Bryan Chieze, 21-year-old former SRU student of New Castle, and Braydon Micaletti, 22-year-old former SRU student of New Castle, had their hearings on January 10, in regards to their involvement in an alleged sexual assault that occurred on September 29, 2011.

During the hearing it was decided that their formal ar r a i g n m e nt s wou l d b e scheduled for February 14.

The alleged incident happened at a house behind Ginger Hill Tavern on South Main Street.

Chieze and Micaletti were arrested on October 22 by officer Mark Bennett of the

Slippery Rock Borough Police Department, and both men were released that day on $50,000 bail each.

Chieze faces 17 charges, including two counts of sexual assault and rape forcible compulsion.

Chieze will be represented by Kenneth Harris, Jr., Esquire, who was unable to be reached for comment at this time.

Micaletti faces 14 charges, including one count of sexual assault, and will be represented by Bradley Olson, Jr., who had no comment on Micaletti’s case at this time.

The arraignment will be held in courtroom 5 of the Butler County Court House, and judge Timothy McCune will be hearing the cases.

www.theonlinerocket.com Volume 94, Number 13Friday, January 27, 2012

ALEX MOWREY/THE ROCKETStudents explore the various food options that are offered by the newly renovated Weisenfl uh Dining Center. While students appreciate the wide variety of food offered, they are dissatisfi ed with the available payment options.

Sports B-1Mens Basketball:Clutch shoo� ng down the stretch leads SRU past Gannon

The Rocket Slippery Rock University Student Newspaper Est. 1934

All new 'Fluh gives SRU community varietyStudents unhappy about payment options, no meal use

High expectations surrounded the re-opening of the newly renovated Weisenfluh Dining Hall, but students are not quite sold on the new “Fluh” yet.

The dining hall reopened on Monday with large crowds, but lines became smaller as the week progressed.

Shawn VanderBrook, a 21-year-old exercise science major, gave the breakfast at Elia a thumbs up, but believes that the lunch and dinner options are not going to please students.

“I tried the lemon chicken soup with

a flatbread sandwich that had burned sirloin on it,” VanderBrook said. “The menu is too complicated to read and the portions are small for the high prices.”

Many students are angry with the dining hall because they are not able to use their meal plans.

Instead only Flex, Rock Dollars, cash and credit are accepted.

J.P. Powell, a 19-year-old psychology and philosophy major also tried a chicken flatbread sandwich with lettuce, tomato and pesto sauce.

He believes that the food is good, but that there will be a concern when students

run out of Flex money. “The food here is more expensive and

so there’s definitely going to be an issue down the road when students can’t use their meal plans,” Powell said. “It’s also only open from 11-2:30, so it’s not a place students are going to be going to all of the time.”

John Vag, the district manager of AVI, understands that students have concerns about their Flex running out, but the university and AVI created new meal plan options to help with this.

"That's why we made new meal plan options giving students more Flex and less

meals," Vag said.Vag also addressed concerns about only

having one traditional dining hall on campus.

"We did the contract with the school with the intent of moving more towards a retail style dining hall," Vag said.

He also added that Slippery Rock was one of the last schools in PASSHE to have two traditional dining halls.

Executive Chef on campus, Dan Tokarek, feels that the new, healthier choices at Weisenfluh will be better and

SEE NEW, PAGE A-2

By Kaitlyn YeagerRocket Contributor

Arraignment set for Micaletti, ChiezeBy Brian Brodeur

News Editor

PASSHE says SRU Provost Williams will remain in position, needed as negotiator with APSCUF

The Pennsylvania State Board of Governors announced Monday that William Williams, current provost of Slippery Rock University, will not serve as interim president following current president Robert Smith’s retirement next week.

An email from the SRU Council of Trustees was sent out to all SRU faculty Monday with the announcement.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s (PASSHE) Board of Governors asked Dr. Williams to remain their chief negotiator rather than to take the position of interim president of SRU.

This decision was made because of Dr. Williams’ important role in the current negotiations between PASSHE and the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculities’ (APSCUF) negotiations.

APSCUF is the official union for the faculty and coaches of the 14 state colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, explained Dr. Jace Condravy, SRU English Department Chairperson and the president of the SRU chapter of APSCUF. The group’s contract expired in June and they are now actively negotiating with PASSHE on topics such as salaries, benefits, grievance and the curriculum in order to create a new contract.

Dr. Williams is so important to PASSHE because he is the only member who has had experience negotiating with APSCUF in previous contract agreements, Dr. Condravy said.

In addition to his role as chief negotiator for PASSHE, Dr. Williams will also remain the vice president of SRU.

The email stated that the interim president has not been announced yet. Potential candidates for a

By Johnathan JanasikRocket Contributor

SEE SRU, PAGE A-3

Massive online protests helped bring two controversial anti-piracy bills to a halt last week, but the fight against copyright infringement is far from over.

And the impact of the bills would have a drastic affect on the lives of college students.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) were introduced in the House and Senate, respectively, to expand the ability of the government to fight online piracy and copyright infringement.

The two bills gathered a ton of support from various media giants in the cable, movie, and music industries, perhaps most notably the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America.

While Hollywood is fully behind the proposed bills, they faced adamant opposition from Internet companies such as Google, Wikipedia, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Apple, AOL, eBay, Mozilla and Reddit.

Fearing Internet censorship and restrictions of freedom of speech, online opponents held what is now considered the largest online protest in history on Jan. 18.

Wikipedia, which blacked-out its English site, and Google, which had a blackout bar on its homepage linking to an online petition, were joined by thousands of other web sites in the protest.

And their actions worked.According to the Electronic

Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to protect digital free speech rights, more than a million messages were sent to Congress, while more than 4.5 million people signed Google’s petition.

Two days following the protest, Hou s e Ju d i c i ar y C om m it te e Chairman Lamar S. Smith, who or ig ina l ly int ro duced SOPA, postponed the bill until wider agreement could be made.

Following suit, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that a vote on PIPA would also be

postponed until the issues with it are resolved.

The influence of large corporations on the political spectrum was highlighted by the protests, but the impact the popular Internet companies had on public opinion proved even greater.

“I think what’s interesting is those companies have an easy way to rally the troops that other interest groups don’t have,” Heather Frederick, a political science professor at Slippery Rock University, said.

Frederick noted how people pay closer attention to a political issue supported by companies that are integrated into their daily lives.

“Many people rely on those websites on a regular basis. So if someone uses Wikipedia day-to-day they’re going to wonder what is going on when it’s not available,” Frederick said.

While opponents had a small victory last week, no one expects the fight to control online piracy to end.

And any future legislation similar to the SOPA and PIPA bills would have a major effect on college students, mainly in a negative way.

That is why the majority of college students, who grew up in the digital age, oppose at least some aspects of the bills.

"I'm against it 100 percent," Ron O'Dell, 18, a freshman computer science major at Slippery Rock University, said. "I'm against it because basically any website that allows people to post opinions would be in trouble."

If SOPA and PIPA were passed as currently written, publicly edited websites like Wikipedia -- a free online encyclopedia widely used by college students -- could be shut down if any one of their thousands pages contained illegally copyrighted information or even external links to other websites in violation of copyright infringement.

O'Dell cites Wikipedia as a vital part of his academic life, and is worrisome of difficulties that could occur if a similar bill as SOPA or PIPA was passed.

"Anytime I look anything up, it's the first place I go," O'Dell said of the online encyclopedia. "I go there daily. If it were shut down, it would

definitely take a lot of extra time to find other sources, making studying more difficult.

But the bills could harm student's online study habits in more ways than taking away Wikipedia.

"It would affect us a lot," O'Dell said of the bill's impact on students. "Especial ly on sites or blogs where students can post questions concerning their studies. If any of the information being shared was copyrighted, the site could be shut down."

It would also affect students that utilize social media, as links posted by an individual on a social networking site could also be monitored and censored.

Other popular forms of online entertainment widely used by college students would also be subject to censorship.

YouTube, for example, would be at risk immediately, as many videos uploaded on the video hosting website contain infringed material.

Objection to easily accessible pirated material is a factor in why many people, especially young adults, are against the bills.

It is no secret that millions of Americans make the choice to illegally download music and movies every year.

But many students understand and support opposition to online piracy. The general consensus is, however, that there are more practical solutions out there to combat the piracy problem that don't take away individual's free speech rights.

"We understand why they want to protect copyrighted files," O'Dell said. "People deserve to make money off of their work. But that doesn't give the government the right to shut down entire legitimate websites. There are ways to prevent the spread of piracy without shutting down those sites."

One thing is certain, the impact the proposed bill could have on students caught the attention of many students who rarely take more than a slight interest in politics.

"Everyone I talk to is paying attention to it,"O'Dell said.

