December 6, 2011

Gas drilling hits home for Back Mountain locals

Recipe for Disaster

Page 6

Exclusively on highlandernews.net

Boiling Points

Hoover channels her inner wizard and brews up a hot cup of Butterbeer in time for the cold weather - Page 3

Horton tackles Tim Tebow’s winning season with the Denver Broncos - Page 4

highlandernews.net

Residents voice concerns aboutthe drilling of the Marcellus Shale

Many turn on the television to watch reality shows that incorporate marriage into the equation, which cause many to question - when does the script end and reality begin?Engagement and marriage are natural steps people take in real life, yet reality shows cash in on couples’ journey to matrimony, causing many to question the sanctity – and authenticity. “I’ve noticed with The Bach-elor and The Bachelorette almost always never ending up staying together which is odd because it’s a dating show,” said Audra Wehner, senior. “Obviously we’ve seen Kim Kardashian’s divorce now and how she and Khloe’s weddings were ridiculously extravagant.” Others watch these shows with a wary mind, under-standing that reality show romances are not really “real.” Instead, people watch them for the pure enjoyment, know-ing the difference between real life and reality television. “Reality television couples are just that—TV couples. Not saying that there isn’t some foundation of attraction and liking for one another, but it’s almost impossible for the people involved in those relationships to not get caught up in the cameras and lights,” said Julia Truax, senior. A real life wedding is sup-posed to be a sacred event that usually does not include many of the antics shown on television. Traditionally, mar-riage is supposed to last “until death do us part.” “It doesn’t say if there are good times and if there are bad times. It says ‘in.’ So when you wake up and say ‘thank you God for this won-derful gift’ or when you wake up and say ‘dear God what have I done?’” said Father Don Williams. “In the good days and the bad, you keep loving and forgiving and keep work-ing at that.” Many believe that reality

shows portray a false sense of what marriage really is, and people should not make the same mistakes that the reality show couples fall victim to. “I’m not a big fan of reality shows portrayal of marriage. Most important thing is two people who are committed to each other. And marriage is work,” said Williams. “It is a blessed union but it requires sacrifice.” Williams believes that couples can watch what is on television and adapt it to real life. It is important not only to look to television, but to family and friends to see how they keep their relationships flourishing for guidance. “The encouragement would be you can watch the reality shows and try to find what’s the lesson, what’s it that is working in the relationship in the reality shows that is most helpful to me,” said Williams. Real life engaged couple, Truax and Matt Leighow, ’11, do not rely on reality shows for guidance in maintaining their relationship, but they keep it simple with classic, time-tested strategies. “A big thing with Matt and I is open communication. Lord knows we’ve had our share of tiffs, but we’ve always been able to overcome them by hav-ing an honest discussion about whatever the problem may have been,” said Truax. Truax and her fiancé are high school sweethearts and plan on having a winter-themed wedding December 1, 2012. Truax believes that marriage should last longer than a season on the E! Chan-nel. “I mean, you can look at the track record: Nick and Jessica, the Gosselins, Britney and K-Fed, now Kris and Kim. And how many Bachelor/Bachelorette couples have sur-vived a year? Maybe three?” said Truax. Truax and others believe couples should take time to learn about one another before stepping into marriage,

Race to altarBy April Dulsky, Web Editor

‘Invisible Children’ awareness spreads across campusBy Alexandria Smith, Reporter

Students and faculty con-tinue to embody the charisms of Mercy through their efforts in ending local and interna-tional crises. Since the early 1980s, the nation of Uganda and much of East Africa has been at the mercy of Josef Kony and the LRA, or Lord’s Resistance Army. Notorious for mass killings, torture, and the abduction of over ten thousand children to serve as soldiers, Kony and his rebel army are responsible for much of the relocation, death, and despair that has affected Central/ East Africa over the last twenty years. However, a generation of young Ameri-cans is determined to end this reign of terror through a non-profit organization called Invisible Children. Members of the MU community have shown a strong interest in the work of Invisible Children. “I really got involved with Invisible Children when representatives from the organization came to campus

sometime in October,” said sophomore Shannon Joyce. “They spoke about the crisis and showed ‘Tony’s Story,’ a documentary that depicted the background of the orga-nization.” However, many members of the MU commu-nity would not be aware of the hostility in Africa if it were not for the Class of 2013. With the support of fellow class officers Tori Flormann, Dale Lehman, and Anthony Powell, Class President Sarah Munley spearheaded the event earlier this fall. “I was instantly motivated by their intense passion and unbelievable drive for the cause,” said Munley, who learned about the strife in Uganda through a friend. Sophomores Shannon Joyce, Becky Darling, and Andrea Carr were also inspired to take action. Members of the Mercy Leadership Program, a seminar for sophomores designed to develop leadership skills, the trio decided to show

more of the documentaries for their service project. The two showings, which included “Tony’s” and “Sunday’s” sto-ries, occurred November 6th and 13th on the third floor of the Mary Kintz Bevevino Library. “The main focus of our event was to put word out there and keep those children in the consciousness of our student body, and then spread the message in a sort of domino effect,” said Darling. The group plans on bringing the films to local schools and establishing a walk to benefit the foundation in the Spring, while continuing to raise funds through t-shirt sales and donations. “Frontline fundraising is super critical,” Munley said. “Whether it’s merchandise sales, donations, etcetera, we play a critical part in ending this war. We can be the rea-son that no more children are human trafficked in Uganda. We have the potential to end

