troubadour - Franciscan University of Steubenville

The
TROUBADOUR
VOLUME LXIII — No. 11
The student newspaper serving Franciscan University of Steubenville
Accident causes evacuation
from the fieldhouse
Thursday, December 4, 2008
By ANDREA SCOTT
Staff Writer
Students evacuated the
Finnegan Fieldhouse on Nov.
16 when fire alarms sounded
after a pair of shoes with rubber soles were left on the coals
in the sauna in the men's locker room and started melting.
The students were not totally
surprised, however, when their
weekly afternoon futsol game was
interrupted by the alarms. Several
students had already smelled
smoke and burning rubber in the
hallway during their intramural
game.
Dave Kirk, sophomore
international business major,
was
playing
for
FC
Immaculata when the alarms
went off. He said he had
noticed heavy smoke filling
the hall when he went out to
the drinking fountain for some
water.
Sassafras and FC Immaculata
were tied at about 10 minutes into
the second half when the alarms
went off.
Alicia Santos, senior biology major and co-captain of
Sassafras, said Jefferson
Security was on the scene
within a minute and then local
firefighters came and helped
students get out of the
Fieldhouse.
“I wasn’t scared because we
smelled and saw the smoke before
we heard the fire alarm, so there
was no surprise or cause for fear,”
she said.
Most of the students grabbed
their belongings on their way out,
Santos said, but a few did not
and had to wait for the firefighters to bring them out.
Catherine Heck, assistant
vice president of Student Life,
said that there was no actual
fire, but that there was rubbery,
chemical smell from the melting shoes, which made the fire
alarms sound.
The fire department asked
the university to close the
Fieldhouse for the rest of the
day to air it out and it was
reopened the next day. The cancelled futsol games were rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22.
the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops along the
way. To date, well over
200,000 couples have attended
NFP classes in the U.S. alone,
and thousands of books, tapes,
and newsletters on NFP have
been distributed worldwide. In
2004 the Kippleys established
Natural Family Planning
International to continue their
efforts to educate couples on
the problems of birth control
and the positive benefits of
Natural Family Planning and
breastfeeding.
Graduates will receive their
degrees from Franciscan
University president the Rev.
Terence Henry, T.O.R., with
the Rev. Christian Oravec,
T.O.R., chairman of the Board
of Trustees, and other university representatives presiding at
the ceremony.
Live streaming video of the
day’s events will also be available on the university's webwww.franciscan.edu,
site,
starting at 10 a.m.
All students participating in the
commencement ceremony must
attend rehearsal on Thursday, Dec.
11 at 4:00 p.m. in the fieldhouse.
Graduating students should report
to the fieldhouse for instructions
and formation of the procession.
Pronunciation of names will be
reviewed, and honor cords will
be distributed at the end of
rehearsal. Students finding it
impossible to attend rehearsal
must contact the registrar’s office
by Friday, Dec. 5.
Degree candidates must report
to the fieldhouse in academic garb
by 9:15 a.m., and the procession
forms at 9:50 a.m.
No tickets are required, so
graduating students can invite as
many friends and family members
as they would like. Doors open to
guests at 9:15 a.m.
A graduation reception will be
held immediately following the
commencement ceremony in the
J.C. Williams Center. Graduating
students and their families, the
Board of Trustees, the Board of
Advisors, faculty, staff and honored guests are invited.
First December commencement
Story submitted by
PUBLIC RELATIONS
In response to sustained
growth in student enrollment,
Franciscan University of
Steubenville will host its firstever December commencement ceremony on Sat., Dec.
13, 2008.
Bachelor’s and master’s
degrees will be awarded to the
approximately 180 students who
have qualified for graduation since
May 2008.
The December 2008 graduating class of approximately
105 undergraduate and 70
graduate students will represent 30 states as well as Korea,
Jamaica
and
Canada.
Theology, mental health,
English, business, and biology
are the top five majors of this
graduating class.
Events begin at 10 a.m.
Saturday
with
the
Baccalaureate
Mass
in
Finnegan Fieldhouse. The main
celebrant and homilist will be
the Rev. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.,
who will receive an honorary
doctorate in Christian ethics.
Known to millions of television viewers as the host of
EWTN Live and other programs on the EWTN television
and radio networks, Fr. Pacwa
works arduously to educate
Catholics about their faith and
teach people about the
Scriptures. He is the founder of
Ignatius Productions and has
written books and produced
videos on apologetics, the
sacrament of confession, the
New Age movement, the Holy
Land, Eastern religions and
many other faith topics. He is
often called upon to explain
and defend the Catholic faith
on the national media and
speaks at over 30 Catholic conferences each year. Fluent in 12
languages, including Arabic,
Aramaic, Hebrew, and Koine
Greek, he has led over 50 pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
Immediately
following
Mass, the graduate and undergraduate commencement will
take place in the fieldhouse.
During the ceremony, John and
Sheila Kippley will receive
honorary
doctorates
in
Christian ethics for a lifetime
of work teaching Natural
Family Planning and upholding sexual morality in marriage. John Kippley will deliver the commencement address.
Married 45 years, the
Kippleys began teaching
Natural Family Planning in
1971, devoting much of their
early efforts to countering negative stereotypes associated
with NFP and becoming
among the first lay advocates
of Pope Paul VI’s prophetic
1968 encyclical, Humanae
Vitae.
Since then the Kippleys
have become some of the leading voices of the Natural
Family Planning movement
within the Catholic Church,
receiving the endorsement of
Missionaries to China share joys and difficulties
By MEGAN DIAL
Staff Writer
Imagine
hearing
Handel’s “Messiah” sung in
Chinese and singing praise
and worship with Italian
missionaries who take hand
motions to a whole new
level—shoving each other
while singing about faith
moving mountains.
Then imagine walking
between structures that can
hardly be called shacks, in
a sewage-filled street.
Imagine meeting a bishop
who didn’t know that the
Second Vatican Council
happened because he has
been in hiding for so long.
By ANDREA SCOTT
Staff Writer
Annie Asmussen was surprised
when she walked into her dorm
room in Marian Hall one afternoon to find hundreds of clear
plastic cups covering her entire
floor. Most were filled with water,
but some in the middle were filled
with red food coloring, writing out
the question “Formal?”
Asmussen, a freshman catechetics major, was just one of the
students at Franciscan University
of Steubenville who went and
danced the night away at River
City Ale Works in Wheeling, W.
Va. Nov. 29, at the annual winter
formal sponsored by Excite.
Asmussen’s boyfriend, Andy
Leonard, a sophomore majoring in
international business, decided to
fill her room and ask her to the formal in a memorable way to make
Asmussen’s first college formal an
even sweeter experience.
“I didn’t have a good plan
about asking her, but when I realized that everyone was doing
something really cool to ask their
dates I decided I needed something cooler,” Leonard said. “I
wanted Annie to feel special.”
Asmussen and Leonard went
out to dinner with a group of their
friends before the dance, then
headed to the venue, which is
about 30 minutes from campus.
“Formal was a lot better than I
expected,” Asmussen said. “I
especially liked how it was set up
with the two dance floors and the
food. It all seemed very prepared.”
Asmussen was also impressed
with the way the Franciscan students interacted and moved on the
dance floor.
“I liked how formal was different than high school dances where
everyone just dances with their
date,” Asmussen said. “Here, you
could dance with everyone.”
This year’s winter formal was
held at the same venue as last winter, which caused mixed reactions
from students. Many students
liked how this location had two
dance floors on separate levels, but
many still said they would have
liked to go somewhere fresh.
Maria Villar, a sophomore
majoring in communication arts
and drama, said she enjoyed formal but she wished it had been
held in a new location.
“I was expecting something
different than last year, and it was
just the same,” she said. “It would
have better to change things up a
bit, to have a little variety.”
Villar had fun dancing to the
music, but said she was not particularly impressed with the disc
jockey.
“They could have had better
music,” Villar said. “But of course
Culture
of
Life
week
What FOCA
means for the
future
see Page 5
Experiences
with
Crossroads
see Page 5
Stem cell
research debate
see Page 5
Fr. Dan Pattee
discusses
culture of life
see Page 5
Photo submitted by
S A M A N T H A DE L F I N
You might come close to
imagining what it is like to
go on a mission trip to
China.
