INSID E: CO UNSELIN G CENTER REMA INS A RESOURCE FOR GRIE V ING STU DE N TS. S E E A3
FEBRUARY 23, 2017 | VOL. 94 NO. 15 | EST. 1924
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A Day in the Life: Bonner Program worth the time commitment By KIMMI BASTON Executive Editor
Wake up. Spend three hours in class. Go to work for three and a half hours. Serve the community for three to five hours. Do homework. Sleep (a little). Repeat. That's most days for Nick Lies, a sophomore Bonner Scholar and English major, but he doesn’t mind. Yes, he readily acknowledges that it’s
tough to balance being a fulltime student and a Bonner Scholar required to complete 140 hours of service each semester. But he truly loves service – it’s all about building relationships – so it’s not a burden. Lies transferred to Waynesburg University in the fall of 2016 from the Community College of Allegheny County. Despite being in only his second semester as a Bonner student, Lies is highly involved and invested in service and in Waynesburg, and that’s in
part thanks to the Bonner Program. “Bonner has given me so many opportunities to meet people that I wouldn’t h a v e m e t ,” said Lies. “I wouldn’t be having the relationships with the students I do now or the people in the community I do now. It has made my
transferring and my student life here [much] more colorful.” Lies said his life at Waynesburg is all about time management. He keeps track of his classes, Bonner events and service site commitments on a giant wall c a lend ar. On top of that, he works several hours per week in the
Center for Service Leadership at Waynesburg. Bonners need to complete an average of 10 service hours per week to meet their semester requirement. Despite his many commitments, Lies has no trouble meeting this number. In fact, he usually has more service hours than he needs. That doesn’t stop him from serving at every chance he has, though, including attending Saturday service opportunities that often don’t count toward his hours.
“Because I do service trips through breaks, Saturdays aren’t as necessary for me,” said Lies. “I still sign up for them because they’re good opportunities to get to know people that I haven’t met yet in the [Bonner] program or in the school that aren’t necessarily Bonners.” Service trips are one of the best parts of being a Waynesburg student and Bonner Scholar for Lies. While Bonners can only count two serBONNER >> A3
Overnight staff work in obscurity Gap in mass email list poses problem for junior students
Buhl cleaning lady among those who make campus livable
Many unaware they're missing campus-wide information
By JACOB MEYER Sports Editor
Nearly every Tuesday night for the past two and a half years I’ve seen the Buhl Hall cleaning lady. She works nights — actually, early mornings — and our paths cross when I work late on Tuesdays. She typically comes into the Yellow Jacket Office around 4:30 a.m. She asks, “Another long night?” She knows my answer. Before she grabs the B E H I N D T H E trash bags and leaves, she SCENES says, “Try and get some An occasional series sleep tonight.” She knows that I won’t. Because of the hours she works, almost no one at Waynesburg University even knows she exists. Well, they know the idea nighttime cleaning people exist – because things
By LUKE GOODLING
Sports Convergence Editor
A few Sundays ago, junior nursing major Angelina Ortoleva heard sirens on campus. At the time, Ortoleva did not know they were in response to the death of Brad Grinnen. She left Waynesburg for clinical prep and spent the day trying to determine if she was safe, her friends were safe and if there was a threat to the campus of Waynesburg University. She never received the campus email updating students on what was happening. In fact, Ortoleva said she has not received a campus-wide email since her freshman year. “[I needed] to know that
UNSEEN >> A3 Mitch Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Danielle Carlson, a night cleaning person for Buhl Hall, loves that her job provides her the stable hours and lifestyle she never had growing up.
there was no threat – to know that it was one situation and not multiple things going on,” said Ortoleva. She was in Morgantown preparing for for clinicals, hoping her friends on campus were ok. Relying on social media for news was frustrating and not comforting, Ortoleva said. She believes it was the university’s responsibility to inform the student body about what was going on, and not just on Twitter or Facebook. If she had received the email that was sent out to the entire student body that afternoon, Ortoleva said she would have been far more reassured. Ortoleva is not the only student who didn’t receive the campus-wide emails on the day of Grinnen’s death, let alone emails sent to the campus on a regular basis. A significant portion of the junior class has reported not receiving emails sent to the rest of the student body including EMAIL >> A4
Students take on jobs during school to ease financial burden By SHON MEADE Managing Editor
According to a study by U.S. News, it can take up to 21 years for the average college student to pay off their student loans after graduating from a bachelor’s program. That’s the reality looming over students’ heads during their entire undergraduate education. Paying for a degree is no small feat. So, in addition to working in the classroom, students put in work at jobs both on and off campus to defray the cost of their education. A study by the National Center for Education Statis-
tics showed that 45 percent of traditional students work while in college. True to this statistic, it’s not unusual to find students at Waynesburg University working on campus, off campus or both – whatever it takes for them to make the extra money needed to get through college and the years ahead. It can be tough to balance working part-time and giving enough attention to classes – the very thing students are working to pay for. However, knowing that saving money now will lead to an easier post-graduate life motivates many students to strike a balance and find time for their job(s) even amidst the rest of
Shon Meade, Yellow Jacket
Marla Holland balances her class work with working in Benedum Dining Hall to help her offset the financial burden of her college education. college life.
Waynesburg University offers a variety of jobs for students to earn some extra cash during the semester. These
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jobs can range from working at the cafeteria, in the library or even being a Student Ambassador giving tours to pro-
spective students. Marla Holland, junior psychology major, spends a few days a week serving food in the cafeteria, a job she started the latter half of her freshmen year. For her, it’s the people she works with and around that get her through it. “I kind of enjoy serving people,” said Holland. “The group of people I work with are exciting.” Holland works a few days a week, and most of the money she earns goes to pocket change. Student’s schedules don’t always line up with the hours the school needs them to WORK >> A3
WASHINGTON SCHOOLS TESTS WATER FOR LEAD
MEDIA EFFECTS
With controversies raising up in the county over clean water supplies, Washington School District has recently taken advantage of a free testing program.
As mass shootings continue to occur in America, many experts believe the attention media coverage gives to them has something to do with their continuation. Should something change?
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INSIDE
RETURN TO COLLEGE SPORTS
FURRY STRESS RELIEF
Three-time PAC champion Ryan Shank came to Waynesburg after dropping out of Lindsey Wilson College and taking three years off.
In the midst of midterm exam and project week, students relieved stress by spending time with furry friends from the Greene County Humane Society.
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Campus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . A1–A4 Region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1, B4 Editorial/Op-ed. . . . . . . . B2 News Digest. . . . . . . . . . B3 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C1–C4 Arts & Life. . . . . . . . . . . . D1–D2 Entertainment . . . . . . . . D3–D4 Copyright © 2017 Waynesburg University 51 W. College St.Waynesburg, Pa. 15370
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February 23, 2017
Multicultural Club hosts Black History Month celebration By ANNIE MCGLAUGHLIN
News Convergence Editor
The Multicultural Club hosted a Black History Month celebration in the Stover room in the third floor of the Eberly Library Feb. 16. The two-hour long celebration included refreshments, books and DVDs all dedicated to popular historical figures and the month. In addition to this, Assistant Professor of Sociology Ezekiel Olagoke played the drums. Eberly Library approached the club about collaborating in a celebration of Black History Month. Matt Pioch, resident director of Thayer Hall and director of the Multicultural Club, started dialoging with the club about how to incorporate everything into the event. "We thought most of all it needed to be a celebration," said Pioch. "So we brought in the drums, we brought in the food but also we brought in books and DVDs on the library side of things to really showcase the amount of information out there in the realm of Black History Month. We
wanted to pay homage to the black history that is American history." The Multicultural club is well known on campus for hosting ethnic food fairs and other cultural food related events. This year the club decided to bring more events aimed at sparking intelligent conversations to campus. "This is the first time we decided to do this," said Morgan Puckett, senior sociology major and club member. "This was in collaboration with the library. The other events weíve previously done were ethnic food fairs, things related to food. This year we wanted to shift the focus to more conversations other than just having food." Pioch is new to campus, only being hired in August, and was immediately immersed into the club due to his background with different cultures. He hopes these events can spark conversation. "In recent times, there has been a lot of conversation coming out about what is the role of race, ethnicity even
immigration in our current political climate,î said Pioch. ìWe want to be a place where people can come and dialogue about those issues, learn about them and hear about other peopleís articulation about those issues." The event opened up with TED talks about race and color. Books and DVDs were spread out on the table for those interested. Some of the books included various Langston Hughes books, "Hidden Figures" and "Angela Davis-an Autobiography.î The DVDs included ìThe Rosa Parks Story,î ìRuby Bridgesî and ìMalcolm X.î All of these books and videos can be rented through the Eberly Library. There was also a poster board of prominent events in black history on a timeline from the past through present. The club wants to push dialogue and discussing issues in the modern world. They meet on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. in the Student Organization Room and encourage anyone to attend.
Michelle Keith, Yellow Jacket
The Black History Month celebration included refreshments, books, DVDs and displays to spark discussion. Assistant Professor of Sociology Ezekial Ologoke, above, also attended and played drums for the group.
University tours emphasize academics Professors give tips on preparing for math assessment By ALEX LYONS
For the Yellow Jacket
Tyler Wolfe,Yellow Jacket
Above, junior Matt McDermott shows prospective students academic facilities at Waynesburg University. Coaches and Admissions staff both give campus tours to recruit new students.
Athletics and admissions work together for consistent message By ANTONIO PELULLO Staff Writer
Choosing a college or any place to further one’s education is a difficult choice for anyone to make. Student athletes often have a more difficult time choosing the school they wish to attend because they have to find the school that will provide them the best opportunities, both academically and athletically. On Waynesburg’s campus, Bob Barnhart, admissions counselor, ensures that when a student tours Waynesburg, they are coming for the education. “When you look at our athletics programs being Division III, we don’t offer athletic scholarships,” said Barnhart. “It has to be very apparent to the students coming in that
they are here for the academics.” The only difference between an academic visit and athletic visit, said Barnhart, are the people giving them: athletic visits are with coaches, while academic visits are with student workers and faculty members. Barnhart does acknowledge that tours can be different and more geared towards an athlete. “They’ve been with us enough to know what our process is, but at the same time our tours are a little different because we are focusing on different areas,” said Barnhart. “Knowing what the athletes are going to be interested in [and whether] they will spend more time in the gym or weight room.” From the coaching per-
spective, when it comes to Waynesburg’s athletic recruiting process, the goal is to get the kids in the right school and make sure their focus is on education and not on
“We are trying to find the right fit for them here as a school. That's the number one deal here."
CHRIS SMITHLEY
Offensive Coordinator
the slim chance that they will make it at the professional level. “We are trying to find the right fit for them here as a school,” said Chris Simthley, the offensive coordinator for
the football team. “That’s the number one deal here, very rare do we have guys come in here and go to the NFL.” When going on a tour, coaches show the updated weight room, the advanced training room and even talk to recruits about the potential of the new turf field. But before they do any of that, students meet with academic advisors if they have decided on a major or the counseling center and talk about potential majors for those students who are undecided. “I am just basically a mediator through the recruiting process through admissions, through finanical aid to make sure we’re seeing our end to their end to make sure we are working together,” said Smithley.
The math assessment test has been a gradation requirement for many years. Every year, sophomores and a few other students are required to take this test, but struggle with how they should approach it. “It’s not meant to be a big hurdle,” said Dr. Richard Leipold, chair of the mathematics and computer science department. “It’s just trying to decide whether you know the basics of math.” The math assessment, which ranges from 25 to 30 questions, presents questions on a wide array of topics. Students have 50 minutes to complete the test. Most students don’t know how to prepare, but when asked about the test, Leipold said “it’s basic mathematical knowledge.” The test is based on math literacy, which are math problems a normal college student should be able to answer when they graduate, he said. Two sessions will take place March 16 for students to complete the assessments. The first will be from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and the second will follow directly after, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The location for the exam and who will participate in what session is to be determined. Students will not be alone while tackling the assessment, as calculators are permitted and are encouraged to be used. Almost all types of calculators are accepted, with the
exception of phone calculators, to prevent cheating. The test will include, but will not be limited to, questions on conversions, graphs, surveys, percentages, word problems, geometry, the pythagorean theorem, rates and ratio. The assessment uses the Scantron method, so students need only bring paper and a number 2 pencil. There are several ways students can prepare for the test. The main way is to review the 50 question study guide, said Leipold. The study guide is available on the P-drive, which is located in the public folder on my connect. The study guide will model the test questions. “Students should work the study guide,” said Professor of Mathematics Dr. James Bush. “If they have problems, [they should] arrange for a tutor with Pamela Abbe.” The test was developed by two of Waynesburg’s own professors—Bush, and Dr. Paul Sielski. With the test being a requirement for graduation, students must take the test seriously, and prepare accordingly, Bush said. “The assessment is nothing for an average student to get all upset about,” said Bush. “Never has anyone been denied a diploma because they didn’t get through this thing.” The results will be known very quickly after the test is completed. Bush, the administrator of the exam, will score them. The results are sent to the student’s advisor approximately 24 hours later.
Students talk about Club gains popularity, sparks discussion domestic violence By ASHLEY HALL
For the Yellow Jacket
By JOE SMELTZER Staff Writer
The issue of domestic violence is not one that is comfortable for many people to discuss. However, a couple of nursing students have taken it upon themselves to address it. In the lobby of the Washi ng ton He a lt h Sy ste m Greene Hospital, March 13, senior nursing students Kathryn Romanchuk and Kylea Poffenberger, who are both in a course titled "Nursing Care of the Childrearing Family," will lead an event dedicated to the topic of domestic abuse. "We really want to emphasize the fact that we have domestic violence
awareness months and events, but awareness for lots of events tend to die down after those specifically designated months,î said Romanchuk."So we're trying to help promote the awareness of this thing that we have going on in our society on an everyday basis, so weíre trying to promote awareness for that on a more regular conscious level." For the project, Romanchuk and Poffenberger decided on domestic violence as the cause that they wanted to campaign. According to Romanchuk, her professor, Melanie Crush, assistant professor of nursing, is big on encouragVIOLENCE >> A4
National Peer Educators are students who are recognized all across the United States, and have taken a certification test. Mary Hamilla, university counselor and advisor for the Peer Education Organization, teaches a one-credit course to train students for this certification test. “Peer Education is a national program, so it’s recognized nationwide and the class that I teach in the spring prepares people to get the certification,” said Hamilla. “They take a test at the end and if they pass, they get certified as National Peer Educators.” The Peer Education Organization has been on Waynesburg University’s
campus for more than 15 years, but, according to Hamilla, was promoted from a group to an organization within the last year. The Peer Education Organization is a group of students who inform their peers on important social topics year-round. “We’re an organization that does educate fellow college students on anything that college students might need help with, like lifestyle issues,” said Hamilla. Even though the course is labeled as an education course, any student is welcome to interview with Hamilla to be enrolled in the course or participate within the organization. “I have people from all kinds of different majors,” said Hamilla. “The obvious ones are psych majors, they
seem to want to do it, and education majors. I have some nursing majors. I also have plenty of criminal justice majors, but any major is welcome.” The peer educators work to inform the Waynesburg University campus about a wide range of relevant topics. “We do programs on healthy relationships, stress, body image, sexual assault prevention, depression, and a whole gamete of things,” said Hamilla. Sexual assault is something that the peer educators take seriously, said Hamilla, dedicating a presentation to it every April. “Every year we do Take Back the Night, which is in April. It’s a national thing, but we always do sexual assault awareness and preven-
tion,” said Hamilla. “So, we talk about bystander intervention and it’s a chance for people to kind of tell their stories of sexual assault and how they overcame them.” Hamilla said that the major goal of the educators is to help their peers to make good decisions, and be a healthy person that anyone can seek out. “[Our objective is] to address those issues that are relevant for a lot of college students and help them make good healthy decisions,” said Hamilla. “Also, they’re just kind of there for students. Like students will recognize peer educators and go up to them to talk about maybe a topic that they had presented on TEACH >> A4
February 23, 2017
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Counseling Center serves as resource for grieving students By MATTIE WINOWITCH Managing Editor
Following a recent oncampus student death, many students at Waynesburg University have been dealing with grief. While grief is typically not easy to deal with, on top of course work and other college-related stresses, sometimes it can only get worse. According to Mary Hamilla , assistant director of the Educational Enrichment Program as well as an academic and major decision counselor, everyone experiences grief differently. After being a counselor at Waynesburg for 15
years, she said she’s dealt with a lot of it. “Grief falls under the umbrella of personal counseling, and that’s primarily what I do,” Hamilla said. Primarily, Hamilla said students who are dealing with grief are urged to speak with a counselor in the Counseling Center on the third floor of Stover. “All of the counselors at Waynesburg University are trained to do personal, career and academic counseling,” said Hamilla. And for students who need help in an instant, Hamilla said there’s no need to make
an appointment as her and all of the counselors do try their best to take walk-ins. “Students can just come in,” said Hamilla. “Some students feel the need to call or e-mail to schedule an appointment with the secretary, but in all reality, they can just come in and talk to us and express themselves.” While professional counseling is always a great option for those who are seriously grieving, at Waynesburg, students can find other forms of relief. One form of relief Hamilla recommends is simply gathering and spending time with
others who are hurting. “Community becomes super important with grief,” said Hamilla. “I think that’s what funerals are all about, that’s what services are for. The burden of grief is really lifted by sharing it.” A group on campus known as Peer Educators is another community-based resource for students who are coping with loss. The Peer Educators, who are advised by Hamilla, are a group of students who have been trained in national Peer Education certification. The class they take teaches them about listening, communica-
tion and programming skills. “They do programs on stuff that has anything to do with college students such as alcohol abuse, sexual assault, healthy relationships, grief and depression,” said Hamilla. For students who would rather take things into their own hands, Hamilla also mentioned a final option offered especially to students at Waynesburg: religion. As a Christian institution, she said Waynesburg students can have a whole other coping mechanism compared to other schools. “[Christianity at Waynesburg] is such an integral part
of everything,” Hamilla said. “It’s really easy to talk about the spiritual life of the person and the community. It’s also really easy to come together in prayer here. Other schools may not have that comfort level.” Any student who would like to receive specific grief counseling or to learn more about the Peer Educators’ programs can e-mail Hamilla at mhamilla@waynesburg.edu. For anyone who is dealing with severe depression or suicidal thoughts, do not hesitate to call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1800-273-8255.
