Passionate voices spoke at the Millersville Borough Council meeting last Tuesday.

The meeting was held at 7 p.m. on October 27 and had public hearings slotted for that evening. The first public hearing was to propose an amendment to the zoning ordinance that would change three properties from “residential” to “neighborhood commercial,” a classification which would be unique to those properties.

The three properties in question are owned by the Millersville International House, who wants to change the zoning classification to protect its interests, as well as the tax interests for the borough. Matthew Creme represented the International House and the properties as he explained the proposal to the board.

“We have been at this process for nearly two years,” he explained, “We now have a better proposal — to rezone the property.”

The property will become a part of the University campus, in part a student residential area, and in part a community space. “This is not for permission for construction,” Creme continued to explain, “It is to adopt an ordinance so the applicant can design the space use and propose it anew to the council. I want to satisfy the committee that it is good use planning for property — that it meets the needs for additional neighborhood activity.”

Questions were raised during this hearing by members of the community, both for and against the property in general. Robert McClane, a borough property owner, was upset by the proposal, “It does affect the community adversely and is against public interest. We make no effort to stop the project, but to rearrange the plan. It is a disaster for the community. This is a visual community. We have wide open space, and there are enough community areas that are not effectively used now.”

McClane then discussed a petition of 20 immediate property owners who are concerned about the property and he claimed the list will become larger in time. He then asked that discussion about the house be put on hold.

Scott A. Baily, president of the borough council, asked McClane to clarify about the list. “The list is 20 signatures. It is a no to more congestion on Manor Avenue. The area and county is becoming a visual blight with poor planning. The location is the problem,” McClane responded.

June Heller then spoke, “I have been a neighbor of the International House since 1964. I don’t know the particulars of the plans, but they have been wonderful neighbors and never had any problems. I support the service they are giving.”

Baily then broke in again and explained, “This ordinance is not to approve a plan. No plan exists. The move is to change the ordinance to a mixed layer of planning. No council member is planning or supports a blight on the community. There is no plan, and if there is a plan, there is a bigger and different process to go through.

Vice President Jack W. Gardner then asked what kind of school the house will be, saying that it can be any kind of school, including, “a terror school.” Creme responded that if Gardner would, “Look at the proposal in context, that he could figure it out. We made a very narrow definition of what the school is supposed to be so nothing else can be slotted into the definition.”

Richard Cordell, a property owner located right behind the property in question, asked about future owners and their intentions, “The area is zoned historic, but when you said, current and any future owners, is there a way to restrict it so that McDonald’s can’t come in and buy up the place?”

Bailey responded, “I’m enough of a realist to know that we can’t predict the future. We have no way to say who will own the property in the future and they want to keep it in their hands. We are aware that the streetscape is a critical component. It will not become zoned commercial. It will be its own category.”

Creme added clarification to this question, “The property will never be subdivided. The plans in place give no ability to sell off parts or pieces of taxable portions.”

Steve Giverson then stood up and spoke his concerns about the property, “Traffic goes by our house to the college and I am concerned about the traffic increase. Also, after 9/11, the world has changed and we are concerned that it is an international house. What guarantees do we have that terrorists will not be admitted?”

One of the members of the International House spoke on this issue, “Applicants must have a student visa and it is extremely hard to get one now. That process is all cleared by the federal government. As far as guarantees go, we can’t guarantee anything, but trust the federal government to make sure that no terrorists get through the Visa system.”

The borough committee then voted unanimously to end discussion about this matter and end the first public hearing.

Other items covered at the meeting included Mayor Richard M. Moriarty’s report.
He said, “Every year for the past several years, we have received notice of pornography awareness campaign. It is a white ribbon campaign designed to raise awareness of the prevalence of pornography in society in the United States. We use the white ribbon to stand for decency. This will be the 22nd consecutive year that Lancaster has supported this movement and recognized the damaging effects of pornography in society.”

After this announcement, an award was presented to Jim Eshleman. He received the “Outstanding Service Award,” which was presented by the mayor, in acknowledgment and recognition of outstanding community service through the John Herr’s Villiage Market, in support of their worthwhile non-profit organization and frequent contributions of property for organizations to use for events. The mayor said, “I consider the community fortunate to have this business.”