See CHINA
Page 5
Students ‘let the good times roll’ at 2008 winter formal
Photo submitted by E L I Z A B E T H B I N E T T E
Chas Marks, Anna Binette, Gloria Dirkes, Mary Stachiw, Sarah Bacza dance at
the winter formal at the River City Ale Works in Wheeling, W.V, on Friday,
November 29.
Inside
The Troubadour
1235 University Blvd.
Franciscan University
Steubenville, OH 43952
740-284-5014
Editorial................Page 2
Opinion.................Page 3
Features................Page 4
News.....................Page 5
Sports....................Page 6
C
Y
DID YOU KNOW...
In Colombia, an individual can be
fined up to $90,000
for gossiping?
“Success is not final,
failure is not fatal:
it is the courage
to continue that counts.”
Winston Churchill
C
B
every single dance is like that.”
There were also several student
complaints when people drinking
at the connecting bar came over
and were dancing in street clothes
in the middle of the university students on the lower level. There
were issues with these people
spilling beer, making inappropriate comments and being rude to
the students trying to enjoy their
formal.
“I liked the place and the different floors, but I didn’t like how
we weren’t the only ones there,”
Leonard said. “I didn’t like how
the public was at our school function and intermingled in it.”
Leonard said he was annoyed
that formal was not a closed event
in a more private venue.
“That’s not the point of a formal dance; the point is for our
school to be more united and to be
in a more intimate setting with our
date and our friends,” Leonard
said. “When people who aren’t
dressed up and in that formal
mood just start dancing like it’s a
club, it kind of ruins the mood.”
Leonard wouldn’t let his complaints ruin his night, however.
“Overall, I had a great time
though,” said Leonard. “I liked
hanging out with friends and people from our school and realizing
you can make a good time wherever you go.”
Y
B
2
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Troubadour
The
Troubadour
Kristi Moore, Editor-in-Chief
Katie Harris, Asst. Editor-in-Chief
Patrick Hidding, General Manager
Courtney Pastor, Photo Editor
Megan Dial, Layout Editor
Melanie Ciarrone, Copy Editor
Laura Kilgus, Layout Editor
Greg Hurst, Sports Editor
Mylauna Swango & Emily Hidding, Advertising Managers
Maria Mitchell, Distribution
Wayne Lewis, Supervisor
The Troubadour does not reflect the views of the university administration, but it does try to conform to Catholic values
and stay within the vision and mission statement of the university.
Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the majority
of the editorial board. Letters will not be published unless their
authorship can be verified by phone. Commentaries, opinion
articles, letters and editorial columns represent the views of
their authors. All submissions are subject to editing for length
and content at the discretion of the Troubadour staff.
The deadline for letters to the editor, opinion articles and
announcements each week is Saturday by 5 p.m. They can be
mailed, e-mailed or hand delivered to The Troubadour office.
Box 1074, 1235 University Blvd.
Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 284-5014
troub@franciscan.edu
Man on the Street
W
hat is your favorite
memory from this
semester?
“ Getting a phone
call from my sister
asking me to be my
niece's godfather.”
Aaron Estrada
Senior
“When I sprained
my knee swing
dancing. I've never
been to the ER
before!”
Madelaine Mentyka
Freshman
EDITORIAL
Troub Mailbox
Response to ‘Midnight Awards’ article
I was very disappointed by
the "Midnight Awards" article
by Greg Hurst that was recently published in the Troubadour.
From criticizing the super-fan
t-shirts to the number of people
going to the games to criticizing the super-fan and even daring
to criticize one of the players on
the team.
Midnight Madness was a
night of fun and school spirit.
Greg Hurst completely failed
to reflect this in his article,
leaving a very negative impression for those who did not
attend. If Greg wants to see
"over 20 people at the seventh
home game," he might want to
consider writing something
more positive and less bashing
of the basketball team.
It was very unprofessional
and downright rude to mention
Mike Feuz by name. If Greg
had the decency to know Mike,
then he would respect him and
not publicly criticize him in the
Troubadour. Mike Feuz's
entrance into the Midnight
Madness was received not only
with screaming fans but also an
echo of "I LOVE YOU MIKE"
from friends scattered throughout
the gym.
The reason for Midnight
child’s dad.)
The Second Joyful Mystery,
the Visitation
And Elizabeth, filled with
the Holy Spirit, cried out with a
loud voice, saying, “Blessed
art thou among women and
blessed is the fruit of thy
womb!” (Lk.1:41-42). (Some
of Mary’s relatives were excited about the wonderful gift that
she carried and offered compassion and practical support.
Others
condemned
her.
However, some of the more
enlightened people in society,
politicians, theologians, scientists, Pulitzer Prize-winning
newspaper columnists and
such, assured Mary that she
might simply be carrying a
Cluster
of
Haphazard,
Random,
Indiscriminately
Sorted Tissues. These sophisticated members of society who
were much more intelligent
than a simple farm girl assured
Mary of her reproductive rights
and that she had a choice. Plus
they informed her that she had
a full nine months to decide if
she wanted to keep the Cluster
of
Haphazard
Random
Indiscriminately Sorted Tissues
- C.H.R.I.S.T. - or have it taken
care of, so there was no hurry.)
The Third Joyful Mystery,
the Birth of Jesus
And she brought forth her
firstborn Son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and
laid Him in a manger. (Lk.2:7).
(Mary agonized over her decision, and for good reason. She
was a frightened unmarried
teen. However, at the last
minute, recalling those progressive voices of society she
to
have
the
decided
C.H.R.I.S.T. disposed of. But
the C.H.R.I.S.T. was resilient,
and survived the severe burns
from the acidic saline solution.
Thankfully, for the defeat of
the Born Alive Act the hospital
staff confidently withheld
medical intervention. So the
C.H.R.I.S.T. after delivery was
wrapped in swaddling hospital
blankets, stored safely in a
soiled linen closet, and quietly
expired. Mary’s cousin Liz,
who was a bit older and also
was
annoyed
pregnant,
Life and peace at Christmas
“For through that segment
of time a spectacular thing
occurred, God became a man.
While creatures of earth
walked unaware, Divinity
arrived. Heaven opened herself
and placed her most precious
One in a human womb...God as
a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a
womb. The Creator of life
being created.” - From Max
Lucado’s book “God Came Near”
The Joyful Mysteries of the
Holy Rosary
(With contemporary, progressive and enlightened commentary)
The First Joyful Mystery,
the Annunciation
And when the angel had
come to her, he said, “Hail, full
of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among
women.” (Lk.1:28). (Mary
found herself pregnant, and
was justifiably frightened.
However thanks to the
Freedom of Choice Act she did
not have to notify her parents
even though she was only
around 14 years old. And there
was no need to inform Joe, the
Reconciliation and a prayer for priests
Confession and I are not
exactly the best of friends. God
and I go rounds in the ring over
getting my butt to the confessional. Being a patient God, He
waited for the perfect shot and
just when I thought I was
ahead He landed the knockout
punch and I hit the floor hard.
As I laid there, the room spinning, I looked up at His gentle,
smiling face and choked out
“ok, I’ll go.”
As I was waiting in line, an
hour before the priests were to
arrive, you know how it goes
here, I felt the Lord tell me that
He just wanted me to be vulnerable before Him. So, and
this is why He gave me an
hour, I ran through in my head
the list of all of my sins, recent
and old. He allowed me to see
the sin that was the root of all
of my other sins and at that
moment I felt so grateful…and
then the fear came of actually
having to go before a priest and
admit this. I told myself to be
calm and I started to pray for
the right priest, the one God
wanted me to go to so I would
be able to give all.
All of a sudden priests started filing in and unbundling and
taking their posts. As I watched
these men reverently take their
seats and signal for us to come
to them I felt overwhelming
joy in my heart. I almost cried!
I thought, wow, Lord, look at
all of these beautiful men you
have sent to us as priests to
hear our confessions! I’ve seen
the towering mountains, the
crashing waves of the sea, the
setting and rising of the sun,
and a clear, star filled sky but
this by far was one of the most
beautiful sights I have ever
seen! These simple servants of
God all randomly placed
throughout the church listening
to us pour our hearts out before
“When I TP'd the
Living Stones common room with my
household sister”
Sophomore
Household Life Mass 4:45
p.m. FFH
Cordially Invites
Franciscan University Students,
Faculty/Staff & Your Families
To Be Our Guest
SHOW YOUR SCHOOL ID &
RECEIVE 20% OFF
REGULAR MENU PRICES!
