By James West and Jess WilliamsPhoto by The Senator

Last semester Da-vis and Elkins Cam-pus went a little nutty when Shane Jones and Jenna Hannifan proposed to have two squirrel spirit leaders

to get enthusiasm out of the student body. Many people were opposed to the idea, stating that squirrel mascots were not fero-cious enough and that our school would be thought of as a joke.

But Shane and Jenna were consistent in saying that the squir-rels would not be our mascots. We are still and always will be the Senators. The spirit leaders are just a little something that students have to look forward to at games.

After much debat-ing and convincing the squirrels were ap-proved and on Janu-ary 29, 2013 they blew every doubt out of the water. The squirrels are en-ergetic, rambunctious, and great hit with the children of the com-munity. Students en-joy dancing and taking pictures with them and their halftime shows are a big hit among both the Senator Na-tion and Elkin’s com-munity. Sophomore Corey Kabchele, a member of the Squirrel Squad, spoke with The Sena-tor about his position and experience as a squirrel mascot. He enjoys it, and says that being in the squirrel costume is like “hav-ing a new personal-ity”. When in the suit, he can get people ex-cited, adding to school spirit. “It’s great,” he says. He says he plans to continue to be a spirit leader for the Squir-rel Squad for the next two years. He likes to entertain, and accord-

ing to the large influx of people attending the games, it works well. While it can’t be deter-mined whether the in-crease in population at the games is due to the squirrels themselves, it is obvious that students particularly enjoy the extra activities that are showcased during halftime. The publicity for the games has sky-rocketed, resulting in better student educa-tion of the games and event. There are six mascots to rotate through two costumes per game. They rotate specifi-cally for men’s games and women’s games due to the different levels of motivation.Corey reports that the two main means of motivating students are dance routines and light shows. It’s something different to add to the mix. They hired the men for the light show and were amazed by the effects they produced. They planned to have anoth-er light show Monday February 25th. The Squirrel Squad

performs not only for the basketball games, but for baseball and soccer as well. They haven’t decided whether or not they will change the mas-cot jerseys, but Corey mentioned that they are thinking about wearing baseball shirts and perhaps obtaining small pairs of pants for the costumes.Students have espe-cially been awaiting the Harlem Shake that was supposed to be scheduled for half-time Monday Febru-ary 25th. The Harlem Shake is a Youtube sensation that has been sweeping the world. If you were to Google “Harlem Shake” you would come up with more than 408 million searches! The squirrels are ready to put their print on the Internet sensation.If you haven’t seen them yet we strongly encourage you to at least give the squir-rels a chance and catch them at our next home game on February 25th! We hope to see you there!

Davis & Elkins College

The Senator D & E

Volume 1, No. 1 www.senator@mail.dewv.edu 28, February, 2013

INDEXSports ........................A5Editorial .....................A4Entertainment ...........A3News ..........................A2Dance Fever ..............A6

HOPEAn inspireing story of one D&E Bas-ketball Player’s love for his mother See Page A4

vibrant sound of loveGeña Preach Freedom and Connect brighten up the campus with their visit on Feb. 8 See Page A6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE D&E SENATOR

& ED

Students nowadays could think of no bet-ter way to prepare themselves for a busy day than grabbing a steaming hot cup of their favourite cof-fee as they make their way to class on these frosty mornings. Like-wise, nothing beats chilling out between classes, catching up with friends and en-joying an ice cold Frappe on sunny after-noons. Both of these sound like perfect scenarios that belong on a college campus, right? Student Assem-bly thought so, too. Which is why, at the beginning of fall se-mester when Phi Beta Lambda, the College’s Business Fraternity, was asked to take on the coffee shop proj-ect, they offered their full support. Since this time, PBL has been working tirelessly to get the go ahead from the administration to implement a fully op-erational coffee shop in the most convenient

location on campus: The Booth Library.....................................This venture, however, has proven to be much more difficult than the organization could ever have imagined. The fraternity has been faced with serious re-luctance from the ad-ministration to commit to the idea, mainly be-cause of the structural modifications that would have to be made in the Library. In order to gauge the general student opinion of the project, a Facebook page was set up that students could ‘like’ and post comments on to offer their support. The general consensus from the page is that students are excited about this prospect, with comments such as ‘I’ve been saying this college has been miss-ing a coffee shop since day one!’ and ‘Let’s get coffee! I could use the boost in the morn-ings’ appearing on the page.Phi Beta Lambda Pres-ident, Jason Mallow,

commented that “it is fantastic to see such a high level of support for the project from the student body. This really proves to us that people would be com-mitted to purchasing coffee from the shop and makes us more de-termined to ensure that the shop becomes a re-ality for them.” The fraternity hopes to

