Highlander Newspaper

January 31, 2012

Men’s Basketball Player Rebounds to Success

Let’s Talk Fashion

Page 4

Exclusively on highlandernews.net

A Look Back at Legends

Fashion columnist gives her expertise on style savy web sites - Page 3

Dellos talks with Amershak about old school MU hoops and lifelong friendships - Page 4

highlandernews.net

Senior guard Jeff Slanovec bounces to high rankings this season

Continued on page 4

The Week in Photos:Submit favorite, original photos of

campus activity to [email protected]

Cougar’s Den gets a well deserved makeover...P2 Cheerleaders fly home with a national ranking...P5

LOSS OF LION LEGENDBy Josh Horton, Reporter

Joe Paterno tackled many battles throughout his 61 years at Penn State Univer-sity. His toughest came just months after university of-ficials fired him as their head football coach, but this was of a different nature. Paterno succumbed to a long-standing battle with his health. 85-year-old Paterno passed away on January 22, 2012 at 9:25 a.m. He was diagnosed with lung cancer on Novem-ber 18, 2011, which happened to be just nine days after the PSU Board of Trustees decided to relieve him of his coaching duties. The Board of Trustees fired Paterno after longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was accused of sexually abusing a young boy in the showers of a Penn State football facility. The same Board of Trust-ees, which showed Paterno the door, issued a statement shortly following his death. “We grieve for the loss of Joe Paterno, a great man who made us a greater university,” read a statement from acting president Rodney Erickson. “His dedication to ensuring his players were successful both on the field and in life is leg-endary and his commitment to education is unmatched in college football. His life, work and generosity will be remem-bered always.” Students are also mourning the loss, and some feel they have to pinch themselves to prove this is not a dream. “It has been a very emo-tional last two days on cam-pus,” Penn State sophomore communications major Dan Cronin said. “Deep down, I think we all know he was 85, but it was just news you never want to hear as a Penn Stater. It’s a shame to see his story end this way.” Since his passing, people everywhere have been remem-bering Paterno as more than just a coach. “Penn State has been a huge part of my life and my family’s life and Joe was much more than just a football coach,” Penn State sophomore Nick Musto said. “He was a father figure to thousands of people and has done so much for the University and I was so sad to hear of his passing.” Dallas resident Don Berlew is an avid supporter of Penn State and has had season tick-ets for the past eight years. He mourns Paterno and the way in which he was forced to end his career. “As a lifetime Penn State fan, and Joe Paterno fan, I am particularly saddened to hear of his passing,” Berlew said. “I have mixed emotions. Obvi-ously I am sad for Joe, but I am also very irritated with how the entire process was handled by the Board of Trust-ees.” Berlew said Paterno did not receive due process. “It is just a shame to see the last two months of his life go the way they did.” He believes Paterno’s cancer may not be the only cause of his death.“Obviously his illness is the main reason he died,” Berlew said. “But, to be honest I think he died par-tially of a broken heart.”

By April Dulsky, Web Editor

Two political bills brought into the public eye by a mas-sive online blackout sparked a clash between media corpora-tions, elected representatives and the public. The House of Represen-tatives and the Senate in 2011 drafted two bills called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and Protect Intel-lectual Property Act (PIPA). According to the New York Times, the bills were drafted to combat online piracy and copyright infringement of movies, music, medication, and more. “The bills also took aim at American search engines like Google and Yahoo, payment processors like PayPal and ad servers that allow the pirates to function,” according to the New York Times. According to major websites and media professionals, censorship was the major fear brought on by the current bills as they stand because they carry the potential of remov-ing entire websites, voices and information online. “The fear would be anyone with an independent voice can be taken away. There is a five years maximum penalty and the argument that they are not going to shut down blogs or websites. If you look at the U.S. history in the brunt of what laws allow you to do, we always go for the maximum,” said Dan Kimbrough, assis-tant professor of communica-tions. A massive online blackout swept across the web Janu-ary 18 in protest of the two bills approaching a vote in the House and Senate. Thousands of websites and search engines blacked out and redirected online users to information about the bills. “The blackout, if you went online, which people do, and you Googled something to find it, you couldn’t find the infor-mation because it was shut down and said ‘here’s why.’

This is why you don’t have ac-cess to information and here’s what happens if these laws were passed,” said Kimbrough. “I think it was one of the most effective boycotts of sorts be-cause it made people realize.” Some elected officials

changed their views from “sup-port” to “oppose” on the bills as the public pushed, through means of phone calls, emails and online petitions, for the representatives to reconsider. PA Senator Pat Toomey joined the list of representatives who issued an official statement on the day of the blackout about his newly reversed stance on the current PIPA and SOPA bills. “Piracy of intellectual prop-erty is a legitimate concern that should be addressed. However, the PROTECT IP Act and the Stop Internet Piracy Act are flawed, and I cannot support them in their current form. I look forward to working with my Senate

colleagues on this issue and finding a better legislative approach for tackling online piracy,” Toomey said. According to LA Times, 4.5 million people clicked, signed and shared the Anti-SOPA petition. Many who saw the

petition believed the messages were hard to ignore. “I shared it on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Many people were spreading the word as well on social plat-forms,” said Gabi Trepper, junior. Even though the blackout came as a shock for some, oth-ers were well aware that the websites were on the verge of protesting. Some were aware that an online demonstration was imminent. “I knew it was going to hap-pen a couple days before the actual blackout. There was a huge list of companies like Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia and more,” said Chris Mott, Har-vey’s Lake.

The blackout sparked peo-ple’s attention by showing the possibility of what the bills’ impact could be, even causing the Senate and House to delay the vote on the current bills. Many believe that delaying the vote will not be enough to

stop them from being enforced.“I don’t think that the black-out really worked because it doesn’t really matter how many phone calls were made to representatives or the government about it,” said Ali Rishkofski, sophomore. “The legislators will try and pass whatever bill they want. It doesn’t really matter what the public says 99.9 percent of the time.” The Motion Picture Associa-tion of America and Record-ing Industry Association of America helped to support and fund the two bills and this con-cerned many who understood the imminence of the issue. “The RIAA had something to do with crafting the law.

So you have a corporation invested in making money influencing the government in creation of laws. That would be like Smith and Wesson is allowed to help create gun laws,” said Kimbrough. The SOPA and PIPA bills are relatively new but laws combating piracy online are not. Other bills from the present and past have similar regulations that carry the intent of prosecuting people of all ages who infringe copyright laws. “The government and RIAA were allowed to go in and look at 13 year olds’ hard drives. They were showing up at kids’ houses, commandeering their computers, and saying you downloaded 160,000 songs illegally, technically this is 160,000 counts of copyright in-fringement,” said Kimbrough. Even though the two bills attempt to eradicate online copy right infringement, the notion of piracy has occurred since people were able to press record. The ease of tracking piracy is a new addition to multimedia sharing online. “When I was a kid, I used to take a cassette and put it into the tape player and record radio shows because we were too cheap to go out and buy the tapes. The first album that I ever got was Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation, and I think I made four or five copies of it for friends,” said Kimbrough. “They were all copyright infringements. They were just harder to track back then. Now it’s easier to track.” Many believe that the public outpouring of opposition can-not prevent legislators from passing bills into law. Some look to the past to understand what can occur in the future of the two bills. “They will pass it through if we want them to or not. They regularly pass bills that don’t comply with our laws at all. Legislators regularly by-pass the constitution and sign

