The Marauders returned home after winning four out of five matches.

Head Coach Shari Bucklin-Webber thought the trip was crucial for multiple reasons.  First, the Marauders gained experience over spring break, which they had not done in previous seasons.

“In the past, we were at a competitive disadvantage since most of the other conference teams did have matches during this time,” Bucklin-Webber said. “We were constantly playing ‘catch up’.”

The trip also helped the Marauders to build team chemistry.

“It allowed the team to bond and get to know each other again after the break following the fall season,” Bucklin-Webber said.

After a loss against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference foe Bloomsburg 9-0, Millersville won their next four matches over the next three days.

In their first win against Grand Rapids Community College, the Marauders excelled in singles competition.  They won five out of six singles matches after dropping two of three doubles matches.  Seniors Mark Treires and Dusty Speicher won at No. 2 doubles 8-2.

Sophomore Drew Slocum won his first match of the year at No. 1 singles over Jeff Karsinski, 6-2, 6-4.  Also picking up wins were junior Andrew Sorgi, Treires, and freshmen Erik Wright and Colton Brown.

The Marauders also earned two shutout victories last week, defeating both Marywood University and Muskingum College 9-0.

Freshman Henry Ben had the most convincing win against Marywood, a 6-0, 6-0 victory over John Domider.  Ben and freshman Donald Swantko also won at No. 3 doubles 8-1.
Slocum’s fourth-straight win at No. 1 singles came against Muskingum in an easy 6-0, 6-0 defeat of Jayson Hilborn.  Slocum and Sorgi also edged out a No. 1 doubles victory against Hilborn and Adrian Matthews 8-6.

Millersville’s other victory of the week was a 7-2 win over Notre Dame College. The Marauders won all three doubles matches in convincing fashion and picked up four wins in their six singles matches.

Playing against various levels of competition throughout the week, the Marauders found themselves in many different situations.

“The competition was varied enough that we were tested and had some easier matches that we could work on some things and find our comfort zone,” Bucklin-Webber said.
“I expected us to do well in our spring break matches but there were some individual matches that went much better than they could have.”

The team now finds themselves in unfamiliar territory.  Their current record is now 5-3 following a 1-2 fall season.  They have a long winning streak and look to build on the confidence they have gained.

“A four match winning streak is always good, but we still need to take one match at a time and focus on the task at hand,” Bucklin-Webber said.

Just because they have been winning matches does not mean there is still work to do.  Bucklin-Webber has been stressing closing out big points and maintaining leads, especially in doubles competition.

The Marauders travel to Chestnut Hill on Saturday and hope to continue their winning ways after not having a match the last two weeks.

“I am expecting the team to be more focused and aggressive this week against Chestnut Hill. I hope we can raise our level of intensity and our efficiency with each match,” Bucklin-Webber said.

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A few of the key speakers of the conference included David Sanger, Chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, Congressman Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), and Lawrence Mishel, President of the Economic Policy Institute.

Congressman Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) addresses issues of sustaining an American middle class at a conference presented by Millersville's Civic and Community Engagement and Research Project. Photo by Christian Shuts.

The conference was previewed in an economic forum held Feb. 23, where professors Dr. Mike Gumpper, Dr. Kenneth Smith, and Dr.. Eric Blazer shared their expert opinions on the economic state of the country, as well as how it would change the lives of students at Millersville.

The conference gave valuable points and information to its attendants about our current economic condition, and how we are being affected, including student loans, which is always important at an educational institution.

An insight into where we are headed was also discussed. Social Security and retirement savings reform, and strategic job growth were also topics of interest.

On the first day of the conference, the University welcomed David Sanger, the best selling author of the recently published book, The Inheritance.

The book discusses the issues we face as a nation in relation to our economy and having a new president in office, Barack Obama.

Sanger is best known for his work at the New York Times. He has had extensive work covering political affairs including foreign policy, the presidency, and globalization.

The first day of the conference also included sessions about “Social Security & Retirement Savings Reform,” “Emerging Economic Powers in Today’s World” and “Credit (Student Loans) & Mortgage Policy.”

Monique Morrissey of the Economic Policy Institute discussed retirement, and also explained how economic circumstances can influence people in their retirement decisions.

Student loans were also of great interest in the conference, considering there are many concerned students wondering what will happen with their student loans.

This was covered by Dawn Korman, and John Montgomery, both of Susquehanna Bank and Dr.Mike Gumpper, a professor of economics at Millersville University.

It is now becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain student loans.

The Federal Family Education Loan Program has also been experiencing turbulence due to a crumbling economy.