sign a contract with Caribou Coffee, the second largest coffee company in the United States, which would make the College the second retailer in the entire state serving the brand. Working with Caribou would also give them the freedom to serve more than just regular coffee. A wide range of flavoured

coffees in a number of different strengths could be stocked, with frappes, smoothies, teas, Coca Cola bever-ages, sandwiches and baked goods making up the rest of their im-pressive menu.....................................A meeting was held at the beginning of the month to discuss the coffee shop pro-posal. Several mem-bers of PBL attended the gathering where Jason Mallow gave a presentation to Dr Mi-halyo, Scott Goddard and Chef Mel outlin-ing their proposal and plans for the coffee shop. A pot of Cari-bou coffee was brewed and served so that the administration could become aware of the quality of their coffee. During this meeting it was decided that a trial run would be car-ried out, meaning that a temporary coffee shop would be set up in the Booth Library for a 3 month period to gain an idea of how successful it will be.

Based on this, it will then be decided if a fully operational shop is to be opened. If this is the case, the admin-istration plans to have the necessary plumb-ing alterations carried out during the summer months in order for the shop to be up and run-ning for the fall semes-ter. Jason expressed how pleased he was at this breakthrough, saying “I am glad that PBL can finally give the students what they want. We are excited to both introduce a new facility to the campus and to provide an op-portunity for students dealing with the proj-ect to gain a real-life insight into the world of business.’....................................The coffee shop trial is due to begin in the very near future and will be based in the Booth Li-brary where the refer-ence desk is situated.

Wake up and smell the coffee!

A Fantastic Cup Of Coffee!!!

Senator Squirrels a Success

By Roisin McSparron

On Thursday February 21st, our very own Sena-tor Squirrels invited everyone attending the game that night to join them in going “retro” by war-ring cloths from the 70’s 80’s and 90’s to help support our team during their game against our rivals from Alserson-Broaddus College. Stephen and Henry Were thrilled with our school spirit!!!!

Stephen and Henry Go Retro for the Big Game!

Henry gives a big thumbs up at the Alderson-Broaddus game!

Everyboy “Retroed Out” for the Big Game!

D&E SenatorPage A2 • February, 28, 2013

Monday, February 18, 2013.....................................

Kosovo, a nation in southeastern Europe bordered by Macedo-nia, Albania, Monte-negro, and Serbia, cel-ebrated it's five year of independence from Serbia. The nation's police force and army paraded through the capital streets of Pris-tina. While hope still exists within the small nation, the people face many challenges - such as the over 40 percent unemployment and lin-gering hostilities from conflicts in the late 1990s with Serbia.

Tuesday, Feburary 19, 2013

Pakistani police ar-rest over 170 militants suspected to have been involved in the Febru-ary 16 bombing in the town of Quetta, which killed 84 individuals and injured 190 oth-ers. The violence stems from armed resistance that sprung up after the Pakistan Armed Forces increased their presence in the moun-tainous Waziristan re-gion in order to combat Al-Qaeda and other groups.

Wednesday, Febru-ary 20, 2013

The events of the day include Sony announc-ing the launch of the PlayStation 4, Mum-ford & Sons winning best British Group at the BRIT Awards, and and NASA reporting the discovery of Ke-pler-37b - the smallest exoplanet discovered thus far.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

More violence emerges out of the Syrian Civil War – 59 people are killed in a blast at the Ba'ath Party headquar-ters in Damascus. The conflict -whose root is in the 2011 Arab Spring - has lead to over 70,000 deaths, alongside accusations of major human rights violations against the Syrian government.

Friday, February 22, 2013

In an interesting move, North Korea allows foreign travelers ac-cess to the Internet from mobile devices; however, North Kore-ans are not granted the same access. Coupled with a recent move that also allowed foreigners to use their cell phones with Koryolink SIM cards, these advance-ments allow informa-tion to finally readily escape from an other-wise isolated nation.

Around the world in five daysBy Andrew Carroll

NASA scientists were baffled Friday, Feb-ruary 15th, after a meteor hurdled over Russia and exploded above the city of Che-lyabinsk.

Scientists had greatly underestimated the size and force of the meteor. They had es-timated its weight to be 7,000 tons and the explosion to have ex-erted a force of 300 ki-lotons. The scientists later recalculated the approximate weight to be 10,000 tons, and in-stead, exploding with the sheer force of 500 kilotons. According to The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation,

300 kilotons alone is equivalent to 600 mil-lion pounds of dyna-mite.

NASA says the recent measurements were recorded by five in-frasound stations in various corners of the globe. These stations work by detecting low-frequency sound waves that are coupled with meteor explo-sions, which are also known as bolides.