Garrett Nelson
Offer valid all day every day at
Steubenville &Weirton locations only.
Junior
Good for any size party.
Photos by STEFAN HLABSE
Campus
Calendar
Thursday,
December 4
Last day of classes
Mary Molloy
“Pie fight on
ground floor of
Trinity.”
Christ!
And then I was at the front
of the line and went “oh shoot
it is almost my turn.” I watched
as one girl was getting up and I
was ready to make my way to
the priest when all of a sudden
a priest came up behind me and
said “I’ve been behind the curtain and am ready.” So I followed him to the confessional
and began my confession. And,
I laid my heart on the line
before Christ like I had never
done before. Then the priest
looked at me and said “that
was a good confession, you did
a very good job. Remember,
confession has nothing to do
with me or any other priest, it
is just you and Jesus so don’t
be afraid to be vulnerable like
that before Him.” Wow, just
what I needed to hear! I walked
out of the confessional
absolved and free and wanted
to just break down and cry
DINE IN or TO GO
Friday,
December 5
Reading Day
Saturday,
December 6
Festival of Praise 7 p.m.
FFH
Sunday,
December 7
Advent Lessons & Carols
7 p.m.
Madness is to get the entire
school pumped up for basketball. The worst thing you can
do is describe it in such a negative manner, especially even
before they had their first
game. Give the team a chance
to prove themselves! I am
looking forward to a great season with our Barons! Go
Barons!!
-Anonymous
because something deep inside
told her that Mary’s kid had
potential.)
The Forth and Fifth Joyful
Mysteries were no longer
needed since there was nobody
to present to the Lord and
Mary and Joe didn’t need to
waste three days looking for
the rambunctious C.H.R.I.S.T.
child (or whatever it was).
If, when visiting one of the
Missionaries’ shelters, Mother
Theresa saw an infant likely to
die soon, “she would wrap it in
a blanket and give it to one of
the helpers to hold, with the
instructions simply to love that
child until it died,” a biographer writes.
“Nurse Jill Stanek’s heart
broke when she witnessed an
infant left to die after a botched
abortion in the hospital where
she worked.” - Focus on the
Family radio broadcast from
Oct. 17, 2008.
“Being unwanted is the
greatest disease of all.” Mother Theresa.
Life and Peace,
Rich and Linda Ciarrone
because I allowed myself to be
completely vulnerable and
more importantly I trusted
God’s forgiveness.
What I experienced would
not have happened had it not
been for our priests. A lot of
our prayers go to our family
and friends and to big issues
like abortion and poverty and
we can forget to pray for our
priests. How horrible it would
be to not have our priests! Let
us, brothers and sisters, not forget to pray for God’s simple
servants! And let us also pray
that the Lord send us more
priests, that He opens the
hearts of men and turns their
ears to hear His call! We here
at Franciscan have the wonderful gift of the Pre-Theologate
program; let us pray for our
brave guys going through that
program. Just think, what if
there had been no priest to
come up behind me and say,
“I’ve been waiting?”
Carly Howell
FUSA Caf hours 10 p.m.
to 6 a.m.
Monday,
December 8
Project St. Nicholas
Kickoff
Tuesday,
December 9
Solemnity of the
Immaculate Conception
Semestral examinations
FUSA Caf hours 10 p.m.
to 6 a.m.
Wednesday,
December 10
Semestral examinations
Textbook Buyback 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
FUSA Caf hours 10 p.m.
to 6 a.m.
OPINION
Words of Wisdom from Fr. Terry:
Retreat!(into Christmas)
By THE REV. TERENCE
HENRY, T.O.R
President of Franciscan
University
In a few days, this campus hilltop takes on the appearance of a
deserted village, as nearly everyone departs to places near and far
for Christmas vacation.
And what of the friars who
serve you? What do we do this
time of year? Many of us will
enjoy visits with our families and
extended families.
But first we embark on a retreat
day, which, as has been our recent
tradition, will take us to the
Martina Spiritual Renewal Center
in Pittsburgh run by the Sisters of
the Holy Spirit.
I suspect that even before my
car pulls up to the entrance, I will
have begun to slow down my life
Jive turkey
By STERLING WHITE
Humor Columnist
The time has passed when
we fled home, piling our
clothes into trucks, vans, and
other modes of transportation
in the joy of returning home for
roughly 4 full days of bliss,
consuming mounds of food
that could easily feed a third
world country for a decade,
and washing said clothes
because we’re too cheap to pay
for laundry here.
Some of us chose planes,
paying extravagant amounts of
money to go see the family,
probably on their bill too,
while others went with the
always reliable automobiles.
Some, like myself, with our
lovely soccer mom minivans
shoved freshmen in there like
we were trying to sneak across
the border. Others were left to
drive alone on those dark and
cold mountain highways, wondering why no one wanted to
ride with them in their already
rickety death trap as they
incurred speeds that made
superman jealous, and driving
abilities comparable to a perp
on Cops. I don’t know, sounds
like a personal problem.
But we all made it home
safe and sound (Or our moms
would kill us), where we then
were treated with the wonder-
in anticipation of this time for world.
I invite you to reflect on the
much-needed contemplation. For
me, and all the friars of our humility of God through his act of
incarnation.
St.
Franciscan family,
Francis observed
this Advent retreat
that if God could
readies us for the
take on our lowly
sacred Christmas
human nature and
mysteries about to
empty himself of
unfold.
his divine prerogaI hope you, too,
tives, the very least
can use the first
we can do is to
days of vacation to
adopt a humble and
prepare for Christ’s
grateful attitude
coming. A retreat
toward life. G.K.
may not be possiChesterton reflectble, but you can get The Rev. Terence Henry
ed with wonder on
the material things
is the president of
Franciscan University
the great paradox
done soon—the
that the hands
gift buying and
other essential tasks—so that as which had made the stars and the
Christmas approaches your focus planets were too tiny to touch the
is on that which is most important: oxen in the manager whose breath
the coming of our Savior into the kept him warm.
I also invite you to model
Franciscan charity during your
time with your families. As St.
Francis did, live the Gospel message with your actions, as much as
with words.
Pitch in around the house and
help your parents with some task,
hopefully one they find bothersome. Spend time with your siblings and give them your sole
attention. You probably won’t
have to look far to find at least one
neighbor or family member who
is lonely and needs cheering up or
would appreciate a kind act on
your part.
I suspect your family will be
even more impressed by your
Franciscan education when they
see you imitating Christ in your
every day family life, than treating
them to an edifying theology discourse.
And know that while I am on
my Advent retreat, and throughout
Christmas, I will remember you in
my Masses and prayers.
Blessed Christmas Greetings!
ful questions the family had Formal coming up. This is the
stored up like a boiler getting time where all the guys
ready to explode when your brought out that one suit coat
hand hit that front door. How is that had sat in their closet since
school? How are you classes? mom first bought it, and girls
Are you eating well? Do you once again happily ran up a
have a girlfriend? Does she eat parent’s credit card buying a
well? And the like, all culmi- dress that is a slightly different
nating in a series of hugs that shade than the other: “No this
made us wonder if such exces- is not like my red one. This
sive affection was
is… redder.”
actually banned
But it was all
under the Geneva
worth it as we
Convention:
whisked our dates
“Where are the
off to the dance in
bombs?” “I don’t
the classiest rides
know!” “Günter,
(See Soccer Mom
hug him.” “No,
Van Above), lisplease, no!”
tening to the
But we all
hippest
music
braved our fami(Show Tunes),
leech-like
ly’s
probably stopping
Sterling White is the
attention
for
to eat at the fanciTroubadour humor
hopes of even a
est establishments
columnist
all
tasty morsel of
(Wendy’s),
that bountiful meal put on our culminating with dancing that
plates by a loving and sweet looked similar to someone
a
seizure
hearted mother, or for some of experiences
us, Food Lion. We awaited this (Seriously). “Wow, Phil’s a
ritual with belts removed, bot- great dancer!” “What do you
tom buttons of our shirts expect? He is an epileptic.”
undone, in preparation for truly
It’s amazing going to dances
putting the sin of gluttony to on campus and watching your
the test. It was our plan to normally calm classmates, who
either return to campus in rarely speak and never meet your
December carrying the fresh- eyes, suddenly turn into vibrant
men 1300, or die trying. Might beings that feel the only way to
have even accidently ingested show their appreciation of the
a neighbor.
song that’s been played on the
Yet, before we headed off to radio literally millions of times, is
homes that don’t smell like to dance like they suddenly
feet, we had our lovely Winter walked into a spider web.
