It amazes me the lack of education people our age have when it comes to STDs. And while there are a million reasons for advocating abstinence, I’ll keep it to just that one. Many educational programs give us advice on how to avoid STDs, but there is really only one fool proof method to preventing them.

Case in point: Dr. Theresa Crenshaw, the past president of the American Association of Sex Educators, spoke at the National Conference on HIV and commented on the wisdom of putting your faith in a condom. She asked a conference of 800 sexologists if they had the opportunity to sleep with the person of their dreams, knowing that person was HIV-positive, would they trust a condom? Out of all 800 sexologists, only one was willing to chance it.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not a sexologist. And if 799 out of 800 professionals are telling me to keep my pants on because condoms don’t work, I think I am going to go with how the majority rules on this one.

Now for the statistics we all try to ignore… And remember, genital warts, still aren’t in fashion, or at least not that I know of.

Each year, 24 million new people contract the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which includes genital warts. 1.3 million new gonorrhea cases are reported annually and 63% of all sexually transmitted disease cases are found in those 25 years of age and younger. Which means, most of us fall into that category. I wonder if congratulations are in order here?

Now granted, when caught up in the heat of the moment, most people aren’t going to run over to the campus health center and get screened for an STD. But maybe that is just the problem. No one wants to take the time to stop and actually think about what they are doing anymore. We live in a society where everything is about instant gratification. Let’s forget that it will itch, blister and pus later. And here’s the kicker, as the conference of sexologists testified to earlier, nothing is going to stop you from getting one. Condoms provide essentially no protection against HPV. Because of the connection to STDs, sex can be dangerous to your health when treating it like it is open season.

In essence, shouldn’t sex be viewed as a commodity where quality wins out over quantity? It’s simple: The more sexual partners you have, the more likely you are to end up with an STD.

Deirdre Lee Fitzgerald, PhD, who is an assistant professor of psychology at Eastern, even went as far as to say, “Promiscuity is one example of a class of high-risk behaviors. It is comparable to, and may coincide with, behaviors such as heavy drinking, gambling, and other thrill-seeking behaviors like driving too fast.”

Fitzgerald feels that the reasoning behind wanting many sexual partners is simple. It’s exciting and makes students look good in front of their peers. Also, it helps people from having to deal with other challenging emotional issues. So apparently, there are a million reasons to sleep around, but here’s one not to: Wouldn’t it be nice to save it for someone who is saving it for you? It might be old fashioned, but real love should not need the safety blanket of a doctor’s note.

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The show was a refreshing blend of Dance and fashion, Hip Hop and Broadway.

Traveling Down Broadway featured six universities including Millersville and succeeded in bringing together rival schools for a night based solely on entertainment.

Cheyney, Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Lincoln University and Shippensburg all came together at Millersville to strut their stuff and dance off to a well put together combination of two very different genres of music.

It is not often that Chris Brown and John Travolta get to share the same stage in one night. Each school chose a different Broadway musical to depict, hence the name Traveling Down Broadway.

Along with the various show tunes, models danced to a range of Hip Hop, Rap and R&B. Beyonce’s Ego, T-Pain’s Phantom, and Chris Brown’s newest single, I can transform ya, were all featured in the night’s performances.

Each performance was a well choreographed dance interspersed with aspects of a fashion show. The performers would stop in the middle of a song and form a cat walk on the stage, showing off what they had, while still moving to the beat of the music.

The judges, hosts and organizers of Traveling Down Broadway all agreed the show went well and turned out just as they had hoped it would.

“I think that the show was great. Every school brought their own style and creativity. Lincoln, as always, was amazing and I would walk with their models any day,” said Antwain D. Hill, one of the three judges said.

Cheyney University, whose group goes by the name “New Heritage Modeling Agency” performed “Grease.” It was obvious they were well rehearsed and had fun on stage.
Danny and Sandy, the two main characters from the musical, danced to “You’re the One That I Want.” They did a good job imitating Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta while still putting their own original twist on it.

Then the lights went down and gunshots echoed throughout the auditorium as Bloomsburg’s “Vice Versa” dance and modeling troop took the stage. They had chosen “Chicago” for their number. Possibly the best act of the whole night came from Bloomsburg, as they did an amazing rendition of the ventriloquist doll scene from Chicago featuring the song We both reached for the gun.

“Bloomsberg took the show of course, they were everything, I love everything about their skit as well as their battle,” said Hill

Next up was Lock Haven’s “Nolabel Royalty” who put on Phantom of the Opera.