Striking at 10:20 p.m. at an estimated 40,000 miles per hour, the explosion resulted in more than 1,000 injuries and many shattered windows

throughout the area. Around 7:45 p.m. on February 16th, a fire-ball flew over San Francisco, California, but scientists report that the fireball is un-related to the origi-nal meteor explosion. However, the proba-bility of an event such as this is relatively low. NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program only estimates the sighting of a fireball to occur once every 100 years. The year 1908 produced the last oc-currence of any kind of meteor explosion, in Siberia, over Rus-sia’s Tunguska River, causing widespread damage.

Although also unrelat-ed to, but certainly as fascinating as the orig-inal meteor was Aster-oid 2012 DA14 which also whizzed by Earth Friday, but only within about 17,200 miles of proximity--perhaps a stroke of luck.

Meteor explodes over skies of RussiaBy Jessica Williams

By Andrew Carroll

On the weekend of Fe-buray 15th-17th, the West Virginia Inde-pendent College and University Association (WVICU) held their annual meeting at Da-vis & Elkins College. The non-profit organi-zation's mission “is to champion independent higher education in West Virginia,” with the vision that “inde-pendent higher educa-tion in West Virginia will be an accessible, indispensable and highly visible compo-nent of the State's edu-cational, economic and cultural life.” Founded in 1951, the group has donated over 36 mil-lion dollars to private and independent col-leges and universities

in West Virginia. Mem-bers of the board of the organization include presidents of member institutions and mem-bers of the business, banking, and industrial communities. ....................................Before the board meet-ing on the morning of Friday, February 15th , the organization was treated to a presenta-tion on the Freshman Symposium by Dr. Jo-esph Roidt, Prof. Brent Saindon, Dr. Kathrine Osborne, and Amy Jones. In opening of the presentation, Dr. Roidt addressed the problem of civic en-gagement on college campuses. “We had a problem and an op-portunity,” says Roidt. He went on to explain how the symposium

served to revitalize winter term and pro-vide a non-tradition environment to learn essential skills neces-sary in the workforce, while cultivating civic engagement - the latter being an essential part of the colleges mission statement. Next, Dr. Osborne discussed and shared events of the first week of academic conference style learn-ing conditions. After that, Prof. Saindon shared the details of week two's mock state legislature.....................................Finally Amy Jones spoke about the re-flective learning that occurred during week three. To help high-light student learning, students Kaia Kater-Hurst and Andrew

Carroll shared shared the details of their own intellectual and per-sonal growth during the three week class session. Kater-Hurst, a freshman from Can-ada, explained that the experience helped her better understand the dynamics of United States politics. Carroll spoke to how the expe-rience gave him an op-portunity to work with people with lower lev-els of enthusiasm about a topic, a skill he be-lieves could be essen-tial to his future teach-ing career. Dr. Roidt returned to the podium to end the presentation with some early results from student surveys taken during the sym-posium. The results reflected a positive outcome from the ex-

perience and provided information that can be applied to improv-ing the first year sym-posium. Dr.Roidt also mentioned that some things, like statistics, can't capture like the growth of friendships between resident stu-dents and commuter students or the in-creased student en-gagement during class as the first semester be-gan. Amy Jones agreed with Roidt. “We had planned learning out-comes,” says Jones. “But a lot of the learn-ing that took place was unplanned - such as friendships students built and comfortably gained in expressing themselves in small group setting”....................................Members of the audi-

ence were receptive to the initiative taken by the college. Dr. Osborne shares that “Betty Ireland, for-mer Secretary of State of West Virginia, was interested in speak-ing at the event in the future.” Positive thoughts and ideas for next year’s symposium floated through the air after the symposium had faced outside scru-tiny for the first time. One can only hope that this program is the first of many new and innovative education initiatives that will put Davis & Elkins on the cutting edge of under-graduate education for years to come.

WVICU holds annual meeting at D&E

By Andrew Carroll........

In a surprising turn of event Pope Bene-dict XVI recently announced that his resignation effective February 28th. In do-ing so he become the first to do so since Pope Gregory XII did so in 1435. The event un-precedented in recent history was explained in an office statement from the Pope:

After having repeat-edly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an ad-equate exercise of the Petrine ministry.

I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be car-ried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering.

However, in today’s world, subject to so

many rapid changes and shaken by ques-tions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are neces-sary, strength which in the last few months, ..has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequate-ly fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.

For this reason, and well aware of the se-riousness of this act, with full freedom I de-clare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the ...............Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 Feb-ruary 2013, at 20:00 hours, the seat will be vacatnt.

See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Con-clave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will

have to be convoked by those whose com-petence it is.

