Volume 11 Issue 1 www.waltonian.com August 26, 2009

KaGe {cage}CHONI SELDEN

CSELDEN@EASTERN.EDU

In addition to Jammin’ Java and the Breezeway, KaGe is soon going to be a popular spot for students. KaGe (pro-nounced cage) is the name of the former Guffi n apartment being turned into a student hangout place.

The news about the Guffi n apartment came as a shock to students last semester and left some disappointed.

“I was hoping my senior year would end with a bang in the Guffi n apartment with my best friends but that didn’t work out like I planned,” senior Alyssa Miller said.

Disappointed students like Miller and many others are

wondering if the management has started to work on the vague plans they mentioned last semester. Paul Daigle, the Coor-dinator of S t u d e n t A c t i v i t i e s a n s w e r e d that ques-tion with a resounding “Yes.”

“We have d e f i n i t e l y started to work on the plans, and the tentative opening day will be (Sept. 18) the weekend of Dia Del Este,” Daigle said ex-citedly.

Daigle feels that the students

will love what is planned for KaGe. “We will have Wii, Xbox 360, air hockey, foosball, a fl at screen TV and discounted

movie tickets available to the students in KaGe,” Daigle said. “A used pool table is also on its way to fi ll the space in the TV room in the Breezeway.”

Since the a p a r t m e n t

is close to the Breezeway and is expected to attract a large number of students, Daigle also hopes that the Breezeway hours expand.

In addition, the apartment’s open kitchen is likely to be an attraction for students who enjoy baking and cooking.

“It is also the fi rst kitchen with a stove top on campus available to students,” Daigle said.

There was talk about bring-ing down the wall of the apart-ment but, according to Daigle, that will not happen.

“We decided to keep the walls because of structural reasons, and also we think stu-dents can paint on the wall,” Daigle said. “Our hope is to have KaGe open from noon to midnight, seven days a week.”

Guffi n apartment transformed into hangout spot

We will have Wii, Xbox 360, air hockey, foos-ball, a fl at screen TV and discounted movie tickets available to the students in KaGe.

Paul Daigle

BRYON CALAWA

BCALAWA@EASTERN.EDU

While addressing an audi-ence of about 300 in McInnis auditorium, legendary Phila-delphia radio broadcaster Irv Homer suddenly collapsed.On June 24, Homer was

scheduled to introduce author G. Edward Griffi n for a pro-gram by The Big Talker 1210 AM when he suffered a mas-sive heart attack.Standing at the podium,

Homer appeared to be in good health. With the loud and strong voice of a radio person-

ality, he easily commanded the attention of the crowd. After open-

ing with a joke, he be-gan to re-count his ser-vice in the Air Force during

World War II. As he described an air show

that he did at the end of the war, his breathing became la-bored. One of The Big Talker’s staff members brought Homer water, arriving just in time to catch him as he collapsed.Over the gasps and the

shrieks of the audience, the staff member demanded that someone call 911. Someone else cried out, “Is there a doc-tor in the house?” A woman responded by im-

mediately running to the stage and checking for a pulse. After discovering that Homer did not have a pulse, she began performing CPR and request-ing that someone get a defi -brillator. The radio station’s staff frantically searched Mc-Innis for the device, but was unable to fi nd one.After about a minute and a

half of CPR, campus security arrived at the scene and escort-ed one of the staff members to the security offi ce where the defi brillator was held. Another minute passed be-

fore the staff member returned in full sprint to the stage.

Continued on page 2

Irv Homer

Claiborne talks health care on CNN

STEPHANIE WEAVER

SWEAVER@EASTERN.EDU

The ongoing debate about health care reform made head-lines once again on Aug. 17 when President Barack Obama announced he was considering dropping his “public option” insurance plan for a compro-mising nonprofi t health coop-erative proposal.The government-run public

option has been a heated topic between conservatives and lib-erals over the past months. In CNN’s coverage of the

decision, the news channel explored what a co-op model could mean for health care. Shane Claiborne, an Eastern

grad and Christian activist, was featured on the program, sharing from his personal experience with Ohio-based Christian Healthcare Minis-tries.While his portion of the cov-

erage only spanned a few minutes, Claiborne spoke on both the convenience of shar-ing bills with a large group of trusted peers and the assur-ance of seeing exactly how his money is being used.

Irv Homer dies on

McInnis stage

It’s that time againFirst-years make the transition

Dave Christenson/ The WaltonianFirst-year Robbie Vacik hugs his dad after moving in on Aug. 22.

Transformers 2smashes the

box offi cePage 4

Walt gives advice for fi rst-years

Page 6

Fall sports teams prepare for new season

Page 8

Continued on page 4

Check out the new Orientation Issue insert in the middle of the newspaper, designed for incoming students, for the

top places to visit, a look at last year’s biggest headlines and some wise words from a recent graduate.

Friday, May 19:39 p.m. GymFour non-students were found in gym and left on request.

Tuesday, May 511:15 a.m. Eagle RoadTwo students involved in autoaccident. Reported to Radnor Police Department

Thursday, May 712:26 p.m. SparrowkStudents reported Sony PS3 and six other games taken from room.

Wednesday, June 24 6:45 p.m. McInnisGuest speaker Irv Homersuffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead on arrival at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Friday, July 315:45 p.m. HainerA Conferences assistant damaged light pole while driving golf cart.

Wednesday, August 57:00 p.m. Gallup$140 was taken from a student’s room.

from the desk of Jim Magee, Director of Security

NewsPage 2 August 26, 2009

New RDs for Gallup and EagleElizabeth Hager Travis Yoder

Eastern in the City closedREBECCA COPPOLA

RCOPPOLA@EASTERN.EDU

“After three years of serving students and shaping leaders who will surely change com-munities and lives, the East-ern in the City one-year un-dergraduate program will be closing,” according to the let-ter that was distributed to the administration, faculty and staff of Eastern in February.

EIC was a program under the umbrella of the School for So-cial Change located in center-city Philadelphia. The School for Social Change also encom-p a s s e d s u c h p r o -grams as Commu-nity Ed-ucation, M a s t e r of Arts in Urban S t u d -ies, and Cross Boundaries. All of those programs are being main-tained in some capacity except EIC. The aforementioned pro-grams will be moved to their new location at the Falls Cen-ter on Henry Avenue, which is also the site of Eastern’s new Charter Academy.

Former Director of East-ern in the City Amy Pérez ex-pressed disappointment about the closing of EIC, but also rec-ognized the reality of the situ-ation. “One major reason (for the closing) was the internal duplication of EU programs in Philadelphia,” Pérez said. Other programs in the area like the Esperanza College and People for People Institute “at-tracted many of the same pop-ulation.” This diminished the enrollment at EIC, which, on average, serviced 55 students a semester throughout its three years of operation.

On the other hand, Jerome Scott a former EIC student, said of the program, “EIC was

a very benefi cial experience for the two years that I attended, however, I always had a feel-ing that it was somehow be-ing mismanaged behind the scenes.” He attributes the clo-sure of the program to poor communication between EIC and Eastern’s main campus.

According to Pérez, when administrators fi rst re-envi-sioned the future of EIC, they did not plan for closure. The fi rst draft of plans included “some changes,” but the deci-sion to close was reached in January by Pérez, EIC’s dean Vivian Nix-Early and other

administra-tion.

Through-out its three-year run, some-where be-tween 20 and 25 fac-ulty were i n v o l v e d with East-

ern in the City. “The programs at the School for Social Change shared full-time faculty, so that part of their load was teaching a course or two with EIC,” Pérez said.

The change is unlikely to af-fect the faculty in any great capacity, but those who were planning to attend EIC will have to make other arrange-ments.

The requirements for ad-mission into the EIC program were a bit more extensive than those of traditional under-graduate admission. “Admis-sion was based on a review of high school transcripts, letters of recommendation, two writ-ten essays, and a personal in-terview,” Pérez said. Students who enrolled did so under the precepts of EIC’s mission statement, part of which said, “To equip aspiring agents of social change by providing them with a rigorous, afford-able faith-integrated educa-tion.”