Though Bloomsburg was obviously a difficult act to follow, some felt that Lock Haven University did not give the performance their all, as did the other schools that participated.

“Lock Haven should have stayed home, they just weren’t prepared, but I give them credit for coming,” said Hill.

Lincoln University’s “We Are One” took the stage after Lock Haven with their version of Hairspray. They came onto the stage spraying the air with mist and succeeded in adding a lighthearted performance to the night in comparison to the more serious acts that surrounded it.

The final school to present was Shippensburg University. The “Elite Fashion Geeks” worked the runway with “Moulin Rouge.” They finished round one off with a very artistic performance of “Lady Marmalade”, the theme from the movie.

The audience was as enthusiastic as the performers and turned the whole auditorium into a dance party at one point, until host Brandy Staton forced them back into their seats.
Staton also made a lot of cracks at Cheyney regarding the fight that broke out in January 2007. Cheyney and Millersville University ended up in a brawl during a basketball game, which all started when a Cheyney student threw the first punch at a Millersville student after losing the game.

“Cheyney, stay calm. Don’t get upset,” she said.

Staton did not receive any injuries after making the comments. She also poked fun at Bloomsburg for the amount of people they brought to support them.

“What’d you do? Bring a bus?” she asked.

Traveling Down Broadway was hosted by Brandy Staton, Jasmine Henderson and Jennifer Henderson. Judges were Hill, Suede Square and Shaneese James. The event was organized by Rahiem Johnson, Morgan Morrow and D’Angelo Virgo.

“I know what to look for on a runway, huh, I invented the runway. So I must say that MU did an outstanding job hosting and I believe I can speak for all three judges by saying that Morgan and Rahiem deserve a standing ovation,” said Hill.

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For anyone who loves Jane Austen movies, this new film about the life, love, and muse of poet John Keats will make you want to travel back in time a 150 years to when the girls wore pretty dresses and the boys spoke poetically.

“Bright Star” details the short life of Keats and the reason behind his amazing poetry. We all hear about falling in love with the girl next door, but Keats really did.

Keats’ next door neighbor happened to be the beautiful and flirtatious Fanny Brawne, and he was immediately captivated by her nature. Brawne was fascinated by Keats, though she disapproved of poetry and literature in general, preferring high fashion and dances, to the moody life of the poet.

This, however, did not stop the two from having an intense three year romance. Keats’ status was far below that of his muse, making the two an unlikely and ill-favored match.

Brawne was a famous flirt in her own right and had a trail of suitors, but Keats proved to be the one that broke the cycle. Brawne had finally found a boy who made her want to let go of all the rest.

The cinematography, script, and attitude make you feel like you are watching “Pride and Prejudice.” The movie includes several poem readings and letters that were passed from one lover to the other. The last time Keats and Brawne are together, he tells her, “I cannot say forget me — but I would mention that there are impossibilities in the world.”

The title of the movie is one of Keats’ most famous poems. “Bright Star” is recited between the two throughout the movi; “The moving waters at their priestlike task/ Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,/ Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask/ Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—/ No—yet still steadfast, still unchangeable.”

The movie is pretty much one beautiful, painful, love quote after another. It is one of those movies that girls will drag their boyfriends to, probably kicking and screaming, and then demand to be treated like Fanny afterward. “Bright Star” is one of those real stories that make fiction look inane and unnecessary.

It needs neither big named actors, nor special effects to make it good. Ben Wishaw plays the young Mr. Keats, and Abbie Cornish plays the object of his desires. Neither one has much practice in the spotlight, but both act out their roles beautifully, making you feel not only their exquisite love, but tragic pain as well.

It is currently only being played in little one or two screen theaters, but “Bright Star” will have a larger premier at bigger theaters across the country soon. Right now the closest place to Millersville University showing the film is a small kitschy theater right beside Lebanon Valley College, Allen Theatre and MJ’s Coffee House.

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The All American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, and Anberlin will be performing in Pucillo Gym on Nov. 17. Tickets will go on sale mid October.

Last Spring, students were able to experience T-Pain’s Rap and R&B style.
The semester before that, Boys Like Girls and Cute Is What We Aim For brought a pop music sound to the campus.

This semester, Millersville is bringing on a little more Rock and Roll.

The All American Rejects will be headlining the event, but all three bands will be given time to show how talented they are.