While many questions swirl around the moti-vation for his resigna-tion, including links to scandals with in the Vatican, it will be busi-ness as usual in early March as the College of Cardinal meets to elect the next Pope. While it is hard to speculate who that in-dividual may be, many point to Ghanaian Car-dinal Peter Turkson, who if elected would be the first African Pope.

Pope Gregory XII resigns

By Andrew Carroll

Last week Davis & Elkins freshmen Kaia Kater-Hurst and Scot-ty Leach traveled to Toronto, Canada for the 25th Annual Folk Alliance Conference alongside representa-tives from the Augusta Heritage Center of

Davis & Elkins Col-lege. Leach shared his enjoyment of the experience with his friends via Facebook updates stating “Folk Alliance rox”. The Augusta Heritage Center was awarded the Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Award from the Folk

Alliance International, alongside The Weav-ers and Mike Seeger. In earning this award, the Augusta Heritage Center joins the ranks of esteemed musicians such as Bob Dylan.

Augusta Heritage Center wins FAI Award

By Jick Jack

Have you ever won-dered what it feels like to live in a com-munity where you don’t belong, perhaps because of the color of your skin or where you come from? I and many others have felt this way; not only stu-dents on campus but other folks as well. .................................... I am not originally from West Virginia, but instead, I am from Washington, D.C. I came from an area where the majority of

people were African American, and it was very rare to see Cauca-sians. It was a dramatic change, to go from one environment that was conducive to certain social experiences that I experienced with cer-tain people and switch to another. To tell you the truth, the change in social environment impacted me the most. That was when I dis-covered how I fit in with the issues of rac-ism, and I began to ex-perience the effects of social status that come with being of different

race. But what I started to figure out though was that the effects weren't limited to that area, but were wide-spread. That's not to say that one state is not accepting of people of different color, but that there are some specific areas that sadly still discriminate slightly in terms of racial differ-ences. In my opinion, regardless of race or the color of your skin, everyone is the same inside and out. The take home message: treat everyone equally.

The pilgrimage

D&E Senator February, 28, 2013 • Page A3

Meteor explodes over skies of RussiaBy Jessica Williams

Entertainment

By Erin Taylor

Our Art Department has been going through some significant changes. Four years ago, it was nothing like it is now. The stu-dio had much less light and the classrooms were not divided. Mi-chael Doig and Brett Kerns agree that things have improved greatly since more light has been added and there are actual classrooms now. Students can ef-ficiently utilize the space by going down to what they used to call “the dungeon” to work on projects and hold club meetings. “It is a much more com-fortable place to work now. It feels just like a studio,” says former art student Amber Ko-cela.I had the privilege of sitting down with with Amber Kocela, who recently graduated this

past J-Term. Amber started as an Educa-tion major because she thought that teaching was what she wanted to do, and D&E didn’t offer Art as a major at that time. In the mean-time, she just took art classes while working on her Education ma-jor. When Art was re-introduced as a major into the curriculum, she quickly hopped on the train to change her major to art.Thanks to Amber, I learned some impor-tant and inspiring in-formation regarding our Art Department here at D&E. She gave me some advice: al-ways do what makes you happy. She says, “As long as you are happy, the rest of life will take care of itself.” “It was something that made me happy,” she said of pursu-ing art, “that is why I changed.”

Michael Doig, a pro-fessor in our Art De-partment, informed me of the renovations that took place to make the Art Department what it is now. “The costs were around $1.25 million, or somewhere along those lines,” he stated. These reno-vations included the work on and below Harper McNeely Au-ditorium.Although the Art De-partment still has to fight some battles, such as the damaging effects of the Fitness Center above, it has come a long way and is a prime example of D&E’s push for each student to have a suc-cessful opportunity to experience the full range of a liberal arts education.

The Art Department: a diamond in the rough

The cerebral Senator crosswordLiterary Authors Edition

...........................................By Andrew Carroll

Chester River Run-off, hailing from the rural eastern shore of Maryland, made the Ice House at Davis & Elkins College the first stop on a short tour last Thursday; the tour includes perfor-mances at The Purple Fiddle in Thomas, WV, Cristina's Cafe in Strasburg, VA, and the Hawk'n'Dove in Wash-ington, D.C. The four piece band, consist-ing of Ben Arminger

