THIELENSIANthe student-run newspaper of Thiel College in Greenville, PA

THE

Volume 133 Issue 6 Friday, April 11, 2014

MARCHMADNESS

pg. 8

FashionShow pg. 3!!

Students ofthe Month!

pg. 5

Friday, April 11DIII Week Cookout: 4-8p.m. in the Lower CampusQuad

Join fellow students in a cel-ebration for student athletes.Enjoy hot dogs and hamburg-ers and join in on a game ofcorn hole, can jam, or basket-ball. Relay Races will also beoccurring, as well as the op-portunity to pie certain coach-es in the face!

Saturday, April 12 Kappa Sigma Chili Cookoff: 12-6 p.m. in theLutheran Heritage Room

Think you can make a madpot of chili? The brothers ofSigma Kappa invite you to en-ter your chili in a cook off toraise money for the militaryheroes’ campaign! The win-ning pot of Chile will be cho-sen by a panel of judges andwill receive a prize of $100!

DHI and TAB FundraiserDance: 8-10 p.m. at theGlen Johnson Center,Room 101

DHI and TAB will be host-ing a dance party as their finalfundraiser for the End toMalaria Campaign. Stop byand enjoy some food and mu-sic while supporting a greatcause!

Tuesday, April 15Epic Rap Battles of Liter-ature: Lutheran HeritageRoom 8-11:30 pm.

Think you have what ittakes to be a professional rap-per? Students are invited to putthemselves in the position oftheir favorite literary characteror author and battle again theirpeers in a rap battle hosted bythe English Club. The battleswill be judged by Thiel Col-lege faculty and all money col-lected will be donated to theWounded Warriors Project.

Easter Break: April 17-April 21

Thursday, April 24Multi-Cultural Banquet:4-6:30 p.m. in the Sawhill-Georgian Room

Members and executiveboards of WING, Alliance, TCSoldiers, and OBC and select-ed guests are invited to attendthis year’s multiculturalawards banquet. Awards willbe presented to outgoing sen-iors as well as other leadershipand organizational awards.

[cont. on pg.2]

Thiel Happeningscompiled by Liz Carlson

Phi Alpha Theta students attend regional conferenceby Sean Oros, soros@thiel.edu

Thiel’s chapter of Phi Al-pha Theta attended a regionalconference on Saturday,March 29.

The attending chapters pre-sented papers competitively,showcasing the papers of his-tory students across the localarea.

Thiel’s students werepaired against those fromWilliam and Jefferson, GroveCity, and Carnegie Mellon,among others.

Attending from Thiel wereKeeton Ritter, Sean Oros,Jordan Lang, Brittany Patten,

Elaine Kelley, AmandaBauer, Dave Waugaman,Ken Burns, Elliott Beach,and Dan Nolte. Allen Mor-rill, Dr. James Bloomfield,and Dr. James Koshan all ac-companied the students.

Thiel’s team brought homethree awards from the confer-ence, with Waugman, Nolte,and Kelley all winning with-in their presentation groups.

The regional conferencewas a rousing success forThiel. Each paper submittedhad to be at least eight pages,though students were more

likely to have to reduce,rather than add to, the paperlengths so as to make the pa-pers more accessible for thejudges.

Faculty from each attend-ing chapter served as presen-tation moderators and paperjudges, Dr. Koshan partici-pating as well.

Three out of the four cate-gories that each student wasjudged for pertained to thepaper itself, with an empha-sis upon scholarly use of pri-mary documents. After-wards, students had a chance

to mingle with other chaptersand enjoy a luncheon provid-ed by Slippery Rock Univer-sity.

Kelley presented upon theAcadian exile from theirhomeland, in the wake of theFrench and Indian War.

Nolte presented upon theVietnam war of independ-ence against the French,showing it as a way to under-stand the later Vietnam Warwhich in which America en-gaged.

Waugman presented uponthe Muslim Brotherhood, in-

cluding their history, theirvarious factions, and theirrole in modern politics.

Other Thiel presentationsincluded Ritter’s paper on theZulu War, Bauer’s paper onthe enslaved “comfortwomen” of the Pacific War,Oros’ paper of native influ-ence upon French Canada,and Scuba’s paper on theJapanese victory of the Rus-so-Japanese War and its in-ternational consequences.

The other students accom-panied the group to supporttheir friends and peers.

RYAN’S RELAY FOR LIFEThe second annual Relay for Life took place on April 5 from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fourteen teams were represented, over $20,000 was

fundraised, and Thiel ‘Relay’ers plan on continuing their fundraising efforts until the end of the semester.

by Paul Connelly, pconnelly@thiel.edu

Thiel College held theirsecond annual Relay forLife this past Saturday in theRissell-Schreyer Dome.

