Quad 101-10

The WWW.WCUQUAD.COMMONDAY. DECEMBER 5, 2011

V O L UM E 1 0 1 . I S S U E 1 0STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

IN THIS ISSUENEWS OP-ED FEATURES ENT SPORTS

PAGE 4 PAGE 7 PAGE 10 PAGE 15 PAGE 23

Jessica Guzzardo/ The Quad

Photo by Richard Alcindor

uadTheThe Happy Holidays!

THE QUAD DECEMBER 5, 2011

[email protected]

WCU holds town hall meeting, focuses on

strategic planningBy Margaret Weaver

Staff Writer

A Strategic Planning town hall meeting was held in the Sykes The-ater on Nov. 29. The title of the presentation was “Building on Excel-lence: New Strategic Plan for WCU.” The purpose of this town hall meeting was to bring members of the faculty, students and alumni together in or-der to discuss plans for the university’s contin-ued success. According to the Stra-tegic Planning page on the WCU website, the plan was developed in 2001 and updated in 2007. Originally called “The Plan for Excel-lence,” the university is now seeking to build on that plan after ex-amining the successes of WCU over the past decade. “We are not planning on excellence anymore. We’re building on excel-lence,” WCU President, Dr. Greg Weisenstein, said.“We are taking a look at our environment and seeing how that’s changed, how we’ve changed,” Weisenstein emphasized. He men-tioned how new mar-keting strategies are in place and that they have been successful. WCU has a commercial on the radio and has appeared on billboards throughout the area. Dick Swain showed the Strategic Planning

page on the website and talked about the different surveys that have been distributed and future surveys as well. “We want to have things that we can as-sess,” Swain said. One of the documents on the website is an overview of the original plan. According to the

overview, “The Plan for Excellence” contains seven priorities that have guided WCU over the past 10 years. They are meeting the edu-cational and cultural needs of the region, making student suc-cess the institution’s defining characteristic, improving diversity, investing in the profes-sional development of faculty and staff, diver-sifying physical and fis-cal resources, develop-ing an environmentally sustainable campus, and internationalizing

the campus. Dr. Roberta Snow, Chair and Professor of Management, talked about how the plan cap-tures what the univer-sity has been histori-cally and what it will continue to be accord-ing to the mission state-ment. The committee is utilizing WCU’s mis-

sion statement in order to address concerns and make improvements.Instead of presenting different issues that have come up, Swain and Snow invited audi-ence members to share ideas and ask ques-tions about where the university is going and how it can be made bet-ter. One professor brought up the question, “are students benefitting from going to college or just increasing their student loans?” Class sizes have increased

33%, and it is affecting the student/teacher ra-tio negatively. Because of the grow-ing number of students there is concern about the facilities being too small to hold the differ-ent organizations that need to meet and hold events. In addition to the organizations need-

ing space, remedia-tion for students was brought up and space would be needed for that as well. Another member of the audience stood up and mentioned that Main Hall needs to be replaced with a build-ing “that’s more pleas-ant to look at, teach in, and be in.” Improving air quality in the older buildings like Main Hall was addressed as well. Academic quality was another issue that was presented during the

discussion and many audience members were in approval of the idea. According to one of the teachers and the academic policy, students can graduate with a D- as a grade in a required class or in a class that’s a pre-requisite for another. He wants to see this raised to a C-. “Stu-dents shouldn’t get into courses that they don’t have background in.” Because of the in-creasing number of graduate students and

the fact t h a t , in this economy, m a n y students hold jobs and do not have a lot of time for c l a s s e s or home-w o r k , o n l i n e learning is being discussed so that students

can learn on their own time. Professors would do their lectures via web cast. One teacher called it “on demand education.” An issue that has come up many times is the fact that WCU is not present on the differ-ent community colleges in the area. Many stu-dents transfer and find that the courses they’ve taken at their com-munity college will not transfer into WCU and they are forced to stay longer than they have to in order to graduate. Giving students advis-

http://www.wcupa.edu/sharedvision/strategicplanning/

ing on site at the com-munity colleges will hopefully clarify what courses will transfer and which will not. Snow and Swain want more people to be in-volved in the changes that will be made to WCU. The ultimate goal is to create a bet-ter learning environ-ment and students and faculty are encouraged to participate in discus-sions and surveys. Some students are being proactive in the community and shar-ing their ideas at dif-ferent programs and events. “Having the strategic plan starts good con-versations and reflec-tive thinking about ways our university is living up to its values, principles, and ways we can improve it,” second year student, Christine Mackin said. Snow encourages stu-dents to e-mail her or Swain about questions posed in the different surveys. She empha-sized that the issue on parking is being ad-dressed so students should try to think about other issues. For more information on the Building on Ex-cellence plan, visit the website at http://www.wcupa.edu/sharedvi-sion/strategicplanning/. Students and faculty can also e-mail opin-ions and suggestions to Snow at [email protected] and Swain at [email protected]. Margaret Weaver is a fourth-year student major-ing in English. She can be reached at [email protected].

DECEMBER 5, 2011 THE QUAD PAGE 3

Clery Act, numbers decrease

A second look into the Clery Act

By Ginger Rae DunbarEditor-in-Chief

Practicum Writer

The Clery Act report is put together by five leaders of the Depart-ment of Public Safety, Chief Michael Bick-ing said. Bicking and Captain Mike Vining review the report. Det. James Kalavik reviews reports of hate crimes. Sgt. Matt Paris, crimi-nal investigator, is the officer in charge of criminal investiga-tions. Sgt. Rob Herzog, compliance officer, puts together the report. The report is reviewed again at the end of each year for accuracy, prior to releasing the crime statistics publicly. Herzog is currently working on the Clery Act for his sixth year as he works on com-piling the numbers for the current year. This year’s crime statis-tics will include Col-lege Arms as it will be shown in the numbers reporting residential facilities. The Clery Act also reports crimes of the three years previ-ous. To keep the Clery Act report up-to-date Herzog reviews the crimes reported from the day before. Taking reports from the last 24 hours, he classifies sta-tistics in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and Clery. His job is to categorize the reported offenses by their defi-nition according to the

Clery Act. Each year of crime statistics is or-ganized in a four-inch binder. Herzog makes a documented note to explain the reason-ing for classifying an offense and any addi-tional notes. The notes help officers recognize why decisions were made for the Clery Act and also for future ref-erence of classifying of-fenses. Tab marks are used to identify cases that the compliance officer questions how to cate-gorize. Some classifica-tions are simple, Her-zog said, while other cases call for using a reference. A handbook includes typical sce-narios that assist com-pliance officers to cate-gorize offenses. During review checks, officers aim to explain how an investigation leads to a classification of the of-fense, Bicking said. DPS is required to issue safety alerts in a timely matter for cer-tain crimes, reported to them or local police agencies, occurring in geographic locations defined by the Clery Act. These crimes in-clude murder and non-negligent man-slaughter, negligent manslaughter, forcible and non-forcible sex of-fenses, robbery, aggra-vated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson. Geographic loca-tions include on-cam-pus, non-campus and

public property. DPS issues warnings via e-mail to enrolled students and employ-ees, text-message, and posts in buildings and on the DPS website. While there are addi-tional criteria calling for issuing a timely re-port, Bicking said they decide if there still is a “posing danger” to those on-campus, and if so, “then we put out [a safety alert] as quickly as possible.” DPS is-sues safety alerts even when not required by the Clery Act, Bicking said. They consider if students frequently use the off-campus lo-cation of the reported crime. Bicking said DPS sends out a safety alert, and by making the annoucement pub-lic, it will “prevent a danger to our students and faculty.” “It’s our mission to provide a safe environ-ment,” he said. The Clery Act is com-plied with reports to DPS from local law enforcement agencies, Division of Residence Life and Housing, Ju-dicial Affairs, the De-partment of Human Resources, Women’s Center, Student Health Center, and the Office of Institutional Re-search. Ginger Rae Dunbar is a fifth-year student majoring in English with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at [email protected].

WCU Students take a swing at Major League Accounting

By Lindsey HerrSpecial to The Quad

“Business of Baseball” was the title of a pre-sentation made by the Philadelphia Phillies CFO and West Chester University graduate, John Nickolas, to over 25 students from WCU’s Beta Alpha Psi and Ac-counting Society organizations ear-lier this month. Nickolas took students through the unique ac-counting applica-tions for major league baseball franchises and the business side of player contracts, which brought home the point that all businesses need ac-counting to make them work. Furthermore, Nicko-las not only briefed the

members with the ins and outs of his job, but he shared his favorite moment; in fact, this moment wasn’t any-thing less than memo-rable. After the Phil-lies’ success in winning the 2008 World Series,

Nickolas was granted the opportunity to par-ticipate in the parade. He was riding with Philadelphia’s Mayor

Nutter who was hold-ing the trophy. The mayor asked Nickolas to hold the trophy and ultimately raise it. “When the mayor tells you to do something, you do it,” Nickolas said. Nickolas raised

the trophy. It just so happened that at the moment he raised the trophy, the parade was passing the exact spot where his son was watching, who snapped a notewor-thy picture that will be a life-long keep-sake. The opportunity to tour the park was made possible through the spon-sorship of KPMG,

the Phillies’ auditor and one of the largest

see ACCOUNTINGon page 5

Photo Courtesy of Lindsey HerrStudents in the Accounting Society

enjoy an insightful field trip.

“The decrease in [certain criminal] statistics is believed to be occurring as a

result of the new style residence halls. Students do not use the hallways and

public areas as much in the new residence halls which reduce the unlocked

and unattended residence hall rooms. Subsequently burglaries, thefts and the

observance of illegal activity are reduced.” - Chief Bicking


Online | Blended | ClassrOOmRegister today online at www.alvernia.edu/mywinter

At Alvernia University, you can go back to school without giving up important commitments at work and home. Courses are offered in three accelerated formats: Online, Blended and Classroom.

All courses are accredited and the credits are readily transferable.

Win an apple iPad 2 Refer a friend to our

Winter Session to enter drawing.

Visit AUWinter.com

Biology Department conducts profound researchStudents are given the chance to earn money while participating in research that will benefi t others for years to come.

