Words to Love By: A Letter From the Editor
“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!/ For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” William Shakespeare’s words spoken by Romeo to his sweet Juliet take the cake. He by far versed the best pick up line ever. Chances are, if you’ve ever taken a high school literature class your eyes have gazed upon Romeo and Juliet. The story of two star crossed lovers, willing to do anything to make their love at first sight work. If only love remained so sweet.
In a world so smitten with lust, attempts for real love are becoming, well, few and far between. With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, celebrated tomorrow in fact, more and more people are becoming desperate to secure a date. Some people will go to the lengths of anything to avoid being alone on this, at times, depressing holiday. This fake love is in the air here at Marian, so guys and girls alike, beware. Steer clear of these feeble attempts at pick up lines:
•“Excuse me. Do you have a mobile phone I can use? I told my mom I’d call her when I fell in love.”
•"Don’t I know you from a past life?"
•"Is it hot in here or is it just you?"
•"Did it hurt?" "Did what hurt?" "When you fell down out of heaven."
•Look at the tag on their shirt and then say: "Oh, I thought you were made in Heaven!"
•"If I could re-arrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together."
•“Hi, I’m suffering from amnesia…do I come here often?
•“Do you have a twin sister? Cause I’ve seen you here before.”
•“If I followed you home, would you keep me?”
•“Were your parents thieves?” "No, why?" "Because they must have stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes."
Of course these lines are funny and you make ask why would anyone use them to pick someone up? But “love” or the hope of finding “love” can make people do some crazy things. I just hope those people so desperate take a cue from the master, William Shakespeare. After all, he continues to sweep readers off their feet some four hundred years later. "Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be ‘morrow."
Thursday, February 12, 2009
THE KNIGHT TIMES EDITION 5
WHAT'S UP AT MARIAN
“Live from Indianapolis, It’s Marian College!”
By: Anna Allen
“And for final jeopardy today your question is: horsies - are they pretty? Just write yes or no. Keep in mind, there is no wrong answer...” We’ll take your word for it, Alex. However, the right way to spend your weekend is watching the Performing Knights’ upcoming show, Marian Night Live! The Performing Knights’ creative genius takes hold again in their performance. One previous show, Warning Labels, presented numerous skits, just like the Marian Night Live production. However, with new performers and skits, this event should be quite an experience!
Performing Knights’ president, Elena Harrison, stepped up to the plate to write the script, but she didn’t stop there. Not only did Elena write it, but she is also directing, and will be starring in the production. The fourteen or fifteen skits will be performed by a large cast consisting of Elena, Jacqui Payne, Luke Costlow, Jeremy Goebel, Greg Lorenz, Liz Nelis, Becca Webster, Jake Brumfield, Brianna McCaslin, and Melissa Holowell. The group will be performing some classic Saturday Night Live skits such as “Celebrity Jeopardy” and “The Weekend Update,” but with a “Marian College” twist. Audiences will also be introduced to some original works, and let’s just say that Twilight fans won’t be disappointed.
With classic sketches and new technology, the show is sure to be a success. Trying to stay true to Saturday Night Live, the performance will be including video clips and commercials from a projector. “Well isn’t that special.” Why, yes it is. With the exception of RFK Remembered, a live performance alongside recorded clips has not been seen before at Marian. The cast and crew eagerly anticipate the audience’s reaction to their hard work and dedication.
Marian Night Live will premiere on February 25th at 8:00 pm in Peine Theatre. The show will run through February 28th, with an extra Matinee showing at 2:00. The performance is sure to be one to remember! As for me, “That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!”
A few Reflections on March for Life
By: Jon Ciana
Washington, D.C., 22 January
Standing on the dried out, winter-dead grass of the National Mall, I couldn’t help but listen. Before the Reverend Luke Robinson took the stage, many speakers had drifted up to the microphone and preached their positive messages to the sympathetic choir of the massive crowd swell surrounding the stage. These first speakers called out, using sentences that began “Mr. President…” and ended with a depressing statistic of destruction: the number of innocent children killed that minute, that second, that year, or that month. Mostly members of Congress, or other political functionaries, these men and women played off of the crowd, uttering some words as clear bait for applause. The crowd, obliged with the requisite shouldering of signs and banners followed by the quick clapping of gloved hands. A nervous excitement simmered, but failed to boil over. Enter the Reverend Luke Robinson.
He began by commending our President, saluting him and expressing pride in his accomplishments, and what he called the partial fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream. Instead of leaning on the crutch of criticism, the Reverend reached out, weaving his voice into a prayer for President Obama, asking that “God's hand will lead him in righteousness and justice.” The ensuing pause actually drew applause (from an audience composed of people stereotypically opposed to everything about Barack Obama), and now the audience seemed genuinely captivated. The Reverend continued, talking about the dream of Dr. King, that every person would someday be equal; now, the dream hinged on the fate of the unborn, those people to whom our society still denies status. He decried the destruction of abortion, citing the fact that we cannot consistently preach any form of peace as long as we continue to believe that mothers have the right to kill their own children.
He punctuated each thought with the passionate refrain: WE NEED CHANGE NOW! The Reverend said this over and over, and the pure power of his words moved above and beyond rhetoric into something more fundamentally real. He believed in what he was saying, connecting the necessity of change to everyone, no matter how marginalized our laws have rendered them. The change he spoke of emanates from the same source as the dream preached by Martin Luther King, the same source upon which President Obama has drawn his fundamental credo: change for the betterment of mankind. WE NEED CHANGE NOW MORE THAN EVER! “Everyday” he said, “4,000 babies die because of abortion.” Continuing, he implored Obama with numbers, saying, “Abortion is still the number one killer of African Americans. We make up 12% of the population, but 34% of the abortion…” WE NEED CHANGE NOW! “Please, Mr. President, be the agent of change! Commute the sentence of all the unborn babies condemned to die! Please help us to be free from abortion!” WE NEED CHANGE NOW! And he ended with a firm request: “Pray for America. Pray for this President.”
Indianapolis, 9 February
If statues could talk, our nation’s capital would reverberate forever with sounds, words and syllables breaking forth from the giant statues of our heroes and models.
In the Jefferson Memorial, for example, the nineteen foot tall representation of the man rises toward the ceiling of the rotunda from the middle of the room. Around the walls, his words echo from firm etches scripted into the marble, famous excerpts from his most profound, world-changing works. The statue itself, however, sits stale in my memory. I’m sure the artist meant to infuse the bronze with emotion and life and energy; but, at the end of the day, it is just bronze contorted to look like our country’s third president. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, or just not looking with the right pair of eyes.
In his poem, “Archaic Torso of Apollo” Rainer Maria Rilke meditates on the power of images, specifically an old crumbling statue. The statue he sees, and describes so magically in the poem, radiates in front of him, closes the distance between itself and its beholder. Rilke names the mysterious force behind this motion “light” claiming that it draws us into a more essential unity. To end, Rilke draws on every aspect of the statue, gathers the totality into this living, breathing, moving creation, and bluntly tells the reader that such a statue, imbued with the power to force a human into such an intense aesthetic contemplation means one thing: “You’ll have to change your life.”
Now, I must wonder: if stone can move a man to this realization, to what does the image of the human person, an image that in reality has life, breath, and motion compel us? If we could comprehend Rilke’s “light” inside of us (perhaps we may call it a soul), would we have to change the way we live? If the very stones can cry out, what message can living things speak?
I cannot ignore the warm thrill that runs up my spine whenever I consider the phrase beginning “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” Those words that first began to sketch the American Dream, began to change the world and usher in a new age of freedom and hope, a new recognition of the human person. A recognition that must change our lives when we come to share in its fullness.