Eshlemen was a fire chief, and at one point, helped the mayor drive through a snow storm. In response, Eshlemen said, “Thank you very much, our family tries our best.”

New officer Patrick Rudisill was present at the meeting and personally thanked and shook the hands of the council members for accepting him to be a new Millersville Borough police officer. This led into the monthly police report, which mentioned that calls for services were the lowest they had in three years for this time of year. Arrests were also low, as well as high clearances for this time of year.

Police Chief Rochat continued his report saying that in the event of a swine flu outbreak in the department, they will make sure the borough and campus police get coverage.
He also mentioned his support for the New York Yankees and said, “In the event that the unfortunate happens and the Phillies win the World Series, we will be prepared for what happens, unlike what happened last year.”

The Finance Committee presented the proposed operating budget for the borough for the month, and mentioned that sewer services will remain the same price. Solid waste removal will go up by more than $11 because of increase fuel and labor costs, as well as the cost to maintain the landfill. Council member Arnold explained, “The economy is down, so revenue is down, which makes prices increase.”

Prices for municipality electricity will go up as well, due to the borough savings account being hit with investment problems, but costs will be kept as low as possible. Details will be made available at the end of the November meeting when the council will have more details and charts to discuss and display.

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Throughout the first half, the Marauder defense held strong. BU had five shots on goal compared to MU’s three. Goalie Sara Dickinson was the answer to four of those five shots, as she made sure nothing came past the goal line. The game went into halftime scoreless, and it was still anyone’s game.

Coming into the second half, both teams knew they would have to fight harder. Becoming more aggressive, the Huskies winded up a shot into the cage 10 minutes into the second half. This was not the end for Bloomsburg as they found an open hole on two occasions, connecting two more shots into the goal for their 3-0 shutout victory over Millersville.

The Marauders were awarded seven penalty corners throughout the game but weren’t able to get a successful shot on goal. Millersville University will not be defeated. Since they have faced the best teams of their 2009 schedule, they will know what to prepare for as they continue.

This will be a big weekend for the Marauders as they face Seton Hill Saturday at home and Mansfield on Sunday away. This will be the second time MU will face both of these teams this season.

Earlier this season MU dominated Seton Hill away 5-1 and Mansfield home 2-1, and has another chance at victory this weekend.

Come out to watch the Marauders as they roll over Seton Hill on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Chryst Field.

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While you claim that we would like to “wish” segregation and racism no longer exist, the sad truth is it does. Walking around this campus and any community with this ideology only further promotes racism and ignores the issues at hand. Race is a social construct, not biological, and has been solely created by human beings as a form of identification and separation. It later causes slavery, segregation, and discrimination. The actions of civil rights activists have brought us closer to erasing the indistinct “color line,” but these actions and voices will not eradicate the years of race history that have accumulated in this country and many others. Student groups such as the BSU and the long-standing NAACP are other successful components which have allowed minority groups to prosper and establish their position in a community, with as much right to do so as any other interest group.

Your detailed observations of the Organizational Outbreak reveal a judgmental intellect and a lack of interest in dispelling this “segregation” and “racism” you have contended still exists in our community. The statements you have made about feeling as though you would be making a “mockery” of these groups are not backed by efforts to see if they would be true.

What stopped you from walking up to the BSU or NAACP and getting the story on their membership regulations? How can you expect that these groups will express care for your concerns unless you take action regarding what you believe they are doing “wrong?” Why not break the “unwritten rule” and apply for membership to one of these groups?

You also stated that you do not understand why these clubs exist. This goes back to your comment about us wishing that racism no longer exist.

It does.

Organizations like The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People are making an effort to advance the rights, liberties, and abilities of the groups that have been oppressed in our embarrassing history of race relations. Why, in 2009, do we need to have organizations devoted to a certain culture? Because we can.

For years, if not centuries, white American men have oppressed minority groups and cultures in this country, leaving them powerless and voiceless with little chance of re-gaining what they have lost. We have groups to celebrate a specific culture’s existence and acknowledge what they have contributed to the melting pot that is our country. What is your culture? Wouldn’t you like to celebrate it?

