The novel begins with a ceremony held by dragons to determine a possible heir to the throne. The ceremony is disrupted when Bant Bitterwood, infamous dragon hunter, slays King Albekizan’s favored son Bodiel. Mad with grief, Albekizan decides it is time to wipe out all of humanity within his kingdom. The dragon is well aware that to wage open war against humans is to give humanity a chance to unite and defeat their reptilian overlords. Instead, King Albekizan works with the “Murder God” to devise a Free City, a trap to lure in humans and slowly kill them. However, humans and dragons alike will not sit by and abide by this genocide. It is a race against time to stop Albekizan’s mad scheme and one can only wonder if anyone will survive the massacre.

Is Bitterwood worth reading? Most people who have read the novel feel it is a bit too generic. That is not to say the novel is boring, simply that there is nothing truly captivating about the novel. As far as fantasy and science novels go, Bitterwood is a decent book that is worth reading if it falls into an area of interest for you. The story, setting, and characters are all well-developed and believable. Overall I would give James Maxey’s Bitterwood a B- because it is a decent book, however, it falls short of being a novel that will stand out amongst others on the bookshelf.

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Are students really that diligent following a three day weekend? The reason for my library adventure was to check out the Ganser Gallery which is now hosting an exhibition from Karl Hluska.

Hluska uses patterns throughout his paintings and his main drawing tool seems to be a pencil. When coloring, he uses watercolor and a form of chalk, which make his pieces eye-catching and unique. Hluska’s painting range from simple with little design to elaborate and colorful; his use of pattern and watercolor really bring out the focus of the painting. These drawings are just detailed enough to show what the piece is about. The subjects are clear.

Noticing that I was alone in the gallery, I asked sophomore Rachael Pearson, library student worker, if the gallery had been busy. She replied, “No, the gallery has not been busy at all. I don’t think that many people know that there is even a gallery in the library.” Many people seem to be unaware of Ganser’s Art Gallery, and because of this, art exhibits like Hluska’s will not get as much recognition as they deserve. Pearson also mentioned that exhibits change approximately every two months, so students could miss the opportunity to see the work of various artists.

An entire wall in the gallery is devoted to Hluska’s pencil drawings, which I personally thought were unique because of their subjects as well as the tool he used to create them.

Since he used a pencil for each of them, it was interesting to see a different medium contrasting the opposite wall. I also took notice that each drawing had a certain subject and that it appears that each subject was working towards something. Even though none of these drawings had titles, you could decipher what was trying to say.

I think by not giving these pieces titles, Hluska wanted the viewer to draw their own conclusions about what each drawing means. I enjoy this approach because it gives the viewer something to really think about.

One drawing that particularly interested me showed a mother and child. This picture draws the viewer in because you focus right on the two subjects. The mother is helping the child with what appears to be a bag of groceries in a busy city. As Krysten Souders, a junior, said about the picture, “You always need your mom.” Souders was also captivated by the drawing because it truly depicts life and that is what she thought was the meaning behind this drawing. Another one of the drawings is a firefighter watching over a woman as she walks down the street.

My interpretation was of a firefighter watching over his community. There is also one with a policeman talking to a man and it appears to be the same scenario: a man helping out another member of his community.

A drawing showing a garbage man lifting a trashcan into a dumpster is also a subject in one of Hluska’s drawings. Again, this shows the same sense of community and hard-work.

So take some time and check out the Karl Hluska exhibition.

Benefit the artist and the art department by taking a look at the various exhibitions that appear over the school year. You just might find a new favorite artist.

Hluska’s work will be on display until October 13.

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There are several ways that The Common Reading Program branches out on our campus, such as through the different academic departments, campus life, themes, and programming. It makes sense that the Administration is thinking about changing the name of this program to “One Book, One Campus”, because its purpose is to bring everyone together. For the time being, the name change is still under discussion.

How are these books chosen? Every year the board discusses possible books that could qualify as a summer reading selection. The process takes a very long time before everyone comes to an agreement, because there are so many campus-wide factors that
affect this decision.

The freshman class of 2014 was assigned Einstein’s Dreams, a book that correlates with the science majors on campus. Its overall theme is connecting through time, past and future. The book is about experiences and how people connect throughout the reality between times.

This book was definitely a great choice for the freshman class because it directly relates to the experiences that these students will have on campus. Einstein’s Dreams is not set up like a regular book; it is actually broken up into several short stories, so do not get too attached! Even Dr. Corkery had a difficult time getting a handle on the book because it was very abstract and the plot line was a bit jumpy.

So, the next time you think of your summer reading book as just summer reading, think again.