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 21 January
Inside the Basilica, pews creak with excessive weight, the marble floors bounce with the press of footsteps. People sit on those floors, or stand in the back. Many find themselves stuck without a view of the altar, instead staring at stone column or a section of wall. Everyone, though, can hear Cardinal Rigai’s words: “Our mission is to preserve, love, and protect.”
Even in the stillness of the Mass, motion persists everywhere. I can hear commotion from the nave, where people stand pressed against each other, always making room for new arrivals. From this particular angle, the building seems more like a train station than a Church. Excitement ripples through the air as people from all over the country come together in one moment, celebratory and serious, united for a common purpose, each one of them traveling in the same direction, yearning for the fulfillment of the same goal.
After Benediction, the crowd clears in a nervous fluttering of footsteps, as though a train could be heard pulling into the platform. Hands shake other hands, and people wave good bye, promising to meet again. They take steps confidently, with a certain joy. They embody the notion they will hear in the chilly January air, as the Reverend Luke Robinson will tell them: “We will win.”
Each person, it seems, knows, or should know, that the March for Life does not happen only on January 22. The mission to protect, serve, and love transcends time and even space and ripples through all of our human experience. We must march everyday. Unite actions to our words, for the right of every life. We must live so that the image of the human person can radiate its inner light and be recognized, so that we can create the change we so desperately need.
Special Services at Marian
By C Jordan Brown
Marian is a small community. With just over 2,000 students, it’s about the size of a large high school. What many don’t know is that Marian offers a lot of exciting benefits to students that can be beneficial for the future, and now.
Free of charge, Marian offers personal and academic counseling, often from people who’ve taken the exact class in which there’s difficulty. Numerous workshops and seminars are available that can make school substantially easier, or cheaper! Marian also has Crisis Intervention for those in need, Campus Outreach for religious support, and professional referral to community resources.
Marian has a health center that can treat numerous illnesses and injuries, as well as immunizations, testing and more. Most things are free, including Basic, fitness physicals—eg. Needed for school-related positions/responsibilities, except sports physicals, which are through the athletics department.
Ear irrigation, breathing treatment, orders for lab tests, and prescriptions. Many students visit and are treated for thing such as Asthma Respiratory infections, allergy conditions, sinus and/or ear infections, sore throats, bladder infections, muscle strains, minor lacerations, and minor skin rashes. The health center is the small building in front of Doyle Hall, next to the tea garden.
Marian’s career center isn’t just for jobs after graduation, there’s job postings for FT and PT jobs for students. There’s information on summer jobs, as well as study abroad opportunities.
Finally, there is a plethora of student activities available to all students! Some of them include: Salsa lessons, Best Buddies, who provide friendship to handicapped children, Business, Gaming, and GLBT support through the Marian Alliance. Performing Knights performs theater repertoire; the Marian choirs ‘Chamber Singers’ and ‘Women’s Chorus’ perform many concerts including ‘Pops!’ at the end of the year in Civic Hall.
Spend some time on the Marian website, because there’s a lot to do that doesn’t cost money or brain cells!
Upcoming Peace and Justice Events
By: Dalila Huerta
Interested in living out the Franciscan value of Peace & justice? Be sure to attend the following events on campus this semester!
On February 18, stop by the Dorothy Day House for Peace & Justice behind Doyle Hall to watch Freedom Files and learn more about your civil liberties (8:00PM)
Religulous will also be shown at the Peter Maurin House on Tyrone Drive on February 24. (8:00PM)
On March 4, join the Peace & Justice community for its first of two free Organic Dinner Nights. (Dorothy Day House, 6PM)
April 7 marks the second annual Global Peace & Justice Day. Join the community here on campus for drama, speakers, and film to help you create a more peaceful and just world.
“Live from Indianapolis, It’s Marian College!”
By: Anna Allen
“And for final jeopardy today your question is: horsies - are they pretty? Just write yes or no. Keep in mind, there is no wrong answer...” We’ll take your word for it, Alex. However, the right way to spend your weekend is watching the Performing Knights’ upcoming show, Marian Night Live! The Performing Knights’ creative genius takes hold again in their performance. One previous show, Warning Labels, presented numerous skits, just like the Marian Night Live production. However, with new performers and skits, this event should be quite an experience!
Performing Knights’ president, Elena Harrison, stepped up to the plate to write the script, but she didn’t stop there. Not only did Elena write it, but she is also directing, and will be starring in the production. The fourteen or fifteen skits will be performed by a large cast consisting of Elena, Jacqui Payne, Luke Costlow, Jeremy Goebel, Greg Lorenz, Liz Nelis, Becca Webster, Jake Brumfield, Brianna McCaslin, and Melissa Holowell. The group will be performing some classic Saturday Night Live skits such as “Celebrity Jeopardy” and “The Weekend Update,” but with a “Marian College” twist. Audiences will also be introduced to some original works, and let’s just say that Twilight fans won’t be disappointed.
With classic sketches and new technology, the show is sure to be a success. Trying to stay true to Saturday Night Live, the performance will be including video clips and commercials from a projector. “Well isn’t that special.” Why, yes it is. With the exception of RFK Remembered, a live performance alongside recorded clips has not been seen before at Marian. The cast and crew eagerly anticipate the audience’s reaction to their hard work and dedication.
Marian Night Live will premiere on February 25th at 8:00 pm in Peine Theatre. The show will run through February 28th, with an extra Matinee showing at 2:00. The performance is sure to be one to remember! As for me, “That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!”
A few Reflections on March for Life
By: Jon Ciana
Washington, D.C., 22 January
Standing on the dried out, winter-dead grass of the National Mall, I couldn’t help but listen. Before the Reverend Luke Robinson took the stage, many speakers had drifted up to the microphone and preached their positive messages to the sympathetic choir of the massive crowd swell surrounding the stage. These first speakers called out, using sentences that began “Mr. President…” and ended with a depressing statistic of destruction: the number of innocent children killed that minute, that second, that year, or that month. Mostly members of Congress, or other political functionaries, these men and women played off of the crowd, uttering some words as clear bait for applause. The crowd, obliged with the requisite shouldering of signs and banners followed by the quick clapping of gloved hands. A nervous excitement simmered, but failed to boil over. Enter the Reverend Luke Robinson.
He began by commending our President, saluting him and expressing pride in his accomplishments, and what he called the partial fulfillment of Martin Luther King’s dream. Instead of leaning on the crutch of criticism, the Reverend reached out, weaving his voice into a prayer for President Obama, asking that “God's hand will lead him in righteousness and justice.” The ensuing pause actually drew applause (from an audience composed of people stereotypically opposed to everything about Barack Obama), and now the audience seemed genuinely captivated. The Reverend continued, talking about the dream of Dr. King, that every person would someday be equal; now, the dream hinged on the fate of the unborn, those people to whom our society still denies status. He decried the destruction of abortion, citing the fact that we cannot consistently preach any form of peace as long as we continue to believe that mothers have the right to kill their own children.
He punctuated each thought with the passionate refrain: WE NEED CHANGE NOW! The Reverend said this over and over, and the pure power of his words moved above and beyond rhetoric into something more fundamentally real. He believed in what he was saying, connecting the necessity of change to everyone, no matter how marginalized our laws have rendered them. The change he spoke of emanates from the same source as the dream preached by Martin Luther King, the same source upon which President Obama has drawn his fundamental credo: change for the betterment of mankind. WE NEED CHANGE NOW MORE THAN EVER! “Everyday” he said, “4,000 babies die because of abortion.” Continuing, he implored Obama with numbers, saying, “Abortion is still the number one killer of African Americans. We make up 12% of the population, but 34% of the abortion…” WE NEED CHANGE NOW! “Please, Mr. President, be the agent of change! Commute the sentence of all the unborn babies condemned to die! Please help us to be free from abortion!” WE NEED CHANGE NOW! And he ended with a firm request: “Pray for America. Pray for this President.”