This falls in with my final point about your remarks about creating a White Student Union. While I was not able to immediately access campus statistics, whites no doubt represent more than half of our student body. The presence of white students on campus is visually obvious, and I guarantee there is at least one student organization whose members only include white students. (Just looking at the pictures in “The Snapper,” this seems to be the case.) They do not suffer from oppression, nor have their ancestors or older relatives experienced discrimination that has historically denied them equal access to resources. We do not need a white student union because a majority of students are white. The purpose of groups like the BSU, the NAACP, the Asian and Friends Affiliation, and the Society on Latino Affairs is to allow students of these and other ethnicities to come together and celebrate what their culture represents to them and to discuss their current and future existence.

Have I even attended meetings for these groups or attempted to join them? No, and perhaps we should both make greater attempts to do so, because I am certain that any display of interest in another culture would be welcomed with open arms.

Finally, I would suggest that you take Dr. Carrie Smith’s sociology course on Race and Ethnicity before you graduate. The knowledge you will obtain from the course is eye-opening, beneficial, and will allow you to develop an intelligent understanding of race and ethnic relations.

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It is not easy walking in these shoes, but it is a fun way to get the community to talk about something really difficult to discuss: gender relations and sexual violence.

Frank Baird first proposed “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes: The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence” in 2001. Donna Cargas, who is part of the Millersville University Police Department, was the one who thought to bring the idea to campus.

The program provides several opportunities to get people talking as well as helping men better understand and appreciate women’s experiences. The walk hopes to change perspectives as well as improving gender relationships and decreasing the potential for violence.

Sexualized violence does not only affect women; it affects the men who care about either them, their families, their friends, their coworkers, or other communities. Every two minutes someone in America is raped and one in six American women are victims of sexual assault. That means someone you care about, someone you know, has been or may become the victim of sexual violence.

The walk is being organized by the Elsie S. Shenk Wellness and Women’s Program and the Millersville University Police Department, where a portion of the proceeds from sponsored walkers will benefit Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County. They are also collecting items for the women and children in the local domestic violence shelter. Drop-off boxes can be found in all resident halls, the Montour House, and the Lebanon House.

The opening ceremonies and on-site registration are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on October 7th outside of the Student memorial Center by the bookstore entrance with the walk beginning at 6 p.m. Walk on registrants are welcomed to join. Men are encouraged (but not required) to walk in women’s shoes as well as to bring their own high heels because there will be a limited number available at the event for those who do not have their own shoes. Participants are being asked to obtain a minimum of $10 in sponsorships.

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Although this seems true on the surface, I suggest we all understand our own statements before making them. The titles “BSU” and “NAACP” are titles given to the organizations because they either represent a national organization or are chapters representing students throughout the United States. Based on my own three year experience at Millersville, BSU and NAACP have never told anybody students of other races could not join.

The statement made by the author that these organizations “…cause racism by not allowing other races to join,” is not only inaccurate, but based on ignorance. NAACP reached out to College Republicans in Fall 2009 when they asked representatives of our club to join them for a meeting to discuss politics. At first, I will admit that I was nervous about how the organization would take my political views considering many members campaigned for President Barack Obama. After stating my views, I was applauded and thanked for accepting the invite. Although we never reached a consensus and I am sure few were swayed to vote for John McCain, I was treated with respect and asked to come back for regular meetings.

The arm is always extended, but people are often so wrapped up in the title they never realize the organizations’ open acceptance of all students. Editorials that imply “Hip Hop Culture” are the catalyst to violence are the reason that racism still exists.

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No bylaws in any organization on the campus of Millersville University restrict a person from participating as a member or volunteer based on the color of their skin, ethnic background, or racial category. It is a very inaccurate assumption to state that an individual is not welcomed solely based on the presence of African Americans representing an organization.

Participating in both NAACP and BSU throughout my undergraduate experience, I sat beside Caucasians, Latinos, and Asians, all of whom supported the collective ideas set by the organization. Moreover, many of these members wanted to enhance their college cultural experience. With the last presidential election many students crossed political beliefs and attended republican meetings on campus as democrats, with just as many republicans attended democrat meetings.