By Angela ThomasNews Editor

It only takes 10 min-utes to make $10 in the Biology Department at West Chester Univer-sity. Professor Sarah Sta-mis, along with Dr. Les-lie Slusher of the Biol-ogy Department, are conducting research into the cause and ef-fect of prostate cancer, specifi cally in African American men. Both professors are conduct-ing a screen-ing test for men. Ten minutes to urinate into a cup and fi ll out surveys and paper-work will earn male students $10. “We’re look-ing at pros-tate cancer,” Stamis said. “Prostate can-cer is a seri-ous and usu-ally under recognized problem in America.” Along with the re-search being done, the event, “No Shave No-vember” was in sup-port and awareness of prostate cancer. “But other than that, it doesn’t have much rec-ognition that some of the other cancers do,” Stamis said, which is part of the reason why research is being con-ducted. Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in American men and is the second-leading cause of death in American men over the age of 50. “The big problem with it is that there re-ally aren’t that many treatment options for prostate cancer,” Sta-

mis said. “There are chemotherapies but nothing’s been cured so there is no way to cure it. If someone has an aggressive form of prostate cancer, they don’t have that many options.” Stamis talked about some of the surgical options but noted that there are horrendous side effects to those op-tions such as sterility and erectile dysfunc-tion. Stamis also noted

that these side effects are usually hard to cope with. “We are trying to fi nd one of the roots and changes that happen early on in the process of going from normal to cancer,” Stamis said. “We are trying to go back and fi nd one of those changes that oc-curs so that from there, you can tease out a che-motherapy. It gives you a starting point to go through and fi nd what it is and what’s impor-tant in what you are looking for, what’s go-ing to help.” Stamis and her re-search team started looking at a family of genes called Alcohol Dehydrogenase. Alco-hol Dehydrogenase has been studied a lot in its

role in ethanol metabo-lism. “For example, if you go to a bar and have a beer, your ADH (Alcohol Dehydroge-nase) kicks in and it starts metabolizing all that ethanol,” Stamis said. “So instead of staying drunk forever, you wake up the next morning and you’re not drunk because you have that metabolized all the ethanol.” ADH has antioxidant properties. ADH will clean up all the toxins and debris inside cells that would cause can-cer. “What I have found

and what Dr. Slusher has found is that in the prostate, ADH normally has some sort of maintenance function that it is doing. So it is taking care of all the antioxidants and cleaning your cells out,” Stamis said. “But then in cancer, it’s ab-sent so there is something that has changed from normal to cancer

with these ADH genes present in normal and not in cancer.” What Stamis is looking at when it comes to the research is why is that change present? Endo Pharmaceuti-cals, located in Chadds Ford, Pa, and CEO of Endo Pharmaceuticals, David Holveck, also a WCU alumni, has tak-en an interest in the research that is being done. “What we’re trying to do now is we’re trying to turn this into some sort of screening test for men to screen for susceptibility for pros-tate cancer,” Stamis said. “Another aspect of this, which is excit-ing to fi nd, is that we have found what types

of ADH are present in Caucasian men and Af-rican American men.” African American men are at the most risk for getting pros-tate cancer and are even at a higher risk in dying from it. “We have this group of genes that we’re looking at with this antioxidant prop-erty and we have found that there is a different set that is expressed in African American men and so we’re thinking that this may play a really important role in that process for Afri-can American men that maybe doesn’t exist in other ethnic groups,” Stamis said, explain-ing her excitement for this discovery. So far, Stamis has re-ceived 99 participants but only 10 of which, were African Ameri-can. Stamis’s goal is to screen test 200 men for

prostate cancer. Stamis is hoping for more Af-rican American men to come in for the screen testing. The deadline for the screen tests will be in February. Stamis also men-tioned student, Alfred Bedell, who helped Stamis to “think like students by offering in-centive and using hu-mor.” “The procedure is real easy. All they have to do is come in, they have to urinate in a cup, then they’ll fi ll out a survey, and paperwork for vali-dation,” Stamis said. Stamis started the research in the gradu-ate program and has a MS in Biology from WCU. She is a research technician and is also a part of the faculty. Dr. Slusher is also helping with the research. She has a Ph.D. in Pharma-cology. Undergraduate

student, Alfred Bedell, is also helping out with research. Women are also welcomed to par-ticipate in this when it comes to helping out with the research. Biol-ogy students can also gain credit for help-ing out with the study through an indepen-dent study course. “I want students to know that this is an opportunity at West Chester to be a part of something that has a big potential impact and if they get involved in it, they can be a part of it,” Stamis said. Stamis is the initial contact for the research and can be contacted at [email protected] with any questions about the research. Angela Thomas is a fourth-year student major-ing in English. She can be reached at [email protected].

http://bio.wcupa.edu/biology/index.php/home.html

DECEMBER 5, 2011 THE QUAD PAGE 5Accountingfrom page 3

accounting firms in the world. Also joining the group was Drexel Uni-versity’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter. The essence of the event was to fulfill the purpose of WCU’s Ac-counting Society, which is to help prepare ac-counting students for upcoming internships and post-college em-ployment. “I have developed a comfort level with KPMG that I would have not had without the frequent contact. I feel as though the en-tire trip was well be-yond anything I could have expected,” mem-ber, David Hansell said. Accounting majors should be aware of all the opportunities they have available and cus-tomize their interests to those opportunities. What better way to give students this op-portunity than to visit a landmark that was built in the last de-cade? Whether it is the t-shirts seen on cam-pus, celebrations heard after the World Series, or frequent Facebook status updates, West Chester students are all familiar with Phil-lies’ pride. The organi-zations found a com-mon love for America’s favorite pastime and showed students how accounting is incorpo-rated. Additionally, while the event required noth-ing beyond enjoying the tour and the oppor-tunity of networking, the organizations went above and beyond. As a group, they incorpo-rated fundraising into the event. Both organizations researched founda-tions sponsored by the Phillies’ players and

chose one relevant to its members. Hamel’s Foundation was cre-ated in 2008 by Cole Hamels, a Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, and his wife, Heidi, former West Chester residents. The mission of the foundation is to create more educational op-portunities for Phila-delphia and Malawi inner-city children. Through good faith, willing participants, and proper planning, both organizations pro-posed a goal of raising $1,000. After numerous pretzel sales and gen-erous donations from both students and ac-counting professors, the organizations pre-sented a Hamel’s Foun-dation representative with a check for $1,000 at the Nov. 10 event. The opportunity of the Phillies field trip gen-erated interest in both organizations and pro-vided members with a worthwhile experience. The trip can best be summarized by member, Michelle Westervelt, who said, “It gave us the opportu-nity to look at account-ing from a different perspective, but it was also awesome to see Citizens Bank Park be-hind the scenes.” This event is just one of many events Ac-counting Society and Beta Alpha Psi wishes to participate in to show West Chester ac-counting students just how interesting ac-counting can be. The Accounting So-ciety would like to give a special thanks to the partners and staff of KPMG for coming out and supporting Drexel and West Chester. Lindsey Herr is a student at West Chester Univer-sity. She can be reached at [email protected].

Dance For a DanceOn Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4, The Honors College hosted a 16-hour dance marathon fundraiser

All photos by Kiersten McMonagle/The Quad

Opinion&

Yes, it’s that time of the year already. Call it what you want; it’s known as finals week.

The library fills up with constant chatter and no tables are found unoccu-pied during the last two weeks before finals week. You could waste your time circling the library for a table. During this crunch time, you plan to get to the library early or find yourself looking for signs of someone leaving, as though you were in a full parking lot, driving around in circles convincing yourself a spot will open.

For the convenience of students, the Starbucks in the library will be avail-able during the after hours, giving students a study area for five and a half ad-ditional hours each night for the last two weeks of the semester. Remember to take study breaks and keep your focus. At Sykes be thankful that staff is provid-ing a study break which includes serving food at 10 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12.

As the semester winds down, remember to take good care of yourself. Hopefully you can look back on the semester with a smile and be proud of what you have accomplished and how hard you have worked.

After you turn in your final papers and complete your final exams, be care-ful traveling to your next destination. Let life and your college experience be a wonderful journey. Congratulations to students surviving their first semester in college. For those of you graduating, best of luck to you. To the others, we’ll see you when you get back for the spring semester. Happy holidays to everyone, and a goodnight to all.

~ Ginger RaeEditor-in-Chief

It’s that time of yearKelly Adams

Sarah GurgalBethany Van De Water

West Chester University | 253 Sykes Student Union | West Chester, Pennsylvania 19383

Phone: 610.436.2375 | E-mail: [email protected] | Web: www.wcuquad.com

Ginger Rae Dunbar [email protected]

Angela ThomasNews EditorBill HanrahanOp-Ed EditorRebekah BalmerFeatures EditorCarol FritzEntertainment EditorKenny AyresSports EditorLukas JenkinsPhotography Editor

EDITORIAL BOARD

Brynn DoughertyAsst. Sports Editor

Jess GuzzardoAsst. Photography Editor

EDITORIAL STAFF

Dan ColonBusiness EditorMike MillsAdvertising Manager

BUSINESS & ADVERTISING STAFF

COPY EDITORS

Alexis Caporizzo Mike Coia

DISTRIBUTION

Kristin SolanickONLINE EDITION

Dr. Philip A. Thompsen

FACULTY ADVISOR

Submissions Policy [suhb-mish-uhnz . pol-uh-see]Guest and opinion columns, letters to the editor, political or social commentary, and artwork is accepted dur-ing the academic year. All material may be sent to the attention of the editor in chief, The Quad, 253 Sykes Student Union Building, West Chester University, West Chester, Pa. 19383, Material may also be dropped off in our office, Sykes 253 or e-mailed to [email protected]. An electronic copy of all work is necessary for publication and should be sent to the aforementioned e-mail address.All submissions must include a name and at least two forms of contact information, such as an e-mail address and phone number, for verification purposes. Students should include information such as an on-campus ad-dress, class standing, area of study, and/or organizational position. Material is only published if the author/artist can be confirmed as a standing member of the University. Such distinctions include students, staff, faculty, administration, and alumnus. We do not accept submissions from members of the community that are not associated with West Chester University.Letters to the editor should not exceed 250 words; columns and commentaries should be between 500 and 1,100 words. All material may be edited to adhere to our policies, AP style, and space restraints. We do not edit for content unless it is libelous, excessively profane, or harmful to a particular individual or group thereof.Opinions expressed within the letters to the editor, columns, and commentaries are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Quad, its editorial board or the student body, faculty, or administration of West Chester University.The deadline for all Op-ed submissons is the Saturday before Monday’s publication by 2 p.m.

Copyright ©2011 The Quad. No work herein may be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the Editor in Chief. Opinions expressed within the letters to the editor, columns, and commentaries are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Quad, its editorial board or the student body, faculty, or administration of West Chester University.Founded in 1932 as Quad Angles, The Quad was re-named as such in 1975. The Quad is the independent, student-run newspaper of West Chester University of Pennsylvania and is published weekly throughout the academic year. The Quad is published on 10 Mondays each academic semester and has a weekly newsprint circulation of 3,500. The Quad is funded primarily through advertising sales and although we receive a bud-get through SGA and the student activity fee, The Quad is run solely by students and is not edited or altered in any way by University faculty, staff, or administration. The University has no prior review of the content.Rates and mechanical requirements for display advertising can be found on our Web site. Inquiries may be placed at the addresses or phone numbers listed above. Classified advertising may be purchased on our Web site: http://www.wcuquad.com. The Quad reserves the right to refuse any news items, letters, or advertising thought to be offensive or inappropriate.The Quad exercises care to prevent omissions and factual errors. Corrections for any published error will not exceed the space or prominence of the error that occurred. Claims for adjustment must be made within five days of publication.

The Quad is printed by Journal Register Offset in Exton, Pa.

Disclaimers [dis-kley-merz]

The Quad

Editorial

PAGE 6 THE QUAD DECEMBER 5, 2011

The Quad is hiring a business man-ager for the spring semester. Paying

position. E-mail [email protected] to apply.


Outside, cardinals sing their tunes on the branches of a pine tree while the snow gently falls from the sky. Squirrels chew away the carrot nose on a snow-man made minutes ago. The sparkling lights glisten in the distance of homes in the Christ-mas mood. Inside, a fireplace is lit while family members gather around to get warm. They sip their hot chocolate while listen-ing to “O Holy Night” as their Christmas tree glows, making the room shine in bright red and green. Christmas is a time of year where families and love are most important. It’s also a time where giving should be more important than receiv-ing. I am grateful that my fam-ily and friends still say “Merry Christmas” to each other with-out getting offended by the title. Saying “Merry Christmas” is al-ways the first thing that comes out of our mouths on Christmas morning, but my story starts at the very beginning of December.

I can’t remember one De-cember in my life where I didn’t receive an Advent calendar on the first of the month. My mom would always share that tradition with me, where we would open the window to see what surprise waits behind, ev-ery day until Christmas. Also around the first of the month, I was always tricked; in a good way, I may add. Our neighbors always pretended to be Santa Claus and Santa’s elf helper, and every year until Santa was just a myth to me, I would call “The North Pole” and tell Santa what I wanted for Christmas. It was a good memory where I al-ways knew I could count on that special phone call that brought much joy into a child’s heart. Those first three weeks of De-cember always flew by, because as a child, I was always anxious to open my presents on Christ-mas morning.

