Blind Set Sights Online - Thiel College

THIELENSIANthe student-run newspaper of Thiel College in Greenville, PA

THE

Volume 126 Issue 5 December 4, 2009

At a glance...

EventsPage 2:

Thiel College Circle KPresents Mr. Tomcat

Shoppers Take Advantage of Black

Friday

Thiel College PresentsAnnual Christmas

Concert

New Ski Club Plans Tripto Peek ‘n Peak

Student LifePage 3:

In Lieu of Partaking inCollege Life, Students

Go Home

English Honorary to Release Literary

Magazine

Thiel, Local Police JoinForces for Annual Toys

for Tots Drive

Health: College May BeDepressing

Thiel College Circle KMakes an Interpack

Thielensian PublicationSchedule

OpinionPage 4:

Aud Rat Facts

DJ Recommends...

Staff Recommendations

Thiel Cribs

Page 5:

Opinion Poll: What doyou think about Thiel

becoming a wet campus?

Police Blotter

Letter to the Editor: Kindles

Horoscopes

Thiel With It

SportsPage 6:

Heisman Trophy: Who’sDeserving?

Men’s Basketball Shootfor the Best

Tomcat Women ClawPast Oberlin

Mount Union TopsWrestling, 22-14

Final ExaminationSchedule

by Katie BartholomewContributing Writer

Black Friday came and went,leaving some shoppers exhaust-ed and disgruntled, others bliss-ful and pleased, but all alive.

Thankfully this year, shoppersappeared to have learned fromlast year’s tragedies. No onewas trampled to death duringthe opening of doors or shot in adispute over a children’s toy.

While some attribute this tothe fact that deep down humansare kind people, the stores madesome changes as well.

Walmart, the location of lastyear’s trampling victim, isclaimed to have made manychanges to avoid a repeat of lastyear’s horrific events.

The biggest change came bystaying open through Thanks-giving to Black Friday. In otherwords, they did not close thestore and reopen once the dealswere intact, but rather, they setthem up with customers alreadyin the store at the appropriatetime. In doing this, they elimi-nated the line-up at the door andergo, the stampede.

Another measure they tookwas to line shoppers up next totheir intended purchase andwait on them first come firstserve; this way, no amount ofpushing or violence couldchange a shopper’s chances.

Another point that may havelowered the Black Friday fren-zy was that some shoppers did-n’t have to bear the crowds orthe weather this year to pur-chase the deal of their dreams.

Amazon sold online an 8GBiPOD Nano (5th Generation)for $134.99 with free shipping.This same iPod was available instores, Target for $145 with a

free $15 gift card, and BestBuyfor $149.99. Overall onlineBlack Friday sales were a hit,reducing crowds and pleasingcustomers.

Whatever the reason, shop-ping this year appears to havegone much smoother, and salesincluded something for every-one. Some of the best deals thispast Friday included three dol-lar Kitchen supplies and fivedollar Barbie Dolls and BoardGames.

If electronics were more ofyour style, Target had a 32”LCD HDTV for $246, BestBuya $399.99 Loaded 15.5. SonyLaptop, and a $199.99 Wii plusa $50 Gift Card at Meijer.

K-Mart also had $19.99 downcomforters in all sizes; all in all,it was a day for deals.

But with the good also camethe bad, and BestBuy discov-ered the importance of everycollege kids’ nightmare, proof-reading. The store upset numer-ous customers when they mis-printed the price of a popularrefrigerator in their sales ad andrefused to honor the price.

With it all said and done,knowing the worst thing thatcould have happened this BlackFriday was not receiving a re-frigerator that was ridiculouslyunder priced, or possibly sleep-ing away the last two days ofyour break due to sheer exhaus-tion and an overabundance ofturkey, it can be presumed thatthe holiday was a success.

So whether you braved thecrowds, took advantage of theonline sales, or hid inside yourhome like a hermit until the daywas over, Black Friday haspassed, leaving us only with our[insert emotion here] memories.

Black Friday Cameand Went with NoLarge Tragedies

by Lauren WhetzelAsst. Editor

The Howard Miller StudentCenter was full of entertainmentas Thiel College’s Departmentof Communication kicked offtheir fourth annual COMMfeston Wednesday, Dec. 2 in theRotunda Bistro and in theLutheran Heritage Room.

Each year, the department’ssenior seminar class is in chargeof planning and runningCOMMfest, directed by Dr.Victor Evans.

This event was open to allThiel students, alumni, faculty,staff, and prospective students.

The live music, guest speaker,assortment of food, and Chineseauction were definitely invitingto those who were on campus.

“The purpose of COMMfest isto educate students and facultyabout available majors, courseofferings, internships, and ca-reer opportunities,” Dr. Evanssaid.

“This event allows students toshowcase special class projectsand experience in the field andfeatures guest speakers fromaround the region to inform stu-dents on various types of jobopportunities in newspapers,magazines, radio, television,

public relations and marketing,”he added.

Thiel’s communication-basedextracurricular activities such asthe Thielensian, Webcat Radio,TCTV, Lambda Pi Eta, and So-ciety of Collegiate Journalists,each had their own tables at thefestival to familiarize studentsand faculty about each organi-zation.

Both Webcat Radio and TCTVbroadcasted live at COMMfestfrom the Rotunda Bistro.

This year, the senior commu-nication majors presented re-search papers during the festivalin the Lutheran Heritage Room,

which they have individuallyworked on throughout the se-mester.

Around noon, the LutheranHeritage Room was filled withrock and roll music performedby Second Avenue Band, whichfeatured Thiel’s own Dr. Whiteand John Rindy. Students, facul-ty, and staff all seemed to enjoythe live entertainment and re-freshments.

“COMMfest was definitely ahit this year, especially with thedifferent types of entertainmentthat was brought,” Junior ScottStano said.

Also present at the festival

was Jim Cunningham, an an-nouncer with WQED in Pitts-burgh who spoke to studentsabout careers in broadcast jour-nalism.

Senior Scott Thompson wasthe festival’s disk jockey.

“I am very happy with howCOMMfest turned out this year.It was a very lively event withthe band and the DJ,” Dr Evanssaid.

Local businesses donated theprizes which were raffled off.

Among these were gift cardarrangements to Perkins,Sheetz, Maurices, Red Lobster,

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Dia-mond Hair & Nails, MajesticGrill, Daffin’s Candies, FamilyVideo, The Greens ofGreenville and Thiel’s book-store. Themed gift baskets werealso raffled off.

The grand prize, won by soph-omore Brad Bates, was an Ulti-mate Sack bean bag valued atover $200.“I want to thank everyone who

participated and made it a suc-cessful event, especially mysenior seminar class who organ-ized the entire festival,” Dr.Evans said.

Photo Courtesy of Lauren WhetzelThe Communication department’s Senior Seminar class Photo Courtesy of Lauren Whetzel

Brad Bates, grand prize winner of Ultimate Sack

Lauren WhetzelAsst. Editor

Today's technology, with itsfocus on the Internet, e-mail,online billing and networking,can be a challenge to the blindand visually impaired.

Voice synthesizers, text en-largement software, scanners,and Braille output devices arecommercially available, butmost of them require more timeto access the Internet and are of-ten complicated to set up.

However, one Maryland com-pany took the initiative to de-velop a system that would en-able the visually impaired tosurf the Web as quick as every-one else. Audiopoint, an auto-matic speech recognition soft-ware-oriented business inRockville, developed the VoiceTerminal Service (VTS), whichallows its customers to fully ac-cess the Internet through voicecommands via any type of tele-phone.