The All American Rejects have put out three smash-hit albums including their self-titled studio album, “Move Along,” and their current album “When the World Comes Down.”

Their music has made numerous appearances on the Billboard Hot 100, including

“Gives You Hell,” their newest single, peaking at number four.

“Their music has a variety of different styles. It’s not like they’re just singing to one group of people.They want to entertain a variety of people,” said sophomore Luke Catalfano. “They take their music and try to make everyone happy.”

Taking Back Sunday was formed a decade ago in Amityville, Long Island, New York.
Virtually the entire band has been changed in the last ten years. Eddie Reyes, who plays guitar, is the only original band member currently still in the band.

Adam Lazzara, who now sings lead vocals, originally joined the band in 2001 and played bass.

Taking Back Sunday has gone through five full line-up transformations. However, their style has not changed drastically over the years.

They have put out four studio albums, their newest, which is called “New Again,” was released on June 2, 2009.

“I saw Taking Back Sunday last spring at Lockhaven University and they did a really good live show,” said junior Megan Bausinger.

Bausinger said one of the coolest things about the show was when lead singer, Lazzara, did his signature move of swinging the microphone chord around his neck.

Though not as well known as the other two bands, Anberlin can still hold its own in the rock genre. The band used to go under the name SaGoh 24/7 when they were first formed in the late 1990s.

The band eventually changed their name and went in a different direction musically.

Anberlin may not get the coverage that Taking Back Sunday, and especially The All American Rejects, but they do have the talent and determination.

The band’s latest album, “New Surrender,” made it to the number 13 on the Billboard charts and they have sold almost half a million copies.

Anberlin also averages about 200 shows a year, devoting over half the year to bringing their music to a live audience.

“I enjoyed listening to Anberlin even though I usually listen to heavier stuff,” said senior Todd Rankin. “I just recently discovered them and thought they were pretty solid.”

All three bands come from the same American alternative rock genre.
However, they each will definitely be bringing their own unique sound to the show.

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“The play went really well. I was really excited to see every seat full,” said Heinbaugh. “The actors did an amazing job and everything that was rehearsed worked out wonderfully.

Heinbaugh was pleased with the changes that had been made to the performance.

“I think my choices made the piece a stronger dramatic piece bringing alive the emotion and showing the relationships between the family of friends within his past and his family of soldiers,” she said.

“Booby Trap” details the last hours of a young soldier’s life. He is traveling with his platoon when he sits against a tree, accidentally triggering a land mine, which will eventually kill him when he moves.

Throughout the course of the play, he sees flashbacks of the more significant events in his life. He recalls when he first met his wife, when he decided to join the army, and has a conversation with an old Catholic Nun who taught him as a child. The soldier also sees what life will be like without him for his wife and young son. His fellow soldiers attempt to comfort him, but eventually ship out, leaving him to die alone.

The cast did a wonderful job portraying the fear and confusion that goes along with such a situation. The plot was both thought-provoking and effective.

“My character was pretty interesting to play because he is caught between two really tough realities,” said Billy Barnes, who played Captain Gruss. “For one, he’s really close friends with Sgt. Galen, the main character, and doesn’t want to leave him. But at the same time he is getting orders from high command that he has to pull out and leave Galen behind.”

Each actor had to work extremely hard to get back into character, with only two weeks to practice before the first showing.

“It was pretty fun to get into that frame of mind, especially since Bob Grube, the actor who played Sgt. Galen, is one of my best friends,” said Barnes. “So I basically just pretended what it would be like to have Bob stuck on a stump with a bomb in it. That’s acting for you.”

Both the new director and the returning cast were pleased with the show’s turnout.

“The show went exceptionally well. It gave all of our members a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow as actors, designers, technicians, and, of course, directors,” said Justin Gilmore, who played Major Harris. “The Citamard Players are always pleased to present such excellent talent to the Millersville Campus.”

The “Booby Trap” production is only the first in an excellent line up for Millersville University Theater.

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As usual, students will get an e-mail asking which recording artist they would most like to see. After last spring’s T-Pain show, the next performer will have a tough act to follow. T-Pain brought all the elements needed for a good set and multiply that by ten.

“I love T-pain and I’m a fan of his music. They did a lot of cool dancing and T-Pains song selection was awesome,” said Myran Reed. “If there was going to be another artist like T-pain here at Millersville I would defiantly go.”

The show opened with his DJ, who explained to the audience that they were not there for a show; they were there for a party.