I mean not to criticize the “I
stubbed my toe” dancing methods of my peers, but to emphasize their courage for dancing
in ways that can only guarantee
their date will never make eye
contact with them again.
And you can always blame
your moves that resemble an
arachnid mating dance on the
vast “variety” of music that
most assuredly had you wondering if honestly the same
song wasn’t just being played
over and over as a joke. DJ:
“It’s been 3 hours with
Rihanna and they still don’t
notice!” Seriously, if every
song has the exact same beat, perhaps, and this is a wild thought
here, slipping in something slightly different might actually be
enjoyable. One day my friends, I
am sure that our DJs will own
more than 1 CD.
But for all of you guys out
there who weren’t able to get a
date, who agonized over that
woman of your dreams, who in
your minds is the presence of an
angel on this world, and whose
voice, when you hear from the
bushes you’re hiding behind, is
sweeter than the seraphim upon
high, I just don’t know why she
said no. I mean you memorized
her class schedule, who she eats
with, and what side of her mouth
she chews her gum on, but she
still thought you were weird. I
don’t know what’s wrong with
her. Must be a personal problem.
Liberal Talk: 2008 election results
By JONATHAN LUCCI
Liberal Columnist
The 2008 Election is over and
the transition of new leaders has
began, a process certain to be as
exciting and dramatic as the election cycle itself. November 4th
became a moment of great historical importance as an African
American was elected to the presidency, a mere forty years after the
assassination of Martin Luther
King and the struggles of the Civil
Rights movement.
From the perspective of the
Democratic Party, the election was
a great success. Not only did
Barack Obama become the president-elect, the Democrats also
captured 20 or so more House
seats and between 6 to 9 more
Senate seats (3 Senate seats and a
handful of House races still remain
undecided and subject to run-offs
or re-counts.). However, it would
be wise for the Democratic Party
to remember just how shattered
their party seemed only four years
ago. Things can certainly change
in four years.
The election of Obama to the
White House and the increasing
victories of Democrats at the congressional level have left many
people here at Franciscan
University very unhappy and
uncertain about the future, particularly as it pertains to the issue of
abortion. There are a few things
that should be pointed out so that
the next four years can continue to see a productive political
conversation on this campus.
will not fare well. In the Senate, a
While Obama is certainly place where 60 votes are required
pro-choice, he is extremely to do anything, there are
unlikely to pursue the radical Democratic senators like Bob
abortion policies that many on Casey (PA) and Ben Nelson (NE)
this campus believe will now who have steadfastly supported
come to pass. First, he knows that the right to life for the unborn, and
while the majority of the country many more Democratic senators
remains pro-choice, swing voters who voted to ban partial birth
in particular are only mildly pro- abortion. These senators who
choice and are known for resisting voted to ban partial birth abortion
attempts by the extremes on this aren't likely to suddenly vote in
issue. Obama now faces one of the favor of a measure that does
worst economic
away with that
crises in American
ban. FOCA is a
history and two
horrendous bill,
wars still raging in
but it will never
the Middle East.
pass in its current
As president, it is
form, which is
unlikely that his
nothing
more
agenda and what he
than
Planned
uses the White
Parenthood's
House's political
ideal. It is unlikecapital to push
ly, in my opinion,
through Congress
that it passes at
Jonathan Lucci is a
will include someall, if it even
Troubadour liberal
thing like the
comes up for a
columnist
Freedom of Choice
vote. I could be
Act, despite what he may have wrong, but I certainly hope not.
told Planned Parenthood while
Obama is also likely to
running in the primary races. It is replace liberal justices like
so important to remember in this John Paul Stevens and Ruth
discussion that a president has to Bader Ginsburg with liberals
prioritize as to what is given real and is therefore unlikely to
support in Congress.
change the math on the U.S.
Furthermore, the increase in Supreme Court and make it
Democrats, particularly in the more liberal. It should be
House, was made possible by con- pointed out that 7 of the 9 jusservative Democrats winning in tices currently on the Court
red districts, places where these have
been
named
by
new Representatives know FOCA Republicans,
including
and other radical abortion policies Anthony Kennedy and David
Souter, both of whom were
sent there to strike down Roe
w. Wade and chose not to. It is
not as simple as it is sometimes
made out to be, voting
Republican does not in any
way guarantee swinging the
court.
So while I can perfectly
understand the disappointment
that some in the pro-life movement feel in the results of the
election, it is not the nightmare
scenario that is often cited.
President-elect Obama will
have to govern from the center
and will have to do so while
facing immediate problems
that will keep him from focusing on abortion. In addition to
the election of Obama, 2008
again saw more pro-life
Democrats
elected
to
Congress, in places like the
Pennsylvania third district
(Kathy Dahlkemper), the Ohio
first district (Steve Driehaus),
the Ohio 16th (John Boccieri),
the Alabama fifth (Parker
Griffith, who is replacing a
pro-choice Democrat), and the
Alabama second (Bobby
Bright). They will join the several dozen pro-life Democrats
already in Washington, including Congressman Charlie
Wilson
who
represents
Steubenville in the Ohio sixth.
This election showed again the
willingness of the Democratic
Party to reach out and support
pro-life Democrats, a massive
and significant change from
past decades.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Troubadour
3
Anathallo: a ‘Floating
World’ in the universe
of Christian music
description. The band’s drifting
By JOSEPH CUNNINGHAM
melodies, harmonies and comEntertainment Columnist
Beauty is meant to be the plex arrangements truly take
pursuit of art, whether it be you away to another world.
“They (Anathallo) have an
through music, writing, paintincredibly
big sound and an
ing or sculpting. In a university
immense
amount
of energy,
where the art programs are
despite
the
fact
that
there are
quite small, I would like to
people
on
stage,”
Louis
seven
showcase a Christian band that
Ruiz
said.
has beautifully integrated
Anathallo is a
music and writing
miniature orchesinto a singular art
tra unto itself.
form, demonstratWith all the
ing the power of
instruments and
beauty. Even if art
the voices singing
isn’t necessarily
in harmony, their
your thing, who
rich sound filled
doesn’t like being
the entire coffee
introduced to new
shop.
music?
The band,
My
friends
which derives its
introduced me to Joseph Cunningham is
name from the
the indie band
the Troubadour
word
Greek
Anathallo soon entertainment columnist
“to
meaning
after coming to
Franciscan University of renew, refresh or bloom again,”
Steubenville.
Initially, started in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.,
Anathallo’s music didn’t take and is now based out of
hold of me because I didn’t sit Chicago, Ill. Most of the seven
down and really listen to it – members had played in their
most of their songs are at least high school marching band,
five to six minutes long, and I and carry their horns into the
guarantee they are like nothing sound of Anathallo. All of them
you have ever heard. Anathallo sing and play at least three
doesn’t just write music: they instruments, and despite
arrange their songs into com- crowding many a stage, their
plex pieces of that could easily timing and energy demonstrate
stand side by side with the an incredible unity.
Besides being awe-inspiring
compositions of Brahms or
Bruch. There is rarely a chorus musicians and song-writers,
or refrain – the music and the Anathallo is a very down-tolyrics are echoes of free-form earth band. Matt Joynt, the lead
poetry, so each song is a jour- vocalist, asked the audience
ney, an experience and a medi- what they had been for
tation. Peter Lee, a Franciscan Halloween and made jokes
student and musician accom- about himself and a friend from
plished in the piano and ham- back home in a very relaxed
mer dulcimer, was amazed at manner. I could tell they loved
the frequent changes that making music and performing
Anathallo made in key and time it for people. While playing on
signature. It’s the kind of music stage, they shared more than
that requires you to really listen, one smile with each other.
or its beauty will be lost.