"The unique thing about ourproduct is that it is a platform-based application servicethrough a set phone number,and it is hardware agnostic sothat our customers can use it onany phone, anywhere and any-time," Audiopoint's chief exec-utive officer, Brian Lichorowic,said.

"The Voice Terminal Servicewas actually designed by a cou-ple hundred blind individualswho gave us their input on whatthey want access to most; we ul-timately built our productaround their feedback," headded. J ane Sheehan, a resident ofAspen Hill and a Quality Insur-ance specialist in the District,was introduced to VTS sixmonths ago when she was plan-ning a trip to the Seeing Eye inNew Jersey to purchase a newdog.

Because of Ms. Sheehan's oc-cupation and involvement onseveral boards of directors, shewas concerned that being awayfrom a computer for longer thana week would disable her frombeing up to date with the currentnews.

"A friend of mine actuallysuggested Audiopoint to me;when I called them, they gaveme a free account to test [VTS]out," Ms. Sheehan said. "I wasable to give the company sug-gestions on what improvementsto make with the service and itwas nice to be on the cutting-edge aspect of the product."

About 30,000 customers areusing the product international-ly. Although VTS is currentlyonly available in English, Au-diopoint is in the process oflaunching the service in Span-ish and French.

"Audiopoint has recently up-graded the Voice Terminal Ser-vice," Mr. Lichorowic said. "Inaddition to having full access tothe Internet, e-mail, and cus-tomized Web information, weincorporated a voice-automatedGoogle calendar to allow ourusers to listen to their dailyagendas and add user-recordedaudio events to their calendar."

Ms. Sheehan especially enjoysthe service because she says ithas simplified her life and freedher from being linked to hercomputer.

"The Voice Terminal Serviceis very easy to use; first, I callthe service number and put inmy personal identification num-ber, then I am navigatedthrough voice commands," shesaid.

"An interesting part of theservice is when I respond to e-mails, I can record a 45-secondwave attachment to send."

The VTS is available as amonthly or annual subscriptionat affordable prices. Audiopointoffers their VTS for free to vi-sually impaired United Statesveterans of the wars in Iraq andAfghanistan. The VTS is avail-able for purchase at voicetermi-nal.net.

"Unfortunately our product isnot yet for sale through organi-zations such as ColumbiaLighthouse for the Blind; how-ever, we have spoken with themnumerous times and hope tohave it sold by them in the fu-ture," Mr. Lichorowic said. Noformal talks are currently takingplace.

"I was able to give the company suggestions on what improvementsto make with the service and it was nice to be on the cutting-edge as-pect of the product," said Ms. Sheehan of the voice-command soft-ware. (Charlie Mars-Mahlau/Lauren Whetzel/The WashingtonTimes)

Blind Set Sights Online

by Ashlee WoodStaff Writer

It seems like the one aspectcolleges can guarantee to stu-dents is waking up feeling tired.This encourages induced aware-ness through means of bever-ages filled with caffeine.

Coffee, tea, and a variety ofsoft drinks have been the morn-ing pick-me-up of choices formany students. However, somepeople have found other meansfor such alertness. This involvesstimulant prescription drugssuch as Ritalin and Adderall.

It has been noticed throughoutcolleges that students have beeningesting stimulant drugs to en-hance routine mental perform-ance, such as preparing fortests; however, the compoundshave yet to be approved forsuch purpose.

College students are not theonly ones that are “brain-dop-

ing.” In a poll from WebMD,one in five Nature readers statethat they up their mental per-formance, with Ritalin beingthe most popular.

WebMD also brings up thatthe idea that brain-doping ismore encouraged and sociallyaccepted when compared to ath-letic enhancements.

The argument goes along thelines that the main distinctionbetween caffeine and Adderallinvolves duration and effective-ness. The intentions and out-comes are similar: alertness andfocus.

Steroids, on the other hand,are not a muscular equivalent tothese cogniceuticals because theeffects of steroids last longer.Also, athletics enhancementscan have a deconstructive affecton the person.

Another argument is as simpleas importance; the brain and aperson’s knowledge are more

useful than running the 100 me-ters in 9.58 seconds.

For some ethicists and neuro-scientists, this has brought upthe question as to whether ornot these drugs should be wide-ly available for enhancement ofpeople who do not suffer fromdementia. Some scientists ques-tioned whether the modest ef-fects of the most commonlyused brain-boosting drugs aredifferent from those impartedby, say, a double espresso.

When comparing the side ef-fects on Drugs.com, some of thecommon side effects for mentalstimulants include: difficultysleeping, dizziness, dry mouth,headache, loss of appetite, nau-sea, nervousness, restlessness,stomach pain, unpleasant taste,and vomiting.

Similarly, Drugs.com statesthat some of the common sideeffects for caffeine include: dif-ficulty sleeping, dizziness, irri-

tability, nausea, and nervous-ness. If in excess, caffeine cancause palpitations and breathingdifficulties, which was reportedby BBC because of an incidentin Durham, United Kingdom in2007.

These symptoms can also beseen as some of the severe sideeffects for mental stimulants.

Again, this goes back to thedistinction between caffeineand Adderall, but it brings upthe concern if the benefits out-weigh the risks. This will entailfuture drug regulation and re-search to consider whetherdrugs can safely be used not justfor treatment, but also for en-hancement. It brings up the fu-ture of how drugs can affectpeople.

Some people are starting tothink ahead by developingdrugs that markedly increasememory, logical reasoning, andincreases general intelligence.

Before such ideas can be con-sidered, questions still remainabout whether any drug that tin-kers with basic mental function-ing will be sufficiently safe andeffective to be consumed likecoffee or tea.

In the mean time, here aresome healthy ways to increaseyour brain power: take deepbreaths – this causes a greaterflow of oxygen to the brain;gingko biloba – it has beenproven that it increases bloodflow to the brain; rosemary –some swear that the smell“wakes up” the brain; exercise –research shows that cognitivefunction is improved immedi-ately after just ten minutes ofaerobic exercise.

For a list of more healthyways to increase your brainpower, go to http://www.mindpowernews.com/BrainPower.htm.

Focus Drugs: What Will the Future Bring?

COMMfest Rocks the HMSC for the 4th Year

The Thielensian StaffEditor in Chief

Alivia Lapcevich

Assistant Editor

Lauren Whetzel

Layout & Design Editor

Joshua LaFace

Events Editor

Angela Blackburn

Staff Writers

Nicole Lemmon

Laura Kaye Stemm

Ashlee Wood

Staff Columnists

DJ Martino

Cynthia Metzler

Audrey Rattay

Contributing Writers

Katie Bartholomew

Dr. Natalie Dorfeld

Matt Hadden

Rebecca Tate

Dionna Wallace

Faculty Adviser

James Raykie

About the Thielensian ...The Thielensian is Thiel

College’s student-run news-paper, funded by the StudentGovernment Association.

Our mission is to serve thecampus community by pub-lishing timely, fair and rele-vant news, sports and featurestories and other information,and to provide a lively forumfor student expression and theopinion of others on campus.

The Thielensian encour-ages letters to the editor of300 words or less by tradi-tional mail and preferably bye-mail. Letters must besigned (no pseudonyms,please) and a phone numbermust be provided for verifica-tion.

Letters must be free fromoffensive language, personalattacks, obvious errors infact, and libelous or potential-ly libelous statements. Lettersare subject to editing forlength and clarity, and we re-serve the right to reject anyletter.

Guest columns, letters orother opinions expressed inthe Thielensian are the viewsof the writer and don’t neces-sarily reflect those of the staffand adviser or the college.