Bonner: Service eases transition to Waynesburg Work: WU students make ends meet at onand off-campus jobs
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vice trips per year toward their hour count, Lies will participate in four trips by the end of this school year. Not only does Lies gather up service trip experiences just for his love of it, he adds extra events to his regular week to enhance the service he does at his sites. “I serve at First Baptist Church [on Sunday], so I make a point of going to the Coffeehouse [on Wednesday] because a lot of the youth go there,” said Lies. “So even though I don’t count that as service hours, I go to that for relationship building.” Relationship building is the common motivator for much of the dedication Lies shows to serving. One of his favorite memories of Bonner service is from an evening working at the St. Ann’s Church Soup Kitchen, when a woman struggling through a series of life hurdles approached Lies, a friendly face. “She didn’t know who to go to, and she recognized me from [a different service site],” said Lies. “We ended up
Photo courtesy of Nick Lies
Nick Lies, a junior Bonner Scholar and English major, loves doing service at many different sites despite the time commitment it entails on top of his school work and job. praying and talking for 30 or 40 minutes.” Throughout his service sites, which includes the Ronald McDonald House in Morgantown and the two local churches, Lies strives to connect with people. “You get to know people, you get to know their name, you get to know their story very well,” he said. As a result, being a Bon-
ner and a student is worth every moment of stress and juggling responsibilities, Lies said unequivocally. He has no doubt that, had he decided against applying for the Bonner program, he would still do service at Waynesburg. So would most Bonners, he believes. “Yeah, they get a scholarship, but there’s so much more to it than just a schol-
arship,” said Lies. “They do it [be]cause they love it.” No doubt, it’s still a challenge. Lies said he needs to work on taking more time for rest so that he can be as productive as possible in his studies and at his service sites. “We all need Sabbath. If God needs rest, then I think we need it too,” said Lies. “We need rest and that’s something I need to strive for more.” But the need for rest doesn’t totally outweigh the call for everyone to serve, said Lies. Waynesburg is a reflection of this call, and Lies said the approaching 25th anniversary of the Bonner Program at Waynesburg is impressive. “It’s such a necessary thing for students to learn, experience and have a perspective change,” said Lies. “It’s one thing to talk about service, but you’ve really got to do it.” Lies’ service won’t end when he graduates from Waynesburg, as he plans to alternate between attending seminary and living longterm in Malawi, Africa. Until then, his schedule will look something like this: Attend class. Go to work. Serve. Do Homework. Repeat. And love every minute.
Unseen: Carlson loves work despite going unnoticed Continued from A1
get cleaned up – but few see them as actual people. People who work behind the scenes to make this place livable for the rest of us. Because of late nights in the newspaper office, I knew she existed, both as a cleaning lady and a person, but I never even tried to get to know her. Two and a half years and I didn’t even know her name. I, like the rest of campus, had reduced her down to just a title: cleaning lady. Well, one day I asked for her name: Danielle Carlson. And then I found that even though some people might not think much of her job, if they think of it at all, she loves it. The job, those long nights cleaning up Buhl while the rest of campus sleeps, gives her the stability she never had in her life. *** One of Carlson’s earliest memories is of her father dying. She was five years old, and he was a 37-year-old coal miner who died of an aneurysm at work. “He went to work one day and never came back,” Carlson said. “It was a pretty crazy situation. My mom was young with two kids. Like kind of out of nowhere,” she said. Carlson grew up in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania, with her younger brother and her mother. Her childhood was tough at times, though not as much for her or her brother as for their mother. Carlson’s mother was committed to staying in their large house in Mount Morris. Her husband was the breadwinner, so now she had to work several jobs to stay afloat. “It’s a lot for one person to have two kids and have that dumped on you,” Carlson said. Carlson remembers her
mother waking her up at 5 a.m. to take her to her grandmother’s house when it was time to work and the babysitter had canceled. Growing up, Carlson couldn’t fully grasp her mother’s situation, but, now, at age 40 and a mother of a 13-yearold daughter, she knows there’s only one thing that mattered. “She did the best she could,” she said.
Matt loves horror movies like Carlson does, and they share a love for Halloween. Every October, their little yellow house on N. Richhill Street, next to the university, goes all out. Graveyard, strobe lights, smoke machines. Carlson loves Halloween because she can enjoy it with her family.
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Out of high school, Carlson still wanted to go to college even though money was tight. She worked 40-hour weeks while majoring in journalism at West Virginia University. She made it to her junior year, but the bills started piling up and she questioned her major. “I just said I’ll take a year off,” she said. “Don’t ever take a year off.” Carlson never went back. She always clung onto the thought she’d go back, and she tried a couple of times. She even enrolled at California University of Pennsylvania for a few weeks when Regan was an infant, but it took her away from Regan too much and it felt unnatural. “I wanted to make a better life for [my family],” she said. “I wanted a normal person job, where you could go in and clock in and do your job. Just some sort of stability.” Carlson worked as a waitress since she was 16 years old, but after she dropped out, waitressing was her life. She’s worked at several different restaurants: Prime Thyme, Bob Evans and Groovy’s, which used to be where Hot Rods currently is located. Soon after she dropped out, Carlson said, “life happened.” She got married, had Regan and quickly got divorced. Working as a waitress and raising Regan was difficult. One day when Regan was three, the babysitter called off, and Carlson had to put Regan in a Bob Evans booth for four
Carlson is a crime and horror fanatic. She spends the 40 hours a week she’s working in Buhl Hall listening to one of her 100 podcasts, most of which are about crime, mystery or horror films. She’s currently binge-listing to “Missing Maura Murray,” a podcast about a person from Massachusetts who went missing in 2004. When it comes to movies, she said she couldn’t name her favorite one — “I’d have to give you my top 20 list,” she said. She loves the book-turnedmovie, “The Exorcist” because of the main character, a 12-year-old girl named Regan. In fact, she loves the character so much she named her daughter Regan after the book character. Ironically, Regan doesn’t share her mother’s love for horror films. Regan is in the seventh grade at Margret Bell Middle School and plays soccer and the flute. Carlson said she’s a “weirdo, but in a good way.” “She makes YouTube videos, but they’re super silly,” Carlson said. “She’s a good girl. She gets all A’s; she’s super smart. She’s quirky in her own way. She’s always been my buddy.” When Regan was about three, Carlson, who divorced Regan’s birthfather quickly after they married, met a guy named Matt at a bar. They dated for eight years and got married two years ago.
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hours. Carlson’s life was now similar to the life she grew up with. “I didn’t think I could find that sort of stability doing the type of job I was doing,” she said. *** When Carlson was working at Groovy’s, she frequently crossed paths with people from Waynesburg University. Roy Barnhart, the university’s senior vice president for finance and administration at the time, was one of those people. Carlson’s mother-in-law, Luanne, also worked at the university in Eberly Library, and when a position opened up for a nighttime maintenance person, she urged Carlson to apply for it. Carlson knew that Barnhart knew her work ethic from waiting on him at Groovy’s, and she decided to apply. Now, seven years later, Carlson still works the night shift: 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and it gives her stability she’d never had. “That’s what I was looking for,” Carlson said. “Not even the money, but I wanted a stable schedule and having weekends off and being able to participate in school and sports and all those activities with [Regan]. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of that if I was working weekends and all that.” Her job can get monotonous, she said, but then she remembers the crazy 12-hour shifts as a waitress. She remembers a 3-year-old Regan sitting in a Bob Evans booth while she worked. She remembers her mom taking her to her grandparents at 5 a.m., and even on the most monotonous days, that’s when she remembers she’s happy with the life she has. “Stability,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for much more than that.”
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work, but according to Holland, supervisors are very flexible and easy to work with. Plus, students with oncampus jobs have learned to balance school and work. “I try to plan around [work],” said Holland. “I do some studying before and after, whatever I need to do for homework.” However, there are some limitations to on-campus jobs. Students are only permitted to work a maximum of 14 hours per week, which limits how much money they can earn. The university also sticks to minimum wage for most student employees. Due to these limitations, many students turn to offcampus options for more money. *** Senior psychology major Ben Miller has been working at the Waynesburg Bob Evans for about one year. “Quite frankly, that stereotypical broke college student thing – it’s very real,” said Miller. Miller, like many others, is facing those complications of making money to start paying off his college loans. With Miller being a senior, the reality of starting to make those payments is coming in just a few short months. Due to things going on back home that are making money tight, which is a very real scenario for a lot of students, Miller said he needed to find a job that pays more than minimum wage. “I need to be able to provide a lot for myself than rely on my parents for money,” said Miller. So he found Bob Evans, which is less than a 10-minute commute from campus. Miller started out there working as a grill cook, but soon realized he needed to make more money than he had previously, so he asked to get moved to a serving position. “Servers don’t make much,” said Miller. “But they make great tips.” That is also money that Miller can take home with him as soon as his shift is over. As opposed to working a university job, where students only get paid once a month. Miller, just like Holland, attends Waynesburg University full time and isn’t able to work throughout the week due to classes. To top that off, Miller is also a member of the Yellow Jacket baseball team. This results in Miller only being able to work over the weekend. Miller said he averages working 20 hours over the course of a Saturday and Sunday shift. Over Fall Break, however, Miller opted to stay at the university and work. He racked in roughly 65 hours over the nine-day break. Normally, Bob Evans takes a hit when students go home for break. Miller being present was beneficial for the restaurant and his paycheck.
Between the increased pay, ample hours and the fact that the restaurant values his help, Miller has found his off-campus job to be a better alternative than Waynesburg work-study positions. It’s a challenge to balance his school responsibilities and working as a server, but preparing now for the cost of his college education keeps him motivated. *** In high school, many students take on part time jobs to start earning some money. Some of that money may go to paying for college, while some could go to everyday expenses. Either way, students face the possibility that they can’t keep their job while going away to college. Waynesburg University freshman Zac Schnegg was determined to keep his high school job when he started college. Now, he balances school, an off-campus job and a job at home, all to make paying for his education a little less scary. At home in Ohio, Schnegg works at a Finish Line shoe store. It wouldn’t have been possible for him to keep working at home on a regular basis while living at Waynesburg. But luckily for Schnegg, there’s a Finish Line branch in Washington, Pennsylvania, just 30 minutes away from campus. Schnegg’s home store allowed him to transfer so that he can work while at school and return to his regular store on breaks. Schnegg, a sports broadcasting/sports information major, is active in the Department of Communication in both the radio and television field and is aware of the importance of putting an education before work. “I work usually when I don’t do anything with the TV or radio station,” said Schnegg. He manages to work two to four days a week, despite his educational commitments. Schnegg has also said that his manager at Finish Line is understanding and willing to work with his schedule to make sure his grades are in line and he is putting his best efforts into school. Keeping that job has allowed him to move up in the company, as he was recently offered an assistant manager position at the Washington store. In turn, he will also get a pay raise and make more than minimum wage. With money being on his mind for both the present and the future, Schnegg keeps the reason he works in his mind. “I have a job to support myself and not take all of my parents’ money,” said Schnegg. *** As the debt of college students continues to grow year after year, the earlier that students start making money, the better. Establishing the work ethics and time management of holding a job while taking classes will set students up for success and above their peers.
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February 23, 2017
Crosby lecture series bringing Senate elections upcoming Classrooms Without Borders President position up for grabs once more
By TEGHAN SIMONTON Managing Editor
While many Waynesburg University students are familiar with the Crosby Lecture Series, few have ever heard of the organization Classrooms Without Borders (CWB). "Most people have no idea,"said Melissa Haviv, assistant director of the organization. "Classrooms Without Borders is an independent program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. We were founded by [Dr. Zipora (Tsipy) Gur] in 2011, in order to provide professional development opportunities for teachers." Haviv said that the mission of CWB is primarily to spread a message against anti-Semitism and general discrimination with aims to build a better future in education and for the world. The organization achieves this through ìprofessional development travel seminars and continuing education opportunitiesî for both teachers and students, according to the website. "More or less, we aim to teach people more about the Holocaust, the stages of history and the places where these events occurred in order to inspire them to come back to their classrooms afterward to teach from personal experience, rather than just from a
Violence: Students talk about hard topics Continued from A4
ing her students to be advocates for their patients during, before, and after they receive care. "It is a population healthbased class, which means that weíre focused on the overall health of the community, not just the health of the people in the hospital," said Romanchuk. "We're trying to prevent diseases, rather than treating them once the disease has already begun. With domestic violence, it's a preventive just so people know of resources available." For Romanchuk, the two main challenges in getting the event off the ground are publicity and attendance. "Getting the word out there is often times a difficulty, and people coming to the events is another really big [challenge]," said Romanchuk. "We do a lot of events around campus, but the purpose of this specific assignment is so that we take something into the community, not just the campus community. So encouraging people to come and participate with this event is kind of difficult because we are a little secluded from the general population of Waynesburg on this campus." Upon researching the issue, one thing that stuck out to Romanchuk about domestic violence is a particular misconception. "Domestic violence is not always a man against a woman," she said. "Which I think is something thatís known, but was very interesting coming across as we were preparing for this event." As such, Romanchuck's main goal for this event is to bring light to the issue. "Domestic Violence is a terrible reality in the world that we live in, and often times because it is a hushhush topic, it gets swept under the rug. So, to help shed light on it and reduce the amount of shame that is associated with it and for people who have been victims of domestic violence as well are our examples."
By BRANDON ROSSI
For the Yellow Jacket
Gur text book," said Haviv. Waynesburgís Crosby Lecture Series will be hosting Gur, executive director of CWB, and Avi Ben-Hur, director of education, who will discuss current events in both the Middle East and the United States, and how this relates back to the organizationís mission. "What this is going to be, more or less, is a political theme," said Haviv. "Current events and political themes in the Middle East right now, [and] what the implications are for the new U.S. government. [Ben-Hur] speaks from a very objective standpoint, and he'll give like a nice overview, and let people make their own decisions of if these things are good and bad." Both Ben-Hur and Gur have been champions for anti-discrimination for years, Haviv said., and have helped the program expand remarkably. "We have 78 partnering
Ben-Hur schools, which means we either work with them in the schools or we work with the teachers--Most often, itís both." While primarily serving in the Greater Pittsburgh area, said Haviv, CWB has partners reaching all across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio - and even has some affiliations with schools as far as Florida, Massachusetts and California. Even with such a wide reach, Haviv said that CWB has consistently been able to send teachers abroad, even without them having to fundraise individually. "We serve nationally as well as locally," she said. ìWhat makes us special is we raise all of our own funds. The teachers pay very little, if anything.î Haviv said that anyone interested in travel opportunities and options are welcome to visit classroomswithoutborders.org or email her at melissa.clasroomswithoutborders.org.
For a third consecutive academic year, the Waynesburg University Student Senate will be electing a brand new president, as there is no incumbent student. Other executive board and regular senate positions will also be elected soon. The Student Senate is comprised of an executive board that features a treasurer, secretary, and several vice president positions. One of those is executive vice president, currently held by sophomore Tyler McCoy, but following this year he will not be returning to the executive board due to potentially studying abroad. He is currently in charge of running the Student Senate Elections. Regarding the student senate elections, McCoy said that, “every full-time student is eligible to vote for executive board positions.” There will be a table in the Beehive during lunch, and then there will be a table in the Benedum Dining Hall during dinner for about an hour and a half. Students can show their
student ID, and there will be a ballot on which they can make a choice for each position. This will take place on March 7, 8, and 9. The executive board applications were due on Tuesday, Feb. 21, the same day that the regular Student Senator forms came out. In order to run for an executive board position, a student has to be a junior or senior by credit, with no disciplinary issues during his or her tenure at Waynesburg University, and they must have served on Senate for at least a year. However, regular Senator positions are open for anyone currently enrolled at Waynesburg University. Four representatives will be chosen for each class, and the applications for regular Senators will be due next Tuesday. Senior Ryan Schwertfeger has served as the President of Student Senate and holds his responsibility in high regard. “We are essentially the voice of the student body,” said Schwertfeger. “Each class gets four representatives that each class will vote on for themselves, and that’s the voice for each class. So if there is a certain issue that deals with the sophomores, you would bring it to the sophomore representative. If it’s a really big issue, you’d bring it to someone on the executive board to the appropriate person who would probably deal with it.”
Schwertfeger has enforced change in a variety of ways. He said his goal is “to close out the old era of student senate,” and “to make sure that the path is cleared for those going ahead.” Schwertfeger is the last person in the Senate currently to have experienced the old system, which required clubs to send representatives to each meeting. These representatives included people who Schwertfeger thought had no desire to work in Student Senate, which inhibited any potential to expand any ideas on how to make the university better. His success has had some influence, however, in the form of his most recent predecessor, senior Michael Merten. Merten was Student Senate President during his junior year but vacated the opportunity to run for President for his senior year when he decided to study abroad in Ireland. The Student Senate would come to him for some advice when needed, including the latest bill passed regarding the new water fountains. “I was consulted after they wrote it,” said Merten, “but it was like ‘do you think this is a good idea?’ ‘Should we follow through on it?’ For the most part, though, I let [Schwertfeger] do his thing. He is the man with the plan, so he’s got it down pretty well.”
Students study link between sports and personality By CLAY CARPER
For the Yellow Jacket
A group of Waynesburg University students are completing a study as part of the Advanced Experimental Psychology course. The study, which will focus on the menís and womenís basketball teams, will last until the end of the regular season. Juniors Angela Fratangelo, Carissa Doody and Anthony Corkos are leading the study, which will monitor how personality can shift over the course of a season. Doody first proposed the study, and it was eventually approved by the Institutional Review Board. "I was inspired because Iím curious about how players are affected after theyíre playing," said Doody. Basketball was specifically chosen by the group not only because of its timeliness with the course, but because the sport has both team and individual aspects. While each
First Last, Affiliation
The men's and women's basketball teams both participated in surveys to see how personality is impacted by athletics as the season goes on. individual is being tracked, the study can also show how being a part of a group affects personality traits. These findings could also prove to translate over to other areas of life. While the end goal was always to find correlation between sport and personality, the way of reaching that goal was up for discussion. The
group eventually chose to conduct the research through surveys. "We chose to use a survey because it is easy, completely anonymous and doesnít demand a lot of time,î said Fratangelo. ìIt was the most convenient way to collect accurate data in a timely fashion."
