These words set the stage for last Thursday evening’s speaker. Before a mass audience, the fine line between the real and the unreal was displayed through scientific and artistic discoveries.

On November 5, the Mr. and Mrs. William F. Brossman Charitable Foundation sponsored Millersville University’s 25th Annual Brossman Science Lecture, which featured Mr. Jeff Lieberman, a musician, roboticist, sculptor, photographer,
and host of the Discovery Channel’s “Time Warp.” In Lyte Auditorium at 7 p.m., Lieberman presented to his audience a combination of artistic and scientific discoveries that were experimented upon the basis of what is real and what is not real.

In collaboration with the University’s 2009-2011 theme, “Remix the Future, Remake Our World,” 25 high schools in seven counties competed in an examination for high school sophomore and junior science and mathematics students, laboratory
demonstrations, and a special afternoon lecture for selected elementary and middle-school students. For each high school, only two students made up a single team. The top three teams were given certificates at the beginning of the. In third place were Justin Heckelman and Subramanian Iyer from Cumberland Valley High School; in second place were Helen Hutchins and Ben Clark from Penn Manor High school; and in first place were Jason Silverman and Bhaskar Balaji from Unionville High School.

Lieberman is not just the host of Discovery Channel’s Time Warp. He holds four degrees (two Bachelor of Science degrees and two Master’s degrees) and is currently pursuing his Doctorate at MIT’s Media Lab, studying how art and science can be combined to bring people together.

He is known for creating “technological sculptures.” At MIT he led the design of the Cyberflora installation, a robotic flower garden that senses and responds to people in a life-like manner, and the Motor Learning Robotic Wearable Suit, a robotic suit that teaches motor skills like dance, sports, and rehabilitation. He also produced kinetic art sculptures, including Absolut Quartet, a music-making machine that incorporates the audience into the performance, and light bulb, an electromagnetically levitated and wirelessly powered light bulb.

In addition to these pursuits, Lieberman also performs electronic music in the duo Gloobic. He has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Lieberman’s newest venture, “Time Warp” on the Discovery Channel, focuses on the use of high speed photography to show viewers new things about the world. Lieberman takes regular events or actions, such as a cat licking its paw or a champagne bottle being opened, and slows them down enough so the human brain can process exactly what is happening. These wonders are both beautiful and scientific, an intermingling of genres that Lieberman has
perfected.

The presentation showed short videos of scientific experiments on his show. For 20 years, Lieberman has liked science and art, but could not figure out how it could come together. Then he discovered photography, bringing up the questions: “What is real and what is not real?” and “What is it that our eyes usually ignore?”

One example, and famous optical illusion is the television. It presents a sequence of 20-30 images, allowing an object to move from frame-to-frame. The brain and eyes coordinate, but are too slow to catch fast images. Depending on the type of animal, there are different color spectrums.

Lieberman is the lead designer for creating “technological sculptures.” The Cyberflora installation in 2003 had 20 robotic flowers that interacted with people’s emotions of either fear or interest.

Then there is the Slink in 2005. This project is a slinky stretched between two hands along a board illuminated by a series of flashing lights. The slinky moves in a constant wave motion while the blue blinking lights cause it to do any type of motion.

In 2007, a simple light bulb was suspended in mid-air electromagnetically. Similar to how a radio receives energy, the light bulb also receives power wirelessly, only in stronger transmission.

Finally, there is Absolut Quartet ,in collaboration with Dan Paluska in 2008, which consisted of three instruments. The main instrument was a ballistic marimba, which launches rubber balls roughly two meters into the air, precisely aimed to bounce off 42 chromatic wooden keys. The second instrument is an array of 35 custom-tuned wine glasses, played by robotic fingers. Finally, an array of nine ethnic percussion instruments rounds out the ensemble.

Lieberman also presented Newton’s Third Law, the law of reciprocal actions, which says, “To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction or the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions.”

Each experiment was slowed down to 10,000 frames per second, to allow the eyes catch up with the action. One of the experiments was a group of water-filled balloons shot by a shotgun. In its slow frame, it showed the balloons being disintegrated from the initial shockwave, front to back.

Similar to this experiment were three bubbles popped by a pebble. There were also three dry ice bombs tied together and placed in a water filled tank. The slow motion process showed how the explosion took place, frame-by-frame.

