Alice Yoder gave her presentation on the obesity epidemic on September 30 in Caputo 210, offering advice on how to reerse the current trend by spreading awareness.

More than 30 percent of the U.S. population is overweight. In Pennsylvania alone, 36 percent of adults are diagnosed as obese, a 12 percent increase from only seven years ago. In Lancaster City, 26 percent of adults are obese, and it is not only adults who are being affected. More than 15 percent of children, grades ranging from kindergarten through sixth grade are obese, and if Americans do not change their lifestyles, the numbers will continue to rise.

On September 30, students and faculty met in Caputo 210 for the third Colloquium series of the semester to hear Alice Yoder, the Director of Community Health at Lancaster General, give a lecture on, “The Obesity Epidemic: Understanding and reversing this trend.”

The lecture both shocked and educated the audience, presenting overwhelming statistical facts about the increase in obesity in America, and the problems that result from the disease.

Yoder emphasized the importance of understanding obesity, because future generations will be at a great risk of many health problems if the trend continues.
Being overweight and obese are two separate diagnoses, and differ for adults and children. For adults, being overweight is having a body mass index (BMI) of 25-30, and over 30 is considered obese. A person’s BMI is a number calculated from his or her weight and height that indicates body fat content. The formula for children and adults are the same, however, for children, overweight is being in the 85th to less than 95th weight percentile for their gender and age. Obese is equal to or greater than the 95th percentile.

Yoder’s lecture emphasized reversing the trend to prevent children from the physical and mental affects of obesity. “Any children born in 2000 on, if we keep trending the way we trend their life expectancy will be less than we are expecting,” Yoder said. Today, life expectancy is 78, a number that until now was increasing.

A statistical analysis, presented as a power point presentation, emphasized the large increase of overweight children. The percentage of overweight children aged 12- 19 has more than tripled between 1980 and 2002, going from five percent to 16 percent. For children aged 6-11 the prevalence of overweight has more than doubled, increasing from seven percent to 16 percent and among two to five year olds, the percentage has risen from seven percent to over 10 percent.

According to http://www.prevent.org, adolescents who are overweight have a 70 percent chance of being overweight as adults. The answer to this epidemic, Yoder believes, is to identify the disease early, and prevent obesity.

If obesity is not prevented, children and adults have an increase chance of developing many health problems, including: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and some cancers. “We are finding more and more children with diabetes,” Yoder said.

Obesity also puts people at risk for developing arthritis; for every two-pound increase in body weight, the risk increases by nine to 13 percent. Women who are obese have nearly four times the risk of knee osteoarthritis and men have nearly five times the risk compared to women and men of an average weight. “More people need knee replacements, and hip replacements,” Yoder said.

Breathing problems such as sleep apnea, are also increasingly prevalent in adults and children. “This was always an adult issue. Now we are finding it in the pediatric unit,” Yoder said. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which a person cannot get air when they are sleeping. This disorder is common, but can be very serious and fatal.
Reproductive complications are also increased with obesity. Women who are obese during pregnancy have an increased risk for preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and cesarean deliveries. Obesity is also harmful for the infant, increasing the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida.

Yoder also discussed the psychosocial consequences of obesity, saying that studies have shown a correlation between high BMI and depression symptoms.

Gail Altieri, a senior Meteorology major, related to this part of the discussion. Altieri came to the lecture because she is, “Interested in obesity because I used to be 300 pounds in high school,” she began, “[My classmates] used to always make fun of the fat people; I got made fun of from elementary school to high school. They called me Gail the whale.”

Altieri now weighs a healthy 140 pounds, a weight that she was able to achieve in just a year by taking junk food out of her diet, avoiding sugary drinks, and exercising regularly.

Gail eats, “Three small meals a day, and [I] run an average of 3.0 to 3.5 miles a day except on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I do stomach crunches, but I do a lot of them though, like 300,” Altieri said. She also lifts weights, plays girls softball, coed softball, basketball, and soccer.