The Slippery Rock Student G o v e r n m e n t A s s o c i a t i o n (SGA) gave a presentation on the future installation of a new filtered water station that will be available at the new union during their meeting Thursday.

Jim Henry, vice president of student affairs, has been working on the project since August.

The machine, which is called the “Revive Water Station,” will be available to students free of charge as a promotion to the company.

“It will be similar to the purified water stations that you may have seen at the ARC and ATS, but it will take it to a whole different level,” Henry said.

Students who choose to use the machine will use a stainless steel bottle, which is washable and reusable, according to Henry.

The Revive Water Station will actually clean the bottle as well as refill it with fresh, purified water, unlike any other filtered

water station on campus. It will also consume less energy than a vending machine.

“When it comes to refilling water bottles, bacteria can accumulate by drinking from the bottle, even after one use,” he said.

“The Revive Water Station will use all green chemicals that won’t harm you when it cleans the bottle,” Henry said. “There is already reserved space in the new union for the station.”

Also at the meeting, Lindsey MacNabb, a senior political science major, was elected as a commuter senator.

MacNabb served as the vice president of public relations for SGA last year.

“I was completing an internship in Harrisburg in the fall, so I was unable to be a part of SGA last semester,” she said.

“I wanted to finish out my last semester as a member of student government because it’s something that I’m truly passionate about,”MacNabb said.

MacNabb will be sworn in at a future senate meeting.

Registration AssistanceThe Office of Academic Records and Summer School, 107 Old Main, will be open until 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 2nd to assist students with registrations and dropping and adding classes for spring 2012.

SRU Dance Theatre Presents "Movement Speaks"The Department of Dance winter concert takes place in Miller Auditorium on Feb. 9, 10, and 11 at 7:30 p.m. Profes-sional guest artist works, along with original Modern, Tap, and Jazz choreography by SRU students, are featured on the program. Tickets are $5 students and $10 general and can be purchased at the University Union Information Desk or by calling (724) 738-4926. For more information, contact the Department of Dance at (724) 738-2036.Presidential SearchDr. Cheryl Norton,presidential candidate, will be coming to campus January 30 & 31. For more information, visit the SRU website.

ROCKNOTES

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Publicize your group's event with a Rock Note.

To submit a Rock Note to be considered for publication, please

send your announcement by 6 p.m. Wednesday to Brian

Brodeur at bdb5229@sru.edu or to rocket.news@sru.edu. The Rocket does not guarantee that all requests will be published in the paper, but

the staff will try its best.

NewsA-2 January 27, 2012

'Revive' water station added to new union

SOPA, PIPA bills delayed by online protestsBy Will Deshong

Rocket Staff Reporter

LIANA PITTMAN/THE ROCKETJim Henry, vice president of student affairs, gives a presentation on the future "Revive Water Station."

By Steph HolsingerAssistant News Editor

NewsJanuary 27, 2012 A-3

Police BlotterMagistrate

Jan. 18- John Wesley Powers, 21, of Prospect, was seen for theft by deception and false impression.

Jan. 25- Nicholas James Campbell, 24, of Greensburg, was seen for two counts of DUI. He was released on his own recognizance.

Jan. 25- John R. Chisolm, 23, of Trenton, N.J., was seen for disorderly conduct and engaging in fighting. He was released on his own recognizance.

Jan. 25- William Michael Warner, 43, of Slippery Rock, was seen for two counts of DUI. He was released on his own recognizance.

Borough

Jan. 21- Jordan Harriger, 19, was cited for disorderly conduct.

Jan. 24- Lucas Lee Gardner, 30, was cited for disorderly conduct.

Campus

Jan. 16- An offi cer responded to a call for assistance for a report of robbery at the BP station in the borough.

Jan. 19- An officer responded to a report of theft at the ATS building. The case is still under investigation.

Jan. 23- An officer responded to a report of theft at Swope Music Hall. The case is still under investigation.

Jan. 25- An officer responded to a two vehicle reportable accident on Kiester Road. No injuries were reported.

Jan. 25- An officer responded to a drug violation at Building B. The case is sti l l under investigation.

Compiled by Stephanie Holsinger

more enjoyable for students.“The Met has new items such as the

turkey and black bean burgers with steamed vegetables, and the ever-popular veggie and sweet potato fries,” Tokarek said. “This is the new destination station, and I think students will like the difference of this dining hall and the new concepts.”

The most popular item at Weisenfluh so far seems to be “The Met,” which is one of the burgers available at the gourmet sandwich station.

“It comes with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle and cheese with a cracked pepper and honey mayonnaise dressing,” Ed Cavelli, sous chef at the ‘Fluh, said.

Small flukes took place on the grand opening of the dining hall Monday, such as problems with the registers and a leak at Horizons' wrap station.

“We had Horizons open by 12:30 Monday afternoon, after a construction error took place,” Tokarek said. “We’re trying to learn from our mistakes, and we love getting feedback from the students. That’s the reason we’re here, to serve the students.”

Evan Andreyo, a 20-year-old exercise science major, was pleased with his chef sampler sushi from Elia, but is not looking forward to using all of his Flex money.

“My food was surprisingly good, but I

had to bring my own water so that I didn’t have to buy a drink with my Flex,” Andreyo said. “The menu is also confusing and I wish they had examples of the food so that I knew what I was ordering.”

Liz Schaming, a 20-year-old theatre major, is impressed with the new look of the dining hall, and thinks that it definitely has a different feel than Boozel or Rocky’s.

“If Slippery Rock was trying to make it look and seem more like a restaurant, then they accomplished their goal,” Schaming said. “I think more people will come here because it’s more convenient for people who have class on this end of campus.”

Students are permitted to have refills at all drink stations and the Weisenfluh team is working on ways to better accommodate this problem.

“Contrary to belief, students can get free refills,” Cavelli said. “We’re going to be working on more efficient lines so that students can get their refills faster.”

So far, students have mixed reactions to the newly renovated dining hall, but the issue that meal plans are not accepted may cause trouble for the Fluh in the future.

“I’m going to change my meal plan so that I get more Flex money and fewer meals per week,” VanderBrook said. “But as far as using my Flex, I’d rather go to Rocky’s. I think it’s a better option for students.”

New 'Fluh' causes need for more fl ex Open interviews for SRU's next president to start monday

temporary president are most likely going to be discussed at the next SRU Council of Trustees meeting today.

Campus Coordinator Tina Moser said that the SRU community is welcome to attend the campus open sessions throughout the week held by Eric Holmes, Presidential Coordinator, in order to select SRU’s next president.

These sessions will allow the community to meet and interview the presidential candidates.

The schedule can accessed by visiting the SRU Presidential Search website at http://www.sru.edu/president/Pages/PresidentialSearch.aspx .

Three days before each candidate visits, their profiles will be posted on the website. Their profiles will include the candidate’s Curriculum Vitae, schedule, and a link to fill out a survey.

The first candidate that has been announced is Dr. Cheryl Norton who will be visiting Monday, Jan.

30 and Tuesday, Jan. 31. She will be having lunch with SRU student leaders at Boozel from 12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. Tuesday.

She will also be at the open forum with the Slippery Rock campus and community, which will be held at the Alumni House from 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Tuesday.

After attending the open forum, students, faculty and community members will be able to complete a survey about their opinion of the candidate on the SRU Presidential Search website.

“It’s important from the trustee’s standpoint that the community is involved. This is going to be our president. We’re looking for feedback from the community,” said Moser.

The next presidential candidate is expected to be announced Tuesday, and will be visiting campus Thursday, Feb. 2 and Friday, Feb. 3.

The SRU Council of Trustees hopes to have a new president in place by summer.

Dr. William Williams refused to comment.

Continued from Page A-1

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OPINION A-4The Rocket

The Rocket is published by the students of Slippery Rock University every Friday during the academic semester with the exception of holidays, exam periods and vacations. Total weekly circulation is 3,000. No material appearing in The Rocket may be reprinted without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief.

The first copy of The Rocket is provided free of charge. Additional copies may be purchased for 50 cents each.

The Rocket receives approximately five percent of its funding from the SGA General Service fee paid each semester by students. All other income is provided through the sale of advertising.

Advertising inquiries may be made by calling (724) 738-2643 or by e-mailing rocket.ads@sru.edu.

If we make a substantial error, we want to correct it. If you believe an error has been made, call The Rocket newsroom at (724) 738-4438. If a correction is warranted it will be printed in the opinion section.

Volume 94, Number 13

About Us

Corrections

Subscriptions to The Rocket are available. Subscriptions are $20 per academic semester and $35 for the full academic year. Inquiries should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief at the address listed here.

Subscriptions

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The Rocket welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Rocket retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes the property of The Rocket and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published.Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Please limit letters to a maximum of 400 words. Submit all material by noon Wednesday to: The Rocket, 220 ECB, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057. Or send it via e-mail to: rocket.letters@sru.edu.