Also slowed down to frames per second, Animal behaviors were also slowed down to frames per second, such as hummingbird wings’ flapping and a snake shooting liquefied venom and striking a person. There were also sound vibrations such as strings of a guitar and drums, as well as a cymbal wobbling as if it was made of a softer material.

“The things we see are wrong,” Lieberman said. As Einstein said, “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

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A pandemic has broken out and by the end of the next year, nearly 95 percent of Pennsylvania’s hibernating bat species are expected to die, according to Wildlife Biologist Greg Turner with the Wildlife Diversity Section of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Turner, who spoke for MU’s Biological Colloquium Series on Wednesday about the emergent White Nose Syndrome in bats, received his B.S. in Biology at Wilkes University and his M.S. degree in 2001 from Frostburg State University.

The White Nose Syndrome, which is linked to the spread of the fungus belonging to the Geomyces genus, has been rapidly transmitted in the past three years causing the mass mortality of hibernating bat colonies in Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

“Even to date we do not know what is causing the White Nose Syndrome,” Turner said. The deaths may be attributed to an opportunistic infection that does not normally cause disease in a healthy bat, but rather in the compromised immune system of bats that are affected by the fungus, and is catastrophic.

However, scientists question if the cold-loving fungus alone is the cause for the population decline, because bats harbor other diseases such as West Nile, Ebola, and rabies virus, and still have a lifespan of up to 30-40 years.

First photographed west of Albany, New York by a spelunker in February 2006, the strange white fungus was later identified by scientists and linked to a fungus in Europe, and was found around bats’ muzzles and wing membranes.

This fungus has been in Europe for decades, but there the cave bats are not the majority. “We don’t know if there was a crash there,” Turner said.

If this fungus came from Europe and they once had a crash when no one was monitoring the population, it is “Scary why they have sites with 200-300 bats,” because the population shows no natural resistance to the fungus, “It is stable, but not growing,” he said.

All Pennsylvania bats belong to family Vespertilionidae, and of the nine species, six are hibernating, including the most common species the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus).

Bats like to go to cold air traps with stable air temperatures, however, affected bats are exhibiting strange behaviors, exiting hibernation early, and clinging to sides of houses and near entrances to caves or mines where the temperatures are not stable and they awaken more often.

Another trait found is they are emaciated, and have used up their fat stores for hibernation, either because their immune system has started up, or they are being aroused by irritation.

Scientists glued temperature sensitive data loggers to the back of bats necks, which are equipped with radio frequency transmitters that pulse at a certain temperature to calculate the peaks of body temperature that indicate disturbance from hibernation.

The bats that have survived since the first discovery of the syndrome in Albany have two times the normal amount of arousals than normal bats, and bats which are in the first year of the syndrome have double that amount.

In all six hibernating species, there are extremely high mortality rates, and the fast spread of the syndrome is linked to multiple modes of transmission. Bats are naturally social, so both hibernating and non-hibernating species are suspected to spread the fungal spores.

Scientists also believe spelunkers exacerbated the spread of the fungus. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a moratorium, in hopes of thwarting the spread of the fungal spores. Decontamination protocols include washing all mud and gear in Woollite, and decontaminating it with a 10 minute bleach soak.

“It is not foolproof, but it does work if done properly,” Turner said.

At Alexander Caverns, a popular caving site, cavers who did not clean or decontaminate their clothes, in 2007, could have carried the spores from New York, according to Turner, who cited a caver tracking study.

Ten sites in Pennsylvania have already been identified, but the problem is “a lot more widespread than we were able to diagnose,” Turner said, “It is looking pretty grim.”

This pandemic will have a startling affect on Pennsylvania’s ecosystems by reducing the number of natural insect predators. Each bat eats two pounds of insects per year, and with the expected extinction, hundreds of tons of bugs may go uneaten, resulting in higher need for pesticides.

As bats wrap themselves upside down to hibernate after mating in the late summer, it is up to the Pennsylvania Gaming Commission and other wildlife organizations to defend them from what is killing them in their sleep.

Funding has been allocated from the Department of the Interior Appropriations, including $1.9 million for further research of White Nose Syndrome.

This season, members of Pennsylvania’s Game Commission are hoping to treat colonies, and test the effectiveness of eradicating the fungus, with vapors of an inorganic compound known to kill the spores. They have seven rehabilitation centers for treating bats with other maladies, but they are unsure if the rehabilitation of bats with will be effective or will spread the disease by introducing spores to migratory species.