He mixed a bunch of hits, but was only moderately good at his job. Unfortunately, he then informed us that he was also the host for the evening.

Sophia Fresh was by far the best of T-Pain’s opening artists.

The group consists of three girls: Skye, Crystal, and Cole Rose, all of which have well trained voices, that meshed nicely with each other.

When T-Pain finally came on, he performed his songs more like a club mix, singing very few full songs.  Instead, he performed snippets from all the hits he is currently featured in.

This might have something to do with the fact that he actually sings very few of his own songs, normally lending his voice to sing the chorus and hooks for other artists.

The show featured, “Buy U a Drank,” “Red Light” and “Got Money”, minus Lil’ Wayne of course. T-Pain, who sings most of his music, proved he was multi-talented by rapping and playing guitar and piano as well.

He mentioned his wife and children, much to the unhappiness of his female fans.

“Every time I get on stage, I like to give praise to the people that I’m on stage for, and that’s my wife and kids,” T-Pain said.

Even so, the show was definitely geared towards all the female audience members.

“I like all the beautiful light skinned women in the building, make some noise for me.” T-Pain’s DJ said.

T-Pain was possibly a little more diplomatic about the whole thing.

“I take a universal. ‘Cause I go all the way from a chocolate girl all the way to a white girl. I ain’t got no problem with neither one,” he said.

“I can meet you half way, you talking about those caramel-brownish kind of girls. I’ll tell you what though, no matter what color she is, no matter what she look like, there ain’t nothing better than a girl who can do this,” he added while starting to dance.

He also attempted to put some rumors to rest regarding the nature of his alleged battle with a golf cart where he had injured himself.

“I did get in a fight with a golf cart, and I lost,” he told the audience, “As you can see it was not a normal golf cart.” He added this while pointing to possibly the only pimped out golf cart on the planet.

He was very candid to the audience about rumors and accusations alike, making a little speech about people accusing him of messing up the industry.

He wanted to let his fans know this was not his intention.

T-Pain also told the audience that he did not care how they got a hold of his music. He told them to buy it, burn it or download it, but just to make sure they listened to it. It was refreshing to see an artist who appeared to simply want people to hear his music rather than make money.

He also chose to save the best for last. Throughout the evening, the crowd continually screamed for him to perform “I’m on a Boat”, By The Lonely Island.
T-Pain saved this for one of his last numbers and gave his fans exactly what they wanted.

“I liked the fact that most of the concert was T-pain himself, but the concert was too short,” said Cat Beck. “The amount of time it took for me to stand in line was the same amount of time that the concert was itself. But, I really had a good time.”

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The play was originally written by Ed Monk, who has also written plays such as “The Reluctant Dragon”, “Day Six” and “Going to School.”

The Millersville University cast includes Glenn Kraft, Allison Smith, Jeff Wolfthal, Megan Kelley, Billy Barnes, Mike McCloskey, Renee Rudolph and Leann Hart.

Though the cast is returning for the show this semester, the director has been changed. Phil Vonada is being replaced by Devyn Heinbaugh who has put a new twist in the way the play will be performed.

“The show has a bit of a different feel than it did in the spring, so even if people saw it last semester, it’ll be a whole new experience this time,” said Jeffrey Wolfthal, who plays the drill sergeant.

Heinbaugh has changed many little things such as the costumes.

“I’ve basically changed all the basics of the show,” she said.

The show revolves around one man’s fight for survival. The “booby trap” is a land mine that a soldier has inadvertently stepped on. The play follows what goes on in his head while he contemplates his next move. The soldier experiences flashbacks to the life he has led and may leave behind. He proceeds to see possibilities for the future if he should die.

“Figuratively, the show is about perspective, what’s important to us. As this soldier is in this situation where death is a certainty, it really draws into perspective what is most important to him,” said Wolfthal.

The plot brings up a lot of interesting ideas on what it is like to be on the verge of death and what goes on in a person’s mind throughout this time. The cast already had a chance last semester to bring their own style to the show. Now with the help of Heinbaugh, members of the campus community can see a whole new side to “Booby Trap.”

The show starts, both Thursday and Friday night, at 8:00 in the Studio Theatre at Dutcher Hall.

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For all those who are curious, T-Pain’s real name is Faheem Rasheed Najm. He has been featured with so many other artists it would take forever to name them all. He seems to be in every pop/rap/hiphop song on the radio. Pretty much, if it’s not Akon or Lil Wayne featured in a song, it’s T-Pain.