Letters may be mailed to: The Thielensian75 College Avenue Greenville, Pa 16125or sent via e-mail to: [email protected]

Jim Raykie Adviser, the Thielensian

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EVENTSPage 2 THIELENSIANFriday, December 4, 2009

Thiel College invites the localcommunity to celebrate the sea-son at the 57th annual ThielCollege Christmas Festival onSunday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. in theWilliam A. Passavant Center.Prelude music begins at 3:40p.m.

This year’s program, “Salva-tion is Created,” features theThiel Choir, Thiel ChamberSingers and Thiel HandbellRingers conducted by Dr.Michael R. Bray, professor ofmusic; and the Thiel CollegeConcert Band, under the direc-tion of Thomas Jeffries.

Kathryn Gray will serve as or-ganist and accompanist for thefestival.

Works featured on the pro-gram include “Salvation is Cre-ated” by Paul Tschesnokoff,“There Shall a Star from Jacobcome Forth” by FelixMendelssohn and additionalworks by Gretchaninoff, MartinShaw, Eric Whitacre, John Jou-bert, Hans Leo Hassler andZoltan Kodaly.

Spirituals and carols of theChristmas season for audienceand choirs also will be per-formed.

The Christmas Festival, estab-lished by Dr. Marlowe Johnsonin 1953, was held for manyyears in the Rissell Gymnasi-um.

Today, Thiel’s student musi-cians perform in the PassavantCenter and continue the tradi-tion of designing, building andpainting the set for the concert.

The concert is free and thepublic is encouraged to join inthis celebration of the holidayseason.

Free-will offerings will be ac-cepted. For further informationcall Bray at 724-589-2149.

Thiel College Presents Annual Christmas Concert

A New GI Bill for a New CenturyPost-9/11 GI Bill

Are you waiting for your VA Education Benefits?

The Department of Veterans Affairs has made funds availablefor Veteran students who are still awaiting thier education ben-efit claim to be processed. Eligible veterans can recieve up to a$3000 advance, which will be recouped from future payments.If you are a student who applied for one of the VA’s educationprograms and have not yet received your monthly benefit pay-

ment for the Fall 2009 term, you can request a one-time ad-vance payment at your local VA Regional Office or through VA’s

web site, www.va.gov.

by Dr. Natalie DorfeldContributing Writer

As fall turns to winter, stu-dents often become restless andcomplain that there’s nothing todo on the weekends. Sure, theRailroad and Canal Museumsare just a few feet away, butwhat’s a diehard adrenalinejunkie to do? The answer issimple, my fellow Tomcats, jointhe Ski Club.

Headed by President DarrenMcAninch, a sophomore atThiel College, the Ski Club wasrecently approved by the Stu-dent Government Association.

“I love snowboarding becauseof the freedom of shreddingdown a mountain with the coldair whipping in my face. I lovethe speed, exhilaration, and con-trol. Most of all, I enjoy thetime spent on the slopes withfriends. It’s always a goodtime,” he stated.

With a solid following of 40+members, the group hopes tofundraise and secure enoughmoney from the SGA to squeezein a few trips up to Peek’n Peakthis spring.

The New York based resort,according to its web site, boasts27 groomed slopes and trails. Inaddition to beginner, intermedi-

ate, and expert trails, Peek’nPeak offers snowboard and tuberentals for every age. There istruly something for everyone.

However, say it’s your firsttime on the slopes, and you’redeathly afraid of taking out apine tree or a family of four. Noworries, mate. Lessons areavailable for every level on thehour, and they are given by pro-fessional and very patient in-structors.

Also, if you find yourselfpooped throughout the day, thehotel includes a heated pool,sauna, and indoor/outdoor hottub. Bill Bowden, a non-tradi-tional freshman, said, “I’m not a

very good skier, but I really lookforward to the hot tub after-wards. It’s nice when it’s snow-ing outside, and you’re sitting in120 degree water.” For an addi-tional fee, more bells and whis-tles include spa treatments, mas-sages, and mud wraps.

If you are interested in hittingthe slopes this spring, or simplycozying up to the fire with agood book in the main lodge,please contact President Darren McAninch ([email protected]) or Advisor Natalie Dorfeld ([email protected]).

We appreciate your enthusi-asm and continued support.

New Ski Club Plans Trip to Peek ‘n Peak

by Rebecca TateContributing Writer

Your local Thiel College Cir-cle K is presenting a Male com-petition for the coveted title ofMr. Tomcat.

So what exactly is Mr. Tom-cat? Mr. Tomcat is Thiel’s finestmales competing to win a titlewhich makes them Thiel Col-lege’s most handsome, talented,funny, and witty male aroundcampus.

There are four categories:drag (yes boys, show us yourfeminine and humorous side),talent (show us if you can bust amove, serenade us with yourvoice, or show us a unique tal-ent that we’ve never seen be-fore), interview (one question,either funny or thought provok-ing), and formal wear (lookyour nicest to impress the ladiesand the judges).

Speaking of judges, the judg-ing will be done by Thiel Col-lege faculty.

This is sure to be a sight whichyou will not want to miss. Soboys, show us what you got andstudents, come see who dukes itout to win the title of Mr. Tom-

cat. There will be big entertain-

ment for a small price andsnacks to munch on while youwatch competitors strut theirstuff. Keep a look out forfliers around campus, and re-member to support your localThiel College Circle K!

Thiel College CircleK Presents Mr. Tomcat

photo courtesy of Circle K

Photo Courtesy of Google Images

by Nicole LemmonStaff Writer

Every year, thousands uponthousands of shoppers set theiralarm clocks for ridiculoushours in hopes of waking earlyon Black Friday to hunt downdeals in various stores, and thisyear was no exception.

Rising at 2:30 a.m. in order toget that television for a pricethat anyone would go crazyover, or standing in line forhours for a Nintendo DS doesseem just a bit too much.

One who was crazy enough tochoose to take part of the holi-day crowds and wait for a dealon a toy or electronic wouldhave found a bizarre sight uponentering the store.

Walmart, for instance,wrapped everything in plasticand black garbage bags, forcingthe shoppers to wait until 5:00a.m. to tear into the great deals.

Even the children’s pajama’swhich were being sold at $3.00a piece and various board gamebundles priced at $10.00 a sethad huge crowds gatheredaround the large stacks, waitingfor the clock to strike 5:00 a.m. Lines wormed their waythrough food aisles in hopes ofobtaining a laptop for a cheapprice grew down the whole

length of the store.This year, I decided to partake

in Black Friday for the firsttime ever, and have decidedthat I will never again go toWalmart on this ever popularshopping day. While waiting inline for the Imaginext dinosaurplay set for my nephew, thenumber of people packed intothe cramped aisle was ridicu-lous.

From a few stacks of toysdown, I heard a worker yell atsome people not to take any-thing that is wrapped in plasticuntil 5 a.m. Here, adults werebeing yelled at, not children.

One of the workers said thathe was sent in to the HermitageWalmart (where I was Black

Friday deal shopping) fromthree and a half hours away inorder to prevent any injuries orfighting while everyone attacksthe deals.

After standing for an hour anda half for a $20.00 toy (which, Iagree, is ridiculous) it was fi-nally 5 a.m. Suddenly, every-thing was chaos.

Anyone who has had the ex-perience of enjoying the greatcrowds of people in a Wal-Martor Target knows exactly what Imean when I say that what Isaw was nothing like I’ve everseen in my entire life. I grabbedthe toy I needed, and headedstraight for the check out,knowing the lines would beridiculously long. I looked over

through an aisle to the right ofme to find a sea of people dart-ing straight for the cash regis-ters. Once I realized that I was-n’t the only one ready to leave,I began running too. I saw mymom already waiting in one ofthe lines, so I ran to her, threwmy toy in the cart, and dartedstraight for the door to exit.