Residents can report erratic bat behavior and mortality online at the Game Commission’s “Report Sick Bats” form that can be accessed in the left-hand column of the agency’s homepage (www.pgc.state.pa.us).

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Giddy states that there are two concepts when falling in love: imagination and fantasy. These elements help to project what a person is longing for in love and life. He explianed definitions about what falling in love really meant, but began to capture the attention of the audience as he started to speak of a survey done of 3,000 students. The result of the survey showed that among the students, falling in love only lasts for three years, from the beginning of the first “head over heels” love, until the very end. Between these three years, the concept of actually being in love never takes place.

The comparison of classics and movies were a huge part of the lecture in which Dr. Giddy showed how romantic love works. Within the romantic love, according to Dr. Giddy, is a false diversion from serious love. There is no commitment from either side and both man and woman are free to do as they please, concerning whether to stay, or to drop the other person and continue to find someone else. However, if the romantic love stays between the couple, this can move into a long term relationship where they can take their romantic love to another level.

Dr. Giddy brought up a few examples relating to the medieval period where romantic love was found all over the medieval courts, especially in knights and ladies of the court. The lady would choose a knight who seemed to steal her heart at first sight, and in return the knight would fight for her honor. As she longs for her knight, the lady is already promised to another, leading into the false diversion of serious love. In this case, the romantic love could never attain the level of a serious love. In the movie “Tristan and Isolde,” the notion of falling into romantic love holds true for Isolde and Tristan, where the lady is already promised to Tristan’s friend and king. These stories describe immature situations of love.

The proposition that no one comes close to your perfect counter part in which you have fantasized about became the next big topic in the lecture. Dr. Giddy presented two situations of romantic love where it can either be side-by-side or face-to-face. “Friendship and love are considered to go side by side because the reason two people are friends are because of a common interest that they both share. Once someone drops that common interest, the connection between the two is broken, and there is a chance that this love could be headed toward a meltdown, where only friendship comes of it,” proposed Dr. Giddy, “The romantic love shares a face to face connection between the couple where one person focuses on the interest of the other in order to maintain a common interest.”

However, Dr. Giddy warns that this relationship could head toward becoming conditional where one person dictates what the other should change, therefore changing who their partner is, in essence. These relationships cannot work when they are conditional and couples should stay way from this type of romantic love.

In the end, falling in love can be viewed as an argument with your self, or a dialogue one shares with them. As long as you stay with youe significant other, there is a good argument as to why there is love between you. When a relationship does not last, you can argue with your self as to whether it was a worth it, and prove to your self the justifications for both. When everything boils down, Dr. Giddy explains falling in love as “The capacity of the inner life, where if you want to be realistic, you have to have characteristics from everything to share.”

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That red card will carry a one-game suspension, which causes Langione to miss the first NCAA playoff game, a huge loss for Millersville.  Speaking of playoffs; the Marauders start the Division II playoffs Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. as the Atlantic Region No. 2 seed, and will play third seed Charleston.  The No. 1 and No. 4 teams are Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst respectively.  Slippery Rock will host the four teams over the weekend.

“Every loss hurts,” said freshman defender and Elco graduate Adam Keller, “This loss was especially tough because we worked all season for that, but now we get a second chance to see Slippery Rock in the NCAAs again at their place if we both win and there is no doubt that the team will be ready.

Last week the Marauders defeated Bloomsburg in front of 862 fans, 2-0 with goals from Kyle Loughlin and Pat Baffuto. Langione made two saves for his 17th win of the season, and it was also the team’s 13th shut-out of the season.  Bloomsburg played the Marauders extremely tough in the first half.  Millersville had different plans for the second half as Loughlin’s goal came 53 seconds into the half, with an assist to Jeremy Yoder.

Yoder found the ball as it was making its way out of bounds after a corner kick by freshman Adam Keller.  Yoder then made a sliding attempt to save the ball, and in that process sent a pass across the goal mouth to Loughlin’s foot to put it in the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.  The second goal came about 12 minutes later as Pat Baffuto scored his sixth goal of the season after a Dan Prian cross.  The back four again came up huge in assisting the team to a school record 13th shutout.