For those who love the marA couple weeks ago, I had riage between good music and
the opportunity to go to an poetic lyrics, or for those who
Anathallo concert in Akron, just like to hear new music, I
Oh. with my friends Peter Lee strongly recommend looking
and Louis Ruiz. Listening to up and supporting Anathallo as
songs from the albums they tour the world. They are
“Floating World” or the recent- one of the few gems in the
ly released “Canopy Glow” music industry – a “floating
had already been an amazing world” that sets the standards
experience, but to hear the for all musical artists who
music live and watch Anathallo strive to create beauty.
perform makes a beggar of
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and/or
lease
your house,
books,
furniture,
car etc.?
Submit your
classified ad to
The Troubadour
$20 for this space
or
$7.50 per column inch
4
Thursday, December 4, 2008
FEATURES
Beatitudes provide entertainment with special flair
The Troubadour
by TERESA FASANELLO
Staff Writer
Nine young men dressed in
khaki pants, colored shirts and
ties kept an audience of nearly
100 students clapping their
hands, tapping their feet and
cheering for two hours in the
Gentile Gallery the evening of
Nov. 20.
These nine men were
Andrew Arthur, Sean Bartnick,
Jonathan Brodeur, William
Hall, Luke Hlavin, Stephen
Nowak, Colin Pugh, Philip
Wiese, and Gregory Pine: the
Beatitudes of Franciscan
University of Steubenville.
The Beatitudes are a nonprofit, student-run, Catholic
male a capella group. Their
Web site declares, “Our mission is to spread the Gospel
through songs, skits, testimonies, humor, and our everyday actions.”
photo by S A M A N T H A D E L F I N
The Beatitudes entertained an excited crowd of about 100 students in the Gentile
Gallery of the JC Williams Center on Thursday, Nov. 20.
The Beatitudes opened with
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
Pine, the president of the
Beatitudes, sang the melody in
a high falsetto, while the others
provided the harmony and the
rhythm. The Beatitudes showed
off their dance moves, snapped
their fingers to create the beat,
and imitated the noises of animals in the jungle. Growling,
cackling, and cries of “Hoohee-ha-ha,” and “Giraffe
noise!” interspersed the music.
Next the Beatitudes sang
“Lean on Me,” creating the
rhythm by clapping, snapping,
foot tapping, and sound effects
created by inhaling and exhaling through one’s teeth with
puffed out cheeks.
During “Mary Mack,” the
Beatitudes sang enthusiastically about their plans for marrying Miss Mack, taking turns
stepping up to the microphone
to sing the verses, and arranging and re-arranging themselves on stage according to
what part of the harmony they
were singing.
They sang faster and faster
until finally the words were
barely discernible, jigging in a
rush with the music until finally they stopped, out of breath,
and Nowak collapsed dramati-
cally on his knees as though
exhausted.
“We have a devotion to our
Blessed Mother,” said Philip
Wiese,
introducing
“Immaculate Mary.”
The Beatitudes sang to the
Mother of God with their hands
folded or pressed to their
hearts. Many of them had their
eyes shut as they sang reverently and in perfect harmony.
The Beatitudes performed
“Roll the Stone Away,” “Let it
Be”—complete with Kermit
the Frog impressions—and
“For the Longest Time” with an
exuberance and energy that
kept the audience cheering,
laughing and clapping to the
beat.
Next the Beatitudes performed a skit about “Joe B.,”
the most righteous of all students at Franciscan University.
The skit was a parody of the
Book of Job, with a special flavor unique to the Beatitudes.
When the devil arrives in
heaven to challenge God concerning Joe B., God tells him:
“Bring it!”
In the skit, Joe B. rises
above all temptations to lose
faith in God. In the end, God
blesses Joe B. with a wife and
19 children, whom Joe B.
names after the 12 apostles and
the seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit.
Finally, the Beatitudes invited four of their former members who were present in the
crowd to come up on stage for
the final song. Together the
Beatitudes
sang
“Irish
Blessing” to the crowd, and
then exited the stage amidst
much cheering and a standing
ovation.
Freshman Natalie Vida said,
“I think God spoke to me
through the concert. It was a
blessing for me.”
Junior Alessandra GenoeseZerbi said she had heard the
Beatitudes once before and was
glad to be able to hear them
again.
“It was so much fun,” she
said.
Each spring the Beatitudes
go on tour, singing for youth
groups and high schools. The
have
toured
Beatitudes
Philadelphia; New Orleans; St.
Louis, Mo.; Washington D.C.;
Dayton, Ohio; New York;
Atlanta, Ga.; and West Palm
Beach, Fla.
The Beatitudes encourage
the youth who attend their concerts to practice chastity and to
have faith in God.
The Southern Society was
started this semester by Patrick
Mansfield, a senior marketing
major.
"I saw that other college
campuses, such as Georgetown,
had a Southern society and I
thought it would be a great idea
start
(at
Franciscan
to
University) since we have such
a large amount of students from
the South, although the club is
to
anyone,"
said
open
Mansfield.
According to the Southern
Society's constitution, the pur-
pose of the Society is to promote
the interest of Southern history
and culture, foster and strengthen
the
community
of
Southerners at Franciscan
University, and to educate the
Franciscan community about
the South.
Membership in the Society is
open to any student at
Franciscan
University.
Currently the Southern Society
is about 35 members strong.
The Southern Society plans
to host a wide variety of events
in the future. Some of these
plans include cultural nights,
such as crawfish boils and horse
races, Southeastern Conference
game watches, trips, Mardi Gras
activities, speakers and service
projects.
"Being with the Southern
Society members is like being
with family in a way because
they have similar interests and
experiences," said Reaux. "They
are currently helping me get
through the cold weather. I think
the club provides a way for me
to experience 'Southern hospitality' in Ohio."
Southern Society provides students with a taste of the South
by KRISTIN MOLITOR
Staff Writer
Comic by Paula Soto: Comic by Ben McKay: Comic by Ben McKay:
Laughs, music and the smells
of delicious free food wafted
throughout
Franciscan
University of Steubenville's J.C.
Williams Center Nov. 20 as the
university's Southern Society
hosted its first-ever "Taste of the
South" event.
Students streaming in and
out of the J.C. were able to get a
little taste of what the South is
all about as they as they listened
to toe-tapping Cajun music
while sipping coffee, nibbling
on pralines and wolfing down
deep-fried, sugar-coated pastries
called beignets.
"It's so much fun sharing the
Southern culture with the rest of
the student body," said Austin
Ashcraft, vice-president of the
Southern Society.
Members of the newlyformed club joked and laughed
as they informed students about
beignets, King Cake and other
delicious treats unique to the
South.
"Before coming to school in
Ohio I had no idea just how different the Southern culture was
from the North," said Christyn
Dupre, a member of the
Southern Society. "I just love
sharing the Southern warmth
and hospitality with all of my
friends here at school."
Freshman Kaitlyn Reaux
said, "I think there is a warmth
that comes from the South, like
a laid-back, loving and familyoriented warmth that we all
experienced back at home. We
just want to share that with our
brothers and sisters on campus."
NEWS
Fr. Dan encourages students
to spread the culture of life
by KRISTI MOORE
Editor-in-chief
The Rev. Daniel Pattee, T.O.R.,
Ph.D., S.T.L., told a small but
intentional audience on Wed., Nov.
19, that God began the pro-life
movement to save humankind
from the death of the Fall.
“We are not waging this war
alone,” he said. “Planned
Barrenhood might have billionaires, but the God who created and
runs the cosmos started our movement.”
Addressing the topic of spreading the culture of life as part of the
Culture of Life week on campus
that takes place every year in coordination with hundreds of other
schools across the nation, Fr. Dan
said that the culture and gospel of
life did not begin in 1973 with Roe
v. Wade – the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in all
50 states.
“It began with God himself
after Adam and Even fell in the
garden, because when Adam and
Eve sinned, they died, and that was
the beginning of the culture of
death,” he said perched on a table
in classroom 300 in Cosmas and
Damian.
“What is salvation but God saving us from being killed and from
killing ourselves?”
For this reason, Catholics must
vigilantly combat the culture of
death, he said.
Quoting the late Pope John
Paul II, Fr. Dan reminded
Franciscan University students that
the culture of life is “at the heart of
new evangelization.”