The number of people crowd-ed around me literally gave mea panic attack. Once catchingmy breath, I got to take in thesights of how people will act inorder to save a buck. I reenteredthe building to find one younglady being escorted out of thedoors by a few police and Wal-mart workers. A closer lookfound that she had a bruisednose and tears streaming downher face, and all of it was oversome deal for Christmas. Is thisreally a great demonstration ofthe Christmas spirit or what?

Now, a few days after thecraziness, the digital camerashave been sold out and the$3.00 DVD’s are long gone, butnow if you are interested in tak-ing part of the holiday rush nextyear on Black Friday, you havean idea of what to expect: rudepeople, long lines, possibly alittle panicking, and eventuallyobtaining some of that Christ-mas cheer.

Shoppers Take Advantage of Black Friday

Photo Courtesy of Google Images

ThielensianPublication Schedule

Publication Date Submission Date

December 18 December 13

January 22 January 17February 5 January 1February 19 February 14March 12 March 7March 26 March 21April 9 April 4April 23 April 18

All submitted articles are due by 5 p.m. on the submission date. The articles must also be a

minimum of 300 words. Please send articles to [email protected]

STUDENT LIFEPage 3 THIELENSIANFriday, December 4, 2009

Thiel, Local Police JoinForces for Annual

Toys for Tots Drive

by Matt HaddenContributing Writer

Here at Thiel, students arepresented with opportunities tobe rewarded in recognition oftheir scholarly achievements.

There are numerous organiza-tions around campus that pro-vide these recognitions, but onein particular is Sigma Tau Delta,the English honorary society.The local chapter is titled AlphaIota Kappa.

Each spring, new membersare inducted into Sigma TauDelta. The requirements for in-duction are pretty strict, butthey are essential to upholdscholarly principles in such aprestigious organization.

Students must have completedat least three semesters of col-lege courses, having taken twoEnglish classes further thanOral and Written Expression Iand II. Further, students must bein the top 35 percent of scholar-ly rank in their class, as well ashaving a B average or better inEnglish courses. Also, the stu-dent must have a major or mi-nor in English Literature orWriting.

As a member of the Associa-tion of College Honorary Soci-eties, Sigma Tau Delta at Thielis one of the 560 chapters locat-ed in the United States, Europe,Canada, and the Caribbean.

The goal of Sigma Tau Deltais to recognize students whohave proven to be outstandingin their studies of English.

Current members of the Al-pha Iota Kappa Chapter of Sig-ma Tau Delta include PresidentSheila Gross, Vice-presidentStephanie Flask, Treasurer Abi-gail Steidl, Secretary AliviaLapcevich, Cole Morris,Andrew Miller, KatieBartholomew, and Matt Had-den. Dr. Hall is the advisor.

Along with other projects dur-ing the year, Sigma Tau Deltaholds flower sales at Thiel Play-er productions as a fundraiser.It also collected books for theLiteracy Council as a serviceproject this fall.

Sigma Tau Delta annuallypublishes The Phoenix, Thiel’sliterary magazine.

The Phoenix is a compilationof literary and artistic workssuch as poetry, prose, short sto-ries, photography, art work, etc.

The latest issue is scheduledto come out late in the springsemester.

The Phoenix is accepting sub-missions until December 7,2009. Submissions should besent to Sheila Gross at [email protected].

English Honorary to Release

Literary Magazine

by Rebecca TateContributing Writer

InterPACK is PennsylvaniaCircle K’s annual fall leader-ship conference. It is a week-end long retreat for Circle Kmembers all across the districtto come together for some fel-lowship and fun, while partici-pating in some wicked serviceactivities.

This year it took place atCamp Hidden Valley inLoysville, PA on November13th to the 15th.

This year was more focused

on service than ever before, asthe theme was entitled “Expedi-tion: Service.”

This theme means that CircleK took a journey back to theroots of our organization, learn-ing about the history of ourservice partners, and participat-ed in a district large scale serv-ice project. This project, alsoknown as DLSSP, is modeledafter the Circle K internationallarge scale service project.

To incorporate this, the campasked Circle K to repaint thecamp’s cabins. There were oth-er service activities on site such

as cleaning and landscaping. Plus, Circle K made fleece

blankets and peanut butter andjelly sandwiches to benefit ourdistrict service project: helpingthe homeless, and craft kits forCaitlin’s Smiles.

Besides discovering service,registered members took part inleadership building activities,dancing, bonfires, fellowship, s‘mores, pie throwing, and evena Thanksgiving feast.

Watch out for Thiel CollegeCircle K events in the future.Just like interpack we’re mak-ing an impact!

Thiel College Circle K Makes an Interpack

by Laura Kaye StemmStaff Writer

According to education.stateu-niversity.com, campus servicesnationwide have taken an in-creased interest in transitioningstudents into college life.

The web site says, during thisstressful and often challengingexperience, “some students areable to experience this transi-tion as a challenge to personalgrowth, [while] other studentsare overwhelmed by thechanges and experience emo-tional maladjustment and de-pression.”

The site adds that college ad-justment issues come in manyforms such as “inefficiencies incoping with familial separation,time and stress management,basic study techniques, goal set-ting, relationship formation,handling emotions, and self-es-teem crystallization.”

The site goes on to say thatthese are interconnected andplay a crucial role in academicperformance and incorporatingstudents into the college atmos-phere.

Family dynamics also play animportant role for incoming stu-dents and even upperclassmen.

“For children of alcoholics,for example, the college socialclimate that is impressed by al-cohol [consumption] producessignificant anxiety as the stu-dent grapples with the personaland familial implications ofwatching and participating indrinking practices.”

These are only the pressuresthat come from the student’sfamily off campus but they canhave a tremendous effect onstudents. “[Thus] It is impera-tive that schools recognize theexistence and impact of familydiscourse and childhood traumaon students, and provide themwith the support necessary toenable them to cope with theirsituations and succeed withinthe collegiate environment.”

A problem that students mayencounter for the first time aftercoming to college is depression.

Education.stateuniversity.comstates that “College students aretwice as likely to have clinicaldepression compared to peopleof similar ages and backgroundsin the workforce… [and] typicalsymptoms of depression includea change in appetite or weight,sleep, and psychomotor activi-ty; decreased energy; feelingsof worthlessness or guilt; diffi-culty thinking, concentrating, ormaking decisions; or recurrentthoughts of death or suicidalideation. Anhedonia, or a loss ofinterest in activities that wereonce considered pleasurable,accompany social withdrawal.Depression is a risk factor for anumber of other negative healthoutcomes including diminishedimmune function and poor ill-ness recovery.”

There are other problems thatmany college students faceevery year. As a result, the siterecommends that “colleges anduniversities of all types shoulddevelop and implement confi-

dential services that span multi-ple policy arenas in order to suf-ficiently address these prob-lems.”

The site also explains thatservices that help students dealwith these problems on campus“depend heavily on the school'sphilosophy, available resources,and campus need [and] creatingpartnerships with various facetsof the institution, such as thecollege counseling and mentalhealth center, student healthservices, women's center, learn-ing center, spiritual and reli-gious organizations, and otherassociations, expands the scopeof programs offered and stu-dents affected.”

In order to fight a multifacetedproblem, colleges can fight itwith a multifaceted solution.

Information on Thiel’s coun-seling center can be found atwww.thiel.edu under the Cur-rent Students tab.

The webpage explains whatcounseling achieves, their con-fidentiality policy, the first ap-pointment, and the CounselingCenter’s hours and ways youcan contact them.

As it says in the page’s para-graph regarding the first ap-pointment, “Some students seeasking for help as a weakness,however, it is a sign of maturityand responsibility… It is help-ful to talk to someone who canoffer a different perspective.