Saturday’s portion of the conference was compromised of sessions that were about job growth, the stimulus package and bailout, healthcare coverage and Medicare reform, and the middle class of the 21st century.

Robert Walker, a Millersville Alumni and former U.S. Congressman and Chairman, Wexler-Walker Public Policy Associates spoke about strategic job growth in our current economy.

Walker has an extensive background in dealing with political affairs; he represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1997.

He expressed his knowledge and experience of economic policies and active in developing various strategies for the economic threats our nation currently faces.

Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute spoke about “Reconfirming or Redefining ‘Middle Class’ for the 21st Century.”

Overall, Mishel is working to “advance the interest of American workers.”

The middle class is known as the general population and Mishel emphasizes the importance of workers forming resolutions to ultimately create success and room for advancement for jobs in the U.S.

The conference gave students and faculty the opportunity to hear from the knowledgeable speakers on their insights of important issues in our economy today.

The future of the economy may be unknown but the events allowed concerned students to hear from and interact with professionals in the economic field.

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Especially when what I presumed to be a bailout was spit back in my face after having been chewed thoroughly over by corporate America.

I’m just not that ticklish.

$165 million later, I’ve been tickled a little too much. It’s fun at first. The first tickles you may smile about. “Wouldn’t it be funny if they took our money and just did what they wanted with it anyway?” Ha…ha…ha.

And President Obama is heard late last year reprimanding any actions of the sort. We giggle a little after this one. “Wouldn’t it be funny if, after this man becomes president, they just take the money and do with it what they will?” Ha…ha.

“I cannot imagine a position more selfish and greedy at a time of national crisis, and I want to send them a message right now: Do not make that mistake,” Mr. Obama was quoted saying in September 2008. “You are stewards, not only of your companies but your workers and your communities.”

A.I.G.: “Whatever…”

I suppose it causes one to laugh (mainly to mask your fear), partly as a defense mechanism—like finding yourself smiling when someone threatens your life.

After a while, all these articles about “a recession coming” and “consumer spending is down” start making sense to you (as they always seem to do), and you relax your legs.

You allow the government to take what could have been a weekend dinner and movie, an extra few gallons, a car repair, mortgage payment, or your children’s favorite cereal—but you don’t feel like it’s been a fair deal.

What are you going to do? They had to get the money, right? “Too big to fail” were the words, right?

No, no. This is all wrong.

After all, it’s your money they’ve taken. You pay your taxes, and you’ve essentially been told that you not only cannot have your money back, but you have to keep paying to not get it back.

“Pay for what?!” you scream.

The pressed white shirts and Italian shoes of corporate America, you hear soflty replied.
And then someone softly taps your shoulder, as if its a kind soul,trying not to jolt you, and claims that the hundreds of millions of dollars of increases in executive pay were “contractual.”You wet your pants in laughter.

It is said that there have been demands for a full public accounting of how the banks have been using bailout money since last fall, and those demands continue unanswered even after the taxpayer assistance has now grown to something close to $200 billion.

With the government literally owning 80 percent of the company (that is, we own A.I.G.), I think there has to be something more than just requests or even reprimands.

Obama has recently given Timothy Geithner approval to “use…leverage and pursue every single legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole.”

New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo demanded on Monday that the insurer release the names of the executives in A.I.G.’s Financial Products subsidiary who are to receive the bonuses, their job descriptions and details about their performance.

In a letter to Edward M. Liddy, the company’s current chief executive, Mr. Cuomo said that if he did not receive the information he would issue subpoenas demanding compliance.

How about issuing warrants?

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Cramoy is originally from Connecticut until his family recently moved to New York. He and his brother, Jeremiah, are part of the Josh Cramoy Band. They have been around since 2000 and have always loved singing and playing music since they were very young. Cramoy performed solo for us at the Club de ‘Ville on Friday, and captured the interest of many. His passion for music shines through when he sings and it draws the audience into his lyrics.

“My favorite track is ‘What I Got Medley’ because it’s the Fresh Prince of Bel Air song and pretty much everyone knows it. I like to get the crowd involved in the music,” Cramoy said. He asked the audience to sing along and his performance was an enjoyable one even if you didn’t know the words to the songs. Cramoy writes his own music and listeners can relate to his lyrics. “I’m inspired by real life experiences, relationships and different perspectives. I like to look outside the box as well and write about a variety of things,” he said. Cramoy has one CD out, an acoustic EP, a full-length album and he is working on his second album right now.

Josh Cramoy's passionate singing touches the crowd. He entertained his audience with music as well as humor. Photo by: Christian Shuts.