Her story can also be an example of how people are treated differently with weight loss. “It was funny, people treated me a lot better. The kid that used to make fun of me got fat and I got thinner, and asked me out.”
Eating right and maintaining an active lifestyle are the key ingredients to being healthy. However, the current trends in America are the primary causes of the rise in obesity. Yoder explained that almost 80 percent of children do not eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and young people spend more time watching television than they spend on exercise or other physical activities. Jobs also are not as physical as they were in the past, “we have pushed physical activities out of our lives,” Yoder said.

Phuong Tien, a sophomore, believes that it is the parent’s responsibility to keep their children active, “Parents should make play time with the kid, even though they work. Five to ten minutes will add up, then you will build a better relationship.”

The eating habits of Americans have also drastically changed in the last 20 years, especially with the increase in fast food chains and larger meals. This can be seen especially in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods.

Fast food companies market towards poorer areas, which is why, “rates of obesity increase where there is a higher rate of poverty,” Yoder explained.

Yoder showed examples of how proportions have increased in the last two decades, comparing a cup of coffee that has 45 calories, to a mocha coffee that has 305 calories, and comparing an average cheeseburger, which has increased from 333 calories to 590 calories. “In our society, we have really decreased the amount of physical exercise and increased the amount of calories in our day,” Yoder said.

Yoder concluded her lecture with solutions to the obesity problem, stating that it is a systematic solution. In order to fight the epidemic, people must think about, “how we build our communities,” Yoder said.

The way communities are built are not physically friendly, Yoder explained, “we have really built our community around the automobile.”

She believes that people must, “Increase their everyday activities through the design of the built environment and transport system.”

People must also, “shift the drives of the food chain and consumer purchasing patterns to favor health options,” Yoder explained.

Schools play a big part in promoting healthy lifestyles for children.

“It always gets laid on the schools because students are there six hours a day,” Yoder said.

More schools are cutting recess at a younger age, and making gym optional instead of mandatory. Yoder believes that the schools need to make goals that focus on exercise and a balanced diet.

It is up to not only the individual, but also the entire public to help make these lifestyle changes, and fight the obesity epidemic.

The individual should have increased knowledge of the risks of obesity, the community should work together to promote change, and public policy should develop and enforce state and local policies that can increase healthy behaviors by developing media campaigns that promote awareness.

There is, “No single magic pill solution,” Yoder said.

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Especially when their motto is to “serve and protect.”

This is why I just do not understand how a police car sitting at the intersection of George and Frederick Street is helping anyone on this campus.

The worst part about this is that the cruiser is usually on for a good portion of the day with Millersville University Police Department standing right outside of it, with their thumbs snuggly placed on their belts.

One of the hardest things for students and faculty to do on this campus is cross the street. With the amount of construction, traffic and limited space on the roads, one might believe that this is a great opportunity for the MUPD.

A street light that has been up for nearly a month, but does not work, should warrant an officer to be attentive to the area. The MUPD are very consistent with having someone standing there, but why not they help direct the flow of traffic?

What else is there to do during the hectic hours then help with pedestrian traffic?

Their is no amount of parking tickets that should take away from the safety of students on campus.

I do not want to point out only negative things, however, that is mostly what I find with the University Police.

I did have the opportunity to see one of the officers jump starting someone’s car near Stayer Hall last week, which was very nice. Sadly, 15 minutes later, I witnessed the very thing I have been talking about again.

Let me blow your mind with some facts about fuel consumption and police cruisers.

The Consumer Energy Center states, “For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one mile.”

Basically, if a cruiser is sitting at the intersection for one hour, it has used 30 miles of fuel. Multiply this by six hours, which is the length of time I surveyed the cruiser one day last week, this equates to 180 miles of fuel.