The twelve-hour eventincluded fundraisers, liveperformances, and servicesto honor cancer survivorswhile members from eachteam performed laps aroundthe track. Last year, a teamof students, including ErinHuff, Nick Ferracano, andRyan Hart, reached out tothe American Cancer Soci-ety to bring this great eventto Thiel’s campus.

Hart was diagnosed inJanuary for a second time.Ryan spoke to the crowd atthe opening ceremony to ex-press his appreciation for therally cry of the community.

“It seems like there’s ahell of lot of you out there

that care about me and mylife,” he said.

“Losing loved onesdrives me to continue to pro-vide honor to those peopleand I’ll never quit evenwhen it’s no longer my bat-tle, because it will always beour battle.”

With the Monopoly themethis year, each team partici-pating was required to createa monopoly piece for whicha representative of the teamhad to carry on the track atall times. Teams also need-ed a food to sell, a gift bas-ket to raffle off, and an ac-tivity that walkers canparticipate in.

All of the money raised ateach booth went to thefundraiser. The event fea-tured booths from multipleathletics, including women’s

softball, soccer, volleyball,and men’s baseball; andfrom campus organizationsincluding Environmentalclub, Alpha Xi Delta, andSigma Phi Epsilon.

Events throughout theday included various con-tests and the survivor’s lapwhich featured testimoniesfrom Thiel faculty and sur-vivors, Daniel Eppley andMark Delmaramo.

Later into the evening,the Luminaria lap occurredin which bags with lightswere placed all around thetrack as names of lovedones are displayed on thebag symbolizing the peo-ple each participant relaysfor. At the end of the night,the entire event had raisedmore than $20,000 for thecause.

Who is thenext Mark

Nordernberg?by Brianna Tiedeman, btiedeman@thiel.edu

As college students, the ques-tion of whether or not we will be‘successful’ post graduationcrosses our minds more oftenthan not.

After a visit from alumnaeMark Nordenberg, Thiel profes-sionals are reaching out to cur-rent students through new devel-opments to better establish aprofessional portfolio beforecommencement.

The current Chancellor of theUniversity of Pittsburgh, MarkNordernberg, graduated fromThiel in 1970, earning a Bachelorof Science degree in mathemat-ics. He later graduated from theUniversity of Wisconsin andmade his initial mark at Pitt. in1977 as a faculty member of theirlaw department.

Nordernberg then stood as theDean, the Interim Provost, a Dis-tinguished Service Professor, andin 1996 he was elected as Chan-cellor, his current position.

During his visit on Feb. 6,Thiel’s annual Founder’s Day,President VanAken honoredNordernberg with the Louis andBarbara Thiel Distinguished Ser-vice Award.

Thiel administration selectedhim as their recipient for servingas a Board of Trustees memberfor ten years, receiving the Dis-tinguished Alumni AchievementAward in 1988, and speaking atboth the 1993 Commencementceremony and also VanAken’s2010 inauguration.

“From talking to PresidentVanAken and to others, theaward was largely bestowedupon me for the work that I havedone now over the course of a lotof years to advance the cause ofhigher education and the devel-opment of the potential of stu-dents here in western Pennsylva-nia,” Nordernberg said.

“The University of Pittsburghis a very important institution tothis region and to the commonwealth and so if I have lead itwell, then there will have beenpositive impact and I think that,in addition to my continuing tiesto Thiel, really explains theaward.”

[Cont. on pg. 5]

There are a few weeks/weekendson Thiel’s campus that are a hugedeal – Homecoming weekend, Blackand White weekend, and GreekWeek. For the hundreds of studentsacross the campus who are involvedwith Greek life, the value of theweek is immeasurable.

There was a different event eachday, in which each greek organiza-tion participated. The eight organi-zations work and practice like it is achampionship game, but they try notto forget to have fun.

“Greek week is all about unity,having fun, and a little friendly com-petition,” Jessica Slupe, president ofsorority Zeta Tau Alpha, said. “Ourfavorite part of Greek Week is show-ing our Zeta pride at the events, winor lose.”

Monday’s event was dodgeball,which took place in the Dome. Here,the houses went head to head for thefirst time in teams in the playgroundclassic. This was the first of threeathletic related events during theweek.

“Greek Week is a time for thebrothers to have some fun and takepart in events we usually don’t,”Adam McCormick, president of fra-ternity Phi Theta Phi, said.

The Greeks met in Bly on Tuesdayto test their knowledge in the Acade-mic Bowl. The event was the onlyevent that did not involve some kindof physical exercise. While the pre-vious day’s event involved who wasthe most athletic, this event involveda different type of brawn - the powerof one’s mind.

Once Greek Week neared itshalfway point, the athletic abilitieshad to be dusted off in a heatedmatch of kickball in the Dome. Thegame’s competitiveness, which somemay remember playing in highschool, was presented for the Greeksto try.

The Dome hosted its final event ofthe week on Thursday when the timecame for another round of the GreekOlympics. The event, which payshomage to the modern athletic eventand the ancient attempt in classicAthens, called on the Greeks active-ness for a final time.