Continued on page 6

Continued on page 3

PRE-OCCUPIED?By Morgan Harding, Web Master

The Occupy Wall Street movement is spreading across campuses throughout the na-tion. But not at Misericordia. Students at Ithaca College and 92 other colleges and uni-versities walked out of classes October 5 and 13 in support of the Occupy movement and to protest a miserable job market, mounting student loan debt, and growing wealth disparity in the U.S. The Occupy movement began in September with the mass gathering of those who believe they are a part of what they call the “99%,” the majority of citizens on the losing end of the economy. The term refers to growing income disparity—the division between the ultra wealthy and everyone else—in the nation. “Um, to be honest I don’t think anyone knew about the walkout day,” said Allen (AJ) Heintz, Student Government Association president. Heintz had not heard about the walkout because he regularly receives his news from social media websites. “I don’t think students watch the news enough and didn’t see. If it wasn’t on Facebook or Twitter, then it doesn’t matter. I follow other students, the school and faculty. If it wasn’t on there, how would I know about it,” he said. Peter Falvey, a sophomore communications major, had a renewed sense of excitement about politics with the start of the Occupy movement. “I had to go off campus to see any political movements because it seems that there are no politics on campus. Occupy Philly was where I went to see political action. In less than two weeks, the population there has dropped by at least a quarter. Any political move-ment is better than no action at all. At least they are trying to make change,” Falvey said. Heintz, a senior, is using his time as SGA president to address specific campus

problems. “We focus on things like, that are internal on cam-pus and really affect students. Student loans are external,” Heintz said. He feels students must deal with parking and construction issues before they can work on anything outside of the campus community. “We need to get all our eggs in a basket here before we can even go and branch out and do other things, not just commu-nity-service wise. We are all for going out and helping the community, but we need to get our ducks in a row,” said Heintz. Sophomore PT major Megan Lage said she is concerned

with more than housing and parking. She is tormented by her ever-growing student debt. “I think about my loans and how I will pay them back every day. It is my biggest worry, concern and stress,” Lage said. She feels that all students should have some in-terest in politics because poli-ticians are making decisions that will affect almost every college student nationwide. Sophomores Alina Busch and Adrian Whitmoyer agree that students need to be con-cerned with political matters, but they say staying in the know is increasingly difficult, especially when others at the

university are not making an organized effort. “I would like to be informed, but there is no opportunity to be aware on campus. I don’t feel like the school is doing anything right now to create awareness. There are probably programs that they could have or even just an information table in Banks,” said Whitmoyer. One source is Peer Advo-cates who answered the need by holding a voter registra-tion drive during the week of November 7. They pro-vided information about the voter registration process and distributed Pennsylvania voter registration cards. Still,

President visits local high school

Above, Dilworth Plaza occupiers explore, eat and converse in the community they created for themselves to the west of City Hall in Philadelphia, PA on November 13, 2011.

MORGAN HARDING/THE HIGHLANDER

DEVAUGHN PATTERSON/THE HIGHLANDER

Continued on page 5

Above, President Barack Obama spoke to community members about extending the one year pay roll tax cut at Scranton High School in Scranton, PA on December 30, 2011.

The President’s Annual

Christmas dinnerphotos & story

‘Hit the Right Note’

meets Marianas Trench

Photo recap of The Stylista Strut...P3 Photographer recieves honor...P2

December 6, 2011highlandernews.net2

CONTACT US

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

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

Associated Collegiate Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.

INTEGRITYThe Highlander works to produce up-to-date, clear, accurate reporting. If any information is inaccurate or not covered thorough-ly, corrections and information will appear in this area. Opinions and views expressed in The Highlander in no way reflect those of Misericordia University or the Sisters of Mercy. The Highlander Staff welcomes students, faculty and reader response. The

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

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

Audra Wehner - Business ManagerMorgan Harding - Web MasterMelissa Sgroi - Advisor

Misericordia University301 Lake StreetDallas, PA 18612

Mary Bove - Photographer

highland@misericordia.edumsgroi@misericorida.edu

570-674-6400570-674-6737

buntonk@misericordia.edudulskya@misericordia.edu

CONTRIBUTORSDominick Dellos Josh HortonMichele Drago Gia MazurPeter Falvey Devaughn PattersonAmber Gulla Alexandria Smith Hilary Hoover Maggie Young

News

The Pennsylvania News-paper Association (PNA) has chosen a photo taken by Misericordia University com-munications major Mary Bove ‘15 of Wapwallopen, Pa., as the feature photograph on the cover of its 2012 calendar.

PNA’s state-wide competi-tion gives student journalists at two and four-year colleges and universities an opportu-nity to showcase their work across the state. Bove, the daughter of Melanie Bove, Wapwallopen, Pa., and Tony

Bove of Hazleton, Pa., chose a horizontal image of the pic-turesque Susquehanna River near Nescopeck and Berwick after reviewing about a half-dozen landscape photographs she had taken in recent months.