The surveys ask specific, targeted questions that are used to track the shift of personality traits over the course of the rest of the season. The athletes click the link provided to them in an e-mail and fill out a survey that typically takes 15 minutes or less. Through a pre-established scoring system, the team will
be able to analyze the data and track the subjects over the time-frame of the study. While the study is part of a course requirement, there is sincere motivation to find real-world answers, said Fratangelo. "We hope to find out whether there is or is not a link between personality traits,î said Fratangelo. ìIf there is, our goal is present those findings in a way that is helpful to coaches and athletes." The group plans to analyze the results at the conclusion of the season and form a manuscript with the results. The manuscript, said Fratangelo, can then be used to better understand how personality traits affect athletes. Recognizing that trend can prove to be beneficial for coaches and athletes. The team, Fratangelo said, hopes to have a positive impact on sports psychology, even though the study only includes Waynesburg University athletes.
Email: Dumire says ITS can solve Teach: Students reach problem for juniors missing emails past classroom to teach Continued from A1
weekly briefings, registration information and other alerts. According to William Dumire, vice president for Information Technology Services (ITS) and chief information officer, some students were excluded from the process of adding names to the campus email listserv. “There is a process that occurs when a student registers with the institution,” said Dumire. “One of those steps is to add the student email address to the campus listserv; for whatever reason with a couple of students, that didn’t happen.” Dumire said he attributes the problem to a step in a process that didn’t fully work when the current junior class first arrived at the university. “It looks like when the class came in [freshman year,] there was an automated service that broke,” said Dumire. “[Due to that,] emails were not added to the listserv.” Dumire said he is aware of multiple reports among the current junior class who are experiencing this issue. Ear-
lier this week, Dumire said he was able to determine that the problem exists for presumably a significant amount of students. Ortoleva and numerous other juniors have said they have not been receiving campus emails since their freshman year at Waynesburg University. During her freshman year, Ortoleva said she did not even realize she was missing emails and once she finally did, didn’t know who to contact. Finally, Ortoleva said she reached out to try and find a solution and was informed that there was no such thing as a campuswide email. It was not until her second semester as a junior she was directed to the ITS Help Desk and has since been added to the email listserv. Sending messages via the listserv is limited to a few staff members, said Dumire, and students have not been missing messages from professors. “There are a limited number of people who have the ability to email out on the listserv,” said Dumire. “[I] don’t want [students] to think they are missing communication
from the faculty.” Dumire said that a list of the junior class will be acquired from the Registrar and will be reassessed for any missing individuals on the email listserv. However, Dumire said that if a student still isn’t receiving emails, they should contact the Help Desk. According to Dumire, the process behind fixing the problem is easy to accomplish and will take priority once the affected students are identified. “As soon as the issue is brought to our attention, absolutely within a day, it’s addressed,” said Dumire. “More than likely within a half an hour it’s addressed for the student.” If any student in the junior class, or in general, is not receiving campus-wide emails, Dumire said they should contact the Help Desk by emailing helpdesk@waynesburg.edu. “If students are ever aware of any type of issue [like missing emails], always reach out and report those directly to ITS or the Help Desk,” said Dumire. “Many [problems] typically can be resolved fairly quickly.”
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or something that they need help with.” The educators themselves are held to a higher standard by Hamilla. “I like them to have a pretty healthy lifestyle themselves, so, they would make good social decisions. Leadership skills are definitely a plus, but that doesn’t mean the everyone who is a peer educator is extroverted,” said Hamilla. “They just need to want to be involved and it helps if they are passionate about some of the topics that we discuss.” This course is offered every spring.A major benefit of participating in the course is the certification and the benefits that come with being in a nationallyrecognized organization. “[The class] is a credit, and they do get the certification, which is good for a resume,” said Hamilla. “They get to know like-minded students, and they really get to help out fellow students. It also gives them good,
solid leadership skills.” Most of the participants of the organization have taken the Peer Education course and are certified as National Peer Educators. Participating in the organization, even if the course has been taken, is not mandatory. “The students are in the organization because they like it, and it’s totally voluntary,” said Hamilla. “But I think that they really get a sense of meaning and fulfillment from doing the programs.” Hamilla receives recommendations from faculty and staff on students who fit her higher standards. She contacts them, holds an interview and then decides whether or not they should take the course. Hamilla says that sometimes students are overlooked, and they may want to be in the organization. “If I haven’t reached out to people, based on recommendations, and they feel like they would qualify and be interested, they can get in touch with me,” said Hamilla.
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FEBRUARY 23, 2017 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
Learning center in Ruff Creek aims to train local miners By TEGHAN SIMONTON Managing Editor
Courtesy of Celeste Van Kirk, Observer-Reporter
At Washington Highschool, students like Gabriela Garcia and Mason Montgomery drink from water fountains. With old piping going to water fountains and faucets alike, impurities such as lead could endanger students.
Murky waters
Washington School District tests water for impurities, lead By MATTIE WINOWITCH Managing Editor
When it comes to schools, lead should be in the pencils, not the water. But in many local and national cases, students in elementary, middle and high school are exposed to numerous impurities in their drinking water that raise concern for health issues. Due to these controversies and concerns, Washington School District has decided to take advantage of free lead testing for their water, merely as a precaution.
According to Rick Mancini, the director of District Operations, coming across the testing kit company known as "Healthy Schools PA" was a fluke. "One of the ladies in our office found the company," Mancini said. "So far, it's been a really nice program. They sent us all of the supplies and everything else we needed to send in the samples." According to an article from the Observer Reporter, Healthy Schools PA originally began offering school dist r ic ts and chi ld-care facilities in Southwestern Pennsylvania free watertesting kits nearly a year ago, after high levels of lead were found in water in U.S. school buildings, including those in Flint, Michigan, Sebring, Ohio, and Newark, New Jersey.
According to Dr. Wayne Rossiter, assistant professor of biology at Waynesburg University, a presence of lead in water can lead to serious issues, especially for children. While Mancini said there was no direct reason to test the water, Rossiter said students in the district who drink or are otherwise exposed the water could be at risk. "Lead can be toxic to children and can lead to earlyon physical and neurological development issues," said Rossiter. While there are various causes for impurities in water, Rossiter said the most likely cause is old buildings. "Piping from the early 1980s eventually needs to be WATER >> B4
The Mining Technology and Training Center (MTTC) is initiating a New Miner Training Program across Pennsylvania, allowing new miners to learn safe practices and receive certification. “ Tr ai n i ng for m i n ers is probably the most important part of their lives underground,” said Marlon Whoolery, MTTC training director. “The government puts it on the coal operators to get them trained, and companies like ours assist in that. The more a miner is trained, the safer he works and the less likely he is to become victim to a serious injury.” According to Whoolery, the MTTC used to offer a 360-hour program, but as federal law only requires a miner to acquire 40 hours of training to become certified, the class was reduced to 240 hours, and then to 40. “We started out at a 360-hour class and paired it down to 240 [hours],” said Whoolery. “We’re very much a proponent of 240 hours—Just gives a new miner experience and preparation. [But] with downturn in the industry, most of the class is locally done and what we do here. Most coal companies do compliant training—just what the law asks for.” Whoolery emphasized the benefit of the 240-hour program to the new miner though, saying it makes those who participate in
taking the classes even more hirable. “Most people are just looking for what they have to get a job,” he said. “Over the years, when we had the 240-hour class, most people would get hired pretty quick because they were fully trained.” Who oler y said that while a longer class is preferable to give miners the absolute best shot at success, the decline in the industry has unfortunately decreased the number of miners in training, and the MTTC has had to cut
“The more a miner is trained, the less likely he is to become victim to a serious injury” MARLON WHOOLERY
MTTC Training Director
costs to pay instructors. “[With] so many laid off, the need has diminished,” said Whoolery. “ It doesn’t present a problem for us, but it does for the cost of the class.” Wi t h t h e 4 0 - h o u r course, Whoolery said, the trainees will most likely spend approximately 32 hours in a classroom, with 8 hours at a mine site to receive a more hands-on learning experience to prepare them for working in the real world. According to the MINERS >> B4
Several fire depts. in St. Ann Church helps to host spaghetti Greene County to dinner for Waynesburg Uni. fundraiser receive state grants By JOE SMELTZER Staff Writer
By CODY YANKULIC Editorial Assistant
Several local fire departments in the tri-county area will be receiving state grant money to help with fire department costs. The grant, which was possible due to the Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program, was announced by 50th legislative district state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson. The grants will impact the tri-county area of the 50th legislative district. Fayette County will receive $128,255 and Washington County will receive $40,420. Greene County, which is the only full county in the district, will receive the majority of the funds, $218,284. In a statement released on her website, Snyder praised the grant program. “Although they do a tremendous job for our local communities, everyone knows that our volunteer firefighting and EMS organizations face challenges,” said Snyder. “They, as well as I, are aware that every penny counts. That’s why I am pleased that the state is providing these funds.” The grant money can be used for various expenses,
“...everyone knows that our volunteer firefighting and EMS organizations face challenges” PAM SNYDER
State Representative
such as buying new equipment. For the Waynesburg-Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Company, the grant money will be used to pay-off debt. “We’re using our money to offset debt reduction,” said Fire Chief Jeff Marshall. “We have about $75,000-$80,000 to offset that debt.” Debt can be accrued by fire departments because of the equipment necessary for the job, as one eastern Illinois department bought a brand new fire-rescue truck for over half a million dollars. Marshall also talked of the opportunities that the grant money will create for his department. “We get money from the local community,” said Marshall. “By allowing this grant to come in, it allows us to use the money for equipment, training and expenses.” FIRE >> B4
Friday, Feb. 17, Waynesburg University held a spaghetti dinner at St. Ann Church, a Catholic church in the town of Waynesburg. At St. Ann's, which is located on High Street, the univeristy students teamed up with the members of St. Ann's to help raise money for zthe children of Patzún, Guatemala, as part of the Guatemala Mission Fund. Julie Wise, who works for the Student Activities Board (SAB) at Waynesburg as a graduate assistant, played a large part in the planning of the fundraiser at St. Ann's, as she is instrumental in the mission trip to Guatemala herself. “We do a lot of planning ahead of time,” said Wise. “Like, ‘ Who’ s going to make the pasta, who’ s going to bring the sauce and make the sauce,’ we’ll do things like that.” According to Wise, the biggest issue in planning was publicity. “Getting the word out is our biggest issue and barrier we have in advertisement so that’ s the biggest issue we have ahead of time,” said Wise. Advertising for the event started two weeks ahead of time and picked up as the week-off drew near. “This last week, we’ ve
Audrey Domasky, Yellow Jacket
At St. Ann Church on High Street, church members like Roger Bristor, above, at helped cook for and host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser held by Waynesburg University. All proceeds are to go towards a mission trip to Guatemala.
been pushing it on social media, and we try to do in church bulletins around town,” said Wise. “So the week of is when we push
it, but we’ ll try and slowly start, word-of-mouth, a little ahead of time, so people know [of the event].” Awareness for the din-
ner was raised on social media through SAB on Facebook and Twitter, as well as a separate Facebook event that SPAGHETTI >> B4
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Career development should trump class SHON MEADE Columnist
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ADVISORS Richard Krause Brandon Szuminsky Editorials in the left-hand column represent the views of the Yellow Jacket. Letters from readers, columns, cartoons and other elements on the editorial page do not necessarily reflect the position of this newspaper and university.
February 23, 2017
The Department of Communication at Waynesburg University offers opportunities that cannot be paralleled at other institutions. Speaking on behalf of myself and others, the department has had students work events that had speakers such as Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and more. Trips have been made
to the White House to see Obama recognize the Pittsburgh Penguins as Stanley Cup champions. Students have worked Hockey Day in America for NHL on NBC and the College Football Championship for ESPN. All these opportunities and more can be available for students starting their freshman year. With that being said, a lot of the learning for students happens outside the classroom through these events. This results in the possibility of classes being missed by the students.
What I am getting at is attendance policies in classes. Every class is required to have them and it helps students stay accountable with their work. Howe ve r, i n my 3 . 5 years of being here, a lot of professors will not count missing class for a career opportunity as an excused absence. Say I work an event, which I have, where President Obama, Bill Clinton, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen were at. This event can be groundbreaking for someone’s career.
However, for some professors, this did not count
In the eyes of some professors, this would count just the same as a student who skips a class to nap instead. as an excused absence. In the eyes of some professors, this would count just the same as a student who CAREER >> B3
Media should rethink tragedy coverage BRENDAN KEANY Columnist
Journalists are supposed to minimize harm, according the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics. This could mean a lot of things, and it doesn’t always have a strict boundary or definition. At the same time, they are supposed to provide accurate and necessary information to the public. But what happens when these two aspects to the
code conflict? For instance, there is plenty of information that points to mass media coverage of killings and terrorist attacks lead to more attacks due to the attention these incidents receive. This is the idea at question. Does the way and amount of time that mass media reports on shootings perpetuate the unfortunate phenomenon in today’s current society? Does mass media inadvertently glorify the murderers with the attention they bring to the killers? According to several sourc-
es, this may not be the best approach in covering these types of events, especially since the dawn of 24-hour news. In fact, many say that the Columbine massacre has been heralded by vulnerable people as a sort of inspiration, and part of why is due to the coverage the event received. “Around the world, mass shooters have left suicide notes and manifestos describing how they were inspired by the 1999 killings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, one of the first school massacres in the age of 24-hour cable news coverage,”
said Alan Zarembo of the Los Angeles Times. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were not the first to perform a school shooting, which is a fact that many do not know. In fact, there were several school shootings in the years prior to Columbine. According to K12 Academics, the earliest American school shooting occurred in 1764. The next school massacre occurred in 1853, a span of 89 years since the first one. After the 1853 shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, these MEDIA >> B3
EDITORIAL
Safety first
School should sell self-defense items In Waynesburg’s school store, a surprisingly broad selection of goods is offered to students. Other than the usual school-pride apparel and the stacks of textbooks, students can purchase Vera Bradley lanyards and wallets, makeup, gift cards, art supplies, technological gadgets, snacks and more. Students can even purchase a copy of Harper Lee’s “Go Set A Watchman,” just ‘cause. However, there is one very important item that is not offered in the school store: pepper spray. Students at Waynesburg generally aren’t at risk of any sudden attacks. The on-campus security officers have things under control, as they claim to be only a phone call away when students are in jeopardy. However, when night falls, campus can get eerie. Walking alone, especially around some of the less lit-up areas of campus, can make even the strongest student feel vulnerable. They say walk with a buddy. They say don’t walk in questionable areas at night alone—if you can help it. But sometimes, these things are inevitable. Sometimes students do have to walk alone at night. And that’s scary. While the security officers are only a phone call away, it would be ludicrous for students to constantly be overflowing the phone lines of Campus Security when they only feel slightly endangered. This could potentially cause another student in a more serious crisis to be unable to receive the help they need in a timely fashion. Therefore, the fact stands that the power should not lie with the security officers alone. With all of this into consideration, Waynesburg students should be provided with a source of personal, yet safe protection. While college-aged students can be irresponsible or silly at times, they should be able to handle something like pepper spray with a sense of maturity. If the school store sells “internal” protection such as over-the-counter cold medications, which could easily be abused without supervision, they should also provide “external” protection, like pepper spray. Hypothetically speaking, yes, students could easily go to Wal-Mart to purchase pepper spray, but Waynesburg University should take students who might need selfprotection in a pinch into consideration. Until then, students will be forced to protect themselves by pelting their attackers with Burt’s Bees lip balm and their various copies of “Go Set a Watchman.”
NEWSPAPER POLICY The Yellow Jacket is the student-operated newspaper of Waynesburg University funded by student fees and advertisements and is intended for the entire college community. The Yellow Jacket is produced by the student staff on a weekly basis during the academic year. The office of the Yellow Jacket is located in room 400 of Buhl Hall. It is the right of the Yellow Jacket to print all material deemed newsworthy and gathered in a fair and unconditional manner. No advance copies of stories will be shown, and reporters' notes are considered confidential. No "off the record" information will be accepted. ADVERTISING POLICY Anyone wishing to advertise in the Yellow Jacket should email the advertising director at jacketads@waynesburg.edu. Ads must be submitted by the Monday before publication date and not conflict with the university mission.
BUILDING OUR CAMPUS
Changes were consistent in athletic facilities The following is an overview of the history of the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse as part of the Building Our Campus series. Research provided by Courtney Dennis, associate director of the Paul R. Stewart Museum. By TIFFANY MORGAN Editorial Assistant
From 1944 to present day, the transformation of gymnasium facilities on the Waynesburg campus has evolved immensely. The earliest gym built was during the Civil War, and was located where Stewart Science Hall is today. During this time frame, the gym built in that location was referred to as “The Old Mill” because it was mainly utilized as a flour mill. The building later served as the site of the first electric company and a warehouse. The Waynesburg College intercollegiate games against West Virginia University were played in this building in 1904. Most games were played against area colleges and a few against independent teams at the time. Ten years later, the Waynesburg College Basketball Team League formed to give more students the opportunity to participate. The league consisted of teams from Waynesburg College, Greene Academy and the local high school. Also in 1904, the fourth floor of Miller, referred
Courtesy of Paul R. Stewart Museum
The Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse is shown here after completion. The athletic facilities at Waynesburg Univeristy have undergone massive changes through its history. to as the “Chicken Coop”, had rafters covered with chicken wire in order to keep the ball from getting away. The area was small and had knotty pine floors, which was not an ideal space to students during their season of basketball. In 1912, the editor of the college newspaper implored readers on finding a better place for the students to play. A year later, improvements were made, including the expansion of bleachers that sat 200 and electric lights. The college newspaper reported when small renovations were made. “Though the room is small, it is well adapted to basketball,” was the report on the gymnasium. Just these small im-
provements on the gym caused the students and residents of Waynesburg to draw themselves closer, even though they had to take three flights of stairs and climb a ladder to arrive at the fourth floor. The gym that students utilize today began its building process in 1944 and was completed in the same year. By 1983, the fieldhouse was added to the gymnasium, and by 2004, the
fieldhouse renovations were completed. The fieldhouse was rededicated as Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse, and five years later the Fitness Center was added. From the Old Mill to the Chicken Coop, Waynesburg University has had its share of gymnasiums and has developed into the development students, faculty and staff know today as Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse, located across from
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor are encouraged as a method to bring issues of concern into the public eye. Letters should be typed, limited to 300 words, signed and include a phone number for confirmation. Letters may be submitted to 400 Buhl Hall, sent to the Yellow Jacket via campus mail or via email to jacket@waynesburg.edu. Letters may also be sent to Yellow Jacket, 400 Buhl Hall, Waynesburg University, 51 W. College St., Waynesburg, Pa. 15370. All letters must be received by 5 p.m. the Monday of any publication week.
