since 2003, but un-fortunately the Royals could not come away with the victory.

In her last career game, Byrne made six saves. Byrne finished her career with 25 shutouts, the sec-ond most in team history. She also

ended her Scranton career with a .85 goals against average, tying her for third place in Royals’ his-tory.

“Moving on from Scranton, it is nice to know that I have made a mark on the women’s soccer pro-gram,” Byrne said. “However, it was such a great opportunity to even be able to play for the team here and something that I will greatly miss now that it is done.”

It was also the last career game for seniors Chelsea Paskman, Drew Cavanaugh and Caroline Corasaniti. Paskman finishes her career ranked eighth in assists and 17th in total points. Corasaniti ends her career with 11 goals and five assists.

The victory moves William Smith in the quarterfinal game against Oneonta State Univer-

sity. The loss for the Royals also snapped their seven-game win-ning streak, leaving them with a 16-5-1 record on the season. The Royals turned in an impressive performance this season, winning the Landmark Conference and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“This season has been a great experience for us, especially for the young players,” Murphy said. “It is great to find success early in an athletic career because you learn quickly what it takes to be successful. Next year, the girls should be better prepared and they will be confident in their ability to win and be successful in our conference, and in the NCAA tournament.”

The Royals beat Plattsburgh State University Saturday to ad-

vance to the second round game against William Smith Sunday. The Royals defeated Plattsburgh on an early goal from Paskman four minutes into the match. Paskman scored her seventh goal of the sea-son on an assist from Russo.

The victory gave Scranton’s de-fense its 14th shutout of the sea-son, which is tied for the fourth highest in Scranton history.

“We worked hard all year to even get to that point, so win-ning the conference was satisfy-ing, even more so since it was my senior year,” Byrne said. “I am so proud of how well the team did this season. From the start we came together and were support-ive of everyone else on the team, which helped us get as far as we did. I can only see the team doing well in the future.”

By KEvIN dErModyStaff writer

royals win opener

The Royals beat Goucher Col-lege 58-37 and Juanita College 58-33 Saturday to improve their record to 3-2. Scranton took 10 out of 11 events to win its third meet of the year and halt its losing streak at two.

Sophomore Colleen Logan placed first in the 1650 free and 500 free, while first-year swimmer Jessica Merino won the 50 and 100 free, the first top two finishes of her career.

Merino’s efforts earned her The University’s Athlete of the Week.

“It felt amazing to win my first and second race this past week-end,” Merino said. “It was all about perfecting the little things in our races this past week. I’m just glad that my wins could help the team and get us back on a great sea-son.”

Merino, along with sophomore Margaret Beyer, senior Amie Leon-ard and junior Carolyn Gillespie won the 200-medley relay for the Royals.

Leonard also won the 100 back-stroke and Gillespie won the 100 fly. First-year swimmer Sara Fran-

ciscovich won the 200 free, ju-nior Christine Gorge won the 100 backstroke and first-year swim-mer Colleen McMahon won the 200 individual medley. The Royals also placed first in the 200 freestle relay, the last event of the meet, courtesy of sophomore Victoria Meyer, Franciscovich, Beyer and Gillespie.

After such an impressive day, the Royals feel they are back on the winning track.

“Winning our tri-meet last weekend definitely helped boost our morale,” Logan said. “I thought everyone really stepped up this weekend to get our season back on track.”

The Royals will face a tough test in Susquehanna University Sunday. The Crusaders are 2-3 coming off a meet against York, St. Mary’s and Dickinson. The Cru-saders defeated York, but lost to St. Mary’s and Dickinson.

Logan says the weekend brought the team’s confidence back and that they’ll need this mo-mentum going into their match at Susquehanna University.

The Royals will travel to Susque-hanna to face the Crusaders at 2 p.m. Sunday.

By JoE sLoWIKStaff Writer

Women’s swim team back on track after win

Jess rothChild / photo editorSENIOR GUARD Megan Kopecki looks to create against Montclair State University Tuesday at the John Long Center. Kopecki led Scranton in scoring with 15 points in the Royals’ 58-46 victory.