“The contest asked for pictures that depict life in Pennsylvania, so I immedi-ately thought of the Susque-hanna,’’ said Bove, a Berwick High School graduate. “This picture stood out the most to me because of its colors and

how vibrant it is.’’ The Misericordia University communications major wants to be a photojournalist or a studio photographer after completing her degree at MU. “I am the type of person who will take pictures of anything

and everything,’’ said Bove. “I take pictures of models, nature, portraits and artistic things. I will take pictures of anything.’’

Pennsylvania Newspaper Association selects Highlander staff photographer’s work for prestigious calendar coverHighlander Staff Reports

First year communications major Mary Bove had her photo selected to grace the cover of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s 2012 calendar.

Below, a selection of Mary Bove’s favorite photos that she has taken over the last year.

As the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop, the craving for a hot cuppa joe is enough to even get me out of bed in the morning. However, there are days when caffeine just isn’t enough. Don’t we all wish for some sort of hot, magical pick-me-up? By owl-post, here comes our latest recipe straight out of Rosemerta’s from the world of “Harry Potter.” Butterbeer. Can this muggle substitute stand up to the drink that we’ve only dreamt of? Find out in the latest recipe for disaster! So… how does one go about creating a recipe that no one in the non-magical world has ever tasted? Is it hot or cold? Is it sweet or savory? Let’s hit the books! “Buttered beer” actu-ally came into existence back in 1664’s Tudor England! It combined ale, egg, brown sugar, butter, and nutmeg. This is conducive to J.K. Row-ling’s books when Winky the house-elf becomes intoxicated after she is fired by Crouch. We tested an under-21 version that is quite simple and every-one can enjoy! This recipe is one of the simplest I’ve made. Melt the buttery spread and butter-scotch flavoring on the stove or microwave and then add it to a cup of cream soda. Mix and voila! It seemed to separate

shortly after cooling, so I gave it a quick mix in my single-cup blender and served it in a small footed glass for aesthet-ics. Megan Lage, President of Misericordia’s Quiddich Team, was the perfect person to test my recipe. She’s made many different versions of the sweet treat, but prefers the “butter-beer latte.” There are so many different recipes for butter-beer. Do a quick Google search and you’ll find over 128,000 results for ‘butterbeer recipe.’ Will this work? It seemed a bit too simple.

Upon taking the first sip, Lage realized that it was too sweet for her taste. It was more like but-terscotch soda than the rich brew. I was partial to it, but it wasn’t what I had imagined. Then, I real-ized that no matter what

recipe that I would make, even if I found the taste that I had imagined, it wouldn’t be the same for someone else. Someone else might have dreamed up something completely different. And that’s the beauty of it. “Harry Potter” has inspired and enlightened so many individu-als and sparked the magic in us all. That magic lies within the sharing of recipes, good food, family, and friends. Lage made me her favorite butter-beer latte with soymilk. So, I leave you with these thoughts and wish you Happy Holidays!

The Recipe:

1 tablespoon of buttery

spread

1 teaspoon of butter-

scotch flavoring

1 cup of cream soda

Time: About 2 minutes.

A Collegiate

By HILARY HOOVERCulinary Columnist

Recipe for Disaster:

ColumnCulinary

TALK

By MICHELE DRAGOFashion Columnist

LET’S

FASHION

December 6, 2011highlandernews.net 3

MU had its first glimpse of the real fashion world on Friday, November 18. Yes, I’m talking about the “Stylista Strut” Runway and Trunk-show planned by yours truly in collaboration with The Highlander and College Life-styles, an online magazine for the classy college girl. On this very special (yet hectic) night, 13 student models strutted their finest runway walks as they showed off specific looks from six local boutiques. We promised everyone and anyone coming to the event a fabulous experience (one I’d like to compare to some-thing as great as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week…in my dreams) to walk in the door and leave with deals and a chance to see college fashion trends of diverse styles unique to each boutique. I never would have guessed how much blood and sweat (more sweat) goes into making everything perfect. Two weeks prior, I started to bite my nails as I wondered how many guests would show. My night-mares of having an empty runway or models falling, as Tyra Banks looked on with her usual “America’s Next Top Model” fierce face, was making my stress levels rise. Then the day finally came and ta da, everything fell into place as the night went on. I’m here to fill you in on what you missed - besides the Hello Kitty cupcakes and mini swag bags filled with coupons. First, the makeup looked like it came right out of a Lady Gaga video, thanks to makeup artist and hair stylist for the night, Maria Bonacuse. This girl has serious talent as she styled half of the girls for the show in fierce messy-hair bumps and cat eyes that could have come right from the streets of SoHo. I even got to experience her talent as she gave me the craziest cat eyes I could have ever imagined and made me feel like a celebrity for the night---move over Be-yonce. “I love the way she was able to show off my personal-ity in my makeup, especially with the blue eyelashes she added on,” said model and junior Gia Mazur. While the artist applied makeup, boutiques owners and vendors including Buka, Earth & Wears, Tallulah’s, Love Want Wear, The Snooty Fox, Sophie’s Closet, Avon, and Bridal Trinkets set up their tables for the trunkshow. All offered a different vari-ety of items from jewelry, to winter necessities, to clutches, to clothing that showed off the style of the stores and the trends Fashionistas are sport-ing this season. First up on the Stylista Strut lineup was the Snooty Fox consignment shop, located five minutes down the street. I’m in love with consignment shops and this store has ev-erything from vintage turban hats straight out of the ‘70s to hard-to-find classic Dooney & Bourke bags. As I helped the models pick out their clothing, I noticed the racks were filled with some of the latest trends including fur and jean vests. Student models wore outfits reflecting their personal style. Some wore cocktail dresses as if they were prepping for Snowball and others kept it casual with jeans and flowy tops. Earth & Wears made sure to leave a mark on fashion show-goers as well. The store (brick-and-mortar in Dallas