When I joined the Honors College, as an African American female, I found it exuberating. What an experience I would have missed if I looked at the color of the skin of those in my classes and assumed I was unappreciated or making a mockery of them due to my presence.

I feel that the judgmental argument stated in last week’s article against particular organizations proves to be a lack of understanding and complete ignorance. If I am interested in an organization such as “The Snapper”, which only had Caucasian people at the Organizational Outbreak table, should I consider “The Snapper” racist? With the 15 plus tables there manned by Caucasians, should I have felt they would not welcome me? I think not!

I now work for an organization in which I am the only black person to forty people. Should this stop my passion? My dedication to the workplace? Or have turned me away from accepting the position? Not at all!

As a culturally educated and academically sound person, I do not judge the situation by the color of skin. For future articles ensuring intelligence and clarity I suggest you consult with professors such as Dr. Aaron Porter, Dr. Phil Benoit, Dr. Rita Smith-Wade El, and Dr. Dennis Downy. All of these professors have supported organizations in which the face of the organization did not represent the color of their skin. Therefore, these professors embrace cultural understanding, worldwide knowledge, and excellent journalism skills.

I suggest you loosen the shackles of ignorance and judgment, as it is 2009. Ignorance is the epitome of slavery. Please rise above it.

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The bi weekly meeting occurred on September 8 at 7 p.m. in the Millersville Municipal Building.

The attendance at this meeting was scarce due to the lack of citizens’ requests or concerns addressed during the meeting.

The council meeting was brief, ending before 8:30 p.m. However, quite a few serious topics were discussed, such as the resignation of council member Keith E. Kauffman, who had to withdraw from his position because he moved out of the county.

Kauffman gave a thoughtful speech, saying that he fulfilled his duties, “to the best of [his] ability. At times [he] might have let [his] passion for the issues over mind [his] politeness, and [he is] sorry if [he] offended [his] borough council members.”

The meeting then went on to the discussion of the hiring of a new Millersville police officer.

Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Nick Taylor, presented this topic during the “reports from committees or boards” section of the meeting.

In order to continue the hiring process of a police officer, Taylor needed permission from the board.

After reviewing several candidates, Millersville police considered hiring Patrick Rodisill to fill in the open position.

“I strongly recommend Patrick Rodisill because of his background, demeanor and the way he presents himself,” said Taylor.

Taylor explained to the committee the difficulties and the logistics behind hiring a police officer, saying that there were, “many candidates, which made this a difficult decision.”

He went on to explain the hiring process of the officers. Nine candidates were sent to the Harrisburg Police Academy, where all but two passed the fitness exam. The remaining eight of these applicants were interviewed over a two night span. Four of these applicants, all male, were considered for hire, two of which passed the background check.

Towards the end of the meeting, during the personnel committee portion, the council voted on the consideration to hire Rodisill into the Millersville police force.

This vote does not mean that Rodisill obtains the position. It means that he will go onto the next steps of the hiring process. This includes a health exam, psychological exam, drug test and polygraph test.

Before council agreement, these tests cannot be issued because the Office for Civil Rights enforces the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy Rule, or HIPAA.

HIPAA protects the privacy of individuals’ health information from being used against a person during the hiring process.

Under HIPAA, an employer cannot have access to health records, obtain a drug sample or assign a physical exam or psychological testing before consideration of employment is issued. This includes asking about drugs and alcohol during the interviewing process, which are considered diseases under HIPAA.

Due to these specifics, the police force distributes tests and has an extensive interviewing process. However, a polygraph test can be issued before or after the conditional employment.

“The questions just change,” Millersville police chief, John D. Rochat explained. Before the conditional employment, questions about drugs or alcohol cannot be asked. After the conditional employment, these questions are permissible.

After allowed time, the council members came to a decision and voted in favor of Rudisill, except for Jack W. Gardner, vice president of the council, who voted against Rudisill.

Other points voted on during the meeting, were the discussion of the Smash the Butt run and of signing a contract to lock in the price of electricity.