Knowing these numbers lets say the cruiser averages, oh, 26 miles per gallon city (I will be nice and give the MUPD the benefit of the doubt). In six hours, the car would have used 6.4 gallons of fuel. With gas presently at $2.39 a gallon at Turkey Hill, it is costing Millersville students $15.30 to idle the cruiser.

Now I know why the MUPD are so good at giving out parking tickets, they need to pay to keep their cars on for no reason whatsoever.

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After a solid offensive outing against Shippensburg, the Marauders hoped to improve from their last game and upset the undefeated Huskies.

Bloomsburg is ranked fourth by the American Football Coaches Association and fifth on the D2Football.com poll.

Their dominance showed throughout the game, as the Marauders were unable to keep Bloomsburg out of the end zone.

Junior quarterback Bill Shirk looks downfield to complete a pass to redshirt freshman receiver Lou Brown in their most recent home game again West Chester University. The Marauders fell again this past weekend; this time at the hands of Bloomsburg. The Marauders are not 1-5 on the season and will look for their second win this week against conference opponent Cheyney University. CHRISTIAN SHUTS/SNAPPER

The Marauders defense struggled to stop the Huskies high powered attack in the first half, giving up 35 points on five consecutive scoring drives.

Bloomsburg’s balanced passing and rushing attack was difficult for Millersville’s defense to stop.

The Huskies offensive line also did a great job protecting quarterback Dan Latorre allowing zero sacks.

The Marauders put together a couple promising offensive drives in the first half but mistakes hurt them.

On their first drive, they were able to move the ball to midfield but a holding penalty halted the drive. On their next possession, Bloomsburg was able to interrupt the Marauder’s drive with an interception.

Late in the second quarter, Millersville was able to break into Bloomsburg territory and get their first points of the game.

Junior Quarterback Bill Shirk completed four passes on the drive and rushed for a first down.

Junior Jamal Smith caught two passes for nine yards and 16 yards to help the Marauders get into field goal position.

Senior kicker John Banzhof was able to make an impressive 47 yard field goal to put the Marauders on the board.

Millersville junior quarterback hands the ball off to senior running back Brad Lantz. The Marauders high-powered offense could not quite match Bloomsburg's over the weekend as Millersville fell 45-10. CHRISTIAN SHUTS/SNAPPER

Banzhof is known for his ability to hit long field goals. Last year against Bloomsburg, Banzhof was good from 50 yards away.

He is one of two active kickers in the PSAC division to have made field goals from 50 plus yards.

He is five for 10 on the season.

By the end of the first half, the Marauders found themselves in another huge hole down 35-3.

Playing teams tough for the entire game has been a trademark of the Marauders this season.

In the second half, Millersville held Bloomsburg to 10 points and scored a touchdown on their last possession.

Millersville head coach Greg Colby said, “ We can learn from things we see during the game, like missed assignments and we can improve on those mistakes. We played better and played hard throughout the game. We came back in the second half and played a little better.”

The Marauder’s scoring drive lasted much of the fourth quarter, eating 7:19 of the clock. Starting at their own 20 yard line, the Marauders scored 13 plays later on a one yard touchdown run by Junior Cardoza Jacks.

Quarterback Bill Shirk completed two passes on the drive, rushed three times and caught a pass from junior Jamal Smith for 21 yards.

Shirk ended the day 15 for 23 for 117 yards in the air and also had 45 rushing yards. On defense, senior Julius Carter led the Marauders with nine total tackles.

Spirits remain high for players.

The Marauders are away on Saturday against the winless Cheyney team.

Sophomore wide receiver Matt Egenrieder said, “ We can recover and I think we can finish the season strong. The defense started playing better and the offense clicked during the game against Bloomsburg.”

Coach Colby expects his team to be more physical against Cheyney. He said, “I expect the team to play hard and come out more physical.

Playing more physical will be key for the Marauders who have been outscored by a total of 171-44 in their last three games.

For any program giving up 171 points over the course of just three games is unacceptable, so these Marauders are surely doing what they can to make strides to improve.