Security Report

REBEKAH MILLER

RMILLER@EASTERN.EDU

Elizabeth Hager is very op-timistic about her job as the new resident director of Gal-lup Hall. “I have a great RA staff — the best staff and the best-looking staff,” Hager said. “They made it easy on me as a newcomer.”

Hager has lots of experience working with people, which will come in handy for her new position. She has previously wored as a social worker for three years and as a university chaplain. She has also earned a master’s in counseling.

Hager loves traveling and has been to Japan, Korea, Thailand and much of Europe. On week-ends, she can be found out on the water. “I’m in crew so I row

on the weekends,” Hager said. Hager is glad to have the op-

portunity to work with resident students and student develop-ment. “I am looking forward to building stronger relationships with the RAs and understand-ing more about the community at Eastern,” she said.

REBEKAH MILLER

RMILLER@EASTERN.EDU

As students settle into their housing assignments for the year, returning students will notice a new face in the hous-ing offi ce. Travis Yoder has joined the Eastern commu-nity as the new coordinator of housing and the resident director of Eagle Hall.

Yoder, who is originally from Warsaw, Ind., found out about Eastern because the wife of one of his college friends went here.

Yoder’s fi rst impression was that Eastern had a very unique atmosphere. “(I liked) Eastern’s approach to Christianity in the context of the culture we live in,” Yoder said.

Yoder has a lot of experi-ence that has prepared him for the job. While attending Taylor University in Indiana, Yoder was a resident assis-tant for three years and then went on to get a master’s in higher education with a fo-cus on student development. He was also an assistant RD at Taylor University for three years.

Yoder has been very busy preparing for students to re-turn for the year. “It is a lot to be a fi rst time RD and the fi rst time in the housing of-

fi ce,” Yoder said. “It is quite a challenge.”

When Yoder is not busy working, he can be found en-joying baseball or a good cup of coffee.

Yoder, who played base-ball in high school, likes all forms of baseball whether he is watching it on TV or seeing a live game.

His time spent as a coffee shop manager did not damp-er his love for a good cup of joe. “A few settings are en-hanced by having coffee in hand,” he said.

Yoder is excited about the opportunity to work at East-ern and loves spending time with students. “What a privi-lege it is to work with 18 to 20-year-olds when they are fi nding themselves,” Yoder said.

One major reason (for the closing) was the internal duplication of EU programs in Philadelphia

Amy PérezFormer Director of Eastern in the City

Rebekah Miller/ The Waltonian

RD Elizabeth Hager

It took the paramedics an-other fi ve minutes to arrive. Homer had yet to be revived by the staff, even with the help of the defi brillator.

Entering from the back of the stage, the paramedics quickly took control of the sit-uation. They placed Homer on a gurney and wheeled him out of the auditorium, doing CPR along the way.

Homer was taken to Bryn

Mawr Hospital. Although the paramedics

were able to revive him briefl y, Homer was later pronounced dead at the age of 85.

[Editor’s note: Bryon Cal-awa works with the Instruc-tional Technology Support Center and was in the audi-torium when Homer passed away this summer. This is his fi rst-person account.]

Continued from page 1

Famous talk show host dies on stage

Mike Wenger/The Waltonian

RD Travis Yoder

Editor-in-ChiefStephanie Weaver

Managing EditorKatie Doud

News EditorChoni Selden

A&E EditorChelsea Post

Features EditorRebekah Miller

Opinions EditorRebecca Coppola

Sports EditorTony Morisset

Photography EditorDave Christenson

Copy EditorLaura Dungey

Web/Graphic Design Editor

Bryon CalawaAdvertising Manager

Stephanie WeaverPhotographer

Mike WengerComic Artist

Evan Hewitt

Contacting the Waltonian

AdviserSheila Sandapen

Phone610-341-1710

E-mailwtonline@eastern.edu

AddressThe WaltonianEastern University1300 Eagle RoadSt. Davids, PA 19087

Fax610-225-5255

Web sitewww.waltonian.com

The Waltonian is a student-led organization and does not necessarily represent the views of Eastern University. Likewise, the opinions expressed on the opinions page are not representa-tive of the entire staff, but of the individual writer.

First copy is free, addi-tional copies are $.75

Features Page 3August 26, 2009

How do faculty spend their summers?

KATIE DOUD

KDOUD@EASTERN.EDU

Dr. Stephen Gatlin, profes-sor of history, spent one week of the summer vacationing on the coast of Delaware and the remaining months in a state of deep concentration, tuning out any distractions from the hefty texts in front of him. German nature philosophy and the Beatles kept him occupied, reading 5 lengthy books on the subjects in preparation for this semester’s classes. “What I’ve been doing during the summer is more diffi cult than what I do during the year!” Gatlin said. These two courses fall under the category of “unusual and sometimes arcane courses” that he enjoys teaching even if it means sacrifi cing his sum-mer hiatus.

Gatlin is grateful that the university “allows me to teach to my strengths and my in-terests and my passions.” He said there has never been a course at Eastern in nature philosophy.

“I’ve always been vaguely fascinated by it,” he said of the subject that he describes as “romantic” and “irrational.” Gatlin admits that nature phi-losophy is “the most diffi cult subject I have ever encoun-tered.”

In order to properly teach the students, he said, “I had to get down into the trenches and understand it.”

Schelling, the German phi-losopher mainly responsible for this area of philosophy,

“often wrote incoherently and inconsistently,” Gatlin said. His philosophies have become recognized in the category of “loser” history of science be-cause it did not lead to mod-ern science. Gatlin, however, fi nds this fascinating: “I fi nd loser history of science as in-teresting as winner history of science.”

While philosophy of nature draws a more limited student interest, the Beatles class will be fi lled to capacity.

“I think they were very bright guys, especially at their age,” Gatlin said of the four band members.

“They changed our society in some new ways,” he said. “Whether for better or worse, it is hard to say.”

None of the Beatles attended university and none of them could read a note of music, Gatlin said, yet “They were witty, witty in terms of smart and savvy.”

The Beatles class will fo-cus mainly on John Lennon, whose extensive biography Gatlin read this summer. While he continues to appre-ciate Lennon’s talent, Gatlin said, “The more I read of this biography, the less I sympa-thize with John Lennon.”

“They were everything as a unit,” he said of the Beatles. “The sum was far greater than the parts.”

Describing the preparation it takes to teach such a class, he said, “The amount of literature on the Beatles is now rivaling that of Shakespeare.”

Gatlin prepares for his unusual classes

Sperry returns to SerbiaTeam builds connections and café

KATIE DOUD

KDOUD@EASTERN.EDU

After enduring frigid condi-tions during the demolition of the original building on the site, communications profes-sor Talli Sperry and her hus-band Rob were welcomed into Café Etc. by the individuals who collaborated with them on the project. “It was crazy to have a cup of coffee on a hot summer day,” she said, re-membering the brutal temper-atures they endure d in Janu-ary. For two weeks in July, Talli and Rob Sperry returned to Belgrade, Serbia to see the outcome of a lengthy project intended to provide jobs and other opportunities to locals.

The intention of creating a cafe was to “provide jobs for local people and an opportu-nity to build relationships,” Sperry said. The business also offers English classes and busi-ness workshops to members of the community. In 2005, the Sperry’s met an American couple who live in Serbia, and they worked together periodi-cally over the years before col-laborating on the café project. A Serbian couple and a Roma-nian woman also joined the team.

Talli, with a background in advertising, helped with the

café’s marketing strategy. Rob, who works in business, assisted with the business plan. They also helped with fundraising leading up to the project.