When Christmas Eve ar-rived, my family and I had our own special traditions. Right

when it started to get dark out-side, every year, we would drive around the town for about an hour or two looking at all the pretty Christmas lights put up on the houses. Seeing the lumi-naries as well, made it such a magical sight; it looked like an airport runway that was light-ed just for the remembrance of our Lord and Savior. Year after year, it seems as though that there are fewer luminaries lit in neighborhoods. I’m not sure if it’s just because the economy is in shambles and everyone is trying to save money, or if it is because people are getting too embarrassed to show that they celebrate Christmas. I hope it’s not the second reason, because the commercialization of this holiday season gets more obvi-ous every year. I hope that ev-eryone who celebrates Christ-mas is proud of sharing it with others, instead of being worried they will offend someone, just as I hope that those who celebrate other holidays this season are able to share their beliefs freely without feeling scrutinized. Af-ter a nice drive, we always came home and sat around the fire-place eating Christmas cookies and drinking our hot chocolate. The Christmas tree would be lit, and we would listen to old Ger-man records since my grandpar-ents (whom I called Oma and Opa which meant grandpa and grandma in German) were of that heritage. Then, I would of course, go to bed on the earlier side of the night so I could get to sleep before Santa came down the chimney.

Christmas morning was a memory ingrained in my mind forever. I cannot remember any mornings that were al-ways filled with love, laugh-ter, and joy such as Christmas morning. First, at 7 a.m. every Christmas morning on the dot, I would wake up and run into my parents’ room. I would jump on their bed to wake them up, as the thoughts of what Santa has brought me were racing through my mind. Then, my parents

would go downstairs, and wake my grandparents up (who also lived with us) and get our dog, Scamper, up as well. I was re-quired to wait at the top of the stairs for 30 minutes while my parents made their coffee, got the cookies ready, brought out the camera and the video cam-era, and did whatever else they were doing to frustrate the heck out of a child wanting to see his presents.

During this time of precious waiting, I was always able to sit back and reflect on how lucky I am, which is another important part of celebrating Christmas. Thinking back on the year (that was almost coming to an end), I was able to remember all of the good times I had through-out the past 12 months. It’s so peaceful to take a few moments during the holiday season and completely stop what you are doing. When you get yourself in a state of mind of relaxation, it’s so easy to give thanks for all of the blessings that you have. It could be something as simple as having a loving family and loving friends, or maybe the fact that you have your health. Whatever it is that makes you pause and say, “thank you,” that’s what is most important. Finally after what seemed like hours, my parents would call me downstairs, and we would all be wearing our Santa hats. Even Scamper had her own lit-tle hat…reindeer antlers.

Now I was in charge. I was the kid and this was Christ-mas morning! I always gazed at all the presents with such an open heart. I did have one rule though. Every present for my parents, grandparents, and myself had to be opened indi-vidually…one by one. I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss out on the excitement and meaning of every single card and gift. So as you can imagine, our Christ-mas morning took longer than most. After opening each gift, we would take the bow off and tape it to Opa’s robe. By the

Traditions that last a lifetimeBy Adam AndersPracticum Writer

Since about 2004, I’ve routine-ly gone out on Black Friday. It started mostly as a goof between myself and a few friends, the novelty of staying up all night, driving around to different busi-nesses and shopping complexes, watching the utter madness un-fold as the huddled masses slowly formed one amorphous blob in-tent on finding the best deal was always intriguing. Sometimes we’d actually get lucky, find a great deal and be able to sneak into one of the shorter lines at the register (I remember one year I got season three of “Arrested De-velopment” on DVD for $4).

But the deals were never the point, at least not to us. No, we were in it for the spectacle. We wanted to be there when some-body, who was borderline psy-chotic from a combination of lack of sleep and frostbite from the bitter winds, finally snapped and did something that you only read about in the paper or saw on the news. This never happened—un-til this year.

For some reason, my brother and I thought it’d be fun to try and get him a new digital camera from Best Buy for something like 20 bucks. We entered the store around 8 a.m. and almost imme-diately lost each other in the sea of smart shoppers. The current swept me up and took me towards the DVD department as my brother was pushed and shoved towards the big screen TVs.

I finally was able to pry my-self from the mob somewhere around the children’s section. I decided that while I was there I might as well look for something for my little sister, preferably a DVD whose case was pink. While perusing, I heard an argument growing in volume behind me. I didn’t think anything of it at first as I was still hung over and sim-ply couldn’t be bothered. But once (foul language) started being ban-died about, I decided to give the incident my undivided attention.

Apparently what had hap-pened was one woman in a tan

coat had sat down an Apple iPad on a counter while she attempted to retie her coat’s belt. Another woman in a crazy hat saw the iPad lying on the countertop with no discernible owner and imme-diately scooped it up. Both wom-en were in their mid-forties. Now, I’d like to assume that initially Tan Coat calmly pointed out the mistake to Crazy Hat, but from the look in her eye, probably not. The two women were now en-gaged in a fight to the death over who the true heir to the iPad was. I really wanted to side with Tan Coat, because, after all, it was hers first and she had sat it down for all of what had to be ten sec-onds, at best. But man, she was unloading on Crazy Hat like she had just stolen her firstborn. It was almost to the point where it seemed like Crazy Hat was more in a state of terror induced paral-ysis than trying to keep the item for herself.

My brother soon found me and I brought him up to speed. We watched as Crazy Hat finally summoned up the courage to start yelling a few things back at Tan Coat and everything started to spiral out of control. The fact that it was so loud in the store, forcing the women to constantly be raising the volume of their voices, was not helping. Finally, Crazy Hat met her breaking point, stood silent and frozen for five solid seconds and suddenly slapped Tan Coat across the face. Me, my brother and Tan Coat’s respective jaws dropped and the four of us just stood there like the last scene of a spaghetti West-ern, waiting for what was go-ing to happen next. The gravity of the situation seemed to wash over Crazy Hat and she pan-icked, shoved the iPad into Tan Coat’s arms and scampered off down the aisle, absorbed into the crowd. Tan Coat stood there for a few more seconds, not seeming to believe what had just happened, accepted it and moved on.

Patrick McFadden is a fourth-year student majoring in literature with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected]

Black FridayBy Patrick McFadden

Practicum Writer

See TRADITIONS on page 8


time we had fi nished opening all of our presents, Opa would be covered in bows from head to toe; that always made us laugh. And at that sight of Opa covered in bows, we knew Christmas morning was offi cially over.

One thing I always remem-bered, more than anything else though, is the love that is shared throughout the entire Christmas season, the joy and laughter that families share ev-ery year along with the scenes of seeing Santa Claus in every mall across the country, the beautiful Christmas lights and trees that are up on homes ev-erywhere that glimmer in the night and the egg nog and hot chocolate being sipped and the cookies and fruitcake being eat-en. But most of all, I remember the happiness of giving: giving to those less fortunate than us, and the satisfaction of the entire human race when we do a good deed for others. Be proud of the holiday that you celebrate this season, be thankful for all that you have in your life, and give to those who are less fortunate than you. These three things will help you to remember the true reason for celebrating this December. Not everyone is able to enjoy a Christmas like I did. Some people have never heard a jingle bell ring or have never heard the story of the Son of God. Would these people never know of peace on earth, or the brotherhood of man? Or know how to love, or how to give? With our help, they can. This Christmas season, be sure to give all that you can to those who can only give you back a smile that will open your heart and soul forever. And if you look in the night sky very carefully on Christmas Eve, you may even see God’s beautiful stars guiding Santa Claus and his reindeer back home.

Adam Anders is a fifth-year stu-dent majoring in political science with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected].

My acceptance to West Chester University was based on a manda-tory three course, six week sum-mer session two weeks after my high school graduation. The Aca-demic Development Program, also known as ADP, was intended to help acclimate students who strug-gled in math skills or writing com-petency. Each accepted student was unique in their academic pit-falls, but the University provided this program in order to reinforce expected college profi ciency. Skills in math and writing were only half of what I learned at the comple-tion of a fi ve and a half year college career. The other half included a tremendous re-sponsibility, determination and the ability to multi-task.

Most high school gradu-ates were enjoying the free-dom from grade school and anticipating the start of the next chapter in their lives. My next chapter began two weeks post-graduation, and suddenly, the people I loved and knew so well became dis-tance sources of support and reassurance. Family, friends and a high school sweetheart were only a two hour public transportation ride away, but it felt like they were across the globe. The summer of 2006 commenced, a chapter in my book that will never be forgotten.

The Academic Develop-ment Program introduced me to new people and way of life. ADP was anomalous to academic boot camp. Each student was re-quired to have at least three class-es depending upon the subject in which they struggled. Students were required to have tutors and a rigorous schedule which caused us to be up by eight o’clock every morning. We were to stay on cam-pus throughout the week, however students were permitted to leave some weekends. Due to the intense schedule, students were strongly advised not to occupy part time jobs. My performance in the pro-gram was extraordinary. I did so

well in the program that I received a scholarship and was inducted into the Chi Phi Epsilon honor so-ciety. This organization was one in which I pledged in the classroom to complete and pass assignments beyond expectations. The program served its purpose, I completed the program with a 3.0 GPA and met dozens of new friends, professors and advisors that would help me through the complex remainder of my college career. Little did I know, the beginning was nothing like the end.

I began my fi rst fall semester as an undeclared major. I fi gured it didn’t matter because all freshmen

needed to complete a certain num-ber of credits in prerequisites. My course load started with only 12 credits, which already placed me behind in graduating in the four year plan. I took various classes which never had any direction, yet I choose them because I was interested in them. My academic focus drifted, and partying, mak-ing money and traveling home to see friends and my sweetheart caused the climax in this chapter of my book.

For me, class became a little less mandatory, and my social life was top priority. Even though my

parents, and other family mem-bers supported me fi nancially, I still wanted my own extra cash to spend frivolously. Therefore I spent the majority of my time working and spending the money shopping, partying and simply enjoying my youth. I felt like I missed this por-tion of my life between graduating high school and college. By slack-ing in my classes, and barely pass-ing, I thought I was giving myself a break. A break was far gone when I got pregnant the summer of 2008 by my high school sweet heart. I decided to keep my baby and em-bark on the remainder of my col-lege career as a single mother. Yes,

single, my high school sweetheart and I didn’t exactly work out as planned. We still remain friends today, but my independence would not allow our relationship to work. What was left of my college career was a test of my faith and determi-nation to succeed as a single par-ent.

My focus shifted tremendously. With less time to party, and less money to spend, concentrating on my goals became more apparent. Commuting back and forth to West Chester from my home, which is right outside of Philadelphia, made the journey to graduation

seem so distant. Long nights in the library, and early mornings drop-ping my daughter off to her school overwhelmed my daily schedule, not to mention work. I decided to become a professional studies ma-jor with a minor in studio art and journalism. Photography was the one subject that I knew I was pas-sionate about, and previous pho-tography and art classes helped fulfi ll my studio art minor. The University does not offer a photo-journalism minor, therefore I took journalism separately. As I began to fulfi ll my niche in life, opportu-nities arrived to me in abundance. I began to practice freelance pho-

tography, and in the process I met many people who assisted me in learning about photography as a business. Eventually I began booking photog-raphy jobs for events, photos shoots, and weddings. Outside of the classroom I be-came really engaged with my daughter, photography, and a job as a salesperson at Nordstrom, not to mention balancing my schoolwork. With having such a busy schedule, I truly ap-preciated and valued my time with friends and family.

Today, my daugh-ter is two years old, and my motivation revolves

around her. I am not sure how my life would have been if it weren’t for her, but I thank God everyday for her, and the decisions I have made in life thus far. After gradu-ation I plan to attend graduate school for business, to continue photographing, and raising my beautiful daughter. My journey in life has just begun, but the path I am taking has taught me the foun-dation to success.

Dominique Perry is a fifth-year student majoring in professional studies major with a minor in journalism and studio art. She can be reached at [email protected].

Brown-eyed chroniclesBy Dominique Perry

Practicum Writer

Dominique Perry and her two year old daughter Dylan. Dylan smiles in forefront with baby doll while grasping crayons, and Dominique works frantically in the morning to meet deadlines.