and online at Etsy) is filled with one-of-a-kind accessories and items every Fashionista needs to keep her style intact. The best part is that all of the accessories are handmade and most are eco-friendly. The store is also college friendly, having everything from handmade iPad cases, floral clutches for a girls’ night out, coffee mugs perfect for class, and trendy reversible bags. “Lyn (store owner) always has the best selection of cute items that can’t be found anywhere else,” said Megan Carey, MU alum. As the fashion show was halfway through, Buka, a contemporary California-style boutique in Dallas was ready to make its student debut on the runway. If you’re looking for the perfect pair of high-end jeans that fit you in all the right ways, Buka features a great selection. Among the amazing denim, models also strutted their stuff in Desigual-designed dresses and sweaters. The Barcelona-based brand features unique knit designs that add a hipster vibe to any outfit. In addition to Desigual, students wore Only Hearts dresses that are too cute not to mention. My tip? Visit the boutique and check out the Only Hearts classic Flapper dress. It was love at first sight. Love Want Wear was next to show off their accessories and winter-friendly items. Girls rocked their glammed out jew-elry, cozy earmuffs, graphic tees, and square-shaped clutches. “They had some re-ally cute things that I’d wear to class or out with friends,” said model and junior Mada-lyn Payonk. Love Want Wear also sells one of the most-worn hair trends of the moment --- turban headbands. The hard-to-find accessory (I know because I’ve been on a two month search) can be ordered from the owners. Tallulah’s, a Kingston boutique making its inau-gural debut at our fashion show, offers chic clothing and accessories for any feminine Fashionista. From fur vests to everything MM Couture, the boutique is a student’s one-stop-shop to designer brands without traveling the distance to NYC. Fashion show-goers gawked over the MM Couture fur dress worn by student model Stephanie Bellino on the runway. Last but not least, Sophie’s Closet consignment shop, located in Mountain Top, had some of the cutest put-togeth-er looks for students. The out-fits were a mix of cozy, class-ready and internship-friendly. The store also showed off its “La’ Femm Jolie” jewelry line. The Stylista Strut was the first but not last fashion show to hit campus. The event was a success and we were able to collect clothing for Common Threads, the clothing closet at the Saint Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre. Though the show is over, our clothing drive is still going on and donations can be dropped off at The Highlander office or picked up by me (email dragom2@misericordia.edu) before the end of the semester. Sad you missed the fashion show? Don’t worry; I have bigger plans for my upcoming event next semester. It was a great semester Fashionistas! Stay tuned for details on our next show and my fashion advice --- next time.

Arts & Entertainment

Above, Hoovers creation of a warm, winter cup of butterbeer.HILARY HOOVER/THE HIGHLANDER

all that is happening.”Established in 2003 by Laren Poole, Jason Russell, and Bobby Bailey, Invisible Children utilizes media and activism to expose the reality of war torn areas and Inter-nally Displaced Person camps and improve the quality of life for all Ugandans. 50% of IC’s programming budget goes toward the campaign – bring-ing awareness to the situa-tion, promoting international peace and resolutions – while the remaining 50% of their budget “provides top-notch programming for affected chil-

dren and their families” such as education, mentorships, resettlement from camps, and financial stability.“None of this would be pos-sible without young people like you and I who are willing to stand up and make a dif-ference,” said Darling, “All of this has been a collaborative effort. Someone inspired us, so we hoped to turn around and inspire someone else. The MU community has responded so well already, and I really don’t think we could ask for much more from them.

Continued from page 1Invisible Children, cont’d

The

MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

Stylista StrutRunway & Trunkshow

Presented by The Highlander, College Lifestyles and Michele Drago

Top photo, make-up and hair stylist Maria Bonacuse applies eye shadow to junior Colleen Dean before she needed to dress for the show. Second from top, senior Caitlin Sorrentino struts down the catwalk in an outfit from The Snooty Fox. Third from top, juniors Gabby Giello and Madalyn Payonk have fun during the last walk in outfits from Sophie’s Closet. Bottom photo, Drago poses with her models after the show.