“This culture needs what we
have to offer,” he said. “Catholics
need to be out there; we can’t be
marginalized. … This culture
needs us, and we at this university
are about sending salt and light into
Prof. Ed Bessler talked to students and faculty about stem cell
research on Nov. 17 in Pugliese
auditorium as part of a series of
events in Culture of Life Week.
Bessler handed out copies of
a statement on embryonic stem
cell research by the United
States Conference of Catholic
Bishops, encouraging audience
members to read it after the lecture. He then went on to give a
brief background on stem cells.
“Stem cells are cells that have
a lot of potential,” Bessler said.
“If you look at a stem cell … you
couldn’t tell what it was going to
turn into. (The cell) has a lot of
ability to turn into a lot of different kinds of things.”
Bessler then explained the
two different kinds of stem cells.
The first are called totipotent
cells, which have the potential to
turn into entire individuals. The
second kind are called pleuripotent stem cells, which have the
ability to turn into a lot of different things, but not an entire animal.
Pleuripotent cells, Bessler
said, with the right kind of
prompts can turn into a number
of different cells, including bone
cells, cartilage cells, blood cells,
muscle cells, etc.
Bessler mentioned a study
done by a man in Wisconsin who
took several fertilized embryos
left over from an in vitro fertilization procedure and cultured
them in dishes. Using different
signals, he grew them into cells
such as blood and muscle cells,
then sent the cell cultures or
“lines” to labs all over the world.
“What he did here is he
destroyed a person,” Bessler
said. “He violated the integrity
of the individual. That’s what
was wrong, he actually killed an
individual to get these cell
lines.”
There are legitimate ways to
acquire embryonic stem cells for
research, Bessler said. He mentioned cells taken from the
umbilical cord or placenta of a
baby after birth, as well as cells
from miscarried babies, though
these cells are less reliable
because 50 percent of miscarried
babies have major chromosome
abnormalities, Bessler said.
Bessler also talked about the
dangers of using embryonic
stem cells.
“Embryonic stem cells divide
at a faster rate than adult cells,”
Bessler said. “That’s programmed right into their being.
This will create other moral
said. “’I want death’ – that’s what
they’re saying.”
On the other hand, he said, the
culture of life does have a reasonable argument.
“Pro-life starts with salvation,
persuasion and argument, yes, but
it is only going to be God who
makes anyone pro-life,” he said
after pointing out that Roe is now a
pro-life Catholic.
It is also important for students
to avoid the mentality of not bringing their faith into debates about
abortion and other life issues, Fr.
Dan said as he recalled that it was
only his faith that sustained him as
he trumped across the country with
Crossroads 2007.
“We don’t drop the weapons of
our faith to move into the testimony of life,” he said. “We still have
our heads in the game as Catholics
because the whole nature of faith
addresses the whole of us and not
just our emotions.”
He likened this to the woman
who chooses to have an abortion
because she cannot financially or
emotionally support the child. He
said that this viewpoint is flawed
because reason tells us that even
these conditions do not justify
murder.
“It’s just not reasonable,” he
said.
He concluded by reminding
students that the movement to
which they belong was “started by
God.”
“There was a very serious
attempt 2,000 years ago to stop the
movement, but you can’t stop
God,” Fr. Dan said. “We have a
leader that can’t be defeated – even
by millionaires.”
issues. Let’s say I took some
embryonic stem cells and I want
to replace a diseased pancreas. If
they’re dividing at a faster rate,
these cells could make so much
insulin that you can’t keep up
and you’d die.”
Scientists are still learning
about the details of cell signaling
devices, Bessler said. Problems
can arise when one signals an
embryonic stem cell to start
developing too early and it skips
back into another line. If this
occurs with cells put into the
heart, for example, they could
suddenly turn into bone cells.
Using adult stem cells, however, does not pose the moral
problems of embryonic stem cell
research, and it is safer than
using embryonic cells, Bessler
said.
“I say these are user-friendly,” Bessler said about adult
stem cells. “They divide like
adult cells; they’re not dividing
at a faster rate. They’re less likely to jump a cell line. They’re
donor-compatible.”
Also, there are many more
sources of adult stem cells, and
acquiring them does not destroy
a human life.
“Bone marrow has been used
for years (as well as) skin cells,”
Bessler said. “The inner lining of
the spinal cord actually has cells
that can be forced to turn into
new nerve cells. The pulp in
baby teeth is a great source for
childhood stem cells. The list
goes on.”
Bessler gave a few examples
of some advancements made
using adult stem cell research,
saying scientists have been able
to grow a new prostate and a
new mammary gland.
“I see the future of adult stem
cells … coupled with genetic
engineering,” Bessler said.
“Take adult stem cells from an
individual born with a major
genetic disease (such as) cystic
fibrosis or Tay-Sachs disease.
Reprogram those cells with the
missing gene, make them divide,
then put those cells back into the
person and they have at least a
reasonable chance of surviving
for a lot longer period of time.”
Bessler also touched on the
ethics of cloning
“There are a lot of people
who want to push cloning as a
source of spare parts, to replace
diseased parts, broken parts,”
Bessler said. “You don’t do that.
It’s morally unacceptable.”
After the talk, freshman Anna
Wagner, a psychology major,
said she had wanted to expand
her knowledge on the topic of
stem cell research and become
more informed.
“I wanted … to tell people
who don’t know about stem cell
research.” Wagner said. “They
might support an issue just
because of what they’ve heard.”
Crossroads takes steps to save lives
by MEGAN DIAL
Staff Writer
Brendan Flannery wasn’t sure
what he was going to do after graduating from Franciscan University
of Steubenville, but he was pretty
sure he wasn’t going to be walking
across the country wearing a Tshirt with Pro-Life written on the
front.
Yet one of his friends wanted
him to go on Crossroads, so he
asked another friend to pray for
him.
Two days later he woke up
knowing that he would go.
recommended
Flannery
Crossroads to a small group of students in Meeting Room A of the
J.C. Williams Center at 9 p.m. on
Thursday, Nov. 20.
There are three walks currently
going on in the United States. Each
group of walkers has about 12
members, and there are always
three people walking. Each person
walks 15 to 20 miles per day, and
altogether the group covers 60 to
80 miles. While they walk they
pray the rosary and Divine Mercy
Chaplet. On Saturdays they witness at abortion clinics, and on
Sundays they speak at parishes.
Flannery said that the thought
of walking 15 miles every day can
be daunting.
“I was worried about my ability to actually handle it,” he said.
“I’ve never tried to walk 15 miles a
day.”
However, he said that walkers
quickly get used to covering the
distance. They also get used to
wearing their Pro-Life shirts.
“You’re always wearing that
shirt,” Flannery said, “and so
you’re always witnessing.”
Flannery told stories of people
the members of his walk encountered.
One day the group had parked
its RV in a Wal-Mart parking lot
and was going in and out of the
store buying supplies. Shortly
before the group was planning to
leave, the manager told them that
they could come in and fill three
shopping carts with food and supplies at the store’s expense.
Another time, two women
pulled up to members of the group
walking along the side of the road,
gave them some supplies, and
explained that although they were
pro-choice, they were glad to see
young people passionate about
something.
Once the group received confirmation that its efforts were bearing
fruit. A man came up to them and
said that seeing them at an abortion
clinic had made him not take his
daughter in for an abortion, and he
was now looking forward to being
the grandfather of twins.
Flannery said that walkers can
never know how many lives they
touch or how many babies they
save.
“People could drive by,” he
said, “see you walking, and years
later remember that and have a
change of heart.”
Crossroads affects the lives of
the walkers as well.
“Each walk becomes a family,”
he said. “You never know what you
are going to gain.”
Flannery said that people can
often be discouraged by the thought
of missing an entire summer of
work, but said that often walkers
can earn the money necessary for
tuition by fundraising. There is no
cost for Crossroads itself except for
plane tickets to get to the starting
point and home afterwards.
Flannery said that his experience is still benefiting him, and
encouraged students to try
Crossroads.
“It’s an experience that can really benefit you,” he said.
FUSA set aside over $6,000
for its own part in the spring
budget, $3,850 of which went to
stipends. FUSA also voted to
combine the positions of secretary
and executive assistant.
The rest of FUSA's money
went to office supplies and
FUSA's spring banquet.
The Fine Arts Society was
awarded $2,500 for tickets to four
musical events next semester in
Pittsburgh, including Fiddler on
the Roof and the opera La
Boheme, which both received
$1,000 for tickets.
