Daily Tweets for 2010-02-06

• Sad news for all the Christian Rapper fans out there. Have been told by 2 CUB members that Katalyst and Dysifa concert has been canceled. #

UPDATE: Robison Agrees to Plea Deal, Will Be Sentenced in March

According to an article posted today by the Marietta Times, former MC student Tom Robison has agreed to a plea deal.

Robison still faces up to 10 years in prison for the stabbing, but had a third degree felony charge for tampering with evidence removed.

According to court testimony, Robison felt the man he stabbed had money, and followed him from The Locker Room bar.

Robison has been in jail since the stabbing occurred.  He is in jail withough bond, waiting for his hearing on March 15th.

For more on the court hearing today, check out the Marietta Times article.

Recycling: Second Option Available to Entrepreneurial Students

After the price of aluminum was cut in half during the height of the recession, its value has begun to rise again.  Used aluminum cans are able to net a smart student 65-cents a pound.  It may not sound like much, but it can add up quickly.

For students who drink a little more on the heavy side, it is very reasonable for two roommates to go through a case of beer during the school week and another 60-90 beers on the weekends.  These numbers can especially be true with the help of a few of age friends.

Last year, Adam Burhenne ’10 often just threw the cans out in the morning, even though he had collected them the entire night in a large black plastic bag.  “Unfortunately, I probably threw away more than $100 worth of cans last year.  I had no idea that the cans could be worth so much.”

This semester, Burhenne and his roommate are saving the cans.  They tried to at least be more environmentally conscience by putting them in the recycling trailers on campus last semester, but wanted to take it a step further.  “Any amount of money to help out is good in this economy.”

The Rinks located on Route 7 just south of the Muskingum River is one of the easiest locations to recycle aluminum.  Ashley’s Recycling, which runs the facility, will not only accept cans, but almost any kind of metal or car parts.  Every Saturday between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM, numerous locals pull up in their pickups with bags and bags of cans, scrap metal, or small motors.  The process is quick and easy.

Not only can recycling aluminum help a student’s wallet, but it helps the environment, too.  According to Earth911.com, recycling one can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours.  It also takes as much energy to make three new cans from virgin material as it takes to make 60 cans from recycled material.

For students that have a car or pickup to store their cans, the payoff can be pretty good.  A month’s worth of aluminum can easily net $10-$20.  This payout can double if friends in a dorm or suite work together and all start recycling cans.

Burhenne believes more students might recycle if they knew the economic benefits.  “It’s easy money.  I just wish I had known sooner than my last semester of college how much money I could have saved.”

This article was written by Dave Hood, a student taking Media Writing 2 at Marietta College.  Look for more articles from the class to appear on Writing on the Mall in the coming weeks.  If you are interested in writing for Writing on the Mall, please e-mail patrick_h at writingonthemall dot net.

Katalyst And Dysifa CANCELLED; Other Events This Weekend

Got word tonight from two CUB members that Katalyst and Dysifa’s Christian Rap performance tonight has been cancelled.  No other information was provided.

Now that that’s out of the way, here are the rest of the events happening this weekend!

TONIGHT – Friday, February 5th (NOT SATURDAY)
LATE NIGHT BOWLING
11:00 PM - Pastime Lanes
Sponsored by Student Activities & Greek Life

Saturday, February 6th
WACKY OLYMPICS
10:00 PM - The Gathering Place
Sposnored by FNF/Late Night MC
- Teams of 3 to 4 compete in some unusual events!!!
- GREAT PRIZES

Sunday, February 7th
SUPERBOWL PARTY
4:00 PM - The Gathering Place
Sponsored by CUB and IFC

Daily Tweets for 2010-02-05

• There's a Winter Weather Watch in effect through Saturday night. The snow machine will to kick on sometime Friday morning. #

Daily Tweets for 2010-02-05

• There's a Winter Weather Watch in effect through Saturday night. The snow machine will to kick on sometime Friday morning. #

Could You Go 72 Hours Without Technology?

The challenge presented was for a group of students to go one weekend, Friday at noon until Monday at noon without their cell phone or Facebook. Out of 27 people only three attempted this feat and only one accomplished it.

“I took one look at Dr. (Robert) McManus and shook my head,” said Corryn Muench, sophomore at Marietta College. “I am on my phone all day, everyday and there is no possible way I could go without it. I wasn’t going to do it, let alone even try it.”