“ZTA is really excited for eachnight,” Slupe added, “We can towear our Zeta gear and cheer on oursisters.”

[Cont. on pg. 3]

Week of the Greeksby Hunter Michaelis, hmichaelis@thiel.edu

Delta Sigma Phi brothers, Sigma Kappa sisters, sweethearts and LOTYs ‘throw what they know’after being named winners of the Greek Week festivities.

Photo Courtesy of Natasha Brenneman

Ryan Hart and Erin Huff, two students who brought Re-lay for Life to Thiel, stand together at this year’s Relay.

Final BlyMovie of the

Semesterpg. 2

Friday, April 25 Mike Posner Concert: 7:30-10 p.m. at the Passavant Center

Well known singer,song writer and producer, Mike Posner, will be performing live atThiel College! Free to students with the presentation of their student IDs, Thiel Collegeinvites you to spend your final weekend on campus before summer break jamming out toMike’s hit singles, “Cooler Than Me” and “Please Don’t Go,” as well as several other fa-vorites!

Yoga Workshop: Sundays (March 23- April 27): 5-6:15 p.m. in the Glen John-son Center

Wind down from the weekend with a yoga session from instructor Jackie. Thiel Team Trivia Tuesdays: Every Tuesday 10-11 p.m. in the Bistro

EVENTSPage 2 THIELENSIANFriday, April 11, 2014

Thiel CollegePOLICE BLOTTER

Thiel Happeningscontinued from front page

March 23 - Liquor Law Violation An underage student was seen playing

‘hacky-sack’ in the hallway of Flo West whileholding an open can of beer.

April 6 - Liquor Law Violation A student was taken to the emergency room

after drinking too much (under the age of 21).

compiled by Brianna Tiedeman

Wanna see a movie? BLY HALL PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS...compiled by Liz Carlson

Friday April 11 and Sunday April 13: 6-8 p.m. Wolf of Wall Street

Based in the 1990s, this film tells the story of Long Island penny stockbroker, Jordan Belfort. When Belfort teams upwith his partner Donny Azoff to start a brokerage firm, the duo soon finds that they swimming in success. As their busi-ness and wealth grows, Jordan and Donny begin to abuse substances and their trustworthiness starts to decline. Throw-ing massive parties for their employees, the media becomes drawn to the company. The FBI soon catches on to Belfort’sdevious ways, forcing him to develop new methods to cover his tracks. The ultimate question soon arises about whetheror not Jordan will be able to maintain his wealthy lifestyle that he has grown accustomed to. Join us in Bly Hall to findout!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:To view information onsummer school and thesummer class schedule:www.sru.edu/summer

• More than 225 classes• More than 150 classes online• Undergraduate tuition

for PA residents: $276/credit + fees

• Five Sessions Pre-session .................. May 14 - May 30

Session I ........................ June 2 - June 27Session II ...................... June 30 - July 28Summer Term ................ June 2 - July 28Full Summer ................ May 14 - July 28

www.SRU.eduA member of the Pennsylvania

State System of Higher Education

REGISTRATION BEGINS APRIL 21

Slippery Rock Universitycourses at

Soak up some2014

QUESTIONS?Email: summer.school@sru.eduPhone: 724.738.2010

w

About the Thielensian

The Thielensian is ThielCollege’s student-run news-paper, funded by the StudentGovernment Association.

Our mission is to serve thecampus community by pub-lishing timely, fair, and rele-vant news, sports, feature sto-ries, and other information,and to provide a lively forumfor student expression andthe opinion of others on cam-pus.

The Thielensian encour-ages letters to the editor of300 words or less by tradi-tional mail and preferably bye-mail. Letters must besigned (no pseudonyms,please) and a phone numbermust be provided for verifi-cation.

Letters must be free fromoffensive language, personalattacks, obvious errors infact, and libelous or poten-tially libelous statements.Letters are subject to editingfor length and clarity, and wereserve the right to reject anyletter.

Guest columns, letters orother opinions expressed inthe Thielensian are the viewsof the writer and don’t neces-sarily reflect those of the staffand adviser or the college.

EVENTSPage 3 THIELENSIANFriday, April 11, 2014

Letters may be mailed to:The Thielensian

75 College AvenueGreenville, PA 16125or sent via e-mail to:newspaper@thiel.edu

Burton Speakman, adviser

The Thielensian

StaffEditor in ChiefKeeley Criswell

Copy EditorSara Toombs

Layout & Design Editor

Brianna Tiedeman

Student Life and Events EditorKatie Allgeier

Sports EditorErin Huff

Business Mgr.Sean Oros

Staff WritersMike BoratynLiz CarlsonClaire Lee

Hunter MichaelisChristina Ryan

Melanie Thompson-Soros

Staff Photographers Lynae Jackson

Maryanne ElderNatasha Brenneman

The final event was Fri-day’s Sing and Sync, whichis an event that calls on thecreativity and practice ofeach house. Billed as “TheEvent Most Students LookForward To” by college ad-vertisements, the event isbroken up into two parts.