“Being a starting freshman at the beginning of the year was a little stressful,” Keller said,  “I have Thomas Bargmann, John Claffey, and Jeremy Yoder; 3 of the best defenders next to me who have had my back all season.”

The PSAC Championship was again heartbreaking for the Marauders. This time there was a 2-1 defeat as Slippery Rock scored the first two goals, with Millersville answering in the 61st minute. The loss proved tough to the Marauders as they lost goalkeeper Langione to a red-card and subsequential one-game suspension to open the playoffs.

The first goal came off a ball misplayed by Langione that allowed Slippery Rock’s Jeremy Deighton to score on a header at the 30 minute mark. Just three minutes later Langione touched a ball, barely outside of his own 18.  The officials deemed it intentional, giving Langione a red card on a call that changed the whole complexion of the game as Millersville played down a man the rest of the game. That card saw back-up keeper Kurt Pleier enter the game after seeing only 64 minutes of action during the season.

“I was very close to Matt before the foul, and it was definitely unintentional and unfortunate that the ball hit his arm,” said Keller, “A straight red is a consequence for being the last man back and committing an extremely hard foul.  It was unintentional and undeserving.”

Pleier played a solid game making four saves, even though a 51st minute goal by Iain Langstone made it a 2-0 game.  Millersville cut the deficit in half with a Loughlin unassisted goal in the 61st minute.  Millersville continued to control play, down a man, and nearly made the comeback complete if it weren’t  for Rock goalkeeper Greg Blum, who made two key saves to maintain the lead.

“It’s always tough to lose your starting goalie, especially when they are as good as Matt,  but, Kurt is a solid goalie who works hard every practice and our team has complete confidence in all our players,” Keller said. “Kurt’s added an extra level of attack to our offense with his long drop kicks and goal kicks.”

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The Marauders held Edinboro’s rushing game in check most of the game.  Edinboro rushed 38 times for only 3.4 yards per carry.  Millersville out rushed Edinboro because of the efforts of Senior Brad Lantz.  Lantz rushed for over 100 yards on 22 carries in his final game.  Lantz put up impressive numbers for the Marauders in his career.  He rushed for 2,670 yards during his career, making him fourth all-time.

The defense forced two turnovers, which has been a strong point throughout the year for the team.  Head coach Greg Colby said, “We were one of the top teams in the leagues in turnover margin.  That aspect shows a great chance for success and it definitely was a bright spot.”

The defense intercepted 11 passes and recovered 12 fumbles.  The Marauders showed they could make big plays on defense throughout the entire season.

Millersville’s first two possessions in the first quarter led to a field goal and a touchdown, but Edinboro responded with two of their own touchdowns. The Marauders scored first after a 10 play drive.  Senior John Banzhof made a 37 yard field goal to start the scoring for the Marauders.  After Edinboro was able to score on a 22 yard completion, junior quarterback Bill Shirk responded with his own touchdown.  A seven yard touchdown to sophomore Matt Egenrieder gave the Marauders the lead.

The Marauders were shut out the rest of the half, but struck back in the third quarter with a safety.  Freshman cornerback Christian Rodriguez intercepted a Joe Wanson pass on Edinboro’s first possession in the second half.  Edinboro came right back with an interception of their own on the next play. The interception placed them on their own two yard line which gave the Marauder defense a shot at a safety.  On the first play, running back Michael Battles was stopped in the end zone by freshman Jamie Hoffman and sophomore Ryan Christian for a safety.

A long drive starting at the end of the third quarter and ending in the fourth, gave the Marauders their second touchdown. Shirk was able to rush in at the goal line for a touchdown, which cut the lead to two. The two point conversion was unsuccessful. Joe Wanson threw his third touchdown pass, but the Marauders responded once again. Junior Jamal Smith broke a 22 yard run to bring the Marauders within a field goal with 5:25 left in the game. The defense forced a punt and got the ball back to the offense with 1:49 left in the game. The Marauders were unable to break through Edinboro’s defense and came up short after an impressive comeback.

The Marauders showed growth throughout the season and never quit on a game.  Colby said, “It was an up and down season. We were improved from where we were last year.  We found out where we are and know what we have to do better.  Our team is still very young; we played 10 true freshmen during the season and only had seven seniors, and the majority of our players are coming back next year. I really like our chances.”