While for the second year in a row the offense has been a strong point for the team, it is not without its deficiencies either.

It has been a rough start to the “Colby Era” at Millersville. The team is 2-15 since he took over as head coach at the beginning of last season.

That however will begin to change in the next few years, as recruits solely under the recruitment of Colby will be filling out the roster.

These players will be more suited for his style of play as the Marauders hope that will turn things around for the program that is currently in a winning drought.

Although in the eyes of the rest of the PSAC the upcoming game this week against Cheyney holds no level of real importance, the Marauders will have a significant reason of their own to do whatever it takes to win.

It is a game to stay out of the basement of the PSAC East.

Millersville won the meeting last season, but Cheyney will be out for revenge this year.

Whatever the outcome it will be just another building block for a Millersville team that is trying to dramatically improve.

It will not happen over night but the Marauders and their fans hope that one day soon it will at least happen.

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The few members that still remained within the club almost forgot to register their organization due to the chaotic nature of not having proper officers to run art club.

However, thanks to a faculty member who reminded of the registration deadline, the club is active and looking for new members.

“If we hadn’t registered soon, we would have to forfeit the money that we’ll be receiving from student senate,” said President Matt Eggswar.

“We almost lost Art Club, so bear with us,” Lauren Nye, a Senior Fine Arts major said to students who attended the first meeting. “If we had, it would have been a difficult process to start it all over again.”

A few members still in the Art Club, such as Eggssware and Nye, took on positions to save the Art Club because the organization needs officers to exist. Therefore, all of the positions are up for grabs and anyone who is interested in becoming president, secretary or treasurer should attend their next meeting on October 21 at 6 p.m. where they will be voting for the new officers.

“We just want to make sure we get a good group of people who will take on the responsibilities,” said Nye of her expectations of the new officers.

This semester, the Art Club has received only a fraction of money, and they are thinking of fundraising methods to boost up their budget.

According to Eggsware, the funding they received this semester is less than 25 percent of the normal budget.

“Art Club used to get a good amount of money, but the funds weren’t renewed last semester,” said Nye who has been a part of the Art Club for two semesters.

The Art Club organizes museum trips to Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York and other major cultural centers. However, since the budget is low, opportunities for these trips are limited, but are still available through the Red Raven Art Company in Lancaster. This is an art gallery in downtown Lancaster that arranges bus trips to museums and is open to anyone interested. Their next trip is to New York City, Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art on December 6. For ticket prices and more information go to: http:// www.redravenartcompany.com

The Art Club, aside from its financial battles is still trying to organize a small trip to Philadelphia in the near future.

As an attempt to raise money, Eggsware discussed setting up a membership fee.

He asked the members and newcomers how they feel about a $10 membership fee every semester, and the students seem to nod in agreement.

However, Eggsware said that for those who already belong to another art organization, their fee is only $5. He also talked about fundraising projects such as making and selling T-shirts or helping out on First Friday in downtown Lancaster.

There will also be open modeling available October 14 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the art building.

Open modeling is an opportunity for students to draw, paint, and sketch freely.

This session will be at no cost, however, Eggsware said they might start charging a very small fee to Millersville students after the first time.

One of the community service type projects that the Art Club will be involved in is cleaning up the Rose Garden behind Breidenstine.

This will take place Saturday, Oct. 24. Anyone interested should check their Facebook for times.

A big change to the Art Club is a new faculty advisor, Assistant Professor of Art, Dr. Victoria Weaver.

“This is the first time in a long time that we actually have a faculty coordinator,” said Eggsware.

Dr. Weaver said looking around the room that she was glad to have the support of so many students.

The Art Club is looking for new members and anyone interested should attend their next meeting on Oct. 21 at 6 p.m.

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With the H1N1 (swine) flu already spreading throughout the country, and fears about it continuing to wage on, it is no surprise that many fear that the 2009 flu season could be one of the worst.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of swine flu cases continues to remain elevated from week to week. Now that the seasonal flu will be picking up too, many more people are expected to become ill.