Indianapolis, 9 February
If statues could talk, our nation’s capital would reverberate forever with sounds, words and syllables breaking forth from the giant statues of our heroes and models.
In the Jefferson Memorial, for example, the nineteen foot tall representation of the man rises toward the ceiling of the rotunda from the middle of the room. Around the walls, his words echo from firm etches scripted into the marble, famous excerpts from his most profound, world-changing works. The statue itself, however, sits stale in my memory. I’m sure the artist meant to infuse the bronze with emotion and life and energy; but, at the end of the day, it is just bronze contorted to look like our country’s third president. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, or just not looking with the right pair of eyes.
In his poem, “Archaic Torso of Apollo” Rainer Maria Rilke meditates on the power of images, specifically an old crumbling statue. The statue he sees, and describes so magically in the poem, radiates in front of him, closes the distance between itself and its beholder. Rilke names the mysterious force behind this motion “light” claiming that it draws us into a more essential unity. To end, Rilke draws on every aspect of the statue, gathers the totality into this living, breathing, moving creation, and bluntly tells the reader that such a statue, imbued with the power to force a human into such an intense aesthetic contemplation means one thing: “You’ll have to change your life.”
Now, I must wonder: if stone can move a man to this realization, to what does the image of the human person, an image that in reality has life, breath, and motion compel us? If we could comprehend Rilke’s “light” inside of us (perhaps we may call it a soul), would we have to change the way we live? If the very stones can cry out, what message can living things speak?
I cannot ignore the warm thrill that runs up my spine whenever I consider the phrase beginning “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” Those words that first began to sketch the American Dream, began to change the world and usher in a new age of freedom and hope, a new recognition of the human person. A recognition that must change our lives when we come to share in its fullness.
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 21 January
Inside the Basilica, pews creak with excessive weight, the marble floors bounce with the press of footsteps. People sit on those floors, or stand in the back. Many find themselves stuck without a view of the altar, instead staring at stone column or a section of wall. Everyone, though, can hear Cardinal Rigai’s words: “Our mission is to preserve, love, and protect.”
Even in the stillness of the Mass, motion persists everywhere. I can hear commotion from the nave, where people stand pressed against each other, always making room for new arrivals. From this particular angle, the building seems more like a train station than a Church. Excitement ripples through the air as people from all over the country come together in one moment, celebratory and serious, united for a common purpose, each one of them traveling in the same direction, yearning for the fulfillment of the same goal.
After Benediction, the crowd clears in a nervous fluttering of footsteps, as though a train could be heard pulling into the platform. Hands shake other hands, and people wave good bye, promising to meet again. They take steps confidently, with a certain joy. They embody the notion they will hear in the chilly January air, as the Reverend Luke Robinson will tell them: “We will win.”
Each person, it seems, knows, or should know, that the March for Life does not happen only on January 22. The mission to protect, serve, and love transcends time and even space and ripples through all of our human experience. We must march everyday. Unite actions to our words, for the right of every life. We must live so that the image of the human person can radiate its inner light and be recognized, so that we can create the change we so desperately need.
Special Services at Marian
By C Jordan Brown
Marian is a small community. With just over 2,000 students, it’s about the size of a large high school. What many don’t know is that Marian offers a lot of exciting benefits to students that can be beneficial for the future, and now.
Free of charge, Marian offers personal and academic counseling, often from people who’ve taken the exact class in which there’s difficulty. Numerous workshops and seminars are available that can make school substantially easier, or cheaper! Marian also has Crisis Intervention for those in need, Campus Outreach for religious support, and professional referral to community resources.
Marian has a health center that can treat numerous illnesses and injuries, as well as immunizations, testing and more. Most things are free, including Basic, fitness physicals—eg. Needed for school-related positions/responsibilities, except sports physicals, which are through the athletics department.
Ear irrigation, breathing treatment, orders for lab tests, and prescriptions. Many students visit and are treated for thing such as Asthma Respiratory infections, allergy conditions, sinus and/or ear infections, sore throats, bladder infections, muscle strains, minor lacerations, and minor skin rashes. The health center is the small building in front of Doyle Hall, next to the tea garden.
Marian’s career center isn’t just for jobs after graduation, there’s job postings for FT and PT jobs for students. There’s information on summer jobs, as well as study abroad opportunities.
Finally, there is a plethora of student activities available to all students! Some of them include: Salsa lessons, Best Buddies, who provide friendship to handicapped children, Business, Gaming, and GLBT support through the Marian Alliance. Performing Knights performs theater repertoire; the Marian choirs ‘Chamber Singers’ and ‘Women’s Chorus’ perform many concerts including ‘Pops!’ at the end of the year in Civic Hall.
Spend some time on the Marian website, because there’s a lot to do that doesn’t cost money or brain cells!
Upcoming Peace and Justice Events
By: Dalila Huerta
Interested in living out the Franciscan value of Peace & justice? Be sure to attend the following events on campus this semester!
On February 18, stop by the Dorothy Day House for Peace & Justice behind Doyle Hall to watch Freedom Files and learn more about your civil liberties (8:00PM)
Religulous will also be shown at the Peter Maurin House on Tyrone Drive on February 24. (8:00PM)
On March 4, join the Peace & Justice community for its first of two free Organic Dinner Nights. (Dorothy Day House, 6PM)
April 7 marks the second annual Global Peace & Justice Day. Join the community here on campus for drama, speakers, and film to help you create a more peaceful and just world.
THE KNIGHT TIMES EDITION 5
IN TUNE WITH OUR MISSION
Living the Franciscan Model:
Students express need for radical change on campus and community
By Dalila Huerta
Marian College was founded on the four basic principles of Franciscan Spirituality: Peace and Justice, Dignity of the Individual, Responsible Stewardship, and Reconciliation. As an educational and community leader on the verge of a great transformation, we must ask ourselves, how closely is the Marian College community following these principles?
More specifically, what are we doing within our campus and community to fully implement these treasured values?
In this past year, we have seen some changes on campus to reflect our growth, not just as a great Catholic university, but as a great Franciscan university. We have stressed our value of Responsible Stewardship and revamped our recycling program to include bins in most buildings which allow for commingling recycling. You can now recycle plastics, paper, cardboard, metal, and glass in one convenient container. Batteries can also be recycled in the mailroom.
Other student organizations and groups such as Community and Campus Ministry, the Day and Maurin Houses for Peace and Justice, the Marian Alliance, and the Green Life Club among several others, are actively trying to stress the values of the Franciscan Spirit as well. While some changes and efforts have been met with difficulty, the spirit of these students has not been quelled.
After speaking with some students involved with these organizations, it is clear that there remains a great desire to effect change on campus and within the community. Morgan Roddy, assistant secretary to the Green Life Club expressed her desire to truly live out the values within the school. “Franciscan values are not a bumper sticker or an advertising slogan,” she stated. “Unfortunately, students come in as Freshmen wondering what the Franciscan values are and Seniors leave wondering what they were meant to be.”
This lacking presence of the Franciscan values within the school’s organizations, programs, and community involvement has left students wondering how to apply the values in their everyday lives.
In order to effectively target students and instill the values from day one, Matthew Salzman, one of the founding members of the Peter Maurin House for Peace and Justice, suggests making community service, like that offered through SOC 100: Experiential Learning, a graduation requirement. In this way, “students would actually have to do something, not just read or hear about it and wonder how the values affect or relate to their lives,” he said.
Salzman’s emphasis on active participation in the community truly captures the emphasis of the Franciscan values. Students should be active stewards of peace and justice, reconciliation, and the protection of the dignity of human beings; this call to action leads far beyond the confines of the campus.
Some students have realized that this call requires them to consider all citizens within the community, not just the privileged few who have the advantage of attending a great Franciscan institution.