Seniors include Brad Lantz, Julius Carter, Jordan Shank, Christian Calderon, Darnell Johnson, Nick Kyper, and John Banzhof. Carter played all 11 games at the safety position this season and compiled 87 total tackles, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles.  Calderon started all 11 games this season and was a key piece of the Marauders offensive line.  The Marauders finished the season 3-8.

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During the final week of the season the Marauders won two of three matches and boosted their season, record to 15-26, and 6-13 in conference play, which was good enough for fifth place in the PSAC East division.  Millersville came up just short and finished one spot away from making the playoffs for the first time since the 2005 season.

“Statistically we finished the same as last season,” Sinback said,  “We finished one game out then and I believe it was the same this year.  This year, though, we had a lot more talent and desire.”

The Marauders final road match of the season came on last Wednesday in a non-conference showdown against Goldey-Beacom University.  The Lightning were no match for a balanced Marauders team that had at least 10 different players record digs and kills.  Millersville won in three straight sets by scores of 25-13, 25-18, and 25-22.  Sinback led the team with 21 assists and sophomore Kellie Conahan led the team with a total of 12 digs in a strong defensive effort.

Following their disposal of Goldey-Beacom, the Marauders held their alumni night in a home match against West Chester on Friday.  Millersville was out looking to avenge a 3-1 loss earlier in the season against the Golden Rams, as well as pushing to keep their playoff hopes alive with a big victory.

In the end, Millersville came up short.  The Golden Rams took the win and clinched the final playoff spot in a hard fought battle that lasted over two hours and took five sets.  West Chester would win by scores of 25-17, 20-25, 24-26, 25-16, and 15-12.  After dropping the first set, the Marauders would storm back in and take the next two with a strong defensive effort which helped them capitalize on offense.  However, Millersville was unable to maintain their momentum, and the Golden Rams fought back and committed only two errors in the fourth set to tie the match at 2-2, heading into the final set. Millersville would open early with a three-point lead but could not hang on for the win as West Chester came back in the final set, to hand the Marauders a heart breaking loss.  The team was led by Sinback and her match-high 47 assists, but in the end it was not enough.

“It just goes to show how tough the competition is.  We have a great program and it’s not necessarily reflected in the wins and loss column,” Sinback said, “In high school I was part of a team where I was used to blowing other teams out of the water, this year, like last year, came down the wire with a number of teams.”

With nothing to lose, the Marauders hosted Kutztown the following afternoon, and won all three sets by scores of 25-17, 25-18, and 25-22.  Bires led the team with a season-high 18 kills and Sinback had another terrific all-around afternoon with 35 assists, seven kills, and six digs.

Each senior found their way in to the Millersville record books during their four-year careers in multiple categories. Sinback ranks third all-time with over 2,800 assists and holds the school career record for service aces.  She also ranks fourth all-time in digs.  Volleyball will still be a large part of her life as she will go on and coach a club team starting in the spring.

The Lava Volleyball Club, which is mostly run through the Lancaster Mennonite High School, will have the opportunity to learn from Sinback as she teaches them everything she learned at Millersville.  “Each year here, I had a different role, whether it was setting or hitting or whatever.  But I definitely learned a whole lot more than I expected,” she stated.

Bires is in the top 10 all-time with over 1,000 kills in her career and also is listed as second all-time in attack attempts.  Each player’s talents and leadership will be greatly missed.

Although their absence will be a big blow to the team for next year, there is still much hope for reaching the playoffs as 12 players will return for next season.  “They’re going to come in and be very experienced next season,” she explained, “They have a lot of PSAC wins already under their belt and they know what will be expected of them.  I think they will be poised for a good run next year.”

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The honeymoon is over for the Jets. Rex Ryan needs to stop complaining about everything and worry about finding the team that started 3-0.  The good news is Oscar Meyer will be hollering at Mark Sanchez soon.

I think that the Fins are the second best team in the division but they can’t seem to close games this year.  I was wrong about the wildcat; they are the only team that can pull it off.

Everybody wants to blame Trent Edwards in Buffalo, but how can you blame a quarterback that is playing behind the worst O-line in the NFL.  Silver Lining:  Jairus Byrd is tied for the league lead in picks, and is my pick for defensive rookie of the year.

The Bengals are the biggest surprise of the year.  First reaction would be to say it’s because of Carson Palmer, but Cedric Benson’s resurgence, and a surprisingly sticky defense, have Cincy looking for a division crown.