The Rocket strives to present a diverse range of opinions that are both fair and accurate in its editorials and columns appearing on the Opinion pages. “Our View” is the opinion of the Fall 2011 Editorial Board and is written by Rocket editorial board members. It reflects the majority opinion of The Rocket Editorial Board. “Our View” does not necessarily reflect the views of Slippery Rock University, its employees or its student body. Columns and cartoons are drafted by various individuals and only reflect the opinions of the columnists.

Editorial Policy

Letters Policy

Brian Brodeur News Editor

Our View

Will Deshong News Reporter

January 27, 2012

In the QuadIn the Quad is a segment in which random students, faculty and staff

are asked for their opinions on a specific topic.

Matt LipeySenior safety management major

Hometown: St. Mary’s, Pa.

Kristen McSorleyJunior music therapy majorHometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Rob PortSophomore math major

Hometown: Ellwood City, Pa.

“No. It’s good by taking away piracy, but it also takes away some of our rights. There’s a better way to do it.”

“I’m against it. In ways I kind of feel that it’s legit, but I also think it’s the government trying to censor us in a way.”

“I’m against it. They cut down on freedom of speech by taking away basic American rights.”

This week’s question: Do you agree with the proposed SOPA/PIPA bills?

CARTOON BY OLIVIA TESTA

Proposed anti-piracy acts cause protests, unrest

Last week you may have noticed some of your favorite websites sporting a different look.

The largest online protest in the history of the Internet was launched on Wednesday, Jan. 18 against the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)/PIPA (Protect IP Act) bills.

The bills, which are currently being mulled over by Congress, call for putting a stop to piracy on the Internet.

Several of your favorite websites and ours, including Wikipedia, WordPress, Google, Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter, spoke out against the bills.

Both Wikipedia and WordPress participated in a “black-out,” essentially shutting down their sites for a day.

If you tried to go to their site on that fateful Wednesday, you were greeted by a black screen with a message explaining what SOPA/PIPA are, and why you should be against them.

Google took the “black-out” to a lesser extreme by placing a black box over their logo.

They also launched a petition called “End Piracy, Not Liberty,” which gained over 7 million electronic signatures.

Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg didn’t shut down the website, but instead posted a message on his own page clearly stating that Facebook is against the bills.

We’re with Zuckerberg on this one, and we applaud these websites for showing solidarity against the bills.

It obviously had an effect on lawmakers as well, since voting on the bills has been put on hold.

If you’re an avid fan of the Internet, which we know you all are, do yourself a favor and learn about these bills. Then, post about them on Facebook, Twitter and whatever other website you feel like.

It won’t go unnoticed by the lawmakers in Congress.

Internet “blackout” against SOPA largest online protest in history

SOPA/PIPA bills would be like killing a fl y with an atomic bomb

Many regular readers of this fine publication may notice that I am not, in fact, the indomitable Spencer Cadden presenting opinions on the great issues of the day. So, for readers new and old, allow me a few lines to introduce myself. As the byline above reads, my name is Dan Gladis. I am a freshman here at SRU majoring in history. I would eventually like to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a professor myself. Politically, I have fairly independent, oft-conflicting opinions that lead to frustration with both major political parties. I am an unabashed Europhile and advocate for constitutional monarchism, which normally leads to odd looks from people

wondering what that even means. Have no fear; I hope in future articles to get to those opinions. For now, I wish to focus on something a little closer to home than Europe: the SOPA and PIPA acts.

For those readers who don’t use the Internet (are there any?), look away now, as this does not apply to you. For everyone else who has joined the post-80s world, please listen up. Internet censorship has long been fairly far down the list of important issues Americans need to be aware of. That is, until recently, when congresspersons completely unqualified and unknowing of what the Internet actually is (and lovingly greased with motivation by music industry executives, corporate intellectual property lawyers, et. al.) began to think regulating the Internet was a good idea. In this ill-conceived ignorant stupor, the Senate and House wretched forth the PIPA and SOPA bills to do just that, and more. Though intended to stop online piracy and the like, they actually give almost unimaginable power to the government to shut down any website for a broad range of reasons without prior notice and criminally punish those who aren’t even aware that they have broken copyright law.

To distance myself from the radical position, I will say that yes, piracy is a problem, but the solution is not to kill a fly with an atomic bomb. There are other, better ways of dealing with online piracy and it starts with record executives realizing that no one in the general public has any sympathy for them. Oh, I’m sorry, you want another billion for your multi-billion dollar monopoly? Yeah, that seems totally reasonable. Until those folks realize that a certain amount of free, high-quality music actually leads to higher sales and not the reverse, then nothing will change (Journal of Internet and Marketing study, 2009). Since those people in charge of the music industry still call themselves, “record executives,” I think we know how malleable they will be to change the business model. Seriously, when was the last time someone bought a new 45?

The truly scary part about these acts for students is the effect they would have on Wikipedia (full disclosure, I am an editor there and have been for five years). While it’s certain that no student ever uses Wikipedia, or the links contained on articles therein, for papers, I am sure at least a few will feel the

pain of a shutdown Wikipedia. Why would Wikipedia be shut down? In one of the provisions of the bills, any website that even links to questionable copyright-related material can be shutdown without warning for violating the SOPA/PIPA acts. As Wikipedia is a totally user-generated encyclopedia, if one bad link slips by an editor’s notice, the basis of the internet’s free knowledge sector and the third most-visited website in the world will be shut down without question. For recourse, Wikipedia could be returned to service, but that could easily take many years of legal action.

There are dozens of other reasons to be violently reacting against these bills, but my time and space is short so I will simply ask the reader to become more educated by doing some research of their own. Also, call Congress and keep protesting these truly intolerable acts. While SOPA/PIPA are slowly being killed, the fight is far from over. Studio and record execs have lots of money to buy another bill, and the voice of the people is the only thing that can match it.

Dan Gladis is a freshman history major from Aliquippa, Pa.

Dr. DanDan Gladis

While watching television, I saw many different versions of the same concept. There are so many commercials about weight loss programs airing these days I can hardly keep up with them all.

These commercials are more popular than ever this time of the year with the close proximity to New Year’s Eve and the ever-so popular resolution to lose weight. The signs of these hastily made resolutions are all over SRU’s campus as well.

All of a sudden the wait for a treadmill is incredibly long, and there is hardly any room to think out loud, let alone work out. Soon these resolutioners will get over their newfound gym-rat self, and the gym will once again be filled with the same familiar faces it has always had.

My least favorite of these current weight loss campaigns is for Special K cereal.

This campaign insists that you need to lose weight to gain things.

The things that the Special K campaign claims you can gain by losing weight are not better health (lower cholesterol, etc.) but they are personality traits (sassy, etc.).

I find it absolutely ridiculous that Special K is claiming that you can gain personality by losing weight and being thinner.

By stating that, Special K is essentially saying that it is not possible to have great personality traits unless you’re thin.

The sad fact is that many women will buy into these campaigns and go in search of their sassiest and more personable side by trying to lose weight. Losing weight can help someone gain more confidence, but it cannot make someone have an entire personality makeover. By deluding women into thinking that, Special K is exploiting the already low self-esteem of women and making money doing so.

I am not sure whether or not Special K meant for this to be the implied message of their campaign, but if not, it’s a horrible method of phrasing.

Or perhaps the people planning the Special K campaign really believe that being content and full of personality is something only reserved for thin women. Whatever the reason, the type of marketing Special K is using is unhealthy and focuses on losing weight for all of the wrong reasons.

Losing weight and altering your diet to be healthier is a great thing and everyone should try to be the healthiest they can be. But by putting so much pressure and expectations on the outcomes of dieting, you’re losing sight of what is really important.

Having a New Year’s resolution is supposed to be something that enriches your life and helps you focus on an area in your life you want to work on.

If you want to become a more personable and exciting person in this new year, AWESOME. But don’t expect to gain this newfound glory by having a bowl of cereal in the morning.

Opinion A-5January 27, 2012

Jeannene Jones is a junior professional studies major from San Diego, Ca. She is also the public relations chair for FMLA.

FMLAJeannene Jones

LETTERS TO THE EDITORThe views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” section are those of the writer(s) alone.

The Rocket cannot verify all facts presented in a given letter, but if we are aware of an error or omission, we reserve the right to include an editorial note for accuracy’s sake.

Help APSCUF fi ght Corbett’s proposed budget freeze

Dear Rocket:

While students were off enjoying their holiday break, or, most likely, working at retail stores and restaurants to pay for their education, Governor Tom Corbett proposed mid-year budget freezes totaling $160 million.

The governor requested that the State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) freeze 5 percent – $20 million – of its state appropriation. The requested cut comes just six months after signing a budget that reduced funding for the State System by 18 percent. Students may remember that the governor’s original proposal to cut the appropriations to State System schools by over 50 percent was reduced due in large part to students’ protest.