Parking spaces slashed yet againBy James Fisher, Reporter

Parking on campus has turned into sport—students drive strategically, hoping to snag a suddenly empty space, or they weave through the construction obstacle course, dodging vehicles and potholes. Junior Dominick Dellos said construction-generated traffic is another snag. “The biggest issue I feel is that the road is so torn up that the potholes now have the po-tential to tear up your car and give it tire damage,” he said. “I just don’t like the cleanliness of how the roads are. I felt that they should’ve come up with a way to avoid the roads and the traffic that construc-tion trucks are causing.” Dellos said this is the worst MU parking has ever been. Sophomore Aaron Orchard, a resident at the new Machell Avenue house, drives to cam-pus from his residence. “It takes me twice as long to find a spot,” Orchard said. President Michael Mac-Dowell said he is aware of the parking problem and knew it likely would be a concern for

students in light of the major construction happening all over campus. “Before we went into this project we had to constrict parking,” MacDowell said. “Last spring and fall we counted the parking spaces we had and we had 182 extra spots not being used.” Some students said they couldn’t fine spaces so they made their own spots by

parking in the grass during the first week of the semester. Safety officers issued tickets and fines for illegal parking. “It’s not fair that they gave fines the first week,” said Orchard. “They can’t take away parking spots and expect students to willingly pay a fine for no spot on campus.” MacDowell said tickets were issued because students parked in faculty parking

spots. “The faculty was not happy at all with students parking in the teachers’ spots,” MacDowell said. “The reason for the aggressiveness with the tickets the first week was because of the students park-ing in the faculty lots, and unfortunately the grass park-ing had to be taken care of as well.” MacDowell reminds the campus community that students must park in white

spaces and avoid yellow fac-ulty spots. Some students question why the heavy-duty construction didn’t start over the summer break, and MacDowell said the school was unable to get the permit to begin construction at that time, so construction was pushed to the fall. “We knew this would be the worst time,” said MacDowell. “We waited until the spring because we normally have fewer students than we did in the fall semester. Last fall we had 1,720 students, and this semester we have between 1,633 and 1,639 students.” Officials anticipate construc-tion should end by August 1. MacDowell asks everyone to be patient because it will be worth it in the end. “We try to do everything we can to make the lives of our students better,” MacDowell said. “Part of it is building these new things, but un-fortunately there’s pain to it that we have all to make it through.”

Construction workers install a piping system behind McHale Hall, January 19.MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

When millions of internet users clicked the Google logo on January 18 they were linked to this web-site and asked to sign a petition against PIPA and SOPA. Over 5 million people signed that day.

APRIL DULSKY/THE HIGHLANDER

INTERNET BLACKOUT

Just like the rest of MU, Cougar Radio is under con-struction as the staff is hard at work to improve its pres-ence on campus and in the community. The radio station is hold-ing events throughout the semester, teaming up with various non-profit groups to help raise money for each charity’s cause. The events are also a way to help include the entire student body, not just communications students, and get them involved with the station. One of the first events is the Leap Year Dance, which Cougar Radio will co-sponsor with Colleges Against Can-cer, a group of the American Cancer Society that supports and gives guidance to college students to bring the fight against cancer to campus. “We wanted to celebrate [Leap Year] since it only happens once every four years, and we hope to make it something really special,” said Julia Truax, Cougar Radio station manager. “We hope to get a student DJ to spin at the dance, further incorporating the talents of Misericordia students.” Scheduled for February 29, the theme will be “Mas-querade,” which was chosen partially because of its similar timing with Mardi Gras the week before. Students are encouraged to make their own masquerade masks to wear during the dance, which will be held in the dining hall. Resident assistants in Gildea Hall will host a mask-making program where residents will be able to construct their own masks—beads, feathers and all—for the event. The biggest Cougar Radio event of the semester will be the “Beats for a Benefit” con-cert on April 28. The concert will feature numerous local

nonprofit organizations and three local bands. It will be in Lemmond Theater and is expected to be the big finale of Spring Weekend. “The neat thing about our concert is that we’ll have a variety of local charities at the event. They’ll have booths set up with information about their different organizations, who they are, what they do, how people can participate or volunteer with them, etc.,” said Truax. “When people decide they want to go to the concert, they choose where

their ticket money will go, which of the organizations they want it to be donated to.”The Student Government Association, SGA, is going to sponsor a barbeque at the concert and the radio’s staff is also working hard to get other menu items. They hope this will help draw in an even larger crowd than previous concerts held on campus. “Misericordia has had benefit concerts in the past and they’ve all been great, but Cougar Radio wanted to take a different approach,” said Truax. “We have so many awesome things to offer to the campus and we’re just waiting for people to catch on and take advantage of all that we do.”Something else that is new to campus is the Cougar Indie-pendence, a compilation CD produced by Cougar Radio. The station held a submis-

sion contest for local musical acts during the fall semester and the final CD will fea-ture the winners. It should be available for purchase at “Beats for a Benefit.” Dan Kimbrough, Cougar Radio’s faculty adviser, came up with the idea while brain-storming on new ways to pro-mote the station. “There was a radio station in my hometown, 96.3 The Edge, which used to release a CD every year called Edge Essentials. It was a way to showcase local bands and to promote the radio station.

When we were trying to think of things to do that popped in my head.” After making flyers, com-pleting interviews with local media, and putting submis-sion information on the Cou-gar Radio website, several bands sent in their music. “I am really proud of how the CD turned out. I think that the genres of music really show the local music scene,” said Peter Falvey, New Music Director for the station. Part of Falvey’s job is to find and select new music for the sta-tion and although the CD contest is over, he encourages local and underground bands to continue sending the sta-tion their music to be added to the station’s on-air playlist. The CD will also act as a collaboration of students within the Communications Department. Students of the

Advanced Graphic Design class will be designing the CD artwork and insert booklet. Kimbrough asked Doug Martin, the class’s instructor and a professional graphic designer, to design the CD artwork. “I was going to do it, but I thought it would be a great thing to present to the class,” said Martin. Each student will be design-ing their own concept for the CD and they will get ideas and draw inspiration from listening to the CD itself. The entire concept is up to the students, including whether to use a booklet or a barrel roll insert for bands’ information. Once the student designs are done, there will be a vote to see whose design is used. Cougar Radio is also airing live sporting events. Since the beginning of the college basketball season, the station has been broadcasting both the Men’s and Women’s home games. The games have been archived on the website, www.cougarradio.net, so anyone who wasn’t able to listen to the game, such as a student’s relatives back home, could do so at their convenience. Cougar Radio staffers hope to broadcast other events, ath-letic and academic, this spring as well. The staff of Cougar Radio is also looking to include studio interviews with bands as well as interviews at shows. “This has been a big year for Cougar Radio with the ad-dition of sports broadcasting, regular programming, Cougar Indie-pendence, and now this concert. Our hope is that we can establish a real presence with the campus and local communities and become a program that people regularly listen to,” said Truax. The radio station is cur-rently in a constant evolu-tion and needs more student

January 31, 2012highlandernews.net2

CONTACT US

STAFFThe Highlander is a free, biweekly publication produced in conjunction with

MU Communications Department. Any full-time student is encouraged to join the staff. We are a member of the American Scholastic Press Association,

Associated Collegiate Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

INTEGRITYThe Highlander works to produce up-to-date, clear, accurate reporting. If any information is inaccurate or not covered thor-

oughly, corrections and information will appear in this area. Opinions and views expressed in The Highlander in no way reflect those of Misericordia University or the Sisters of Mercy. The Highlander Staff welcomes students, faculty and reader response.