February 23, 2017
Page B3
Cheat Sheet: POTUS already planning ahead for 2020
Editor's Note: The following is a synopsis of a recent topic trending in world or national news. By MATTHEW SHINKLE Editorial Assistant
Just under a month into his first term, President Trump has already begun campaigning for a second term. He returned to the campaign trail before thousands of supporters in an airport hanger in Florida, stating the media spreading “fake news” was undermining his accomplishments. The rally was aimed at speaking directly to Americans without the media’s input. “I also want to speak to you without the filter of the fake news,” he said. “They’ve become a big part of the problem. They are part of the corrupt system.” Trump would also later tweet “Don’t believe the main stream (fake news) media. The White House is running VERY WELL. I inherited a MESS and am in the process of fixing it.” He tweeted this while on
Tribune News Service
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at the Palm Beach International airport on February 17, in West Palm Beach, Fla. On Feb. 18, he held a campaign rally in Melbourne, Fla. his way to go golfing, something he criticized Obama of constantly during his second term in over half a dozen tweets, yet Trump has now done at least three times in his first month in office. Despite former President Obama having inherited a mess in 2008, in the middle of a recession that saw thousands lose their homes and jobs, President Trump inherited an economy with an
unemployment rate below five percent – the first year it has been that low since 2007. At the rally just outside Melbourne, Florida, another one of Trump’s statements reportedly led many to believe a terrorist attack had occurred recently across the Atlantic Ocean. “We’ve got to keep our country safe,” said Trump. “You look at what’s happening in Germany, you look at
what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this?” There were no reported terrorist attacks in Sweden the day before President Trump’s rally, which he later tweeted was in reference to a story he saw broadcasted on Fox News concerning immigrants in Sweden. While there is a surge in violent crime in Sweden and there has been an increase in
refugees entering the country from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, it has not been proven there is a direct link between the two statistics. A tremendous part of President Trump’s campaign while running was to secure the United States from outsiders, particularly radical Islamic terrorists, as well as illegal immigrants from Mexico. Having also referenced
Germany at his campaignstyle rally, it is worth noting the most recent terrorist attack in Germany was in December of this past year, when a terrorist drove a truck through a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring 50 others, in which The Islamic State claimed responsibility. Such claims from President Trump come roughly a week after White House special counselor Kellyanne Conway incorrectly cited a “massacre” in Bowling Green, Kentucky, when in fact there had been no terrorist attack at that location. Lastly, President Trump is unhappy with the amount of time it is taking for his administration and cabinet to be finalized, despite past Presidents sometimes waiting until March and April for theirs to be confirmed. “I turn on the TV, open the newspapers and I see stories of chaos, chaos,” said President Trump. “Yet it is the exact opposite. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine, despite the fact that I can’t get my cabinet approved.”
In the News: Five headlines you need to know this week son when they noticed his lips were turning blue. Once at the hospital, staff discovered prescription pills and a bag with heroin inside tucked inside the boy’s sock, according to Cleveland.com. After Dowdy admitted him and Simko had used drugs earlier in the day, both were arrested. Dowdy and Simko were charged with child endangerment, records show, and each were held on $150,000 bond. -Washington Post Feb. 18
Editor's Note: The following is a summary of the five stories from last week that college students need to know.
1. McCain becomes vocal opponent of Trump Senator John McCain, newly elected to a six-year term as the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has been vocally criticized President Trump in the first month of him taking office, in particular Trump’s foreign policy. At a security conference in Munich this past Friday, McCain offered a critique of President Trump’s “America First” vision in front of allied officials worried about Trump’s intentions as commander-in-chief. “Make no mistake, my friends, these are dangerous times,” McCain said. “But you should not count America out, and we should not count each other out.” McCain also made sure to respond to Trump’s recent assertion that his administration is running like a “fine-tuned machine.” “In many respects, this administration is in disarray, and they’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. Later joining “Meet the Press” for an interview, Sen. McCain again disagreed with Trump, this time taking aim at Trump’s claim that the media is “the enemy of the American people.” “The first thing that dictators do is shut down the press,” he said, adding that while he was not calling the president a dictator, “we need to learn the lessons of history.” President Trump and Sen. McCain do not have the most comfortable history, as the new president belittled McCain’s service in the United States Army. “I like people that weren’t
Tribune News Service
This file photo taken on Oct. 13, 2016 shows Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin addresses a meeting at the UN headquarters in New York. Churkin died in New York, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Feb. 20. captured,” Trump said of McCain, 80, who was held for more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and was tortured while in captivity. -New York Times Feb. 19 2. China bans coal imports from North Korea Amid growing tensions along the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang’s most recent missile test last week, China has said it will halt all coal imports from North Korea for the rest of 2017. China’s Ministry of Commerce said the decision was made to comply with a UN Security Council resolution that China helped draft and pass last November, according to a public notice jointly issued with the country’s customs agency. Resolution 2321 imposed some of the strictest sanctions yet against North Korea after it disregarded an earlier UN ban in order to test what it said was a nuclear warhead in September 2016. “Imports of coal produced in North Korea -- including
Career: Not all skips should be worth the same Continued from B2
skips a class to nap instead. Now don’t get me wrong, I have had a lot of great professors who hear that I am doing these events and they support me doing them without hesitation. I view the situation as it should be a campus policy as a whole. If students miss a class to further their career path, they shouldn’t have to worry about facing reprimands for their decisions. I see the value
in attending classes, and for some that may only be offered once a week, it is critical not to miss. I am sure if a student is going to an event that the President of the United States is speaking at, they will still be able to make up the work in class. H o n e s t l y, I w o u l d choose running camera at an event over sit in a math class, learning things that won’t further me down my career path. But who knows, I’m just a kid trying to get a job.
shipments already declared to the customs but yet to be released -- will be suspended for the remainder of this year,” said the statement posted on the ministry’s website. Coal is North Korea’s main export, and majority of its exported coal is shipped to China, its only major ally on the global stage. However, North Korean economist Ri Gi Song, a researcher at the Institute of Economics at the Adacemy of Social Sciences, believes the coal ban won’t have a large effect. “We have been exporting some good quantities of coal, but we didn’t export very much,” he said. “[Therefore] we don’t feel very much affected by the so-called restrictions.” According to Ri, the export of other raw materials such as magnesite and graphite that are used in smartphone production, is “very important” for major world economies, of which North Korea sits on more than half of the worlds discovered deposits of.
-CNN Feb. 20 3. Ohio parents arrested after son overdosed A man and a woman in Ohio have been charged with child endangerment after their 8-year-old son reportedly overdosed on heroin last month, according to police. On Jan. 11, according to a police report obtained by WKYC News, police responded to a report of a child not breathing at a home in Berea, a suburb of Cleveland. The child they found was unresponsive in the living room, despite his father doing chest compressions on him. However, an officer was able to find a pulse on the child, upon which the boy was transported to a hospital, the report stated. Officers suspected the parents, Charles Dowdy and Danielle Simko, of narcotics use. According to the report, drugs and narcotics were found on the property. Dowdy told police he and Simko were in bed with their
4. Russia ambassador dies suddenly Vitaly Churkin died suddenly at the age of 64 in New York, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday, while in New York. He died one day short of his 65thbirthday. Churkin suffered from cardiac arrest while at the Russian Mission on East 67th Street, a law enforcement said. He was taken to New York’s Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Russian Foreign Ministry said “the outstanding Russian diplomat died while he was in his current working role.” And Russian President Vladimir Putin “expressed sympathy to the friends and family as well as to the staff of the Russian Foreign Ministry,” the Kremlin said. Known as a “confident, combative, disarming, and humorous fixture at the UN security council” according to CNN, he was often at odds with the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Susan Rice, former US ambassador to the United Nations, said Churkin was “a formidable adversary, but always a friend.” The president of the UN
General Assembly, Peter Thomson, said “the Russian Federation and the United Nations have lost a true son and a great international intellect.” -CNN Feb.18 5. Many workers lose their jobs after protests The Day Without Immigrants protest shut down many businesses nationwide last week, however many are now becoming aware of the consequences that were handed down to a handful of workers that were given for partaking in demonstrations. Dozens of workers have reported losing their jobs after taking part in last Thursday’s protest. The boycott was aimed at President Trump’s efforts to step up deportations, build a wall along the southern border of the United States, and shut down immigration to several countries. Specifically, twelve Latino employees from the I Don’t Care Bar and Grill in Tulsa, Oklahoma told FOX 23 News they were fired over text message after not showing up for shifts while not notifying their employers they intended to miss work. The e mployees, reportedly, expected to be reprimanded, not fired. “If you have 12 people who feel strongly and want to make a stand, I think management should have taken a look at that and at least stood by them or give them some time,” Catherine Bishop, of Broken Arrow, told Fox 23 News. -Fox News Feb. 20 Information curated by Matthew Shinkle For the Yellow Jacket
Media: Coverage shouldn't harm society Continued from B2
types of school incidents became increasingly popular and occurred at least a couple of times every decade. In 1997-1998, the years just prior to the Columbine shooting, K12 Academics notes that there were eight school killing sprees. According to the FBI, there have been 50 mass murders or attempted mass murders at schools since Columbine, and 141 people have been killed as a result. ABC News says that 65 school shooters or people who were thwarted in their
attempts to perform a school shooting have cited Columbine as the influence for their decision. On a larger scale, there have been 270 shootings of any kind since Columbine, and in 2015, there was an average of one shooting per week on a high school or college campus. A study conducted by Reuters confirms that social media and mass media feed into the attention that these killers seek. The study looked at trending name searches from three of the biggest massacres in the past five years. Predictably, the killer was searched for on an average of seven
times more than the most searched for victim. More shockingly, there have been a lot of recent shootings with evidence to support the idea that these murderers are well aware of the social ramifications of their actions. According to Zarembo, the Orlando shooter who killed 49 people in a nightclub, Omar Mateen, paused during his shooting spree to check social media, something that would not have existed in the years during and prior to Columbine. Many psychologists argue that mass media and social media give unstable personalities a platform to receive
the attention that they do not feel they receive in normal circumstances. Obviously, this would be considered an unintended consequence. The media certainly did not want to play a role in creating new shooters, but there are plenty of accounts, research and professional psychologists who claim that they could be the leading reason for the seemingly weekly mass shooting. Even though the media did not intend on contributing to this phenomenon, they have the responsibility to change their approach for the betterment of society.
Page B4
February 23, 2017
VFW in Waynesburg hosts 'Paint and Sip' Washington: Old
piping could be cause of impurities in water
Event held by Off the Wall Arts allows for locals to be artists for a day
Continued from B1
changed," Rossiter said. "Things rust and fall apart over time." Ma n c i n i c o n f i r m e d t h a t t h e Wa s h i n g t o n School District buildings are old and the aged infrastructure may cause problems. Water heaters, water fountains and faucets are all at-risk fixtures, the latter two are most often used by both students and faculty. "Because we have old buildings, it is a precautionary measure," Mancini said. Other localized issues in Greene, Washington and Butler County are most likely due to well pads, which is an area that has b een cleared for a drilling rig to work on a plot of land designated for natural gas or oil extraction. According to Rossiter,
By GRACE HUTCHISON Staff Writer
The Waynesburg Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW ] held an e vent Tuesday, Feb. 21, where locals were able to socialize, sip wine and paint. The event, which is $30 for admission, was created in collaboration with Off the Wall Arts, a company that provides a “painta n d - s i p” e x p e r i e n c e for customers. Participants had the opportunity to paint an image of two penguins holding hands with heart balloons, in celebration of Valentine’s day. The laid-back lesson is taught by an instructor who shows the entire class how to paint the same image, step-by-step. Though everyone is being taught the same image, people’s paintings are also up to their own interpretation and often come out differently. O f f t h e Wa l l A r t s , owned by Casey Clark, was created in 2013. The for m at of re l a x at i on , drinking and painting with friends has become a trend in the recent years. The largest chain of this type, Painting with a Twist, nearly doubled its locations in 2015 alone. Before the explosion of its popularity, Clark began the business because of her passion for art. “I have been in arts my whole life. I wanted to take my art on the road, and do things with it. I actually hosted my first party at my sister’s house,” Clark said. Clark’s method of travelling with Off the Wall Art includes packing a vehicle “to the brim” with the necessary materials, and travelling anywhere around an hour-and-ahalf radius from their studio in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Off the Wall Arts also does painting lessons for children, who are offered milk and cookies, where they have a chance to show off their creativity. At their monthly events, everyone is welcome to come and enjoy, including those who choose not to drink. “The painting is the fo-
Casey Clark, Off the Wall Art
For a fee of $30, locals got to try their hand at painting an arctic scene of Valentine's Day-themed penguins at Off the Wall Art's Paint and Sip event. Over 21 painters were in attendance.
over 25 percent of the well pads in Pennsylvania are located within Greene County and Washington County. "We are located in the mecca," said Rossiter. Mancini said 25 samples were taken between the elementary and high s cho ol in mid-Febr uary. Results are not expected to come in until early March. Regardless of the district's water testing results, Rossiter said locals should be aware of what they and their families are drinking. "People should start caring what comes out of their tap," said Rossiter. To learn more about water safety and the water quality in both Greene and Washington County, Rossiter invites all to like his Facebook page, "Greene County Water"at w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / GreenCountyWater.
Spaghetti: Children of Guatemala the real reason of fundraiser Continued from B1
cus of the event, and by no means is drinking required,” Clark said. The event, which began Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m., was held in the local VFW building and there was an estimated 30 people who attended. “We have been doing events at the VFW every month for the last four years,” Clark said. Off the Wall Arts usually gather their inspirations for the paintings around a recent holiday
or the season. “The artists that I work with and I work together to come up with the designs, we bounce ideas off of each other,” Clark said. “It’s a collaborative effort.” The artists try to create fun images that would be easy enough for a beginner to paint. On the Facebook page of Off the Wall Arts, they advertise, “Whether you are a talented artist, or struggle making a stick figures, with a night out
and instruction from a local artist, you can let your inner Picasso shine.” At their Charleroi studio, Off the Wall Arts a l s o of fe r s an “O p e n Paint Night” every Monday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Clark is invited to events all around the area who are searching for an original way to spice up their parties. To learn more about their paint and sip events, call Off the Wall Arts at 724-610-2900
was created. Erin Kern, who is roommates with Wise and is also a graduate student at Waynesburg, contributed to the event as well. “I like to support my roommates that are going [to Guatemala],” said Kern. Like Wise, Kern is a veteran of the trip, as she attended during her senior year as an undergraduate at Waynesburg. Although Kern will not be able to attend the trip this year due to a conflict with her major, she still likes to support the people who are going. For Kern, it is important to show support for her
roommates, and also for the children of Guatemala. “The money goes towards helping [the children of Guatemala],” said Kern. “So there’ s a project fund, and the other is to help the students going.” The Guatemala trip will be held at the end of the semester. Wise is planning on attending the trip for the fifth time. She has also gone on a few other mission trips, most recently to Nashville, Tennessee. Like Kern, Wise looks forward to helping the children of Guatemala. “Guatemala is very specific, they help with children and the center, kind of like an orphanage situation,” said Wise.
Miners: Course to provide 'quality' education
Continued from B1
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) website, the course will take only six weeks for miners to complete. The course provided by UMWA is subject to
change depending on ov e r a l l p a r t i c ip at i on and where more work is available in the industry, said Whoolery. “All t he ne w miner training that we’ve done in the last few years have been in the 80-hour variety because of how close
we are to West Virginia,” he said. And while the number of training hours has been significantly reduced from years past due to the recession and other various causes, Whooler y remains confident in the quality of the course that
MTTC offers. “You’re looking at our trainee when he leaves here,” he said. “ He is prepared to go underground and go to work. The company is a least giving the trainee some idea of what he is going to encounter underground.”
Fire: Greene County stations to receive $218,214 Continued from B1
While Marshall looks for ward to b eing able to put money he had once tied down to debt repayment towards new equipment, he s aid he is a ls o really looking for ward to being able to better service several state institutions within his response area. “There’s a lot of state property in our response area,” said Marshall. “It is nice to see us get some money to help us respond
to those areas.” Franklin Township contains State Correctional Institution (SCI) Greene and Waynesburg Borough public buildings. While the grants have been issued, Snyder warned recipients that they must return a copy of their signed original grant agreements by May 31 to receive their money. A list of recipients in Greene County is as follows: Bobtown Dunkard Volunteer Fire Department/ Ambulance: $12,101;
EMS: $7,448 Carmichaels and Cumberland Township Volunteer Fire Department: $13,895 Center Township Volunteer Fire Company: $12,616 Clarksville and Community Volunteer Fire Department: $11,844; EMS: $7,488 Crucible Volunteer Fire Department: $11,844 Greensboro Monongahela Township Volunteer Fire Company: $11,844; EMS: $7,488 Je f f e r s o n Vo l u nt e e r Fire Company: $12,616; EMS: $7,448
M o r r i s To w n s h i p Volunteer Fire Department: $11,844 Mt. Morris Community Volunteer Fire Company: $12,616 Nemacolin Volunteer Fire Company: $11,844; EMS: $ 7,448 New Freeport Volunteer Fire Department: $11,844 Rices Landing Volunteer Fire Department: $11,844; EMS: $7,448 Wayne Township Volunteer Fire Company: $11,488 Waynesburg Township Volunteer Fire Company: $15,000
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SECTION C
FEBRUARY 23, 2017 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG | @YJ_SPORTS
Back to school
Jackets don't make playoffs, finish 6-19 By KYLE DAWSON
Assistant Sports Editor
Dave Miller, ADM Photography
Senior Ryan Shank, pictured here in a match last season, won his third straight Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship this season and hopes to advance to nationals this weekend.