Pittsburgh has rebounded nicely from a shaky start to win five in a row.  If I could have one team play for my life tomorrow, I think it would be the Steelers.  My favorite player on the team might be Jeff Reed.  He was arrested once again in an alcohol related incident, needless to say, the man gets it in.

Baltimore really perplexes me.  Despite a 3-0 start they sit at 4-4.  To hop on the cliché train for a minute, a few plays here or there, and they are 5-3 or 6-2.  I believe they are a playoff team, but time will tell.  Two large contests loom with the Steelers.

Cleveland is a mess, not much else to say here.

The Colts look great so far this year.  Peyton Manning is the best quarterback today and has turned Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie into household names.  The defense will need to overcome losing three starters in the secondary, but they appear capable, as they have allowed the fewest points per game in the NFL.

Houston has impressed me so far this year.  I always thought the team was close to being good, but that they could never get over the hump.  Matt Schaub has, for the most part, avoided the pick 6 that has plagued his career and Andre Johnson is still the best wideout in the league.

Jacksonville has me all sorts of irritated.  I don’t see any reason for them to be 4-4, but somehow they are.  I don’t know how you get housed 41-0 by an average Seattle team, get blown out by the Titans, but beat Houston, and almost upset Indy.

Chris Johnson leading the league in rushing is the only positive thing you can say about the Titans.  Vince Young is finally at the helm; hopefully his passer rating will eclipse his Wonderlic score.

I admit I was wrong about Denver when I said they were the worst team to ever be 3-0.  However, I still do not buy that they are this good.  Their defense has been very impressive and Kyle “The Bottle” Orton has managed the game extremely well. Don’t be shocked if they miss the playoffs.

I’m hard pressed to get too excited about San Diego, but with that being said, I think they are pretty good.  I see them nudging Denver out of the top spot in the West by the end of the season.

Kansas City has been a huge disappointment.  I’m glad that the Matt Cassel pick-up has done wonders for their offense (sarcasm).

Oakland is offensive.  Gee I guess the fact that Jamarcus Russell can throw a ball 50 yards from his knees wasn’t that important after all.

Dallas has been the most consistent team in the NFC East so far this year.  Romo looks good, but he does this every year until December begins.  If I hear anymore talk about how wonderful Miles Austin is, I may have to throw myself into oncoming traffic.

The Eagles have been great in flashes, but downright sloppy at times.  One week they are laying an egg the size of McNabb’s gut in Oakland, the next they are dismantling the G men.  I still think Philly is very good and will make a playoff run.

The Giants have dropped four in a row and have their faithful worried.  Eli has been ordinary and the once great defense has been continually shredded.  Despite the stumble, don’t be surprised if they sneak into the playoffs.

The Skins are an organization in shambles.  Until Daniel Snyder turns over power to somebody with a clue, the team is destined for failure.  Their O-line is in the conversation with Buffalo’s for the worst in the league.

Minnesota looks awesome, and I fear they may be the best team in the NFC.  Peterson is still dominant and the defense is stingy.  Brett Favre looks great (I had to have a shot of vodka to stomach that comment).

Thankfully Jay Cutler has looked pretty average this year for the Bears.  He has not been the savior they had hoped and they appear to still be an average team.  In Cutler’s defense, Devin Hester is the number one receiver.

The Pack seemed to be a threat to Minnesota earlier this season but now they look like a team that will have to scramble for a wild card.  Aaron Rodgers has been good but has been running for his life.

Detroit looks better and they are 1-7, that shows how bad they were last year.  Matthew Stafford looks to be a good bet for the future.

New Orleans just keeps winning.  I still refuse to buy that they are this good, however.  The offense is almost unstoppable but if they are forced to travel to an outdoor stadium in January, there may be trouble.  Home field will be imperative for the Saints, and luckily for them, if they don’t get the No. 1 seed it will probably be Minnesota, another dome team.

Atlanta is hot and cold but overall still a very good team.  Matt Ryan seems to be for real and if Michael Turner can get it going they will be in good shape for a wild card berth.  I tip my cap to Mike Smith for challenging DeAngelo Hall to a fight; I don’t like “D-Hall” either.

Carolina is a very average team that needs to be reshuffled.  Priority number one, get a new starting quarterback, Delhomme is a turnover waiting to happen.

The good news: The Bucs won a game. The bad news: They did so while wearing those orange creamsicle jerseys.