Matthew Haines, another founding member of the Peter Maurin House for Peace and Justice, suggests free evening classes for members of the community to help them further their intellectual and creative goals. “Marian sits in the middle of one of the most diverse neighborhoods of Indianapolis. We should be active participants in this neighborhood, and try to share the values as responsible stewards of the community. There is much help that we can offer and in return so much that we can learn.”
Haines also suggests creating a food and donation center on campus or even a soup kitchen for members of the nearby community. A sustainable community garden was also suggested by the Green Life Club.
Roddy takes these ideas one step further, suggesting a series of night classes for ex-convicts, to help them reintegrate into society, learn basic job skills, and teach them the value of reconciliation.
While many of these suggestions may seem unfeasible, students feel it their need to enact change on campus, not matter how impracticable their dreams may seem.
“Students come to Marian not just to be students but to be good citizens,” emphasized Roddy, “and these values should be rewarded, not repressed.” As students of a Franciscan institution, it is our ethical duty to live these values in every way possible, even if our plans seem impossible.
As St. Francis himself stated, “Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Students hope that one day the call of St. Francis will be answered.
Valuing the Liberal Arts Tradition, Part I
By Dalila Huerta
As our beloved institution comes to its end as a liberal arts college, could we be at risk for losing our liberal arts tradition as well? A recent pattern in the decline of liberal arts degrees, loss of tenured professors in liberal arts positions, and waning emphasis in a liberal arts concentration is a rising trend sweeping across the U.S. Deeply rooted in the industrialist spirit of practicality and success, this decline represents a new emphasis on practical degrees and a loss of reverence for the humanities, the core of the liberal arts tradition.
In his most recent book, The Last Professors: The Corporate University and the Fate of the Humanities, Frank Donoghue illuminates the causes behind the decline of the humanities in particular across institutions of higher learning nationwide. In a recent analysis in the New York Times by Stanley Fish (January 18, 2009), Donoghue’s explication of this recent trend comes in focus, demonstrating the brutal reality of the death of the liberal arts tradition.
Fish explains that “healthy humanities departments populated by tenure-track professors who discuss books with adoring students in a cloistered setting—have largely vanished. Except in a few private wealthy universities (functioning almost as museums), the splendid and supported irrelevance of humanist inquiry for its own sake is already a thing of the past.”
Tenured and tenure-track professors in the university now make up only 35% of college faculties cites Donoghue in his book, increasingly dropping each year. The reason? More and more, colleges are switching to a more for-profit outlook on hiring, shifting their focus from the growth of intellect to the growth of revenue. With this attitude, professors are merely seen as an expense, and adjunct and non-tenure track professors are welcomed for their inexpensive price.
The rise of adjunct professors across American universities is not something to be quickly disregarded. While many adjunct professors are wonderful educators, mentors, and advisors, they cannot obtain the resources necessary to foster an intellectual community on campus. Many do not possess an office area to meet with students, and the low pay often forces many to look for secondary employment, hampering their ability to be a vital presence in campus and academic life.
More importantly, the shift to neglecting the dignity of the professorship also indicates a shift to neglecting the humanities as necessary fields of study. In his report for the American Historical Association, Sterling Fluharty highlights the decline in degrees awarded to history undergraduates among smaller colleges. While large research universities, master’s colleges and baccalaureate colleges that emphasize the arts and sciences collectively enrolled only 40% of all undergraduates in the 2006-2007 school year, they awarded 93% of all undergraduate history degrees; smaller universities and master’s, baccalaureate and associates colleges enrolled 60% of all undergraduates but only awarded 7% of all history degrees. This gap has increasingly widened since the mid 1980s.
Large research universities which can afford the expense of hiring teachers in the liberal arts do so, thus attracting the majority of students seeking a liberal arts degree. Smaller schools, ironically including liberal arts schools, are finding it hard to retain their appeal to liberal arts students as their faculty numbers continue to shrink. Fluharty reports that the percentage of history faculty in liberal arts institutions with no chance of tenure has increased from less than 20% in 1988 to about 35% in 2003. For private comprehensive schools, the percentage of non-tenure track professors has increased to 50%, nearly a 25% jump since 1988.
While Fluharty focuses only on history degrees, the results are comparable to most any liberal arts degree. Smaller schools are finding it hard compete with larger research universities that attract professors to their stable, well-paid job offerings. In response, smaller colleges and universities are now focusing on offering “practical” degrees which merely provide the students with tools to find employment. A noble cause, without a doubt, but this shift to focus on more professional, vocational, and technical degrees is leaving the programs of the humanities and liberal arts bare-boned.
Donoghue himself provides a bleak outlook for the future of the humanities. He states that “all fields deemed impractical, such as philosophy, art history, and literature, will henceforth face a constant danger of being deemed unnecessary…and professors will come to be seen by everyone (not just those outside the academy)as unaffordable anomalies.”
How do these statistics relate to Marian College? The next two installments of “Valuing the Liberal Arts Education” will bring attention to the crisis that threatens to afflict our own institution if action is not taken to protect our liberal arts tradition. Marian does have something different to offer, and here and now, at the time of this great transition, our school must decide what image and role it is willing to take. As our institution grows to become a university, it will have an even greater possibility to cultivate the intellectual growth of its students as opportunities for excellence continue to multiply. It is now only left to our administration and faculty to decide where its focus will lie.
Living the Franciscan Model:
Students express need for radical change on campus and community
By Dalila Huerta
Marian College was founded on the four basic principles of Franciscan Spirituality: Peace and Justice, Dignity of the Individual, Responsible Stewardship, and Reconciliation. As an educational and community leader on the verge of a great transformation, we must ask ourselves, how closely is the Marian College community following these principles?
More specifically, what are we doing within our campus and community to fully implement these treasured values?
In this past year, we have seen some changes on campus to reflect our growth, not just as a great Catholic university, but as a great Franciscan university. We have stressed our value of Responsible Stewardship and revamped our recycling program to include bins in most buildings which allow for commingling recycling. You can now recycle plastics, paper, cardboard, metal, and glass in one convenient container. Batteries can also be recycled in the mailroom.
Other student organizations and groups such as Community and Campus Ministry, the Day and Maurin Houses for Peace and Justice, the Marian Alliance, and the Green Life Club among several others, are actively trying to stress the values of the Franciscan Spirit as well. While some changes and efforts have been met with difficulty, the spirit of these students has not been quelled.
After speaking with some students involved with these organizations, it is clear that there remains a great desire to effect change on campus and within the community. Morgan Roddy, assistant secretary to the Green Life Club expressed her desire to truly live out the values within the school. “Franciscan values are not a bumper sticker or an advertising slogan,” she stated. “Unfortunately, students come in as Freshmen wondering what the Franciscan values are and Seniors leave wondering what they were meant to be.”
This lacking presence of the Franciscan values within the school’s organizations, programs, and community involvement has left students wondering how to apply the values in their everyday lives.
In order to effectively target students and instill the values from day one, Matthew Salzman, one of the founding members of the Peter Maurin House for Peace and Justice, suggests making community service, like that offered through SOC 100: Experiential Learning, a graduation requirement. In this way, “students would actually have to do something, not just read or hear about it and wonder how the values affect or relate to their lives,” he said.
Salzman’s emphasis on active participation in the community truly captures the emphasis of the Franciscan values. Students should be active stewards of peace and justice, reconciliation, and the protection of the dignity of human beings; this call to action leads far beyond the confines of the campus.
Some students have realized that this call requires them to consider all citizens within the community, not just the privileged few who have the advantage of attending a great Franciscan institution.
Matthew Haines, another founding member of the Peter Maurin House for Peace and Justice, suggests free evening classes for members of the community to help them further their intellectual and creative goals. “Marian sits in the middle of one of the most diverse neighborhoods of Indianapolis. We should be active participants in this neighborhood, and try to share the values as responsible stewards of the community. There is much help that we can offer and in return so much that we can learn.”