College Republicans received
$1,880 for its spring budget, $575
of which went to stipends. The
rest of the budget was divided
amongst the various speakers and
activities the College Republicans
have planned for next semester.
A significant change in
FUSA's budget was removing
funds from Lumen Vincens, a
campus literary magazine.
Lumen Vincens' editor,
Lilianna Meldrum, had requested
$3,300 for spring semester's printing costs and stipends, but FUSA
voted against including the magazine in its budget, because of an
offensive issue last semester and
because no issues were printed
this semester.
Sen. Kevin Meziere said
FUSA would better be able to
fund Lumen Vincens next semester after reading the new, 20-page
version of the magazine
Meldrum said she is planning to
publish.
Sen. Tom Huck said the decision to fund or not fund a club
should not be based on FUSA's
opinion, but on the opinion of a
representative of the student
body.
Sen. Mike Wester said it was
not apparent that any new effort is
present, since there is no proof,
but he said he might even be the
one to sponsor a bill to fund
Lumen Vincens next semester
after reading the next issue.
The Gadfly received $1,665
from the FUSA spring budget for
staff stipends and printing costs.
After a discussion, FUSA amended The Gadfly's budget to include
$350 in stipends.
Wester said, "It really isn't fair.
If you're going to give one (club)
money, you have to give another
some money as an incentive."
Huck added that Gadfly
Editor Gillian Lamuro works at
least 10 hours a week before
motioning to amend the budget.
Latinos for Christ also
received $1,540 in funding for a
salsa dancing event next semester, a Hispanic symposium and
mission workshops.
The
Annunciations,
a
women's a capella group on campus, was awarded $850 total for
the spring semester, including
$500 for CD production.
Andrea Thomas, the group's
director, said the group could
work with only $200 for music,
despite the expense of midi files
and sheet music.
"I would like an increase, but I
know it's more than what we've
asked for in the past," she said.
FUSA approves spring 2009 budget
by KATIE HARRIS
Assistant Editor
At FUSA's Nov. 19 formal
meeting, FUSA awarded just over
$27,000 to 13 campus clubs and
student organizations.
Students for Life was awarded
the largest amount for the spring
semester, totaling $9,290, including nearly $8,000 for the March
for Life in January.
Students for Life President
John Paoletti said, "I'm very
pleased to see these figures. They
should be sufficient. Amen."
FUSA Spring 2009 Budget:
The Annunciations
$850
Franciscan Film Club
$245
Commuter Student
Association
$415
The Gadfly
$1,665
College Republicans
$1,880
Dom Gueranger
Society
$250
Father Michael Scanlan
Scholar Society
$330
Fine Arts Society
$2,500
FUSA
$6,119.50
Latinos for Christ
$1,540
Solidarity
$1,150
Students for Life
$9,290
Ut Unum Sint
$800
5
The Troubadour
the culture.”
He pulled anecdotes and examples from his own experiences
with Crossroads – the summerlong trek across the United States
to spread the pro-life movement –
and said that many Americans tend
to think that pro-lifers are seeking
to take away their rights when in
fact the motivation of the movement is to bring freedom, he said.
“The culture will do the same
thing it did in 33 A.D.,” Fr. Dan
argued. “They want to silent the
Word and snuff out the light; that’s
what the world does to truth.”
He also offered the students
some practical advice, saying that
the culture of death has no “reasonable argument.”
“There is no reasonable argument that anyone can give you for
killing a child in the womb,” he
Prof. Bessler speaks on stem cells
by MELANIE CIARRONE
Staff Writer
Thursday, December 4, 2008
CHINA
From Page 1
Several students, faculty
members, and religious who had
been to China spoke in Pugliese
auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 13
at 9 p.m. Three missionaries who
are currently in China joined the
conversation via Skype.
Attendees received a glimpse
into missionary life from Peter
Fontana, Shannon Walsh and
Megan Deaton.
Fontana has been in China for
two years. He emphasized that his
goal is to empower young adults
to be leaders for the Kingdom.
“They’re able to teach their
peers,” he said. “That’s what’s
needed now.”
Walsh, a 1998 graduate of
University
of
Franciscan
Steubenville, has been in China
for six years. She works in an
orphanage for dying children.
“There have been many, many
joys and many, many blessings in
being here,” she said.
Deaton, a 2008 graduate of
Franciscan University, has been in
China since September, working
with Walsh and the orphans.
“Everything right now is pretty much joy over here,” she said.
Those in China were unable to
speak in detail for security reasons. After the Skype call ended,
several students and a few others
who had been to China over the
summer shared their experiences.
Kevin Kacvinsky worked in
the Han Dan province, an
extremely poor area. He saw
families living in tiny rooms without roofs, and inadequate plumbing for overused bathroom areas.
Kacvinsky also shared his
experiences working in an
orphanage with 50 children and
five caretakers. All the children
were disabled, and the caregivers
did not have adequate time to care
properly for them.
There were fun times in China
as well. Kacvinsky’s team played
basketball and went out for dinner
with the group of government
officials who followed them
everywhere.
“I used the name Big Brother
for all of them,” Kacvinsky said.
“They didn’t get it, so they called
me Little Brother.”
By the end of the trip, the
guards were praying with the missionaries.
“The government told us, ‘We
want you to come back,’”
Kacvinsky said.
Kacvinsky’s group did a little
bit of tourism as well.
“Each trip was a consecration
to our Lady,” he said. “At the
Forbidden City, Sister (Mary Paul
Friemel) was sticking miraculous
medals in all the cracks.
Laura Potter shared about
hearing a Chinese choir singing
Handel and a group of enthusiastic Italian missionaries who
accompanied the American
group.
“The Holy Spirit goes beyond
any kind of language barrier, any
kind of culture barrier,” she said.
Susie Bignell shared the story
of how she gave a rosary to a
young Chinese woman and
received a rosary bracelet in
return.
“She kept coming over and
hugging me,” Bignell said.
Bignell emphasized the need
for missionaries to go to China
and tell the people about God’s
love
“We need people to be there
…to be the hands and feet of
Jesus,” she said.
Andrea Scott shared some
positive aspects of missionary
work in China.
“The people were so beautiful
and welcoming and so open,” she
said. “There is so much hope in
China.”
Christopher
The
Rev.
Foxhoven talked about his experiences putting on a youth conference at a minor seminary. He said
that the youth conference was an
amazing experience.
“It was really tremendous, it
was exactly like you’d find at
Franciscan,” he said.
Sister Mary Paul was helping
to put on a Theology of the Body
conference, which she said she
hoped would help people realize
they don’t have to have abortions.
The conference attendees were
not the only ones who were
touched by Sister Mary Paul’s
message. After Sister Mary Paul
left China, the translator sent her
an e-mail saying that she had
received healing because of Sister
Mary Paul’s talks.
Brian Scarnecchia, chair of
human life studies at Franciscan
University, said that missionary
work in China affects not just
China but the world.
“What we do there in China,”
he said, “for good or ill, will come
back to us.”
6
Baron
SPORTS
Sports
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Lady Barons suffer loss to Chatham My final treatise
by DYLAN EHLE
Sports Writer
The Lady Barons took on
Chatham College on the road in
their first away game of the
season on Tuesday night. After
a shaky first half, the Lady
Barons increased their level of
play in the second, yet still fell
short, 62-35.
The Lady Barons troubles
stemmed from a frustrating
start to the game. The repeatedly turned over the ball, and
their shots refused to fall,
allowing Chatham College to
jump out to a 12-0 advantage in
the first seven minutes. The
Lady Barons’ struggles continued for the entire first half, and
they did not make a field goal
until Sarah Viancourt scored on
the lay-up with 3:44 remained,
making the score 22-4.
However, Viancourt’s score
finally brought their offensive
to life, and but the end of the
half, the scoreboard read 32-9.
“We played a really badly
first half. They play a very uptempo style, and we didn’t
respond well to that,” Lady
Barons Head Coach Kelly
Herrmann remarked in a postgame interview.
The Lady Barons carried
their newfound offensive
momentum into the second
half, and, as a result, Chatham
only outscored them by four
points in the half. However, the
deficit was too great for the
Lady Barons to overcome, and,
in the end, they fell, 62-35.
