Events

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

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.

Video Valentines For Sale

Marietta College’s National Broadcasting Society / Alpha Epsilon Rho chapter is selling video valentines to students, faculty, and staff this week.

For $1, you can have 30 seconds of airtime on WCMO Channel 15 to share your love, desire, or care for another person.  Whether it be for a friend, family member, boyfriend, girlfriend, big, little, or whatever…they will record it and air it Friday, February 12th and Sunday, February 14th.

Ideas include reading a poem, singing a song, or just telling your valentine what they mean to you.

You can purchase more airtime or a DVD copy of your message for additional money.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment to record your video valentine, please contact Jessica Lang at 740-644-4482

Spring Recruitment: Chi Omega Welcomes Interested Women

Are you a woman on campus thinking about going greek? Now is a great opportunity to visit the sisters of Chi Omega.

Chi Omega is hosting two events this week.  Tonight from seven to nine PM, head down to the Gathering Place for a game night.  They will have games to play and snacks to eat.  On Wednesday (tomorrow night) from six to eight PM, they will be hosting a Valentine Making Party.  All valentines will be made for U.S. Soldiers overseas.  They will also have cookies to bake and decorate.

Chi Omega was founded in 1895, and has grown to become one of the world’s largest women’s organizations.  They have over 290,000 initiates and 171 chapters.  For more information, visit their national website, their local website, or visit one of their events for more information

Basketball Season in Full Swing

Men’s Basketball Game TONIGHT vs Otterbein at 7:30 PM

Men’s Basketball has its first game of the Spring semester tonight at 7:30 PM against the Otterbein Cardinals.

The Pioneers (2-5 OAC, 5-8 overall) will take on the Cardinals (2-5 OAC, 4-10 overall) in a battle for the basement.  The top eight teams in the OAC advance to the conference tournament at the end of February.  The Pioneers currently sit in eighth, while Otterbein sits ninth and Muskingum tenth.

Marietta is led by Trevor Halter, who comes into the game scoring over 20 points in his past two games.  He was named OAC Men’s Basketball player of the week after 29 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Muskingum (0-7 OAC, 5-9 overall).  He followed that up with 21 points in a loss to Ohio Northern (5-2 OAC, 7-7 overall).

Otterbein comes into this game off of a victory over Mount Union (3-4 OAC, 5-9 overall), their second conference win of the year.  Senior Brian Pollock had 29 points in their last game, against Mount Union.  The Cardinals did not let the Purple Raiders score a single point from the field for 13 straight minutes, including the first six minutes of the second half.

Come check out your Pioneers tonight at Ban Johnson Arena.  Tip is at 7:30 PM.  Can’t get to Fenton Court?  88.3 WMRT-FM will be broadcasting the game over the air and streaming online at the Marietta Athletics page.

Student Life Events For The Week

Looking for something to do this week? here are all the events happening this week.

1/12 – Izzy’s Coffee House presents: NATE & KEVIN
9:00 pm at Izzy’s
Sponsored by the Office of Student Activities & Greek Life

1/15 – THE HEYDAY (band)
8:00 pm at The Gathering Place
Sponsored by CUB

1/15 – ROCK BAND TOURNAMENT
10:00 pm at The Gathering Place
Sponsored by Friday Night Fever

1/16 – MIKE WINFIELD (comedian)
9:00 pm at The Gathering Place
Sponsored by CUB

1/16 – LATE NIGHT BOWLING
11:00 pm at Pastime Lanes
Sponsored by the Office of Student Activites and Greek Life

Last Week of Winter Break: Quick Hits

A lot of little stories (and a LOT of snow falling here at the Mobile Writing on the Mall News Center) lead to today’s quick hits!

• Roll on, Etta Express – The Pioneers Baseball team was recently selected as the 19th best team in the country.  The pre-season poll, assembled by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, placed OAC for Heidelberg #14 in the polling.  Wooster, the team that won the 2009 Mideast Regional Tournament over Marietta, was ranked #2 in the nation, behind #1 St. Thomas of Minnesota.  The Etta Express will start its season in Memphis, TN over Spring Break. Continue reading “Last Week of Winter Break: Quick Hits” »

Long Blue Line Now Includes NL Manager of the Year

Jim Tracy, Manager of the Colorado Rockies, was announced as Major League Baseball’s National League Manager of the Year today.

Tracy, a 1978 graduate of Marietta College, led the Rockies to the post season after taking being promoted from bench coach in May.  The Rockies had an 18-28 record with their old coach, but had a record of 74-42 for the rest of the season with Tracy.  He received 29 first place with 151 points and blew out St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa, who finished second with two first place votes and 55 points overall.

Maybe we’ll see him here at some point to speak?  Or am I being too hopeful here?