Traditionsfrom page 7


TM

Choose to make the most of your winter break.Catch up or get ahead with Kutztown’s super-convenient Online Winter Session!

4 Classes: December 19-January 18

4 Online registration begins October 31

4 More than 35 affordable classes from General Education to graduate level!

4 Simple, easy credit transfer

4 Open to all college and high school students

4 All courses are 100% online

Space is limited!

Register today at Kutztown.edu/WinterOnline

[email protected]


Where to shop for the perfect gift

By Hannah BurnerPracticum Writer

The holiday season has begun which means so has the start of search-ing for the perfect gift for many people. Moms, dads, siblings, relatives, significant others, where do shoppers begin to look? West Chester and the surrounding towns have a lot to offer shop-pers, but if time is a con-cern, shoppers can also strike good deals on-line.

Amazon.com is great for the on-line holiday shopper who wants to avoid the crowds at the malls and other major stores. The site also of-fers no interest for six months if paid in full within six months with the Amazon.com Store Card on any purchase to-taling $149 or more. This allows shoppers to spend less time worrying about money and more time en-joying the holiday season.

Local stores and bou-tiques in West Chester are another great option for shoppers. Why not sup-port local businesses dur-ing the holiday season? At local stores, shoppers are more likely to find one-of-a-kind gifts that not many other stores have to offer. In addition, this is a great option for college students living in town

who do not have a car.Painted Plate is one

example of a store in West Chester. It is located at 104 West Market Street and has a variety of gift ideas for moms, grand-mas, sisters, aunts, and so on. They offer person-alized gifts for people who like something hand-made from the heart. Customers can hand-paint their own pottery (but just be aware that it can take a week to fire and glaze the piece so this isn’t the place to go for a last minute gift).

Not looking for some-thing so personal? Shop-ping on a tight college budget but still want to buy a nice gift? Wal-Mart is a great place to go. They have many differ-ent departments to shop from so there’s usually something for everyone on a shopper’s gift list. In addition, stores like Wal-mart, K-mart and Tar-get have “$1 and Below” areas where shoppers can get great stocking stuffers for a low price.

Kohl’s is another store that can satisfy a shopper’s gift list. The best part about Kohl’s is that if a shopper is unhap-py with their purchase and can’t find the receipt it’s not a problem. Nowa-days shoppers can make

an even exchange, take a Merchandise Credit or get a corporate refund with-out their original receipt.

Customers also re-ceive a $10 Kohl’s Cash® Coupon for the first $50 in purchases. An ad-ditional $10 in value is added to the coupon for each additional $50 spent in that single transaction. What does this mean for holiday shoppers? They can come back to use them to get more gifts or even use them to get themselves a little some-thing for the holidays.

Then there is Best Buy. Best Buy is the place to go when looking for electronics. Around the holidays they sell certain models of TVs and such for less money, but still good quality. In addition, they have an extended return policy during the holidays so shoppers have until Jan. 24 to return products.

If all else fails, get a gift certificate. In the end, shoppers can’t go wrong with a gift cer-tificate for the people in their lives that are picky and hard to buy for.

Hannah Burner is a fourth-year student majoring in English, with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at [email protected].

Teacher Feature: Latonya Thames Taylor

By Dominique PerryPracticum Writer

For over a decade, Latonya Thames Taylor has offered students and faculty at West Chester University her dedica-tion of being a model of a well rounded individual.

In 2001, when Taylor began her career at the university, she educated scholars on violence in America, African Ameri-can history, economic his-tory, the turbulent 1960s, and American south class-es. She will also lecture a constitution history class within the next year. As an associate professor of history, and creator and director of the African American studies minor, Taylor’s thesis in teach-ing and being a role model reflects her influences and background in education.

“Life has been nestled in goodness, in affirmation of who I am as a social-ite and activist,” Taylor said in a phone interview.

Taylor grew up in Gulfsport, Mississippi which is about 60 miles east of New Orleans. Her Louisiana, Catholic, Cre-ole background shaped the diverse, worldly per-spectives that Taylor ad-vocates. Alongside her background, Taylor’s formal education encap-sulates the big picture behind her endeavor to demonstrate justice.

An undergraduate education at Tougaloo

College in Mississippi contributed to the founda-tion of Taylor’s intellec-tual attributes. Tougaloo was historically a private black institution geared toward middle and upper class African Americans. It produced 30-40% of the black lawyers and doctors in Mississippi. The word Tougaloo, which means a place between two rivers, mirrors the position in which Taylor stood in life. The two places in which Taylor balanced aspects of life were growing up with two sides to her family. One side of her family was working class, and the other side was the middle class. Taylor was most influenced by the work-ing class portion of her family, and she wanted to possess the education that her grandmother was unable to attain. Having these two aspects in her family allowed Taylor to see the world through a wide lens, yet she wanted to be a part of a move-ment which helped people view the world with a wide angle perspective.

Taylor attended Uni-versity of Mississippi to acquire her masters and Ph.D. The school known as “Ole Miss” was integrated by James Meredith, the first African American to attend. Taylor wanted to follow in the footsteps of Meredith in that she wanted to be a rebel with a cause. Her commitment

to activism and justice provoked her hard work in graduate school, and led her to receive scholar-ships for her education.

Taylor’s studies in history have also led her to the biggest influences in her life. Historical indi-viduals and their overall purpose in life have rein-forced Taylor’s purpose as a model of integrity. Ida B. Wells is one figure whose main purpose was to re-mind people of the judicial system and its application within a period in Ameri-can history when lynching was at its highest. Anoth-er figure is David Walker, who called for unification and an immediate end to chattel slavery. John Brown’s Raid at Harpers Ferry resonated as anoth-er one of Taylor influenc-es. Elmytis Thames, Tay-lor’s grandmother, was another influence in that she lived through segrega-tion and injustice. Lastly, Helen Lewis, Taylor’s fifth grade teacher, was the first to tell her that Afri-can Americans were the foundation of American history more than any other group. The people who Taylor looked up to were the infrastructure to her objectives in life.

“My goal in life is to be a rebel, socialite and activist,” Taylor said.

Taylor hopes to ul-

see Tayloron page 11

Want to nominate a professor for

the “Teacher feature?” E-mail

[email protected]


Serving part-time in the Air National Guard, you’ll have an entire team of like-minded individuals who want to help you get ahead. You can choose from nearly 200 career specialties, and develop the high-tech skills you need to compete in today’s world. You also train close to home, all while receiving a steady paycheck, benefits and tuition assistance. Talk to a recruiter today, and see how the Pennsylvania Air National Guard can help you succeed.

And An entire teAm to help you

CAreer trAining. money for College.

suCCeed.

timately “seed or cultivate her students.” This is done through Taylor’s effort to dem-onstrate the things deemed essential to justice. Attending plays and museums, traveling, reading and participating in civil rights activities and pro-grams are ways in which Tay-lor models her goal to teach and exhibit well roundedness.

Overall, Taylor de-scribed her most signifi-

cant accomplishments as who she represents and not what is represented by her.

“It’s not what I do, but who I am,” Taylor said.

Being a good wife, fam-ily member and life long civil contributor are among Taylor’s greatest accomplishments. Taylor remains committed to her spirituality regard-less of how people view it.

Additional accomplish-ments include never giving into injustice, and sustaining good citizenship. Taylor’s citizenship

has led to her being elected in a city wide campaign for school board. Taylor’s public election victory serves its purpose in her goal to model justice. Tay-lor is also treasurer for the lo-cal NAACP branch. In a nut-shell, Taylor’s hope to preserve justice is exhibited through her and she strives to promote awareness and civil justice.

Dominique Perry is a fifth-year student majoring in profes-sional studies wtih minors in jour-nalism and studio art. She can be reached at [email protected].

Taylorfrom page 10 December celebrates

National Human Rights Day

By Angela ThomasNews Editor

As December is here, many people are completing their holiday shopping, stores are bustling with excitement, and cash registers are ring-ing with every transaction. Whilst people are checking twice to make sure their list is complete, some might not be thinking twice about those who face discrimination every day.

Dec. 10 marks National Human Rights day. The day celebrates the Universal Dec-laration of Human Rights, which was formed nearly 63 years ago in 1948. The holiday also celebrates the United Na-tions and those who fight for human rights every single day.

The national holiday ob-serves inspiring events all over the world. On Friday, Dec. 9, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, will be host-ing a global conversation that will be broadcasted through-out the world; the conversation will be hosted by social media.

Everyone is encouraged to take part in the global con-versation that will take place from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. New York time. The con-versation will be streamed live through the following net-works: Facebook, Twitter, and the United Nations webcast.

So how can someone sub-

mit a question? Social network-ing is making it easy. Anyone can visit the Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/unit-ednationshumanrights) and Twitter by posting their ques-tion and using the hash tag, #Askrights. Those who are interested can also watch the conversation on the UN web-cast (http://www.unmultime-dia.org/tv/webcast/index.html).

Geneva will also be hosting an event on Dec. 9. The event will be held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. There will be a conversation about the power of social media and its transformation and influence on broadcasting various events pertaining to human rights around the world. Various oth-er countries around the world and offices of the United Na-tions are also hosting events for National Human Rights Day.

Activists in Uganda have begun a 16-day campaign that started on Nov. 26 and will end on National Human Rights day. The activists are campaigning to “promote awareness about violence against women and girls,” according to The New Vi-sion, Uganda’s Daily newspaper.

The United Nations de-scribed this year as “a year like no other for human rights.”

Angela Thomas is a fourth-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at [email protected].

For more information on National Human

Rights Day, visit http://bit.ly/tIMUkB

or scan this QR codewith your smart phone

[email protected]

EntertainmentCheck out the Quad online!wcuquad.com

The Muppets return

By Liz ThompsonSpecial to The Quad

The Muppets are back and better than ever. Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the gang are forced back into action when they learn about a business man’s evil scheme to tear down their beloved theatre. They are brought together by three die- hard Muppet fans: Walter, Gary and Mary.

The trio takes a trip to Los Angeles to celebrate Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary’s (Amy Adams) 10th anniversary with Walter as the third wheel. Walter, the most devoted fan of the three, persuades his brother and Mary to visit the Muppet Studios. He sneaks into Kermit’s old office and finds himself unintention-ally eavesdropping on Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), a famous oil tycoon, and his associates discussing their plan to rip down the theatre to collect the oil that dwells under-neath the infamous building. The gang must raise $10 million in order to save their theatre, and the only way to do that is to put on a show. But first, Kermit must find all his old friends and convince them back into show business.

The Muppets have all split up and are now living very different lives. Kermit finds Fozzie Bear working in a run-down bar trying to pursue a solo career, and Gonzo the bitter CEO of a toilet factory. He collects the rest of his family through an ingenious movie montage, which is just one of the hilarious moments that are scattered throughout the film. The humor was a breath of fresh air compared to the usual inappropriate wit that is seen in other films. I found this especially sur-prising since the writer, Segel, recently wrote himself a full frontal break-up scene in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”

Moreover, while the humor is one of the most appealing aspects of the film, there are many heart-warming messages to be learned through it as well, such as the importance of family, friendship, and devotion. Fans are reassured that the bonds of friendship between the Muppets are everlasting and not affected over time or distance.

The film success-fully brings our favorite characters back in the best way possible. It was not made to replace earlier films but to play tribute to them.

It retells the history of the Muppets and sets the tone for a possible future as well.

This film offers something for fans of all ages. The humor is age appropriate and the musical numbers are extremely catchy; however, Adams was a bit awkward throughout many of them, and I sometimes felt myself feeling a bit of second-hand embarrassment for her during those scenes. Interestingly enough Segel wrote the character for Adams after seeing her in “Enchanted.”