Shank becomes top wrestler after returning to college By LUKE GOODLING
Sports Convergence Editor
Last week, senior Ryan Shank battled through Thomas More’s Avery Jones and picked up his second straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference title. Though Shank has solidified himself as one of Waynesburg University’s best wrestlers, a few years ago Shank was a college dropout and coaching wrestling – it’s even by happenstance he even ever got into wrestling. “I knew I couldn’t make the basketball team in middle school, so I decided to try out wrestling,” said Shank. Out of 40 bouts this season, Shank has only lost seven; a winning percentage he didn’t really hold in his early years of wrestling. “My first year [of wrestling] I didn’t win a single match and got pinned
in the first period of every match,” said Shank. “It was just a steady progression – in high school something clicked and I started having success, by my senior year rolled around and I started having pretty good success.” By the time Shank graduated high school, colleges were interested in recruiting him and he ended up attending Lindsey Wilson College. Despite his passion for wrestling, Shank did not enjoy the classroom responsibilities and after two years, one of which he used a medical redshirt for an injury, he left. Shank took a three-year break from school and spent his time working, coaching wrestling and fighting MMA. After growing dissatisfied with his job opportunities and realizing the opportunities he had missed in wrestling, Shank decided it was time to return to school. “I coached [wrestling] at a high
school and that is honestly what got me back into wrestling,” said Shank. “Seeing those kids achieve their goals and dreams and stuff made me remember what goals I had for myself and I kind of gave up on those. I wanted to get back to those.” While Shank began the process of finding a new school, he remembered Waynesburg head coach Ron Headlee, who he had met the first time when he was looking for schools five years prior. “I remembered Headlee, so I looked him up to see if he was still here at [Waynesburg University],” said Shank. “I sent him an email, and I think literally the next day he called me, kind of a quick thing, and within a week or two I was up to visit the school and the area.” With academics and wrestling SHANK >> C3
Sophomore sets school record in 3,000-meter
ence Indoor Championships, Waynesburg University Staff Report placed seventh out of a field of nine schools. HighlightThough Waynesburg Uni- ing Waynesburg’s efforts was versity’s men’s indoor track sophomore Joel Kuzminski, & field team finwho broke the ished in the bottom school record in half of the standthe 3,000-meter ings in the Kenyon r un, f inishing C ollege Classic tenth with a time earlier this week, of 9:31. individual perforHe a d c o a c h mances were high Jason Falvo said as a new school rewhile the team cord was set. i s n’t t y pi c a l ly In the teams fifth known for disKuzminski and final meet of tance running, it the regular season before the was exciting to see KuzminPresidents’ Athletic Confer- ski perform well for the YelBy LUKE GOODLING and KYLE DAWSON
low Jackets. “We’ve been doing pretty well in the throws, in the jumps and in the sprints, but it was nice to see our distance guys really take a step in the right direction,” said Falvo. “[Kuzminski] set a school record in the 3K – so obviously a positive sign in the direction we are headed. I was pleased for sure, they definitely competed hard and made a jump for sure.” Kuzminski’s work ethic has set him apart, even back to his freshman year, according to Falvo. Even though he had surgery earlier in the season, Falvo said Kuzmin-
ski has been approaching his peak. “[Kuzminski] always has been serious about his business, even as a freshman – [he] put forth a ton of effort so [it’s] not surprising to see him succeed,” said Falvo. “[He] took a little set back over winter break, had to get a little bit of surgery on his nose that didn’t allow him to train for a few weeks, so obviously that sets him back for a few weeks, but his work ethic has always been hard and he’s done a good job [because of that].” TRACK >> C3
Senior point guard Timmy Kaiser played in his final game of his basketball career at Geneva College Saturday, Feb. 18, but he barely played in the game due to an injury early in the game. “What hurt in the game was losing Timmy right away,” said Wa y n e s b u r g men’s basketball head coach Mark Christner. “Obviously knowing it was the last game we were going to play; I think we planned on playing him as long as he could. It hurt our rotation right off the bat.” On Waynesburg’s first offensive possession, Kaiser put the first points on the board with a layup off glass. On the other end, Geneva senior guard Zach Burns missed a 3-pointer, junior wing Jon Knab got the defensive rebound and the two teams came down the floor, but only nine players crossed half court into Waynesburg’s next offensive possession. The lone man back was Kaiser, who was grasping his ankle on the court at the free
throw line, and Kaiser’s basketball career ended there. Waynesburg lost the game 76-68, but according to Christner, competed hard after the loss of Kaiser that “had an emotional impact on the team, especially after halftime” when the Jackets knew Kaiser would not be returning. “I thought we competed hard. One of their guys hurt us and he made some tough shots. [Freshman guard Noah] Damazo stepped up for them and was a guy that shot 26 percent from three before the game. He was 5-for-7,” said Christner. “A lot of times in the second half, we had tough stretches consistently scoring and because of it we couldn’t change defenses like we would normally like to. When you’re doing the same thing, the other team gets into a rhythm. We needed to be better.” Knab led the team with 20 points, giving him eight 20-point performances on the season, which led the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in the regular season. Junior MBB >> C4
Leadership defines Kaiser's basketball career at Waynesburg was around those guys and I thought this was the best thing ever.” Senior point guard TimThrough Waynesburg’s my Kaiser came to Waynes- men’s basketball program burg University in and head coach 2012. Mark Christner, He wasn’t heavKaiser believes ily recruited out he found what of Stroudsburg his brother had High School, beat Lynchburg and cause he didn’t more. start with the bas“It just turned ketball team until out to be the perhis senior season. fect fit,” Kaiser He always knew said. “I feel like Kaiser he wanted to coach and I are play basketball in college, very similar and he was the though, because of the ex- perfect fit for me and the perience his older brother, team was the best family Robby, had playing for environment I’ve ever been Lynchburg College. around since I’ve been on “He was the trailblazer campus.” for me, and I saw the exKaiser’s freshman season perience he had at Lynch- was a “learning experience,” burg, even though he wasn’t as he backed up then-sophplaying as much as he’d like, omore guard Casey Hope he would rave about how as a freshman and played much he loved it,” Kaiser said. “I went up and spent a weekend up there, and I KAISER >> C4 By JACOB MEYER Sports Editor
Women's basketball ends regular season with blowout victory By LUKE GOODLING
Sports Convergence Editor
When Waynesburg University’s women’s basketball team took the court against Geneva last Saturday, it was its final regular season game. The 2016-17 regular season concluded for the Yellow Jackets on the road in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, against a team they had already beaten earlier in the season. In January, the Jackets defeated the Golden Tornadoes by a final score of 70-53. The second time around, the result wasn’t entirely different, just a wider point spread with the Yellow Jackets winning their seventh road game, 83-37. Senior Katie Gehlmann scored a career-high 22 points and shot 6-of-12 from 3-point
land. Along with that, head coach Sam Jones said the victory was an overall team performance. “Honestly, it was just a great team effort,” said Jones. “Obviously [Gehlmann] was shooting the ball well, [sophomore Anna Bartman] shot the ball well, she was 4-for-8 from three, but collectively we were 14-of-29 from the 3-point line…Collectively we shot the ball [well] – and across the board it was a good effort.” In the game, the Jackets crushed Geneva with a 46 percent field goal percentage compared to Geneva’s 29 percent. Additionally, the Yellow Jackets converted from three 48 percent of the time, while Geneva could only muster an 11 percent accuracy from outside the arc.
After facing the same school earlier in the season, Gehlmann said that the second time they were able to execute some of the basics more effectively. “They are still the same team [the second time around,] but the first time I don’t think we followed the [scouting report] very well and we kind of got away from what we know how to do,” said Gehlmann. “This time we really talked about that and wanting to fix what we did wrong the first time – just play together well and we did.” Personally, Gehlmann put together one of her better games of the season. She shot 7-for-13 from the floor and WBB>> C4
Lindsay Orzechowski, Yellow Jacket
Senior guard Katie Gehlmann, pictured here in a game earlier this season, scored a career-high 22 points while shooting 6-for-12 from behind the arc.
Page C2
February 23, 2017
Singles play struggles for men's Women's lacrosse prepares for season without home field tennis in losses last weekend By ANTONIO PELULLO For The Yellow Jacket
It has beena slow start for the Waynesburg University women’s lacrosse team, as it has yet to take the field. The flooding over winter break has affected the team’s preseason, and it has had to practice solely indoors. "It's a perfect storm right now,” said head coach Stephanie Benkowski. “We don't have a field and it’s perfect weather.” Since Benkowski has yet to see her team out on a field this season, she said a lot is still in the air for her team. The coach did say, though, that she is excited for the season. "I really just want to see us when we get on to a field and show a little bit, since we haven't been on the field yet it's hard to grasp where we’re located playing wise," said Benkowski. "I am excited for the season but no goals [have been] set quite yet."
The team will not be able to take the field at John F. Wiley stadium but will play its games this season at Waynesburg Central High School. The team wants to get on that field early in the week following spring break. On the field, Waynesburg is returning eight players from last season, including senior Holly Bachman, who led the Jackets with 35 goals scored and was an All-Ohio River Lacrosse Conference honorable mention selection. Bachman wants her teammates to get more involved with the scoring this season and thinks the offseason preparation will help. " We ' v e b e e n g o i n g through a lot more people working on shooting; that's definitely going to help," said Bachman. "I just try to build up the team confidence; I want the other girls to feel comfortable to shoot." There has been the addition of new talent from the
soccer team as well, as senior Lauren Drane, who played midfield for the soccer team in the fall, will now transition to defense with the lacrosse team. Benkowski is excited to see Drane take the field. "She's a hard worker and she has put time in outside of practice to get better. She'll be comfortable playing defense for us," said Benkowski. "She's athletic, and that’s how Shannon [Morgan] and Delaney [Denniston] were for us last year." Early in the season, Benkowski said that without playing on a field, she has no goals or expectations for the season yet. There is one thing Benkowski would like to see from her team, though, and it’s to “play as a team.” The first game of the season will be against Franciscan University March 8. The game will be played at Waynesburg Central High School and start at 7 p.m.
By JOE SMELTZER Staff Writer
The Waynesburg University men’s tennis team played two schools over the weekend and was not able to come out victorious in either one, as it fell to the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Friday and Penn State Behrend Saturday, 6-3 and 9-0, respectively. The Jackets got off to a strong start Friday, as they won two of their first three doubles matches. At first doubles, the sophomore pair of Jonah Cooper and Josh Denham won their match 9-6. Then the pair of freshman Jordan Pastoria and junior Adam McKnight rolled to an 8-3 victory. “That was probably the best our doubles team played,” said head coach Ron Headlee. “For being the second time that we’ve played together, they played really well.” Waynesburg dropped its last doubles contest, however, and UPG’s momentum from that carried over into singles
competition. “It was a hard type of game because [UPG] was more waiting on us to make a mistake,” Headlee said. “They were patient, and we made mistakes in those matches, so that hurt a little bit." For sophomore Jonah Cooper, experience was a reason for the contrast in singles and doubles competition. “We’ve gotten more of a chance to practice our doubles game,” said Cooper. “It just feels like you get more time to meld as a team for doubles than for singles. I think also we have a lot of ex-doubles players on our team, so they have to adjust from being strictly doubles players.” It’s a transitional year for Waynesburg tennis, even for Cooper, the team's best player. "For him, moving up to the number one, he’s facing better competition, and it’s just going to take a little adjustment for him," Headlee said. "[Cooper] knows the game really well, and it’s just a matter of getting
some reps in before spring season starts, and believing in himself a little bit more.” Cooper is replacing Tim Harris, who graduated in 2016, as Waynesburg’s top player. “I want to grow as a tennis player, and moving from the second singles spot to the first singles spot is definitely a lot of growth at once,” said Cooper. “My expectation for this year is to get used to the number one spot, and to improve as a singles player. I feel like already the challenges that I had in just three matches has improved my playing a lot.” On Saturday, Waynesburg fell to Penn State Behrend, 9-0. “[Penn State Behrend] had a nice team,” said Headlee. “All of their lines were good. They were just a better team.” Waynesburg will not be back in action until March 18, when it travels to New Concord, Ohio, to take on the Muskingum Muskies at 4 p.m. The Jackets defeated the Muskies last season 6-3.
Despite inexperience, softball expects to make PAC playoffs By LUKE GOODLING
Sports Convergence Editor
After graduating four seniors last year, a pitcher and the entire outfield, Waynesburg University softball returns for a new season with many new faces. Out of the 13 active players on the roster, head coach Richele Hall said a large majority of them are underclassmen. “We are really young; we are all freshman or sophomore except we have three seniors on the team, two of which have been on the team all four years and the other one just joined this year,” said
Hall. “I have 10 underclassmen, which are all going to play pretty important roles this season.” The positions that the freshmen are going to be put into, Hall said, are catcher, second base, third base and the outfield positions. With a new roster, a changed approach to preseason practices has also been implemented, said sophomore shortstop Keri Renzler. “Compared to last year, we did practices a little bit differently this year,” said Renzler. “We broke things down and worked on each individual fundamental skill and then we waited a couple
of weeks. We didn’t actually start fielding balls or anything until probably early last week – now we are putting everything together…Last year we just jumped into things, and it was a little rough.” A month into practice, Renzler said the team’s strength lies primarily with the defense, but the offense will have the capability of producing runs as well. “I think this year we broke down the hitting and we really worked on the fundamentals, and I think that could be something that could surprise [Hall] and ourselves,” said Renzler. “I think our offense is going to produce runs and
we can play a phenomenal defensive game.” Just as the team was last year, entering into the 2017 campaign, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference has polled the Yellow Jackets to finish the season in eighth place in the conference out of a total of 10 teams. Last year, the team finished the season in sixth place, two spots short of making the PAC Tournament. This year, Renzler said she thinks the team could make playoffs. “I definitely think that we’re underestimated [as a team] because of our young talent,” said Renzler. “We’re
expecting the freshmen to help us a little, but I think we could make it in the PAC Tournament.” Hall said the Yellow Jackets were able to beat some of the top teams in the conference, including St. Vincent, who is the current favored team to win the title. “[Last season] we beat St. Vincent, who is [the] preseason favorite to win first place. We split with Bethany last year. We split with some teams who are above us on the polls,” said Hall. “It is what it is – it doesn’t mean anything to us, it’s just we need to go out there and prove them wrong, and I feel it gives our
players a little extra motivation.” The team’s motivation will be tested for the first time this season when it travels to Florida in a week to play eight games. Hall said that one of the biggest goals during the time spent in Florida is team growth. “Our biggest thing we want to focus on in Florida is team chemistry and team bonding and getting to know each on the field during game action,” said Hall. Renzler said the trip to Florida had a large impact her freshman year with the SOFTBALL >> C4
PRESIDENTS’ ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROUNDUP Men’s Basketball STANDINGS Saint Vincent Thomas More Thiel Westminster Bethany Grove City Geneva Chatham Waynesburg Wash & Jeff
Saturday’s Box Score
Conf. Overall 15-3 19-6 15-3 19-6 11-7 15-8 11-7 15-10 9-9 14-11 8-10 12-13 7-11 10-15 6-12 10-15 4-14 6-19 4-14 4-21
GENEVA 76, WAYNESBURG 68 Waynesburg 33 35 68 Geneva 30 46 76
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS
Thomas More Saint Vincent Wash & Jeff Waynesburg Grove City Bethany Chatham Westminster Thiel Geneva
Saturday’s Box Score
Conf. Overall 18-0 25-0 13-5 16-9 13-5 16-9 11-7 15-10 10-8 14-12 10-8 12-14 7-11 13-12 5-13 11-15 2-16 5-20 1-17 4-21
WAYNESBURG83, GENEVA 37 Waynesburg 17 25 21 20 83 Geneva 9 17 7 4 37
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Waynesburg Top Scorers 1. Jon Kanb..........................................20 2. Marcus Wallace................................12 Grove City Top Scorers 1. Brandon Grider........................................17 2. Nate Peters...............................................16 Bethany Top Scorers 1. Calique Jones...........................................24 2. Antonio Rudolph......................................11 Geneva Top Scorers 1. Noah Damazo..........................................28 2. Ethan Moose............................................17 Thomas More Top Scorers 1. Austin Young............................................17 2. Junior Stockwell.......................................14 Thiel Top Scorers 1. Matt Ozkaynak.........................................16 2. Nyric Gosley..............................................13 Chatham Top Scorers 1. Josh Randall.............................................14 2. Alex Schoppen.........................................10 Westminster Top Scorers 1. Deontay Scott...........................................16 2. Jarret Vrabel.............................................14 Wash & Jeff Top Scorers 1. Sean Stinelli.............................................14 2. Brian Graytok...........................................9 Saint Vincent Top Scorers 1. Tom Kromka.............................................15 2. Matt D’Amico...........................................13
Waynesburg Top Scorers 1. Katie Gehlman.................................22 2. Anna Bartman.................................14 Grove City Top Scorers 1. Lexi Arkwright..........................................35 2. McKenzie Black........................................16 Bethany Top Scorers 1. Hayley Holenka........................................24 2. Kelsea Daugherty.....................................16 Geneva Top Scorers 1. Callie Ford.................................................9 2. Marissa Heaney........................................7 Thomas More Top Scorers 1. Abby Owings............................................17 2. Maddison Temple....................................14 Thiel Top Scorers 1. Jess Vormelker..........................................17 2. Taylor Duchon..........................................16 Chatham Top Scorers 1. Katelyn Sieg.............................................19 2. Natalie Knab.............................................19 Westminster Top Scorers 1. Jackie Matthews......................................17 2. Emily Fromknecht....................................15 Wash & Jeff Top Scorers 1. Danielle Parker.........................................14 2. Rachel Bellhy...........................................12 Saint Vincent Top Scorers 1. Susie Ellis..................................................14 2. Jasmine Weems.......................................13
RECENT RESULTS
RECENT RESULTS
UPCOMING GAMES
UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, February 23
UPCOMING GAMES
Friday, February 24 Thomas More at Midwest Regional Championships (Day 1) - 11 a.m. Saturday, February 25 Thomas More at Midwest Regional Championships (Day 2) - 10 a.m.; Thiel at Division III Midwest Regional Championships (Day 1) - 11 a.m.; Waynesburg at Division III Midwest Regional Championships (Day 1) - 11 a.m.; Wash & Jeff at Division III Midwest Championships (Day 1) - 11 a.m. Sunday, February 26 Thiel at Division III Midwest Championships (Day 2) - 10 a.m.; Wash & Jeff at Division III Midwest Championships (Day 2) - 10 a.m.; Waynesburg at Division III Midwest Championships (Day 2) - 10 a.m.