Developing a name for the café proved to be a challenging task. According to Talli, there are countless bakeries in the area named Bakery.“Things don’t really have catchy names,” she said. They wanted to choose a unique name, but “not so unique that people felt threatened by it.” If the busi-ness drew too much attention to itself, community members could become suspicious be-cause they know that it is co-owned by an American couple and a Serbian couple. The team fi nally settled on a name that translates to Café Etc. and Talli said, “It has really been a hit.”

“We were working with a small budget,” Talli said of the overall project. “We had to get creative.”

“(In July) we were able to see the rest of the café, and it’s up and running,” Talli said. She and her husband offered to help wherever there was a need, but the owners insisted that they just enjoy the café. This allowed the couple to relax with Café Etc. smooth-ies and reconnect with people

they had served in past trips to Serbia.

Dr. Joselli DeansAssociate Director of Dance

Dr. Joselli Deans spent part of her summer work-ing on her Faith in Learn-ing Paper, which is part of the tenure process. Her paper, focused on dance ministry, contains “a theological explanation of ministry with a presen-tational understanding of dance.”

Dr. Mary Stewart Van LeeuwenChair of Psychology Department

“I was in Geneva; it was the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth,” Dr. Van Leeuwen said. She and her friends visited the International Muse-um of the Reformation, enjoying 3-D portray-als of Calvin, before they drove across the border to France.

Dr. R.J. SnellProfessor of Philosophy

Writing was one of Dr. Snell’s main vocations over the summer. He completed numerous academic articles and a chapter for a book.

He also attended a two-week workshop on political philosophy at Princeton University and taught at a camp in Virginia.

For the record

Information compiled by Katie Doud and photos by Dave Christenson.

Dr. Christine Bayles-KortschProfessor of English

“This summer I com-pleted fi nal revisions on my book, Dress Culture in Late Victo-rian Women’s Fiction: Literacy, Textiles, and Activism. It will be coming out with Ash-gate Press this October.”

Sea anny misteaks???

Put that sharp eye to use and join the Waltonian as a copy editor.

Copy editors receive a $250 grant each semes-ter and only need to commit to a few hours of

actual editing every month.

For more information or questions about the posi-tion, please contact Stephanie Weaver at

thewaltonian@gmail.com.

Story Removed By Request

News/Features/ A&EPage 4 August 26, 2009

CHELSEA POST

CPOST@EASTERN.EDU

Opening alongside wizards and Vulcans, Transformers 2

crashed full-speed into theaters – lit-erally.

The fi rst fi ve minutes show D e c e p t i c o n

robots careening through downtown Shanghai and sol-diers and Autobots fi ring weapons of mass destruction at those robots.

The movie shifts to focus on the main character, Sam Wit-wicky (LaBeouf), who is about to enter his fi rst year of col-lege.

Witwicky is about to have an abnormal year as the informa-tion stored in the Allspark, the source of power for both Au-tobots and Decepticons, gets lodged in his brain, making him a fl eshy target for Decep-ticons.

Sam, his girlfriend Mikaela Banes (Fox) and roommate Leo Spitz (Rodriguez) run frantically from imminent death, learn about the origins of the Cybertronian races and participate in an all-out battle between the two factions on the Giza pyramids.

I will not beat around the bush: this movie is extremely long and loud with a ridicu-lously complicated plot, con-

trived dialogue and dry, emotionless characters.

Some of the charac-ters could be seen as racial stereotypes, and some audi-ence members may fi nd it hard to keep track of which robots are good and which are bad.

Despite all of these cons, there are some good points to this se-quel. Without giving away too much of the plot, the themes of self-sacrifi ce, loy-alty and friendship are heavily em-phasized, espe-cially between Autobot lead-er Optimus Prime (Cul-len) and Witwicky.

There is also a defi nite line between the Autobots and De-cepticons and what they are willing to do for their cause – once you fi gure out which is which, of course.

When all is said and done,

Transformers 2 turns out to be a decent follow-up to its 2007 predecessor: just with more oomph, bang and boom. If you like that kind of movie, then I highly suggest it. Other-wise, don’t bother: you’ll just leave with a headache.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the FallenDirector: Michael BayRelease date: June 24Running time: 150 minutesRating: PG-13Box offi ce sales: $397,470,858 totalMain cast members: Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes, Ramon Rodriguez as Leo Spitz and Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime

Transformers 2: Mechanical Mayhem?

Sequel blasts into theaters as the #1 summer movie

Photo Cutline Contest

Dave Christenson/The Waltonian

Why DoesEastern Rock?Eastern Rock?Tell/Show us in video!

Win: $1,000$1,000$750$750

$500$500

for First Place

for Second Place

for Third Place

Submission are due to the communications

offi ce by11/1/200911/1/2009

For submission informaion, visithttp://eastern.edu/centers/http://eastern.edu/centers/

communications/Video_Contest.htmlcommunications/Video_Contest.html

MOVIE

REVIEW

and dry,aracters. charac-seen as

ypes,udi-ers ard

of areare bad.

of thesere some this se-

givingh of the es of loy-hip p

m-

Bumblebee Image provided by Paramount Pictures

Take a nice long look - then tell us what you think is going on in this photo.

Send your cutline for “Constructo Man” to thewaltonian@gmail.com by Sept. 7. The edito-rial staff will carefully deliberate over every entry and chose the best one. All entries must

include your name and year. The winner will be published in our Sept. 16 issue, appear online and receive a $10 gift card to either Starbucks, Wawa or Blockbuster.

If you have a crazy photo, send it to us for future contests.

So, tell us, what exactly IS happening here?

Health care co-ops (continued from page 1)

“One of the things they were looking for was not just ideolo-gies and people that got good talking points but folks that are doing something that have something to show for what they believe,” Claiborne said of the CNN interview.

Claiborne, who is well known for beginning the Simple Way, a community home, in Phila-delphia, tapped into the CHM resources when he was jumped in the city a few years ago.

Even though he entered the emergency room technically uninsured, Claiborne, with the help of CHM, was able to negotiate his $11,000 bill to $6,000. CHM then wrote a check to cover the expenses.

“Because CHM has been at it awhile, they have a pretty good feel of what you should actual-ly be paying, what the real cost would be, not the jacked-up costs of when you get a bill,” Claiborne said.

He advised students to begin looking into the various co-op groups out there, even some Mennonite collectives.

To many college students, health care is an intimidating topic that is often acknowl-edged but not fully under-stood. The reality of the re-form’s impact on their lives rarely factors in until after they graduate.

However, without a public option, those same students will fi nd themselves without any coverage when they leave school, unless they continue to mooch from parents.

While Claiborne believes co-ops like CHM, which spends 90 percent of its money on actual medical needs, help the situation, he said they are not

enough to fi x the real problem.“The solution to the broken

system is going to be a lot of different things that need to be done,” Claiborne said. “What we can all agree on though is that something has to be done and it’s going to take all of us working together to make that happen.

“I would hope too that we can agree that a quality health care should not be a privilege that you have to afford but that it is a right for everyone.”

Claiborne said co-ops are especially appealing to Chris-tians, based on the early church’s example of taking on one another’s burdens.

“Even for those who would rather not see the government as the solution, creating things like this are a really great op-tion and they don’t just tear down, they build up,” Clai-borne said.

“Yeah, the system’s broken and maybe we can’t wait on politicians in DC to solve this. Hopefully they will do better, but meanwhile we’re going to go ahead and enact what we know the Church should be doing.”

In the end, Claiborne said it is important to look past ide-ologies and recognize the real human emergency.

“As debates continue to hap-pen, folks are suffering really deeply from the current sys-tem,” he said.

“For me the urgency around this conversation has come from knowing real people that are so deeply affected and troubled by it and knowing that Jesus really cares about those folks.”

The Waltonian Presents:

New Kids on the HallIf you could have dinner with any fi gure in history, who would it be and why?

Codie ToddPennsville, N.J.Sparrowk

“Abraham Lincoln – I’d want to ask him if he regrets not having body guards.”

Stephanie GoshertEphrata, Pa. Kea 2nd

“My favorite baseball player, Pat Burrell.”