My only other complaint about the film is the certain unexplained circum-stances, like how Walter and Gary are brothers when Walter is a Muppet and Gary is a human. Also, how and why did the Muppets decide to break up in the first place? What happened between Miss Piggy and Kermit? Despite minor annoyances, I cannot imagine anyone with a heart not enjoying this film! Audiences will certainly leave the theatre in high spirits and praying for a sequel.

Liz Thompson is a third-year student majoring in communica-tion studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at [email protected].

The lovable characters, originally introduced over 35 years ago, return to the silver screen to entertain another generation of fans.

Phot

o cr

edit:

pjfo

x.co

m

Jason Segal and Amy Adams star in “The Muppet Movie,” now in theaters.

Frightened Rabbit and King Kahn please fans with EP’s

By Patrick McFaddenPracticum Writer

It may be shocking, but there was a time when there were actual, physical stores that people went into to purchase music. No, really, I am serious. The compact disc (or CDs as we called them) would be scanned, the customer paid an inflated price, and money would be sent to record companies and the respective artist. When down-loading (and especially illegal downloading) became the norm, there was much ballyhooing

from artists about how they will never make any money and be forced to (gasp!) tour in order to see profits.

These days songs, albums, entire cata-logues are available at the point and click of a mouse and most artists have made their peace with the fact that they’re not always going to see immediate returns on their published works. Some have even taken this a step further and have begun offering 100% legal, free downloads of their music. It is an ingenious step as it

not only allows the melody makers to operate outside the wheelhouse of their label, in that no longer are they required to lock themselves inside of a studio for the better part of a year to flesh out an entire album’s worth of material, but people love free stuff and will probably check out it out if it sounds even vaguely interesting.

I love free stuff and found myself in the position of down-loading two free EP’s

See EP’Spage 17



The Amazon Kindle Fire’s weaknesses not enough to deter buyersBy Hannah Burner

Practicum Writer

The Amazon Kindle Fire was released on Nov. 15 and continues to remain Amazon’s bestselling product since it was first introduced.

Overall, this seven-inch tablet has a lot to offer its users while its sim-plicity allows people who are not very tech savvy to use it easily as well.

CNET’s review of the Kindle Fire said, “there are great products and there are cheap products, but very few great, cheap products.” This is the case for the Kindle Fire which is fairly inex-

pensive for a tablet (at $199). This low price attracts the attention of many more buyers, espe-cially college students who may not have the money to purchase a pricey iPad.

The excellent screen quality is somewhat surprising due to the tablet’s low price but it makes it that much more appealing to potential buyers.

When using the Kindle Fire to read books, users are able to adjust the font size, screen color (black, white, cream), and font type. This personalization is great for some users who may need bigger font to read.

Another great benefit of the Kindle Fire is the backlight. The other Kindle’s do not have backlit screens but rather a grayscale e-ink display. The e-ink display makes it difficult for users to read in places not very well lit. The backlight on the Kindle Fire allows for nighttime reading especially during car rides or in bed where lighting is limited.

Unfortunately, an old-school Kindle will be easier to read in the sunlight compared to the Kindle Fire, which has a screen surface similar to that of a smartphone.

The Kindle Fire runs the Android

operating system, which may appeal to users who already have an Android smartphone and are familiar with it. This allows for ease of use for pre-existing Android users but again, it is still user friendly for those who are not familiar with the Android operating system.

After reading, watching movies, and playing games on it, many people might question the battery life of this device. In the end, the Kindle Fire has sufficient battery life even after a day of all these activities.

When the Kindle Fire eventually needs to be charged, the micro USB

charging port is ben-eficial to those who already have a cell phone that uses a micro USB charging port. This eliminates plugging another charger into the wall since owners can use their phone charger for the Kindle Fire as well.

One of the few weaknesses of the Kindle Fire is the need for an Amazon Prime subscription to take advantage of some of the more unique features the device has to offer. Luckily, users receive a free month trial to try out Amazon Prime. This free month trial helps users decide whether or not they want to subscribe to it later

on. The biggest

complaint about the Kindle Fire is that the built in 8GB storage could be bigger. There is also no expandable storage compared to the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet which has expandable storage up to 32GB with a micro SD card.

Overall, the Kindle Fire was received very well by the public, and its few weaknesses, most likely, are not enough to deter most buyers.

Hannah Burner is a fourth-year student majoring in English, with a minor in journal-ism. She can be reached at [email protected].


Comedian Michael Ian Black brings more laughs to Philadelphia By Patrick McFadden

Practicum Writer

After cutting his teeth with the seminal sketch comedy group The State, whose tele-vision program ran on MTV for four seasons in the early ‘90s, he’s starred in the if-you-haven’t-seen-this-go-s e e - i t - r i g h t - n o w comedy “Wet Hot American Summer” and Comedy Central shows “Viva Variety,” “Stella and Michael” and “Michael Have Issues.” Most likely, though, he is known as one of the talking heads on VH1’s “I Love the [insert random decade or year].” His snarky delivery and unbeliev-ably dry wit have made him a staple to the comedy community for the past twenty years.

So it is somewhat surprising that this is only the second year he’s tried his hand at stand-up. I had the pleasure of being present for the recording of Black’s first comedy special, “Very Famous,” back in March and was thoroughly impressed. But I will admit I was a little nervous about seeing him again a short eight months later at the same venue, the Trocadero T h e a t r e i n Philadelphia. The reason for this being that it’s a general rule in the world of stand-up that it usually takes about one year to write and perfect enough material for an hour long performance. While I enjoyed the first show, it is available on CD/DVD, and didn’t really want

to sit through an hour of the same jokes.

Luckily, this was not the case at all. Black’s performance couldn’t have been anything further away from his previous (well, I suppose that’s not exactly true, he could have come out covered in molasses and read aloud from Jane Austin novels, but you know what I mean). While his first show was immensely enjoyable, you could tell he was a bit nervous, staying in mostly one spot for the duration of the show and not interacting with the crowd very much.

He also wore his trademark suit, possibly as something of a security blanket. This past performance, on the other hand, showcased Black in

jeans, a T-shirt and brown hoodie.

Often keeping one hand in his pocket, Black sheepishly paced back and forth across the stage, taking time out of the show to address several audience members, often for no reason whatsoever but always with hilarious results.

What is precarious about writing a review of Black’s performance is that I simply cannot quote any of his material. That is not to say I have forgotten it all as it was beyond funny and memorable and I actually took copious notes in hopes that I would get a chance to do what I’m doing right now. Rather, his jokes are far too, let’s say, risqué for a college publica-tion. For instance, since the show was the

second week of November, the Penn State scandal was still fresh news and Black took every opportunity to remind the audience that we lived in the state of Pennsylvania in the most vulgar ways possible. If anything, it was a testament to Black’s improvisational skills as almost every one of his long form stories would be peppered with another unplanned jab which would crack him up almost as much as everyone in the audience.

Black’s topics ranged from his inability to keep a tele-vision show on the air, he and his wife’s trip to Amsterdam with his children, whom he enjoys verbally berating every chance he gets (and who

wouldn’t?) My only qualm, and it’s a small one, with the whole show came at the end as Black chose to close his set with a reading of an essay from his hilarious book, “My Custom Van.” Having read the book, this was exactly what I feared, hearing old material. But, to his credit, Black’s inflection and intonation had me crying and demanding an audio version of said book.

I highly recommend Black. He can currently be heard eating and commenting on snacks in his podcast with Yogi Bear’s Tom Cavanagh, “Mike and Tom Eat Snacks,” available at www.matescast.com.

Patrick McFadden is a student minoring in jour-nalism. He can be reached at [email protected].

Stieg Larrson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” novel is worthy of big screen

Drake shows his emotions with his sophomore album, “Take Care”By Alanna Smothers

Practicum Writer

A year after Drake’s official debut album “Thank Me Later,” Drake’s follow-up album “Take Care” is a portrait of the inner emotional turmoil (and excitement) the 25-year-old feels about money, women, and of course, success.

The album is a 17- song composition of w e l l - p r o d u c e d h i p - h o p / r a p / R & B , with enough collabo-rations to satisfy fans used to such things. The surprising factor about the album is probably about how un-surprising it actually is. Not exactly uninspired, but not exactly next level material, either.

Many of the tracks sample popular

records from the past millennium. In “Practice,” Drake rhymes over a slightly slowed down musical accompaniment of Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up.” On his “Cameras”/ “Good Ones Go” interlude, his lyrics flow over Jon B’s “Calling on You.” This is a trick used by many artists of the times, though it’s unsure if the makeover to these songs were absolutely necessary. However, with an album almost 20 songs long, I suppose Drake flexes his artistic license to experiment and pay respect to his mix-tapes of the past by making something old new again.

A few tracks do stand out, though. The title track, “Take Care” ft. Rihanna, is a

Billboard 100 shoe-in; a dance track that is surely helped by the addition of Rihanna’s distinct warble. As expected, the first single, “Headlines,” is a catchy bass-filled hit that encourages even the most casual listener to try and rap along. “Make Me Proud” ft. the ever-present Young Money family member, Nicki Minaj, is a good song; in which Drake raps encouragingly to women to seek education and stand their ground. “Underground Kings” is a catchy song, one probably not to be released as a single –though it should- and is an obvious homage to the singer/rapper’s underground roots.

The other songs are easily skippable, as

most of them are less of the rapper Drake, and more of a whiny singer wannabe. Drake singing isn’t necessar-ily a bad thing; he executes fairly decently in “Marvin’s Room,” but on other tracks such as “Doing it Wrong,” it just isn’t effective.

As a whole, Drake’s “Take Care” is profi-cient sophomore release, with a few hidden gems, but lacks finesse and the consis-tency to make it a real hit. It is not lacking heart, or talent, or big names, but there’s def-initely something missing.

Alanna Smothers is a second-year student majoring in early grades preparation education with a minor in reading. She can be reached at [email protected].

jmubeats.comDrake’s sophomore album “Take Care” has few stand-out tracks.


wouldn’t?) My only qualm, and it’s a small one, with the whole show came at the end as Black chose to close his set with a reading of an essay from his hilarious book, “My Custom Van.” Having read the book, this was exactly what I feared, hearing old material. But, to his credit, Black’s infl ection and intonation had me crying and demanding an audio version of said book.

I highly recommend Black. He can currently be heard eating and commenting on snacks in his podcast with Yogi Bear’s Tom Cavanagh, “Mike and Tom Eat Snacks,” available at www.matescast.com.


2011 THE QUAD PAGE 15

ELECTRIC FACTORY:December 10 - The Devil Wears Prada

December 29 - Dark Star OrchestraDecember 30 - Third Eye Blind

February 4 - SOJAFebruary 11 - Umphrey’s McGee

THE TROCADERO:December 8 - City and ColourDecember 16 - Wu-Tang Clan

December 29 - Feed MeJanuary 14 - Jim BreuerJanuary 15 - In Flames

THE TLA:December 8 - Borgore

December 10 - Saints and SinnersDecember 24 - Matisyahu

December 28 - The New DealJanuary 5 - Steel Panther

THE NOTE:December 8 - Graham ColtonDecember 9 - Deadbeatz Inc.

December 16 - Pretty Things PeepshowDecember 23- Splintered Sunlight

December 31 - Plow UnitedUpc

omin

g Sh

ows

Interested in writing for the Quad

Entertainment section?

E-mail:quadentertainment

@wcupa.edu

Stieg Larrson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” novel is worthy of big screen

By Jennifer MikaPracticum Writer

“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is the fi rst of the novel trilogy, otherwise known as the Millennium Series, by the late Swedish author and journalist, Stieg Larrson. The best-selling novel has sold over 21 m i l l i o n c o p i e s wor ldwide and has now been made into a m o t i o n p i c t u r e , which will hit theaters Dec. 21.

The novel was first published in Swedish in F e b r u a r y 2008 and has won n u m e r o u s awards for its bril-liantly crafted crime fi ction and modern-ized twists. The main theme of the novel is violence against women, yet also criticizes inves-tigative journalism and the corruption of big capital.