Because PASSHE is an independent state agency, the governor cannot mandate the cut. Instead, the

Board of Governors must agree to the governor’s request. Although the Board of Governors has not yet acted on the request, if the State System complies, the total loss in the state appropriation will be over $112 million. Slippery Rock would have to freeze approximately $1.6 million.

Our students and our universities have already experienced the impact of the 18 percent cut. In June, the Board of Governors raised tuition 7.5 percent, the largest tuition hike since 2002.

According to a faculty survey conducted in the fall by APSCUF, the faculty and coaches union, respondents at 11 of the 14 institutions reported knowing students who were unable to return to school.

Those who are able to return to campus are seeing larger classes and fewer academic resources.

Our universities cannot continue to provide a quality education at the lowest possible cost to

students without critical state support. Dollars to support the operation of the university come from only two sources: student tuition and state support. The more reduced the state support becomes, the higher students’ tuition will go.

If students want to tell the governor that SRU cannot afford yet another cut to its budget, that students cannot afford yet another significant increase in their tuition, that students want classes small enough that the professor knows their names and has the time to work with them individually, they should stop by the SRU APSCUF table on Tuesday, January 31, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the University Union Lobby.

SRU APSCUF will not only distribute free postcards on which students can write a brief message, but will also pay the postage to have them mailed!

Students are part of the 99 percent. Fight back! SRU APSCUF will help you!

Jace Condravy, Professor President, SRU APSCUF

Thank you for your support Slippery Rock

Greetings SRU Friends,

So many times, we hear the negative news of what is happening on our campus.

I want to take this opportunity to share how wonderful and caring the people are at Slippery Rock University.

I was diagnosed with cancer in August 2011.

My treatment was to include four chemo treatments and then surgery.

I was going to have to miss classes, and I would also need extra time for assignments.

The support I received from my professors and classmates has been

phenomenal. My professors joined

together and assured me that they would work with me, and that I would graduate in the Spring of 2012 with my class, as planned.

The supp or t t he y have shown me during this semester has been amazing.

I n a d d i t i o n , m y classmates offered to help me in any possible way.

Some of them took notes, others recorded the lectures, and still others Skyped me into the sessions.

Just when I thought they had done everything possible, the Special Education/Elementar y E du c at i on c l a s s o f May 2012, along with my professors and Dr. Str ickland, set up a benefit fund in my name

They then proceeded to have fundraisers

and collect donations throughout the entire SRU campus.

What they collected was amazing! The heart and caring of the SRU community is awesome!

I have been shown such love and caring during this challenging time from my professors, classmates, and many others.

Thank you doesn’t even begin to express how I feel.

You have held me up and made it possible for me to continue toward my goals.

You have touched my heart and changed my life. From the bottom of my heart, I say THANK YOU!

Sharon Ietto, 48, senior special education and elementary education major

New union should’ve been named more carefully

My name is Noah True-Daniels and I am a Slippery Rock University alumnus; I graduated in 2007 with a degree in political science. 

I have just recently heard about the new student union that is to be named after President Smith. 

I have read that President Smith has done a lot to expand the campus. 

However I question the decision that was made to name the new student union after him, The Robert M. Smith Student Center. 

P l e a s e e x c u s e my b l u nt n e s s , b u t t h i s name does not at all s e em appropr iate to

m e c ons i d e r i ng t h e alternatives. 

I read that SRU’s Student Government Association init iated the naming resolution and that it was announced by The Council of Trustees. 

I would ask both of these groups if President Smith’s name really is the best choice, and why both of the groups seemed to, from my current knowledge, ignore the memory of the young soldiers that have graduated from SRU and were killed in Iraq. 

Wou l d n’t t h e n e w student union do better to be named after one of or all of these young heroes who were killed serving our country? 

Of the many positive things President Smith has done, he has, after all, just been doing his job. 

And if you think he has been doing more than his

job I would argue that as president that is exactly what is expected of him. 

If I was campus president I would not allow my name to be used to inaugurate the new student union in my honor. 

I would know that there are so many more persons that are more worthy than I that have given up their lives, their youth and their families in service of our country and our university. 

As president I would excuse myself and request a nobler name for the building. 

Student unions represent the heart of a campus and I believe a better name can be created that reflects the sacrifices of our student population that have died overseas in the military.  

Noah True-DanielsSRU alumnus, 2007

Weight loss campaigns push wrong message

Demand for technology has gotten out of hand

Technology has always been a popular luxury that was mostly associated with youth, but over the years it has transformed to a fully capable and living force. It has pushed society forward and controls what sells and thrives. Whether or not you agree with the push for new technology, it has truly become the new medium for the twenty-first century.

I made this initial discovery at, of all places, a Red Robin.

My father exhaled a long, frustrated grunt as he viciously typed on his iPad. Then suddenly, surrounded by an oversized BBQ burger and a beer, he exclaimed, “I CANNOT believe they don’t have Wi-Fi in here!”

“In a Red Robin?” I looked over to him hoping that the sarcasm would be understood, but the gravely serious look on his face said otherwise.

Obviously, there was no Wi-Fi in the Red Robin. He aggressively scanned the decorated walls as if he could create a router out of thin air. Who knew? Maybe there was a secret Wi-Fi source behind the retro-1950s Coca-Cola poster? In this day and age, you can never be sure.

Technology has touched base in most every consumer category available. Technology is in television, electronics, business, exercising equipment and home appliances. Of course, the most progressive and in demand is the Internet. Everyone now uses the Internet. College students, young kids, grandparents, adults and parents all use the Internet on a daily basis to Tweet, Facebook, blog, get news, contact others and email. There are even new verbs. You can ‘Google’ anything or ‘Facebook’ someone to keep in touch. It has started a revolution. Now the only thing we have to do is follow where it leads and hope that we won’t arrive to any serious consequences.

If we can’t stop the inevitable, we at least have to pick a stance on the growing resource. There is more to think about than whether or not you have a Twitter account, but truly weighing out the consequences of going viral.

The pros? It’s quick and readily available,

although it’s not always accurate. It also gives us opportunities we would have never had ten years ago. The Internet and social networking sites make marketing yourself for the job market simple and give you more outlets to share your talents and experiences.

As a student who is going to have to rely on marketing herself in a few years, I take full advantage of sharing on the Internet. My first year writing for The Rocket, family members would share my articles from The Rocket’s website and email each other. When it came to Christmas, I was getting compliments from family members I haven’t seen since I was five years old. The Internet works off of the idea that people will share something they like. So, if you have or make something that someone does want to share, it creates more of a social web for you to weave and profit from.

Any skill or thought that puts you above the rest can be published for the world to see and makes it easier for you to get noticed. It’s those small details that will make you more marketable for a future career, no matter what the profession.

But the idea of everything being in the palm of our hands has an effect on society. We all want instant results. It’s not known which came first: the technology or the demand, but whatever the origin, technology has created a demand for immediate gratification. This isn’t always a negative, but it can overshadow the need for quality. We confuse convenience for durability. Technology can change our priorities and confuse quantity for quality.

Technology also puts face-to-face conversation on the back burner. Call me biased for choosing Communications as a future career, but I believe that our ability to text someone rather than call, or even send them a Facebook message instead of a letter, can endanger real life communication. If technology is balanced correctly, the pros will overshadow the cons, but something struck a chord in me when a grown man cursed a Red Robin for not having Wi-Fi.

I will say that I’m for the expansion of technology, but also try and keep my personal skills in high demand.

The Internet is only one branch of the constantly growing technology tree, but it is a prime example of how technology is a major part of our daily lives.

However, I will forever oppose Kindles. Anyone can get them if they would like to, but I will always take comfort in my paper books.

Social StigmasChole Finigin

Chloe Finigin is a sophomore emerging technology major from Cape Cod, Mass.

CLASSIFIEDS A-6January 27, 2012

The Rocket

2 Bedroom Apt Close to campus/McKay for2 renters; clean; large living area;Reserved park-ing spaces. $375/month (each) Plus utilities. Not in large apt com-plex.724-794-2200.

27, 2012For Rent

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Apartment Sub-let: Pay $100.00 per month less than the going rate or receive a $500.00 check up front if you can take over this lease for the Spring Semester at University Vil-lage @ Slippery Rock. Looking to take over the lease for a sin-gle bedroom in a 4BR/4 Bath A p a r t m e n t . Please call Jeff at 412-874-6231 or Danielle at 412-874-1146 for fur-ther information

House for rent in

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COMICSJanuary 27, 2012

Blundergrads Blundergrads By Phil FlickingerBy Phil Flickinger

SudokuSudoku By Michael MephamBy Michael Mepham

Solution

The Rocket

By Nancy BlackTribune Media

Services(MCT)

To d a y ' s Bi r t h d a y ( 0 1 / 2 7 / 1 2 ) . W h a t incredible exploration have you planned this year? Discovery calls. Backyard travels satisfy just fine (and are much lighter on the wallet). Make sure you've invited the gang, and then whatever happens is certain to be fun.