The Smash the Butt is a 5k race sponsored by SWAT, Students Working Against Tobacco, and will be held on September 26, at 9 a.m.

The race is held on campus and this year the runners would also like to run throughout the borough. They will be running on Prince and Cottage street, which are not on campus, then back to campus onto George street.

The SWAT team wanted permission from the borough to use these public roads and to have police officers covering the intersections so runners can cross safely.

According to the plan submitte, the motion to approve this race was passed unanimously.

The finance committee brought up the discussion of buying electricity because their old contract will end on Januaury 1st.

The vote was a difficult decision for them because the prices of the electricity fluctuate daily.

If the council approves the bid presented, the rate will be going up 37 percent more than last year. If they sign up for a 1 year contract, the borough has an estimated savings of $56,000, for two years $100,702, and three years $138,353.

The council must consider if they believe the cost of electricity will go up. If they approve this bid, there is a risk that tomorrow the rate could go down.

There was a motion made for Millersville borough to continue with Constellation Electric for .784 kilowatt hours.

The majority council members did not approve this motion, stating that they are “not one to jump in right away until we look at our other options,” said Linda Deal, and the “risk is that things would go down at the next county bid,” said Arnold.

One member, Michael Kirkham of the Finance Committee did approve this motion; however, the motion did not pass.

The council will continue to discuss this issue at a later council meeting.

The next borough council meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 22, and is open to the public.

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U.S. News & World Report announced on August 20, 2009 its annual college rankings issued for 2010.

Millersville University ranked 54 among the tier one schools in this category; which is an improvement from last year’s ranking of 58.

This ranking was the highest among all Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) universities. Other Tier 1 PASSHE schools that made the list are, Bloomsburg ranking at 74, Shippensburg at 77 and West Chester at 81.

The purpose of the rankings is to offer students at a glance information that will assist in choosing a university. The ranking system offers  the opportunity to compare the quality of institutions based on a number of indicators, including: the atmosphere of the campus, activities, sports, academic offerings, location, cost and financial aid availability.

There are many detailed factors that go into calculating the college rankings. U.S. News looks for colleges that exemplify eight types of academic programs that are proven to enhance learning: first-year experiences, learning communities, writing in the disciplines, senior capstone, study abroad, internships or cooperative education, opportunities for undergraduate research, and service learning. For the first time, the rankings highlighted schools that were recognized for demonstrating a strong commitment to teaching.

The indicators used to measure academic quality are based on a weighted system. The greatest weight is peer assessment, counting at 25 percent of the vote. The news ranking formula finds the opinions of those in a position to judge the schools academic excellence to be most important. This is done by surveys completed by presidents, provosts and deans of admission. Each individual must rate the academic on a five point scale, marginal to distinguished.

Retention is worth twenty percent in national universities. This category looks for the percentage of returning freshman, as well as if there is an suitable amount offered classes which students need to be successful.

Faculty resources count for 20 percent, meaning that the more  available professors are to their students, the more the students will succeed.

Student selectivity counts for 15 percent, financial resources count for 10 percent, graduation rate performance counts for five percent as well as alumni giving rate.
This ranking is something to be celebrated.

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Along with my initial joy of  being back on campus for the semester, I was also pleasantly surprised to see improvements being made this year.

While the construction may be inconvenient for students at times, I am still happy to see that the campus is being updated.

Perhaps the best improvement to the campus is the addition of turning lanes at the intersection by the Ganser Library. The hassle of trying to turn left in traffic will soon be eliminated by the addition of a directional light.

Currently, the four-way stop provides decent traffic flow with the help of a police officer, but it is still better than the old days of a traffic jammed intersection.

Along with the directional lanes, the bricked crosswalks are a nice aesthetic touch to the otherwise dull white crosswalk pattern we see far too often in the city.

The remodeling and expansion of the Student Memorial Center (SMC) will be interesting when finished, however I see a small problem with the additions being made.

While the SMC is a multipurpose building (fitness, meeting rooms, etc), it does not see nearly the amount of student overload as a dining hall.