The Passavent Center wasthe host for the conclusion ofGreek Week, and it came onnearly a full house.

In the first part, the housessing a few self-chosen num-bers, which either reflectedtheir organization or the col-lege itself. These perform-ances were 10 minutes longor more, and organizers al-ternated between fraternityand sorority in terms of or-der.

After a short intermission,the houses stepped up for thesecond part. This part re-quires the houses to performseveral dances, and thejudges paid attention to cre-ativity, singing ability, andhow well the members werein time with the movementsof the number.

This is the part where any-thing can happen. For in-stance, there was a perform-ance of Bon Jovi’s “Dead orAlive” with actual amps andguitars, and a Rocky reenact-ment with appropriate cloth-ing and music.

These performances wereshorter than 10 minutes, sothe organizations were some-times running around thestage in order to get every-thing right. The spotlightwas on them for only a shorttime.

In the end, though, onlytwo organizations could win.The judges deliberated formore than 25 minutes tryingto pick a winner in both cate-gories, which were judgedseparately. Zeta Tau Alphapulled off victories in bothcategories, and Delta SigmaPhi and Sigma Kappa placedfirst for the week, thus end-ing another year..

“It’s a learning experi-ence,” McCormick conclud-ed, “to understand what weneed to work on and to seewhat we do great at.”

Greek Week 2014 ends Psi Chi inductsnew membersby Amanda Miller, amiller@thiel.edu

Here at Thiel College wehave several honor societies.Most honor societies pridethemselves in being organi-zations that are made up ofmembers in chapters that ex-ist to recognize scholasticachievement, and to encour-age leadership, research, andcreativity, often within a par-ticular discipline. The Inter-national Honor Society inPsychology, Psi Chi, wasfounded in 1929 with twopurposes in mind. The first isto encourage, stimulate, andmaintain excellence inscholarship, and also to ad-vance the science of psy-chology. Membership isopen to undergraduate andgraduate students who aremajoring in psychology, andwho meet the minimumqualifications.

On April 22nd, the PsiChi chapter at Thiel Collegeis proud to announce the in-duction of their newestmembers. The new inducteesare as follows: Kaitlyn Bon-zo, Ashley Dolan, SaraGerdy, Danielle Gomula,Brooklyn Ishman, Lora Kay,Erika Leonhard, DanielleMassengill, Chelsea Mauko-nen, Brittany Patten, Kourt-ney Polvinale, Jalaya

Provitt, Lora Rutherford,Nicholas Seyko, JessicaSlupe, Casey Smith, KiaraWeltner, and Katelyn Young.There will be a dinner oncampus in honor of thenewest members of Psi Chi.All Psi Chi members as wellas the faculty in the Psychol-ogy Department are invitedto attend on April 22, 2014.

Headed by Dr. LauraPickens, the chapter advisor,this honor society alsoprides itself on communityservice and giving back tothe Thiel community. Lastsemester, the current mem-bers of Psi Chi participatedin a dog walking event atStrayhaven where memberstook time out of their day towalk homeless dogs on des-ignated trails in Greenville,Pennsylvania.

At Strayhaven, participat-ing veterinarians offer a dis-count to each dog and catthat has been adopted fromthe shelter to be spayed orneutered. Strayhaven is runby paid employees, led byan active volunteer board.The board was organized tomanage, direct, and controlall aspects of the shelter.

Psi Chi is proud to be anexample of scholastic

achievement, as well as asupporter of the Thiel Com-munity. This semester, wewill be joining other campusclubs and organizations byhelping with our annual“Spring Into Action” onSunday April 13th. For more

information about Psi Chipsychology honor society,please feel free to contact thecurrent president, AmandaMiller, at amiller@thiel.edu.

The Psi Chi phychology honor society is pleased to wel-come their newest members.

Second Annual Fashion ShowThe 2014 fashion show

was on Friday, March 28 inthe William Robinson The-ater. There were specialscenes which are 90s throwback, red carpet, business at-tire, opposites attract, inter-national artifacts, neon at-tire, and summer attirescenes. The models wereconsisted of American stu-dents and Korean studentswith the way each of modelswas in more than two scenes.“I was so nervous, but I hadfun definitely. Many peoplecomplemented the Koreantraditional dress I wore at thefashion show after that, and Iam happy that I got thechance to show it to Ameri-can friends,” YeaJi Jin saidrepresenting Korean models.From two to five dollars’ en-trance fee depending on partof sheet was used as dona-tion for a baby with child-hood cancer.