Haines also suggests creating a food and donation center on campus or even a soup kitchen for members of the nearby community. A sustainable community garden was also suggested by the Green Life Club.
Roddy takes these ideas one step further, suggesting a series of night classes for ex-convicts, to help them reintegrate into society, learn basic job skills, and teach them the value of reconciliation.
While many of these suggestions may seem unfeasible, students feel it their need to enact change on campus, not matter how impracticable their dreams may seem.
“Students come to Marian not just to be students but to be good citizens,” emphasized Roddy, “and these values should be rewarded, not repressed.” As students of a Franciscan institution, it is our ethical duty to live these values in every way possible, even if our plans seem impossible.
As St. Francis himself stated, “Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Students hope that one day the call of St. Francis will be answered.
Valuing the Liberal Arts Tradition, Part I
By Dalila Huerta
As our beloved institution comes to its end as a liberal arts college, could we be at risk for losing our liberal arts tradition as well? A recent pattern in the decline of liberal arts degrees, loss of tenured professors in liberal arts positions, and waning emphasis in a liberal arts concentration is a rising trend sweeping across the U.S. Deeply rooted in the industrialist spirit of practicality and success, this decline represents a new emphasis on practical degrees and a loss of reverence for the humanities, the core of the liberal arts tradition.
In his most recent book, The Last Professors: The Corporate University and the Fate of the Humanities, Frank Donoghue illuminates the causes behind the decline of the humanities in particular across institutions of higher learning nationwide. In a recent analysis in the New York Times by Stanley Fish (January 18, 2009), Donoghue’s explication of this recent trend comes in focus, demonstrating the brutal reality of the death of the liberal arts tradition.
Fish explains that “healthy humanities departments populated by tenure-track professors who discuss books with adoring students in a cloistered setting—have largely vanished. Except in a few private wealthy universities (functioning almost as museums), the splendid and supported irrelevance of humanist inquiry for its own sake is already a thing of the past.”
Tenured and tenure-track professors in the university now make up only 35% of college faculties cites Donoghue in his book, increasingly dropping each year. The reason? More and more, colleges are switching to a more for-profit outlook on hiring, shifting their focus from the growth of intellect to the growth of revenue. With this attitude, professors are merely seen as an expense, and adjunct and non-tenure track professors are welcomed for their inexpensive price.
The rise of adjunct professors across American universities is not something to be quickly disregarded. While many adjunct professors are wonderful educators, mentors, and advisors, they cannot obtain the resources necessary to foster an intellectual community on campus. Many do not possess an office area to meet with students, and the low pay often forces many to look for secondary employment, hampering their ability to be a vital presence in campus and academic life.
More importantly, the shift to neglecting the dignity of the professorship also indicates a shift to neglecting the humanities as necessary fields of study. In his report for the American Historical Association, Sterling Fluharty highlights the decline in degrees awarded to history undergraduates among smaller colleges. While large research universities, master’s colleges and baccalaureate colleges that emphasize the arts and sciences collectively enrolled only 40% of all undergraduates in the 2006-2007 school year, they awarded 93% of all undergraduate history degrees; smaller universities and master’s, baccalaureate and associates colleges enrolled 60% of all undergraduates but only awarded 7% of all history degrees. This gap has increasingly widened since the mid 1980s.
Large research universities which can afford the expense of hiring teachers in the liberal arts do so, thus attracting the majority of students seeking a liberal arts degree. Smaller schools, ironically including liberal arts schools, are finding it hard to retain their appeal to liberal arts students as their faculty numbers continue to shrink. Fluharty reports that the percentage of history faculty in liberal arts institutions with no chance of tenure has increased from less than 20% in 1988 to about 35% in 2003. For private comprehensive schools, the percentage of non-tenure track professors has increased to 50%, nearly a 25% jump since 1988.
While Fluharty focuses only on history degrees, the results are comparable to most any liberal arts degree. Smaller schools are finding it hard compete with larger research universities that attract professors to their stable, well-paid job offerings. In response, smaller colleges and universities are now focusing on offering “practical” degrees which merely provide the students with tools to find employment. A noble cause, without a doubt, but this shift to focus on more professional, vocational, and technical degrees is leaving the programs of the humanities and liberal arts bare-boned.
Donoghue himself provides a bleak outlook for the future of the humanities. He states that “all fields deemed impractical, such as philosophy, art history, and literature, will henceforth face a constant danger of being deemed unnecessary…and professors will come to be seen by everyone (not just those outside the academy)as unaffordable anomalies.”
How do these statistics relate to Marian College? The next two installments of “Valuing the Liberal Arts Education” will bring attention to the crisis that threatens to afflict our own institution if action is not taken to protect our liberal arts tradition. Marian does have something different to offer, and here and now, at the time of this great transition, our school must decide what image and role it is willing to take. As our institution grows to become a university, it will have an even greater possibility to cultivate the intellectual growth of its students as opportunities for excellence continue to multiply. It is now only left to our administration and faculty to decide where its focus will lie.
THE KNIGHT TIMES EDITION 5
STAY CONNECTED
Prevention During Flu Season
By Ian SerVaas
As the snow melts and the weather begins to change, Indiana starts moving from the winter season to the dreaded flu season. The flu can be a minor nuisance to some but deadly to others. According to the Center for Disease Control’s article “Preventing the Seasonal Flu,” over 200,000 people are hospitalized annually from the flu and about 36,000 die from flu-related complication. In 1918 a global pandemic of Spanish flu killed more than twice the casualties of World War I. Today, physicians worry about Avian flu and other types of flu becoming rampant. However, preventing getting the flu is easy if a few precautionary steps are taken.
The Center for Disease Control promotes that many healthcare professionals believe the first guard against the flu is to get a flu vaccine. Children, older adults, and people suffering from respiratory illnesses are among the most strongly encouraged to get the vaccine. The vaccine, however, does not guarantee immunity, as the flu is a rapidly mutating virus. The average flu vaccine will protect against three different strains of flu, but choosing which three is a gamble. Most drug stores and supermarkets have vaccines available.
College students have a higher risk of getting illness due to close contact, poor hygiene, and high stress. The best precaution is to wash one’s hands throughout the day. Desks, doorknobs, public phones, and other surfaces are often contaminated. The flu virus easily transfers from one’s hand to their face, mouth, eyes, and nose. Wash your hands after using the restroom, before lunch, and after touching shared objects. Carry hand sanitizer, which easily inactivates the flu virus.
Other easy strategies for prevention include reducing your stress, increasing nightly sleep, getting fresh air, and quitting smoking if you are a smoker. Diet plays an important role in preventing illness; include colorful fruits and vegetables as the phytopigments, or the “colors,” are powerful antioxidants and immune boosters. Spices also can boost immunity, such as cayenne pepper, rosemary, oregano, cinnamon, and garlic. Eating a large bowl of vegetable soup heavily seasoned with Italian spices will help when symptoms emerge.
The best advice to preventing an outbreak of flu at school is to avoid class when ill. Send an email to the professors of your classes you will miss and book an appointment for the school nurse. Depending on the severity of flu, treatments from bed rest to antiviral medication may be prescribed. But again, try to first prevent getting the flu and be sure to not pass it on. Reprinted from WebMD is a summation of flu prevention tips:
#1 Wash Your Hands
#2 Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands
#3 Don't Touch Your Face
#4 Drink Plenty of Fluids
#5 Take a Sauna
#6 Get Fresh Air
#7 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly
#8 Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals
#9 Eat Yogurt
#10 Don't Smoke
#11 Cut Alcohol Consumption
#12 Relax
In the meantime, try your best to keep your germs to yourself!
Radio entertainment needs a comeback.
By C Jordan Brown
“OMG… I just hit a car txting you. Call u l8r.”