He was originally in the rap group “Nappy Headz.” However, he put out his first solo CD in 2005, called “Rappa Ternt Sanga,” which simply means he wants to be a rapper. Instead, T-Pain became this rapper/singer phenomenon. It will be interesting to see the songs he chooses to sing here at Millersville University because T-Pain sings other artists songs much more often than he sings his own.

He has been in hit songs such as “Got Money” by Lil Wayne, “Cyclone” by Baby Bash and “All the Above” by Maino. Some of his more well known personal solo songs include “Church,” “Bartender” and “Snap Yo Fingers.”  T-Pain should be extremely entertaining, not only because of his musical abilities, but because of his performance abilities as well.

Many Rappers take themselves too seriously, and put on this show of being big, bad and in demand. However, T-Pain apparently can make fun of himself too. He is featured on “The Lonely Island’s” CD Incredibad, which is a compilation of rap/pop parodies from the guys of Saturday Night Live. T-Pain lends his star-power to the track, “I’m On a Boat.”

The best thing about the song is that T-Pain sounds and acts exactly as he does on every other song he is featured on. But at the same time he is making fun of himself, and anyone who can make fun of themselves is obviously able to have a good time. Thursday’s performance should prove just that.

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Mixing rap and stand-up comedy, Incredibad makes you want to dance and laugh at the same time.

The Lonely Island is Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg, who are best known for their “Digital Shorts” on Saturday Night Live.

Possibly the two best songs on the cd are “J**z in my Pants” and “I’m on a Boat.”
Both songs have hysterical music videos that accompany them.

“J**z in my Pants” features Justin Timberlake, though he does not actually sing throughout the entire song, simply playing the janitor in the background.

“I’m on a Boat” features T-Pain and details how this guy wins a boat ride and feels like the coolest person alive because of it.

T-pain sings “Yeah, never thought I’d be on a boat/It’s a big blue watery road (yeah)/Poseidon! Look at me, oh (all hands on deck)/Never thought I’d see the day/When a big boat comin’ my way/Believe me when I say, I f***** a mermaid”

The song is absurd and completely uncool, but so funny you cannot help but want to play it over and over again.

Plus the fact that, putting T-Pain in a song pretty much ensures a money-making hit.
The CD also features Jack Black, Nora Jones and E-40.

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“It is still very much alive today and has been able to evolve and grow,” said Chris Torchia.

Torchia teaches break dance lessons at 329 N. Queen St. in Lancaster City on Tuesday and Thursday nights from nine until 10, each lesson costs 10 dollars per person. He will be keeping the studio open for an extra hour after lessons for people to hang around and try out their new moves.

This is his first time running his own class; however, Torchia has been teaching for about two and a half years, working in schools and helping teach other classes. He liked especially working with elementary students in Lancaster City.

Torchia got interested in break dancing when he was young. His cousin influenced him and his twin brother to start practicing and has performed at various places in Lancaster including community events and churches.

“Dancing adds so many dimensions: physical, flexibility, dance, rhythm and style,” said Torchia. “It is amazing what the human body is capable of doing and all the amazing things you can teach people.”

If you have ever seen break dancing in action, the moves can look not only daunting, but near impossible to be able to learn. However, with a little determination, even you can learn them.

“It is pretty much what you want to do with it. Some of it is difficult and other stuff is easy. It’s easy to learn the basics and girls will normally focus more on the style instead of the strength.”

Torchia explained that often time guys will have the hardcore dance moves down, but not have the same rhythm and style as girls. It offers a lot to both guys and girls, however, allowing Guys to focus on the power moves, while girls can explore the actual style.
Learning the basics takes no time at all, but people interested in getting good are going to have to work. Torchia estimated it takes about nine months to one year to get really  good at it.

“It all depends on the determination of the person,” said Torchia.

Break dancing takes dedication, but the outcome is something a little more than amazing.

Millersville students would benefit from break dance lessons for many reasons.
It is a great way to relieve stress from studying and have a little fun away from campus.
It also helps to keep you in shape without feeling like it is work.

All types of people can break dance, anywhere from little kids on up to adults. Even though Torchia admits that it is not the easiest thing to try and teach a seven year old how to do it.

It has no gender or cultural divide, simply allowing everyone to express themselves through rhythm and dance.

You do not need any experience or background in dance to learn to break dance. Torchia has taught people at all levels and feels that even he has room to improve.

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