Arizona is doing their usual off and on behavior in the regular season.  When the switch is flipped, the offense is among the best in the league.  They will walk to the division title, and be a tough out in the post-season.

The 49ers looked to be a threat to the Cardinals but those hopes quickly diminished.  They are 0-3 since Crabtree debuted. Just saying.

Seattle is on the rise and is a year or two away from being good again.  The only thing is, they need to help Hasselback be healthy in two years.

The Rams: see Cleveland’s description.

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My main question is, how do interested students actually get into the field, and get on projects that put food on their tables and pay more than their rent (which makes this situation an ugly paradox)? Some say, “Go to Temple or Pitt and get a Master of Planning degree.”

Others say, you can get an entry-level position with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission with any degree, but that’s if you can afford any daily commute to Philadelphia. Others claim it is necessary to get several years experience after an MP and take the AICP exam. Regardless, of what has been said, it has become clear to me that Millersville University or Franklin and Marshall should offer a clearer window into this field, otherwise we will have a “brain drain” in this area.

It has been nearly 10 years since Professor Dirk Eitzen of Franklin and Marshall got long-time activist Tom Hylton to create “Save Our Land, Save Our Towns” for PBS. One of the themes therein was that instead of trying to travel around the world to see a good neighborhood, we should try to build those types of neighborhoods here, and that the types of development and forms can be adapted to the zoning. If we want better planning here in Lancaster, and not for just Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, we need to have a real program here, not segregated citizens’ and professionals’ workshops.

One example of how inaccessible the field is to visionaries is evident in the massive collection at the County Planning Commission’s library, which is open to the public. There are hundreds of professors’ worth of information in those stacks, rendering “Save Our Land, Save Our Towns” a mere introduction to the field of planning, rendering our geography degree insufficient to put a foot in the door or create more planning jobs in the Commission, and making economically-blocked apathy the standard for our students, as they gather debt to escape working poverty.

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The Galley in the SMC will be closing after graduation this spring, and renovations will begin on the lower part of Gordinier, by Gordy’s and Cygnets.  There will be a stairway able to be accessible from the outside, as well as an elevator at easier access.  There will also be love seats, couches, and many tables all along the windows and open area.

The cherry on top of the renovations will be, in Bruszewski’s words, a “Sheetz-type concept,” with made to order food, latte machines, soda coolers, and much more.  This new eating establishment will be named by Student Senate, and The Anchor is a potential front-runner; as it will be under the Upper Deck.  The area will stay open after the Galley is reopened.

Bruszewski also gave a presentation on the University Budget Information, that was in the e-mail from Dr. McNairy. Bruszewski’s presentation was very informative, as was Dr. McNairy’s letter.  Bruszewski said he wishes for the budget information to be an “interactive process” with the campus students, faculty, and staff.  For more information, one should visit http://www.millersville.edu/services/budget-issues. The budget presentation is available as a download on the website, and Bruszewski encouraged anyone who has suggestions or concerns to email him.

Bruszewski will also be holding a series of meetings to hear about the budget, and a listing is available on the website posted above. Questions can also be posed to any of the Student Senators who attended the meetings.

Other important matters were discussed following Bruszewski’s presentation to the Senate. The first Weiner Wednesday is expected to be held December 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the SMC Banking Lobby. The senate will be participating in The World AID’s Day Rummage Sale on December 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the SMC MPR, which is sponsored by the Peer Health Educators.  Other organizations will be selling items that day as well, and the organization can decide to either keep the money they made, or donate it to foundations to further AIDs research.

The Color of Teaching Organization was granted permanent status from the senate.  There are many different committees in the senate, and senators must hold a seat on two committees.

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The fair took place November 4 at the SMC MPR from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  The schools in attendance had programs that ranged from Nursing to Law degrees.  The representatives agreed that the most popular programs available were in Clinical Psychology and Education.

During the first half of the fair about half the tables filled.  Representatives trickled in to fill the room.  Attendance by students was steadily thin.  Many of the students who went to the fair were there to pick up their practice exam scores, made available by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.

Junior Rodney Kauffman, 22, spoke after perusing the tables, “I’m here to get my scores.  I’m not looking for anything in particular.  I saw free practice tests before and took them; I figured it would be worth while.”