The Highlander reserves the right to edit submissions for grammatical errors and length. All submissions must be signed. Letters to the Editor and/or materials for publication may be submitted by any reader. Items can be sent via e-mail.

Katlin Bunton - Editor-in-ChiefEllen Hoffman - Print EditorApril Dulsky - Web EditorJulia Truax - Content Manager

Audra Wehner - Business ManagerMorgan Harding - Web Master

Melissa Sgroi - Advisor

Misericordia University301 Lake Street

Dallas, PA 18612

Mary Bove - Photographer

[email protected]@misericorida.edu

570-674-6400570-674-6737

[email protected]@misericordia.edu

CONTRIBUTORS

News

Dominick DellosMichele DragoPeter FalveyJames Fisher

Hilary HooverJosh HortonShawn KellmerGabriella Lengyel

Cougar Radio jam packedBy Shawn Kellmer, ReporterCougar Radio djs working to make a bigger name for themselves with events and promotions over the airwaves.

Hibernation OverBy Ellen Hoffman, Print Editor

The Cougar’s Den gets a makeover and offers more menu choices.

As sophomore Tamara Bradley walked into the Cougar’s Den for the start of the spring semester, she was welcomed by a new atmo-sphere. She first took notice of the freshly painted walls and new flat screen televisions before entering the reno-vated food service area. After oohing and ahhing over the shelves stocked with almost every candy imaginable, she scanned the new menus for something to eat. She decided on the Chicken Ranchero wrap and sat down, eagerly awaiting her meal. “I think the renovations will attract more people,” Brad-ley said. “I like the fact that things already seem to be run-ning smoothly and I think the new Den will cater to more people’s appetites.” The Cougar’s Den closed December 12, 2011 so workers could begin the renovations. In addition to a brick oven, new fryers and a bigger grill were put in place. There is also a new deli station where students can create their own sandwich for just $5. A larger working area allows more employees—and more were hired to ensure a smooth din-ing experience. “The renovations started because the last time we did a renovation in the Cougar’s Den was probably 12 years ago,” Bruce Deeble, Director of Food Service said. “It just out grew itself and we couldn’t keep up with the volume.” Deeble thinks these renova-tions will enhance service. “Service and the speed of service should be much better just because of all the new equipment. We should be able to get things done a lot faster and we’re excited about it. I think it’s going to be a popular destination.” The Cougar’s Den opened its doors for a small opening Jan. 21, but the grand opening is scheduled for Feb. 7. Em-ployees say they will work out any kinks. Activities are also planned to celebrate the final renovation. “We’re going to have a band through Student Activities and we’re going to have some giveaways and specials,” Deeble said. “Kind of a big blow out in here.” This semester also brings the start of work for the new retail manager, Mike Raub. After working in different schools he is pleased to serve with the employees of the Cougar’s Den. “It’s exciting that it’s new, bigger, faster

and fresher,” he said. A convenience store is another new addition. Stu-dents can use points or cash to purchase snack options like chips and candy as well as other supplies for the dorm rooms like laundry detergent and shampoo. Two new flat screen televisions and a new stereo system were installed throughout the dining area. The convenience store will be open according to Cougar’s Den hours. “I think it makes it more convenient for students without cars on campus,” sophomore Jon Bodack said. “It’s just easier for everyone in case they run out of anything and can’t get off campus. There is definitely more of a variety and a lot more healthier options.” With changes being put into place, Raub wants to make sure people know what is happening on a daily basis. He is working through the Metz Dining Facebook page to interact more with students and enhance their dining op-tions. Now, daily menus are posted so students are more informed. “We want to make you happier to come here,” Raub said. The majority of students are excited and happy with the new look and feel of the Den but they also have some con-cerns. First year Ben Torres is thrilled with the renova-tions that were completed so far but also thinks there are some things that need to be tweaked before the grand opening. “I think they defi-nitely need a mic system put in because I can never hear when they call my name,” he said. “Overall it’s way bet-ter. The convenient section is awesome. I think it’s all really good.” There are some things that are already planned to change over the course of the spring semester. New tables are scheduled to arrive 10 days after the grand opening due to back order, and over the sum-mer a new lighting system is scheduled for installation. Director of Student Ac-tivities Darcy Brodmerkel is excited about the changes and optimistic about how the service and speed of produc-tion will change. “The service should be much better and I’m pretty confident in that,” she said. “It’s been a work in progress and we are very thankful to Metz Corp. for get-ting it done for us.”

Final touches are added to the newly remodeled Cougar’s Den before the small opening on January 21.

MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

By Peter Falvey, Reporter

Hit the Right Note: Top Albums of 201121- Adele If you haven’t heard one of the songs off this album by now, you are truly living under a rock. The songstress composed her sophomore album, 21, after the breakup from an unnamed partner. As a result, the album is filled with heartbreak, anger, and forgiveness. Adele’s vocals mixed with the unflashy nature of the album made it hit across many genres and caused some to call her the “Anti-Lady Gaga.” Adele is the torchbearer in the British Soul invasion, which included Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. The album yielded three singles. The first single is “Rolling in the Deep.” This song became an instant hit with many artists covering it, such as Childish Gambino, John Legend and Go Radio. Go Radio’s cover was the best of the crop, in my opinion. Her second single, “Someone like You” is played about ev-ery hour on any top 40’s radio station. If you haven’t heard it, which you most likely have and are sick of, it is one of the most tear-inducing songs I have heard. The second it comes on the radio you

have to make a decision—to either change the station or get ready to be sucked in to Adele’s heartbreak. While many of my friends cannot stand the song, I simply love it. The third single is “Set Fire to the Rain.” This song is unlike the rest of the album, more like a power ballad with a very strong instrumentation and swelling string section. Overall I give the album 9 out of 10.Speak Now- Taylor Swift I was surprised to see that this made it to the second most selling album of 2011. Before I begin, I do not listen to Taylor Swift on a regular basis. I listened to the singles off the album. That said, I en-joyed what I heard. The first single off the album is “Mine.” This song is classic Swift; it’s a love song and is sing-able. The lyrics speak of the ups and down of young love. The second single “Back to December,” is a little different than most Swift songs. She is looking back at a relationship and realizing how careless she was. This is the first time that Swift has apologized to some-one in a song. Some speculate that the song is about actor

and ex-boyfriend Taylor Laut-ner. I think we all remember when they we dating. “They both have the same fist name; could you imagine if they got married?” or some variation of that celebrity gossip was a common musing among Swift fans. “Mean” was the third single, and it has a great country sound with the poten-tial to become the anthem to those who are bullied. Critics seem to agree that it is aimed at those who say she can’t sing. My question is “can T. Swift really play the banjo?” Overall, I give the album an 8 out of 10 hearts-made-out-of-hands. Born This Way- Lady Gaga Before I can address the content of the album, I feel the need to address that album cover. If you haven’t seen it yet, imagine a motor cycle with a Lady Gaga head. It looks like a bad Photoshop job. Then I noticed that that her arms are the suspension. The cover isn’t bad, just differ-ent (but then, what would you expect from The Queen Mon-ster?). The first hit off this al-bum is “Born This Way.” This song is club-ready, electro-pop with synth backing. It is about

self-empowerment and is a hit in the LGBT community. It became the fastest-selling song in iTunes history, selling one million copies in five days. “Judas” was the second hit off of Gaga’s album. It is clas-sic Gaga, electro-pop mixed with controversy. The song was criticized by William A. Donohue, the president of the Catholic League, for the por-trayal of Mary Magdalene. He also attacked her for releasing the song and video so close to Holy Week and Easter. The third single from the album is “The Edge of Glory.” It is a dance song that is about the very last moments of life. Gaga said the lyrical inspira-tion came from the death of her grandfather. My favorite part of the song has to be the saxophone solo by Clarence Clemons, which makes the song feel more like the music of Bruce Springsteen and 1980s adult contemporary musical works. Her music video for this song was very un-Lady Gaga. It was very simply shot and she only wears one outfit designed by Versace. I give this album 8 out of 10 claws.