BOILINGPOINTS

By JOSH HORTONSports Columnist

December 6, 2011highlandernews.net4

Winning is a word that can be interpreted many ways in today’s society--and Charlie Sheen isn’t the only one mak-ing the word popular. For Tim Tebow’s entire football career all he has done is win. This year has been no different as he and his Denver Broncos won their fourth straight game with Tebow under center. This season the Broncos find themselves in the playoff hunt right behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets. Tebow is one of the easiest guys to root for in the history of sports, and he is defying the old saying “nice guys finish last” by taking command of the Denver offense and instill-ing the “refuse to lose” men-tality. His mental toughness and leadership has sparked a fire in the entire team and not just on the offensive side of the ball. The Broncos defense has been living in Tebow’s media shadow throughout their four game win streak, but in reality the defense is the real reason they even are in a posi-tion to win. All of the games the Broncos have won have been fairly close, and far from offensive shutouts. The great thing about this Broncos team is, indeed, that they are a team. The word team is defined as a collection of individuals coming together to participate in a joint ac-tion. A successful team has a leader—and if the leader believes in his team, the team will believe in its leader. This concept has caught fire

in the high altitudes of Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado and week after week, Tebow is silencing critics. Tebow gets criticism for his horrible quarterback rating because he isn’t a real threat to throw the ball, and he just isn’t a typical quarterback. Broncos head coach John Fox realized this and did something not many coaches are willing to do in the National Football League: He adopted the option of-fense. When one sits and thinks about it, it really is a no brainer. Tebow ran the spread offense like it was his job when he won a Heisman award and a National Cham-pionship at Florida Univer-sity. Ironically enough, it now is his job and he is finding a way to get it done at football’s highest level. Tebow is a mediocre quar-terback at best, but he makes up for his mediocrity with his superior leadership and outstanding composure. A prime example has to be his numerous game-winning fourth quarter drives, or most recently, his overtime drive which led to a game-winning field goal with just seconds left on the clock against the San Diego Chargers. He gives the term “put the team on his back” a new meaning, and I consider my-self privileged to be able to say I watched this magical season. Magical is the only word that comes to mind because he has the quarterback skills of a backup, but the leadership skills of Winston Churchill.

A Look Back at Legends Series:

The temperatures outside continue to drop, but gym-nasiums everywhere are heating up with excitement. It’s Basketball season, and back in the 1950s, Susanne (Masterson) McDonnell was a proud athlete who helped set the standard of excellence in basketball that still exists today. To set the stage, remove many of the campus buildings, add some more trees, change our nickname from the Cougars back to the Highlanders, remove all men from the student body, and revert to College Misericordia. Cue the black and white highlight reel. McDonnell came from a large family in Elizabeth, N.J., with three brothers and one sister. She became in-

volved in athletics at the hand of her father. “My father taught me from a young age the values of fair-ness, justice, and sportsman-ship when playing sports,” McDonnell said. She started playing basket-ball in high school at Bene-dictine Academy—but she was interested in softball and tennis as well. McDonnell wanted to con-tinue to play basketball, and she was even more interested in attending the college when she learned Misericordia of-fered intercollegiate athletics. “When I visited, I fell in love,” McDonnell said. “I loved the school, as well as the nuns who taught here.” As one of five siblings, a scholarship only solidified her decision. As a basketball player for the Highlanders from 1955-1959, she was more of a defen-sive point guard. An unselfish player, she created opportu-nities for her teammates on offense because of her passing abilities. She was extremely active as a defender, stealing passes and creating turnovers. She could also rebound well for her position. Her talents helped the High-landers to three consecutive one-loss seasons.

“My favorite memory is freshman year when we beat East Stroudsburg for the first time,” McDonnell said. “It inspired so much emotion amongst the team.” Due to her part in the past team success, she was voted team co-captain as a senior and humbly accepted the chal-lenge. “My friends respected me and my leadership,” McDon-nell said. Encouraged by friends, McDonnell also played two years of field hockey at Col-lege Misericordia, looking to expand on her athletic prow-ess and her love for healthy competition. She even continued to play basketball until age 31, in a women’s league started by Dr. Rose Marie Battaglia in northern New Jersey. Graduating with a degree in French, a degree no longer offered at MU, McDonnell went on to teach French for 33 years at Roselle Park High School in New Jersey. McDonnell said what she learned from her experiences with athletics at College Mi-sericordia helped her in her career. “Teamwork is all about depending on one another and having a good chemistry,”

McDonnell said, referring to connecting with her students. “Teaching high school kids and watching them grow up and graduate is a one-of-a-kind experience.” McDonnell was inducted, along with four others, into the Misericordia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. She joins her sister, Kathleen Masterson, to form the only pair of siblings in the Hall of Fame. Masterson was also a basketball standout. “It is thrilling, humbling, exciting, and I’m proud,” Mc-Donnell said. Coming back for her induc-tion ceremony, McDonnell noted the changes that have been made to campus. “The growth of the campus is phenomenal,” she said. “I was curious at first about what the men would be like on campus, but everybody here is so polite and unassuming. I am very impressed.” Today, as bundled-up fans pile into Anderson Sports Health Center to see both the Men and Women Cou-gars play, it is important to remember our history and the morals on which our athletics were built.“Do your best, play hard, and play fair,” McDonnell said.