“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” was fi rst made into a Swedish fi lm in early 2008. Director David Finch has created an American version, in hopes that the thriller is as sus-penseful as the novel was. The fi lm will

primarily mimic Larsson’s vision.

Mikael Blomkvist, played by Daniel Craig, is the publisher of a Swedish political magazine Millennium. The story begins as Blomkvist is being tried in court for a libel case against i n d u s t r i a l i s t H a n s - E r i k

Wennerstrom, which he loses. He is sentenced to three months in prison and is ordered to pay a costly fee in damages. Months afterwards, Blomkvist is invited to meet with the retired CEO of the Vanger Corporation, Henrik Vanger. Blomkvist agrees and heads to a remote island in Sweden.

Blomkvist is offered a deal: he will gain information on Wennerstrom and will be given a fi nancial award if he

promises to write the Vanger family history and solve the mystery of Vanger’s great-niece’s, Harriet, disappearance. In desperate need of money, Blomkvist accepts the challenge, but makes no promises.

He moves to Sweden and realizes

that he needs help organizing the case, so decides to hire Lisbeth Salander, an unsocial punker and skillful computer hacker. The two begin unraveling the case, realizing that they are on the dangerous trail of a serial killer, who might still be roaming the island.

Throughout the novel, Salander is constantly harassed and taunted by her legal guardian, which adds to the violence of women. However, she proves to be a

very strong, inde-pendent woman and ultimately becomes the heroine of the novel.

Larsson created a phenomenon through his novels, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played With Fire,”

and “The Girl Who Kicked the H o r n e t s ’ N e s t . ” They have become an immediate s u c c e s s due to Salander’s c o m p l e x character and the c h i l l i n g de tec t i ve tale that k e e p s r e a d e r s guessing.

So, do Blomkvist a n d Salander

ever fi nd out why Harriet disap-peared or who the serial killer is? Read Larsson’s novel trilogy and then go see, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” when it hits theaters this December (this fi lm is not yet rated).

Jennifer Mika is a fifth-year student majoring in English with a minor in jour-nalism. She can be reached a t [email protected].

Actress Rooney Mara plays Lisbeth Salander in the movie, “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

Phot

o cr

edit:

scr

eenr

ant.c

om


Philly Coalition Radio supports upcoming artistsBy Dominique Perry

Practicum Writer

The pioneers of Philly Coalition Radio embody the essence of pursuing a passion, and using their gift to gather people who ultimately possess identical aspirations. The mission is to provide avid hip hop and R&B music listeners with future, current and past sounds of the music genre.

On the 38 hundredth block of Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia, between newly developed row homes, just minutes away from Drexel University, sits the studio of the number one hip hop and R&B internet radio station.

This station is dedicated to unveiling and supporting devoted upcoming artist, entertainers, writers, producers entrepreneurs, and philanthropists.

Philly Coalition internet radio station defies traditional broadcast radio by catering to all rap and R&B music lovers, whether they love inspiring unsigned artists or artists signed to major record labels. Much of the music played on broadcast radio is played off a constricted play list controlled by managers and CEO’s of the various radio stations. It is essential to PC radio’s co- founder, the “Warden,” to let hard working, passionate individuals in the underground music industry determine what is played on the station.

“We all have already been and still are affil-iated with the music

industry, so we’ve worked with artists, and know there are people with talent that don’t get the recogni-tion they deserve,” said Riz Delux.

“Cuttyinthestreets,” also known as “Riz Delux,” has collabo-rated with numerous unsigned and signed artists as a producer in the city of Philadelphia. Every Tuesday

evening, “Cutty,” and his co host “Cobi,” play hip hop at its finest, including many artists who are played on broadcast radio and some artists that are not. The Tuesday night show from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., also features co host and inspiring rap artist “Imah X”. The trio discusses current events, music and other hot entertain-ment topics. Dj “Ace McClowd” has been known in Philadelphia and along the east

coast for spinning the latest underground hip hop music and cosigning underground hip hop artists. On PC Radio, Ace McClowd also known as the “Peetey Green” of the hip hop scene, a famous African American radio disc jockey/ personality from DC known for breaking the rules of typical broadcast radio, and his co-host

“Que” shake up the internet radio scene with their show “A&R to the Streets.”

“A&R to the Streets” represents, the job of actually going out to the pavement to seek artists to be featured on albums and the radio. The station offers shows through-out the week such as “Ol Skool Sundays” with “Malika Love,” and the “Gun Line Battle Grounds Show” with “Ace McClowd,” which showcases

popular battle raps around the world. On Mondays, the station keeps listeners updated with “Mixtape Mondays” for upcoming artists to feature their new music. The home of PC radio appeared to be a vacant business location. The pitched black windows implied an absence of anyone being there. The old tiled floors were

partially covered with two rectangular sized flat, thin rugs. The off- white painted wall and window sills held up white sheets spray- painted blue, red and yellow designed with the logo of Philly Coalition Radio. The walls were also embel-lished with posters of artists, boxers, Philadelphia rappers, and new movie produc-tions. One of the posters, framed in all black, displayed the message “Parental

Advisory Explicit Lyrics.” In one corner of the studio, sound proof padding was plastered on wall, and a microphone with the standard studio circular mesh covering to diffuse sound of the artist’s rhymes stood tall on its microphone stand. The Studio resembled a furnished basement that housed the necessities for

operating an internet radio station. The bulletin, which hung on the wall closest to the door, listed the sponsors of Philly Coalition radio, Philly barbers, and the flowlive.com which are supporters of the station. In an attempt to be refurbished, the room owned aging wooden tables, and bookshelves that stored magazines and antiques of hip hop music, such as timeless vinyl records, mix

Photo courtesy of Dominique Perry

boards, turn tables, and speakers. The worn out black leather sofa was a comfortable spot for guests to sit right before they spoke in the microphone to share their passion with the world.

A plastic black waste bucket was decorated with stickers reading “C.A.N.N.O.N.S Heart of the City.” Those words merely repre-sented the genuine endeavor of PC radio, which is the central source for all Philadelphia enter-tainment to form a coalition that can be heard world wide. Philly Coalition Radio has offered non stop music throughout the day for over a year to 15,000 listeners in over 89 countries. The uncensored Philly Coalition radio deter-mines their own playlist, rules, guest sand topics for discus-sion. The internet radio revolution is giving opportunities for music, movements and trends that have been ignored in main-stream media. The opportunity for the “Warden,” “Ace McClowd,” “Riz Delux,” “Cobi,” “Imah X,” “Que,” “Malika Love,” and, most importantly, the artists, begins and ends at the Philly Coalition Radio studio.

The “coalition” signifies a movement to unite passionate individuals, where opportunities are endless and dreams come to life.

Dominique Perry is a fifth-year student majoring in professional studies wtih minors in journalism and studio art. She can be reached at [email protected].

The Philly Coalition Radio station is in West Philadelphia.


• Exton Square Mall, Exton, (610)363-0184• Kitchen Kettle Village, Intercourse, (717)768-2780

Warm Up withUgg®

Who wouldn’t love a pair of soft comfortable UGG boots,moccasins or clogs to keep your feet warm and toasty all winter long? Visit the Deerskin Leather Shop and check outour great selection of UGG boots and footwear. We also carrykids classic UGG boots!UGG footwear makes the perfect holiday gift!

by bands I had heard of but had never actually listened to before. And lucky for them, I thoroughly enjoyed them and am now passing the knowledge of their existence onto you.

The first and shorter of the two is A Frightened Rabbit EP, a quick 10 minute, three song jaunt by Scottish indie rockers, A Frightened Rabbit. “Scottish Winds” opens the small col-lection with a chugging guitar riff before lead vocalist-guitarist Scott Hutchinson comes rumbling and mumbling in, his accent thick as thieves, begging the breeze of his homeland to fill his lungs. It’s an

open love letter to Scotland that never crosses over into sarcasm or malice of the land made infamous by heroin junk ies in Trainspotting.

The entire EP seems to have been written while on the road touring as once Hutchinson finishes his unabashed longing for his country, the band slowly lurches into the sentimental “F*** This Place.” The title is the most aggressive thing about this track, as a beautiful mystery female voice contrasts H u t c h i n s o n ’ s gruffness as they lament “I don’t know this city/ I think I am lost/ At the end/ At the close/ Would you be good enough to take me home?” Whether it be a person or place, the song taps into an

ache deep inside of you of something missing. Of something warm and wonderful to help you find your footing again. It is a shame this track doesn’t close out the record, though, as it is easily the strongest and most haunting. Rather a more subdued, acoustic guitar driven “The Work” does a poorer job of wrapping things up. Not a bad song by any means, but I can’t help but to think, though, had the order been different that I would enjoy this one just a bit more.

If the sad and sincere Scottish sound is not pleasing enough, check out The King Khan Experience. King Khan has always been one of those artists I’ve heard of in passing, enjoying a song well enough but

never remembering to look into him any further. It’s a shame, too, as this nine-song EP is a terribly enjoyable non-stop moonbounce soaking wet with keyboards with a smack of garage noise. I hate when people try to describe music to me like this but I get no clearer image in my head listening to this than MGMT and The Strokes making out to all their favorite records from the 60s and 70s.

Khan sets the stage with “Bog Log Stomp,” letting us hear him and his bandmates pick up their instru-ments and the clink of ice in a glass reminis-cent of Eric Burden’s “Spill the Wine.” From there, he doesn’t let up pummeling you with track after track of pop-punk-psyche-

delia. If Frightened Rabbit’s

EP comes from a place of physical isolation, Khan’s comes from a place of emotion. While the tempo and guitar effects would not suggest it, most of the lyrics seem to be about ‘Khan’ being in love with another man’s girl. Whether he’s begging her to “Come Levitate With Me” or letting her know that “You Knock Me Off Of My Feet,” Khan doesn’t let up with his attempts to create a cuckold in the funkiest way possible.

Khan wears his influences on his sleeve throughout, blatantly ripping off the main riff of “Carry On My Wayward Sun” on “I Got Love” and doing his best to make “Are You Serious” sounds like a

basement cassette recording of a long lost Jimi Hendrix song, his foot never leaving the wah pedal. There’s also the melody laden “Keep It Simple Stupid,” the redheaded step-son of The Beatles’ “Within Without You.” Despite this, though, it never sounds like he’s pla-giarizing anything. Instead it gives the impression that your music player is on random, but somehow with the same vocalist.

A Frightened Rabbit EP is available for download at www.frightenedrabbit.com.

The King Khan Experience is available for download at www.scionav.com


EP’SFrom page 12

ClassifiedsVISIT WWW.WCUQUAD.COM TO SEE YOUR AD HERE


5 7 8 1 3 4 2 9 62 6 1 5 7 9 4 8 39 3 4 6 8 2 5 1 73 8 6 9 4 7 1 2 57 4 2 8 1 5 3 6 91 5 9 2 6 3 7 4 84 9 7 3 2 8 6 5 18 1 3 4 5 6 9 7 26 2 5 7 9 1 8 3 4

Difficulty level: Easy - 2

5 7 8 1 3 4 2 9 62 6 1 5 7 9 4 8 39 3 4 6 8 2 5 1 73 8 6 9 4 7 1 2 57 4 2 8 1 5 3 6 91 5 9 2 6 3 7 4 84 9 7 3 2 8 6 5 18 1 3 4 5 6 9 7 26 2 5 7 9 1 8 3 4

© Philip A. Thompsen, Ph.D.