On October 1, in the weekly address from Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said that, “significant flu activity [exists] in virtually all states.”

“Most states do have quite a lot of disease right now, and that’s unusual for this time of year,” she said.

Dr. Schuchat also said that in some of the fatal cases of H1N1, a pneumonic bacteria was found to be present in cells, offering support that deaths from swine flu have been due to other factors, as well.

On October 2, the WHO reported that 340,000 cases of H1N1 were confirmed worldwide. Of those cases, 4100 deaths have been reported.

The WHO stresses, however, that countries, including the United States, have stopped reporting cases that were not severe. There, the WHO believes that the number of actual cases of H1N1 are substantially higher than the reported count.

Here at Millersville University, the feelings about the flu are mixed. The campus remains worried about the possibility of the swine flu spreading amongst the student body, much like it has at other schools across the nation.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the 2009 flu season, Health Services has put together a detailed document of procedures to follow if a mass breakout of the flu should occur. The content of the report is based on guidelines that the WHO and the CDC have posted on their websites.

In addition, Health Services has teamed up with Millersville University’s Housing Department for any situations that may arise in any of the nine residence halls on campus.

Miniature flu kits have been put together for any resident who falls ill with flu-like symptoms. Currently, the infirmary is not diagnosing any students with the swine flu specifically; everyone is being diagnosed as influenza-A because the two strains of the virus are similar.

In addition to the flu kits, Health Services has also put together meal kits that can be delivered to students living in residence halls. This further prevents the ill students from needing to exit his or her dorm room to eat.

Health Services is also providing an excuse note so that all teachers are aware of the student’s condition.

The swine flu continues to worry many on campus, including the resident assistants who oversee 30-40 people living in a dorm. Kylie Wurster, a resident assistant in Harbold Hall, said that, “Concerns with the flu would not be as necessary if people living in a hall would have better hygiene.”

“If everyone would wash their hands a couple times a day, we wouldn’t need to be worried about this,” Wurster said. “And the problem, too, is that it seems like the flu, in general, could be pretty nasty this fall.”

“We can only continue to stress the importance of personal hygiene during this flu season.”

Regardless, if a student on campus appears to be catching the flu, the only way to find out for sure is by stopping at the infirmary to get tested.

It is important to note that these different ways of responding to a potential H1N1-infected person are coming directly from Health Services. According to a member of the Housing Department, there is no specific protocol that individual residence halls would follow if a student began showing flu-like symptoms other than to pass out the kits.

Students were told by e-mail that the Millersville campus had eight confirmed cases of influenza A. That e-mail was sent on Wednesday, September 23. Attempts by The Snapper to contact Health Services this past week were unsuccessful. Furthermore, no updates have been posted on the Health Services webpage on Millersville University’s website.

According to Millersville University’s Health Services webpage, the school cannot confirm if a student who has the flu has the H1N1 strain or the seasonal influenza A.

This, according to the site, is because the Lancaster County Health Department is no longer testing for the H1N1 strain. Millersville University can only assume that a person has the swine flu. As a result, all cases are now being treated simply as having Influenza-A.

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According to History.com, the history of Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Samhain was the end of summer celebration of the Celtic New Year on November 1. The Celts celebrated the harvest and the beginning of winter, which they associated with darkness and death.

The Celts believed the night before their new year allowed the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead to become undefined. This allowed the ghosts of the dead to return to earth to cause trouble and damage to crops.

To celebrate, the Celts built sacred bonfires and burned crops and animals in sacrifice to their gods.

In 43 A.D., the Romans took over the Celtic lands and made two holidays out of Samhain. The first was Feralia, which celebrated the passing of the dead and was celebrated in late October. The second holiday was Pomona, a day in which to honor the Roman goddess of fruit and trees.