There were not only fash-ion scenes, but also someperformances which aredance and singing. Somestudents and an office madegreat concerts, so that it sat-

isfied the audiences a lot. Af-ter fashion show many audi-ences said that it was soworth because of diversity offashion show’s component.“I loved the host. He madethe show. Withouthim, the showwould be reallydifferent. I was sohappy that theyinvited the Warrendance team,”Clarissa Whipposaid representingaudience.

Generally, afashion show isshowing upcom-ing fashion trendsand design con-cepts. However,the Thiel fashionshow was madeup of various out-fits, hair styles,make up, andeven foreign tra-ditional dress.

Furthermore,as it added inter-esting perform-ances, the fashionshow excited

models and audiences withattractiveness of diversity. Itwas gorgeous combinationthat models, audiences, di-rectors, singers, dancers, andmusic man could communi-

cate. “I think it was successful.

We accomplished a lot thisyear. I hope to see it grow”,show director Sarah Brookssaid.

by Claire Lee, hlee@thiel.edu

Photo credit: Maryanne Elder

[continued from fr. page]

The Gamma Delta chapterof Sigma Kappa at Thiel Collegewill host their First Annual“Skavenger hunt” event, to raiseawareness for Alzheimer’s diseaseresearch.

Find the purple eggs aroundcampus on April 15, 2014 from8am-4pm, take a picture with theeggs, and upload them to your In-stagram with tag@skavenger_hunt and where youfound it! The more you find andupload, the bigger chance youhave to win some fabulousAlzheimer's merchandise andprizes! Don't forget to follow@skavenger_hunt on Instagram!

Through contributions fromchapters, individuals, and friends,the Sigma Kappa Foundation sup-ports Alzheimer’s disease research– a devastating illness that is nowour nation’s seventh leading causeof death – and a variety of scholar-ships, educational and leadershipprograms, and financial assistanceto members facing financial crisis.

For more information about theInstagram “Skavenger Hunt” or tosupport the Sigma Kappa Founda-tion, contact Dawn Pastorius 724-255-9832, dpast259@thiel.edu, orvisit Sigma Kappa Foundationweb site at www.sigmakappafoun-dation.org.

by Dawn Pastorius, dpastorius@thiel.edu

Join the sisters of SigmaKappa; raise awarenessfor Alzheimer’s research

STUDENT LIFE Page 4 THIELENSIANFriday, April 11, 2014

Ultimate Frisbee Clubby Nate Flory, nflory@thiel.edu

March 22, eleven mem-bers of the Thiel CollegeUltimate Frisbee Clubtraveled to Westminster Col-lege to participate in theirfirst ever tournament.Although the team wasunable to come away withany victories (they were liter-ally inches away from awin on the last point of a 4-3loss to Gannon University),the tournament was whatthe club needed to take itsnext steps forward. Nineof Thiel’s eleven players hadnever before played in anofficial game of Frisbee,so the tournament providedinvaluable experienceto these players. The amountof learning that tookplace was unbelievable.

By late in their secondgame, the players wereable to truly settle into theirproper positions and respon-sibilities, and the improve-ment continued fromthere. About the tournament,freshman Hanna Tegelsaid, “It was a great learningexperience and a chancefor me to grow as an athlete.”

The team plans to use

this experience as a spring-board to take their successto the field next time around.

The ultimate clubwas built from the ground upthis school year, beginningin September 2013. Practicesbegan with about four

players and grew to involveas many as eight students inthe fall; now, the club hasnearly doubled in size to fif-teen members, includingthree females. The club re-ceived the materials that itneeded to expand from a new

start equipment grantthrough USA Ultimate inJanuary, which providedthem with eight discs, a set ofeight cones, two rulebooks,and various other organiza-tional resources.

The club now has regular

practices in the dome andgym, and will move outsideto the quad once the weatherpermits. Junior Andy Gaulsums up the ultimate clubwell: “It shows that thedreams of few can becomethe goals of many, that any-

thing is possible, and thatyou can still have fun whiledoing it. I can't wait to seethis organization grow andperform well on Thiel's cam-pus. The groundwork is setand it just needs to keep onflowing.”

Members of the Thiel Ultimate Frisbee team await the arrival of the disc in a game at Westminster College.Photo credit: Tom Flory

It was 5:43 in the morn-ing when I abruptly openedmy eyes. The cold coveredmy body, and I felt a chill.The day was April eleventh.I planned to meet my grand-father that day. I had fallenasleep late the night before,so I wondered why I awokefrom my sleep so early. Ihad only slept for fourhours. I was still lying onmy bed. Why did I get up soearly? I looked vacantly atmy room’s wall. The coldmade my body feel frozen. Ilied in my bed withoutmovement.

“Eunjung, get up. Yourgrandfather passed away.We have to go to the hospi-tal,” my mother said to meten minutes after I had got-ten up. The blue duskydawn flooded my room di-viding life and death. Per-haps, during the time I wassleeping, he had passedaway without seeing thatpale morning moon, but Iwas still alive and saw thatpale moon without mygrandfather.