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In celebration of Millersville University’s Diversity Week, the University Activities Board organized a diversity lecture in Club de ‘Ville April, 14. More than 100 students attended the lecture to hear what Glowacki had to say.

Like most successful speakers, Glowacki’s sense of humor turned a what could have been a drab lecture into a hilarious new outlook on diversity. Glowacki’s amazing life story and impressive accomplishments, owning three businesses, teaching returning veterans to play wheelchair basketball, and representing the U.S. in the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney made the lecture all the more interesting.

Glowacki’s lecture showed various clips from “Family Guy” and “South Park” and demonstrated the lessons they teach us about diversity. Glowacki stated that “Family Guy” and “South Park” intentionally test society’s limits in a mockery of political correctness.

The first clip shown was the “Family Guy” episode where Peter gets extensive plastic surgery and becomes obsessed with his looks. Glowacki discussed how this particular episode was an example of “lookism,” or discriminating againist someone based on their looks. This branched off into a discussion of the Dove campaign, which was the first modeling campaigns to use real women of all shapes and sizes.

The second clip was the “Family Guy” episode where police officer Joe Swanson competes in the Special Olympics. In this episode, Joe is feeling down about losing a criminal in a chase and Peter decides training him for the Special Olympics will raise his spirits.

However, winning the Olympics only boost Joe’s spirits for a short time and he is not happy again until he succeeds at catching the criminal who got away. Glowacki said this was because the Special Olympics are not real because they emphasize that everyone is a winner, which does not give the athletes the full sense of accomplishment.

One of the major points throughout the lecture was Glowacki’s struggle to be accepted as he is. He said that “disability is more in your mind than mine.” Glowacki was born healthy but without legs, and has led a more successful life than most people with legs.

One of the most frustrating things Glowacki said he deals with on a daily basis is people complimenting him on completing everyday tasks, such as driving or opening doors. He often gets compliments like “You can drive, that’s amazing.” and these comments while meant to be polite are really an insult. “If you open the door for me, I want to see you open the door for the next person,” Glowacki said.

Glowacki stressed he does not mind people asking him how he does random tasks, just do not make a big deal about him accomplishing the same tasks normal people do. Afterward, students ended the lecture with a booming applause and surrounded Glowacki to thank him for coming.

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The day’s games brought the team’s season total to 17-22. However, the first game did not start off on the right foot. Slippery Rock managed to score two runs in the top of the first inning off of a double by Jenna Geibel who had an RBI and brought J. Kortz home. The other run was scored off of an error by the left fielder and Geibel herself was able to score.

The score stayed 2-0 Slippery Rock until the fourth inning. In the top half of the fourth, Slippery Rock scored another run by Natalie Atkinson who tripled and a single by Stephanie Collenett who got the RBI. In the bottom of the fourth the Marauders were finally able to get a run on the scoreboard. Sarah Signore began the bottom half of the inning with a single, and Kelly Fitzgerald followed with another single. Fitzgerald’s single gave Signore the opportunity to advance to third.

Then, with Amy Kossyk at bat, Fitzgerald was able to steal second which put the Marauders into scoring position. Kossyk fouled out to left field but was able to make the RBI and Signore scored. At the end of the fourth inning the score was 2-1 in favor of Slippery Rock. In the bottom of the fifth inning the Marauders were able to score three insurance runs.

With two people on base Signore doubled and was able to get two RBIs. The other run was the result of an error by the Slippery Rock first baseman. Millersville thought that they had the game in the bag, but the Rock came out big in the top of the seventh and was able to score three more runs which brought the score to 6-5 in their favor.

After recovering from the loss, the team knew that they had to step up their game. “It definitely fired us up,” first baseman Casey Coker said.

The outcome of the first game had a huge impact on the Lady Maruaders in game two. “Afterwards we all just got together to say that we need to take all of our frustration from the first game and put it into positive in the second game,” Coker said.

Coker also started game two off right with a solo homerun in the bottom of the first inning. The Marauders were able to get two more runs with three hits all together before the end of the first. The Marauders also picked up another run in the second when Deanna Schneiderreit hit a sacrifice bunt that gave Jill Golomboski the opportunity to advance to third, but it was Ally Homa’s ground out to second base which allowed Golomboski to score. The score was 4-2 in favor of Millersville until the fifth inning when both teams added numbers to the scoreboard, which brought the teams totals to 7-3, Millersville.

Millersville was confident with a four run score. However, in the top of the seventh things started to get a little shaky for the Marauders. Lisa Rich came in to pitch for Alicia Hughes and walked the first three batters that she faced. With players on base, Courtney Eckman was brought in to pitch. With the pitching change also came three more runs for the Rock. But their rally wasn’t enough to surpass the Lady Marauders, who won the game 7-6.