Those who’ve typed this or something like it are probably disappointed in themselves. However, they’re entirely not alone. Accidents from texting while driving are happening every day, and no one is safe.
Although many college students pride themselves on highly developed motor skills, one coordination exercise exists that should be done with intense caution: texting while driving. Students are often heard claiming to be a professional of the art; many texting with one hand, eating with another, and driving with their knees. It may seem like this may be an effective way to make a commute entertaining, it can surely end in a multitude of tragic loss.
AAA Motor Co. reports one in seven drivers admit to driving while texting, most being those in the “college” age bracket. There have been numerous fatal accidents involving one to seven college students that have evidence of texting activity within minutes, which is how it’s possible that these “artists” don’t have the strokes so clear. Dr. William Van Tassel of AAA Driver Training presents clear information on the website.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens claiming more than 6,000 15- to 20-year-olds each year,” he states. “Inexperience behind the wheel coupled with poor decision-making ability make it even more important for teens to stay focused when driving. Their attention should not be divided among phones, friends and the road.”
More clearly, it takes a serious accident for some to realize how distracted they are from the road. Texting is proven to reduce reaction time substantially, and every second could be a matter of life or death.
In hazardous weather, this can be an even more pertinent issue. When roads are slick, more focus is required and so much as reading a text can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles. If this happens, tires gain momentum from the ice and the driver is most likely going to strike a curb, median, or another car. This can cause body damage, airbag deployment, or many other issues that require repair.
Many counties are placing a ban (although lightly enforced) on phone usage while behind the wheel due to the number of related deaths. Those tickets range from $20-200. Also, the BMV is considering a ‘driving contract’ for new drivers that includes no speeding or seat belt tickets to enforce defensive driving.
Although it can be annoying to hear, the road must be any driver’s focus: all the time. The only way to prove this would be an accident; they are always at least a terrible inconvenience.
And Here We Go
by Malachi Cowells
From the moment that I saw him perform the infamous “pencil trick” I knew that I was seeing a special performance by a special actor. I am, of course, speaking of Heath Ledger in his performance as The Joker in “The Dark Night.” His performance was one of those roles that I didn't feel as if I was watching an actor perform in front of a camera, I felt as if I was watching the real Joker caught on film. This was especially odd as not only was Heath Ledger a famous actor, but the character he was playing was even more famous, or should I say infamous. He seamlessly incorporated himself into the role that his greatest trick was making the audience forget that it was him on the screen.
And now, after his saddening and unfortunate death, his posthumous Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor he is now on the very short list for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. The question is, does he deserve it?
Up against stiff competition, primarily from Josh Brolin in his performance in “Milk” and Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt,” Heath Ledger still has a very good chance to be the first actor to receive a posthumous Oscar (Sir Ralph Richardson received a posthumous nomination in 1983 but did not win).
Many believe that he will win the award, with Marian students voicing their support for him as well. Maureen Haker claimed that “He did a phenomenal job” and should deserve recognition for his “scaringly good” performance. Jeffrey Dufresne believed that Heath Ledger's performance even outshone Christian Bale's performance as Batman and that “If Ledger doesn't get the Oscar I will be disappointed.”
In the end he does deserve the award. Not only because his performance was a once-in-a-lifetime performance and that it exceeded even his competition, but because it is a way to honor this very talented actor who died in the prime of his career and life. The Academy will find it hard to deny this award, nor should they. He truly is the most deserving of the award.
Top 10 College Spring Break Destinations
By: Kirsten Sordelet
Spring break is right around the corner, as if you weren’t counting down the seconds. Where are you heading to this year? If you don’t know yet but are sure you’re getting away from this winter wonderland, I’ve got the Top 10 hot spots of 2009 as voted by college students.
1. Panama City Beach, Florida: I don’t think any one student could doubt that Panama is the spring break spot of our time. Only 755 miles from our snowy streets of Indianapolis, Panama is has all the excitement, warmth and college life you have been dreaming about. Panama has been ranked on the top 10 spring break hot spots of all time by MTV who hosts a spring break special in the party city. Panama City also has a wide range of cheap hotels to gorgeous condos. So whatever your money situation is, round up the friends and get down to the white sands of Panama City.
2. Miami, Florida: Welcome to Miami! With the publicity this beautiful city gets, you would think that it would become somewhat over-rated, but it’s not! Miami is the 7th largest city in the country and has the wild and crazy population to prove it. In 2008, Miami was ranked as "America's Cleanest City" according to Forbes Magazine for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs. But it’s spring break! Miami has an average temperature of 81° and the beaches are HOT!
3. Cancun, Mexico: What’s synonymous to spring break? Cancun. For years it has attracted students and party-seekers alike and not hard to understand why. Cancun offers some of the most beautiful beaches, crystal clear, blue waters and snow-white sand there is to see. Not to mention the great clubs, concerts and cruises you can enjoy! ¡Vayamos a México!
4. Go home! : I hate to break it to you but most college students just can’t afford a vacation right in the middle of the semester. But it’s ok, it’s still vacation! Taking a load off at home will both save you money and give you a week to wind down. I know, I know. Looking at the snow for too long can make any one go a little crazy but the countdown to summer closely follows spring break. With the money you save you can hit the tanning bed, go grab a smoothie and chill out to some reggae music in your room.
5. Windsor, Canada: Aside from being further north than Indianapolis and not having any seaside hotel rooms, Windsor is full of fun and excitement for anyone; and I mean every one of all ages. With a lowered drinking age of 19, young adults are free to experience the night life of a big city. With a gorgeous downtown, Little Italy and Ceasars Windsor (a beautiful casino with a 27 floor hotel and 5,000 seat entertainment area) Windsor is where you want to be. Only 5 hours from downtown Indianapolis, you could take a weekend trip up to another country.
6. Chicago, Illinois: Sure you hear about it all the time but have you actually ever been? Chicago is a beautiful city and home to great sports, architecture and fashion and is sure to inspire. Three hours from home, you can experience a big town, eclectic culture and great entertainment. Plan a trip for the weekend or make it all week. Take a trip down the Magnificent Mile (but watch your spending… you’re still a college kid) or check out Millennium Park. You’ll get some exercise and broaden your cultural knowledge of our Midwest!
7. Search for your favorite band: If you have ever seen the movie “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” you’ll understand this one. You have an entire week to go as far as you need to go to find that band you never get to see. Grab some friends, split a cheap hotel room and enjoy something you rarely get to see. Luke Bryan will be in Rootstown, OH on March 7th, Brittany Spears is in Tampa, FL on March 8th with the Pussycat Dolls and Brad Paisley is in Nashville, TN on March 14th.
8. Fort Myers Beach, Florida: Yes, another beach destination. They’re hard to beat after living through such a snowy winter. Fort Myers has a lot more to offer than just a beach though. Here you’ll find night-life at the pier, delectable dining at places like the Charley's Boathouse Grill and Gulfshore Grill and all the sun you want considering the average temperature for the month of March is 75°! The southwest side of Florida is definitely a hot spot to be for your college spring break.
9. Road Trip: Gas is cheap! Take advantage of it and hit the road. Educate yourself on American history by exploring the roads to Tennessee or all the way to Arizona. One week gives you plenty of time to sight-see, take pictures and brag about all the places you’ve been. Someone you know has an old van that’s been waiting to hit the pavement. Give that van its chance and go on an adventure (while you can actually afford the gas!).
10. South Padre Island, Texas: Everything’s bigger in Texas. Make it a big spring break at one of the fastest growing spring break hot spots America has to offer. Its average temperature is 68° and has the hundreds of miles of beaches to make it complete. The long hike to get there will be all worth it once you see what Texas has been hiding.