(vocals/guitar), Sam Guthridge (vocals/banjo), Marc Dyke-man (vocals/bass), and Nate Grower(fiddle/m a n d o l i n / v o c a l s ) filled the historic structure with a blend of original bluegrass and old time country music. Sponsored by the Appalachian Mu-sic & Dance Club, the concert drew a lively crowd. As conversa-tions and laughter drifted from the lower level of the Ice House to the top, the band’s vocal harmonies and

upbeat tunes excited dance in some and a moment to unwind for others. While some students and alumni clogged to the beat, others stood complete-ly absorbed in the mu-sicianship on the band. The group played orig-inal compositions and traditional songs such as “In the Pines”. ....................................In between sets, I spoke with band mem-bers Ben Armiger (vocals/guitar) and Sam Guthridge (vo-cal/banjo) about play-

ing in the Ice House. “We had been trying to put together a Vir-ginia and West Vir-ginia tour, and this was the missing link”, says Sam Guthridge. “Is there a place like this anywhere else?,” chimes in Armiger. They also reflected on how the small perfor-mance induced listen-ing not only from the audience, but also be-tween band members. “We don't have moni-tors in here, so we're forced to really listen to each other,” says

Armiger. The band hopes to return to the college in the future. If you missed the show, you can wait until next year or find a show date on their website at http://www.chester-riverrunoff.com.

An interview with

Chester river Runoff

By Kelcie Mullins

Alpha Phi Omega started at Lafayette College in Eastern Pennsylvania. Al-pha Phi Omega was founded by Frank Reed Horton, who was a member of the United States Navy in World War I. Alpha Phi Omega was offi-cial born on December 16, 1925. Frank Hor-ton founded Alpha Phi Omega on the same principles of the Boy Scouts. The Scouting Law states “A scout is; trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, cour-teous, kind, obedi-ent, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and rev-erent.” The Cardinal Principles of Alpha Phi Omega are Lead-ership, Friendship, and Service. In our chapters people are transformed from followers to leaders. The fraternity has sev-eral programs to help brothers become bet-ter leaders by develop-ing their own personal skills. These include: APO Leads and APO

IMPACT. Friendship is formed through events called Brotherhoods. Broth-erhoods consists brothers and sisters in a chapter getting together and bond-ing over an activity. Brotherhoods can in-clude: movie nights, game nights, or even making t-shirts. The fraternity has es-tablished fields of ser-vice in which chapters should be involved. These are: Service to the Campus, Service to the Community, Service to the Nation, and Service to the Fra-ternity. ....................................Alpha Phi Omega: Tau Alpha is the chapter that is present on Da-vis and Elkins Cam-pus. Although APO started as an all-male fraternity, we now ac-cept female members. Actually out of the eleven active mem-bers at D&E ten of them are female. The president of D&E Chapter is Sam Morse . The Vice President is Tyler Pratt. Through

this fraternity we be-come brothers and sisters. It brings us together and forms ev-erlasting bonds. Alpha Phi Omega is a ser-vice fraternity. Some of the projects that we have accomplished in-clude the Valentine’s Date Auction/Dance for children, Rock Against Hunger, and Granada. All the pro-ceeds received from the Valentine’s Auc-tion went to the Leu-kemia and Lymphoma Foundation. The pro-ceed reached almost $300. If you have any questions about Alpha Phi Omega just find oneof the following sis-ters or brother: Sam Morse, Becky Baker, Kelcie Mullins, Susan Simmons, Taylor Hur-ley, Karen Cobb, Sara Phillips, Ava Collar, Becca Wright, Kelsea Curry, or Tyler Pratt. The fraternity motto is as stated “Be a Lead-er, Be a Friend, Be of Service.”

A Glimpse at Greek Life: Alpha Phi Omega

Photo by The Senator

“Self Portrait” By recent Art Major Graduate Amber Kocela

D&E SenatorPage A4 • February, 28, 2013

The Senator D & E

Nouna AnthonyChief Operating Officer

rcna@usa.com

Jess WilliamsChief Operating Officer Understudy

thejkailee@gmail.com

Kaïa Kater-HurstCo-Editor in Chief

kaiaface@hotmail.com

Katelynn HanekCo- Editor in Chief

hanekk@mail.dewv.edu

Rhiana Bruce-LyleSports Editor

bruce-lyler@mail.dewv.edu

Davis & Elkins CollegeFounded 1904

by Roisin McSparron

For most of us, our mother is the first person we see as we open our eyes for the very first time, as well as the first person we love. It is for this reason that Anthony Daniels’ story is particu-larly endearing. Daniels is a junior at the college who plays small forward on our men’s basketball team and previously ran cross coun-try. During Winter Term, he took the Mural Art class and completed an impressive piece with a Disney theme that he hoped to send to his mother.Throughout her life, Antho-ny’s mother has battled with health issues, including four heart attacks, two strokes,

Crohn’s disease, and diabe-tes. Despite these ailments, his mother still took him to experience the magic of Dis-ney World as a child. This is where Anthony got the idea for his mural; he knew that the mural would raise

his mother’s spirits on hard days with its bright colours and cheerful appearance.The mural, entitled ‘Hope’ depicts five different Dis-ney characters. In one cor-ner sits Aladdin with the Genie above him, holding

his magic lamp and a deck of cards. This image sym-bolises luck and the ability to wish for something. The other side holds a typically angry looking Donald Duck as well as Simba from the Lion King. Simba is look-ing up to the sky in hope. Finally, in the middle of the piece stands Mickey Mouse with his magic hat. He has fireworks coming out of his hands and gives the message that everyone can make their own dream.