Cramoy is currently on his college tour and he said they tour from February to May. He enjoys getting to travel, go around to different universities and perform at various venues. Cramoy has opened for many reputable musicians like Gavin DeGraw, OAR, and Eve 6. They have performed at the World Cup Bobsled Championships and the Alpine National Championships as well.

Cramoy listens to every type of music. He listens to anything from Tool and Rage Against the Machine, to Matchbox Twenty, The Beatles and Dispatch. He attempts to vary his own music and it ranges from Rock, Folk, Country, Hard Rock to Pop Rock, Soft Rock, Acoustic to Jazz Rock. When Cramoy performs, he not only sings to entertain the crowd, but it is clear that he enjoys being on stage.

Cramoy towards the end of his performance took a break by joking around with the crowd and conversing with them. He was a very friendly and funny guy who was more than glad to talk to anyone who approached him after the show. He ended with Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time” and the crowd joined in.

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His appearance was in light of the recent economic stimulus package and how it will affect the students of the University.

The event was held in the Bolger Conference Room and was by RSVP only. Cavanaugh did two sessions, one for faculty, and one for students.

The student seminar had low attendance only filling half of the room.

Nonetheless, Cavanaugh was thankful for those few students who were interested in the financial status of their school.

The Chancellor spoke about the economic situation and how the money will be distributed, what kind of stake Millersville University will receive, and how that will affect the school’s students.

Cavanaugh estimated that 81.5 percent of the money for education would go to kindergarten through high school and the remaining 18.5 percent would be divided among the 14 state schools. The money for state schools will be in the form of grants and loans.

A $1.9 billion burst to financial aid to help some 1.4 million students go to school, and a $100 addition to Pell Grants, which will help some 7 million families with college.

Sophomore John Loomis attended the event and felt that the government is taking steps in the right direction.

“They [government] are taking their time appropriating funds, which is a good thing, as not every school needs as much as the next. Also, the large portion of government funding for education is going towards the first two levels of education, I think around 80 percent, this is also a good move because it is our (U.S.’s) primary and secondary schools that are not excelling. Test scores show this. The Obama administration says it sees investment in education as investment in the future, I just hope they come through on their promises,” said Cavanaugh.

Many students shared Cavanaugh’s sentiment, showing a bit of hesitation to approve of any spending unless it is sure to be beneficial.

The Chancellor not only touched on the financial issues but also on ways PASSHE could grow and be known internationally. Cavanaugh aspires to “go beyond the confines of the campus and enrich the experience”. He spoke of “blended classes”, in which the Internet is used to connect two classes in different countries to share the learning experience.

The Chancellor closed the seminar with a question and answer session. Cavanaugh never showed uncertainty and answered the questions with almost rehearsed fluency.  Many questions were variations on, “How will the stimulus help me”? One student asked for Cavanaugh’s opinion on Bill Ayer’s visit to Millersville. The Chancellor showed no opinion either way and treaded lightly to avoid controversy.

“He’s a very skilled speaker, but he danced around some issues,” said senior Erik Golden.

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After being eliminated in the semifinals of the PSAC Championships, the Marauders were slotted as the number five seed in the Atlantic Regional of the national tournament where they lost at the hands of the number four seed.  The consecutive losses in postseason play no doubt overshadowed their outstanding regular season in which they shared the PSAC East regular season title with West Chester.

Millersville entered the PSAC championships as the number two seed in the East, riding the heels of a six game winning streak to close out the regular season.  Their first matchup was against third-seeded Kutztown whom the Marauders had split a pair of games with during the regular season.  Millersville controlled the majority of the game but struggled to keep the pesky Golden Bears off of their heels for most of regulation play.  With just over six minutes left in the game the Marauders were clinging to just a two-point lead.  With their hopes of advancing to the next round in limbo, Millersville dug deep and closed out the final six minutes of the game with an 18-9 run to finally topple Kutztown by a score of 75-64.  Senior Gladine St. Julien paced Millersville with 26 points.  Junior Aiesha Bellamy added 12 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, while Junior Emily Balogh came up big off the bench for the Marauders by piling in 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds in just 19 minutes on the floor.  After surviving Kutztown, the team headed to West Chester to take on California (Pa.), whom was ranked third nationally, and held a 4-0 all-time record against Millersville in PSAC semifinals matchups.

History was on the side of the Vulcans as they defeated Millersville for a fifth time by a score of 67-57.  Millersville held an early 10-point lead, and led by two at the half, which was only the third time California trailed at the break all season.  The Marauders, like the many other opponents before them, were unable to keep the Vulcans’ offense at bay as they opened the second half with a 21-9 scoring run en route to piling 37 points in the second half and defeating Millersville.  After falling behind by 14 with 9:30 left in the game, Millersville was able to claw back to a six-point deficit with just under one minute remaining in the game.  The Vulcans, however, were able to nail all of their free throws in the last minute to end the game. “We dug ourselves into some holes we couldn’t get out of,” Emily Balogh said.