A deep sense of loss andemptiness is felt when death

occurs, especially when onelosses someone precious. Ihad plenty of time to visithim, but I had made an ex-cuse. “It is midterm week. Iwill go later.” But the “lat-er” did not exist in his life.Tears were falling from myeyes while riding in the car.I bitterly regretted my deci-sion not to visit him. It wasalmost ten o’clock when Iarrived at the hospital. Cher-ry blossoms were flutteringoutside the window. Theylooked like they welcomedus dancing round and round,contrary to the morning’saura. They infused life intothe surrounding environ-ment. The hospital wasfilled with death, but theoutside world was teemedwith life. It was ironic. I feltdistressed after losing him,but the world looked like itwas working perfectly inspite of losing him.

“You have to wear ablack formal dress. Go outwith your cousin and buyone,” my aunt said to mecrisply. My aunt is usually akind lady; however, on thissad day her mood seemed

astray. The outdoor air wascool and refreshing. Cherryblossom trees lined thestreets, and they still dancedround and round. I could notfeel any deficiencies in theworld. Humanity felt likesuch a small part of theworld, as expected. Theworld will work perfectlyafter I die, too, I thought.

“April 11th, 2011, 5:43a.m., Saejun Park passedaway.” The doctor said qui-etly. I woke up unexpected-ly in the early morning at5:43. I had wondered why Iwoke up so early. Did hecome to visit me? I had asudden flashback. A fewminutes before, when I rodedown the elevator with mycousin to see his bodyshrouded for the funeral, abell rang even though therewere only two people. Mygrandfather used to worryme frequently. I felt he waswith me in the same space.He was shrouded for the fu-neral. Although my parentsopposed me seeing him inthe coffin, I pushed ahead. Itwas possible because I was19 years old. If I was

younger, I would have re-spected my parents’ wishes.I thanked God that I had be-come an adult. I also gavethanks to him for giving methe chance to become freefrom guilt that I had not vis-ited my grandfather.

“I want to see your en-trance ceremony,” mygrandfather had said to meyears before he passed. Hehad sincerely hoped that Ientered the university, but I

could not comply with hiswish because he died beforeI was accepted. He wasburied in the national ceme-tery. It was a very long lifefor him. He went through awar and experienced pover-ty. Our country’s prosperityis possible because of ourancestors’ blood and sweat,and he was a part of it.

It was the first anniver-sary of his death. The sameas last year, cherry blossoms

fluttered around the nationalcemetery. “Here is myscholarship certification. Igot a 4.3 grade point aver-age this semester, whichwas second best in my de-partment. My life is goingwell,” I recited quietly. I feltthat I was dancing with thecherry blossoms round andround and they had wel-comed me because I cameto see him without forget-ting.

Student-Submitted Creative Writing:“Dancing With Cherry Blossoms”

by Eunjung Kim, ekim@thiel.edu

Equestrian Clubby Kathleen Kent, kkent@thiel.edu

The Thiel College Eques-trian Club (TCEC) hasbeen taking many steps thisyear in growth.

We have doubled ourroster and now haveabout twenty-five members.We look forward to seeingthose numbers continue togrow and would like toshare our progress with you.

For one, we hadgreat successes at theOberlin and Findlay westernshows this semester.Many of our team membersplaced in their classes. AtOberlin, Elaine Kelly, oneof our seniors, placed fifthand third. Kimberly Ault,another of our seniors,placed fourth in both ofher classes. Our newestshow members, CarolineWitter and Kathleen

Kent, also placed in thebeginners’ class. Witterplaced fourth and Kentplaced fifth and fourth inher two classes. At the Find-lay show, Kelley wasreserve champion in herclass. Awesome job, Elaine!Witter placed fourthand fifth in her classes, andKent placed a fifth anda fourth in hers. Congratsto all those who showed.

In addition to a growingshow team and clubmembership, beginning theFall 2014 semester, we havea new and excitingopportunity for the ThielCollege community. Weare creating sections oflessons for alumni, faculty,and staff! So, if you areinterested in riding againor trying something

new, please come talk tous. We will be havingan open barn soon, so pleasecheck your emails. Ourlast meeting of the semesteris April 14th, and ifyou would like to attend,please contact thepresident for more informa-tion.

Are you interestedin horses? Would you liketo try a new sport?Please contact the presidentor the coach! You don’tneed any experience to join,and all are welcome!

You can contact thepresident, Kathleen Kent,at kkent743@thiel.eduor the coach, Jenna Malnar,at JMalnar@thiel.edu.

The Equestrian Club is pleased to announce their progress this year. Photo credit: Kathleen Kent

ACADEMICS Page 5 Friday, April 11, 2014

Nordernberg’s achievements not onlymake him a recognizable person world-wide in higher-education, but they alsomake Thiel a recognizable institution forhaving dug his undergraduate experi-ence here, into the campus, 44 years ago.