Hope: an inspiring story

D&E foodBy Blanche

On any given day, you can find the majority of Davis and Elkins College stu-dents, eating in one of two places on campus- the caf-eteria or Cadillac Daddy’s. Now, in the cafeteria, you have five food options, which normally offers a va-riety to the students. Most of the time however, many of the stations are not open, or you have the same types of food in each of the sta-tions. Cadillac Daddy’s, located under the cafeteria, is supposed to be our “fast food” on campus. Although, it may be arguable as to whether this food should be considered “fast” or not. The question most students have on their mind though is… How good is it?In my opinion, I view the food here as kind of okay. With the amount of money that we pay to this school, we should have a much higher quality of food. Also, the times that the caf-eteria stays open are ridicu-lous. Some students strug-gle to make these times with classes all day, or practices that last during dinner time. I know I have heard many athletes and other students complain about having to waste all of their Caddy’s money on food when the cafeteria closes before they have time to eat dinner.

The problem with Cadil-lac Daddy’s is the fact that it takes such a long time to get food. When the cafeteria has bad food, most students will resort to going down to Caddy’s to get some food. But, the more people that go down there, the longer the food takes to make.You could argue that the food at Caddy’s is worth it. You could say that the qual-ity of the food is worth the wait. But, students these days do not always have the time to wait this long for their food, which leaves most of them eating in the cafeteria, which does not have as great of a quality of food as down at Caddy’s. The cafeteria could be bet-ter than it is, if only they would switch up the variety of food they serve. People don’t want to eat chicken every day, especially dur-ing Lent, when some people have certain days that they can’t eat meat.The money we spend to go to this school should pro-vide us with better foods, and more options. A good idea would be to try and get a few places off cam-pus to be part of our card. That way, we could go to Subway, get some fresh food, and be able to swipe our cards to get it. I feel that there are many other op-tions out there we just have to be willing to find them.

A wall of many colors

by Rachael Nelson

After months of planning, endless meetings, and read-ing and analyzing nearly three hundred surveys, the faculty and staff of Davis and Elkins College crafted a winter term experience unlike any other. First Year Symposium, or “Freshman Symposium” for short, was an interactive series of ac-tivities and lessons focused around a more academic and comprehensive under-standing of the democratic process and how college students can engage in dem-ocratic actions and critical thinking. The first week was comprised mostly of minia-ture lectures, often featur-ing student and staff led discussion panels. These always featured difficult questions and concepts to engage the freshman in el-evated conversations. Pro-fessor Dana Baxter received much praise for her sessions focused around the concept of “Super Predators,” or the often skewed and unfair ju-dicial actions taken against young people. Chris Camp-bell, a freshman student from Elkins, WV, who at-tended all sessions offered by Prof. Baxter was highly impressed with the qual-ity and energy presented in the lectures. “I didn’t know what to expect at first, but she [Prof. Baxter] had a lot to say and she presented her information really well,” says Campbell. The second week was a glimpse of how legislation in the state of West Virginia is proposed, edited, and passed. Students were first placed into mock political parties, then into different political roles and commit-tees, and from there, the committees were expected to revise and build a work-ing bill to present on their

Senate or House floor at the end of the week. Ten-sions and expectations were high, but the discourse was enjoyable and thought pro-voking. One particularly controversial piece of leg-islation came almost single-handedly from freshman student Andrew Carroll, who crafted a second bill to accompany his group’s as-signed bill. The legislation called for a feasibility study of a mountain rail system in West Virginia, which gener-ated a large outcry within the “Senate;” questions of economics and ecological safety were raised, and it was a genuine display of critical thinking amongst the freshman student body.............................................Finally, the symposium concluded with a week of reflection and application. Students were asked to compile academic artifacts in a portfolio to turn in as the final graded item. For their efforts, the students were rewarded with an overnight trip to Charles-ton, where they visited vari-ous sites—The Capitol, The Clay Center, The Cultural Center, and The Gover-nor’s Mansion, to name a few. During the visit to the Capitol, students were able to take their experiences from Week Two and apply the same concepts in a real-world setting, discussing and passing mock legisla-tion the same forum used by West Virginia’s Senators and Representatives.Overall, the winter sympo-sium was a wild success. Apprehensions may have been high at first amongst the freshmen students, but the experience and hands on learning appears to have left a lasting and powerful impression.