Junior Jenna Craig drives past her opponent during a recent game. Photo by: Christian Shuts.

St. Julien finished with 11 points and topped 1,000 points for her career and Bellamy also made her presence felt as she finished with 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists in an all around solid performance.

Millersville traveled to California (Pa.) to take on Charleston in the opening round of the tournament but went threw a bit of déjà vu from the previous week.  The Marauders held on to another lead at the half, but were unable to close out the game once again and fell to the Golden Eagles by a score of 59-49.

In a relatively low scoring first half, the Marauders received all of their points from just three players.  At the break St. Julien had 10 points, Bellamy had 8, and Junior Jenna Craig had six as the Marauders led just 24-23.   After a scoreless stretch of 5:26, the Marauders fell behind early in the second half by a score of 34-25.  After pulling back within four the Golden Eagles went on a 12-0 run which took most of the wind out of the Marauders.  Millersville, once again, would not go away so easily and managed to pull within six with under two minutes remaining in the game, however they were unable to close the gap any further as their season came to an end when the final buzzer went off.
Although their season did not end the way they had hoped, the Marauders certainly had no reason to hang their heads.  The Marauders captured the conference title for the second year in a row and were just two wins shy of tying the school record for most wins in a season.  The team will lose only two seniors in Jenna Philo, and St. Julien who finished her career at 16th on the school’s all-time list with a total of 1,021 points.  “We’re losing two great players and great leaders,” Balogh said.  “But this season we had lots of accomplishments with players overcoming adversity and injuries.  Hopefully we’ll have another good season [next year].”

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Solutions and “solutions” abound. Let’s take a brief look at something accessible to virtually all that actually makes a difference: Consuming less meat and dairy.

Why eat less meat and dairy? Diets are easier to change than transportation options or how we power our homes and businesses.

The reasons are many, let’s take a look at a couple that speak to all of us.

One, you can save significantly on your food budgets, especially important given the increasingly tough economic times.

Though not all meat and dairy comes from factory farms, more sustainable alternatives exist where animals are better fed and treated. However, this article will talk about meat and dairy production as a whole produced on an industrial scale and accounting for a far higher percentage of what is currently out there, with the aforementioned alternatives being in the minority on the shelves of area food-sellers.

Another reason, ignoring ethical considerations related to including fewer animal products in our diets, is that through eating better overall people can lose weight at the same time!

Contributing to fewer health issues related to over-consumption of meat and dairy, such as heart disease, cancer and the ever-present problem of obesity experienced either through direct consumption or the effects of pollution issues occurring from producing meat and dairy products.

Because of mechanized industrial processes, producing meat and dairy is not especially environmentally conscious. The United Nations FAO’s report, “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” lists several environmental issues concerning meat production.

Among other issues, 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock, more than transportation sources including planes, trains and automobiles. A third of the nitrogen and phosphorus in freshwater sources is from meat production.

Significant deforestation to rainforests and other forested areas has occurred in the last 30 years as society’s appetite for meat and dairy has increased.

The United Nations study included the environmental impact of producing meat and dairy which includes having to grow feed for the animals, mostly corn and soy beans.  They are grown using chemicals and heavy machinery on huge tracts of land, which makes up the majority of animal feed sources.

For those with appetites and curiosities piqued by the thought of eating less meat, a vast number of excellent resources, recipes, nutrition info and more are all a web search away to help ease this personal transition.

Like many people, I have enjoyed a nice steak, or the occasional bacon-cheeseburger as much as anyone else, but after adjusting to what has been a relatively minor dietary change, I have found that I miss the taste less and less.  This has shown me the transition to eating less meat and dairy, while not initially easy, is not as hard as one might think.

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The almost three hour musical, by Stephen Sondheimand and directed at Millersville University by Ricky Hutchins, showcases a plethora of fairytale characters including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood.

“Rehearsing for a musical is always a long process, and this was no exception,” said Brieanne Rogers, who was the Bakers wife. “Sondheim musicals are especially challenging, but I think we were pretty prepared for the task.”

The first act closed and appeared to be the end of the show, which would have been a happily ever after. However, the second act kills off half of the main characters and, though it ends on an upbeat note, it almost feels like you are watching Hamlet, which helps to cement the fact that Into the Woods is no ordinary fairytale.