One thing for sure, everyonefeels these feelings at some timein their life. That is where coun-seling can help.

The Thiel Campus Police,Greenville-West Salem Town-ship Police and HempfieldTownship Police need your helpto continue the success of theannual U.S. Marines Corps Re-serve Toys for Tots drive inGreenville.

The mission of the Toys forTots Program is to collect toysduring the fall of each year, anddistribute those toys as Christ-mas gifts to needy children inthe community in which thecampaign is conducted.

The Greenville drive will col-lect new, unwrapped toysthrough Dec. 16, which thenwill be distributed to children inthe Greenville-Mercer Countyarea.

“We know that times aretough for everyone, but wehope that the Mercer Countycommunity will rememberthose who are less fortunate and

donate to Toys for Tots,” saysThiel Police Chief DonAubrecht. “The local law en-forcement agencies are proud tobe part of the program, but weneed everyone’s help to bring asmile to the faces of the com-munity’s needy children thisChristmas.”

Cash donations also are ac-cepted and will be used to pur-chase new toys.

Anyone wishing to drop offnew toys or a donation can doso to the Thiel College CampusPolice, located on the secondfloor of the Howard Miller Stu-dent Center on Thiel’s campus,between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. orat the Greenville-West SalemTownship Police Department atthe intersection of Main andWater streets.

For more information, pleasecall Chief Aubrecht at 724-589-2222.

Health:College May Be Depressing

by Dionna WallaceContributing Writer

After a long week of attendingclasses, doings labs, studyingall night and even trying tomake it on time to choir re-hearsal, one of the few thingsthat brightens a student up is theinevitable weekend.

Relaxing, taking time to notonly give yourself a small peri-od of relaxation from a stressfulweek, but also leisure time tocatch up on things with friends,attend activities together, oreven just have quiet time foryourself.

Yet, there are students whofind that instead of their week-end locating them on campus; itleads them to their homes.

There is a controversy as towhy; is it due to the conditionsof the cuisine that is served, thefinances, or even the activities

that are to go on or lack thereof? Both students and staff seem

to truly reach a disagreement asto why some students choose tostay on campus for the week-end, while others make the jour-ney home.

Some of the reasons as to whystudents leave are because theyget homesick, work obligations,and sometimes just because an-other school has a party goingon.

One of the reasons believedfor the low student attendancerates on the weekends is home-sickness.

Some students find them-selves missing their parents,grandparents, other loved ones,close friends, or just their homeenvironment.

For those who live in a rea-sonable distance of drivinghome, they make the journey tosatisfy this ache they feel.

M’gelle Green, a sophomorestates, “Students go home be-cause some of them genuinelymiss their families and theirfriends back home. It has noth-ing to do with whatever is beingoffered on campus. Sometimesa student just really wants to bearound their loved ones.”

Kahlisha Johnson, a junior,says that when she goes hometo work and comes back on thefollowing Monday, she some-times wishes that she could stayon campus because the travel-ing tires her out.

According to the Asst. Deanof Students and Director of Res-idence Life, Bobbi Mutinelli,she can’t decipher why it is thatstudents choose to leave on theweekends. All that comes tomind for her is figuring out ac-tivities that she can help planand coordinate to persuade

“The idea of a student going on

the weekend is dueto the individualand their circum-stance, whether itbe a choice or an

obligation.” -Bobbi Mutinelli

them to stay. She doesn’t be-lieve it when students come toher and say “there’s nothing todo on campus.”

Mutinelli said, “Student Lifehas no problem sponsoringevents that students want to doin order to make their collegeexperience more memorable,but the students need to com-

ment on the events that areplanned. And if they find thatthe events planned aren’t whatthey would do for fun, theyneed to discuss their ideas withtheir Resident Assistant orcome speak their mind to thestaff at Student Life.

“We want students to be ableto come up with things theywant to do and still have fun do-ing them,” she added.

The controversy of why a stu-dent goes home will always besomething that plagues collegesthroughout the country, whetherit be a party that they have to goto, or if they have to go backhome to handle responsibilities.

The college can do their bestto try and come up with activi-ties for their students to do.

Yet, just like Mutinelli statedearlier, it all depends upon theindividual.

In Lieu of Partaking in College Life, Students Go Home

Check Out the Counseling Center’s Blog onthe Thiel Web page!

Your Source for Surviving College

by DJ MartinoStaff Columnist

Hello again, movie fans! DJ isback with more recommenda-tions for you. I hope everyonehad a great break, and, hopeful-ly, you saw a good movie ortwo.

For this issue, I wanted to goin another new direction as faras genre is concerned. After pe-rusing my personal movie col-lection, I found two movies thatare an integral part of a growingtheme in movies. I like to callthem “mockumentaries.”

Essentially, these are movies,usually comedic, that are pre-sented as a fictional documen-tary. My mockumentaries ofchoice are American Zombieand Gamers.

American ZombieZombies are everywhere. At

least, that’s the premise of thisfascinating movie. AmericanZombie is the account of a cou-ple amateur filmmakers that at-tempt to record some excerptsfrom the daily lives of zombies.

In the America presented in thefilm, zombies are a normal partof life.

If you don’t know what a zom-bie is, I suggest you invent atime machine and go back about200 years to be with everyoneelse like you. However, to befair, a zombie is basically an an-imate corpse that feeds on livingflesh. Most of the time, zom-

bies are depicted as being stupidand slow, and American Zombiecertainly has plenty of thesemindless eating machines.

However, there are also “high-functioning zombies,” membersof the undead community thatretained their intelligence andmotor skills, but lost their mem-ories. These zombies are at-tempting to blend into everydaysociety by getting jobs, shop-ping at grocery stores, andforming zombie-aid activistgroups.

The two filmmakers focustheir attention on four specificzombies and embark on a mis-sion to compile a documentaryto show the rest of the world theside of zombies they refuse tosee.

However, they soon hear men-tion of a three-day, all-zombieretreat that they anxiously wantto attend. After strong resist-ance from the zombie commu-nity, the filmmakers are allowedto go, but they are wholly un-prepared for the truth thatawaits them.

For anyone wishing to see a

truly original movie, this filmwon’t disappoint. It takes thezombie genre to a whole newlevel. As the zombie activistssay, “We’re here, we’re dead,get used to it!” So, before yourot away, go and rent AmericanZombie today!

GamersLet the dice roll! Gamers is a

very funny movie about fivefriends who didn’t get out muchin high school. They startedplaying a game called “Demons,Nymphs, and Dragons,” andhave been playing every daysince. This movie begins as adocumentary of their personal,professional, and gaming lives.Very soon, these four friendswill reach a pinnacle, 23 yearsof gaming. When all the timethey’ve spent playing is addedtogether, they will set a recordfor the most time spent playinga role-playing game.

However, while this goal con-tinues to move closer, stressbuilds up among the friends.Apparently, having dead-endjobs and living with their par-ents at the age of 30 isn’t quite

cutting it. Who knew? Anyway, Paul, the most devot-

ed player, struggles to unite thegroup to complete their goal.Reese, the reject of the groupwho is allowed to stay only onthe condition that he providesthe food, laments the deaths ofeach character he creates.Kevin, the dungeon lord, kills as

many of Reese’s characters aspossible while his personal liferemains shrouded in mystery.Gordon struggles to find a girlto love while slowly coming tothe realization that his life haslead nowhere.

Finally, Fernando, the His-panic member of the group wholearned English through thegame, attempts to salvage thetattered relationship he has.

Throughout the mockumen-tary, many hilarious flashbacksand gaming moments are had,from Reese almost losing hisjob over his latest fallen charac-ter to Paul adopting “PaganBaby Man.”