Prevention During Flu Season
By Ian SerVaas
As the snow melts and the weather begins to change, Indiana starts moving from the winter season to the dreaded flu season. The flu can be a minor nuisance to some but deadly to others. According to the Center for Disease Control’s article “Preventing the Seasonal Flu,” over 200,000 people are hospitalized annually from the flu and about 36,000 die from flu-related complication. In 1918 a global pandemic of Spanish flu killed more than twice the casualties of World War I. Today, physicians worry about Avian flu and other types of flu becoming rampant. However, preventing getting the flu is easy if a few precautionary steps are taken.
The Center for Disease Control promotes that many healthcare professionals believe the first guard against the flu is to get a flu vaccine. Children, older adults, and people suffering from respiratory illnesses are among the most strongly encouraged to get the vaccine. The vaccine, however, does not guarantee immunity, as the flu is a rapidly mutating virus. The average flu vaccine will protect against three different strains of flu, but choosing which three is a gamble. Most drug stores and supermarkets have vaccines available.
College students have a higher risk of getting illness due to close contact, poor hygiene, and high stress. The best precaution is to wash one’s hands throughout the day. Desks, doorknobs, public phones, and other surfaces are often contaminated. The flu virus easily transfers from one’s hand to their face, mouth, eyes, and nose. Wash your hands after using the restroom, before lunch, and after touching shared objects. Carry hand sanitizer, which easily inactivates the flu virus.
Other easy strategies for prevention include reducing your stress, increasing nightly sleep, getting fresh air, and quitting smoking if you are a smoker. Diet plays an important role in preventing illness; include colorful fruits and vegetables as the phytopigments, or the “colors,” are powerful antioxidants and immune boosters. Spices also can boost immunity, such as cayenne pepper, rosemary, oregano, cinnamon, and garlic. Eating a large bowl of vegetable soup heavily seasoned with Italian spices will help when symptoms emerge.
The best advice to preventing an outbreak of flu at school is to avoid class when ill. Send an email to the professors of your classes you will miss and book an appointment for the school nurse. Depending on the severity of flu, treatments from bed rest to antiviral medication may be prescribed. But again, try to first prevent getting the flu and be sure to not pass it on. Reprinted from WebMD is a summation of flu prevention tips:
#1 Wash Your Hands
#2 Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands
#3 Don't Touch Your Face
#4 Drink Plenty of Fluids
#5 Take a Sauna
#6 Get Fresh Air
#7 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly
#8 Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals
#9 Eat Yogurt
#10 Don't Smoke
#11 Cut Alcohol Consumption
#12 Relax
In the meantime, try your best to keep your germs to yourself!
Radio entertainment needs a comeback.
By C Jordan Brown
“OMG… I just hit a car txting you. Call u l8r.”
Those who’ve typed this or something like it are probably disappointed in themselves. However, they’re entirely not alone. Accidents from texting while driving are happening every day, and no one is safe.
Although many college students pride themselves on highly developed motor skills, one coordination exercise exists that should be done with intense caution: texting while driving. Students are often heard claiming to be a professional of the art; many texting with one hand, eating with another, and driving with their knees. It may seem like this may be an effective way to make a commute entertaining, it can surely end in a multitude of tragic loss.
AAA Motor Co. reports one in seven drivers admit to driving while texting, most being those in the “college” age bracket. There have been numerous fatal accidents involving one to seven college students that have evidence of texting activity within minutes, which is how it’s possible that these “artists” don’t have the strokes so clear. Dr. William Van Tassel of AAA Driver Training presents clear information on the website.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of teens claiming more than 6,000 15- to 20-year-olds each year,” he states. “Inexperience behind the wheel coupled with poor decision-making ability make it even more important for teens to stay focused when driving. Their attention should not be divided among phones, friends and the road.”
More clearly, it takes a serious accident for some to realize how distracted they are from the road. Texting is proven to reduce reaction time substantially, and every second could be a matter of life or death.
In hazardous weather, this can be an even more pertinent issue. When roads are slick, more focus is required and so much as reading a text can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles. If this happens, tires gain momentum from the ice and the driver is most likely going to strike a curb, median, or another car. This can cause body damage, airbag deployment, or many other issues that require repair.
Many counties are placing a ban (although lightly enforced) on phone usage while behind the wheel due to the number of related deaths. Those tickets range from $20-200. Also, the BMV is considering a ‘driving contract’ for new drivers that includes no speeding or seat belt tickets to enforce defensive driving.
Although it can be annoying to hear, the road must be any driver’s focus: all the time. The only way to prove this would be an accident; they are always at least a terrible inconvenience.
And Here We Go
by Malachi Cowells
From the moment that I saw him perform the infamous “pencil trick” I knew that I was seeing a special performance by a special actor. I am, of course, speaking of Heath Ledger in his performance as The Joker in “The Dark Night.” His performance was one of those roles that I didn't feel as if I was watching an actor perform in front of a camera, I felt as if I was watching the real Joker caught on film. This was especially odd as not only was Heath Ledger a famous actor, but the character he was playing was even more famous, or should I say infamous. He seamlessly incorporated himself into the role that his greatest trick was making the audience forget that it was him on the screen.
And now, after his saddening and unfortunate death, his posthumous Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor he is now on the very short list for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. The question is, does he deserve it?
Up against stiff competition, primarily from Josh Brolin in his performance in “Milk” and Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt,” Heath Ledger still has a very good chance to be the first actor to receive a posthumous Oscar (Sir Ralph Richardson received a posthumous nomination in 1983 but did not win).
Many believe that he will win the award, with Marian students voicing their support for him as well. Maureen Haker claimed that “He did a phenomenal job” and should deserve recognition for his “scaringly good” performance. Jeffrey Dufresne believed that Heath Ledger's performance even outshone Christian Bale's performance as Batman and that “If Ledger doesn't get the Oscar I will be disappointed.”
In the end he does deserve the award. Not only because his performance was a once-in-a-lifetime performance and that it exceeded even his competition, but because it is a way to honor this very talented actor who died in the prime of his career and life. The Academy will find it hard to deny this award, nor should they. He truly is the most deserving of the award.
Top 10 College Spring Break Destinations
By: Kirsten Sordelet
Spring break is right around the corner, as if you weren’t counting down the seconds. Where are you heading to this year? If you don’t know yet but are sure you’re getting away from this winter wonderland, I’ve got the Top 10 hot spots of 2009 as voted by college students.
1. Panama City Beach, Florida: I don’t think any one student could doubt that Panama is the spring break spot of our time. Only 755 miles from our snowy streets of Indianapolis, Panama is has all the excitement, warmth and college life you have been dreaming about. Panama has been ranked on the top 10 spring break hot spots of all time by MTV who hosts a spring break special in the party city. Panama City also has a wide range of cheap hotels to gorgeous condos. So whatever your money situation is, round up the friends and get down to the white sands of Panama City.
2. Miami, Florida: Welcome to Miami! With the publicity this beautiful city gets, you would think that it would become somewhat over-rated, but it’s not! Miami is the 7th largest city in the country and has the wild and crazy population to prove it. In 2008, Miami was ranked as "America's Cleanest City" according to Forbes Magazine for its year-round good air quality, vast green spaces, clean drinking water, clean streets and city-wide recycling programs. But it’s spring break! Miami has an average temperature of 81° and the beaches are HOT!
3. Cancun, Mexico: What’s synonymous to spring break? Cancun. For years it has attracted students and party-seekers alike and not hard to understand why. Cancun offers some of the most beautiful beaches, crystal clear, blue waters and snow-white sand there is to see. Not to mention the great clubs, concerts and cruises you can enjoy! ¡Vayamos a México!
4. Go home! : I hate to break it to you but most college students just can’t afford a vacation right in the middle of the semester. But it’s ok, it’s still vacation! Taking a load off at home will both save you money and give you a week to wind down. I know, I know. Looking at the snow for too long can make any one go a little crazy but the countdown to summer closely follows spring break. With the money you save you can hit the tanning bed, go grab a smoothie and chill out to some reggae music in your room.