Leadership Professor at Marietta College, Dr. Robert McManus is teaching a class on Global Leadership and decided to see if his students could survive without this “steroid” of technology.

“I thought a few would take me up on it, but I didn’t expect anyone to be able to do it,” he said. “Maybe one, which was the case. Even then I was surprised he made it, but good for him!”

Only one student in the class was able to accomplish this by having his girlfriend lock his cell phone and computer in her room. Fifteen years ago college campuses hadn’t really even heard the idea of a cell phone.

“I lived in a dorm with two pay phones for about 100 men,” said McManus. “There was always a line for the phone and a number of runs to the grocery store to find quarters.”

This would have been a simple task back then but in today’s world students are connected to their phone and the Internet 24/7 with school, work and social networking. Some students did try and attempt this task but found themselves having to think of things to do because they could not use their computer or cell phone.

“The minute I got back to my room I was about to go to my desk to flip my computer on and I stopped myself. I couldn’t believe that my first instinct has been to go for my computer!” said Kristin Norton, sophomore at Marietta. “I then proceeded to sit on my couch for a good ten minutes trying to figure out what to do. I read a book.”

Norton lasted 24 hours without her phone or the Internet, which was much more than anyone else did, but she forgot when she came back from a dance and wanted to show her friend in Peru a photo she had taken that night. After she had already uploaded the photo she realized she broken the assignment.

The technology of this world is starting to take over our every day, making us overly dependent on it. The question is though, is this a good thing or is it in reality hindering us by taking away that face to face real connection with people?

The challenge to you is think of any part of your life that is not reliant upon some form of computer.

This article was written by Danielle Staub, a student taking Media Writing 2 at Marietta College.  Look for more articles from the class to appear on Writing on the Mall in the coming weeks.  If you are interested in writing for Writing on the Mall, please e-mail patrick_h at writingonthemall dot net.

A Celebration of Life: Upcoming Blood Drive Seeking Donors and Volunteers

Life is often taken for granted, and individuals sometimes forget just how lucky they are to have the freedom to do essentially what they want and embrace their health and good standing.

With the recent tragedy in Haiti, it is more than imperative to be thankful to be alive and have loved ones surrounding.  It is time to reach out to others and cultivate a celebration of life, and one way to do just that is to be a donor and/or volunteer at Marietta College’s first blood drive of the spring 2010 semester from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Gathering Place.

A group of McDonough Leadership students, with the aid of Director of Civic Engagement – Tanya Judd-Pucella – and Red Cross Donor Marketing Specialist, Brian Adams, coordinated the drive because of the constant need for blood and products to supply hospitals and help the sick and injured.  Because of the aforementioned crisis, that need has multiplied even more, which is why all students and faculty members are highly encouraged to partake in this event.

“Blood drives are crucial to the health and welfare of our community and beyond,” Judd-Pucella says.  “While the blood collected here at MC may not go to Haiti directly, there is always the need to have a good supply on hand in case of disasters.”

The student organizers – freshmen Sarah Snow, Jaide Brown, Marci Estock, and Sam Thomas and sophomores Taylor Vaughn and Jen Emmert – have all worked blood drives numerous times in the past and are incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve and inspire others and make a difference on a local and global level.

It hasn’t always been easy for them, though – Snow is afraid of needles, Brown can’t give because she passes out easily, and Estock and Vaughn had to overcome long-term nervousness.

“The first time I gave blood, I kept thinking about how badly people need this,” Estock admits.  “I can give them the gift of life, which I think is an extremely awesome ability, but also a huge responsibility – their helplessness gave me the confidence to roll up my sleeve and donate.  The rewarding feeling that you get after donating far outweighs the little prick of a needle.”

Vaughn’s power to prevail was more extreme, however, and she’s a Health Science major.  She gave blood for the first time last semester.

“I’m the girl who had to be held down to even get a medical shot,” she explains.  “For 19 years of my life, it never even occurred to me to donate blood because I let my nervousness take over, but nothing is better than overcoming that fear – I walked out a changed woman, and I hope that others can experience that, too!”

While reassuring, students may still feel apprehensive about the process.  Red Cross Specialist Brian Adams says, “People have many misconceptions about donating blood – they think that because they have diabetes, high blood pressure, or low iron, they cannot donate, and that’s not necessarily true.  As long as these conditions are under control, the donors WILL be able to give.  We make sure that people are feeling healthy the day of the donation.”

Ultimately, there are more benefits to giving blood than bad, which can have an impact not just on patients, but to the donors, as well.