Gordinier, as large as it is, is still too small for sufficient student seating. I believe expanding Gordinier, rather than the SMC, would have been a better choice for improvement.

The school’s improvement to the gym will also be a welcomed addition by students who frequent the facility.

However, I do know a few students who prefer to use dumbbells when lifting. They would like to have heavier dumbbells to use, but once the weights exceed a certain size the school has to pay more liability insurance for the increased risk.

In an effort to save money, the school does not carry larger dumbbells. I think there are plenty of other students who would like to see larger dumbbells in the gym.  Perhaps the school will consider this as a future improvement.

Overall I think the school is doing well with the updates on campus, but there are other areas that could use attention.

Here is looking forward to a good school year full of improvements.

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At least, that is what Hans Georg Gadamer thought.  Gadamer, a premier European philosopher of the 20th century who is best known for drop-kicking the field of philosophical hermeneutics into existence, insisted in his old age that this was the point he had been making throughout his entire philosophical career.  I think Gadamer is right.

Let’s think about it for a minute.

Here you are at Millersville assigned to take courses with august persons like me with decades of learning and life experience and letters backing up our names.  We are supposed to be educating you, right?

You expect to receive the wisdom handed down from on high.  You walk into class with fresh notebooks and some sort of writing utensil all set to copy whatever you must know (especially if it is “on the test”) and you lean back in your chair in a position designed only to catch whatever the faculty throw.

I do hope that you also expect to internalize — and perhaps even remember — both the arcane and practical lessons you are learning.

As helpful as all this might seem, it does not sound much like self-education to me.  Gadamer was pretty skeptical about the “sage on the stage” model of teaching and learning.  He called lectures “a dangerous atavism of our academic lives” and insisted that all learning occurs through conversation.

While there is a lot of lecturing going on at Millersville, most instructors believe that faculty-student and student-student interaction enhances understanding, and all instructors know that if a student is not working at least as hard as the faculty member, then a lot of learning is unlikely.

The “education as conversation” view is why we employ a common reading as part of our MU orientation.  We asked you to read “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” and offered to engage you in conversation about it.

Of course, maybe you were too cool or too busy to bother, because after all nobody is watching you now and you can lay around, play Guitar Hero, get a pedicure or drink yourself silly whenever you want to and you will not get detention for it.

Well, you are right that you won’t get detention, but you are sure-as-shooting wrong that you do not lose out by not showing up.

I do not care whether or not you like the book, though I do wish you had read it.  It is witty, engaging and right on the mark with respect to the inner and inter-working of thought and feeling in one’s mind.  What do you gain by showing up to talk with others – any others – is the kind of encounter of minds and hearts and bodies that (I hope) you imagined college might be about.

This habit of bringing all of yourself to the educational table your instructors are setting is not something most of you have experienced before. And you will not start wrestling with interesting ideas and hard issues on cue. It is not a habit formed overnight.

Like any other disposition, it requires time and attention and the reinforcement that interest rewarded offers.

First, of course, you have to get to the table.   Millersville sets a remarkably rich table of curricular specialties and extracurricular fare.

For those who attend class faithfully and take advantage of film series, concerts, and nationally-recognized speakers, there are innumerable opportunities for the kind of conversation that Gadamer commends as integral to education.

There are important places and spaces for substantive conversation outside of the official MU program – in dorm rooms, over cafeteria meals, on street corners, in the library stacks, at any gathering where diverse others come together. The table is set.

Getting you – all of you — to the table is the first step; it is a step nobody but you can take.

Once there, there are risks.   Some subjects and skills are acquired tastes; they will not look, smell, feel or taste quite right at first.   Keep chewing.  Take a second bite.

Do not leave the table just because something is new or difficult to appreciate.  Eventually you will figure out what you like and do not like, but you’ll also see some things that seemed unappetizing become a regular part of your intellectual and professional diet.

There are financial troubles in the world and in the university that will limit educational possibilities in the days to come (more on that in a future column), but this one thing costs nothing and pays off big time:   students, staff, and faculty will talk among themselves about the world, about their lives, about the ideas they use to make sense of those lives.

If we do that, we will all be and become educated.  And that’s why we’re here.

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