Nick AntonelliGilbertsville, Pa. Gallup D

“The guy who discov-ered the wheel. I just want to watch him eat.”

Six guys you meet at Eastern RACHEL MALIKOW

GUEST WRITER

Congratulations, you have arrived at Eastern University. You’re fi nished, you’ve gradu-ated, and perhaps in your mind, you have set foot in the Prom-ised Land of dating: the Chris-tian University.

Now, before you romp off to search for milk and honey, please take a moment and listen to an older, more experienced voice. I would like to introduce you to the six guys you’ll meet at Eastern.

Guy #1: The Gaming Hermit

You could sit behind this young man in INST 150, and every class after that, and only learn his name if you happen to pay attention during the roll call. He might as well not even have a name, because he won’t be introducing himself to you or any other female on campus. In-stead, day after day, he will re-tire to his residence hall where he will play any number of video games late into the night with his hall mates. You will recog-nize this young man because he will wear a particularly glossed-over expression, indicative of a long night of gaming. We have come to recognize this condi-tion as VGHO, or Video Game

Hangover. This young man and his compatriots will travel in fl ocks to and from class, the li-brary, and the dining hall, mak-ing it impossible to distinguish one from the other. Eventually you will stop noticing that they attend Eastern, and if you hap-pen to sit next to one of them at graduation, you may see him playing Tetris on his cell phone during the ceremony.

Guy #2: The Lord of the Harem*

He’s good-looking, he’s outgo-ing, he’s charming, he’s sensi-tive, he’s… too good to be true. This guy attracts girls like a bra clearance sale, and that’s the problem. He is constantly travel-ing in a harem of adoring young fans. He may alternate the la-dies in the harem from time to time, choosing new members to follow him around. He’s good-natured, which makes it diffi cult to despise him. He may from time to time choose one girl from his harem and spend extra time with her, but then seeing how this upsets the rest of the posse, he will insist that they are “just friends” and return to re-lating to the girls communally, often choosing a new girl just to show he is serious about being platonic. Does that make you angry? Don’t worry. In the end, this guy graduates with nothing

but a gaggle of faithful pen pals. *Alternate names include: The

Platonic Pimp, Mr. Indecisive

Guy #3: Mr. Girl-friend-From-Home

This will be the most disap-pointing of the models. This guy is almost everything you want: sweet, sensitive, Godly, motivated, friendly, and taken. He has a girlfriend from home, and they’re serious. Now, there are certain degrees of “seri-ous.” If you have fallen into the unfortunate trap of liking Mr. Girlfriend-From-Home, pay at-tention to the following: Are there pictures of him and his girl-from-home in his dorm? Are there notes from her tacked to his bulletin board? Does he appear to take phone calls from her regularly? If any of these markings are present, the rela-tionship is most likely at a high degree of “seriousness.” Take caution and do not have high hopes. If the relationship sur-vives its fi rst year of separation, abandon hope completely: This couple will most likely make it.

To read about Guy #4: Mr. God-card, Guy#5: The Stalker and Guy#6: Mr. Right, visit the Waltonian’s Web site, waltonian.com, for the full article.

2007 graduate offers dating insight to incoming students

People to KnowAndy Horvath,

Director of Service

Learningand Campus

Ministries

Walton 1A

Places to FindRegistrar’s Offi ce

located: second fl oor McInnis, Extension: 1379

Financial Aid Offi ce

located: Mall Cottage Extension: 5842

Health Center

located: Doane A Extension: 5955

Fitness Center

Back of rec gymRegister at Walton 4 to use E-card

for 24-hour access

h ese ts:

Orientation GuideOrientation GuideSpecial Edition

Firs

t-Ye

ar

August 26, 2009

Dr. Joe Modica, Chaplain

Walton 1, beside the prayer

chapel

Daryl Hawkins, Dean of Students

Walton 201

All photos by Dave Christenson

Mike Wenger/ The Waltonian Bryon Calawa/ The Waltonian Dave Christenson/ The Waltonian

Breakfast:M-F 7:30 a.m.- 9:30 a.m.Saturday 8:30 a.m.- 9:30 a.m.

Lunch:M-F 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.Saturday 12 noon- 1:30 p.m.Sunday brunch 12 noon- 2 p.m.

Dinner:M-Th 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.Friday 4:00 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.Sat-Sun 4:30 p.m.- 6:00 p.m.

Page S2 Orien

Breezeway GrillLunch:Monday-Friday 11:00 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.Late night:Sunday 5:00 p.m.- 12 midnightMonday-Saturday 8:00 p.m.- 12 midnight

Dining Commons

If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

• Wawa

• Minella’s Diner

• Great Harvest Bre

• St. Davids train sta

• Lancaster County

Market

• Anthony Wayne m

• Anthropologie

• The Mustard Seed

• Troubadour Music

• Wayne Sporting G

Best OutingsBest OuWithin Walking DistanceWithin Walkin

Beth DahlstromKing of Prussia, Pa.Sparrowk

“Phantom of the Op-era – it is the most well-done adaptation of a musical.”

Julie SalernoBoston, Mass.Gough 3rd

“Remember the Titans”

Craig VaughnChagrin Falls, OhioKea 1st

“Mean Girls – I love that movie. Every time I watch it I get some-thing more funny out of it.”

Movies from the Warner Library: Not only are they free, but they also have new movies like Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and I Am Legend.

Hulu.com: Rather than buying seasons of your favorite shows on DVD, watch all your TV shows online. Typically, you can-cel other plans to watch your favorite TV shows, but if you use sites like Hulu.com and Mtv.com, they enable you to watch programs anytime you want.

Redbox: One of the cheapest ways to watch movies is through Redbox DVD vending machines. It only costs $1 a day. Fortunately there are several Redbox locations near Eastern. Stores like Acme, Genuardi’s, Wal-Mart and Supervalu all have a Redbox in them. Redbox also has a wide range of genres.

On-campus activities: To save some cash, make use of the free or cheap en-tertainment available on campus. A great example of this is sports games that hap-pen on campus. They are entertaining and the fact that they are free makes them even better.

Borrow movies: Instead of buying new DVDs, check to see if your friends own the DVDs you want. This way you are not only saving your money, but you are also making use of the money your friend spent on the DVD.

Cheap Entertainment

The Gryphon CaféWriter’s Block Concert Sat. Aug. 298 p.m.-10 p.m.

Capri Water IceThe kid’s size is like a regular at Rita’s and you can pick two fl avors.

Mike Wenger/ The Waltonian Dave Christenson/ The Waltonian Dave Christenson/ The Waltonian

Page S3ntation

Eagle’s NestMonday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m.Friday 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.Closed Saturday and Sunday

Jammin’ JavaMonday- Thursday 8:00 a.m.- 11:00 p.m.Friday 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.Saturday ClosedSunday 8:00 p.m.- 12 midnight

Library

Monday- Thursday 8:00 a.m.- 11:00 p.m.Friday 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.Saturday 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.Sunday 2:00 p.m.- 11:00 p.m.

ad

ation

Farmers

movie theater

d

c Shop

Goods

Best OutingsutingsWithin Walking Distanceng Distance

Dylan PomykaczCape May County, N.J.Guffi n 1st

“To be able to control time so I could fast for-ward, stop it or go back and change stuff.”

Allie MickelMt. Laurel, N.J.Doane

“Read minds – so I know what people re-ally think.”

Mike FrayNazareth, Pa. Sparrowk

“Super strength be-cause when I was younger people would call me ‘The Twig.’”

If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?

Textbooks can be a costly college requirement, but if

you shop wisely you can save big and have more money for the rest of the semester.

Buy used. The college bookstore usually offers a limited number of used textbooks, but even more used books can be found online. Web sites such as Half.com and Amazon.com have huge selections of used textbooks. Be sure to shop around to fi nd the best prices because even the prices of new textbooks may vary. Do not forget to take into account shipping costs when ordering online.