8 1 4 3 2 5 9 7 67 6 2 4 8 9 5 1 33 9 5 6 7 1 2 4 89 5 7 1 3 2 6 8 41 3 6 8 5 4 7 9 22 4 8 7 9 6 3 5 14 2 1 9 6 7 8 3 55 7 3 2 4 8 1 6 96 8 9 5 1 3 4 2 7

Difficulty level: Hard - 9

8 1 4 3 2 5 9 7 67 6 2 4 8 9 5 1 33 9 5 6 7 1 2 4 89 5 7 1 3 2 6 8 41 3 6 8 5 4 7 9 22 4 8 7 9 6 3 5 14 2 1 9 6 7 8 3 55 7 3 2 4 8 1 6 96 8 9 5 1 3 4 2 7


EmploymEnt & Job SErvicES

piano teacherSeeking aspiring music educator to teach weekly piano and music theory lessons to 3 kids at home 2 miles from campus. Must have own trans-portation, and at least 1 year commitment. Email [email protected] or call 610-696-4410

p/t and/or F/t

radley run country cluB

is currently seeking full and part time positions as servers and food run-ners. very flexible hours. must be willing to work weekends and holidays. call 610-793-1660 ext 209 — 610-793-1660

Fun camp JoBs For summer!

Camp Canadensis will be doing on campus inter-views at WCU on Wed, Dec. 7th - call to set up your interview or apply online at www.canadensis.com. 484-674-1941

Sub lEaSESWest chester

commons Bedroom for rent in apt with three other room mates. MUST CONTACT BY DECEMBER 12th! $717 a month. Call or text. 610-633-4200

How to placE claSSiFiEd advErtiSing in the Quad

To place a classified ad in The Quad, visit www.wcuquad.com, and click “classifieds.” Then enter your ad exactly as you wish it to appear, select a category, choose dates of publication, and pay for your ad with any major credit card on our secure server. The rate for classified advertising is 30 cents per word, with a minimum of 20 words ($6 minimum charge). Deadline for placing classified advertisements in The Quad is 11 a.m. on the Sunday before publication.

Scan the QR code below on your smart phone to go to The Quad classifieds.

Solutions to last issue’s puzzles

4 8 3 7 5 6 2 1 97 9 5 8 1 2 3 4 61 2 6 3 4 9 5 7 85 1 9 6 8 4 7 3 22 3 8 5 7 1 6 9 46 4 7 9 2 3 8 5 18 5 1 4 6 7 9 2 33 6 2 1 9 5 4 8 79 7 4 2 3 8 1 6 5

Difficulty level: Moderate - 4

4 8 3 7 5 6 2 1 97 9 5 8 1 2 3 4 61 2 6 3 4 9 5 7 85 1 9 6 8 4 7 3 22 3 8 5 7 1 6 9 46 4 7 9 2 3 8 5 18 5 1 4 6 7 9 2 33 6 2 1 9 5 4 8 79 7 4 2 3 8 1 6 5


Solutions to this issue’s puzzles

8 9 3 6 1 4 7 2 54 5 6 2 8 7 1 9 37 1 2 3 5 9 4 8 62 3 5 7 9 6 8 1 46 4 1 8 3 2 5 7 99 7 8 5 4 1 6 3 21 6 9 4 2 8 3 5 73 8 4 9 7 5 2 6 15 2 7 1 6 3 9 4 8


8 9 3 6 1 4 7 2 54 5 6 2 8 7 1 9 37 1 2 3 5 9 4 8 62 3 5 7 9 6 8 1 46 4 1 8 3 2 5 7 99 7 8 5 4 1 6 3 21 6 9 4 2 8 3 5 73 8 4 9 7 5 2 6 15 2 7 1 6 3 9 4 8


Rammy by Tyler Mertens & Brian Tracey

Bliss byHenryBliss

Visit www.wcuquad.com to place ads in our Spring 2012 issues:

102-01 January 30, 2012102-02 February 6, 2012102-03 February 13, 2012102-04 February 20, 2012102-05 February 27, 2012102-06 March 5, 2012102-07 March 26, 2012102-08 April 2, 2012102-09 April 16, 2012102-10 April 23, 2012102-11 April 30, 2012

Want to place a classified ad in our first issue of the Spring 2012 semester? It’s so easy! Place your ad online

anytime of the day or night.Just visit our website at

wcuquad.comand click on “Classifieds.”

DiversionsDECEMBER 5, 2011 THE QUAD PAGE 19

Across1 Dollar bill weight,

roughly5 Dey job?10 __ Stream14 San __15 Silly16 Adidas alternative17 From the top18 Blanche __, pseud-

onymous author of the 1983 best-seller “Truly Tasteless Jokes”

19 “No ice, please”20 questions23 Terhune collie24 Annual sign of bad

behavior?25 “Alice” singer Lavigne28 Orator’s vocal quality33 Sacramento daily34 Sched. B item on a

104035 High point of an

Alaskan trip?

36 hours40 Seven-time N.L. bat-

ting champ41 Storm dir.42 They lead to an F43 Six-pack abs?45 Seat of Colorado’s

Pitkin County47 TriBeCa neighbor48 Blueprint subject,

perhaps49 ers57 Frankfurt’s river58 Phils, e.g.59 Deception60 ‘70s pinup name61 Beneficiary62 Its state bird is the

cardinal63 2-Down unit64 Fixes65 Place to cross, on

signs

Down1 Seles rival2 Eye care brand3 Flock response4 “The Jungle Book” boy5 Dug, so to speak6 Heart lead singer

Wilson et al.7 Where kip are spent8 Silliness9 Party pooper10 Underworld11 Where the iris is12 Neeson who voiced

Aslan in the “Narnia” movies

13 You may have a brush with it

21 It merged with Conti-nental in 2010: Abbr.

22 Swindler, in slang25 Trinity test subject26 Locale27 Maker of pieces?28 Genetic letters

29 One of the convicted Rosenberg spies

30 Image Awards org.31 1930s public enemy32 NFL Network sports-

caster Rich34 Devil’s tools, meta-

phorically37 Touchdown site38 Big shot39 More than zero44 Walk bouncily45 Modeled after46 Sneaky devil48 “It’s nobody __ busi-

ness”49 Go out50 Nose wrinkler51 Sommelier’s prefix52 Singer Horne53 Hunted54 Pre-coll. catchall55 Shower in public?56 Urban miasma

The Quad Crossword

The solutions to this weeks puzzles can be found on the classifieds page.

The Quad SuDoKuFill in the grid so that each of the numbers 1 - 9 appears once and

only once in each row, each column, and each 3x3 square.

4 8 3 7 5 6 2 1 97 9 5 8 1 2 3 4 61 2 6 3 4 9 5 7 85 1 9 6 8 4 7 3 22 3 8 5 7 1 6 9 46 4 7 9 2 3 8 5 18 5 1 4 6 7 9 2 33 6 2 1 9 5 4 8 79 7 4 2 3 8 1 6 5

Difficulty level: Moderate - 4

4 8 3 7 5 6 2 1 97 9 5 8 1 2 3 4 61 2 6 3 4 9 5 7 85 1 9 6 8 4 7 3 22 3 8 5 7 1 6 9 46 4 7 9 2 3 8 5 18 5 1 4 6 7 9 2 33 6 2 1 9 5 4 8 79 7 4 2 3 8 1 6 5


8 9 3 6 1 4 7 2 54 5 6 2 8 7 1 9 37 1 2 3 5 9 4 8 62 3 5 7 9 6 8 1 46 4 1 8 3 2 5 7 99 7 8 5 4 1 6 3 21 6 9 4 2 8 3 5 73 8 4 9 7 5 2 6 15 2 7 1 6 3 9 4 8


8 9 3 6 1 4 7 2 54 5 6 2 8 7 1 9 37 1 2 3 5 9 4 8 62 3 5 7 9 6 8 1 46 4 1 8 3 2 5 7 99 7 8 5 4 1 6 3 21 6 9 4 2 8 3 5 73 8 4 9 7 5 2 6 15 2 7 1 6 3 9 4 8



Lack of defense leads to 8-2 loss for women’s hockeyBy Deanna Vasso

Staff Writer

The women’s ice hockey team returned to their home ice last Saturday evening when they took on rivals California University of Pennsylvania that resulted in an 8-2 West Chester loss.

Calif. made the most of the puck drop as they were on the forecheck aggres-sively fast in the first period. West Chester tried to subdue them by getting the puck in Calif.’s zone but they were unsuccessful. Calif. was heavy on their offensive play as they kept the play out of their zone and kept pushing the puck towards the West Chester goal.

West Chester’s goalten-der Aly Golia tried to hold her own in the crease, but

Calif. was able to slap the puck past her early in the first period around the twelfth-minute mark. The visiting team did not stop there, as they continued their assault on West Chester’s goal, which even led to the net being dislodged twice within a couple minutes of each other.

After Calif. scored the first goal of the game, West Chester tried to bring their offensive attack to Calif.’s goal, but goalie Nicole Jones was able to hold them off with a few good saves before the period ended.

Toward the end of the first period, tensions on the ice began to get heated and a scuffle occurred after the whistle had been blown to signal the end of the period. Two Calif. players took on West Chester’s defensive

player Amanda Vito, and a fight broke out. The fight was short-lived, as the referees were quick to separate the players.

Before the start of the second period, the referee spoke to the captains of both teams about what happened. What resulted was only a two-minute penalty for Calif., and no penalty for West Chester.

West Chester had the upper hand in the second as they started the period on the power play, so they really took advantage of this in trying to get a goal. Shortly after, a Calif. player was penalized for cross checking and West Chester had more of an opportunity to score with a 5-3 powerplay.

West Chester forward Becky Dobson was on the attack due to this advantage

as she scored shortly after the Calif. penalty, which tied up the game. Dobson remained on fire at this point as she scored a second goal seconds after her first goal, gaining West Chester the lead.

West Chester was awarded another power play opportunity around the 13th minute. Despite this, Calif. went hard on their penalty kill, and one of their players checked West Chester defense player Brittany Dalziel hard against the boards. Dalziel was hurt but was able to get up off the ice, which resulted in another Calif. penalty.

Despite all the penalties on Calif., they were still going after another goal, which they succeeded with five or so minutes left in the period.

With the game tied at 2-2, in final period, West Chester tried to be early on the forecheck, but Calif. continued to shut them out. Calif. continued their assault on West Chester as they scored another goal early in the period. The visiting team continued to slap pucks into the West Chester goal with two back-to-back goals around the ninth minute of play, leading the score at 5-2.

At this point in the game West Chester had seemed to lose their energy, but this came at a bad time because there was nothing stopping Calif. They scored their sixth goal at the seventh minute of play and they had no desire to let West Chester have it easy in the rest of the game.

Four-on-four play ensued with five minutes

left in the game, which turned into a 3-5 against West Chester seconds later. This was unfortunate for West Chester, as Calif. took advantage of these opportu-nities by scoring their seventh and eighth goals of the night with only a few minutes of play left.

The game ended in an 8-2 loss.

“There was not enough team defense in front of our goaltender,” Dobson said, “So we let her down in that way. We need to know that two goals is not enough to win it.”

West Chester is now 5-4-0 and eager for more as the hockey season pro-gresses.

Deanna Vasso is a fourth-year student majoring in English with a minor in creative writing. She can be reached at [email protected].

DECEMBER 5, 2011 THEQUAD PAGE21

Men’s basketball splits last 4 games

By Riley WallaceStaff Writer

West Chester’s Lance McDowell was named PSAC East Athlete of the Week as the Golden Rams went 2-2 in its second and third weeks of play, defeating two non-confer-ence foes, Chestnut Hill and Holy Family, while dropping two key PSAC games against Mercyhurst and Clarion.

First up for West Chester was a visit from PSAC challenger Mercyhurst, who was projected to finish fourth in the PSAC West Division. The Golden Rams couldn’t hang with the undefeated Lakers (3-0) who shot 43 percent from the field en route to a 90-71 defeat.

The Lakers scored a whopping 34 points from the free throw line while missing only 10 from the charity stripe. West Chester struggled from beyond the arc going only 3-for-16. The Rams found themselves down by 11 at the half and just couldn’t recover after the inter-mission. Jon Breeden led the way for West Chester, scoring a season-high 18 points and dishing out three assists. Corey Blake provided 13 off the bench and Lance McDowell recorded his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Mercyhurst was led by Matt Lee and Bill Weaver who scored 27 and 21 respectively. The win bumps Mercyhursts PSAC record up to 2-0.