Continued on page 3

Being vegan, I’ve heard a lot of interesting substitutes for animal products: Boca burgers made from soy and veggies; rice, oat, and hemp milks; applesauce and bak-ing powder to replace eggs; and a variety of soy and rice “chreese” blends. But as I looked into pos-sibilities for my next recipe, I came across an ingredi-ent that I was not familiar with: nutritional yeast. It’s a powdered form of fungus that acts like a parmesan cheese substitute. Nutri-tional yeast is a great source of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12. Ignoring the temp-tation to call out “BINGO!,” I read fur-ther into the label. A serving size of 1 ½ table-spoons contains 1 gram of fat and 8 grams of protein. Let’s face it though, no matter how good it is for you, it’s got to taste even better. In our latest recipe for disaster, a fungus is among us! Will nutritional yeast be an interesting way to energize a dish or will it take over like a black and white horror film? Find out as we tackle maca-roni and cheese! Begin by cooking your pasta and preheating your oven to 375 degrees. I’ve found that cooking your pasta in the microwave and cooking your pasta on the stove take relatively about the same time when you’re making a small batch, but I would rather make it on the stove. Add a little salt to two cups of water as you are boiling to increase the temperature of the water and add your pasta at full boil. Cook until desired doneness- usually about 10 minutes for a softer noodle. If you decide to microwave your noodles, combine water,

pasta, and salt and cook on high for 7-10 minutes. While this is cooking, in a separate pot combine your other ingredients and stir on low heat to combine the mixture. Drain the noodles and combine them to the “chreese” mixture in the pot, mak-ing sure that it covers the noodles. If it starts to become a little dry, add a little bit more buttery spread and soy. When you are confident in

the mix-ture, pour it into a baby casserole dish—mine is another relic from the depths of the White House kitchen—and top with breadcrumbs and a slice of veggie cheese and bake un-til browned. This should take another 10 minutes. I pride myself on making things look delicious, but everyone knows looks can be de-ceiving. I can only imagine “The Crea-ture from the Black Lagoon”

morphing over the sides of the dish and panicking as I try to vanquish it with a fire extinguisher. However, on the first bite, I noticed that this beast was very tame. Quite mild as far as the cheesy flavor goes. The nutritional yeast provides a creamy, nutty, and cheese-like flavor to the recipe, which kind of took me aback.It was actually rather good and I give the recipe two thumbs up. As the cold wintery days be-gin and we seek warm comfort food recipes to fill our bellies, this recipe can be altered to fit anyone’s dietary concerns. Nutritional yeast is vegan, soy-free, and celiac friendly. This is a great dish to kick off the winter air! Questions? Comments? Sug-gestions? E-mail [email protected]

The Recipe: (serves 1)

Dinner time in less than 30

min!

1 cup of uncooked pasta

½ cup of soymilk

¼ cup of mashed potatoes

3 tablespoons of

nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon of buttery

spread

Dash of onion powder

Dash of curry powder

1 slice of veggie cheese

1 piece of hardened toast

made into bread crumbs

A Collegiate

By Hilary HooverCulinary Columnist

Recipe for Disaster:

ColumnCulinary

TALK

By Michele DragoFashion Columnist

LET’S

FASHION

January 31, 2012highlandernews.net 3Arts & Entertainment

CAPSCORNER

At The Counseling & Psychological Services Center (CAPS), support is available and no concern is too big

or too small. Counselors are available to support you in a non-judgmental way using a holistic perspective - attend-

ing to mind, body and spirit. Our hope is that through counseling services you are able to create more balance,

peace and serenity in your life.

We invite all students to utilize CAPS Center services including individual therapy, group therapy, consultation services, referral services, psycho-educational programs

and/or crisis intervention. Services are free and available to all full-time matriculated students. For more informa-

tion about the CAPS Center and resources visit us on the e-MU tab “Campus Life.”

The CAPS Center would like to invite students to the following programs:

Paper Flower CraftTuesday, January 24

3:30 pm Learn about relaxation and gratitude while crafting.

Worry Box CraftThursday, February 9

3:30 pmDiscussion on stress and ways to reduce anxiety

Dream Catcher CraftThursday, March 29

3:30 pmLearn about benefits and strategies to improve sleep

Also Courtney Burgess-Michak is offering:“The Grief Recovery Method” - Outreach Program

The Action Program for moving beyond death, divorce, and other losses.

Myths about grief:-Time heals all wound

-Replace the loss-Grieve alone

-Be strong for others-Bury your feelings

This program will begin in February. Date and time to be determined by participants.

“People will forget what you said; People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelo

Are you interested in exploring health, happiness, and well-being? The CAPS Center is running a personal growth group that will run for six consecutive weeks.

The group will be open for 6-8 people, membership will be on a first come, first served basis, and the time

of the group will be determined based on the members’ schedules. This group will focus on the needs of the

members in relation to increasing health, happiness, and well-being.

If you have any further questions or are interested in join-ing, please email Megan at [email protected].

Have you experienced:•Wishing the weight, size, or shape of your body were different?

•Weighing yourself often and obsessing over the scale?•Skipping meals, extreme dieting, or controlling your food?•Use of diet pills, diuretics, laxatives, or excessive exercising?

•Categorizing food as “good” or “bad?” •Feeling out of control when you are eating?

•Feeling ashamed, disgusted, or guilty after eating?

Some students feel like they have to look a certain way to be happy or healthy. Disordered eating occurs when some-one’s attitude toward food, weight, and body size leads to

habits that jeopardize health, happiness, and safety!

So what can I do? Get Screened! The CAPS Center is offering FREE, Con-fidential, Anonymous eating attitudes screenings for all

students! Come by yourself, or bring a friend.

When: Wednesday, February 15thTime: 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Where: CAPS Center (lower level McGowan)How: No appointment necessary—just stop by!

Want more info?Contact Megan at 570-674-8024, mtucker@misericordia.

edu, or stop by the CAPS Center!