Shop locally. After you choose your classes for a new semester, ask around to see if anyone you know is currently taking any of the classes you signed up for. They may be willing to sell their books to you at the end of the semester for a price much cheaper than the bookstore.

Share. If you are taking a class with a friend, fi nd out if he would be willing to share textbooks with you. This cuts the costs in half and can be a huge money saver. Just be sure to work out a schedule for studying beforehand.

Downsize. If textbooks for a class are sold in a bundle, fi nd out if you really need everything in the bundle before purchasing it. You may not need every-thing and you will save money by buying only what is necessary for class. If you do buy a bundle of textbooks, do not open them until you are sure that you need them - bundles often cannot be returned after they are opened.

Sell back. The bookstore always buys back text-books at the end of the semester, but they only buy them back if they will be required for a class in the upcoming semester. However, used textbooks can always be resold online. Take good care of your textbooks because the better condition they are in, the more money they will sell for.

The textbook dilemma

Gumdrops and SprinklesA new shop with walls of candy and a top-pings bar to accompany the ice cream

Johnnie’s Dog HouseFourteen different kinds of hot dogs and $1 dogs on First Friday.

All photos by Dave Christenson

Mike Wenger/ The Waltonian Mike Wenger/ The WaltonianDave Christenson/ The Waltonian

Page S4 August 26, 2009Orientation

The results are inStudents elect next

executive board

What will happen to the Guffi n apartment?

Eastern boosts

recruitment efforts at

Creation Festival

Core classes altered

More students may be permitted to live off

campus next fall

Nursing and engineering majors coming soon

MAC Freedom Champions Guest speakers Cornel West Donald Miller Shane Claiborne Tony Campolo

After the fi ercest campaigning for student offi ce in Eastern’s recent history, the Student Government Association announced the results of the executive board election on April 24. Junior Maggie Stewart was elected as president, Sophomore Nate Riedy as vice

president, Sophomore Ian Hoffman as treasurer, and Sophomore Beth Sherron as secretary.

Eastern’s campus was trans-formed for Dia del Este, a party that spanned more than 24 hours and included games, mov-

ies, karaoke and prizes.

The apartment in Guffi n Hall, located beside the Breezeway kitchen, will offi cially not be used as residential space next year, according to Director of Housing Leah Mulhearn.The area will be transformed into what is being called a “student space,” however

no defi nite plans have been made.

A nursing department has been in place at Eastern since 1980, but this is the fi rst time a BSN degree has been offered to traditional undergraduates. The university also expects to offer an engineering program through a partnership with Villanova University next fall.

Weekend party fi nds success as biggest campus

event ever

Jumbotron ads featuring popular Eastern alumni such as Shane Claiborne will be played in between festival events.

The new core requirement categories or “outcomes” are that students become bib-lically literate, formed in Christian thought, literate in Western tradition, skilled in the written word, fi t for life, globally literate, aesthetically literate, knowledge-able about the natural sciences, knowledgeable about the social sciences and knowledgeable in doing justice.

The number of students living off campus is made up largely of seniors who came to Eastern before the mandatory campus residency policy was implemented. With that class graduating and a new class entering next fall, it is questionable whether the university will be able to house all under-

graduates.

Volleyball (10-0)

Women’s Soccer (10-0)

Field Hockey

(9-1)

Bryon Calawa/ The Waltonian

Robert Hornak/ The Waltonian

Jacob “Eli” Wilson demonstrates fi re-breathing.

Bryon Calawa/ The Waltonian

Senior Ashley Hackman scores the game-winning goal.

LastYear’s Headlines

Dia del Este

Arts & Entertainment Page 5August 26, 2009

Eastern on the Fringe:Students perform original play, Missed Connections

REBEKAH MILLER

RMILLER@EASTERN.EDU

Three Eastern students and several alumni will take part in the Philadelphia Fringe Fes-tival this year. Seniors John Shultz, Alex Younger and Kay-lee Goodwin have roles in the play, Missed Connections: A Craigslist Fantasia that will be performed as part of the festival.

The play is directed by East-ern alumna Elizabeth Carlson, and written by alumni Ben Hennesy, Tara Quinn, Alex Harne, Shannon Flannery and J. Mark Tebbin.

“It started when the writers got together with Liz (Carlson) and decided to construct a play around Craigslist,” Shultz said.

They found the most inter-esting Craigslist posts and built a play around them that explores identity. Playing Tay-lor, the main character, Shultz is one of only two performers to hold a single role through-out the play.

“Everyone else is quadruple or triple cast,” Younger said.

“Taylor at the beginning of the play has a very strong sense of self,” Shultz said. Throughout the play he goes on a journey, has interesting

experiences, meets lots of peo-ple and loses that sense of self. It shows that “our minds can let us be anything we want to be,” Shultz said.

“Taylor is dragged through vignettes – short plays,” Younger said. He encounters different people from Craig-slist.

“Mostly in the personal sec-tion because that is the most interesting part,” Younger said.

“(Taylor) encounters the frustrations, passions and emotions of Craigslist charac-ters,” Shultz said.

“One of my roles – which is my favorite – is named Sui-cide,” Younger said. In one scene, he is writing a suicide note, but it is very melodra-matic and not serious, he said. “Another person I play is a collector who likes to collect weird things.”

“In the end it’s still a comedy, and it’s still fun,” Shultz said.

The group had their fi rst script reading at the end of July and now rehearse a cou-ple of days a week.

“It is going to be fun to be in front of a Philadelphia au-dience,” Shultz said. “It will be my fi rst time. We have all worked together before, and it is a great group of people.”

“I’m excited to see what the critics have to say,” Younger said. “I’m also excited for the whole product and to see how it works.”

SAB and Fine Arts have high goals for the year

Students always want to know what they can do on campus, and the Student Activities Board and Fine Arts departments have been hard at work coming up with some fun activities:

SABThe buzz word for SAB

this year is Friday.“Almost everything we

have planned this year is on a Friday,” Coordinator of Student Activities Paul Daigle said. “Now students will always know when stu-dent activities events are being held.”

Every weekend is sched-uled with activities rang-ing from coffee houses to dances. One new feature is Weekly October Pictures at which a different movie will be shown every Friday night. Some events will spe-cifi cally occur on Saturdays, so be on the lookout for those.

The most important event this semester will be the re-turn of Dia del Este. It will now be on Sept. 18 to cor-respond with the opening of the KaGe (see article on page 1).

“We hope that with Dia del Este earlier in the year, it will get students more en-gaged and kick off the year with more energy,” Daigle said.

Music departmentLittle has changed for the

folks in Workman Hall. Their big event is still the Winter Music Festival, oc-curring this year on Nov. 20-22.

The new thing that the music department wants to happen is the construction of a new concert hall. And with the music major being one of the top four majors of the incoming class, it is no surprise that it needs this larger building.

“There really is adminis-trative support” for the con-cert hall, music department chairperson Dr. Ron Mat-thews said.

In the meantime, the mu-sic department hopes to go more digital with the help of John Greenland, Director of the Electronic Music Studio. Together with EUMedia, they plan to put excerpts of performances online.

“I believe that it will stimulate participation and creativity in multimedia performance and compo-sition by both faculty and students, while affording a common virtual stage for both,” Greenland said in an e-mail.

Theatre departmentWith a line-up including

Waiting for Godot on Sept. 16-20 and My Soldiers on Nov. 11-15, the theatre is aiming to deliver some truly mind-blowing perfor-mances.

One of the biggest chang-es is the Opera Workshop that the department will hold in the spring. Asso-ciate Director of Theatre Teresa Moyer will be run-ning the workshop for stu-dents who either take the THR230A class, perform in the Actor’s Lab or have spe-cial permission.

“Voice majors and other singers need to be trained in acting and truthful the-atrical performing,” Moyer said in an e-mail. She also hopes to have her students work together on a bi-year-ly musical.

There will be no spring musical this year because the Opera Workshop will take all of Moyer’s time. But one thing remains the same in the theatre department: its goal.