LACROSSE (ORLC) MEN
Thiel Bethany Hanover Westminster Bethany Grove City Geneva Chatham Waynesburg
0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 11-7 15-10 9-9 14-11 8-10 12-13 7-11 10-15 6-12 10-15 4-14 6-19
Wash & Jeff
4-14
4-21
RECENT RESULTS
Friday, February 17 Colorado 9, Transylvania 5 Saturday, Feburary 18 Thiel 12, Mount Union 6; Centre 18, Mount St. Joseph 2
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Tuesday, February 21
WRESTLING
Monday, Feburary 19 Chatham 74, Bethany 61; Westminster 55, Grove City 49 Friday, February 24 Highest Remaining Seed at Wash & Jeff - 6 p.m.; Lowest Remaining Seed at Thomas More - 8 p.m.
PAC W. BASKETBALL LEADERS
Scoring: Arkwright, 545, GRO; Daugherty, 474, BET; Holenka, 449, BET Rebounding: Daugherty, 295, BET; Addy Knetzer, 286, WAY; Vormelker, 215, THI Assists: Temple, 127, TMC; Ware, 91, TMC; Monica Starre, 90, WAY Free Throw %: McClain, .905, CHA; Katie Gehlman, .902, WAY; Cortazzo, .861, W&J
PAC M. BASKETBALL LEADERS
Scoring: Moose, 404, GEN; Jon Knab, 399, WAY; Huff, 376, GRO Rebounding: Scott, 235, WES; Cetoute, 195, THI; Kromka, 187, SVC Assists: Bromar, 126, CHA; Vaudrin, 122, GEN; King, 115, TMC Free Throw %: Stone, .862, TMC; D’Amico, .841, SVC; Williams, .825, BET
WAYNESBURG ATHLETES OF THE WEEK Joel Kuzminski, Men's Indoor Track & Field Katie Gehlmann, Women's Basketball
WHATS ON THIS WEEK WCYJ-FM Presdients’ Athletic Conference Championship Tournament Coverage of the Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets Women’s Basketball Team
UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, February 25 Hanover at Cantre - 12 p.m.; Heidleberg at Bethany - 1 p.m.; Houghton at Westminster - 1 p.m.; Wash & Jeff at Baldwin Wallace - 1 p.m.; La Roche at Thiel - 1 p.m.; Transylvania at Sewanee - 2 p.m.; Saint Vincent at Mount Union - 3 p.m.
WOMEN RECENT RESULTS
Saturday, February 18 Transylvania 13, Muskingum 6 Sunday, Feburary 19 Muskingum 11, Thomas More 8
UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, February 25 Baldwin Wallace at Transylvania - 1 p.m. Monday, Februayr 27 Hanover at Rhodes - 3 p.m.
MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD KENYON CLASIC
60 Meter: 1. Paige Allen, 7.87, PAB; 2. Hayley Yenchik, 8.27, PAB; 5. Caitlin Brooks, 8.42, WAY 200 Meter: 1. Paige Allen, 25.80, PAB; 2. Alaina Longshore, 27.19, WIT; 400 Meter: 1. Rachel Pell, 1:00.84, PAB; 2. Emma Dalan, 1:01.31, OHI; 11. Cassidy Guiser, 1:04.72, WAY 800 Meter: 1. Gracie Moses, 2:23.83, KEN; 2. Elinore Loch, 2:24.17, WAY 1 Mile Run: 1. Molly Hunt, 5:22.48, KEN; 2. Julie Gerber, 5:22.80, WAY 3,000 Meter: 1. Tate Serletti, 10:58.11, KEN; 2. Riley Crissman, 10:58.99, PAB; 6. Elizabeth Trump,
11:29.28, WAY 5,000 Meter: 1. Quinn Harrigan, 19:30.73; 2. Emily Reid, 19:44.74, WOO; 8. Malerie Yoder, 23:06.17, WAY 60 Meter Hurdle: 1. Rachel Pell, 9.37, PAB; 2. Olivia Stevens, 9.42, WIT High Jump: 1. Keliah Ireland, 1.45 m, WEP; 2. Hailey Hall, 3.45 m, WEP; Pole Vault: 1. Cassidy Shepherd, 3.60 m, WEP; 2. Hailey Hall, 3.45 m, WEP; Long Jump: 1. Cassidy Shepherd, 4.80 m, WEP; 2. Mary Laluetta, 4.80 m, WEP; 8. Caitlin Brooks, 4.21 m, WAY Triple Jump: 1. Devron Martin, 9.95 m, KEN; 2. Anne Lee, 9.86 m, DEN; 3. Caitlin Brooks, 9.38 m, WAY Shot Put: 1. Chloe Hannah-Drullard, 9.91 m, KEN; 2. Jordan Simpson, 9.70 m, WAY
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD KENYON CLASSIC 60 Meter: 1. Andre Butler, 7.01, BET; 2. Tyler Branton, 7.13, WIT; 5. Mark Minjock, 7.20, WAY 200 Meter: 1. Andre Butler, 22.47, BET; 2. Jaevon Hardy, 22.87, WEP; 15. Mark Minjock, 23.86, WAY 400 Meter: 1. Cody Shutt, 50.93, WIT; 2. Matthew Graffton, 51.53, PAB; 17. Matthew Shinkle, 55.82, WAY 800 Meter: 1. Brian Lief, 2:00.41, WOO; 2. Zachery Cove, 2:03.32, DEN; 17. Joel Kuzminski, 2:08.91, WAY 1 Mile Run: 1. Isak Davis, 4:30.00, KEN; 2. Christopher Drozynski, 4:31.47; 8. Michael Cappelli, 4:57.86, WAY 3,000 Meter: 1. Jacob Denbeaux, 9:02.73; 2. Jackson Feinknopf, 9:12.27, WOO; 10. Joel Kuzminski, 9:31.73, WAY 5,000 Meter: 1. Ryan Whitney, 15:55.23, OHI; 2. Ryan Donnelly, 16:32.58, BET 60 Meter Hurdle: 1. Marcus O’Neil, 8.69, WIT; 2. Marcus Haesler, 8.73, PAB; 11. Matthew Shinkle, 9.31, WAY High Jump: 1. Jack Petrecca, 1.90 m, WOO; 2. Reed Crocker, 1.90 m, KEN; 7. Michael Trax, 1.75 m, WAY Pole Vault: 1. Luke Pattern, 4.94 m, PAB; 2. Evan Lesnick, 4.40 m, WEP; 4. Mitchell Kendra, 4.25 m, WAY Long Jump: 1. Baboucar Sallah-Mohammed, 6.42 m, BET; 2. Grant Rodgers, 6.20 m, PAB; 4. Michael Trax, 6.12 m, WAY Triple Jump: 1. James Dixie, 12.77 m, DEN; 2. Ryan Hortsman, 12.62 m, PAB; 4. James Steele, 12.33 m, WAY Shot Put: 1. Mitch Obenrader, 16.43 m, PAB; 2. Jordan Hunkins, 14.28 m, BET; 3. Brandon Vantine, 12.73 m, WAY
WPIAL HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ROUNDUP Carmichaels Boys Basketball No Events This Week
Girls Basketball
No Events This Week
Jefferson-Morgan Boys Basketball No Events This Week
Girls Basketball
No Events This Week
Mapletown Boys Basketball No Events This Week
Girls Basketball
No Events This Week
Waynesburg Central Boys Basketball No Events This Week
Girls Basketball
No Events This Week
West Greene Boys Basketball No Events This Week
Girls Basketball
No Events This Week
February 23, 2017
Page C3
Wrestling prepares for regionals after PAC Championships By CODY YANKULIC Editorial Assistant
Nearly two weeks ago, head coach Ron Headlee and the Waynesburg University wrestling team won its first Presidents’ Athletic C onference Championship in three years. This Saturday, Headlee and the team will compete at regionals. In the conference championship, the team won five individual titles and placed six other wrestlers at the runner up or bronze medal positions. With the conference championship in the books, the team now shifts its focus toward regionals, where Headlee is expecting a high finish. “I would like to be in the top four,” said Headlee. “I know that is a pretty high goal for us, but if our guys wrestle like we can, I think that is a possibility that we could do that.” The first wrestler to take the mats for the Jackets is 125-pound junior PAC champion Tristan Buxton. In the championships, Buxton recorded back-toback falls to reach his championship match and took 4:19 to fall his title match opponent, Cody Schultz from Thomas More. “Tristan is growing into the weight class,” said Head-
lee. “I would love to try and get him to nationals this year.” While Headlee still has one more year to get Buxton to nationals, he doesn’t have any more time to get senior 141-pound Filippo Crivelli to nationals. Crivelli dropped a 3-2 decision in the championship match last weekend but hit 119 career victories, tying schoolrecord holder Luke Lohr for all-time career wins. Headlee is looking for Crivelli to wrestle his game on Saturday. “He has to go out and wrestle his style,” said Headlee. “He can’t worry about what other guys do.” Crivelli is followed by 149-pound freshman and PAC championship winner Shaun Wilson. Wilson, who came back to Waynesburg for the second part of the season, has a returning All-American in his weight class, but nevertheless, Headlee has confidence
in his wrestling abilities. “We believe that he has a really good shot,” said Headlee. “Shaun is wrestling really well and believing in his shots.” Following Wilson is 165-pound freshman Dan Verhovsek. After joining the team late due to football season, Verhovsek found himself wrestling for the title, but lost in the title bout at the championship. Saturday, Headlee is hoping Verhovsek can score points for the Jackets. “Dan Verhovsek keeps getting better every time out,” said Headlee. “I’m hoping he can score some points to help us get in the top four.” Ve r h o v s e k w i l l b e succeeded by senior 184-pounder and three-time PAC champion Ryan Shank. Shank pinned his first two opponents and won his title match by a 6-3 decision. The senior, according to Headlee, has a good shot at winning his weight class. “I think that he can stay with everyone else in the weight class,” said Headlee. Following Shank, is PAC champion Kenneth Burrs. Despite only participating in 10 matches all season, the 197-pound senior won his semifinal match with a 45-second pin and battled
Ashley Hall, Yellow Jacket
Sophomore Jake Evans, pictured here in a match earlier this season, narrowly missed nationals last season. The heavyweight ranks near the top in the nation at all levels in pinfalls this season. his title match opponent for more than seven minutes to win a 17-13 decision. “Ken is really athletic and surprises some people sometimes,” said Headlee. “If he just believes in himself, he can do it.” Following Burrs is sophomore Jake Evans. The 285-pound wrestler is a two-time PAC champion
and finished both preliminar y opponents in less than a minute, pinning his semifinal opponent in 24 seconds before pinning his title match opponent in 1:40. “Jake is going to be seeded second in the tournament,” said Headlee. “If he stays on course, he can win region.” Headlee added that Evans has improved a lot since he
last faced his regional opponent from Washington & Jefferson, to whom he lost to, and regionals is a great time to avenge that loss. Saturday, the Jackets will travel to York, Pennsylvania, to try their hand at placing national qualifiers and participate in the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championship.
Brooks and Holland qualify for 60-meter dash final Track: Steele and Trax and Holland finished with lead Jackets in field events By CHACE JOHNSTON times of 8.31 and 8.36 in For the Yellow Jacket
The Waynesburg University women’s track & field team performed well in its final meet of the regular season before the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship, according to head coach Jason Falvo. The Yellow Jackets placed second out of nine teams at Saturday’s Kenyon College Classic in Ohio. The reason for the good performance, Falvo said, was the team’s preparation leading into the meet. “We prepared very well for our meet on Saturday, and we are ready to go for the [Presidents’ Athletic Conference] championship,” said Falvo. Waynesburg put together great finishing times over the weekend, namely sophomore Caitlyn Brooks and junior Maria Holland, as both runners qualified for the finals for the 60-meter dash. After they finished in the top eight spots of the preliminary rounds, Brooks
third and fourth place, respectively. To conclude the indoor season, junior Elinore Loch continued her success in the 800-meter dash with a second-place finish. Loch finished with a time of 2:24; the finish was just .34 seconds behind the first-place finisher. Additionally, she ran a leg in the 4x400 relay. As usual, the Yellow Jackets had impressive performances from their upperclassmen. In the upper half of the mile run they snagged the second, third and fourth spots. Junior Julie Gerber led the way for the Yellow Jackets and finished second with a time of 5:22. Next came the Latimer twins, Katie and Emily, who both posted times of 5:24. The underclassmen were represented well at the meet, too. The 4x400meter relay team was led by freshmen Katie Thompson, Taylor Clarkson, Rhiana Bourguet as well as sophomore Cassidy Guiser, who
Continued from C1
Mitch Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Sophomore Caitlyn Brooks, left, and junior Marla Holland, right, finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 60-meter dash last weekend. finished with a time of 4:18. At the end of the day, Waynesburg logged 104 team points, which was just 2.5 points behind Penn State Behrend. The Jackets finished ahead of PAC competitors Bethany and Westminster in the meet. The PAC Indoor Track & Field Championships are scheduled to begin
on Thursday, Feb. 23, at Youngstown State University. Competition is set to get going at 2 p.m. Editor's note: To read about the women's track & field team's performance at the PAC Championships, visit theyellowjacket.org.
Outside of Kuzminski, another competitor for the Yellow Jackets who Falvo said had a progressive meet was junior Mark Minjock, who was able to qualify for the finals in the 60-meter dash. “[Minjock] did a good job,” said Falvo. “He’s coming back into form. He had a good December meet and then started creeping back towards that time he had in December, which was important for us. [Minjock’s] work ethic is stellar; his dedication to the training is stellar.” Additionally, senior James Steele and freshman Michael Trax both performed well in the long jump. Steele managed to place fourth with a jump of 6.12 meters, while Trax followed in seventh with a stretch of 6.07 meters. Falvo said both have been improving weekly. “[Steele and Trax] have done a good job all year,” said Falvo. “They are in-
creasingly getting better each week, [and are] both highly talented kids.” With the PAC Indoor Championships on Thursday, Feb. 23, Falvo said his goal is for the squad to place within the top three – a feat it was unable to accomplish last year when it finished in last place. “We have some high expectations with where we want the guys to finish,” said Falvo. “We’ve set some pretty high goals with what we think we can accomplish, and we definitely want to go pursues those. It’s always a goal for us to finish in the top three.” The championships are held in Youngstown, Ohio, and will begin at 3 p.m. and are past this week's deadline for publication. Editor's note: To read about the men's track & field team's performance at the PAC Championships, visit theyellowjacket.org.
Shank: Three-time PAC champion looks to advance to nationals
Continued from C1
holding equal weights in his decision, Shank said Waynesburg University fit him well. Although a few years previously Shank did not like the idea of college, the time he took away from school helped him grow. “The three years off really let me mature,” said Shank, who has made the Dean’s List at Waynesburg every semester except for one. “I learned how to manage my time well, so for me [being a student athlete], it’s not difficult.” Submerged back in collegiate athletics, Shank said wrestling was a close community of hard working men. Pointing to Patrick Jennings, who was a senior when Shank was a sophomore at Waynesburg in 2014-15, specifically, Shank said he was one of his biggest influences during his early years wrestling for the Yellow Jackets. “[Patrick Jennings] doesn’t get enough credit because he didn’t have the greatest finish to his career,” said Shank. “He was
Mitch Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Ryan Shank, pictured here at the PAC Championships, won his third-straight title at 184 pounds in defeating Thomas More's Avery Jones by a 6-3 decision. an incredibly good leader, he worked hard in the room no matter what, he knew when to be vocal, when not,
he just led by example. So I think [Patrick] was a really good leader [to me.]” Additionally, being able
to wrestle with the assistant coaches, Shank said, has been critical to his improvement on the mat. “Having good assistant coaches around my weight that I could roll with [is important,]” said Shank. “My first year here we had Anthony Bonaventura, who was a national runner up, so a great partner to roll with. These past two years [assistant] coach [Jeff ] Havelka, two-time Division II national qualifier; I roll with him once – twice a week. It’s good having someone your own size so you can listen to them and wrestle with them.” Recently, Shank said some of the biggest influences have come from his past summer spent wrestling with Division I athletes at the University of Pittsburgh. “This summer I went and wrestled at [the University of Pittsburgh] a bunch,” said Shank. “So all summer it was wrestling with Division I guys. Headlee’s son, [Drew], is the now co-head coach [at the university], so we had that connection and I took advantage of that – I could tell it paid dividends.”
After facing Division I wrestlers for most of the summer, Shank said it has brought him more confidence on the mat. “It is a big confidence
“The three years off really let me mature. I learned how to manage my time well, so for me, [being a studentathlete], it's not difficult."
RYAN SHANK
Senior
booster, [when] you go out and beat Division I guys or you’re hanging with them in the practice room, you can’t help but feel a little bit more confident,” said Shank. “How many Division III guys are wrestling Division I guys in the summer?” His final season with the program, Shank said, has been exciting, with the recent PAC championship title only adding to the feeling. “This year has just been fun – even with the ups and
downs,” said Shank. “I don’t know if it’s because it’s the last time around, but I’ve had a lot more fun…it feels like everyone is clicking; it feels like I’m clicking. It would be nice if we could punch three, four [or] five guys to nationals – once you get there, anything can happen.” In the final months of his career with Waynesburg University wrestling, Shank said his goals consist of making it to nationals. “For me – qualify for nationals, be an All-American [and] finish as high as I possibly can,” said Shank. “A goal of mine coming into the beginning of the year was to win my last match of every tournament, so no matter what, I can at least go out with a win.” So far, Shank has been able to win his final match in every tournament he’s been in this season. As Shank’s season comes to an end, along with an impressive career with Waynesburg University, reflecting on his choice back in middle school, Shank said he never regrets passing up basketball for wrestling in sixth grade.