Trust me, this movie is wellworth watching. Whetheryou’re a gamer wishing to see amovie that shows the toils in-volved therein or a non-gamerlooking to laugh at a few friendswasting their lives, this moviewon’t disappoint.

If you need to, roll a d20 (20-sided die for you non-gamers),and go rent Gamers if what youroll is an even or odd number.You won’t regret it!

by Audrey RattayStaff Columnist

During Thanksgiving break, alarge amount of my familymembers asked me how col-lege is going so far. As I re-flected back on my first semes-ter at Thiel, I found a fewloopholes. I am sure I am notthe first person to realize thesesmall inconveniences, but Iwill be the first to make themknown.What really grinds my gearsis…- When people shut off the wa-ter in the bistro and you get acup of ice.- When people are downrightlow and steal XBoxes overbreak.- The toilet in the second stall ofthe 600 floor of Flo…the toiletpaper dispenser knocks you off.- How you cannot shut off yourheater in the dorms. - When people just get up andleave during teacher’s lectures..How rude!- The Greenville weather is sosporadic… I do not know if Iam in America or inside the twi-light zone.- When people assume you havethe swine flu when really youjust have a cold.- Swine flu…end of story.- When people stop their cars

over the crosswalk lines.- When people say that studentsin Greek Life pay for theirfriends.- When the Bistro cash registermalfunctions.- When freshmen assume theyknow the business of upper-classmen.- Un-flushed toilets…really? Ishouldn’t even have to bringthis up.- When the automatic doors tothe HMSC do not open whenthe button is pushed.- When you have to park behind

Hodge and you live in Flo.- When people write derogatoryremarks on the dry-eraseboards.- When you never get mail andpeople around you have pack-ages from home.- When people play their musicSOOO loud that the light shakesin the room.- FINALE: What really grindsmy gears is when you talk to anew person on Facebook andwhen you see them around cam-pus, you ignore each other. Sayhi for goodness sakes!

Staff RecommendationsWhat the staff is excited about this issue:

Alivia: “I recommend listening to the Veronicas.”

Lauren: “Focus on giving this holiday season; sacrifice a purchase of your own & help the less fortunate. Small acts of kindness go a long way! .”

Joshua: "Christmas shopping and textsfromlastnight.com. That’s about it for me this week, kids.”

Angela: “I recommend warm blankets, hot cocoa, cuddling, and watching whatever is on the 25 Days of Christmas.”

DJ: "I highly recommend ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ for anyone who wants to have the time of their life playing a video game."

Ashlee: "Want to feel like you are listening in on someone who is on an acid trip? MGMT can satisfy.'"

Audrey: “I recommend Hot Chocolate from the McCafe. The whipped cream and chocolate drizzle at the top is amazing!.”

Nicole: “I recommend watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It is a classic.”

Aud Rat (Not-So-Facts): What Grinds Her Gears?

DJ Recommends ... “Mockumentaries”

Photo Courtesy of Audrey RattayIt looks like Audrey may be a little frustrated.

Photo Courtesy of Google

Thiel Cribs Visits Mike Hart andJason Joens in Stewart

OPINION SECTIONPage 4 THIELENSIANFriday, December 4, 2009

Photo Courtesy of Google

In this edition Thiel Cribswent to Stewart Hall to visit theroom of juniors Mike Hart andJason Joens.

Thielensian: What do you thinkabout Stewart Hall? If therewas one thing you could changeabout it, what would it be?Mike: I thoroughly enjoy Eliza-beth Stewart Hall, The Resi-dentce Staff is nice, and thecleaning ladies are always leav-ing the halls spotless, also manyof my good friends and brotherslive on my floor.Jason: Stew is awesome, thehalls are clean most of the timeand we have great RA's who arepretty laid back. If I couldchange something, maybe Iwould make the rooms a bitbigger. T: Do you plan to live in Stew-art next year, or do you thinkthere are other housing optionsyou'd prefer and why?M: I would have no problemliving in Stewart 3 years in arow, but I might see what otherhousing options Thiel has to of-fer; I like mixing it up everynow and again.J: Who knows, the apartmentsare cool but on our floor ofStewart everyone pretty muchlives with open doors, we liketo have good times 24/7.T: How is it living with a room-mate? What are the best andworst things about it?M: Living with a roommate isgood, we are interested in a lotof the same activities such as

skateboarding and guitar so wealways have something to talkabout or do when Thiel bore-dom sets in.J: Having a roommate is thebest part about being in dorms!I don’t have any complaints,plus you always have someoneto hangout with and share "ex-periences".T: What is the best thing thatyour roommate contributed tothe room?

M: It is a toss-up between thetelevision or the posters.J: My favorite of his contribu-tions would have to be the tree;it really pulls the room togetherand provides as a habitat for an-imals (crows, frogs, lemurs,etc.)T: How would you describeyour room's style?M: Ordered chaos, althoughthis may seem like an oxy-moron, the room is well kemptbut has a lot of random technol-ogy and other things than otherrooms simply do not have.J: It really is a style all its own,completely random organizedat the same time. We have tonsof musical equipment and ourentertainment systems are topof the line.T: What is the most uniquething about your room?M: We replaced our lights withblacklights and we stuck glow-ing stars all over our room so atnight we sleep under the stars.J: Besides for the tree, thedozens of glow stars that appearat night are pretty eye-catching,especially with the strobe andblacklights on.T: What is in your fridge?M: The fridge is simplystocked; my mom still buys megroceries so I usually have 30+Kool-Aid jammers, Capri Sun,orange juice, cran-grape juice,and Pepsi.J: My beverages don’t make itto the fridge before I finishthem, but Mike’s fridge is al-ways stocked. It’s pretty im-pressive.

Know a room that is worthy ofbeing featured in the paper?Send suggestions to

[email protected] Courtesy Angela BlackburnIt looks like someone has enough caffine to pull an all-nighter.

Photo Courtesy of Angela BlackburnMike Hart and Jason Joen’s room in Stewart Hall.

by Joshua LaFace and Cynthia Metzler

Issue of the Issue: Cynthia andI reflect on the thefts that oc-curred over Break.

J: So after I returned fromBreak, I heard numerous storiesabout theft from people'srooms. This is new. C: Theft is never a new topic onthis campus, but when severalflat screen TVs, gaming sys-tems, and money goes missingall at once, then yes, its new. Idon't get it.J: I don't get it either. Who isthat low to steal all this expen-sive stuff while students are athome celebrating Thanksgiv-ing? It's not like petty itemswere stolen either, we're talkingexpensive entertainment sys-tems and other sacred stuff. C: The thing that bothers methe most about this is, Why ruinyour education? And for what, acouple extra dollars? Defini-tiely, stealing is not worth it tome.J: These thieves are puttingtheir entire education on theline. Thiel does not take thesesituations lightly. If a studentwould be caught being mis-chievious like this, they wouldmost likely be expelled. This isassuming that a student is re-sponsible for the thefts, and nota member of the staff... C: I've already been stolenfrom, and I hope the thief is en-joying my iTouch.J: Oh no! You didn't tell mesomeone stole your iPod. Iwould have a breakdown, not tomention a spell of extremeboredom. My iPod is on the topof my distraction list. But any-who, I am amazed that someonewould steal all that property. C: It amazes me, too. But kar-ma is an amazing thing andthose who choose to steal willget what is coming to them. I

really feel for the students whohad their things stolen.Oh!Don't forget, keep track of yourschool books. If I remembercorrectly, there are some stu-dents who steal the unattendedschool book for buy backs.J: Good, thanks for warning usabout the books. It's bad enoughwe pay $80, get $20 back, thenthe bookstore sells the samebook for $60 the next semester.But that happens on every cam-pus.C: Which sucks, but that $20back is better than nothing. I'dbe so mad if one of my booksgot stolen, except for that Har-brace Handbook you have tobuy for OWE. J: That's an expensive one, butit's a keeper. But nonetheless,issues like stealing arise every-day on Thiel campus, it's unfor-tunate, but I guess we can eitherThiel With 'Em or transfer.