“(Our goal is) to elevate the arts,” said Mark Duska, Technical Director for Fine and Performing Arts and Production Manager for Theatre.

Director of Theatre Mark Hallen agreed with Duska, adding that re-integrating alumni with current stu-dents is another integral part of their goal.

“If that’s what growing is, that’s what we want to do,” he said.

Aug. 28: Variety show at Main Gym, 7 p.m.

Sept. 4: Welcome Back Dance at Rec Gym, 9 p.m.

Sept. 11: Arnold’s Fun Center, $14

Sept. 16-20: Waiting for Go-dot in McInnis Auditorium, 8 p.m. or 3 p.m.

Aug. 29: Danyew concert in McInnis Auditorium, 8 p.m.

Sept. 4: First Friday in Wayne (Visit fi rstfridaymainline.com for a full schedule)

Sept. 15-20: Chicago at Acad-emy of Music

Sept. 17: Mos Def at Electric Factory

Eastern and BeyondYour guide to entertainment on and off campus

For more events, see waltonian.com

Missed Connections: A Craigslist Fantasia will be performed at the Curio Theatre in west Philadel-phia on Sept. 3-5, 10-12, 17 and 19. Tickets are $15 and can be bought at the door or at pafringe.com.

Robert Hornak/Guest Photographer

During rehersal, Shultz points dramatically off-stage as Goodwin approaches from behind. He plays Taylor, the main character who meets the other characters through the personals section of Craigslist.

Robert Hornak/Guest Photographer

2008 alumnae Natalie Cisternas, senior Brian Farrell and senior Kaylee Goodwin pose around a table during re-hearsal, beckoning senior John Shultz (off-camera) to sit down. The Missed Connections cast has been rehearsing a couple of days every week since July and will perform in September.

Dance department“Our goal this semester

is to continue to build on the success of last year and improve curriculum for the students,” dance depart-ment chairperson Dr. Karen Clemente said.

Last April, the dance de-partment was in fi ne form at Spirit Dancing, its fi nal show of the year. The pieces varied in theme and diffi -culty, but the one that shone most was “In the Making,” choreographed by Dr. Jo-selli Deans.

“In the Making” was a unique piece that showed the process of dance, with dancers moving from warm-up to performance.

What made this dance special was the cooperation of music department pro-fessor David Bryant who wrote music specifi cally for the dance. A recording of the music was played during the performance of “In the Making” last April.

This year at the Fine Arts Festival on Oct. 9, “In the Making” will be performed again, this time with live musicians playing Bryant’s composition. The dancers will also receive acting les-sons from one of the theater department’s alumni, mak-ing the piece a collaborative effort.

There will also be a dance concert on Dec. 4-6.

Information complied by Chelsea Post (cpost@eastern.edu)Sept. 18: Dia del Este (Visit diadeleste.com for more info)

Dear First-years,

I know that coming to a new place for the fi rst time is a scary thing. You’re in col-lege with hundreds of people you’ve never met before, and you’re just praying that no one will notice when you walk into a glass wall think-ing it’s the door. In honor of this occasion, I thought I’d take the opportunity to impart a bit of wisdom to you all. Just a few things I

thought you should know as you embark on what everyone will tell you is the best time of your life. Throughout your college experience, these will be the essential things to know:• Be nice to your

roommate(s). Or at least civil. You have to live with them, and they know where you sleep.

• Wear your shower shoes or you will get MRSA.

• As long as we’re talking showers, guys, spray-ing yourselves head to toe with AXE is not the same as showering. Take a shower!

• Girls, don’t hide boys in your room. If you get caught, you will get fi ned.

• Guys, defi nitely hide girls in your room. Even if you get fi ned, it’ll be worth it. They smell nice.

• Guys, girls play games. Get used to it. They don’t know any better.

• Girls, try not to play games. According to someone who knows, boys can only think with one part of their brain at a time.

• Everyone, your advisor is there to advise you, not to hold your hand. If you want to meet with him, you have to make it happen.

• Go to class. You’re pay-ing for it.

• Dress weather appro-priately. When it rains,

it pours. • If you live less than an

hour away, don’t do your laundry here. Save your money. Besides, Mom wants to do it.

• Take out your trash. Es-pecially if you have fruit in it. You will get fruit fl ies. • Girls, if a guy

says, “I’m busy right now,” what he really means is, “I don’t want to talk to you.”

• Guys, if you ask a girl what’s wrong and she says, “Noth-ing,” it’s always something.• If you drink the cappuccino

from the dining commons, you will

have to go to the bathroom soon after. Prepare yourself.

• Shop around for your textbooks.

• Study abroad. You will never get another chance to travel without having to pay directly out of pocket.

• Finally, girls, if a guy ap-proaches you and says, “God told me you were going to be my wife,” turn and run away. Fast. God will not tell a guy something that big without letting you in on it too.

This has been some friendly advice from someone who knows. Trust me. Take my word for it. You won’t regret it. Have an awesome fi rst year. Talk soon.

-Walt

OpinionsPage 6 August 26, 2009

Allow us to serve youSodexo’s big mistake

Over the last couple of years, the dining experience here at Eastern has evolved quite a bit. In an effort to create a more effective atmosphere, the men and women who decide such things have broken the cardi-nal rule against the mundane: They’ve changed too much, too fast. For those of us who remember the good old days of the trays, the make-your-own-sandwich line and napkins on the table, this newest edition to the dining commons is sure to add insult to injury.

Now, I’m not exactly the poster-girl for change, so I have a hard time looking at certain things with an objec-tive eye. That said, when I fi rst arrived in Eastern’s dining commons this semester I was

miffed to discover that instead of taking my fair share of eggs for breakfast I was going to have to wait. Wait for what? Wait for a Sodexo employee to make me a plate. She gave me half a scoop. When I asked for more? A quarter of a scoop. It took me half a minute to get a decent portion of eggs on my plate.

Frustrated with the new sys-tem, I set in to make my disap-proval known. I griped to any-one who would listen about how the old system was per-fectly fi ne, about how the new system is time ineffective, and about how it will fail miserably when 2,000 students arrive on campus in the next week. All of which is true.

When I spoke to a Sodexo employee he informed me that this new system is doing one thing. It is minimizing the amount of bacterial contami-

nation on the serving spoons. To that, I wish to say this: If germs are such a big concern, will Sodexo soon have its em-ployees serving us our cereal and ice cream too? I certainly hope not.

I’ve also heard it said, by sup-porters of the new system, that it is creating some, if very few, new jobs for students on cam-pus. Since the Federal Work Study program has taken a hit across the nation, this isn’t such a bad thing. But now, consider this: Last year, any-where between three and fi ve students could serve them-selves simultaneously while one employee stood aimlessly behind the counter. This year, our hungry undergraduates will have to wait on an even longer line while two inexperi-enced Sodexo employees dish out food. But hey, if it’s creat-ing new jobs ...

Got questions about life, school or relationships? Remain anonymous and get more advice from Walt. Write to “Ask Walt” at thewalton-ian@gmail.com. “Ask Walt” represents the collective opin-ion of the Waltonian editors.

Ask Walt ...The guy who knows it all

We’re BACK - and we’re onlineSTEPHANIE WEAVER

SWEAVER@EASTERN.EDU

REBECCA COPPOLA

RCOPPOLA@EASTERN.EDU

Want your voice to be heard? Waltonian Submissions Policy:

E-mail letters to the editor and guest opinion pieces to thewaltonian@gmail.com. Submis-sions must be accompanied by a name and contact number to be considered for publication.

The Waltonian reserves the right to edit submissions to meet space requirements, as well as to refuse any submissions at any time. Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less. Guest opinions should be no longer than 500 words.

With a new year ahead of us, the Waltonian staff has spent the past week and a half brainstorming, planning and dreaming of how to make this paper the best resource pos-sible for you, the students.