5. Windsor, Canada: Aside from being further north than Indianapolis and not having any seaside hotel rooms, Windsor is full of fun and excitement for anyone; and I mean every one of all ages. With a lowered drinking age of 19, young adults are free to experience the night life of a big city. With a gorgeous downtown, Little Italy and Ceasars Windsor (a beautiful casino with a 27 floor hotel and 5,000 seat entertainment area) Windsor is where you want to be. Only 5 hours from downtown Indianapolis, you could take a weekend trip up to another country.
6. Chicago, Illinois: Sure you hear about it all the time but have you actually ever been? Chicago is a beautiful city and home to great sports, architecture and fashion and is sure to inspire. Three hours from home, you can experience a big town, eclectic culture and great entertainment. Plan a trip for the weekend or make it all week. Take a trip down the Magnificent Mile (but watch your spending… you’re still a college kid) or check out Millennium Park. You’ll get some exercise and broaden your cultural knowledge of our Midwest!
7. Search for your favorite band: If you have ever seen the movie “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” you’ll understand this one. You have an entire week to go as far as you need to go to find that band you never get to see. Grab some friends, split a cheap hotel room and enjoy something you rarely get to see. Luke Bryan will be in Rootstown, OH on March 7th, Brittany Spears is in Tampa, FL on March 8th with the Pussycat Dolls and Brad Paisley is in Nashville, TN on March 14th.
8. Fort Myers Beach, Florida: Yes, another beach destination. They’re hard to beat after living through such a snowy winter. Fort Myers has a lot more to offer than just a beach though. Here you’ll find night-life at the pier, delectable dining at places like the Charley's Boathouse Grill and Gulfshore Grill and all the sun you want considering the average temperature for the month of March is 75°! The southwest side of Florida is definitely a hot spot to be for your college spring break.
9. Road Trip: Gas is cheap! Take advantage of it and hit the road. Educate yourself on American history by exploring the roads to Tennessee or all the way to Arizona. One week gives you plenty of time to sight-see, take pictures and brag about all the places you’ve been. Someone you know has an old van that’s been waiting to hit the pavement. Give that van its chance and go on an adventure (while you can actually afford the gas!).
10. South Padre Island, Texas: Everything’s bigger in Texas. Make it a big spring break at one of the fastest growing spring break hot spots America has to offer. Its average temperature is 68° and has the hundreds of miles of beaches to make it complete. The long hike to get there will be all worth it once you see what Texas has been hiding.
THE KNIGHT TIMES EDITION 5
MARIAN SPORTS
Knights prove they aren’t done yet against Spring Arbor 67-53
By: Kirsten Sordelet
Our Marian College men’s basketball team upset the 15th ranked team in the conference, Spring Arbor, 67-53 two weeks ago at home. They’ve been working for a conference win and they’ve finally earned it. So far, with a season of close games and unfair referees, the Knights have been unlucky. This performance put them back on the map.
With a game opening dunk by SAU, the Knights replied quickly with a three point basket and battled for the lead twice before tying it up 8-8. Freshman Jameson Wheeler hit another three pointer to take the lead to 11-8, which the Knights maintained the rest of the game. By the end of the first half the Knights led by 9.
With SAU scoring the first four points of the half, Marian responded with a 5-0 streak taking the lead by 10 then pushing as far as 19, 57-38, before ending their game with a 14 point lead over the Cougars, 67-53.
Marian shot 48% from the field with lead scorer, sophomore Jordan Tucker, contributing 26 points. Tucker also had 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Sophomore Tyler Kleinschmidt had 14 points and three assists while sophomore Anthony Furlin added 10 points for the Knights.
The Knights return to action tomorrow, February 14 at 3 p.m. Make sure to stop in and cheer on the Knights towards a sweet victory against Indiana Wesleyan.
Another home victory by the Knights 71-61
By: Kirsten Sordelet
The women’s basketball team collected a 100th win for head coach Todd Bacon against Grace College at home.
The game started off slow with Grace maintaining the lead until 8:35 remained on the clock. Junior Molly Lauck tied the score at 20-20 with a lay up. The Knights and the Lancers battled back and forth until 5th year senior Whitney Frame hit a deep three-point bucket to take the lead and keep it for the remainder of the game. The knights brought the half to a close with a lead of 3, 33-30.
The second half started with a bucket by Grace. Marian then went on a 4-0 run to take a five-point lead with 17:14 to go. Grace closed the gap back to three but the Knights pushed it to 7, 41-34, with 15:39 to go. Marian took a 9-2 run in the next 4:17 bringing the game to 50-40. With 5:56 Grace caught up and brought the score to 55-53. Marian carried out another 8-0 run, 63-53, but Grace brought the gap back to 4. The Knights outscored the Lancers 8-2 over the final 1:40 to pick up the 71-61 victory.
Fifth-year senior Whitney Frame notched a career-high 27 points along with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Junior Molly Lauck had her first career double-double after she tied her career-high with 14 points and had a career-high 14 rebounds.
The Knights travel to Indiana Wesleyan tomorrow, February 14 for a 3 p.m. tip off. Wish the Knights luck as they look to improve their record on the road!
Knights prove they aren’t done yet against Spring Arbor 67-53
By: Kirsten Sordelet
Our Marian College men’s basketball team upset the 15th ranked team in the conference, Spring Arbor, 67-53 two weeks ago at home. They’ve been working for a conference win and they’ve finally earned it. So far, with a season of close games and unfair referees, the Knights have been unlucky. This performance put them back on the map.
With a game opening dunk by SAU, the Knights replied quickly with a three point basket and battled for the lead twice before tying it up 8-8. Freshman Jameson Wheeler hit another three pointer to take the lead to 11-8, which the Knights maintained the rest of the game. By the end of the first half the Knights led by 9.
With SAU scoring the first four points of the half, Marian responded with a 5-0 streak taking the lead by 10 then pushing as far as 19, 57-38, before ending their game with a 14 point lead over the Cougars, 67-53.
Marian shot 48% from the field with lead scorer, sophomore Jordan Tucker, contributing 26 points. Tucker also had 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Sophomore Tyler Kleinschmidt had 14 points and three assists while sophomore Anthony Furlin added 10 points for the Knights.
The Knights return to action tomorrow, February 14 at 3 p.m. Make sure to stop in and cheer on the Knights towards a sweet victory against Indiana Wesleyan.
Another home victory by the Knights 71-61
By: Kirsten Sordelet
The women’s basketball team collected a 100th win for head coach Todd Bacon against Grace College at home.
The game started off slow with Grace maintaining the lead until 8:35 remained on the clock. Junior Molly Lauck tied the score at 20-20 with a lay up. The Knights and the Lancers battled back and forth until 5th year senior Whitney Frame hit a deep three-point bucket to take the lead and keep it for the remainder of the game. The knights brought the half to a close with a lead of 3, 33-30.
The second half started with a bucket by Grace. Marian then went on a 4-0 run to take a five-point lead with 17:14 to go. Grace closed the gap back to three but the Knights pushed it to 7, 41-34, with 15:39 to go. Marian took a 9-2 run in the next 4:17 bringing the game to 50-40. With 5:56 Grace caught up and brought the score to 55-53. Marian carried out another 8-0 run, 63-53, but Grace brought the gap back to 4. The Knights outscored the Lancers 8-2 over the final 1:40 to pick up the 71-61 victory.
Fifth-year senior Whitney Frame notched a career-high 27 points along with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Junior Molly Lauck had her first career double-double after she tied her career-high with 14 points and had a career-high 14 rebounds.
The Knights travel to Indiana Wesleyan tomorrow, February 14 for a 3 p.m. tip off. Wish the Knights luck as they look to improve their record on the road!
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