Welcome back to another semester of classes and fash-ion. I’ve decided to start this new year off with a bang by sharing my secrets about how to become a fashion maven in such a small town. I know how to make something out of the street style and chic boutiques surrounding me, and that’s how I searched for ways to follow high fashion without actually being in NYC or LA. Fashion magazines aren’t the best source for the most craved seasonal styles anymore, but blogs, social media, and ap-plications have taken over the scene. Here are a few at which you should take a peek. Even though it has been around for the longest time, last semester I made my most favorite discovery ever: Polyvore. Ever since I found this site, I’ve been obsessed with everything you could do just by downloading a Poly-vore tab. This site takes online shopping to a whole new level as you can create your own virtual style boards that can even resemble magazines like Vogue. One can combine dif-ferent clothing pieces to create a desired look. Not only is it known for its usability, but, once an account is created, you can explore and “like” others sets as well. Best part of all, Polyvore holds weekly contests for fashion getaways and store gift certificates like nobody could imagine. It is perfect for getting your foot in the door of styling or creating themed fashion boards. “I love creat-ing sets because even though I don’t go to school for fashion yet, I can still show off my ability to put outfits together through this site,” said Becca Dennis, a featured student on College Fashionista. Pinterest is also rising on the list of must-have fashion “pinning sites.” I’ve noticed more are starting to join the site that lets you create boards of everything you love from fashion to food to pictures of cats. While Pinterest is starting to gain popularity, there are still a few glitches to look out for: followers never add up correctly, pins may not actually get pinned, and the iPhone app…well that’s another story. Let’s just say, it needs some work. Pinterest is not only for the fashion crowd: it’s becoming the next best thing to Facebook. “Pinter-est has made it easy to put everything I love from sites together on one page,” said Jill Edwards, MU class of 2011. “I’ve even been asked to use

it a few times to get ideas for my internship.” Be warned though, because once you start pinning your favorites, time flies by and you realize you’ve spent your whole night looking at pretty ballet flats, creative DIY’s, and exotic destinations. Obviously, I know this by personal experience. After getting my iPad, I searched everywhere for fashion apps that I could fill it with. Well, my search ended when I couldn’t even find one that interested me as much as the Fashion Blog Roll -- aka the best $2.99 I’ve ever spent. This app combines every world famous fashion blog into one app. It makes it easy to get the latest posts from StyleBubble, Refinery 29, College Fash-ionista, Women’s Wear Daily, StreetPeeper, the Sartorial-ist and a few more that are hard to resist. Since blogs are taking over the fashion world for both designer collections and street style from London to Italy to China to the U.S., this is a must for any aspir-ing Fashionista. It’s the best app to have when you’re sick of magazines showing stick thin models and instead want to view the styles of fashion bloggers. Don’t have an iPad? Chicfeed for the iPhone has the exact same feature. Speaking of the iPhone, there are two apps I can’t go a day without viewing: Sty-leCaster and Stylebook. I’ll ad-mit it, I only look at StyleCast-er on a daily basis because the weather in Dallas, PA is so unpredictable and there are times when I’m definitely not wearing a heavier jacket for the cooler weather or wear-ing ballet flats in the pouring rain. This genius app tells you the weather of the day and how you should dress for the outside conditions. It’s saved me a few times, telling me to wear a heavier jacket when we randomly had a snowstorm during this strangely warm winter season. Stylebook is the perfect app if you just want to keep the pieces you own organized, because everyone’s found something in their closet they’ve forgotten about. These are just a few of my must haves for those fashion followers who want unique ways to find what they love. I forgot to mention how excit-ing this semester is going to be with “Let’s Talk Fashion.” Look out for exciting inter-views, designer collection re-views and more. You’ll find out what’s in store --- next time.

Wilkes Barre Scranton Night Out is THE premiere website for planning your eve-ning. Whether you want to hit the clubs, catch a concert, see a movie, or just chill out at a bar. Don’t forget to check out our weekly contests and you can win some

really cool stuff including dinners, trips, concert and sports tickets and more!

volunteers. They are in need of students willing to be on-air DJs, doing anything from a morning talk show to hosting their own block of music. Students are needed to sell advertising space to local busi-nesses and to help out with the dance and the concert as well as any other event the station may have. Any interested students are asked to attend Cougar Radio meet-ings Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in the radio station in the Banks Student Life Center. Cougar Radio is not only for Communications students but the entire student popula-tion. For any questions or for more information on how to get involved with the station, contact Julia Truax at [email protected] or through the station’s email. Anyone with a band suggestion or submission can contact Peter Falvey by emailing [email protected].

Continued from page 2Radio, cont,d

BOILINGPOINTS

By Josh HortonSports Columnist

January 31, 2012highlandernews.net4

In the world of professional sports, there has never been an athlete who has gotten more attention over the course of a season than Tim Tebow. One may argue Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant or even Michael Jordan has received more media atten-tion. They would be right if we were talking about attention over the course of a career, but we are not. So why was there all this fuss over a mediocre quarterback on a mediocre team? The Denver Broncos were just 1-4 in the first five games of the 2011 season. They had a much-needed bye week in week six, and over the course of the week off they decided to give Mr. Tebow a shot. After all, what did they have to lose? At 1-5 going into week seven of the NFL season, not much. Perhaps there was no better week to put Tebow under cen-ter than in week seven against the winless Miami Dolphins. The decision proved to be the right one as the Broncos defeated the Dolphins 18-15 thanks in part to two touch-down passes from Tebow. Tebow has proven he’s a winner at all levels of the game, especially in college at Florida where he won two National Championships and was the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy. Unfortunately for Tebow, NFL defenses don’t care how good you were in college. It was time to prove he was a winner at football’s highest level and he was more than up for the challenge. As quickly as he found out what it was like to be a win-ning starting quarterback, he found out what it was like to be on the losing side of the game when the Detroit Lions destroyed the Broncos 45-10 in week eight. However, just like in college, Tebow took the loss as motivation to better himself and his teammates. The hard work and determi-nation paid off as the Broncos went on to win their next six games to get back into the playoff hunt. The magic of Tebow wasn’t done yet. Since they won their division they earned the right to host the Pittsburg Steelers

in the first round of the 2011 NFL playoffs. Although the Broncos were the higher-seed-ed team, many still considered them a heavy underdog. Once again he silenced the critics with a stellar perfor-mance. The one knock against Tebow is he isn’t going to be an effective passer in the NFL. I guess he heard what his critics had to say as he threw for over 300 yards, in-cluding a long touchdown pass in the first play from scrim-mage in overtime. The Broncos were defi-nitely considered an underdog against the Steelers, but they were considered even more of an underdog in the second round of the playoffs. They would have to travel to New England to play Tom Brady and the Patriots. Beating them was far from an easy task. This is when Tebow’s magic ran out. The Patriots won in a landslide and the Tebow saga was over, at least for now. The amazing thing about Tim Tebow has nothing to do with what he does on the field but what he does off of it. Each week he brings in some-one with a life threatening illness and makes him or her feel like the only person on the face of the earth. He also pays. This includes a plane ticket, game ticket and even spend-ing cash. How many NFL guys do that? What is even more amaz-ing is the fact that he is far from the highest paid player in the NFL. He was a backup quarterback before this year and their salaries are not astronomical. He also ministers to prison-ers and has built a hospital in the Philippines. For the first time in a long time children have someone to look up to who does all the right things. There will always be people who don’t like him for whatever reason, whether it is because he is not the next John Elway or some other reason. I am not one of those people. I have always liked Tim Tebow and what he is about. He is a man who is using his God-given talent for the good of the world. What is not to like about that

Sports

Surprise success for SlanovecBy Josh Horton, Reporter

Senior Jeff Slanovec finally finds himself in an offense that fits his game.