If you remember - but I doubt you do - we actually won a few awards last year, but missed out on some fi rst-place titles. This time, we’re going all out.

For those of you returning, hopefully you’ve already seen a few new things that we are try-ing out this year.

For you fi rst-years, get ready, the best is yet to come - when we unveil our new and im-proved Web site.

We had a site in the past (waltonian.com), but practi-cally no one knew it existed and it was extremely diffi cult to maneuver through.

This year, everything will change. Well, except the URL - waltonian.com. Not only will the home page look completely different, but there will be nu-merous features and shortcuts so that you will know exactly what is going on.

Unfortunately, our new site may not be completely ready when you read this, but don’t worry, it’ll be here soon. I

promise. When it’s ready, if you don’t

feel like actually picking up the paper from one of our wooden stands, you can access a digital version. The pages even fl ip on the computer screen.

We are also hoping to start some blogs within the next month, along with the option to post your comments about any article or feature in our pa-per.

If you are not really into express-ing yourself online, even though you probably up-date your f a c e b o o k status every hour, there will be other ways to get your opinion out there.

Every issue will have at least one online poll asking for your thoughts on either a story or something occurring on cam-pus.

Since we can only put so much in each physical paper, we often have a slew of great photos from events and games, many of which you have never see - until now. All the photos we have will now be posted on-line and linked to a story.

I think one of the things our

staff is probably the most ex-cited about this year is the ad-dition of a Flip video camera.

We hope to bring you vid-eos from all of the big campus events and games, as well as special interviews, video play-er profi les and, well, other en-tertainment.

Finally, waltonian.com will have an ongoing event calendar, updated instantly

when things change, so you’ll always know what’s happening at Eastern.

Oh, and there may be a few break-ing news sto-ries on there as well, since we are a newspaper.

As the edi-tor this year, my main goal is to serve you guys and bring you the best, biggest and most use-ful news possible. And have a little fun with it as well. (Have you seen our photo cutline contest? Need I say more?)

If you’ve made it this far and have any ideas for stories or online features, Bettie Ann is working on expanding my in-box space, so shoot me an e-mail. If it still bounces, send one to thewaltonian@gmail.com. I will answer.

If you don’t feel like actually picking up the paper from one of our wooden stands, you can access a digi-tal version. The pages even fl ip on the com-puter screen.

CHONI SELDEN

CSELDEN@EASTERN.EDU

One of Eastern’s newest faculty mem-bers, Brittany Stroop, will be the head coach for the softball team starting this fall. Stroop is taking the lead from Col-leen Stuppy, last spring’s interim coach, after the unfortunate death of former head coach Mark Ambler.

Stroop has been playing softball since fourth grade and was the starting var-sity catcher at Pottsgrove High School in Pottstown for four years. She is origi-nally from Pottstown, Pa. and complet-ed her undergraduate studies in biol-ogy and earned a master’s in education from Mount Vernon Nazarene Univer-sity in St. Bonifacius Ohio.

This is Stroop’s second head coach po-sition. Before she came to Eastern, she was the head softball coach at Crown College west of Minneapolis. “I was moving back to my hometown when I heard about the vacancy here,” Stoop said. “It worked out well for me.

“I did not always know that I was go-ing to make a career of coaching,” she said. “It wasn’t until I started coach-ing Angels Softball, a travel team out of Pottstown, during my summers off from college that I began to think that coaching was a real opportunity.”

However, Stroop is also planning to make use of her degrees. “As of now I’m looking to get into teaching at Eastern as an adjunct professor,” she said. “I’m also looking to go back to school in the near future to get another Masters de-gree in Kinesiology so I can become a full-time college professor along with coaching at the college level.”

As a softball player, Stroop said her biggest achievement was making it to the NAIA regional tournament her sophomore year and being named “All-Conference” her senior year.

Stroop has very clear goals for the team for this semester. “I look forward to developing the necessary skills and the spiritual abilities of the team,” she said. She also hopes that she can “make a spot in National Collegiate Athletic Association.”

As the Assistant Sports Information Director in the athletic department, Stroop will be in charge of covering the volleyball, fi eld hockey and women’s tennis teams this fall.

When she is not coaching, Stroop said she likes to “play both slow-pitch and fastpitch softball. ... I also like to read, hang out with my friends and family, and visit my brother in Ohio.”

Dan Mouw/Eastern Athletics

Softball coach Brittany Stroop

Sports Page 7August 26, 2009

STEPHANIE WEAVER

SWEAVER@EASTERN.EDU

When fall athletes returned to cam-pus for preseason 10 days ago, they were given a two-day breather before plunging into multiple-practice days.

In previous years, athletes came on Sunday and began practices early Monday morning for a full week of workouts before classes. This year, teams had to wait until Wednesday before they hit the turf, court or track.

To ensure fairness across the con-ference, the National Collegiate Ath-letic Association regulates how much athletes can practice before their fi rst competition.

According to Eastern’s NCAA com-pliance offi cer and athletic trainer John Post, nothing changed in the rules, the process was merely clari-fi ed.

Each fall sport is allowed to hold 16 “units” before their fi rst day of com-petition on Sept. 1. During the week when classes begin, each day is con-sidered one unit, excluding Sundays. Prior to the fi rst week of class, each day is worth two units, but, Post said, there is no limit to how many hours a team meets during a unit.

Before this summer, each university had to interpret these rules and cal-culate its preseason start date. In Au-gust, the NCAA sent a computerized program to schools that generates the fi rst day of preseason automati-cally based on the school’s fi rst day of classes.

The athletics staff only discovered their original start date was wrong about two weeks before the athletes

arrived. Post said trying to change the move-in date “would have been a nightmare.”

Instead, coaches were given Mon-day as a free day, encouraged to par-ticipate in service projects, and Tues-day was used to complete required NCAA compliance meetings.

“We had to do what we had to do,” Post said. “Had we gotten that formu-la late June, even July, we could have made the arrangements.”

Post said a motion to create a stan-dard start date has been discussed, which would give coaches and teams ample time to prepare.

With their “free” Monday, fi eld hockey and men’s and women’s soc-cer completed various service proj-ects, on and off campus.

Field hockey traveled to Coatesville to organize a warehouse full of donat-ed medical supplies and other items.

Men’s soccer served at a local do-mestic violence shelter for women, cleaning out the basement and at-tending to repairs around the home.

Women’s soccer coach Dan Mouw kept his team on campus to help plant operations by weeding fl ower beds.

“We wanted to do a service project this season, but it wasn’t intended to be the fi rst day,” Mouw said. “It was actually a great opportunity to work with each other.”

Even with some four-session days, Mouw said he did not cram more practices into the shortened week.

“There’s only so much you do in a day,” Mouw said. Asking the girls to do much more is just “begging for in-juries.”

Stroop signs as softball coach Preseason on hold for two days

Coach: Camrin Azzarano (6th sea-son)

Last Year’s Record: 15-7 (7-1) MAC Champions

Key Wins: Kings College, Wilkes University and Skidmore.

Must-see Games: Montclair State University, Messiah College, Wilkes University, Rowan University and William Paterson.

Key Returnees: Senior defend-er Leslie Messick, senior midfi elder Lindsay Moyer, junior Goalie Laura Ressler, junior midfi elder Hope Don-nelly and sophomore forward Yvonne Herbster.

Outlook: Azzarano’s troops had a successful season last year, emerg-ing from the MAC with a champion-ship. The Lady Eagles got a taste of the NCAA Division III tournament with a win over Skidmore. They later fell to rival Messiah, which makes the story line for the Sept. 9 matchup this sea-son that much more interesting.

Moyer looks to lead the offense again after fi nding the back of the net 17 times last year. The All-American se-

nior also fi nished with seven assists. Herbster fi nished behind Moyer with 10 goals and seven assists and will be one of the youngest midfi elders in an offense that posted three goals a game last season.

“I am very excited with the new freshmen we brought in,”

Azzarano said. “With the new group, I am looking

forward to improve our teamwork from last season.”