The next double-header for the softball team brought them another two wins against Holy Family University, which was played at home April 11. In game one, the scoreboard was quickly filled in the bottom of the first, when Signore singled and then was able to advance to second on a wild pitch.

The next batter up, Fitzgerald, was able to bring the runner home with a double. The Lady Marauders were able to keep Holy Family scoreless until the top of the fourth when Tiger Cassandra Black homered and brought in three runs. Millersville retaliated right back in the top of the fourth when Lindsay Hosier doubled and Fitzgerald was able to bring her home with a single. Millersville scored one more run the in the sixth inning and was able to secure to the win. The final score was Millersville six and Holy Family three.

The second game was a huge win for the Marauders. Holy Family scored their only run in the top of the third, while Millersville was able to rack up five runs throughout the game. Two runs occurred in the bottom of the third, and three runs in the fifth when Homa hit a homerun. This double win is exactly what the Lady Marauders needed after losing five of their last six games.

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Rollins has been a crucial element to the Phillies success so far this year, as the team is currently 6-1 after the first week of the season. If Rollins does get placed on the disabled list, which is very likely, Juan Castro will take over as short stop.

Castro, however, is not expected to produce the way Rollins has so far this season. Castro is only a career .230 hitter, but is a solid defensive player.

Another injury to keep an eye concerns right fielder Jason Werth. Werth injured his hip in the fourth inning of Monday’s home opener. However, Werth is expected to be day-to-day and his injury is not expected to be as serious.

The Phillies have been dominating the National League so far this season. The Phillies are currently first in the NL East and they are tied with the San Francisco Giants for the best record in the National League.

Several Phillies are leading the league in stats, most notably third basemen Placido Polanco. Polanco is currently second in batting average (.484) as well as leads the league in runs, 10, and hits, 15.

The Phillies have a string of home games to finish out this week against the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins before traveling next week for an eight game road series against Atlanta, Arizona, and San Francisco.

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As Burr writes in her brief statement welcoming every visitor, “This exhibition is a collection of projects that, for lack of a better term, fall under the category of Placeholder: Metaphors in physical stuff of intangible things like relationships, thoughts, interaction, ideas, and fleeting events.” And even before you are able to come to any sort of understanding about the significance of the exhibit, you already become a part of its thesis. Whoever is in charge of the exhibit is required to place a block on the welcoming table whenever a person talks to or makes eye contact with whoever is in charge of the exhibit, or simply enters the room.

The artwork immediately pulls you into the experience. The exhibit is divided into two equal parts, the first filled with abstract artwork and the second filled with art that follows the Placeholder motif. The abstract art that you are welcomed with feels almost secondary to the power that the second half of the exhibit has to captivate and inspire. There are a number of paintings and collages (one that the artist alters every time she sets up the exhibit in a new location), which provides an interesting juxtaposition, but otherwise unsuccessful in isolation.

The main attraction is the second half, which includes an array of interactive art, movies, and recollections of past experiments. The interactive element of the exhibit is Burr’s ”Collective Offering,” in which you blindly feel out an object in a sack that represents an idea, thought, or feeling that you might have. You then release it, along with the associated feeling, by placing it among the other objects that have been released by previous participants. The piece serves to provide a portrait of our collective conscious, the trials and tribulations; our fears, thoughts and anxieties that we share as human beings made manifest in a piece of art. It is beautifully simplistic in its design and deserves a center place in the exhibit.

There are two movies that are located at opposite sides of the room. The first that you are greeted with in the exhibit involves the artist walking across stacks of self-help and spirituality books, stacked in a number of variations. As the artist walks across them, she trips, collapsing the books with her fall. What happens toward the end is fairly obvious, though it comes as an elegant surprise; the books, that might have been previously stacked like a pyramid or a ramp, are now leveled. This serves to illustrate the simply notion that the path we try to take with help from various self-help or spirituality books always brings us back to where we started. In keeping with the theme, Burr only videotapes her legs moving across the books to symbolize the collective path we all take toward enlightenment and self-improvement. As any grizzled veteran will tell you, life experience always trumps anything a book can teach you.

The second movie is, simply put, bizarre. It is something out of the Andy Warhol museum of weird. It also might have been influenced by Lady Gaga. Burr, in a twenty minute video, attaches a number of household objects to her head and takes them off one by one while stating their name in the process. Besides being a handy video for ESL students, the video serves to show us how much we are weighed down by the day-to-day things that we live with. We are what we eat and we are what we buy.