To get the advantage, check the day's rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is an 8 -- With the moon in your sign, confidence is yours, and you talk a fine game. Let wild inspiration carry you away, and dive into action. Get others moving, too.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is a 7 -- The pressure's increasing, a n d t h e g a m e ' s getting more intense. Contemplate your next move, and confer with your team. Refine your presentation.

Gemini (May 21-June 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Everyone wants to get together ... ask them

to help with tasks, and together you make short work of it . Develop a profitable scheme. Collaborate with courage and creativity.

Cancer (June 22-July 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Choose for fit, comfort and style. There's a period of testing, or trying things on. How does the role fit? Fulfill a fantasy. Talk it over.

L eo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Getting involved in a social project feeds your spirit. Travel conditions look good, especially if the price is right. C o m mu n i c at e l o n g distances. Shop carefully.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Go over your resources, and get into the details. What you learn helps with decisions regarding future direction. Check out an i nte re s t i ng suggestion.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- You and an older partner are stirring things up for the next few days. You can solve a puzzle. Establish new rules. Start by fixing whatever's broken.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- There may be a conflict

between wanting change and want ing things to stay the same. Be creative, and see if you can have it both ways. You're too busy to mess around.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- You're lucky in love for the next two days. Others look to you for ethical leadership. A surprising development opens a new perspective. Friends balance it out.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Your family plays an important role, later to day and throug h the weekend. It's not too late to organize an impromptu party at your house. Dreams are good.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is an 8 -- Mercury enters your sign. For the next few weeks, your elastic mind bulges with ideas. Write your book; communicate your thoughts. Make the most of it.

Pi s c e s ( Fe b. 1 9 -March 20) -- Today is a 9 -- Turn your energy toward making money. It's hidden in places that you couldn't imagine before. Interact with connections for mutual benefit.

HoroscopesHoroscopes

A-7Life in HellLife in Hell By Matt GroeningBy Matt Groening(Th)ink(Th)ink By Keith KnightBy Keith Knight

That Monkey Tune That Monkey Tune By Michael A. KandalaftiBy Michael A. Kandalafti

A-8 January 27, 2011

January 27, 2012

SPORTS B-1The Rocket

Big shots lead to victory over Gannon

ALEX MOWREY/THE ROCKETSenior guard Devin Taylor raises up for a 3-pointer against a Gannon University defender. Taylor attempted fi ve 3-pointers and made three of them. As a team, SRU battled back from an 11-point second half defi cit to beat Gannon and relied on making several 3-pointers down the stretch to win.

By Madeline Williams

Assistant Sports Editor

Despite trailing by 11 points with 14 minutes left to play, the Slippery Rock University men’s basketball team outscored Gannon University of Pennsylvania 37-19 during the final stretch of the game, leading to a 70-63 victory on Wednesday night.

The Rock (12-5 overall, 9-4 PSAC) battled back and forth with the Golden Knights (9-8 overall, 7-6 PSAC) throughout the entire game.

The win marks the third straight for the Green and White and the seventh win in the last eight games for the team.

Junior forward Tabari Perry led the team with 15 points and 12 rebounds as he finished with his second “double-double” of the season.

Senior guard Devin Taylor scored 14 points, junior guard John Bayardelle added 13 points and senior guard Jon Valeriano had 12 points and six assists.

Junior center Luiz Santos had nine rebounds and freshman Chaquille Pratt added an additional nine points and five rebounds for the win.

Taylor, who currently l e a d s t h e P S AC i n rebounds, had only two boards on Wednesday night. Taylor also got into some early foul trouble and was benched for much of the game.

The first half featured back and forth leads by both teams. In the first three and a half minutes, the Rock went out to a 9-2 lead, only to have the Golden Knights go on a 7-0 run and tie the game 9-9 with 13:30 left in the half.

S R U s c o r e d s i x

unanswered points in the next 90 seconds, but Gannon battled back with eight unanswered points of their own to take their first lead of the game, 17-15 with just under eight minutes left in the first half.

The Green and White earned back the lead at 20-19 with 4:15 left, but once again Gannon fought back with a 6-0 run and took the lead, 25-20 with 2:20 left before halftime. Again, the Rock came back strong with a 5-0 run, tying the game at 25-25 heading into the half.

Coming back from the half, the Golden Knights scored 19 of the first 27 points to take a big lead over the Rock, 44-33 with 14 minutes remaining in the game.

The Rock fought back and scored 18 of the next 25 points, and with a 3-pointer by Taylor, the score was tied 51-51 with 7:50 left in the game.

G a n n o n s t o l e t h e momentum back from the Green and White by scoring the next six points and mustering a 57-51 lead with 4:30 remaining.

Pratt scored five points in 23 seconds, including a clutch 3-pointer, during the Rock’s 8-0 run within the next minute to regain the lead, 59-57.

Bayardelle hit two deep threes for the Rock to move the Rock’s lead to a securing 65-60 advantage.

The Green and White f inished the game by making five of six foul shots in the final minutes to clinch the win for the Rock.

He a d c o a ch Ke v i n Reynolds credits the entire team with stepping it up.

“We typically play nine guys in every game ranging between 15-30 minutes each,” Reynolds said. “It

was really a team effort by the guys on Wednesday, and the constant rotations keep the guys playing to their full potential.”

SRU finished with a 35 percent (23-65) in total shots with a 39 percent (9-23) in 3-pointers. The Rock buried 65 percent (15-23) of free throws.

Gannon shot 41 percent (24-59) from the field, shot four of 12 from 3-point range, and hit 82 percent (11-13) of their foul shots.

Additionally, the Rock held a 42-40 advantage in rebounds and had less turnovers than Gannon (14-11).

The third place Rock team has now turned their attention to tomorrow's game against current PSAC leader Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Reynolds said.

“The game tomorrow is very important for us,” Reynolds said. “We approach ever y game with the same state of mind, because they’re all important, but a win tomorrow would really improve our record and our ranking in the PSAC.”

Taylor said that many factors will help get them a win tomorrow.

"Defense, rebounds, and unselfishness have been the keys to our recent victories, and hopefully all of those aspects fall into place for us tomorrow."

IUP is currently in first place for the PSAC, followed by Mercyhurst University (12-5, 10-5), then SRU in third place. California University of Pennsylvania (11-8, 8-5)moved into a tie with Clarion University (12-7. 8-5) for fourth place. Edinboro University (9-8, 7-6) and Gannon are tied for sixth place. Lock Haven University is seventh (0-16, 0-13).

By P.J. ShipeRocket Contributor

Slippery Rock women’s basketball (5-12 overall,

1-2 PSAC) fell to Gannon University (14-3 overall, 11-2 PSAC) 79-62 on Wednesday night at the Hammermil Center.

Th e Rock kept the game

close in the fi rst half, but an early run by the Lady Knights opened up a 10 point lead at 45-35, and SRU never recovered.

Gannon was led by Nettie

Blake with 16 points as well as four other players in double fi gures.

SRU head coach Tanya Longo said that Blake is a strong player on a strong

team and contributes in many diff erent ways for the Lady Knights.

“Blake is a very good player and their team has balanced scoring while being team oriented and a lot of that is because of Blake.”

Slippery Rock was led by senior forward Danielle Smith with a team high 15 points to go along with six rebounds.

The Rock also got contributions from their bench with freshman guard D’asia Chambers chipping in nine points.

In addition, SRU had multiple players in double fi gures such as sophomore forward Jasmine Copper, junior guard Er inne Cunningham, and senior guard Sherita Stanley.

Slippery Rock fi nished the game shooting 45.6 percent (26-for-57) from the fl oor but a dismal 28 percent (8-for-28) from behind the ark.

On the other hand, Gannon shot 50 percent

(29-for-58) from the fl oor but was on fi re from behind the three-point line going 53 percent (8-for-15).

SRU fell behind Gannon early in the first half and was down 17-8 before a 9-0 run tied the game at 17. Th e Rock kept the game close through the rest of the half and a 3-pointer right before the half brought SRU within 4.

In addition, Gannon went to the free throw line early and oft en while making 13 of 20 attempts compared to Slippery Rock who only visited the charity stripe four times. Gannon also won the turnover battle in convincing fashion by fi nishing plus eight.

Longo said that ball control and Gannon’s ability to make shots led to the loss.

“We were not taking care of the basketball tonight,” she said. “We also couldn’t stop Gannon from making 3-pointers.”