However, there was a good deal of students who attended who had very specific programs in mind.  Junior Kevin Coryle, 23, said, “I haven’t found anything yet, I’m looking for computer science and I’m getting my scores.”

Andrew Lavery, a 31-year-old graduate student working on a Masters degree for a permanent teacher’s certification, was looking for something in international relations or government.  Michel Ray, a 21-year-old junior said she was looking for something in counseling, “I want to go to graduate school and I’m looking and getting ideas.”

Other students were just looking at what was available.  Junior Gayle Segar, 22, said, “I’m undecided.  I’m broadening my ideas for later and I’m keeping my options open.”

Each university and program had their unique qualities and advice that the representatives made sure to share with interested students.  Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions was the first table inside the entrance.  They offer test preparation courses and practice exams.  They also help with admission services and placement.  Kaplan Graduate Programs Manager Kerri Quick had advice for people needing to take the graduate exams, “Take the tests before you leave school while you are still in test taking mode.  Most of these exam results are good for up to three to five years.”

Kaplan is looking to expand the preparation courses in the area and create more classes, and is also looking for teachers who took any one of the MCAT, GRE, GMAT, or LSAT and scored in the 90th percentile.  Interested individuals should contact Quick at 610-231-2065 or e-mail her at kerri.quick@kaplan.com.

Millersville University had three tables at the fair.  One table was for all graduate studies, while the other two focused on specific programs.  General graduate programs at Millersville have rolling admissions, which require three letters of recommendation, and either the GRE or Miller Analogue test, which has no math component, to be taken.  The most popular program is in Education.  “We have been preparing teachers for over 150 years,” Director of Graduate Admissions and Recruitment Melissa Wardwell said, “It was the first graduate program, and some people have to get continuing education and Masters degrees to get permanent certification.”

Wardwell offered some good advice, “Pursuing graduate school to delay going into the real world is not a good idea.  Do your research and take advantage of Career Services.”

Millersville also offers a graduate program in Social Work.  The program stands alone, drawing on some psychology, but focusing on the individual in their environment.  It is in the process of becoming an accredited program, which is expected to happen in February, by the council of Social Work Education and the National Accreditation for Social Work.

Another interesting program offered by Millersville University is the Emergency Management Masters program that is completely online.  The program attracts people from everywhere, not just in-state.  The program does not require a thesis or dissertation.  It is designed to be finished on a part-time basis.  Jill Stahl, 22-year-old secretary for the center said, “It focuses on research and based around disasters.  It is not focused on science or meteorology, but on people; the social aspect, and to keep people educated and to prevent vulnerable populations from having their lives destroyed.”

Chestnut Hill College stood out with their holistic spiritual approach to instruction.  Graduate Application Manager for the School of Graduate Studies Amy Boorse said, “It is a small school in the city, but at the edge of the city so it has the best of both worlds.”

Immaculata University offers seven Masters and two Doctorates, their most popular degrees being Counseling and Education.  Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions Sueann Robbins said, “It is the best of all worlds, we are located in a rural area, but located with access to New York City and Washington D.C.  There are plenty of cultural events and we have excellent public transportation to get there.”

DeSales University has one of the top Physicians Assistant Studies programs in the country, as well as the first online Computer Forensic programs in the country.  Director of Graduate Admissions for DeSales University Caryn E. Stopper had some advice, “Research prior to the application process.  Some schools require the GRE, some don’t.”

Lancaster Bible College programs teach courses through the lens of the bible.  They are multi-denominational and have people from all different denominations.  Their programs are geared toward ministry and community service, with leadership studies offered for those who might work for non-profit organizations.

Lancaster Theological Seminary is another religion based program, but what makes them unique is the diverse student body in age and ethnicity.  Their program is 94 credits, and requires a cross-cultural component where they take a two to three week trip abroad; not to preach, but to learn about the culture.

West Chester University has 70 graduate programs, from Psychology to Holocaust and Genocide studies.  It is the largest of the 14 Pennsylvania state affiliated schools, with a similar campus to Millersville.  Their most popular programs are in Speech Pathology, Musical history/education/and performance, as well as Social Work.

Alvernia University focuses on community service to attract and encourage students to work with the community.  They have a non-required capstone project, which students can do instead of a thesis, where they do a project and research with the community.

For more information about graduate schools, contact Career Services located on the third floor of Lyle Hall, or call 717-872-3312.

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