Freshman Syposium

A dreamBy Sajwise

A Dream, it's something that lives deep within your mind. It's a burning de-sire within your heart and once you start taking ac-tion run with it and don't look back. Some people let their dreams fade away over the years due to the confinement of this world. Many are told that they will never amount to any-thing, which can discour-age others in the process. Well I’m here to tell you that you are entitled to your own dream! Also, want to tell you that you can take daily action on your goals and start proving to your-self that you are capable of accomplishing anything. That's when everyone will notice the optimistic vision of life you've gotten. If you stay on the path less taken and adapt to the adversities and obstacles that you face, then I guarantee you will

come out a winner on the other side. A great friend of mine once told me " Saj you have to stop dreaming with your eyes closed and start dreaming with them open." It took me a while to understand it completely, but the more I apply my-self and my burning desire daily, towards the world, I can feel a legacy being built. There will always be struggle with whatever you do in life, there will always be times when you want to quit, but the best thing to do is fight hard during those times. Prove to yourself that it's worth it to keep on pushing. You see, Music and my love for making people smile with it is what drives me to keep going. I’ve developed my own style and finished a com-plete album this past year which has had over 2800 views . I named it "wise words". It was produced by my best friend Jawilez.

Have you ever felt like you had to always be around music? That anything else in life has to wait until your favorite song has played through. Some people have a constant beat in their head and are always formulat-ing different sounds and rhythms. Well I want to in-troduce one of the best up and coming producers from VA. Jesse "Jawilez" Wiley from Stafford VA, started his interest in engineering and producing beats for the hip hop culture when he and couple of friends started a group called vivid anima-tions, Jwilez quickly took advantage of the software he had acquired and worked daily on his craft. He is my current producer, and has managed to be recognized and congratulated on his amazing work by Grammy award winner "Maxamil-lion". He has also produced "Wise Words" by Sajwise. Taking music classes and growing his talent in high

school to be ready for what the music industry has in store has molded him. He has practiced for years try-ing to find his sound, and feels that he has finally per-fected it. Jawilez moved to Elkins to start a movement with Sajwise. He's inspired by great producers like Timberland , j Cole , Dr dre , lex Luger. You can find the album by sajwise pro-duced by jawilez on http://sajwisevividanimations.bandcamp.com/album/wise-words-ep/ Jesse is now working on another project with me, and some industry produc-ers. He’s standing tall, mak-ing things happen and fol-lowing his dream!

“...the experience and hands on learning ap-pears to have left a lasting and powerful impression.”

“....the symposium concluded with a week of reflection and application.”

By Marie Brack and Jick Jack

In terms of different na-tionalities put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Da-vis & Elkins College con-sists of multiple different races and nationalities. Culture varies not only from country to country, but also from state to state. Booth Library attempted to educate students as well as the community and portray characteristics of different races. In celebration of black his-tory month, Booth Library set up a display of portraits that illustrated biracial fam-ilies. These families either had adopted children of dif-ferent races or their parents are of a different race. One of the most interesting as-

pects of the wall was that it contained personal quotes from the people shown in the portraits. One of those quotes was from an inter-racial couple. “Being bi-racial gives our son a real advantage. Unlike so many people, he’ll never be able to form a solid opinion

about folks_ he’s caught in two worlds. He won’t always consider this an ad-vantage, but I’m sure later on, he will”. Myself, being biracial as well as grow-ing up in a biracial home I couldn’t agree more. You learn to look at things for what they are and appreci-

ate and love all races. Another part of the wall that grabbed my atten-tion was a picture of a homosexual interracial family, with two African American boys. The di-versity of the family re-ally spoke to my heart; I have never seen a fam-ily with similar sexual orientation as well as ethnic diversity. If they weren’t getting bullied for being homosexual, they were being bullied for being biracial, like they were able to choose

their skin color. In appreciation of black history month, show every person respect. No matter their race, sexual orienta-tion, or nationality. In the words of Dr. Seuss “ A per-son is a person….”

D&E Senator February, 28, 2013 • Page A5

By RB

Dedicated, hardworking, reliable, and talented, are just a couple of words that describe these players. This year, both the men’s and women’s basketball team will lose significant, key players. Though this is sad for their coaches, team, and supporters, their perfor-mance on and off the court is certainly praised and will forever be remembered. In an interview with Coach Asbell, regarding his play-ers, he stated that it was a great 5th year, here at D&E for him. He also stated that he assisted in the building of the current basketball program and that in his first year here, our wins were in-creased by 9 games, and the

team has continued to do well. This semester, Coach Asbell loses Page Turner, Amy Turner, and Beth Gribble. Page and Amy