“Once talked about things at
halftime, we really settled
down in the second half, and
we really played a lot better,”
Coach Herrmann said of her
team’s second-half surge.
Several Lady Barons posted
impressive numbers in the loss.
Cara Mitchell led the team in
scoring with eleven points, and
also had five rebounds, three
assists, one block, and two
steals. Sarah Viancourt was
second in scoring with eight
points, and also contributed
five rebounds and an assist.
Point guard Jordan Henneberry
led the team in rebounds with
six, and also had two steals.
The Lady Barons played
against Penn State Altoona last
night in a game too late for
coverage.
FUS Sophomore Connor
Flanagan of Richfield, Ohio led the
Barons with 26 points, followed by
Senior and Captain Curtis Allen
with 13, and Junior Josh
Ducoulombier and Sophomore
Andrew Kay claiming 11 and 9
points respectively. Matt Rensch
was the lead scorer for
Christendom with 26 points total.
The Barons were leading by
just three points at half-time, 39-36,
but were able to rack up the baskets
to end with a 15 point lead and a
solid victory.
Head Coach Sean Donovan
commented, “It was a dog-fight out
there tonight. We got into some
early foul trouble in the first half,
which lead us to digging deep into
our bench, but everyone responded
well. It was a team effort out there.
We were really led by Andrew Kay,
Sam Titus and Curtis Allen.”
remarked in a post game interview, “Our shots just weren’t
falling. We took a lot of good
shots, particularly in the post,
but we were unable to come up
with many points from those
opportunities.”
As a result of their lack of
offensive production, the Lady
Barons trailed by a point at
halftime.
However, the Lady Barons
came into the second half with
a renewed fervor. The took the
lead fairly early in the half, and
then gradually worked to
extend that lead and but
Christendom out of the game.
Jess Belleque, in particular,
stepped up her game in the
final ten minutes of regulation.
“Jess didn’t shoot well in the
first half,” Coach Herrmann
remarked, “But she made several key shots near the end of
the game to keep us ahead.”
Sarah Viancourt was the
Lady Barons’ scoring leader
with 16 points. Jess Belleque
and Nicole Naugle also had
solid performances, with 12
points each.
“There was a lot of noise
today, Christendom had a very
good
turnout,”
Coach
Herrmann remarked, “It was
difficult for our players, but we
managed to come together and
get the win.”
Barons pick up win over Christendom
by MONICA HOGAN
Public Relations
The Franciscan University
men’s basketball team beat
Christendom College 76-61
Saturday the 22nd, making their
record 2-1 for the season.
Lady Barons conquer Christendom
by DYLAN EHLE
Public Relations
The Lady Barons made a
long road trip to Christendom
College for a noon match on
the 22nd, and after a rough first
half, Franciscan pulled away
for an impressive 52-41 road
win.
“The first half was difficult
for us,” Lady Barons Head
Kelly
Herrmann
Coach
Heartbreaker in the Fieldhouse
photo by K A R L H O R W A T H
Kristin Belleque gears up for a free throw during a 1-point loss to
Westmoreland CCC before Thanksgiving break.
There’s a great scene in
the pilot episode of NBC’s
“Friday Night Lights”. A
Sniff, sniff. Dearest pop warner football team is
readers, I fear this is the end wrapping up a fun, messof the road – for now. This around practice with the
being the last Troubadour high school varsity squad,
issue of the semester, it also when a little boy asks the
stands as my final time starting QB a question:
writing for the Troub, “Mr. Street, do you think
although there is hope of a God loves football?” To
return next fall after my which he replies, “I think
God loves everything. Now
semester in Austria.
I know many of you are lets pray.”
Growing up in an amazterribly upset by this news
and feel as though your life ing sports town, I have
no longer has any purpose. experienced some of the
Some of you may be elated greatest highs and some of
to hear of my departure: I the greatest lows thanks to
the success or failures of
dislike you.
the Red Sox, Patriots, heck,
Kidding.
In fact, the greatest joys I even the Revolution.
experienced during my two Likewise, I’ve slowly
semesters on staff were a developed a passion for
result of the response of fel- everything Barons sports,
low students to my work. primarily the basketball
Whether you thought I was squad.
We
are
pushing
the
BLESSED to
line (“dude! I
have athletic
can’t believe
squads reprewrote
you
sent
our
that!”) or you
school who
felt as though I
understand
blatantly
the ultimate
crossed it (see
end of their
page 2 – sorry
athleticism:
for offending
God’s glory.
you…), or you
Yet I feel as
thought I was
Greg is the sports
though some
the
greatest
editor for the
“real” sports
person
ever
Troubadour
fans on this
(“omg you are
campus find
SO,
like,
funny”), you’re feedback this to be a reason to label
made this job worth doing. I our squads as somehow
lesser than other school’s
thank you.
Furthermore, some of teams, like this whole “glomy readers thought I…oh, rify God” thing is some
how do the kids say it sort of gimmick. They may
nowadays… sucked. And play for “an Audience of
there is some irony to be One”, but I’m sure they
found here. One of the wouldn’t mind it if they
biggest proponents of the played in front of a larger
“Greg is not funny” train of crowd.
What I’m getting at is
thought has been my selection to replace me next this: our school needs
semester:
Mr.
Jake superfans. I (justly) made
fun of the t-shirts in my last
Krempel.
If you’re not familiar column, but now I’m issuwith Jake’s quasi-infamous ing a new call. We need
Barons Basketball blog, students to live up to those
baronbasketball.blogspot.c t-shirts. Doing so would
om, check it out. In fact, if radically transform the life
you look back to last semes- of this campus, while givter’s posts, you’ll see a nifty ing the whole student body
little entry titled, “Top 5 a single task to become
Reasons Greg Hurst Hates unified over. If you’re
thinking that you don’t
Us”. It’s a fun read.
Our differences now care enough about sports,
pushed aside, I love the fact maybe you could go supthat Jake will be taking the port the teams in thanks for
reigns next semester. I all God has given us (then
know his columns will blow again, you’re probably not
this
column,
away anything I’ve written, reading
and you can expect stellar either). Barons fans: bring
basketball coverage next friends with you. Watch the
Cameron Crazies and take
semester.
This brings me to my notes. Improve Franciscan
final treatise. Since it’s a Fandom.
So that’s that. To those
slow news week in the
Franciscan Sports World who have read my column
(hence the week-old game each week, thank you for
coverage seen on the page taking time to read the
this week), and the profes- biased observations of
sional sports scene is going some random 19 year-old.
through a boring phase, Go Barons. Go Superfans.
(Go Red Sox).
allow me to get emotional:
by GREG HURST
Sports Editor
Washed Up Tokers take women’s AA crown
by DYLAN EHLE
Sports Writer
The Washed Up Tokers
(Theotokos household) faced
off against the Super Sweet
Show Ponies in the Women’s
AA championship game on
November 22nd. After three
games during which the
momentum swung drastically,
the Washed Up Tokers were
able to emerge victorious, 2125, 25-7, 15-0.
The Super Sweet Show
Ponies jumped out to an early
lead in the first game. Captain
Jennie Demmerly had a streak
of impressive serves, enabling
her squad to mount an early
advantage. However, The
Washed Up Tokers battled
back, led by the outstanding
play of spiker Kate Genoways.
They cut the Ponies’ eleven
point lead to three points, but
the Ponies were able to rally
together at the close of the
game and take a 25-21 victory.
The Washed Up Tokers carried their momentum into the
second game of the match.
They jumped out to an early
lead, scoring on multiple tips
and
Ponies
miscues.
However, the Ponies were
unable to rally back as the
Washed Up Tokers had in the
first game, and the game
quickly became a lopsided
The Washed Up
contest.
Tokers took care of business
quickly, taking a decisive 25-7
win, and forcing a third game
in the match.
The Troubadour would also like to congratulate
Jolly Volley Trolley; Saki Wine, Part Deux; and the Bad News Lions
for also capturing intramural volleyball championships!
The Washed Up Tokers
continued their inspired play
in the final game of the match.
The Ponies surrendered their
serve on the first point of the
game, and they never managed
to get it back. The Washed Up
Tokers scored on fourteen
consecutive serves, shutting
out the Super Sweet Show
Ponies, 15-0, and taking the
championship.