“Working with blood drives will teach many valuable life skills like leadership, event coordination, public speaking, sales, networking, multi-tasking, strategic planning…and the list goes on,” claims Adams.

Marietta College students have the opportunity to not only donate blood, but to volunteer as well.  Student planner Sam Thomas assures, “The best kind of volunteer hours are those in which you are unable to witness the results, for you know that you are performing the act out of pure kindness.  Realize that although you may feel a little needle prick, those who need the blood are in much more pain, and to take 15 minutes out of your day to give blood may give someone else a lifetime in return.”

To donate, please sign up online at www.redcrossblood.org and enter the Marietta College Sponsor Code (MariettaC).  Students may also show up the day of the blood drive if interested, but must bring some form of identification to be eligible.  B Negative and O Negative blood types are needed the most for this drive, but all are accepted.  To ensure best results, it is recommended that students drink lots of water leading to the drive and eat a good meal at least thirty minutes before donation time.  However, treats and beverages will be served to all donors and volunteers.

To volunteer, e-mail Marci Estock (mje004).  Leadership students may receive service hours through working shifts and/or giving blood (which would be equivalent to one volunteer hour).

“The individuals working the last blood drive coerced me into giving it a try, and for that I will be forever grateful,” Vaughn reflects.  “It opened my eyes to a whole new way of giving back to the community.”

Remember, it’s donors like you who give those in need of transfusions something to celebrate, and a chance for a brighter future.  Isn’t the pride of doing a good deed worth a meager 15 minutes out of your day?  Give back by giving blood.

This article was written by Jen Emmert, a student taking Media Writing 2 at Marietta College.  Look for more articles from the class to appear on Writing on the Mall in the coming weeks.  If you are interested in writing for Writing on the Mall, please e-mail patrick_h at writingonthemall dot net.

Men’s Basketball: OAC Playoff Potential

Take a look at the Ohio Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball standings.

Here, I’ll make it easier.

As you can see, the Pioneers sit in eighth.  Eighth is good though, from the standpoint that you get to make the OAC Tournament.  But the Pioneers need to be careful tonight against the Capital Crusaders.  The Crusaders, who are sixth in the standings, already lost to the Pioneers once this season.  However, Marietta is coming into tonight’s game riding a three-game losing streak against #2 John Caroll, #5 Baldwin Wallace, and #7 Mount Union.

With six conference games left, Marietta is one game ahead of #9 Otterbein.  Otterbein plays #1 Wilmington, and with a loss, could fall two games behind.  Further, if the Pioneers simply beat Capital, Otterbein and #10 Muskingum a second time, then the Cardinals would need to win all of their remaining games.  The Muskies would be eliminated from contention.

As far as the OAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament looks, it could go to either Wilmington or John Carroll, depending on how the conference tournament plays out.  One thing is for sure though:  Wilmington is ranked in the region (not nationally though), and could potentially receive an at-large bid to go dancing if they were to lose to John Carroll.  We’ll monitor the situation at the end of February to see what pans out.

The Pioneers Men’s Basketball team continues their quest for a second straight conference tournament bid tonight when they play Capital at 7:30 PM at Fenton Court in Ban Johnson Arena.  They will then face the #3 Heidelberg Student Princes at Fenton Court on Saturday, scheduled to start around 3 PM (The Women’s Basketball Team plays Saturday at Fenton Court at 1 PM).  For these dates and more, check out the Writing on the Mall Calendar.

Take Our Survey, Have a Chance to Win an iTunes Card

Want to win a $15 iTunes card? Head to the link to take a quick survey for Writing on the Mall. We want to know what kind of music you like to listen to for an upcoming article.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE SURVEY!

Only the first 100 entries are eligible for the drawing. Survey must be completed by February 8th at 2 AM EST. Valid e-mail address must be included for winner to receive the prize. Drawing will be held February 8th an Noon EST. One drawing entry per e-mail address. Winner will be contacted within one hour of the drawing. Winner has three days to respond, before another winner is drawn. This process will repeat until a winner is selected. Prize will be presented to winner via mail as a physical gift card. The prize is a $15 iTunes gift card. Writing on the Mall may use the information you provide to compile a list of Marietta College’s Top songs. Your name will not be connected to any song selected to be mentioned as part of the article. The winner’s name may be included in the article to show who won the prize. If you have any further questions, please e-mail patrick_h@writingonthemall.net