The first time Misericordia men’s basketball coach ever heard of Jeff Slanovec, was when he walked into his office during his freshman year at Misericordia. Most players at the division three level are recruited prior to joining. However, the name Slanovec was not on coach Woodruff’s whiteboard. “I wasn’t really a basketball recruit to begin with,” Slan-ovec said. “I was a baseball recruit here. So, coach had no idea who I was.” Slanovec turned a less-than-average high school basketball career into a stellar college ca-reer. In high school, he scored just six points per game and was a non-factor in the Lehigh Valley. It all changed when he got to MU. He doubled his aver-age points per game from six to 12 and has started every game this season. He is also second in the team in aver-age minutes played per game with just over 32 minutes per game. Defensively, he is second on the team in both rebounding and steals. “I think it is a combination of a lot of things,” Slanovec said of why his game has improved so much since high school. “I definitely think it has a lot to do with the coach-ing staff. The offense we run fits my style and has really allowed me to do well.” Head baseball coach Pete Egbert recruited the 6’3 senior to play baseball for the Cougars. However, he felt he had something to offer to the basketball team. As a freshman, Slanovec was a role player. His main role was to come off the bench and shoot the rock. “I spent my freshman year basically as a shooter off of the bench,” Slanovec said. “I would come in basically when the other team would go zone and we would need a scoring or three point spark off the bench.” In high school, Slanovec was far from a scoring threat as he averaged just six points per game. But his teammates don’t only boast about his of-fense. Sophomore point guard Matt Greene feels Slanovec is the team’s best defensive player. “In high school he wasn’t as aggressive both offensively and defensively. Now he is probably our best defensive player,” Greene said. “He com-municates very well on the court and offensively he’s look-ing for his shot more which is

what we need him to do.” Slanovec feels the differ-ence between his high school and college performance is confidence. At MU, he doesn’t have to worry about coming out of the game if he misses a few shots. “I think I am allowed to do things that I wasn’t allowed

to do in high school. In high school, if I were to make a shot and then miss a shot, I would come out of the game,” Slanovec said. “Where as here, you know that nobody shoots 100 percent and you are going to make shots and you are going to miss shots. As long as you and your coach are on the same page, you are going to be able to have success.” Misericordia Men’s Basket-ball Head Coach Trevor Wood-ruff and Slanovec got off on the right foot from when they first met due to Slanovec’s knowledge of the game. “When I came in, I could tell right away that the two of us were going to be able to fit, be-cause he liked that I knew the game of basketball and I was able to pick up plays quickly and scouting reports quickly,” Slanovec said. “I think that helped me get more and more playing time as a freshman.” After getting quality

minutes off the bench as a shooter, Slanovec found his way into the starting lineup as a sophomore and has been there ever since. “As I moved into my sopho-more year, I fit the role that coach wanted in the starting lineup and I just kind of took off,” Slanovec said. “I like

playing in the system and it fits my style.” Slanovec credits his success to Woodruff ‘s confidence in him. That’s the most impor-tant thing to Slanovec and without it he feels he wouldn’t be nearly as good. “I think coach really has confidence in his players to do what they do best, whether it is passing or shooting or rebounding, you are allowed the freedom to make plays that suit your game,” Slanovec said. “As a shooter, he has always had confidence in me to knock down shots, whether it’s from the three-point line or it’s a pull up jumper. Hav-ing that confidence from a coach as a player is big.” One thing Slanovec tries to do each day is learn. “I think we have to use ev-eryday at practice and both in games to learn a lot about not just yourself, but a lot about the team,” Slanovec said.

“The quicker you can pick up on things, the better you are going to be able to sharpen up on those things and it’s all about doing the little things. If you know something that you didn’t know the day before you are going to be much better the next time you go out.” Slanovec’s daily approach has resonated with the younger player on the team, especially with Greene. “I learn from him every single day,” Greene said. “He helps me a lot, mostly on de-fense. We all know we strive to be a defensive team. He never lets me slack off or be satisfied with my game, which is huge.” He admits playing two sports throughout his 3 ½ years on campus has been tough. He learned quickly how to manage his time and even took one of his childhood rules to school with him. “Playing two sports is an absolute grind, but I was taught from a young age that schoolwork always comes first. When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to go outside and play or practice until our homework was done,” Slan-ovec said. “I have kind of just taken that with me to college and I try to not procrastinate too much and get the bigger assignments done whenever I can, because I know that any day can become a four-hour road trip somewhere.” He feels it also helps that both of his coaches’ respect and support that he plays two sports. “I have been fortunate enough to have two coaches that respect that I play both sports and they know that while I am in one sport, I am still working on the other sport,” Slanovec said. “I can’t go three months without pick-ing a basketball and I can’t go three months without picking up a baseball bat.” With every game, Slanovec has been getting closer to the 1,000 point milestone. If he does indeed reach the mile-stone, he will be the second Cougar to do so this season. The first was Ethan Eichorst. However, Slanovec doesn’t want to think about that now. “I am pretty sure I am close, maybe 70 or 80 points (until his 1,000th),” Slanovec said. “But, honestly I don’t even care about that right now. We are in the playoff hunt and my main focus is winning games and getting better and better as a team as the season goes on.”

Above, Slanovec practices his outside shots during warm-up be-fore the second half of the game against Delaware Valley.

MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

SGA WANTS YOU!Student Government Association is seeking inter-

ested students to apply for the executive board this coming April to help make a difference on campus.

Get involved and make a difference with SGA. This helps to build your portfolio and meet new people.

And it’s fun!

Stop by the SGA office in Banks Student Life Center for more information or email

[email protected].

Continued from page 1Internet blackout, cont’d

Ethan Eichhorst’s layup with 1.4 seconds remaining lifted the Cougars to a dra-matic 62-60 victory Wednes-day night at King’s College. After a timeout, with the score tied 60-60, Eichhorst caught an inbounds pass with 4.4 seconds left at the top of the key and exploded past a defender for a layup with 1.4 seconds still on the clock. A King’s desperation heave from behind half court didn’t come close as Coach Trevor Wood-ruff picked up a milestone 100th career win. “Coach Woodruff drew up the play on the white board, and we ran it practice many times before,” Eichhorst said. “It was supposed to be a fake handoff to Undy [Chris Un-dersinger], but I felt it wasn’t going to work so I took it upon myself to score.” Eichhorst had a team high 17 points and grabbed six rebounds as he played all 40 minutes to lead the Cougars. Reaching the 1,000 point mark earlier in the season, it was only fitting for the ball to be in the hands of the 6’4” Senior Captain with the clock ticking down. “We had to give the ball to our best player in the best position for him to score,” Sophomore point guard Matt Greene said. “They had to respect the jumpshot of Undy

and that allowed Ethan to take his man on.” In front of 1,500 fans inside Scandlon Gymnasium, the Cougars found themselves

down early on the road yet again. According to Eichhorst, defense was the key to weath-ering the storm early and getting back into the game. King’s lead 21-9 with 8:23 to play in the first half. “It was an intense game, and a hectic atmosphere,” Eichhorst said. “We started slow but our defense held strong, especially in the final minutes.” The Cougars took a 29-28 lead into halftime, but with 9 minutes remaining found themselves down 49-41. A key 7-0 run capped by a Matt

Greene three pointer cut the lead to 49-48. The Cougars took the lead 57-56 on a pair of free throws by Steve Artzerounian with

1:13 remaining. After a Matt Greene three-pointer extended the lead to 60-56, King’s fought their way back to tie the game late, setting up Eichhorst’s heroics. “The atmosphere was crazy, something any player dreams of playing in,” Greene said. “That was the best feeling and best game I’ve ever played in.” Despite the big stage, the Cougars seemed unaffected by the crowd down the stretch.“Basketball is all about con-fidence,” Greene said. “You can’t play timid. I was in the huddle telling the guys to be

confident, and shoot the shot if you have it.” The 100th career victory for Coach Trevor Woodruff couldn’t have possibly been scripted any better. “He deserves it,” Greene said. “He’s a great Coach, we believe in what he does. He does a lot for us on and off the court, and sometimes I think we take it for granted. He re-cruited me and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.” “It’s a big achievement,” Eichhorst said, who in his fourth and final season under Woodruff. “We knew about it and wanted to come out focused. I’m glad we got it for him.” The Cougars improve to 12-6 on the season, and 4-3 in the conference, while looking to build momentum after the key win. “We celebrated, but it’s now over,” Greene said. “We have to keep improving.”