The symbol for Pomona was the apple, which lent itself to the tradition of bobbing for apples.

In the 800s, the Christians took over the lands and tried to influence the area and their traditions by ridding the people of their Samhain tradition. Pope Boniface IV made the ceremony a church sanctioned holiday, and ended up incorporating the Celtic traditions with his own. November 1 became All Saints Day to honor saints and martyrs.

This day was called All-Hallows or All-Hallowmas. According to Thehalloweenspot.com, “hallow” in old English meant “to sanctify.” The date was originally moved to May 13, but was changed by Gregory III to November 1 again.

The night of Samhain was then called All-Hallowmas Eve and eventually evolved into Halloween.

The tradition of costume wearing came from the Celts, who wore costumes with animal heads and skins at the burning ceremony of Samhain. However, this is not the only origin of wearing costumes on Halloween.

They also dressed up if they left the house at night to avoid detection by wicked spirits. In 1000 A.D., the day was made to honor the dead, where they used big bonfires like in the days of old, held parades, and dressed up like devils, angels, and saints.

On All Souls Day in England, poor people went around asking for food, and were often given “soul cakes” in return for their prayers for that family’s dead relatives. Children picked up on this idea and were given ale, food, or money.

In the colonial era, celebration of Halloween was restricted in the northern colonies due to influence of the Puritans. However, as immigrants crossed the ocean to America, they still brought their Halloween traditions with them. In the southern colonies, it was more popularly celebrated because of the lack of Puritan presence.

The first colonial celebrations were public events to celebrate the harvest and talk about the dead, and also to dance, and sing. They also told ghost stories and made mischief for others.

During the Potato Famine of 1846, increased immigration from Ireland caused the tradition of Halloween to spark interest again and become more popular. Americans began to dress up and go from house to house asking for food or money.

The focus of the holiday shifted by the 20th century to a family and community-oriented holiday. The concept of trick-or-treating evolved from the asking for food or money into the bribe idea that if you feed kids candy, they will not be mischievous.

The modern version of Halloween that we celebrate today is a rich mix of different ethnic cultures that immigrated to the United States, including Native American influences.

Trick-or-treat has developed into a tradition of fun and fright for little kids, as well as a time to dress up and party for older adults.

Halloween today is a time to celebrate the strange and the weird, as well as have fun scaring people and pulling pranks on the stingy.

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There might be a decline in the economy, but that does not have to keep you from looking great during the fall months. This year it is all about affordability, as well as color and texture.

The classic cardigan is making a comeback this year, but in a new, edgy way. Mustard yellows, deep teals, and various purple colors can be found in any department store.

These cardigans should be matched with brightly colored tank tops that play off of a duller shade, such as a mustard yellow cardigan with a deep orange shirt, or a purple cardigan with a teal shirt. These styles can be complimented with a dark skinny jean and a knee-high boot.

Accessorizing is a must this season, and no one should leave his or her house without a bright scarf or long necklace. Gold is the new silver this year, and the simple set of pearls should be left for your grandmother to wear.

This year’s styles are mixed; pearls, silver, and gold chains are tangled together. It is all about funky charms like sparrows and bows. These small accents will liven up the simple sweaters that are “in”.

The ever-popular legging continues to haunt the runway and all the stores. This year, substitute your pants for gray leggings underneath a bulky striped sweater. Bright leggings underneath a soft brown sweater.

Black is out. This year it is all about the browns and the oranges. This includes purses; which can range in any size, from the bulky dog-carrying bag, to the slim over the shoulder purse that only fits a cell phone and credit card (perfect for going out). Purses should be an expressive color, matching is not as important as before.

Shoes are ever changing, and this year throw those ballerina flats out and try an over-the-knee high-heeled boot over your leggings or skinny jeans. Or try a funky colored ankle boot, or for a going out look, try a cage heel with your jeans. Also try some moccasins, which never go out of style.