Page C4
February 23, 2017
Baseball seeks to adjust to life without top pitcher, hitter By KYLE DAWSON
Assistant Sports Editor
When Waynesburg’s baseball team takes the field for the first time this season, things are going to look different than in year’s past. For the last few years, a pitcher with the number 29 on his back trotted out to the mound to lead the Jackets into a new season, and thereafter, 29 times over four years, Brian Resnik was the winning pitcher for the Jackets. Resnik is the all-time leader in the category in Presidents’ Athletic Conference history. For the last three years, Matt Bensinger went out to his position and went on to hit .333 or better every year he started and drove in 85 runs over the course of three seasons. Head coach Mike Humiston knows coaches, players and conference officials think losing Resnik and Bensinger, as well as four other seniors, will be the Jackets’ downfall. He knows they think “Resnik and Bensinger were everything Waynesburg had.” He knows that’s why Waynesburg was picked to finish fifth in the PAC preseason poll, behind Washington &
Jefferson, defending champion Thomas More, Thiel and Grove City. “I think we’re going to be okay. You can’t replace some of the guys we lost, but we have some guys that are going to step up and that we are pretty excited about,” said Humiston. “I’m disappointed [in the rank] but I get it. We are a distant fifth as far as points go and that’s okay. It won't go unnoticed.” Though some things will look different for the Jackets, more things will look the same. Waynesburg returns 12 seniors to its 2017 roster, doubling last year’s total. Of those 12, three are, according to Humiston, the top three pitchers to start the season and six more will start at positions or at the designated hitter spot. With Resnik gone, senior pitcher Luke Carter will slide into the role of the No. 1 pitcher, with senior pitchers Jacob Meyer and Derek Whalen following him as the next two
starters. “ We’r e going to rely on Luke,” said Humiston. “He’ll be our go-to guy and he’s a good one to be labeled as that. Derek is coming along nicely and taking on a leadership role, and Jacob is getting back to where he was two years ago after being injured most of the year [last year].” Carter was honored with the laurels of All-PAC Honorable Mention after going 4-4 with a 6.20 earned run average on the mound in just over 53 innings pitched. He also hit .264 in 22 games as an outfielder last season, but will be used strictly as a pitcher in 2017. “I hope I can pitch a lot more innings than I did last year, and without playing the field, I hope to lead the conference in innings pitched,” said Carter. “If my arm falls off at the end of the year, I don’t care.” During his sophomore season, Meyer was 4-1 with an
ERA of 5.13, which was near the league’s average in 59.2 innings. Meyer missed most of the year last year with a variety of injuries. Whalen was 2-2 last season with a 5.68 earned run average in 31.2 innings. Humiston and Carter both expect freshman pitcher Mason Miller to contribute to what Humiston called, “one of the deepest pitching staffs we’ve had in years.” “Mason’s a good pitcher,” said Humiston. “We have high expectations for him.” Carter said Mason Miller challenges some of the upperclassmen in workouts. “He’s shown us some good things. He can throw the ball a little bit,” said Carter with a smile. Waynesburg will start a senior at catcher, first base, shortstop, third base and in centerfield. Ben Miller will handle most of the catching duties after splitting time with then-senior Tyler Rubasky last season. Ben Miller hit a home run, on average, every 13 at bats in his sophomore year, but struggled last season, hitting .188 in 64 at bats. At first base, two-time All-PAC 1st team honoree
Jonathon Kletzli returns after hitting .315 and driving in 28 runs. Seniors, shortstop Nathan Mori and third baseman Cameron Bernhardt are set to anchor the left side of the infield, while sophomore second baseman Tyler Reis will complete the infield lineup. In the outfield, senior Josh Hausler will play center field and he’ll be flanked, at the start of the season, by junior Tyler Godwin in left field and sophomore Eli Kucherawy in right field. Justin Davey returns at the designated hitter spot, while Humiston expects senior pitcher and catcher Scott Hefty to see some innings. Senior pitcher Parker Beatty will also be back after Florida, coming off arm surgery. “We’re looking forward to how the seniors perform in their final year,” said Humiston. “But we’re two deep at most positions. We’ve got some young guys that have come in [and shown us something.]” Humiston said freshman infielder and pitcher Justin Buberl and junior pitcher Noah Lolley will have an impact. Other freshmen play-
ers Humiston expects to see some time include infielder and catcher Alex Hundiak, infielder and pitcher Jonny Kutchman and catcher John Przybylinski. Overall, Humiston is excited for the chance to “surprise some people” once Waynesburg does hit the field. “We’re looking forward to [getting on the field,]” said Humiston. “Resnik was 7-4 last year, but we won 17 games, so 10 of those wins weren’t his. Our guys have something to prove and they are all-in, especially our seniors.” Carter said the expectations for the team are high from the players’ standpoint as well. “[Our senior class] is more strict when it comes to focusing in practice, but I feel like we have more fun at the same time than other senior classes have had in the past,” said Carter. “I think that will carry onto the field. If we lead by example and compete, I don’t think there is a team in the conference we can’t beat." Waynesburg’s season begins in Auburndale, Florida, Saturday, Feb. 25, when the Jackets play a doubleheader against Capital University. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
MBB: Christner reflects Kaiser: Senior captain hopes to coach in future on injury-ridden season Continued from C1
Continued from C1
forward Marcus Wallace 12, while freshman guard Frank Bozicevic scored 11. Waynesburg ended the season 6-19 and 4-14 in the PAC, and played Saturday’s game without sophomore wing Brennan Smith, as well as three other players from the roster in the first game of the season. Those losses were on top of Kaiser missing the majority of the game. All in all, Christner thought of the season as “incomplete,” considering all of the circumstances his team faced. “A lot of our lack of focus at times and lack of consistency comes from our inexperienced roster,” said Christner. “Our 3-point percentage was poor in the second half of the conference season and it needed to be better…Injuries stunted the development of the group.” Christner said many of the young players on the team were able to step up into roles and gain valuable experience. “Frank did a good job of stepping forward and we played him out of position a bit, but he has a lot to learn still,” said Christner. “[Freshman guard] Sam Heeter figured out how he could defend without fouling and where he could make shots. [Freshman wing] Cam Auld did a good job towards the end and just wanted to learn.” For the Jackets’ top player in Knab, Christner still sees parts of his game that he can improve on. “In terms of [Knab] having to be the guy and show assertiveness, he did a good job,” Christner said. “He did a good job trying to keep us afloat for a while there.” Christner also highlighted Wallace’s ability to “assimilate
into our culture and use his voice” in his first season with the team. Looking to next season, Christner hopes his players take this past season as a learning experience. “For us, our guys need to make a commitment to remaking their bodies and adding weight,” said Christner. “It’s not like lifting will solve injuries. Christian [Koroly] was probably our strongest guy pound for pound and a fluke thing happened to him. But we need to fill out a bit and continue to improve.” Christner expects an “open offseason,” which is something he said he hasn’t had much of in his time at Waynesburg. It’s still early, according to the seventh year head coach, for sights on a recruiting class, but Christner is hopeful to bring in some guys who can contribute immediately, as well as have the in house players improve. “The guys that are back need to be invested in their teammates and in our process to get better,” said Christner. “We’ll have more back in terms of experience with roles as opposed to last year.” Moving into the offseason, Christner expects Knab, Wallace and Paige to step up as leaders, among a few other players. “Those guys had their best years and we want our seniors to have their best years as seniors,” said Christner. Christner knows the type of team it needs to be next season if it wants to succeed. “Player-led teams though are probably better and this group has some work to do and need to hold each other accountable throughout the offseason so we can continue to improve heading into next season,” Christner said.
10 minutes a game off the bench in an injury-shortened season. Kaiser then had to miss the 2013-14 season and go back home due to family issues. The year off allowed Kaiser to mature as a person and as a leader on the basketball court. “I honestly thank that time,” Kaiser said. “Basketball’s always been a priority and other things fell behind, where after that time it taught me that basketball is still [important], but the other things are [more important].” Christner said when people go through tough times in their lives, they either “grow or diminish.” “I think he chose the path of growth,” Christner said. “Him coming back was on his own volition. He wanted to be back here and wanted to finish here,” he said. Kaiser still played basketball and worked out when he was back home for when he came back in 2014-15. Kaiser was then a member of the men’s basketball team that went to the President’s Athletic Conference Championship and lost to St. Vincent. Despite falling back on the depth chart as the third point guard and only playing three minutes a game, Kaiser said the 2014-15 season is the most fun he ever had playing basketball. “Ever y year has been fun, but that was the year we won the most,” Kaiser said. “I just think that group had such an amazing mix of personalities...I just learned so much from a preparation and a toughness standpoint.
Lindsay Orzechowski, Yellow Jacket
Timmy Kaiser, pictured here in a game earlier this season, finished his senior season with 6.7 points and 3.4 assists a game. We would go into games, and if you were looking at warm-ups you would think we were OK, and you’d look at [other teams]. But we just knew we were better, and we ran some teams off the floor that year. We were so confident the second half of the year.” Kaiser returned to a backup role in the next season, playing 17 minutes a game off the bench and starting six games. A passfirst point guard, Kaiser dished out 2.7 assists and scored 3.6 points a game as a junior. T h i s s e a s on , Ka i s e r started in 24 of 25 games, only missing one game due to injury despite playing through multiple ailments. Kaiser scored 6.7 points a game with 3.4 assists a game and a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Christner said the goal as a coach is to always have his seniors have the best sea-
sons of their careers. “As a coach you want your seniors to have their best years,” Christner said. “I’m thankful he was able to do that despite our record [6-19].” Christner said Kaiser’s team-first mentality was the best part of having him as a player. “He kind of did everything,” Christner said. “He was a backup. Then he comes back and is the third, so he doesn’t really play… Then he was a part-time player [as a junior] and then a full-time player [as a senior]. He filled every role you can fill on a team, and did it with a great amount of concentration and commitment to the game and the program and trying to lead guys along.” Kaiser said he is looking at graduate school, but he hasn’t narrowed down his choices or what program yet.
He wants to get into coaching because of the influence coaches, like Christner, have had in his life. “I definitely want to stay in basketball. I want to get into coaching. I think it kind of fits me well. I love the game,” Kaiser said. “I want to help people the way coach [Christner] helped me grow up.” Christner can’t imagine Kaiser’s future without him being around the game of basketball in some form. “He’s wonderful with people. He can make connections with people. He loves the game of basketball. I can see him doing something on his own as skill development stuff, latching on in that niche, or with a bigger organization that emphasizes skill development,” Christner said. “I think he has a desire to stay close to the game.”
WBB: Bench plays vital role in win Softball: Jackets prepare for Florida trip
Continued from C1
converted on 50 percent of her 3-pointers. Tallying up 22 points in the game, Gehlmann led all scorers. “[Gehlmann] was hitting the outside shot, playing hard on defense and just [had] a high-energy, good-focus game and when those shots fall – she’s deadly,” said Jones. Bartman followed Gehlmann with 14 points. Though primarily a bench player, Bartman got considerable playing time along with the other bench players. Jones said with the point spread, he was able to put in more players.
“[The bench players] did a great job; they picked up right where the starters left off and actually expanded the lead even more,” said Jones. “They did a fantastic job on scout, paying attention to the details.” Gehlmann said everyone off the bench was able to assist the team. “Anybody who came off the bench contributed,” said Gehlmann. “It was nice to see that, them getting into the swing of things, because you never know what happens down the line.” Though the regular season is over for the team, it continued onto the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament
with a first-round bye and the No. 4 seed. Coming into the tournament with back-to-back wins, Jones said their streak of solid basketball will be critical. The Jackets were set to host No. 8 seed Westminster Wednesday night, in a quarterfinals game played past this week’s deadline for publication. The winner of the game will play No. 1 seed Thomas More in the semifinals Friday. The game will be played in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Editor’s Note: For a recap of Wednesday’s game against Westminster, visit www.theyellowjacket.org.
Continued from C2
program. “Coming in as a freshman, Florida was [good for] team bonding – definitely,” said Renzler. “We see each other every day at practice, but down in Florida, you really bond with your team and you go through these struggles and you pick each other up.” As a team, Hall said she wants the team to split the eight games in Florida. Additionally, outside of the road trip, Hall said she wants the team to finish the season above .500 and make the playoffs.
“We want to have a record of .500 or better. We want to ideally make the conference tournament,” said Hall. “Do we have all the pieces to win the conference? To win the regular season and the conference tournament, I’m not sure. I think we might be a couple pieces short, but I think the talent that we have now is enough for a three or four seed in the conference tournament.” The softball team wasn’t able to practice outside until early this week due to the flooding over winter break, which Hall said was frustrating to be inside when the weather could have allowed
the team to be outside. The Yellow Jackets will begin their Florida tour on Sunday, Feb. 26, against Saint Mary’s University [Minn.]. Following Florida, the team’s first game back is on March 15. Compared to where the team was a year ago, Hall said it is moving forward. “I think the girl’s mentalities this year are a lot different than they have been in the past,” said Hall. “They’ve really been bonding, positive mindsets, positive approaches during our practices, which is a huge step for us. We are absolutely going in the right direction.”
SECTION D
FEBRUARY 23, 2017 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
Megan Cook, Yellow Jacket
Students took advatage of the opportunity to play with dogs and cats as a way to relieve stress during midterm week. Proceeds went to the Humane Society.
A furry break from midterm studying
Waynesburg University students and Humane Society of Greene County host midterm stress less day By COLIN MCLAUGHLIN Staff Writer
On Monday, Feb. 20, from 2-5 p.m. the Humane Society of Greene County hosted a Midterm "Stress Less" day. The event was put together by Waynesburg University senior sports management major, John Babos and junior public relations majors, Michelle Frye and Mackenna Drazich. The students said the event was a requirement for the com-
munications course titled, “Special Events Planning.” "For Professor [Leichliter-Krause’s] class we had to come up with an event so we figured that just getting the Humane Society up here for midterms week would be a great event, because I know a lot of kids are stressed out,” said Babos. “We figured if we get dogs and cats, it would brighten up everyone’s day and forget a little bit about midterms week, that is why I helped out.”
As soon as students arrived, Drazich and her English mastiff, Solomon, were standing outside to greet them. Admission to get inside was a mere one dollar; once inside, students could go and pet dogs and cats, get a massage from Athletic Training students, buy cookies, cupcakes, a t-shirt or Hawaiian Punch. They also had the opportunity to go to a kissing booth with a dog or get a ticket for a gift basket raffle from Don Patrons, Olive Garden or Domino's. Inside of the
gift baskets were items such as: Waynesburg University t-shirts, winter hats, notebooks, stuffed animals, coffee mugs, gift cards and candy. "Today's funds as well as other donations, first of all, go to providing food, healthcare, vaccinations, and any other medical costs because many of the pets that we get in have either fleas, some of them have worms or STRESS >> D2
A MISSION OF FAITH
Jubilee brings together colleges, Christians Students prepare
to serve along East Coast during break
By ANTONIO PELULLO For the Yellow Jacket
The annual Jubilee Conference was this past weekend, and the conference had sessions with speakers ranging from all over the world. The speakers talked about their faith and the kind of impact it has on them. There were four main parts of the event based off focus on the four-part biblical narrative: creation, following, redemption and restorations. The biggest theme was “every square inch,” and it talked about how Jesus’ love covers all of the Earth and had a bigger world perspective. Russell Schneider, resident director for Willison Hall and member of the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) on campus, has been to Jubilee eight times. He said the event changes his world view, no matter how many times he goes. “In terms of it being transforming and life changing it gives you a healthier perspective, a robust perspective and a biblical world view,” said Schneider. “So even going to my eighth time it’s still challenging me to think differently.” With so much experience at Jubilee, Schneider has seen the growth and development of the conference and how it helps students and even people in the professional work place. “I think aspects of it are getting fine-tuned and bet-
By BRENDAN KEANY Op/Ed Editor
Photo courtesy of Jason Pagel
More than 20 students traveled to Pittsburgh over the weekend to attend Jubilee. Students were able to explore their faith at the conference. ter every year. A couple years ago they started Jubilee professional so if you’re out of college,” said Schneider. “Going from the start to the ending of the conference things are getting cleaner in terms of transitions making it easier for the student to experience everything it has to offer.”
There were some first time students, like junior Zachary Yonko, a student Jubilee leader for the CCO staff. Yonko attended his first conference this year and said that it did not disappoint. “It was an extraordinary conference that really helped destrin a lot of questions college students could
have,” said Yonko. “Whether, ‘Where do I go after school?’ or for a junior like myself, ‘How to approach my studies here at Waynesburg?’” One of the things that really took Yonko was the atmosphere of the whole weekend. “You’re there among stuJUBILEE >> D2
“Service. Service and faith,” quickly replied junior Nick Lies about what made him choose Waynesburg University. As a Bonner Scholar, Lies will have the opportunity to demonstrate his passion through working with the Pittsburgh Project for the first time over spring break. This project focuses on helping lower income families fix problems in their homes, and he could not be more excited for the opportunity. “Going to the Pittsburgh Project I am excited,” he said. “Building relationships for me is the most important thing. You’re not just building houses, you’re building relationships.” Lies will join a host of Bonner Scholars with the Pittsburgh Project, but there are also several other service trips taking place over spring break that are spread fairly evenly across the East Coast. One is the annual trip to North Carolina working with Habitat for Humanity being led by Dr. Brandon Szuminsky and Dr. Chad Sherman. Another will travel to Florida Fish and Wildlife with Dr. Bryan Hamilton and Dr. Chad Sethman. Also, Dr.
Ezekiel Olagoke will take a team to Philadelphia to work with the Center for Student Missions. The Pittsburgh Project team is being led by Assistant Chaplain Josh Sumpter. Preparation for the upcoming spring missions trips began about a year and a half ago. Ideas for trips were submitted by faculty leaders in October of 2015 and then announced that December. Behind all of the service trips, it was Kelley Hardie, assistant dean of student services, organizing and planning well in advance of spring break. “My role is to plan all the logistics behind every single local, domestic and international service trip,” said Hardie. “Essentially, I plan all of the transportation, airport arrangements, lodging, the actual service and content of the service, working with the volunteer partners and programs, recruitment, collecting the money, A to Z.” The faculty are usually the ones to bring ideas to Hardie, but she is the one who helps in terms of finding service partners for each trip. Most importantly to her, she wants to see the students leave a great impact while SERVICE >> D2
Female students gather in Stover for empowerment event By RACHEL MANGAN
For the Yellow Jacket
Female students gathered in the third floor of the Stover Campus Center to take part in the Residence Life sponsored event, WU Go Girl on Feb. 21. Upon entering the event, the ladies were ushered to a polaroid photo wall where they had their pictures taken with a themed backdrop and immediately received the photo to place it on a colored piece of paper hanging on the wall. That piece of paper would later be filled up with inspirational quotes written by all of the women in attendance. As the ladies filed into
the main room, they were handed a slip of paper with the name of a successful and inspirational women on it. Some of these women included: JK Rowling, Cara Hergenrother, Kate Harris and Audrey Hepburn. The names led those in attendance to articles hanging on the wall. The articles contained information of the women overcoming various obstacles and hardships and demonstrating the power of perseverance. Waynesburg University women weren't the only ladies who received an invitation to attend the event. High school students, anyone involved with the university, alumni and women around
the community were also encouraged to attend, which many of them did. This expansion to include women from around the community
brownies. Also present at the event was a panel of speakers. Among the panel was a Waynesburg University
“Women need to know that they are powerful, strong and good, just the way you are.”