This originality was refreshing and helped to keep the audience unsuspecting of what would come next.

“The audiences reacted very well, especially on Saturday,” said Ben Achey, who played the Mysterious Man. “My character is interesting. The wisdom behind his eccentric and seemingly interfering ways is revealed, displaying an unexpected depth to his character. I had a lot of fun with it.”

Each member of the cast brought something unique to the production, and it was obvious their hard work paid off.

“I feel my character did a lot of growing up in the woods. At the beginning, he’s kind of selfish, but naïve,” said Phil Vonada, who was the Baker. “I think that’s a lot of what he was about, learning to be responsible, caring, and fatherly. He grows up, just like the other characters, though in a much different way.”

The pit orchestra sounded perfect alongside the stage. Lori Hess, who played the violin, performed beautifully. She had the difficult task of making the high-pitched notes for the Wolf sound good and not screechy and seemed to hit every note perfectly.

The pit was a relatively small one for a show of this size, putting more pressure on each individual instrumentalist. This did not seem to hinder their performance, however, and it was easy to see the cast and orchestra had a fun time performing.

Students in costume for Into the Woods. Photo by: Christian Shuts.

“We had an all star cast, a talented pit orchestra, and a great director. I think we pulled it off rather well, since Sondheim is very hard to perform,” said Glenn Kraft, who played Cinderella’s Prince. “I liked that I was able to unleash my inner pompous royalty. It was a very refreshing change, and it was fun to act that I was better than the other people.”

Each character was unique and the actor got a chance to get into the mind of a completely random person.

“What can I say about Jack?” said Chris Bartholomew, “The thing that I liked the most about him was his innocence. It changes throughout the show as he realizes that not everyone is as good as he thinks they are. He was a lot of fun to play, and it was fun to put myself back into the mindset of a child.”

The work that goes into a show like this is incredible. There are many people that do not get the recognition they deserve, like all the people helping out backstage. Leann Hart, who played the witch, said she even had to have people open bottles of water for her because she was unable to do anything with her ridiculously long fake nails.

“Sometimes actors can be divas but without the rest of the crew we would be random college students standing on an empty stage singing a song a capella,” said Hart.

She had a lot of fun playing her part and participating in ACMO because it is all student run, and whether or not things go perfectly smooth the outcome is a good one.

“I think people sometimes forget that we did everything ourselves, from the sound to the set to the costuming and directing,” said Hart.

The cast, however, surpassed expectations, minus a few sound difficulties.

Aaron Ross, who played Cinderella’s father, did an amazing job. His character was drunk the whole time and his aimless wanderings about the stage made for an easily humorous situation.

“I played Cinderella’s father, a loopy drunk man. I liked playing him because he was always reacting differently than everyone else on the stage,” said Ross. “He didn’t talk much, but for an audience member with a keen eye, he quietly served a comic relief — especially during the high-stress situations.”

“Into the Woods” helped to showcase not only the talent here at Millersville University, but the dedication as well.

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On Saturday, Jennings earned All-American honors for the second-straight year in the women’s one-mile run at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Houston, Texas.  She finished fifth with a time of 4:57.95 in the event.

Most athletes would be satisfied with these results, but not Jennings.

“Honestly, we both were a little disappointed as she finished 5th last year and her training and racing had been stronger this year,” coach Andy Young said.  “I think she was capable of being in the top three so now we will just have to get it done during the outdoor season.”

For Jennings, her success comes from many sources.  She has plenty of natural ability, but a lot of her achievements can be attributed to her work ethic.

“She trains fast and hard in all of her workouts,” Young said.  “The race times just naturally fit with those workouts.”

Young also feels that there are other athletes on Millersville’s track team with enough talent to rise to Jennings’ level, but they have not put together all of the things that make her who she is.  She is a competitor in every sense of the world.

“She is the total package of athleticism, work ethic, and mental toughness,” Young said.  You don’t get three out of three in most athletes.  That is what sets her apart from some of her teammates and competitors.”

With the indoor track season out of the way, Jennings and the rest of the track team now move forward to the outdoor track season. Young still thinks there is room for improvement for Jennings.  She will run in the 800, 1500, and 5000 meters.  If she beats her personal bests times, she will also improve on the school records that she already holds.

“I think she will also hit the automatic qualifying times for the NCAA meet this outdoor season in all those events,” Young said.

However, there is also the possibility that Jennings could redshirt in order to gain another year of eligibility.

“I think with one more year she could be an NCAA Champion as well as have a future in running after college,” Young said.

If Jennings were to keep improving, the possibilities of what she could still accomplish are scary.  Her competition might want to lookout.

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