In order to continue this recognizablecaliber of alumni, some Thiel represen-tatives mapped out advice and explainedchanges within the institution includingstudent mindsets, campus-life, and theupcoming Presentational Literacy pro-gram.

According to Professor David Miller,“being smart is not sufficient in and of it-self,” he said. “You have to have a pas-sion for what you do.” Miller, whotaught Nordernberg in his undergraduateyears, remembers that his studies wereserious and he did his work.

Relative to Miller’s advice, Nordern-berg explains that pursuing somethingstudents have an interest in is important.

“Try to find a position where you feelyou can make a difference,” Nordern-berg said. “If you make initial career de-cisions based on salary, you’re headingdown the wrong road.”

In order to enhance student mindsets,Miller suggests that students “think onthe attitude that ‘everyday I’m going toadd value to this institution’ becauseeventually, you get hired to add value.”

Vice President for Academic Affairsand the Dean of the College, LynnFranken, highly enjoys mentoring youngpeople and contributing to their journeyof discovering their strengths. Frankenbelieves that there is potential in all ofus, “more than we’re fully able to real-ize,” and a method to realizing that po-

tential is to use “persistence to gradua-tion as a proxy to success.”

Though these aforementioned profes-sionals unanimously agreed that suc-cessful students are hard to predict, theyalso agreed that a crucial element of po-tential success is campus and academiclivelihood.

As an undergraduate student,Nordernberg spent his time outside ofthe classroom on the Cross Countryteam, the Student Government Assem-bly, the Debate Team, and as the presi-dent of his fraternity, Alpha Chi Rho.

“Thiel provided me with special op-portunities to learn and grow. A very im-portant part of that learning occurred inthe classroom,” Nordernberg said. “Inaddition, I was able to participate in abroad range of extracurricular activitiesthat gave me a chance to develop a betterunderstanding of interpersonal relations,effective communication skills, andleadership abilities.”

Academically, Franken feels that stu-dents have a fear of boredom and in turn,classroom attendance rates are too low.

“Let yourself experience solitude,”Franken said. “If you’re afraid of beingbored you are constantly trying to allevi-ate that boredom, and multitaskingmakes you do less well on all of thosetasks.”

Franken supports the Career Servicesprograms because they help students tovisualize their options. “There are wonderful things to do in theworld that you can’t let pass you by be-cause you don’t know what they are,”she said.

Upon his visits to Thiel within the last

four to five years, Nordernberg has alsonoticed the recent campus developmentin comparison to his time at Thiel.

“Simply as a visitor, first impressionswould be impressions of facilities thathave been dramatically upgraded,” hesaid. “There also has been a more in-tense focus on the student experienceand the development of student potentialhas the highest level of priority sinceVanAken assumed his office.”

Aside from mentorship on attitudeand campus involvement, the Presenta-tional Literacy program, starting in theFall of 2014, “might be the way we liftup our students so they have the bestchance when they graduate,” Frankensaid.

Similar to what the Haller Institutiondoes currently, the course will encom-pass theory, construction, and produc-tion of assignments by utilizing theJames Pedas Communication Center.Campus media outlets including WXTCand TCTV will serve to broadcast bothlive and taped productions, similar to theTed Talk phenomenon and NationalPublic Radio’s involvement.

Through this course, students will alsodevelop an E-Portfolio and be givenbusiness cards with the portfolio’s URLon the back.

“It’s not just about presenting your-self,” Franken said. “…But also yourideas, with grace, clarity, and persua-siveness.”

This new program, according toFranken, in some ways represents an at-tempt to bring some of what the Hallerinstitution does to its students to everystudent.

[continued from fr. page]

Who is the next Mark Nordernberg? April CareerEvents

Career Development Center

Apr 10Double Workshop:How to Negotiate the Job-Offer (4:00pm)On the Job: Managing Up & the First 30Day (4:30pm) Library Classroom, 4pm-5pm

Apr 15Just-in-Time Job & Internship FairLutheran Heritage Room, 11:30am-3:00pm

Apr 17NYC Trip (sign up with Student ActivitiesOffice)Tours, Site-Visits, Networking Opportuni-ties

Apr 24Linked-In for Beginners, Library Classroom, 4pm-5pm

All AprilInformational & Mock Interview ProgramSign up at CareerCenter@Thiel.edu

March Students Of The Month

Seniors, Molly Jo Everett and Kathleen Kent are Thiel’s Students of the Month. Everett isan accounting, business administartion, and forensic accounting triple major. Kent is also

a triple major in theology and youth ministry, mathematics, and secondary education.