By Dominick Dellos, Reporter

Sports

Students interested in ob-taining a minor in music can now do that--unless they are graduating seniors. A core required course, music theory, cannot be offered because it has no instructor. Dr. George Sprengelmeyer, former chair of the fine arts department, pioneered the idea of the music minor and was planning on teaching this musicianship course. He left the university at the end of last year. This leaves the department in a bind, due to the lack of faculty. Dr. Joseph Curran, chair of the religious studies department, acting chair of the fine arts department, is looking for an instructor. “Not only is the person who was supposed to teach the course no longer here, but the people who are left are not people who have time to do it,” said Curran. “But I think I’ve located an instructor who can.” Dr. John Curtis, fine arts professor and director of choral activities, feels it is imperative to offer this music theory course. He feels the planning process for the minor was approached from the per-spective of what music courses were already offered, instead of what courses could be added to adequately prepare students. Curtis said the rest of the faculty was not as involved in the planning process as much as they should have been. With Sprengelmeyer’s departure, Curtis feels the music minor is not as strong as it should be. “The process was very, very rushed,” said Curtis. “And it

seemed like somebody very high up in the administration wanted this minor to happen extremely quickly so that the admissions office could get out the word that we have a minor.” Curtis hopes that students will not suffer due to what he refers to as “lack of planning.” The required musicianship course is theory-based and aimed at teaching students about the structure, form and analysis of music, Curtis said. He feels it should be offered as a two-semester sequence. He adds that history courses should be required for the minor as well. These more academically-based courses will balance the more performance-based classes in the current require-ments. Curtis, as well as the rest of the fine arts depart-ment, hopes to strengthen the minor with more academic courses in the future. “If we’re going to send students out in the world cer-tified that they have minored in music, I’d like to see them know a lot more about music,” said Curtis. “I’ve compared this to music minors at other universities which have much more coursework involved.” The music minor is a se-quence of the fine arts minor and will be offered this spring semester. Studio art and the-ater are additional sequences in the minor. Dance and pho-tography sequences are under development. Curtis and Curran both believe t these courses are positive additions to the university, considering the terrific student involve-ment in arts programs.

Minor confusionBy Gia Mazur, Reporter

Issues with new music minor not joyful to seniors’ ears.

Dance team shows off skills

Above, junior Becca Fagnano dances during the dance team’s first performance. Above right, members of the dance team show off their talent during the winter Ensemble night. Right, the dance team smiles before they embrace their inner ‘can-can’ during the Ensemble night, December 1, 2011 in the Lemmond Theater. MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER

Suzanne Masterson McDonnell

December 6, 2011highlandernews.net 5

CAPSCORNER

At the CAPS Center, support is available and no con-cern is too big or too small. Counselors are available

to support you in a non-judgmental way using a holistic perspective - attending to mind, body and spirit. Our

hope is that through counseling services you are able to create more balance, peace and serenity in your life.

We invite all students to utilize CAPS Center services including individual therapy, group therapy, consultation

services, referral services, psycho-educational pro-grams and/or crisis intervention. Services are free and available to all full-time matriculated students. For more information about the CAPS Center and resources visit

us on the e-MU tab “Campus Life.”

DRUMMING FOR RELAXATIONThis experience will be offered on December 6 at 4 pm

Purpose: To use sound, rhythm, and community presence to allow for the mind, body, and spirit to be grounded and

connected enough to relax.

NO DRUMMING EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!!

To Attend: Please contact Dr. Cindy at 674-6366 or e-mail her at cmarch@misericordia.edu

Only 6 students can attend per session.

PERSONAL GROWTH GROUPThe CAPS Center is running a personal growth group.

The group will be open for 6-8 people, membership will be on a first come, first served basis, and the time of the group will be determined based on the members’ schedules. This group will focus on the needs of the members in relation to

increasing health, happiness, and well-being.

If you have any further questions,please e-mail Megan ASAP at mtucker@misericordia.edu.

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

Busch and Whitmoyer point to the SGA as the only political-ly-oriented organization on campus. “While we are student government in name we don’t have a political party. I don’t ask the cabinet members what political party they are because I believe that what your party is has no effect on how you will work for us. We are more here to serve the students as a whole and not in political nature,” Heintz said. Kings College student gov-ernment officers take a very different approach. President Giancarlo Dilonardo believes students need to have a voice about national issues--and have that voice heard. “This year especially bigger issues than the day-to-day have been approached, like our core curriculum and the tuition and rising debt. We have taken a step in the right direction instilling a confi-dence in our students that there are bigger issues than the library not being open late enough or bad parking,” said Dilonardo. Dilonardo took students’ concerns about college debt di-rectly to the president. “I have had several conversations with Father Jack Ryan, every two weeks, about the costs of col-lege and if it is really worth it, and those conversations will continue,” said Dilonardo. Heintz meets with President MacDowell and vice president of student affairs Sister Jean Messaros once per month. “We discuss what is going on here, student life. We are trying to make it better. It’s been grow-ing and getting better over the years but it’s not at the level of big colleges. They want us to have a big college feel while being a small college,” he said. While Heintz does think it is a good idea for students to get involved in extracurricu-lar activities, he does not feel the campus should sponsor non-academic activities such as walkouts and protests. “If that’s how you feel, then pro-test. But some of the protests don’t have their ducks in a