Rock outplayed by Gannon in second half, drop third straight

SEE WOMEN'S, PAGE B-2

ALEX MOWREY/THE ROCKETFreshman guard D'Asia Chambers battles against Gannon University forward Jen Papich as she drives the lane in an attempt to score. Chambers scored nine points as her foe Papich scored 11 points.

SportsB-2 January 27, 2012

Forgotten Angels travel to Haiti

ALEX MOWREY/THE ROCKETJunior guard Paris Thomas dribbles the ball up court against the Gannon University Lady Knights on Wednesday night in a 79-62 loss. Thomas had four assists for the Rock.

By Kristin KaramRocket Contributor

A long winter break can put a lot of pressure on college athletes. Everyone wants to catch up with old friends and just relax, but with a season still ahead of them, the Slippery Rock indoor track and fi eld team has to stay focused and stick to their workout plan.

Sophomore distance runner Travis Arrigoni said remaining focused on

staying in shape and staying prepared is the key to success for the team.

“It was extremely important to maintain and build our fitness during the winter break,” Arrigoni said. “We all worked very hard during the fall to get in good shape, so we didn’t want to lose the fi tness we had gained. With no coaches or teammates to work with every day, we had to ask ourselves ‘how bad do we want to be good’ and put in the work, become

self-motivated, and make no excuses.”

To help the athletes remain motivated throughout the break, the coaches provided them with a calendar. Each athlete was instructed to record their workouts on the calendar and hand them in when school got back in session.

This system helped the athletes have a visual motivation tool, and let the coaches know that everyone was continuing to work hard

while at home.Once the spring semester

began, the team jumped right back into their regular practice schedule in preparation for the Youngstown State University Invitational being held today. The team meets Monday through Friday for two hours each day, with a few weight lift ing sessions.

Leading the team to the meet is head coach, John Papa, who is entering his 25th year with the program.

Behind Papa is a well-qualifi ed staff consisting of six assistant coaches and a graduate assistant, each specializing in a specific event.

Assistant coach, Meagan Cook, is in charge of the throwers, and is also the team’s strength and conditioning coordinator. Cook was pleased with the overall condition of the team when they returned from break and feels they are in a good position to do well this

weekend.“Expectations for this

meet are mainly to get back into competing and try to match where we were in the fall. We hope to make some progress and work towards improving,” said Cook.

The Youngstown State University Invitational is held in the Watson and Tressel Training Site. The meet is not very large, but will be a great opportunity for the Rock to get back into the routine of competing.

Women's basketball looks to end losing streak against IUP

Indoor track stays prepared over break

Chambers agreed with her coach and said that the team will be in better shape if they’re able to cut down on mental errors.

“Gannon’s a good team and they capitalized on our mistakes,” Chambers said. “We need to improve our mental mistakes and turnovers and we’ll be fi ne.”

Stanley said that it wasn’t anything that Gannon accomplished but what SRU failed to do that led to the loss.

“Gannon didn’t do anything special to win that game, they just played their style,” Stanley said. “We need to make some improvements for the IUP game.”

Th e Green and White has lost three straight games,

which is the second longest losing streak this season. Th e longest was a six game streak that stretched through the end of November and into December.

SRU’s next game will be at Morrow Field House tommorow against Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 1 p.m.

IUP is led by Sarah Pastorek, who averages 13 points per game to go along with 7 rebounds and Ashley Stoner also averages double fi gures with 10 points per game to go along with 5 rebounds.

Th e Crimson Hawks have compiled a 15-2 overall record this season with an impressive 5-1 record in PSAC conference play and are undefeated on the road this season.

Continued from Page B-1

By Madeline Williams

Assistant Sports Editor

On January 12, 2010, a devastating 7.0 earthquake hit the Caribbean nation of Haiti, near Port-au-Prince.

While billions of dollars have been donated to the country, the rebuilding process has been slow, and thousands of natives are still homeless.

O n t h e t wo - ye ar anniversary of the quake, the Slippery Rock University Athletes for Forgotten Angels group traveled to Haiti for a week to visit orphanages and help with the cleanup process.

This is the second trip to Haiti that the student-athletes have taken. The group also traveled to New Orleans in 2009 to help with cleanup after Hurricane Katrina, and St. Lucia in 2010 to help organize sport clinics for children.

The Forgotten Angels group took 15 large boxes of donated athletic equipment and school supplies.

Junior Sarah Cadwallader, a member of the women's volleyball team and president of Forgotten Angels, said that the time they spent with the children was the best part of the trip to Haiti.

"The most rewarding experience is knowing we made an impact in the lives of the kids," Cadwallader said. "We've all heard from them since we've been back, so we know that we have relationships with them even though we're in different countries."

Senior Alyssa Barrett, a member of the women's soccer team, said that spending time with the people of Haiti and knowing they enjoyed the time they spent with them was the greatest feeling.

"Th e highlight of the trip for me was the day we started a game of beach soccer – Haitians versus Americans,"

Barrett said. "Even though they beat us, it was so much fun playing together."

Barrett said the saddest part of the trip was leaving all of the new friends they had made in Haiti.

"The hardest part was

defi nitely saying goodbye and hearing the kids ask when we'll be back again," Barrett said.

Also making the trip to Haiti with Cadwallader and Barrett was Teresa Elliott, Emer Flatley, Dana

O'Neill, Alli Fleagle, Michael Formento, Emily Lobdell, Jessica Shroyer, and Kalli Wakefi eld, along with head women's soccer coach, Noreen Herlihy, and assistant women's soccer coach, Ashley Martin.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH CADWALLADERJunior volleyball player and president of the Forgotten Angels, Sarah Cadwallader travelled with the rest of the Forgotten Angels down to Haiti to provide aid and continued relief after the 2010 earthquake that has had the small nation rebuilding since.

SportsJanuary 27, 2012 B-3

The recent death of former Pennsylvania State University head football coach, Joe Paterno, brought up several thoughts in my head.

None specifically about his l ife or the recent scandal that surrounded him and forced him out of Penn State, but the way the news was released.

Many of you may have read about the false report that was released by “Onward State,” which is a community journalism group at Penn State.

For those of you that h ave n’t h e ard ab out i t , “O n w a r d S t a t e” prematurely reported that Paterno died several hours before his actual death.

The managing editor posted a tweet saying that Paterno died and the news spread rapidly. Organizations and people f rom CBS Spor ts to Anderson Cooper reposted and retweeted that Paterno was dead.

In a matter of 45 minutes, the story came full circle and it was revealed that Paterno wasn’t actually dead.

The next mor ning Paterno did die and from an overall sports fan’s view, it’s a terrible loss for college football and sports in general – but that isn’t the main purpose of this piece.

The main purpose is to consider how sports re p or t e r s an d n e w s reporters in general seem to be giving accuracy a backseat and focusing on immediacy over actually having the correct facts to report.

Adding to the idea of immediacy is the use of the mediums that we receive much of this information through.

Many of the breaking news stories that have occurred over the past several months had the news broken via Twitter or some other social media.

This use of social media is especially expansive in sports lately, as you can follow pretty much every professional athlete and have the capability of having conversations with some of them on Twitter.

Many popular stories have broken on Twitter and some stories have even been caused because of Twitter.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was fined $25,000 for criticizing NBA officials on the site.

Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was traded after he made comments criticizing the head coach on Twitter. Many other tweets have led

to major stories, as well. With this new medium

becoming a huge part of mainstream sports news, journalists and fans must look at both the pros and cons of this usage.

One of the main pros of Twitter, and the Internet in general, is the immediacy that information can be released.

I’ve watched ESPN and SportsCenter many times

in the past few months and have seen athletes quoted direct ly f rom Twitter on their thoughts after a game, updates of their injury status and many other things.

Q u o t i n g s o m e o n e from Twitter is a rather unorthodox way to go about gathering quotes and information from stories, but the influence of so c ia l media has

completely changed the way that journalism is now reported.

The main concern that I have with journalists using Twitter to quickly release or gain information is that anyone can post anything on these sites, and you must do some footwork yourself to truly check if the information is valid and sound.

Without thoroughly

checking your sources, we end up in a situation similar to the one with Joe Paterno’s death being prematurely spread over Twitter and the Internet.

The Internet and social media are great ways to gather information, but the ultimate goal of journalism is to check your sources and make sure that you release accurate information for all of your readers.

Sports EditorTim Durr

Paterno death shows issues with social media

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUSJoe Paterno was the head coach at Penn State University for 46 years before a scandal came out about a former coach of his and sexual assault that wasn't reported until years after it happened. Paterno was released of his coaching duties and died Sunday of lung cancer.