Do you have an issue that youwould like Cynthia and I to dis-cuss in the next issue? Pleaseemail your thoughts, concerns,compliments, and/or credit cardnumbersto [email protected].

Police Blotter November 17: Theft of an XBox system at 4:00 p.m. in

Harter.No suspects available, investigation pending.

November 18: Disorderly conduct at 1:00 p.m. in Greenville Hall. Subject threatened to kick anotherstudent outside a classroom. Defendant was cited for disorderly conduct.

November 19: Disorderly conduct and public drunkenness between 1:00 - 2:00 a.m. at 42 College Ave. Subject broke front door, an interior door and amirror. Subject threatened to fight occupant of house. Subject was arrested and taken to GPDand cited for disorderly conduct.

November 21: Disorderly conduct at 1:00 a.m. at Davis Square Apt. Actor exposed self at Ridgeway Ave. and Roy Johnson Dr. Actor was belligerently intoxicated and was placed in lock-up at GPD, cited for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

November 22: Fighting in parking lot of Frat House 1 at 2:30 a.m. Huge crowd in parking lot would not disperse leading to a fight. Former student banned from campus.

November 30: Burglary at Stewart at 12:00 a.m. Several rooms were entered during Thanksgiving Break and several items were taken: TV’s, XBoxes, CD/DVD’s, and cash. Four suspects were arrested.

One suspect was arrested for receiving stolen property and false reporting to a law enforcement officer concerning stolen XBox previouslyreported in Harter Hall at 10:45 p.m.

December 2: Thiel Public Safety assisted GPD with fight in progress on Columbia Ave. at 3:40 a.m.

by Laura Kaye StemmStaff Writer

Scorpio (October 23 -No-vember 21 – The semester is al-most over and it’s understand-able that you’re excited. Butnow is not the time to forgetabout your work. Putting it offuntil the last minute could havedisastrous results.

Sagittarius (November 22 -December 21) – You’ve gottensidetracked by something unre-lated to the problem you are try-ing to solve. Although this mayseem important enough to leavethe problem unattended it reallycan wait until after you’vefound the solution.

Capricorn (December 22 -January 19) – Your foresighthas aided you tremendouslythese past few weeks. Keeplooking toward the future butremember to enjoy what isaround you as well.

Aquarius (January 20 -Feb-ruary 18) – I’m really im-pressed by how you’ve a han-dled taking that leap of faithand so are many others aroundyou. Trusting your adventurousspirit more often next monthmay lead to more accomplish-ments to be proud of.

Pisces (February 19 -March20) – Everyone is happy thatyou’ve been on cloud nine late-ly, but isn’t it getting too windy

up there? Please come back!You have some responsibilitiesthat need your attentionA.S.A.P.

Aries (March 21- April 19) –The obstacles you’ve facedhave been very trying on yourpatience. Now it is time to mel-low out and take some time foryou; unless you’re into smash-ing your fist into walls thusbreaking it into pieces. If youdecide to take the second route,remember that I want to see thisso I can laugh at you.

Taurus (April 20 -May 20) –You’ve finally finished yourgrade-altering project, but re-member that the semester isn’tover yet. However, taking sometime to relax is fine.

Gemini (May 21 -June 20) –Brace yourself because soonyou’ll be meeting that challengeon the horizon I was telling youabout. Don’t worry. You’reable to meet this one head on.But just in case, take this sporkand don’t say I’ve never doneanything for you.

Cancer (June 21 -July 22) –It seems like the world is fallingon your shoulders as you strug-gle to finish all your assign-ments for the semester. That’sbecause it is. I suggest a regularsleeping schedule, eating break-fast, and carrying an umbrella.

Leo (July 23 -August 22) –This sounds like a brokenrecord, but you need to keep inmind that prioritizing is the keyin the home stretch of the se-mester. If you don’t you maylose the game.

Virgo (August 23 -Septem-ber 22) – As you come backfrom break feeling refreshedyou’ve remembered the moun-tain of things you still need toget done. Don’t panic! You’vemade it this far into the semes-ter, so you know you’ve gotwhat it takes to finish more than

anyone. I’m just here to remindyou.

Libra (September 23- Octo-ber 22) – The end of the semes-ter is indeed a frighteningprospect. I would be more ac-curate to say the research re-ports and finals are frightening.But now is not the time to daw-dle on Facebook and YouTube.Remember how you were get-ting more sleep but just doingthings rather than putting themoff? Remember the sign of theobvious?

Opinion Poll: What do you think about Thiel becoming a wet campus?

Keshia Booker "I think it's a greatidea. The campus

is basically wetanyways."

Jill Spino"I think it'll helpenrollment andthe retention

rate."

Zac Markley "I think it's okay as longas everyone is responsi-ble about it. People aregoing to drink no matter

what, so it might be a little safer."

Becca Stump "I think it'd be a positivething. It'd help with theretention rate first andforemost, and it would

also help students be lessafraid of P.S."

Horoscopes: The Bi-WeeklyZodiac Forecast

Photo Courtesy of Google

Thiel With It!

Photo Courtesy of Google Images

Page 5 THIELENSIAN OPINIONFriday, December 4, 2009

Letter to the Editor: Kindles

To the Editor:

Miss Wood's unfortunate de-scription of members of theEnglish Department holdingprejudices against "certainbooks and authors" (November20) is among the more alarmingthings I've learned about myselfand my colleagues recently.

I am certain that I speak for allof us in the English Departmentwhen I say that not one of us be-lieves any books should be

banned or not published--andthe distinction that some mightnot be published for downloadbecause of prejudice is ab-solutely silly.

So there are 360,000 booksavailable for download fromAmazon; the company recentlyreported that 35% of their totalbook sales are Kindle down-loads, so I would suggest thenumber available for downloadwill in fact increase daily.

I will admit to feeling a bit

like a dinosaur in that I likebooks, I like the concept ofbooks, and I like the physicalityof books. Books may be goingaway, replaced by machines likethe Kindle. That subject is wor-thy of debate, but to throw theword prejudice about so ha-pazardly is a disservice to any-one seeking truth.

Dr. M. DelMaramoEnglish Department

The views of this artist do not necessarily reflect those of the Thielensian.

Darwin Porras"I'm not 21, so I

don't care."

Kristina Mitchell"It will be good for the

21-year-olds because wewon't have to be nervousto walk around on cam-

pus with alcohol thatwe're legally

allowed to have."

Photo Courtesy of Google images

SPORTSPage 6 THIELENSIANFriday, December 4, 2009

The views and opinions expressed in the Thielensian do not reflect those of the Thiel College community as a whole. The views expressed by the writers of this publication are original to the

author and by no means reflect the opinions of Thiel’s faculty, staff, or student body.

by Lauren WhetzelAsst. Editor

With the regular season ofcollege football winding down,the bowl games are being deter-mined and the announcement ofthe Heisman Trophy winnerdraws near.

The Bowl Championship Se-ries (BCS) standings and Asso-ciated Press polls show Floridaleading the NCAA ranked infirst place with Alabama rankedsecond, and Texas third; allthree teams remain undefeatedthis season. The Heisman can-didates with the most consider-ation for the trophy, happen toall be players for each of thesethree teams. Coincidence?