line. Why would you just pro-test to protest? If you are in-formed and you protest that’s okay. You should know how you want to get what you are protesting not just protest,” said Heintz. New York University media, culture and communication sophomore Lauren Stash has been participating in the oc-cupation of Zuccotti Park in the financial district of New York City every week since the start of the movement. “I protest because the happen-ings on Wall Street do directly involve everyone in the entire world and those practices need to change,” said Stash. Stash occupied Wall Street with thousands of other dis-gruntled students and out-of-work Americans who formed their own micro-society, an eye-opening experience for the 19-year-old. “It reminded me a lot of Bonnaroo, a music fes-tival I attended over the sum-mer. Before Zuccotti Park was raided illegally by the police, the occupiers formed a peace-ful, yet productive community that was welcoming to anyone interested in the cause,” said Stash. That community consisted of a library, a food tent and a donation center where people could pick up clothing, tents and sleeping bags that others donated in support for the movement. A recent police raid changed the tone there, she said. “Since the park was raided, it is surrounded by double bar-ricades. There have been nu-merous arrests accompanied by violence from the police who have the ‘nothing to see here’ attitude. The environ-ment at Zuccotti Park now is much more riled up.” But she added that the pro-testors create a supportive and caring environment for each other. “I witnessed someone get arrested a few weeks ago and everyone rushed over to aid the person even though there was a speech going on. It really is a caring movement, much to the contrast of those who run the corporations the

protest is against,” Stash said. Occupy Philadelphia fol-lowed the example set by the Occupy Wall Street protesters, and set up camp in front of city hall in the city of broth-erly love. Protester and Penn State graduate Brandon Blood does not understand how stu-dents cannot be outraged and ready to take a stand. “They are getting ripped off and they are getting in debt, too. If they just stop and look at how much they are borrow-ing. Every time they borrow money they are becoming more in debt with interest rates so high,” said Blood. Heintz has theories about the source of the dearth of po-litical participation. He thinks the student body may not care about politics, or the source may be the university itself. “I know people who spend like an hour or two every day studying. That’s ten hours a week. You know if you’re do-ing that kind of work, it’s not like you’re going to watch the news,” said Heintz. Heintz also feels that student involvement in clubs dominates their time. “If you do four different clubs and are an athlete it just takes up your time. You can’t just sit down and watch the news. You have a quick minute to check social media then you’re going to miss it,” Heintz said. Heintz cites SGA’s busy schedule tackling on-campus issues as the reason they as an orga-nization do not have time or manpower to address major

political issues. Lage is concerned that some students are apathetic—and adjunct political science pro-fessor Irene Wisnieski agrees. She said the cure is education. “Unfortunately, many students are indeed apathetic regarding politics, especially policies on the national level. However, I have seen dra-matic changes in attitude after students become familiar with the structure and operation of the national government. Once they know their basic rights and responsibilities, they are eager to enter into discussions and feel comfortable offering their opinions. Believe it or not, they actually enjoy tak-ing part in the process,” said Wisnieski. Sophomore government law and national security major and Peer Advocate Shannon Joyce said information—or the dissemination of it—is crucial, and the more the university promotes political awareness, the more students will care. Joyce thinks the most effective strategy would be to invite politicians to campus to speak directly to students. “We see them on TV but we don’t have time to watch it. Let them come to us and give us their words and allow us to form our own educated opin-ions. Students do care about politics but with the timing of the year and everything it comes up quick and takes away the chance to educate yourself,” said Joyce.

Continued from page 1

Pre-Occupied?, cont’d

MORGAN HARDING/THE HIGHLANDER

Above, signs on the “Idea Wall” of the Occupy movement on the west side of the City Hall building in Philadelphia, PA.

News

December 6, 2011highlandernews.net6 News

Marcellus Shale reality drilled homeBy Amber Gulla, Reporter

A beautiful scenery of trees, open fields, family homes, and farmlands dot the winding roads of the Back Moun-tain—quite a contrast to the green piping, dug-up areas, muddy trucks, and construc-tion machines lying on those open plains and blocking the streets on which people com-mute each day. The safety and cost of natu-ral gas drilling is a profound concern in the region, and some students like senior April Dulsky is concerned by the changes. “The first time it really hit me that they had started drilling was really in-teresting. I woke up late and could hear some machines and drilling sounds from outside but I didn’t think anything of it. I got in my car and I had to wait for a line of over-sized construction trucks to pass so I could go to Misericordia. I thought there would just be one or two vehicles since it was so early, but no. Over 20 vehicles, including five dump trucks and at least three trucks hauling massive pipes passed me going 20 mph.” Residents see this each day. Some are in favor of the natural gas industry and

the growth it provides to the region’s economy, but others, like Dulsky, object to it. “I don’t agree with the drilling since it is ruining the area,” said Dulsky. “It also has a potential of harming water supplies. A lot of people have wells and they are drill-ing extremely close, so I just think it’s disheartening.” The drilling work is happen-ing almost literally in Dul-sky’s backyard. “I don’t like the drilling process because it is directly affecting my hometown. From the morn-ing I wake up, I can hear the machines running until late afternoon. Then, the workers all commute down my road in long lines at the end of the day which make it impossible to get anywhere,” she said. The debate over whether or not to drill has not ended. “I think that they need to stop. I feel that there is not enough being done to regulate the pro-cess which will lead to more problems down the road,” said Dulsky. “They do not appear to be showing any concern for what is happening right here and what could affect us in significant ways. I would like