These fashion trends do not have to put a hole in your pocket. All of these items can be found at your local Target, which sells fashionable clothing at an affordable price.

Do not forget the most important accessory as the months grow colder is yourself, your attitude, and your smile. Remember that you wear the clothes, they do not wear you.

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A lot of the students were hoping that the virus would subside over the summer, but unfortunately, the virus remains as strong as ever heading into the winter months, and the traditional flu season.

In addition to the normal worries that a college student has, such as the tests, projects, and meetings that five or six classes require, students must worry about catching either of the Influenza A strains.

“It’s definitely on my mind because we live here,” freshman Shawn Case said, “It’s something we have to pay attention to because of the close living arrangements.”

On the other hand, freshman Robert Wromack says that it is too early to get excited about it.

“I’m not worried about it yet because I haven’t seen it hit the campus,” he said.

Despite the slight difference in opinions, both students reiterated the importance of personal hygiene, especially during the flu season.

When residents checked in to their rooms this fall, they found signs taped to their doors warning them of flu-like symptoms and how to prevent themselves from getting it. Stick-on signs have also appeared in bathrooms and on doors around the buildings.

Other public notices have been posted around the academic buildings, and numberous hand-sanitizing dispensers have been installed along various locations within the buildings.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put together an action plan for everyone to implement so they do not get the flu. The plan, called “Take 3,” advises everybody to do the following:

Get the flu vaccine. Everyone should have the seasonal flu shot each year, but a specific H1N1 vaccine is in its final stages of preparation.

Take everyday preventative actions, such as washing your hands several times a day and using a tissue to cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing.

Take flu antiviral drugs if your family doctor recommends them. Anti-viral drugs can make the flu milder and shorten its duration in your body, should you get infected.

Millersville University’s Health Services held a six-hour flu shot clinic October 7, so that students had an easy way to get the vaccination, however, students can simply call Health Services during normal business hours to schedule a flu shot on their own.

Despite all of the methods to prevent sickness, students will continue to worry about catching the flu while they work on their class assignments and move through the fall semester.

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Senior midfielder Meredith Dolinger carries the ball up the field in a match earlier this season against C.W. The Marauders went 2-1 over the last week to leave them with an overall season record of 6-6. Millersville has eight games remaining on their schedule this season and will look to improveon their already impressive 2009 campaign. Their next game in Saturday against Slippery Rock.

Conquering C.W. Post and crushing Seton Hill, the Marauders made sure to maintain the respect they have had thus far in the 2009 season.

Unfortunately, they came short against Mansfield on Sunday.

They will now only continue to turn the intensity up as they reach some of the harder teams of the PSAC division in the coming weeks.

Brushing the dust off from a three game losing streak, the Marauders faced C.W. Post ready to dominate.

Only three minutes into the game, junior Emily Woodland connected a pass to senior Kristie Testa on a penalty corner, sending a shot right in the cage.

Twenty-one minutes into the game, the pioneers answered back with a goal; going into halftime 1-1.

Both teams came back into the second half fired up and ready to go. C.W. Post took off with force, finding the cage 12 minutes into the second half.

The Marauders were awarded a penalty stroke almost immediately after.

Senior Krista Bupp, who had been injured was able to come onto the field and work her magic, sending the ball right past the goalkeeper.

In the final minutes of the game, freshmen Melissa McCarthy and Ashley Webber sealed the deal for the Marauder win, each putting the ball in the cage for a 4-2 win over the C.W. Post Pioneers.

The matchup against Seton Hill was an offensive domination.

The Marauders had no mercy, outshooting Seton Hill 32-7.

Freshman Brittany Anderson and Kristie Testa each tallied two goals.

Melissa McCarthy, freshman Lauri Blessing, freshman Paige Morrison, Ashley Weber, and junior Jessica Cave all rushed the goal in the duration of the game, adding up to the Marauder’s 9-0 win over Seton Hill.