have been here for 4 years, while Beth was a trans-fer student and joined the team her junior year. These three have maintained the role of captain for this past season, reigning with their great leadership abilities. Asbell was happy to share his thoughts of each of the talented young ladies who work hard, on and off the court. Beth, number 32, is said to have an outgoing personali-ty, is versatile, and is some-one who speaks her mind, so you know not to mess with her! Coach Asbell said that she can play several positions on the court and she is very competitive. In Amy, number 23, we see a little of the opposite, in the sense that she is quiet. However, it is said that si-lence is deadly, and Amy proves this to be true! She has started every game, but three, that she has played

here. As for Page, number 3, “she is a leader.” She plays Point Guard, and is considered to be the “heart and soul” of the team by her coach. She is currently playing with an injury but this just shows that she has dedication and is a fighter. With all of these qualities, their coach sees them being very successful in their fu-ture careers. This season the team is cur-rently recognized as the 4th best out of 15 teams. These three girls have experi-enced success and “really helped the program grow”. Everyone on their team gets along very well with them. The team has chemistry on and off the court, which Coach Asbell says, “is a big key to our success.” He goes on further to say, “I’m excited that they’ve been a part of the program. Thank you for your hard-work and dedication. You all will certainly be missed. Let’s make the season as long as possible!”As for the men, they are said to be a really great group. They all have great personalities and are fun to be around. Coach Martin stated that he enjoys being their coach and seeing them everyday.D’Quan Lynch, Shane Brown, Paolo Ivis, Josh Wamsley, and Igor Pre-masunac, are all transfers.

D’Quan, better known as Q to most, has had an “outstanding year”, Coach Martin said. He averages 6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and is the leading scorer and is second in assists. Q plays with his “heart and hustle” something you can see. He is fun to be around and has an entertaining per-sonality. As for Paolo, he is a great leader and keeps his head in the game. Though he has been unable to play this semester due to a back injury he has been helping the coaches with the play-ers during games and prac-tice. He does an amazing job academically, and has tremendous character. As for Igor, he has great pres-ence on the court and off. He is a talented and gifted player, and is a good player and person to have on your team.Shane Brown is a desig-nated shooter. He can score 38% of the time from the 3 - p o i n t line and is a threat to others on the court. C o a c h Martin is very hap-py with his prog-ress. He is said to be the center of every-

thing, and is always the one who would start a de-bate. “He is very outgoing and smiles every day,” said Coach Martin. Last but not least we have Josh Wams-ley. Coach smiled and shook his said when he said that, “Josh Wamsley is the ‘most level-headed’ person you’ll find.” He is a leader and a versatile player who not only has the ability to shoot 3’s but is also good with dunks and rebounds. Coach Martin definitely sees success in his play-er’s future. He said that he would most certainly go to Paolo for financial advice and sees Q finishing his de-gree and pursuing his plans of going into the Navy. He believes that wherever Shane is working will be a fun place and that he would make the office ‘less boring and more fun’. As for Josh he sees him contributing back to the community and being a good accountant,

and sees Igor playing pro-fessionally in Europe. He told me that his hap-piest moment with them would have to be their away AB game. After their win and celebration on the court with the team and their supporters, they were dancing and singing in the locker room. This cel-ebration went on for about 8-10 minutes. He said, “I just took a back seat and thought, this is what it’s all about.” He wishes them all the best in their future.All of us here at D&E, would also like to wish you all the best in your future endeavours! You all will re-main with us always!

Tribute to senior basketball players

Senator Nation!

D&E SenatorPage A6 • February, 28, 2013

On Febuary 8th at the Ice House came the vibrant and eclectic sounds of love and world peace through the musical stylings of Geña Música, Preach Freedom, and Connect. Straight out of Pittsburg they were joined by our very own D&E Brazilian Drum Ensemble to create what Preach Freedom calls an “Afro-Cuban World House Jam!” It was a high energy filled night of fun!

D&E gets dancing!!!!!!On Tuesday February 12, 2013 Student Assembly voted in the Davis and Elkins Dance club. These 10 lovely ladies are led by an extremely talented and passionate woman, Laurie Goux. Ms. Goux has been dancing since before she could walk and has been trained in more dance styles than can be counted on both hands and feet. She has taught and lived in many places including Chicago, Illinois and has decided to try her hands at teaching at D&E.

The Dance club hopes to not only perform during half-time shows; they also hope to attend local, state and national conferences. On weekends, the D&E dance teams is planning on hosting different workshops, on the weekends that would be open to the public.

The girls are excited to finally be able to express themselves in a way that the school wasn’t able to provide before. They’re overjoyed to be able to show off their talents and can’t wait for the campus to see them!

Geña Preach Freedom & Connect

by: James Westphotos by:Netty

by:Marvin Harrisphotos by: Haley Russell