Word of warning to those interested in seeing the exhibit, do not waste your time waiting for some sort of artistic punch line. If you have seen two minutes of a woman removing scissors and tazo tea bags from her head, then you have basically seen all, approximately 20 minutes, of it.

Besides putting up an art exhibit, Burr has also taken the time to educate the art students of Millersville. Students who have interacted with her come away with largely positive impressions. While we all have hectic work schedules and tend not to think twice about the art gallery as we make a beeline for the elevators or computers in the library, try to take a few minutes out of your day to see this exhibit. You will hopefully come off with a new perspective on the objects you own, or at least will get a good laugh at a crazy woman.

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The Graduate Student Association would like to congratulate all the recent inductees to Kappa Delta Pi, the honor education society, that has an active chapter at MU. KDP is an informative organization that serves its members well into the future.

Recent goings on with GSA include participation with the Registrar’s Program Review Committee. An independent consultant will be on campus May 3 to meet with graduate students. Changes to programs and requirements may be coming forward, so before students register for next semester’s classes, they should check with their advisors.

GSA had representation at the Multi-Cultural Education Conference, IUP; a delegation of graduate and undergraduate students went to San Diego over the break to the National Black Graduates Association and presented a session on mentoring.

Some upcoming events to keep in mind:

April 10: Amish Countryside Tour

April 15: Final GSA meeting at 4 p.m. on the second floor of Lyle Hall. Elections will be held for next semester.

GSA cups are still for sale and flowers will be sold at the graduate ceremony May 7.

Graduation for the College of Graduate and Professional Studies is May 7 at 6:30 p.m. This is the first year MU has had a separate ceremony for graduate students.

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Colleen Harnish was able to put the first points up on the board with a penalty kick.

During the second half, Millersville continued to fight hard by winning all of the lines-outs and most of the scrum downs. There were a number of girls who scored including Rachel Frey, Kristen Holden, Alyson Clark, Grace Farrell, and Aly Barbush. There were also points made by Heather Gower and Harnish with conversation kicks.

Millersville fought hard and came out on top. The team has three upcoming games, including April 10 at Bloomsburg, April 17 against Bryn Mawr, and April 24 against Albright.

The girls are also always looking for more players to come out and learn to play, practices are at Brooks Field, Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. Feel free to visit their new website at http://www.millersvillerugby.com/ for more information.

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How long have you been playing basketball?
“I’ve been playing basketball since I was in third grade. I started playing year-round once I got to middle school and continued throughout high school and college.”

How did you become involved with basketball?
“When I was in elementary school, I had a friend whose dad was the head coach for the high school basketball team. He was the one who first got me involved with basketball and I’ve been playing since then. My grandpa also played basketball when he was in high school, so we would shoot around a lot when we were together. I actually ended up with the same number jersey that he had when he played.”

What is your major?
“Molecular Biology.”

What do you plan to do after you graduate?
“I got accepted into Penn State Hershey College of Medicine for their genetics Ph.D. program. It’s a five year program and I’ll start there in the fall.”

What has been the highlight of your season (so far)?
“The highlight of my year was making it into the Sweet 16. Two of our last four games were the most memorable: When we played Gannon University in a sold-out game and West Chester with a double overtime.”

Besides playing basketball, how do you spend your free time?
“I study a lot and spend time with my friends and family. I also got a yellow lab puppy a few months ago, so that takes up a lot of my time too.”

Do you follow basketball professionally?
“Yes, Orlando Magic is my favorite professional team, but I like college basketball better.”

Who is your favorite player?
“J.J. Redick is my favorite player. I’m a big Duke fan, so I have been following him since he played for them.”

Athlete of the Week – Jarrett Hostetter

How long have you been playing your sport?
“I’ve been wrestling for 18 years, since I was four years old.”

How did you become involved with wrestling?
“Everyone in my family wrestled and my dad was coaching before I even started. When I was little and first began wrestling, my dad was my coach.”

What is your major?
“I’m majoring in Business Management.”

What do you plan to do after you graduate?
“I’ll be graduating in May and will start looking for a job after that. I don’t really have any specific plans right now.”

What has been the highlight of your season (so far)?
“Winning the East Regional at home was the highlight of my season. It was also my 100th win. That was a milestone I’ve always wanted to reach.”

Besides wrestling, how do you spend your free time?
“I enjoy hanging out with my friends and girlfriend. I also like to just relax and watch movies.”

Do you follow wrestling professionally?
“I like to watch the Olympics and the World Championships.”

Who is your favorite player?
“Growing up I would always watch Cael Sanderson. He is the only four-time division National Champion, so he has always been inspiring to me.”

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