Coach Shelley Behrens spoke of the Lady Marauder’s performance, ” I am very pleased. Day-to-day, week-to-week, we are very consistent with our performance. We have 12 new people and we are playing great at a high level.”

Mansfield brought their “A” game in Sunday’s game on the road.

Unfortunately, Millersville started on their heels as Mansfield pounded the cage twice in the first half; going into overtime down 2-0.

The Mountaineers kept their intensity going in the second half, as they found the goal again only four minutes into the half.

Without wasting anymore time, sophmore Emily Manwiller took a pass from Cave and found a hole into the cage, putting the game at 3-1.

The Marauders were now in the game full force.

Ten minutes later, senior Nicole Rayson took the ball up field, past the defenders, and right into the goal; closing the gap at 3-2. The Marauders edged in.

Unfortunately, this was not enough. The Mountaineers drove the ball right past the Marauders goalie and capped the game at 4-2.

According to results, the Marauders have had a few slip ups in the past weeks, but they are definitely no joke.

They have one of the hardest schedules.

“We have stepped up as a team. We’re definitely not over our heads. Polls mean little at this stage, we just have to have faith and focus on each game,” explained Coach Behrens on the games against the top teams.

Next week, the Marauders will face Slippery Rock on Saturday away and Shippensburg at home on Tuesday.

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That person is Shannon Custer. Custer was the first student at Millersville University to be awarded the Peter Buchanan Scholarship. Custer was one of four who were chosen to win the award.

Every year, the Peter Buchanan Scholarship Program in conjunction with the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and Affiliated Student Achievement Program (CASE ASAP) receives scholarship nominees from more than 300 campuses in America. This scholarship is awarded to students based on their involvement in an organization and how they emerge as a leader.

If selected as a winner, recipients receive money toward the cost of attending a national leadership convention. In 2009, the Student Ambassadors National Convention was held in Inner Harbor Baltimore, Md. It was here that students from more than 100 schools came together to participate in a leadership convention.

Custer, along with her co-president, performed a presentation for recruitment into Millersville University Student Ambassadors (MUSA). Ice-breaker games were played to learn more about the people attending the convention.

Among the many accomplishments gained by attending the convention, Custer and the MUSA placed in the top four for the spirit award and performed a show spreading their MU pride. She received a special opportunity to speak to the president of CASE ASAP one-on-one.

Custer said, “I walked away feeling proud that all my hard work paid off.” She was also thankful for the opportunity she had to learn more about her peers in MUSA and for her new found confidence. This confidence will become essential as she oversees the Student Ambassadors as president this year.

Custer is a woman of leadership. Attending Arch Bishop Ryan Catholic High School started her off in the right direction. She was president of the Sign Language Club, a track athlete, a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the year book staff, and secretary for an organization called Ryan for Life. Her leadership skills started at a young age and continue to blossom in her college career.

As the new students of Millersville University try to get acquainted with the campus, and returning students get back into the swing of things, it may seem hard to break away from college chaos. However, it is essential not only for the growth of Millersville as a campus but for individual growth that students become part of something bigger than themselves. Defying a hearing impairment, Custer answers the phone in the alumni office. Busy, but still finding time, she organizes paperwork for the alumni association and plans homecoming events. As a student, she meets every deadline while still finding time to preside over an organization.

“I just wanted to say that MUSA is a prestigious organization, which connects students with alumni. I wouldn’t have gotten through college without the people of this group. They are my support, and some of my best friends. In the end, going to this convention just brings us closer and we learn things about each other we would not on campus,” Custer said.

Instead of shirking away from leadership roles students could have on campus, they could learn from Custer. Joining an organization is beneficial. Students can gain a new support system away from home, members can become best friends, and they can learn to grow as a community as they learn more about each other. Students should follow in her footsteps and leave an imprint of their own.

New applications for the Peter Buchanan Scholarship are due by April 9, 2010 and will later be made available by accessing http://www.case.org.

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