JILL MOYER SUNDAY
Director of the Writing Centor
was made possible by a $500 grant from the community. The ladies also took a break from the formalities of the event to enjoy a sweet treat of melted chocolate and various complementing snacks of fresh strawberries, angel food cake, pretzel sticks, marshmallows and
Professor and Director of the Writing Center Jill Moyer Sunday; Samantha McClintock, a 2013 Waynesburg University graduate; and two representatives from Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA: volunteer Gina Lutz and Office Coordinator Cheryl McCready. The
panel held a discussion on female empowerment, safety and sexism. “Women need to know that they are powerful, strong, and good, just the way you are. You should never change yourself to fit the ideals of what someone else wants you to be,” said Sunday. The group of women on the panel went on to tell stories of them dealing with sexism and the current political situation in the U.S. And women who inspired them. “My daughter gave me a bracelet that I'm wearing that reads, ‘She believed she could, so she did’ and we should all live by that belief, because no matter how many
times we fail, if we believe we can succeed, eventually we will succeed,” said Sunday. The panel was later opened up for those in attendance to ask questions. Among the questions asked were how to channel emotion when the whole world holds the stereotype that emotion is weakness. At the conclusion of the panel discussion, the formality of the event was traded in for a more relaxed discussion on getting to know your fellow Waynesburg women and various stations to encourage each other. Among those stations was the photo-encouragement wall, letter writing station and a photo booth.
Page D2
February 23, 2017
DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS
Symphonic band performs movie tunes New performers adjust to college musical experience By RACHEL MANGAN
For the Yellow Jacket
On Wednesday, Feb. 22 the symphonic band is holding its mid-winter and first concert of the semester in the Marsh Center at 5:15. The band is going along with the theme is held for the first two concerts this school year continuing with it movie theme inspired repertoire. The songs that were performed were The “Carousel” Waltz, by Richard Rodgers and arranged by Robert Russell Bennett, The Lord of the Rings, by Howard Shore and arranged by Ralph Ford. This particular movie theme stems from the popular fantasy movie the The Fellowship of the Ring. The song features many of the melodies from throughout the movie franchise. Another song the stu-
dents are Edgar to perform is Silverado, by Bruce Boughton and arranged by Randol Bass, which showcases the music from the western movie that the song shares its title with. Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite is another piece the symphonic band performed by Karl King and arranged by Glenn Bainum. That song is a well known circus march and features many themes associated with the sound of a circus’s performance. The last piece performed was for the iconic and very recognizable Westside story which features the well known tunes of Somewhere which is sung by the female lead and protagonist Maria in the Movie/musical and Gee, Officer Krupke. “My favorite song to perform was Silverado because its really stretches us. It’s a
difficult piece of music but its really fun to play. It gives you a really good feel of the scenes the song is trying to get across with the way the music is written,” said Renee Belisky, the Head Symphonic Band Librarian and saxophone section leader. The band room in the is being flipped to the opposite of their usual practice formation by facing the entrance as opposed to the wall with the chairs for the audience members being in the main opening of the room. Another big difference to the previous symphonic band concerts held this school year is there is no screen being dropped down for added video effects like there were for the silent western Alkali Ike and the super hero medleys performed in last semester’s concerts.
“I don’t think there was just one song that really stood out as much harder than the others. Each song was difficult in its own unique way from the rest,” said Belisky. “This concert really pushed us to expand our endurence because the songs were more challenging overall than the ones we’ve performed in previous concerts this year, but we have one song that six pages for some people, so we had to really work to make sure we had enough energy to get through the whole performance and have good quality sound while doing so.” The students had a great time performing each of the pieces and many of them would be right back in action performing again the next day on Thursday Feb. 23 at noon for the chamberworks concert of smaller ensembles.
Uni. plans 2018 trip to United Kingdom By EMILY HACKMAN
News Convergence Editor
Fifty students, faculty and staff gathered in Stewart 201 on Thursday, Feb. 17, with one common purpose of traveling across the Atlantic Ocean. This interest meeting contained information about traveling to Great Britain in May 2018. In conjunction with Education First College Study Tours, the 10-day excursion to Great Britain will include stops in Scotland, England and Ireland where trip attendees will get to see the Edinburgh Castle, Big Ben, Windsor Castle and historic Trinity College. The trip has a medical focus where at each stop of the tour the attendees will have a chance to meet medical professionals, midwives and visit the Florence Nightingale Mu-
seum in London. Sarah Bell, executive assistant to the Provost, spoke of the importance of traveling as a college student. “Traveling is a learning and growing experience,” said Bell. “After you graduate traveling gets harder and more expensive.” The trip costs $3,579 if the down payment is placed before the end of Feb. and $3,700 after the end of the month. That cost includes the flights to the different countries, hotel rooms, daily breakfast, admission into several museums, global travel protection and a local guide that will stay with the tour group throughout their travels. The booking of the trip is done directly through Education First College Study Tours. There will be fundraising
opportunities available to minimize the cost of the trip. Since the trip will be making stops that focus on healthcare, Dr. Karen Fisher Younger, chairperson for the Humanities Department and assistant professor of History, has created a special topics history course that will highlight the changes in medicine and healthcare in the United States. “Being able to identify who shaped and influenced medicine in the United States will be an outcome of the course,” said Fisher Younger. “I would definitely encourage any student who thinks they will be going on the trip to take the class. It will be a good introduction to the history of nursing and medicine.” The course will be offered spring of 2018. Younger and Nancy Mosser,
chairperson for the Nursing Department, director of nursing and professor of nursing, had the idea over two years ago to come up with a trip to combine history and nursing in an abroad trip. “We wanted to provide an opportunity for nursing students to go abroad,” said Younger. “We have so many nursing students and it is a wonderful way for them to experience travel abroad that is meaningful to their study.” The trip is open to whole Waynesburg University community, students, faculty, staff and graduate nursing students. The trip’s tentative dates are May 15, 2018, to May 25, 2018. For a full schedule of the trip and to reserve a spot with a down deposit visit http://www. efcollegestudytours.com/professors-trip/1938804EF.
Stress: Event raises money for Humane Society
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some have worse," said Vicki Duvall, the Humane Society's marketing & communications coordinator. There were four dogs and two cats inside. "We have Marci the Yorkie, Solomon the English Mastiff, Daisy the Pomeranian, and Zoey who is a mixed breed," said Frye. Frye, along with other students from the university, volunteers at the Humane Society here in Greene County. The two cats were Hobbs, who was black and white, and Purrman, who was brown and black. Waynesburg students came and went throughout the event, socialized with the animals and each other with smiles on their faces the entire time. "I have had a lot of fun making this event, but I also fell good for the things I love
Megan Cook, Yellow Jacket
For a small fee, students were able to relieve the stress of midterm week by playing with cats and dogs. the most which are cats and of the best rural shelters in the chelle and what she did to dogs. Animals have always world, in my opinion. It is a organize all of this, all the stubeen a big part of my life and really good shelter and I also dents supporting it today and I feel good for getting to help have always been an animal I just think that it is a great them too," said Frye. "Being lover." idea that we should continue a Greene County resident, I Frye’s efforts do not go un- either for midterms, finals have always loved the Hu- noticed by Duvall. or whatever to help relieve mane Society here. It is one "We really appreciate Mi- stress," said Duvall.
Service: Students meet Jubilee: Conference a variety of needs during chance to connect with spring mission trips other colleges' students Continued from D1
also being impacted themselves. “It allows students to apply what they’re learning in the classroom, and obviously they have a passion as to why they want to major in certain things,” said Hardie. “It allows students the ability to serve within their area of interest.” There were several ways for students to raise money for their respective trips including fundraisers, church scholarships and money the university gives in scholarships that can pay up to a quarter of what the trip costs.
While many students are going around the country to perform various acts of service, Lies will stay in the Pittsburgh area knowing that eyes will be open to the needs that need to be reached not far from his Western Pennsylvania home. “You can live 10 minutes away from a city and people you have no idea about,” he said. “You have know idea who lives there; you have no idea what they’re going through, and you have no idea what status they are, not that status is important, but it gives you a lot of perspective of what city you are and how to incorporate what you have and what you are.”
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dents from all over, from Ohio State University, Philadelphia University, and the atmosphere is electric,” said Yonko. “You really feel the Holy Spirit there during worship and just that overall feeling is electric.” Senior John Wicker has attended every Jubilee conference since his freshman year at Waynesburg, and, to this day, finds new ways to get close with his faith through the conference. “People are still leaving with good insight and transformation,” said Wicker, “We continue to address
questions and know what it means to collaborate with Christ and follow Christ, that’s why I think the conference will always be relevant and never get stale.” Even with over 30 students attending the conference and another 20 arriving on Sunday for the worship day, Schneider would like to get more students to come out. “I would love for more students to attend in the future. We took 36 students for the full weekend,” said Schneider. “We had about another 20 on Sunday for just the worship aspect, I would want all of our students to experience it once and get a deeper calling in their lives.”
By JOE SMELTZER Staff Writer
Edward Powers never performed in a high school musical production. “I didn’t think I had much of a singing voice [in high school],” said Powers. “I discovered that I could sing in my college days, and I really came to enjoy the musical theatre.” Today, Powers, who works for Waynesburg University as a professor of theatre, is Waynesburg’s musical director for the 2017 production “The Addams Family.” As with every spring musical, this year's production has several actors and actresses who have never taken part in a college show. “There are 25 cast members, and out of the 25, probably 50 percent or even more are in their first college production,” said Powers. According to Powers, some of the challenges that newcomers face include getting accustomed to the schedule. “This is a commitment,” said Powers. “Some of our upperclassmen understand the rehearsal process already. They understand what the time commitment happens to be, and then they balance their academics and their other responsibilities in with the show. Some of our newcomers may not realize just what the time commitment happens to be.” As somebody who did not have experience with musical theatre coming into college, being overly timid was a hurdle that Powers had to overcome. “Understanding that I had a good singing voice, and I have the confidence in the fact that I have a good singing voice [was challenging]” said Powers. “[My voice] may not be the best one that’s auditioning, but it’s still a good voice, and I think just getting over that initial shyness about the voice was a big obstacle to overleap." Although freshman music ministry major Thomas Faye did perform in musicals while attending Penn Hills High
School, he faces a similar obstacle. “Most of the people [at Waynesburg] don’t know that I can sing,” said Faye, who will be portraying Lucas Beineke in his first college production. “I’ve never performed in front of them, so it will be an experience.” While at Penn Hills, Faye performed in three musical productions, “The Wiz,” “Leap of Faith” and “The Little Mermaid.” For Faye, a significant difference between high school and college shows is the period for rehearsals. “It's less time [rehearsing],” said Faye. “In high school, we had from January to April till the first show, and [at Waynesburg] it’s only January to March. So, the time span is different.” Faye also cited the adjustment of having a new musical director. For Powers, the difference in high school and college productions depends on the schools, and the directors. “It depends on the theatre program from the high school,” said Powers. “There are some very qualified high school instructors and some that are not as qualified. So on a level, you might say a difference between a high school and college production might be the level of expectation. I’m expecting the students to make this commitment. They are part of a team now, and I’m expecting them to behave as part of that team.” Of all of the things to look forward to for his first college musical performance, Faye is anxious to seeing how the audience responds to “The Addams Family” as a whole. “What I look for is the whole cast to do their best, and I just hope that the crowd will love the production,” said Faye. “It’s very humorous, so I hope that people get a laugh out of it, also with the sadness and love that they will get from it.” Opening night for “The Addams Family” is Wednesday, March 22, and the show will run through Saturday, March 25.
February 23, 2017
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WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1. Roasting bird 6. Kennel racket 10. Doze, with "out" 14. How writers often work 15. NATO alphabet ender 16. Ancient Andean 17. Lift 20. Bar sing-along 21. Quasi-convertible op tion 22. Rock gp. with winds and strings 23. Mil. training site 25. Pizzeria attractions 29. Nervous giggle 32. "Cure Ignorance" on line reader 34. Glamorous Gardner 35. Windy-day window noise 37. Strummed strings 38. Lift 42. Linen fiber source 43. Newspaper space mea surement 44. So last week 45. Take in the wrong way? 47. Split with the band 51. Pet shelter mission 53. Apt name for a cook? 55. Put the cuffs on 56. Does one's part? 58. Elves, at times 61. Lift 65. Curved entrance adornment 66. Drop 67. Nautical table listing 68. "Okay, granted" 69. "Bossypants" memoir
ist Fey 70. Mail-order-only com pany until 1925
DOWN 1. Small jewelry box 2. Acid neutralizer 3. "Little grey cells" detec tive 4. Draft category 5. "Quo Vadis" emperor 6. Tenochtitlán native 7. Play about automatons 8. Like much desert 9. Acquisition on a blan
ket, perhaps 10. Brand with a flame over the "i" in its logo 11. Artist Yoko 12. Big name in bar code scanners 13. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" 18. Hybrid tennis attire 19. Ticked off 24. Besmirches 26. Powerful shark 27. Say with certainty 28. Carrier to Oslo 30. Cereal "for kids" 31. Work on a course
33. Many a "Hunger Games" fan 36. Bluffer's giveaway 37. Colorado natives 38. Cobalt __ 39. "Aw, shucks!" 40. Harder to see, as shapes 41. Have-at link 42. Voting yes on 45. "That stings!"
46. Hit a winning streak 48. New York lake near Utica 49. Pantry 50. Dominate the thoughts of 52. Hidden stockpile 54. Iota preceder 57. California's __ Valley 59. D-Day transports
60. __-dieu: kneeler 61. New Year's party hand out 62. Clearance rack abbr. 63. Fort Worth sch. 64. Many holiday guests
LAST ISSUE'S SOLUTION
Pokemon X H H F A J A T L J Y N X U W
C H A N S E Y S L G K I A C S
M J K A A H T W O E M T M G J
L E A W N G T V U H C A K I P
BULBASAUR MEWTWO ABRA PSYDUCK
Y L W B E H X M K Q C K F J S
E R B H X A L P L E G W C J U
CHARMANDER MEW SNORELAX CHANSEY
Students of Waynesburg
"My biggest fear when it came to commuting to college was I wouldn’t belong to campus life. Trying my hardest to find my place as a piece in Waynesburg’s puzzle, I was about to give up – accepting my role as a commuter to show up and go home. That is, until my first practice with the Waynesburg University Track and Field team. Instantaneously I was swept up by teammates much faster and stronger than me. I pushed through eight months of a combined indoor and outdoor season. Spanning from sluggish 6 a.m. mornings to exhausting 10 p.m. departures from meets three hours from home, I formed an unbreakable bond with a group of over 50 people. Our team mission statement says “not only will we be unified; we will be successful.” As a second year sprinter and jumper for the WU Track and Field team, not only have I been relieved of my fear, but I have gained a family on campus as well." -Caitlin Brooks
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Mitch Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Caitlin prepares for the long jump at a track meet. She has been partaking in track since 7th grade.
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February 23, 2017 THE BACK PAGE
WHERE WU GOING? SPRING BREAK EDITION Written by Sam Chadwick
Designed by Joe Buchanan
With spring break quickly approaching, students are balancing their time between studying for midterm exams and finalizing their plans for a long-awaited week away from campus. While a majority of students will spend their week off relaxing at home, some have made plans to travel to a variety of destinations.
Cassidy Graham, a senior digital design and public relations major, has made plans to unwind outside of the country. – "A large group of us are going to Cancun, Mexico and we are staying at the Grand Oasis Cancun for the week," said Graham. "I am looking forward to relaxing and unwinding in the sun for a week with friends." According to USA Today, Cancun, Mexico is one of the 10 most popular spring break destinations in 2017. With its sandy beaches and turquoise waters, its no surprise that it is one of the most frequently visited spring break destinations on the planet.
The baseball team plans to embark on their annual spring break trip to Winter Haven, Florida. They will kick off their season by competing in six games during their time down south at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Justin Buberl, a freshman sports management major, is excited to get the season started. – "I am excited to go to Florida to be able to play baseball in warm weather and to become closer with the guys," said Buberl.
Matt Hlasnick, a sophomore criminal justice major, will be spending a portion of his spring break with his teammates on the men's golf team. The team will be traveling to Pinehurst, North Carolina to compete in a golf tournament. They will be departing on March 2 and returning to campus on March 5. Hlasnick, a new member of the golf team, is counting down the days until the trip. – "I'm excited to go to North Carolina for the golf, but more so for having the opportunity to spend time with friends and meet new people," Hlasnick said.
Florida appears to be a popular spring break destination among Waynesburg University students. Michelle Frye, a junior public relations and marketing major, will be spending her break in the sunshine state as well. – "My boyfriend and I are going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida and I'm looking forward to being a complete nerd and free of stress," Frye said. "I already have my wand and robe ready."
Some students will be taking advantage of their week away from classes simply by relaxing and soaking up some sun. Sydney Oklesson, a junior psychology major, plans to do exactly that by spending her week half-way across the country. – "I will be spending my spring break in Dallas, Texas and I'm looking forward to spending some time with my dad and little sister while I'm there," Oklesson said. "I'm also very excited to get out of the cold and into the warm weather."
Some students are opting to spend their week off completing service projects through the university. Taylor Clarkson, a freshman marine biology major, will be traveling down south and staying in the Chinsegut Hill Retreat in Brooksville, Florida. – "I'm going to Florida to do a service project working with fish and wildlife conservation," Clarkson explained. "I'm really excited to work with animals that you can’t find here in Pennsylvania." Spring break will begin on Saturday, Feb. 25 and end on Sunday, March 5. http://www.freeiconspng.com/png-images/harry-potter-logo