to see petitions for higher regulations if they don’t leave entirely.” The Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate have both approved separate gas drilling bills. According to NPR, state law-makers are trying to update the oil and gas act to catch up with the natural gas drilling boom and that what the up-date would do is standardize regulations across the state. “I think that they have already taken root to the area. A lot of the workers commute from the hotel in Tunkhan-nock. I don’t think they are going away until something happens, or they run dry.” At that point, as Dulsky pointed out, it would be way too late. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the current situation. “A lot of people in the area actually signed for the gas drillers to come on their land, which I think is interesting. In my opinion, many people only looked at the money when they signed the release, since their land is going to be destroyed after the drilling is complete,” said Dulsky.

Natural gas drilling causes annoyance and agitation to local residents.

but also believe that it is their own decisions on what they plan to do next. “If they have something special and have a great mar-riage it shouldn’t matter if other people get married and then are divorced shortly af-ter. I do feel like some people jump into marriage quickly though and don’t think things through or get to know a per-son before saying ‘I do,’” said Wehner. Williams said a trend among young people is to make a decision to stay together—but with the omission of the ring. “I think culturally it would seem that there’s a move-ment not to get married, the

thought that you don’t have to be married just live together and share your life,” said Wil-liams. “Our hopes as a church is that people will take the call to marry love seriously and look forward to a life of happiness and fulfillment even in midst of the chal-lenges.” Many young couples are pressured into having story-book weddings comparable to those seen on reality TV. The economic reality makes com-peting with Kim Kardishian’s spectacle next to impossible. “Your wedding day is one of the happiest days of your life and will be filled with memories, so couples want to

look back on their wedding and remember great things about it,” said Wehner. “Of course everyone wants a lav-ish wedding worth millions of dollars in decorations, the location and dress, but for the average person that’s just not possible.” Real life couples have a bounty of advice for reality couples who struggle to keep their relationships alive on television. “Don’t get your own TV show! Take time for yourself and for each other. Embrace the little things and never forget what it was that had drawn you together in the first place,” said Truax.

Continued from page 1Race to altar, continued

PHOTOS BY MAGGIE YOUNG/THE HIGHLANDER

The translations of the prayers and responses during the Catholic Mass are chang-ing to more literally adhere to the original Latin text from which they are interpreted. The changes were imple-mented on the first Sunday of Advent and will now on be the standard of the Mass. “The interpretation, [the church] feel[s], could be strengthened to make it a little bit more meaningful and help us to have a deeper appreciation of really the mys-tery that we are celebrating,” said Chaplain Father Don Williams. Liturgiam Authenticam, the Vatican’s instruction on the translation of the liturgy, explains that certain transla-tions from Latin to English did not accurately match the intended message. Catholics prayed Mass in Latin for cen-turies, and during the 1960s the mass was translated into English to engage the faithful. These original translations reflected the principles of dynamic equivalence, mean-ing the translation attempted to broadly convey the overall meaning of the original text. Today, the texts are being translated word-for-word, and this is otherwise known as formal equivalence. “[The Church’s] hope is new words, deeper meaning, richer tradition, connection,”

said Williams. Every Roman Catholic church in the world is using these translation changes, and many will may find regular churchgoers fumbling over sayings and prayers they have said for over 40 years. Fr. Williams assures that it will only take time before it becomes more natural to pray this way. “It definitely has required a little practice,” he said about getting used to the changes after 28 years of being a priest. “Sometimes I look up, I like to engage people, but if I look down and I’m not care-ful I lose my place. Just this morning, people would catch themselves and they start giggling and laughing. So, it’s okay. Change takes time but I think it’ll be fine.” Music during the Mass will be slightly different, too. Words during “Gloria” as well as “Sanctus” are changed, but Williams explains that composers were given the translation and they modified the music to better fit new words. Chapel Music Direc-tor and alumni Podscotch and students attended music workshops and chose a setting that they feel is young-adult friendly, Williams said. “It’s more upbeat and contemporary,” said Williams. “And we have a group of stu-dents in the music ministry

for Sundays at 7. They’re very talented musicians and sing-ers and they’ve been practic-ing for the last two months. So I think as long as we have a group of students who have done some of their homework, and done their preparation, everything is kind of moving along.” These translations may present a difficult adjustment, but the church ensures that translations of the text hold a more profound meaning that will deepen people’s appre-ciation of church teachings. For example, a change that comes during the invitation to communion requires people to say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” This altered response comes directly from the Latin text, and it more precisely relates to the reading from Luke’s gospel about Jesus healing a Roman Centurion’s servant. “He came to Jesus with humility and faith. So here’s a pagan who recognizes in Jesus authority and the power to bring healing,” said Williams. “So what the church is saying is that when we approach communion, ‘can we have that same humility and faith? Can we have that same humility and trust that on Jesus’ word we shall be healed?’”

‘And with Your spirit’By Gia Mazur, Reporter

Changes to the Catholic Mass create initial confusion for church goers.

A natural gas company begins construction related to the drilling of the Marcellus Shale on Lower Demunds Road in Dallas, Pa on November 22, 2011.