West Chester rebounded from the Mercyhurst loss with a

big road win against Chestnut Hill. The Golden Rams fell behind early and trailed by four as the teams went into the locker room, but came out strong in the second half, shooting 58 percent from the field while holding the Griffins to only 36 percent. The game was back and forth until Lance McDowell went on an 8-0 run of his own to put the Golden Rams ahead for good with just under five minutes to play. West Chester was led on offense by McDowell, who scored a career-high 24 points, the most by a Ram this season. He also added nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Two other players reached double figures as Breeden added 12 points to go along with four assists and Jaleel Mack added 11 points. Chestnut Hill was led by three players who scored double figures. Jakeem Bogans came off the bench to lead the team with 16 points, while starters Mark DiRugeris and Brandon Williams scored 15 and 12 respectively. The loss gave Chestnut Hill its’ second loss of the season dropping them to 4-2 overall.

The Golden Rams returned from Thanksgiving break last Tuesday with a nail-biting victory over visiting Holy Family. West Chester

saw its lead of 11 with under five minutes diminished to just one. McDowell hit two clutch free throws and the Golden Rams held on for the 67-64 victory. Despite shooting only 39 percent

from the field and 33 percent from three, West Chester out-rebounded the Tigers 38-32, with 16 of those coming on the offensive glass. McDowell recorded his second dou-ble-double of the year,

while leading the Golden Rams with 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He also went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line and dished out four assists. Breeden was the only

other Ram in double figures, scoring 10 points and dishing out four dimes. West Chester showed its depth against Holy Family as 10 different players scored at least two points. Holy Family put four players in double figures led by Khiry Hankins, who notched 18 points and Angel Ayala, who scored 12 off the bench. Holy Family fell to 3-2 on the season.

West Chester overcame a sluggish start against fellow PSAC member Clarion, but fell short in overtime, losing 80-77. Clarion opened the game on a 9-0 run and never let West Chester get into a rhythm offen-sively, holding a 39-31 lead at the half. The second half was a much different story however. The Golden Rams came out firing and the Golden Eagles did their best to keep up as West Chester went on a 22-9 run to open the half. After the game, M c D o w e l l commented on how the team didn’t make any major strategic changes in the locker room, rather the focus was on the team, “tuning

Brynn Pezzuti/ The Quad

Jon Breeden takes the ball up court during the second half of West Ches-ter’s home game against Clarion.

in mentally.” After West Chester’s run pushed the score to 53-48, Clarion answered right back eventually tying the score at 63 a piece with about four and a half minutes left to play. West Chester had a chance to win it in regulation but Breeden’s three-pointer at the buzzer came up short. In an overtime marked by turnovers, it was Clarion who came up with key defensive stops and held on for the three point victory. McDowell led five different Golden Rams into double figures, scoring 17 points, with Breeden adding 13. Carl Johnson and Blake made major contributions off the bench as they each scored 12. The Golden Eagles were led on offense by Winfield Willis and Calvin Edwards who scored 19 and 18 respec-tively. Clarion’s record improved to 3-3 and 1-1 in PSAC play.

After facing PSAC crossover, Gannon, the Golden Rams will have back-to-back road games this week as they look to improve upon their 4-3 record and 1-2 conference mark before the holiday break. On Friday, they travel to Edinboro for a 7:30 p.m. game, followed by a stop in Lock Haven on Saturday for an afternoon game set to begin at 4 p.m.

The Golden Rams will not return home to Hollinger Field House until they take on PSAC East rival Shippensburg on Jan. 18 at 8 p.m.

Riley Wallace is a third-year student at West Chester University. He can be reached at [email protected].

WCU beats Holy Family and Chestnut Hi l l and loses to Mercyhurst and Clar ion


Women’s basketball remains undefeated

By Joey SamuelStaff Writer

WCU improves to 5-0 after 102-68 rout of Clar ion

The West Chester women’s basketball team continued their impres-sive start to the season Saturday afternoon, routing Clarion, 102-68, at Hollinger Field House.

The win preserved the Golden Rams’ undefeated start to the season, and took their record to 5-0. Saturday’s win came over a PSAC foe in Clarion, stretching West Chester’s conference record to 3-0.

Saturday’s result wasn’t in doubt for very long. In fact, West Chester was already up 61-32 at halftime over Clarion, whose record fell to 1-3 overall. Allison Hostetter, once again, was an imposing force for the Golden Rams. In addition to her team-leading 19 points, she recorded six assists, six rebounds, and six steals.

Ambreelinne Ortman led the team in rebounds with eight, and she added 17 points of her own. In what was one of the best all-around team perfor-mances in school history, 13 of West Chester’s 14 players scored, and four finished in double figures.

West Chester’s 102 total points scored repre-sented the 10th time in school history that the women’s basketball team had exceeded 100. It was also the most points scored since the 2000-01 season and the first time since 1999 that the

Golden Rams had hit the century mark in a regula-tion game.

Junior forward Alex Lennon, one of the team’s top contributors through-out her whole career, missed much of the game. She rolled her ankle before the game and played only 14 minutes. Her return was probable for Sunday’s game against Gannon.

West Chester ’s massive lead was built steadily, and the team did not let up on Clarion throughout the entire game. The Golden Rams got off more shots, and still converted a higher possession of them than their opponents.

West Chester ’s 37-for-77 from the field compared to Clarion’s 22-for-64 was a huge factor in the result. In addition, West Chester forced Clarion into coughing up an astonish-ing 32 turnovers, compared to the 18 that West Chester gave up.

With the blowout win, West Chester remained in first place in the PSAC East heading into another conference home game on Sunday against Gannon. That game took place too late to make it into this issue, but the result can be found on the universi-ty’s athletic website.

Earlier in the week, West Chester traveled to Philadelphia to take on Holy Family in their second away game of the season and once again

earned an impressive win, defeating their opponents 84-70.

Hostetter led the way in that game as well, posting an outstanding 24 points to lead her team in scoring. She also added six rebounds.

Lennon, meanwhile, went an impressive 7-for-10 from the field. She scored 15 points and added six rebounds of her own. Her defensive work was astonishing, blocking four shots and recording three steals. Jillian Keefer added 18 points, going 3-for-4 from three-point range.

Unlike in the game against Clarion, West Chester was not able to finish off Holy Family quickly. The Golden Rams led 37-35 at the half. It wasn’t until the second half that West Chester pulled away and won by 14 points, going on a 14-3 run over the final part of the half to seal the win.

West Chester took 68 shots from the free-throw line and made half of their attempts, which went a long way towards defeating Holy Family.

A new method of sub-stitution being used by head coach Deirdre Kane worked well. “We went with the five-in and five-out substitution pattern once again,” Kane said. “And I think it really paid off down the stretch.”

Kane ended up using this pattern again against Clarion, and the result

was a win by a 34-point margin.

The two wins over the past week leave West Chester as the only unde-feated team in the East division of the PSAC at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in con-ference.

After the previously mentioned game against Gannon on Sunday, West Chester will have five days rest before another weekend duo of games, although this time they will be on the road. On Saturday, West Chester will travel to Edinboro for an early evening contest before they quickly make their way to Lock Haven for another game on Sunday.

Edinboro was picked before the season to win the PSAC West, so that game will be a real test for West Chester. Edinboro has started their season undefeated as well, going 4-0 overall and 3-0 in conference to start the season.

Joey Samuel is a third-year student majoring in political science and Spanish. He can be reached at [email protected].

Alex Lennon rises above the defense to put in a lay-up even though she sustained a minor ankle injury prior to the game.


Shamyra Hammond looks for a pass near the top of the key during Saturday’s game against Clarion.


DECEMBER 5, 2011 THEQUAD PAGE23

Men’s hockey finishes first half with road sweepBy Kenny Ayres Sports Editor

The last time the Golden Rams’ men’s DI hockey team won two consecutive road games against teams in their league was Jan. 17-18, 2009 when they beat Lehigh and Villanova.

The last time they achieved a shutout was the first game of that same season, a 10-0 rout of Lehigh.

The last time until this past weekend that is.

In the middle games of a six game road trip, the Golden Rams rolled over Robert Morris University with a 5-3 win on Friday and a 5-0 win on Saturday. These were the first games West Chester played against Robert Morris since eliminating them from the ACHA playoffs last season.

Things looked bleak for the Golden Rams early in the game on Friday as they faced a 3-0 deficit halfway through regulation time.

But being down seemed to light a fire under WCU, as they quickly rallied back in the second half of the game.

“We played awful in the first period and a half, but after the third goal, we turned it on and scored five unanswered goals,” head coach Shawn Dorsey said.

Steve Meade (2), and Chris Doyle scored the first three goals for the Golden Rams. These two forwards are continuing their torrid pace this season. Meade, who is first on the team in scoring this year, is on pace to come close to the 30 goal plateau, which would blow away his previous high mark of 18 goals. Doyle’s

goal was his 13th of the season, and he stands only behind Meade for the team lead in points.

West Chester took their first lead of the contest in the third period when a penalty kill turned into a shorthanded, go-ahead goal.

Jimmy McKee, the shot blocking specialist, found a loose puck and managed to tip it out of the reach of the RMU defenseman. McKee gave chase and turned it into a shorthanded 2-1 breakaway. The lone defen-seman bit on McKee’s fake and, when he went down, McKee buried the puck top shelf on the glove side.

“The first thing that comes to mind on a penalty kill is to block shots and clear the puck. But if an opportunity presents itself, I’ll try my hardest to take

full advantage of it,” McKee said.

It was McKee’s first goal of the season, and he hopes it will be a start of more to come.

“Now, after getting the monkey off my back, I hope that I can start to contrib-ute more on the goal scoring side of the game,” McKee said.

Brian Ruskowski went on to score the final goal, an empty netter that gave WCU the 5-3 victory.

Although WCU won, they would have liked to have played well for the entire game.

“It is great to get another come-back win. It shows how we have heart,” McKee said. “But that being said, I would like for us to start being the team that is up first and have the opponent chase us.”

Saturday’s game was a much cleaner game all around.

The Rams enjoyed a huge night from their Chris Gentile- Tim Higgins- Tim Margadonna line, as they accounted for three of the five WCU goals. Gentile scored two, his 10th and 11th on the season, and Higgins also added a goal.

Meade scored yet another goal, giving him 15 goals about halfway through the season, and Ruskowski added his second goal in as many games.

The defense limited RMU’s opportunities and between the pipes, Japchen was solid once again as they teamed up for the shutout.

“The shutout is proof that we as a team played a full 60 minutes from front to back. We executed our

game tonight the way we should have,” Japchen said.

West Chester sits at 14-5 on the season, and will face Robert Morris twice at home following two games in Rhode Island beginning Jan. 6.

Dorsey does not want to take his foot off the pedal.

“Our goal is to get back to nationals, and we have a lot of work to do. We’ve had a good start, but we need to keep improving,” Dorsey said.

Seeing as the Rams have 12 regular season games left, and have already eclipsed last season’s win total, they are certainly on the right track to make that goal a reality.

Kenny Ayres is a second-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at [email protected].

[email protected]

PAGE 24 THE QUAD DECEMBER 5, 2011Ilya Bryzgalov, who had a recent lack of

confidence, looked sharp in Saturday’s game against his former team, the Phoenix Coyotes. He saved 36 of 38 shots fired at him as the Flyers went on to win the game 4-2. The Flyers got goals from Claude Giroux (15), Wayne Simmonds (5), Scott Hartnell (11), and Matt Read (10).

Lukas Jenkins/ The Quad

sweep of RMU

completes road

Page - 23

Men’s hockey

Quad 101-10

Documents

Transcript of Quad 101-10