B-4 January 27, 2011

CAMPUS LIFE C-1The Rocket

January 27, 2012

By James MeyerAssistant Campus Life Editor

The spring semester has begun. Spring conjures up images of fresh leaves on the trees, fun in the sun aft er a long winter, putting away the winter coats and breaking out the shorts and t-shirts. But, as anyone who has lived in Slippery Rock knows, winter can certainly take its time turning into spring. It’s not uncommon in this area to experience snowfall as late as April.

Fortunately, there are few outdoor activities that do not have indoor alternatives. Indoor tracks and treadmills substitute for outdoor running. Indoor swimming pools make any day a good day for a swim. And for those who like their skin to

maintain a golden hue, tanning salons are an alternative to lying in the sun.

Dreary weather needn’t stop people from getting a good tan, and some people continue to use tanning salons even in the summer months. Indoor tanning beds make a nice golden tan a quick and easy commodity.

However, it is known that ultraviolet radiation from the sun can cause skin cancer and a number of other skin-related problems. With this information as common knowledge, it seems strange that people continue to pay to expose themselves to artificial ultraviolet radiation.

Studies show that f requent sunbathing and indoor tanning may be a type of addictive behavior. Is indoor

tanning a harmless hobby or a harmful habit? Is there such a thing as a tanning addiction?

A 2005 study by researchers at the University of Texas concluded that frequent tanners exhibit behavior that could be classifi ed as

“addiction to the sun” or “ultraviolet radiation dependency.”

The study involved evaluating sunbathers who continued to spend time in the sun in spite of knowing that

Tanning can lead to addiction symptoms

GRAPHIC BY LIANA PITTMAN Both the CDC and personnel from the Student Health Center warn against the potential dangers of indoor tanning. Nevertheless, indoor tanning remains a thriving industry. Several studies have shown results that excessive and frequent tanning may be an addictive behavior.

Living with "tanorexia" Weather a common cause of depression

By Courtney TietjeRocket Contributor

While some students his age may find themselves dreaming of various hopes and desires, junior management major Scott McGinn is dreaming of snow. McGinn, 21, said he has been looking forward to the winter, a season that brings snow, ice, sleet and slush – and with it, work.

McGinn said he has been doing snow removal for six years now and currently runs his own business, McGinn Lawn and Landscaping, under which he does landscaping jobs in the summer and snow removal in the winter. He works throughout the North and South Hills area of Pittsburgh, PA, which he calls home.

Snow remova l inc ludes shoveling, salting, and plowing, and often involves hitting the streets immediately after it snows, which often leads to long nights and early mornings—sometimes as early as 3 a.m., he said.

But for McGinn, the job is so much more than just relentless work. According to McGinn, his love of snow began when he was a child and his dad was in the

snow removal business. McGinn would ride in the snowplow with his father, learning the “how-to’s” of snow removal.

“When I was younger, my dad did snowplowing, so he would take me with him in the mornings and drop me off at school afterwards,” McGinn said.

Preferring to be outdoors and his love of skiing have also influenced his career choice.

“It’s fun for me,” he said. “I always tell people that you have to enjoy doing this to be able to do it.”

But is there such a thing as too much snow?

According to McGinn, there is not. He happily recalls the February 2010 blizzard, which he referred to as “Snowmaggedon.” It was during this time that Pittsburgh received about 21 to 22 inches of snow within the frame of two days.

McGinn said he remembers plowing for 24 hours non-stop, getting a few hours of sleep, and heading back to work for another 12-hour day of plowing soon afterward.

But when a warm spell of weather strikes, melting the snow, workers like McGinn use the time

to further prepare themselves.“I just make sure all of my

equipment is ready for when it does finally snow,” McGinn said. “I also have a few friends who plow, so I will lend them a hand preparing, if they need it. But once everything is ready, I just kind of relax and play some Xbox

and look for landscape jobs that can be done in the meantime.”

It’s not all fun and games, though, according to McGinn. He pinpoints the dangers of snowplowing and reminds drivers that they should abstain from venturing out onto the road after snowfall.

“It’s hard to get places clean with [other drivers] on the roads,” Scott said. “They don’t realize that in a truck, you don’t have as good a view from your mirrors, so you have to watch out for people walking behind you

SEE FLEXIBLE, PAGE C-3

SEE CENTER, PAGE C-3

Seasonal Affective Disorder can manifest during any time of year

Student's love of outdoors and winter spor ts leads to enjoyment of snow removal job

By Rebecca MarcucciRocket Contributor

Some students may find themselves experiencing overwhelming feelings regarding their schedules and the cold weather. This concept can lead to a type of depression psychologists call Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Stemming from depression, SAD is described as feelings of depression influenced by changing seasons, according to Dr. Jason Braun, assistant professor and licensed psychologist at Slippery Rock University.

“SAD manifests during certain times of the year,” Braun said. “Typically you’re going to see it in the winter months where the light is less.”

Braun explained how some suffer from symptoms of depression that can appear gradually or come all at once, but SAD is most commonly seen during the fall and winter months. He added the symptoms could also arise in spring or summer months.

Braun had first heard about and considered Seasonal Affective Disorder in one of his doctorate classes during college.

“I thought it made sense,” he said. “Anecdotally, we all notice a change in the weather and light and how it affects our mood and energy. From a personal level someone could definitely see where that might be impactful.”

Braun also explained how a distinction must first be made in discovering whether or not Seasonal Affective Disorder could be the cause of a student’s feelings associated with depression.

“We kind of become aware of when their symptoms of depression emerge,” he said. “We look for a pattern of when they start and when they stop. There is a general pattern to their symptoms versus someone who has some other form of depression.”

According to Braun, treatments used to help patients with SAD include creating a game plan before the seasonal depression feelings sink in. He also added that staying active is very important.

Braun added that daily routine can be a huge motivator when it comes to Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms, such as paying attention to your light intake during the day and at night time.

“It may not be enough to have just one light on,” he said. “When you’re working at night be aware of how much light is in your room. You might need to brighten up the room and help your body with circadian rhythms and putting yourself in a better mood.”

Braun suggested certain methods for someone with frequent or critical SAD.

SEE SYMPTOMS, PAGE C-3

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK MCGINNScott Mcginn, a junior management major, says that he learned his snowplay skills from his father. In spite of the long hours and dangerous driving, McGinn says that the job suits him well.

Campus LifeC-2 January 27, 2012

Th e Internet has become a community for fashion lovers to get tips, give advice and read about the latest trends in the fashion industry.

With Internet fashion sites becoming more popular every day, now is the time to start taking advantage of what they have to off er, if you haven’t already.

Over the past few years, blogging has become a popular way for regular girls to gain notoriety for their fashion sense. They put together stylish outfi ts with pieces from inexpensive stores, like Forever 21, and mix them with designer items from the likes of Chanel and Prada. Some bloggers even use vintage pieces and thrift store items in their outfi ts, making them more unique.

In addition to putting together highly coveted looks, they share pictures of their fashion inspirations from the runway and cities around the globe that they have visited. “Teen Vogue” pays homage to bloggers daily on their website with a special section called “Fashion Click Look of the Day.” Fans of the magazine can get in on the action with a section of their own called,

“Best-Dressed Reader of the Day.”

Here, “Teen Vogue” staff members comment on bloggers’ looks, and readers share what makes their personal style unique. Fans of the website can also check out the “Fashion Click” section to see the top 100 most popular bloggers on the internet.

Scoring a front row seat at Fashion Week may be an impossible feat for most people, unless you’re a Kardashian or an Olsen, but there is still a way to watch your favorite designers showcase their collections on the ultimate stage.

YouTube is the place to go to in search of the footage of your favorite designer’s spring, fall and winter runway shows. Most designers even have their own channel where you can view their line and special backstage footage where makeup artists and hairstylists show you how they create the looks that you see the models wearing as they walk down the runway.

There is even a channel called “Fashion Week” where you can view collections from years past to see how a designer’s creative vision has evolved over the years.

Before heading to the mall to buy a new outfi t, make sure you scope out the runway shows from the comfort of your couch fi rst.

One would assume that finding the same outfits celebrities wear would be impossible to fi nd, but that simply isn’t the case.

Over the past few years, fans

have taken the initiative to surf the internet and hit the mall in the hopes of fi nding the pieces that we see celebrities like Lea Michele and Selena Gomez wear in movies, television appearances, and more. A number of these websites also off er guides on how to style your makeup and hair like your favorite star.

Th e best resource on the web for the ultimate “Glee” fan is http://www.fashionofglee.com. Both male and female characters have style guides available, so you can fi nd a Rachel Berry chic outfi t for yourself and an ensemble worthy of Finn Hudson for your boyfriend.

In regards to Selena Gomez’s style, head over to http://www.selenastyle.com to fi nd exact matches of her fl irty stage outfi ts and hair, and makeup guides to go with it. Most of the clothes featured on these websites can be bought in various stores, though they aren’t always affordable. The average college student can’t afford a pricey pair of Louboutin heels, but look-a-likes are also available.