Defensively, the Lady Eagles posted outstanding num-bers last season. Ressler anchors a

defense that allowed just more than a goal per game.

“This season, one of our main goals is to de-

fend strongly in every con-test,” Azzarano said.

Coach: Mark Birtwistle (20th season)

Last Year’s Record: 35-2 (11-0) MAC Champions

Key Wins: Haverford College, Steven’s Tech and Salisbury

Must-see Games: #2 Juniata, #4 UW-Oshkosh, #23 Haverford and #25 Williams

Key Returnees: All-American Sophomores Maria Horning and Courtney Reinhold

Outlook: Birtwistle’s squad fi n-ished with a program best 35 wins last season, but this year team members are still hungry for further advancing in NCAA Div. III tour-nament play. Even though the pro-gram reached the “Sweet 16” for just the fourth time in program history, the young squad will have to beat tough competition this season to get over the hump. Five freshmen and six sophomores are just some of the

players that Birtwistle will have in his lineup. Horning and Re-inhold are only two of the talented Eagles that look to help their team tremendously this season. Horning dished out 10.7 assists per set and Reinhold led the team in kills.“Despite being so young the mood is certainly optimis-tic for a fun and productive season,” Birtwistle said. “The schedule is tough this year, so there will be plenty of opportunitiesto learn from great competition.”

SportsPage 8 August 26, 2009

Coach: Mark Spangler (2nd season)Last Year’s Record: 6-7 (3-4)Key Wins: Alvernia UniversityMust-see Games: Messiah College,

Wilkes University, Kings College, De-Sales University.

Key Returnees: Senior Hannah To-bin, sophomore Bekah Roland and ju-nior Allison Verdic.

Outlook: Spangler had a good sea-son during his fi rst year at the helm of

the women’s tennis team. Having just missed the MAC playoffs, the Lady Ea-gles look to take advantage of their op-portunities early this season.

“It should be a challenging season with so many new players,” Spangler said. “The returning players we do have are key. We do have some holes to fi ll from last season, we just have to play at the same intensity all season long.”

Cross Country

Field Hockey

Volleyball

Women’s Tennis

Fall back into actionThree teams look to defend their MAC Championships

Coach: Dan Mouw (8th season)Last Year’s Record- 17-6-0 (8-0-0)

MAC ChampionsKey Wins: Wheaton (Mass), Row-

an, UW-Stevens Point.Must-see Games: Messiah Col-

lege, Swarthmore College and Cabrini College.

Key Returnees: Senior forward Jill DiRenzo, senior midfi elder Lauren Roe, junior defender Liza O’Keefe and sophomore mid-fi elder Kristine Zeiset.Outlook: The defending MAC Champions have not yet played a game but are feeling the loss of 15 players, 11 of which were seniors. Now the Lady Eagles look to the younger players to step up to help the cham-pions defend their title.

DiRenzo looks to lead the way for the Lady Eagles after record-ing 12 goals last season.

Mouw already knows teams in the MAC will try to take advantage of how much talent the team was lost

last season. Last season, the team scored

four or more goals fi ve times. The defense kept their oppo-

nents at bay, a l loweing only 21 goals all

season with 14 shutouts.“Everyone in the conference

is gunning for us,” Mouw said. “Last time we won a confer-ence title we left the confer-ence and didn’t know how it

felt to defend it.”The Lady Eagles hope to do

more than defend their confer-ence title by going deeper than they did in the NCAA Div. III

Playoffs.“This year we are ranked 13th in the

country,” Mouw said. “It is going to take a while to prove we are the 13th

best team in the country. We look forward to having a great year.”

Women’s Soccer

nsWheaton (Mass), Row-s Point.ames: Messiah Col-

more College ande.nees:

d Jillenior uren

defender Liza phomore mid-Zeiset.

he defending ons have not game but are s of 15 players,re seniors. Now es look to thers to step cham-

heir

ks to r the fter record-ast season.

how much talent the teamlast season.

Last season, the tefour or more goals The defense kept th

neaog

season with 14 shuto“Everyone in the

is gunning for us,” M“Last time we wonence title we left tence and didn’t kn

felt to defend it.”The Lady Eagles h

more than defend thence title by going dthey did in the NCA

Playoffs.“This year we are ranked

country,” Mouw said. “It take a while to prove we a

best team in the countrforward to having a grea

Coach: Mark Wagner (10th season)Last Year’s Record: 11-7-2 (4-3-1-)Key Wins: Cabrini College, Miseri-

cordia University, Drew University, DeSales University.

Must-see Games: Misericordia University, Manhattanville College, Wilkes University, Deales University, Gettysburg College, Rutgers-Camden and Cabrini College.

Key Returnees: Senior defender Mike Leitzel, senior forward Terry Fry, senior midfi elder Nate Goble, junior midfi elder Phil Mantua, junior mid-fi elder Kyle Hurst and sophomore for-ward Braden Gross.

Outlook: The men’s soccer team looks to rebound from an early MAC playoff exit last season. Fry leads the offensive unit, after fi nishing with 15 goals last season. Hurst and Mantua show great passing on the offensive side, recording four assists apiece last season. With a defense that only al-lowed a little over a goal per game, the Eagles can shut down any offensive unit that may come their way this sea-

son. With that said, the Eagles have to replace a talented goalkeeper who graduated last year, but Wagner notes that his team will have to work collectively to get the job done this season.

“Thestrength of our team is that we are a starless team,” Wagner said. “Our system is based on not run-ning anything through one player. Our success will be deter-mined by our team culture, then our talent.”

Men’s Soccer

rk collectively to e job done eason.egth of team is we are a ss team,” er said. “Our

m is based not run-anything gh one r. Our ss will

deter-d by am e,

”

Coach: Eric Mundy (5th season)Last Year’s Record: Women had

highest fi nish in a conference since Mundy became coach.

Must-see Games: MAC Champion-ships

Key Returnees: Senior Mike Wil-son, sophomore Whitney Kerner, soph-omore Jonathan Hulbert and sopho-more Lauren Bowman

Outlook: Mundy expects to see im-

provement from last season believing he has one of his strongest runners since taking over fi ve years ago. Senior Mike Wilson looks to lead the pack of runners with a strong season.

“I think it is going to be one of our strongest seasons,” Mundy said. “Re-gardless of how fast everyone runs I can tell we are going to have a great time as a team.”

Field Hockey vs. Montclair State 4:30 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs. Penn State Brandywine 4 p.m.

Women’s Soccer @ York 4:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis @ Cedar Crest 3:30 p.m.

Volleyball vs. Susquehanna 7 p.m.

Field Hockey @ Gwynedd-Mercy 4 p.m.

Women’s Tennis @ Rosemont 3:30 p.m.

Men’s Soccer @ F&M TournamentWomen’s Soccer @

Richard Stockton ClassicVolleyball @ Juniata Invitational

Cross Country @ Delaware Valley Invitational 10 a.m.

9/1

9/3

9/4

9/4-5

9/5

Women’s Tennis @ Messiah 3:30 p.m.

Field Hockey @ Messiah 4 p.m.

Women’s Soccer vs. Swarthmore 4 p.m.Women’s Tennis vs. Albright 3:30 p.m.

Volleyball @ Cabrini 7 p.m.

Cross Country @ Lebanon Valley Invitational 10:15 a.m.

Field Hockey vs. Swarthmore 12 p.m.

Men’s Soccer @ Rowan 7 p.m.

Field Hockey @ The College of New Jersey 12 p.m.Women’s Soccer vs.

Cabrini 4 p.m.Women’s Tennis vs.

Lancaster Bible 3 p.m.

9/8

9/9

9/10

9/12

9/15

Upcoming Games (home, away)

Compiled by Tony Morisset (amorrise@eastern.edu)All photos by Dave Christenson

Sophomore Matt Demascola

Sophomore Christin Haas First-year

Karin Wolset

First-yearShannon

McKee