Eichhorst, Woodruff celebrate at King’sBy Dominick Dellos, Reporter

Men’s basketball is victorious at King’s College in close game that secures Coach Woodruff’s 100th win.

2012 Men’s Basketball Schedule

2/1 Wilkes (home)2/4 DeSales (away)2/8 Eastern (home)

2/11 Delaware Valley (away)2/14 Kings (home)

2/18 Manhattanville (away)2/22 Freedom Championship

begins, time TBA

Coach Woodruff encourages players during a recent home game.MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

whatever they want to sign,” said Mott. The current bills were shelved after the blackout, but the probability that they will be voted on and passed is the concern of many. The fickle-ness of people and the media is the reason some believe that the passing of the bill will oc-cur in a matter of time. “Because a Kardashian will

get a divorce, that will be the biggest thing in the media and we won’t pay attention. Until people stop tuning into reality television and all the other things that don’t matter, and start educating themselves about what’s going on in Con-gress. It will get passed,” said Kimbrough.

January 31, 2012highlandernews.net 5

A Look Back at Legends Series: Amershek

She set her feet, bent her knees, held her follow-through, and as the ball floated through the air toward the hoop, no one would be sur-prised at the outcome. Swish. Returning to the hardwood brought back a world of memories, as Missy Amershek was on campus to play in the Alumni day game on January 21 with other Cougars of the past. At the shooting guard, she was one of the most prolific scorers, holding the women’s all-time points record with 1,365 points compiled over her career. That record stood for

sixteen years until current se-nior Christine Marks recently passed her on January 18th against DeSales University. During halftime of the Women’s game against Delaware Valley following the Alumni game, the top scorers reunited and post for pictures as the current Hall of Famer congratulated the future Hall of Famer. “I was happy to see Chris-tine. She’s a great player,” Amershek says. “Sixteen years is a long time to hold a record.” Amershek played basketball at Tamaqua High School and looked to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. Not only did MU provide a prestigious program for her career, but it provided her a chance to keep playing the sport she loves.Amershek was known for her scoring, but she also signifi-cantly contributed in numer-ous categories, ranking among the top 10 career leaders in field goals, 3-pointers, free throws, points per game, re-bounds per game, assists and steals in women’s basketball history. She holds the MU record for

steals in a game—11.“I just played the game to the best of my ability, and the records came as I played,” Amershek says. “I enjoyed being a team player and never thought about records. It was about the love of the game for me.” Her accomplishments didn’t go unrecognized as she was an All-Conference selection four times and named team MVP twice during a career that spanned from 1992-1996.But, despite her individual ac-colades, her favorite memories remain the camaraderie of her team and the close-knit campus.“The friendships I made will last a lifetime,” Am-ershek says. “It was a great experience.” As for team success during her career, the Cougars were runners-up in ECAC playoffs her senior year. Coming back to Dallas to re-unite with some of her former teammates for the alumni day game allowed her to notice the growth of the campus. “It’s crazy to see the campus change,” Amershek says. “It’s nice to see them incorporate

new buildings without making it seem crowded.” Amershek joked about how she didn’t even have the chance to play in the Anderson Center. “We played at Dallas High School or a dinky gym on the bottom of McAuley Hall,” Amershek said with a laugh. “When we were here it was so different. They have done a tremendous job.” When she heard she was to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2005, she was honored. “It’s nice when I come back to campus and I can show my kids the plaque and they see their mom on the wall,” Am-ershek says. “It brings back great memories.” She received her Master’s in Physical Therapy from MU and went back to get her doc-torate in 2007, and currently lives in New Ringgold with her husband, who she met at Misericordia, and her two children. “I wouldn’t trade the experience I had at MU for anything,” Amershek says. “It really is an amazing place!”

By Dominick Dellos, Reporter

Sports

Cheerleaders chant to fifth The cheerleading team had two minutes and thirty seconds to land every jump and tumble, to hit every move and stunt perfectly. The team placed fifth in the nation in the Division II All Girls category at the Univer-sal Cheerleading Association (UCA) College National Com-petition in Orlando, Florida. The squad worked extra hard to ensure their success against 100 other teams from all over the country. To qualify each team has to submit two video tapes worth a total of 15 points toward the final score at the end of the semi-final round. One, known as the “crowd tape,” showed the team cheering at games and doing community service. The other exhibited stunt safety and proper technique. Captain Amber Schmidt, junior, said she is proud of the team’s ranking. “People say to us, ‘Oh, fifth place, that’s too bad, you were so close,’ but to us, this is first place. Especial-ly with the schools we were up against. As a [Division Three] school competing against all Division Two schools, there is a disadvantage,” Schmidt said. The Cougars were three-tenths of a point away from taking fourth place, despite the odds. MU Cheer has competed in the UCA College Nationals for the past three years—but this was the first year the team made it to the finals. “We were always that next team that would have made it. To have come this far, we really are so proud of the girls,” Schmidt said.

Head Coach Tara Sinclair made the routine much more difficult this year by incorpo-rating elite stunts. “One of our main goals was to achieve a stunt called the College Re-wind, and we ended up getting four into the routine,” said Kayla Whipple, senior and captain. The girls’ challenging stunts stood out to the judges. “We also added an extra practice devoted to tumbling, and two girls who have never tumbled before ended up tum-bling in the routine,” Whipple said. The team came back from winter break a week earlier than the rest of the student body to practice the routine and make it as perfect as pos-sible. The captains also began enforcing hour-and-a-half conditioning practices twice a week with the hope these additional workouts would improve the girls’ overall strength. Aside from developing new skills and accomplishing new stunts while balancing practices, games, community service projects, and competi-tions, the team managed to accumulate an average of a 3.4 GPA for the fall semester. Maintaining this level of aca-demic achievement was one of the goals the team worked towards together. Whipple and Schmidt said the team is looking for more competitions before they close out the season, but until then they will be spreading the spirit on campus and improv-ing the program for cheerlead-ers to come.

MU cheerleaders fly home with fifth place Nationals win under their belt.

By Gabriella Lengyel, Reporter

Top, sophomore Sara Richards trys to get the fans to cheer along during a basketball game. Bottom, members of the squad perform their nationally ranked performance at half time.

MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

Ethan Eichhorst scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Steve Artzer-ounian scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Cougars Men’s Basketball team beat Delaware Valley 73-59 Saturday January 21 at Anderson Center on Alumni day. The Cougars got plenty of production out of their big men as reserve Cael Evans added 10 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting from the field. The Delaware Valley Aggies couldn’t handle Eichhorst, Artzerounian, and Evans underneath, as their defense struggled to contain the Cou-gars who shot a sizzling hot 57 percent from the field in the contest. Matt Greene added 10 points on three three- pointers

in five attempts. After a tightly contested first half, the Cougars lead 34-31. But they never trailed in the second half, answering every run the Aggies could put together, and with 10 minutes remaining MU’s Matt Greene nailed a three pointer from the top of the key to put the Cougars up 52-41. A Jeff Slanovec breakaway layup put the game out of reach for Delaware Valley, 64-46, with 4:30 remaining. Delaware Valley was lead by Jeremy Beckett who scored 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Jon Jernigan added 13 points. The Cougars improve their overall record to 11-6, 3-3 in the conference. The Aggies drop to 2-14 overall, 0-6 in the conference.

Recap: Men’s, women’s basketball successBy Dominick Dellos, ReporterBig men lead in big win

Hot shooting sparks victoryBy Dominick Dellos, Reporter

The MU Lady Cougars bas-ketball team shot 50 percent from the field as they cruised to an 86-57 win over Delaware Valley Saturday January 21 at Anderson Center on a spe-cial Alumni day. Christine Marks scored 29 points and grabbed 12 re-bounds, continuing her stellar play after recently becoming MU’s all-time leading scorer. Tyann McDaniel scored 22 points on nine-for-14 shooting including four three pointers in eight attempts. The Lady Cougars took a

20-6 lead early on a 15-0 run and never looked back as they entered halftime leading 41-13. The Cougars defense held the Delaware Valley Aggies to an ice cold 35% shooting from the field. Emily Soper lead Delaware Valley with 12 points and 8 rebounds, as the Aggies’ record drops to 11-6.The Cougars improve to 8-7 on the season and are 5-2 in conference play.

Top, senior Ethan Eichhorst shoots a foul shot in the second half of the game against Delaware Valley.

Middle right, senior Captains Ethan Eichhorst, left, and Jeff Slan-ovec, right, talk strategy during halftime.

Bottom, from left to right, first year Anthony Sergio, senior Chris Undersinger, and first year Cael Evans encourage from the side-lines during the game against Delaware Valley on January 21.

Left, first year Joe Busacca handles the Rock against Delaware Valley on January 21.

MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

January 31, 2012highlandernews.net6 News

College seniors understand the risks and opportunities that come even before gradua-tion day as they begin search-ing for employment in the current job market. According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics, unemploy-ment averaged at 8.5 percent in December, while the na-tional average for unemploy-ment in 2011 hit 8.9 percent. This unemployment statistic is down from years past, but many feel the lingering impact is still causing the job market to suffer. “I am not confident in the job market because the econ-omy is in horrible shape and people are constantly being let go of their jobs, even ones who have been working at compa-nies for close to thirty years,” said senior Gabrielle Gattuso. According to the New York Times, in 2011 the number of people who received at least a bachelor’s degree and became employed increased while those hired with a high school diploma decreased dramati-cally. This New York Times study reveals that people need higher education in an unstable economy. “I think having a degree is the only way to even get considered for a job now. Basically, a college degree has become the new high school degree,” said Michele Drago, senior. But students are unsure if there will be any jobs to turn to, even after receiving their Bachelor’s degrees. “I feel nervous about search-ing for a job especially being a student right out of school. I constantly am wondering if there are any job options out there or if it’s just a lost cause,” said Gattuso. MU students are not alone when it comes to searching for employment. Directors from the Insalaco Center for Career Development (ICCD) explain they are available to aid those who seek their assistance and advice. Workshops and programs include resume and

cover letter reviews, the Guar-anteed Placement Program, study abroad advising, help with job searches, interview training, mock interviews, and more. “We will actually bring professionals in from the real world and they will conduct a half hour interview of our students. A lot of students actually get nervous during that process,” said Carolyn Yencharis Corcoran, Assistant Director and Study Abroad Advisor. “Students are not required to come into our cen-ters so students really have to take the initiative to come in.” With many on the hunt for jobs, upcoming graduates feel the pressure to do more to en-sure employment. Some are seeking advanced degrees. “I don’t have anything set in stone, so to speak, for after I graduate, but I do plan on attending graduate school after graduation this May, which will hopefully help even more,” said senior Amber Gulla. Another program that the ICCD offers is graduate school advising. This program gives prospective graduate students a chance to learn about the different entrance examina-tions and what to expect in graduate school. “I don’t know if a lot of people know that we even have a testing center where students who are preparing for their GREs or MCATs can come in and take tests with us. We actually bring people in who administer these tests to come in and do prep courses with students,” said Corcoran. Many feel anxiety and stress when looking for jobs that match both their chosen pro-fessions and experience levels. Some seniors have massive portfolios and internships, yet still feel the weight of uncer-tainty loom on their minds. “I’m kind of scared to look for a job because even though I have completed nine rel-evant internships, I still am not completely confident that

I’ll find something, which is sad,” said Drago. Other students entering the job market believe that they are stuck within a catch-22, feeling that they are not able to acquire a job because they do not have enough experi-ence, and not able to gain the necessary experience without a job. “I understand that experi-ence is obviously important for many positions in different fields, but college students have to start somewhere,” said Gulla. “I have one word for gaining experience before getting a job. It’s called an internship. They can make a big differ-ence in becoming employed or not,” said Corcoran. Certain courses invite directors from the Insalaco Center for Career Develop-ment to talk to students about anything they may need to know about preparing for the real world and what they can expect. “They allow us to come into a senior level class and reviews things they will need to know such as how to job search, how to interview, sal-ary negotiations, illegal inter-view questions, and more. We will talk to the students about anything they want and need to know,” said Corcoran. Some students have hope that employers might listen to the new generation of gradu-ates entering the workforce. Occupy Wall Street came to the mind of one senior who heard about a group of Occupy Fashion students, some in her very situation. “I’ve actually heard of an Occupy Fashion movement because students like me that have a passion for a career in this field will be interning our entire lives just to eventually find a job not in fashion,” said Drago. “It’s kind of unfair how fashion companies are operating right now and that they would rather hire unpaid interns than just add a few new positions.”

A career may be the goal for new graduates, but many believe that a first job should allow individuals to gain skills, those that they may take to another job. “I think a lot of students think the job that they choose after graduation, ‘it’s so im-portant I need to pick a good one,’ but they need to realize what you’re looking at is to pick a job for just that time. It’s not going to be your end all, be all job,” said Corcoran. According to Corcoran, networking is a key compo-nent to landing a job. Social media sites, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, allow people to connect on a large scale and can even assist in winning the desired career. “Twenty percent of jobs are obtained through actual post-ings that people apply to, and 80 percent of jobs are actually made through networking. Networking is probably the most important thing in ac-quiring a job,” said Corcoran.

Job market appears slim for seniorsBy April Dulsky, Web Editor

MU seniors face their next task of finding employment with graduation just months away.VIEWFINDER:

First Snowfall

Top, first year Jeffery Dittner makes a snow angel in agony outside McHale Hall. Middle, first year Nikki Singiser practices her hand-stand skills in the fresh snow. Bottom, first year Alexander Chap-man jumps into the snow dressed in only swim trunks and a lei.

MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

Bureau of Labor Statistics:

December 2011

(Employment rate based upon education attainment)

High School DegreeEmployment rate: 54.5%

Unemployment rate : 8.7%

Bachelor’s, Master’s, Professional, Doctoral

DegreeEmployment rate: 72.9%

Unemployment rate : 4.1%

Look for more information about employment rates

at bls.gov.