Don’t wait for your monthly magazine to come in the mail - just jump on your computer for a quick fashion fi x.

Inspiration comes in many forms, so don’t be afraid to try new styles and websites. It’s as easy as trying on a pair of shoes.

"ROCK'n Fashion"Katie Ellis

Katie Ellis is a freshman journalism major and a regular contributor to The Rocket.

Fashion tips found in blogs and websites

Ask Ana is a weekly advice column featuring questions from the students and community of Slippery Rock.

To send a question to Ana, send her an email at askanagraham@ymail.com or send her a message on Facebook at www.facebook.com/askanagraham.

Dear Ana, What do you do when you

feel inferior to everyone around you?

Self-conscious

Dear Self-conscious,I’ve felt this way before

and it can be a rough process to get rid of this thinking.

Personally, whenever I feel this way, I ask myself what or who – and it is usually a “who” – makes me feel this way. I then question the logic I use that makes me feel that I am inferior. Am I comparing two unlike things on an unfair scale? Is this what others want me to feel, or have I just convinced myself that this is true?

After I crush my logic, I then do what I think will validate my feelings of equality or even superiority. Sometimes I do this by working harder and accomplishing more in one way or another than the people who I felt inferior

to. Sometimes I do this by crushing my enemies physically with a club or mentally with Jedi mind tricks - this option varies according to the situation.

Finally, I come to terms with the fact that I am diff erent from everyone else and that everyone else is diff erent, too.

I fi nd one can take solace in the fact that many people do feel this way from time to time, including those we feel inferior to.

Dear Ana,I am a woman who don’t

need no man. However, I have a small problem. I compulsively cook, clean, and crochet doilies. How do I hide my housewife?

Closeted Housewife

Dear Closeted Housewife,I don’t understand the

stigma domestic activities have with this modern-day crowd. If you like something, then embrace it. Th ere is nothing wrong about a woman - who labels herself independent - or a man, enjoying any of these hobbies.

There is no need for you to hide your activities for others, because your hobbies are not indicative of your personality - only very shallow people would assume you’re a stereotypical, old-timey, barefoot-in-the-kitchen kind of girl.

Also, you shouldn’t hide what you enjoy, because it is a part of you that your friends should know about – especially the cooking part. No one will ever think twice about your hobbies if you cook them good food.

Dear Ana,I have an 8 a.m. class for

the fi rst time in my college career. To most people, this is just annoying because they can’t sleep in, but for me this is going to be more than annoying because I can’t wake up.

I ’ v e a l w a y s h a d attendance problems with my 9 and 9:30 a.m classes, but I know this is going to be worse. I sleep a good ten hours per night and nap during the day, and I need all of this sleep or I can’t function at all.

What should I do to make sure I don’t fail my 8 a.m.?

Rip van College Student

Dear Rip,That is a ridiculous

amount of sleep and I hate you because I do not have the time to sleep that much. However, it doesn’t seem right for you to need so much sleep. I seriously suggest you get that checked.

You didn’t say anything about using an alarm, but I am assuming you use one. If you don’t, then for heaven’s sake, buy one. Make sure your alarm is nice and loud and obnoxious (as a side eff ect, this may also solve any rude neighbor issues you may have).

There are alarm clocks with intentionally annoying alarms out there. If you use your cell phone, pick a song that you hate to be the alarm ringtone.

If you honestly believe you need that much sleep, then in order to wake up you may just have to go to bed earlier, whether you want to or not.

Answer:

Ask Ana

"Ana Graham" is a senior public relations major and a regular contributor to Th e Rocket.

"Ana Graham"

Question:

Question:

Answer:

Question:

Answer:

Your AdHERE!!HERE!!E-mail

rocket.ads@sru.edurocket.ads@sru.edu

the behavior is bad for them. The study reported that the

subjects showed symptoms that are common in cases of alcohol and drug dependency. Such symptoms include being aware of the danger and feelings of guilt associated with the continued behavior.

Renee Bateman, Coordinator for Health Promotion, recommends that people consult with their dermatologist or primary care provider for safety guidelines when it comes to indoor tanning.

“It might ultimately depend on your skin type,” Bateman said. “Those who are fairer skinned

might have more problems. It’s good to be outside. It’s good to have exposure to the sun as long as you’re protecting yourself appropriately and using sunscreen. In a tanning bed a lot of people are not using sunscreen.”

Bateman said that frequency of tanning is also a factor in one’s potential risk for skin cancer.

“Skin cancers and diff erent types of cancer, as well as premature aging, depending on how oft en people are going, would be the main concern,” Bateman said.

B a t e m a n r e c o m m e n d s that all students follow the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in regards to skin protection and

tanning. Th e CDC recommends year-round protection from the ultraviolet rays of the sun by the wearing of hats and long sleeved shirts, and using shade and sunscreen.

Th e CDC recommends avoiding indoor tanning, which exposes a person to direct ultraviolet radiation. A suntan is, in fact, the skin’s response to damage from the sun, according to the CDC.

Th e CDC cites both indoor and outdoor tanning as being linked to skin and eye cancer.

Sophomore early education and special education major and frequent indoor tanner Kellie Sub, 19, believes that indoor tanning can be harmful for those who do

not take appropriate precautions.“My sister actually used to work

in a tanning salon, so a lot of the things I know I’ve learned from her, because she’s had to take classes to get certifi ed in it,” Sub said. “I’ve been at her work and seen people coming every single day all throughout the year, and you can tell it’s really taking a toll on their skin.”

Sub considers tanning to be a nice way to relax at the end of a long day. She tans every other day and not all year round.

“I feel like it’s just an easier way to get tanner,” Sub said. “I wouldn’t consider it addicting. You try to take precautions by using lotions and wearing goggles.

It can defi nitely hurt your skin if you don’t use lotion.”

In 2005, Archives of Dermatology, a journal of the American Medical Association, published a study, which concluded that individuals who frequently and repetitively use indoor tanning can develop symptoms similar to a substance-related disorder.

D e s pi t e d e r m at o l o g i s t s’ warnings that ultraviolet radiation is the leading cause of skin cancer, tanning salons continue to fl ourish.

Campus Life C-3January 27, 2012

Center for Disease Control recommends avoiding sunbathingContinued from Page C-1

Symptoms and causes of depression may vary

and trying to drive around you.”But above all, Scott said that he enjoys his job and

plans to continue his work in snow removal after graduating from SRU.

“I really like being able to make my own hours,” he said. “It’s nice that I can just go out on my own whenever we get snow; I don’t have a set lunch schedule or a certain time that I have to do anything. And I like being out in the middle of the night on my own when no one else is out – it’s just me, my truck and my radio. It’s peaceful in a way.”

Upon graduating from college, some students are hired in the line of work fitting for their degree. Others continue on to graduate school and beyond, or may find employment in different fields.

For McGinn, he said snow removal is the perfect line of work for his interests.

“I love what I do, and I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else,” he said.

Continued from Page C-1

Flexible hours a benefit of student's snow removal job

“Some folks may experience more severe symptoms including anything from fatigue, lack of interest in normal activities, social withdrawal, craving foods high in carbohydrates, and weight gain,” Braun said.

He said these patients may want to consider a medication for the duration of a particular season as prescribed by their doctor.

Assistant professor and licensed psychologist at SRU, Dr. Melissa Nard, agreed with Braun’s suggested lifestyle improvement options for those experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Nard explained her thoughts concerning SAD and her initial and personal experiences in hearing about the disorder.

“The weather certainly affects my

mood,” Nard said. “When it’s dark and cold, I generally have less energy than when the weather is beautiful. I had noticed the same thing in people around me.”

Nard explained how certain treatments can help to stimulate SAD patients’ bodies and how their bodies respond to these treatments.

“One of the best treatments for SAD is light therapy,” Nard said. “This is done using a special light that replicates sunlight.” 

She said if the light therapy option is not possible, she recommends students getting outside during the middle part of the day when it’s brightest.

“Exercise can also help in increasing endorphins and is very effective at improving mood,” Nard said. “In addition to those treatments, counseling and medication can be helpful.”

Nard also explained how common Seasonal Affective Disorder can be and which individuals are usually more prone to the disorder.

“There is a higher rate of SAD in areas that are colder and darker,” she said. “And more women than men are diagnosed with the disorder.”

According to Dr. Braun and Dr. Nard, most people may not be aware of Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms. They suggest that individuals experiencing SAD symptoms should follow their seasonal coping treatments or seek medical attention.

The Counseling Center located in Rhoads Hall can also be an accessible resource on campus for students to seek therapy for SAD or any other stressors.

Their hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or students can call for an appointment.

Continued from Page C-1

In next week’s issue, this series will continue with an exploration of the harmful effects of stimulant abuse.

C-4 January 27, 2012