Each week, these top candi-dates make the decision for whoshould claim the Heisman titlemore difficult after having out-standing performances. TheHeisman Trophy is to be award-ed to "the most outstandingfootball player in the UnitedStates for 2009" and these arethe top 3 players which I be-lieve fit that criterion.

Colt McCoy, senior quarter-back for the Texas Longhorns iscertainly playing to convinceand prove to everyone that heindeed deserves the HeismanTrophy. On Thanksgiving night

against Texas A&M, this seniorcompleted 24 of 40 passes for304 yards and four touchdowns,while also running for a career-high 175 yards on 18 carries todefeat the Aggies. The Long-horns are now just one winaway, playing Nebraska onDec. 5, from reaching the BCSNational Championship Game.

Mark Ingram, sophomore run-ning back for Alabama nearlydisappeared in week 13 againstAuburn, being held to only 30yards and 16 carries. However,for the most part he has beenconsistently unstoppablethroughout the season, and hisstats certainly show it: 1,399yards and 12 scores on 205 car-ries, and 225 yards and threescores on 25 catches, all againstthe highest caliber of defensivecompetition in the country. ForIngram to claim the Heisman,he really needs to step up dur-ing the Southeastern Confer-ence (SEC) championshipagainst Florida.

Tim Tebow, senior quarter-back for the Florida Gators andHeisman Trophy winner in2007, remains a prime prospectfor the trophy. Although his sta-tistics this season have not beenas stellar as in previous seasons,Tebow could not have scripteda better finish to his career at

The Swamp against FloridaState this past week. Against theSeminoles, Tebow executedthree passing touchdowns, tworushing touchdowns and a winover their in-state rival. Tebowis showing his determinationand playing his best when itmatters the most. He has achance to add to his decoratedresume in the SEC champi-onship game against secondranked Alabama, and a chanceto lead his team to their thirdnational championship. Like In-gram, this quarterback’s per-formance in the SEC champi-onship game will be importantto his Heisman hopes.

Also in the mix is Stanford'ssenior running back Toby Ger-hart, especially after one of hismost impressive performancesthis season in front of a nationalprime-time audience againstNotre Dame. He ran for 205yards and three touch downs,including the game winner, andalso threw an 18-yard touch-down pass.

According to the official Heis-man Web site, "Each Sectionwithin the United States has145 media votes, totaling 870media votes across the country.Additionally every formerHeisman winner, 55 presently,has a vote as well. In 1999, The

Heisman Trophy agreed to de-velop a special program to al-low the public at large to be-come part of the ballotingprocess by permitting one (1)fan vote eligible in the overalltabulation. This program once

again continues this yearthrough a partnership with Nis-san North America, bringingthe total number of voters forthe 2009 Heisman race to 926."

Week 14 is crucial for each ofthese players to state their claim

as to why they deserve to winthe Heisman Trophy. On Satur-day, Dec. 12 at 8p.m., the 2009Heisman announcement will bemade live from the Nokia The-atre in New York City.

Heisman Trophy: Who’s Deserving?

“With the regularseason of collegefootball windingdown, the bowlgames are being

determined and theannouncement of the

Heisman Trophy winner draws near.”

Photo Courtesy of Google

THIEL ATHLETICS - TheThiel College men’s basketballteam took the lead at the 11:54mark of the first half on a DevonAdams free throw and neverlooked back as the Tomcatscruised to a, 89-71, victory overPenn State Beaver at La RocheCollege on Saturday.

Adams would go on to score agame-high 21 points in additionto pulling down nine rebounds –also a game high.

In all, Thiel had five playersscore in double figures, includ-ing freshman Blair Rozenbladwho continued his early-seasontear by scoring 18.

Aundra Jones came off the

bench to score 13, while SeanDevinney and Cory Chaffee fin-ished with 12 and 11 points, re-spectively.

Thiel converted at a 45-percentclip from the floor in the contest,while out-rebounding their sec-ond-consecutive opponent, thistime by a 37-to-30 margin.

The Tomcats – who lead by asmany as 21 points in the secondhalf – owned a, 45-40, advantageat the intermission and were aid-ed by a solid effort off the benchwhich accounted for 23 points.

Thiel (1-2) returns to action onTuesday when they visit Edin-boro for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Men’s Basketball Shoot for the Best

Photo Courtesy of Thiel Athletics

Classes beginning at: Final Exam Date: Final Exam Time:

8:00 a.m. on Mon, Wed, Fri Thursday, Decenber 17 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

9:00 a.m. on Mon, Wed, Fri Friday, December 18 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

10:00 a.m. on Mon, Wed, Fri Saturday, December 19 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m. on Mon, Wed, Fri Wednesday, December 16 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

12:00 Noon on Mon, Wed, Fri Thursday, December 17 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m. on Mon, Wed, Fri Thursday, December 17 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

2:00 p.m. on Mon, Wed, Fri Saturday, December 19 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

3:00 p.m. on Mon, Wed, Fri Saturday, December 19 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Evening Classes on Mon, Wed Wednesday, December 16 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. on Tues, Thurs Friday, December 18 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

9:30 a.m. on Tues, Thurs Wednesday, December 16 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

11:00 a.m. on Tues, Thurs Friday, December 18 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

1:00 p.m. on Tues, Thurs Wednesday, December 16 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

2:30 p.m. on Tues, Thurs Saturday, December 19 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Evening Classes on Tues, Thurs Thursday, December 17 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Exams for TBA classes TBA by instructor. TBA by instructor.

Final Examination Schedule for Fall 2009:Good Luck!

THIEL ATHLETICS - Withtheir strongest defensive per-formance of the season, theThiel College women's basket-ball team picked up their sec-ond win of the season on Sun-day when they beat the OberlinCollege Yeomen, 75-63.

The Tomcats jumped out thegates to a 16-6 lead in the firsthalf and maintain that momen-tum over the course of the firsthalf, shooting at a 61 percentclip and 49 percent for thegame. The Thiel College de-fense showed their claws asthey held the Yeomen to shoot-

ing just below 26.8 percent.Sophomore forward, Ashley

Davis, scored a game-high 20points and nine rebounds enroute to an all-tournament nod.Freshman big, Kelly Barzackcontributed ten points, five re-bounds, three blocks and threesteals, while Kacey Landis ,Nina Gabrelcik and JasminJones each added nine points.

The Tomcat women headdown to Latrobe, Pa. onWednesday, Dec. 2 for a 6:00p.m. match up with theBearcats of St. Vincent College.

Tomcat Women Claw Past Oberlin

Photo Courtesy of Thiel Athletics

Photo Courtesy of Thiel Athletics

Mount Union Tops Wrestling, 22-14THIEL ATHLETICS – The

Thiel College wrestling teamdropped a, 22-14, decision in anintersectional match at MountUnion College on Tuesdayevening.

Thiel’s Rob Miller (Transfer,Pa./Reynolds) earned the Tom-cats’ first win of the day at 133lbs, defeating Colin Dennis, 11-10. Sophomore 141-pounderCorey Brown (Greenville,Pa./Reynolds) kept the positivemomentum going for Thiel indowning the Purple Raiders’Chad Rhoades, 22-6, via tech-nical fall in 5:12.

Mount Union would respondby winning the next five deci-sions to doom the blue & gold.

Tomcat freshman Todd Miller(New Eagle, Pa./Ringold)stopped the bleeding by pickingup a, 6-1, decision over CoreyHagan at 197 lbs. At 285 lbs,Kraig Smith (Aliquippa,Pa./Hopewell) capped the nightfor Thiel with a, 9-1, major de-cision over Derrick Hesson.

Thiel (2-2) returns to actionon Sat., Dec. 5 when it visitsRochester Institute of Technol-ogy.