Molly Jo Everett of Medi-na, Ohio, is a senior account-ing, business administrationand forensic accounting ma-jor and is a four-year startingmember of the softball team.She has been named to theDean’s List each of her se-mesters at Thiel and also is amember of Alpha Chi—thehighest academic honor be-stowed on students at theCollege. Everett is a memberof Chi Eta Sigma Thiel’scommerce honorary and theStudent Athlete AdvisoryCommittee. She also is amember of Chi Alpha Sigmathe national college athletehonor society and was in-volved with Lambda Sigma,the sophomore service hon-orary. She is currently a

member of Les Laurier, thesenior service honorary andis a peer tutor.

At Thiel, Everett wasa founding member of theFellowship of ChristianAthletes and serves as amember of the Thiel Christ-ian Fellowship. She also is ayouth group leader atFirst Baptist Church inGreenville, Pa. Everett hassecured a position at Gross-man, Yanak and Ford, anaccounting firm in Pitts-burgh, and will begin em-ployment in September. Sheis the daughter of Conrad andNancy Everett of Medina,Ohio.

Kathleen Kent, of Trans-fer, Pa., is a senior with atriple major in theology and

youth ministry, mathematicsand secondary education.She has been named to theDean’s List each of her se-mesters at Thiel College.Kent is the president of theequestrian club and a mem-ber of Thiel Christian Fel-lowship.

At Thiel, Kent is a mem-ber of Kappa Mu Epsilon,the national student honoraryfor mathematics; KappaDelta Pi, the internationalhonorary society in educa-tion and Theta Alpha Tau, thenational honor society for re-ligious studies and theology.

Kent plans to attend grad-uate school or seminaryschool after graduation. Sheis the daughter of Jim andPaula Kent of Transfer, Pa.

by Jennie Kather, jkather@thiel.edu

Sudoku

Puzzle

OPINION Page 6 THIELENSIANFriday, April 11, 2014

by Sara Toombs, stoombs@thiel.edu

So, over the summerof 2013, I experienced whatI am confident in sayingwas one of the best daysof my whole life. And foronce, I’m not talking aboutgetting engaged (whichwas also pretty cool by the

way). No, I am talking aboutfinally visiting the physicalrecreation of a world Ihave wanted to see since Ifirst stumbled upon its pagesas a 6 year old little girl - Igot to go to Hogwarts.

As much as I wish I wouldhave really gotten a letter(finally) saying I was a witchand was on my was to schoolin England, visiting the Wiz-arding World of Harry Pot-ter in Florida was absolutelythe perfect consolation prize.Walking up toward thecastle, seeing all the wonder-fully recreated shops ofHogsmead and Diagon Al-ley, sipping on a mug of But-terbeer... I relived a dreamI’ve had a thousand times.

I know it seems silly tobe this serious about visiting

an amusement park, andprobably equally as sillyto care quite this much abouta series of books. I know it’sweird that I own a wand andhave a personal pair of Spec-trespecs. But I am here totell you that Harry Potterchanged my life.

Being a little kid is hardfor everyone, and it’s evenharder some. I know every-one struggles through thoseelementary years, but ifyou’re pudgy, slightlystrange, and more thanslightly asthmatic - you’regonna have a bad time. Andso, all personal childhoodnightmares aside, I think it isreally important for kids tobe able to bond over mutualinterests. And, even more im-portant, that those mutual in-

terests teach them lessonsabout what it means to growup and be a good person.Some kids play sports, somekids take ballet, I read HarryPotter.

Throughout my life I havebeen, without fail, able toconnect with people becauseof HP. In first grade, Harry,Ron, and Hermione becamemy best friends, but fromthen on out they linked me toan endless supply of mutualfriends. Through middleschool, into high school, andeven here at Thiel, I owe a lotof who my friends are to ourmutual fandom.

I know it’s a little ridicu-lous, and I know I’m a littleweird for it, but I’m at thepoint where I’m not ashamedto admit how much of who I

am is based on the lessons Ilearned from seven chil-dren’s books. And I thinkthat’s why Potter fans are sodedicated to the series; weknow that we owe a lot toHarry, his friends, and theirenemies. HP taught me aboutsacrifice, loyalty, embracingyour own talents and insuffi-ciencies, and how powerfulwe all have the potential tobe. It also taught me that it’sokay to wear radishes as ear-rings, that there are people inthe world who will love youwithout ever saying it, andthat you’ll never know some-one’s whole story until it’stoo late to apologize for howwrong you were about them.And, it made be believe thatsomewhere out there, magicis real.

So I guess that’s why Ilove being a Potterhead. Ilove knowing that I can goalmost anywhere in theworld and find someone whowill love something I love. Itmeans a lot to me and “mypeople” that popular culturehas embraced and made aphenomenon out of some-thing pretty darn nerdy. It’spretty convenient that fromnow and till I and 87 yearsold I will never have to won-der what I am going to be forHalloween (Luna Lovegoodnever goes out of style, be-cause she was never in style).

Mostly, I just really loveknowing that throughout mylife, no matter where I go orhow hard it gets, Hogwartswill always be there to wel-come me home.

TOOMBS TIME:

Why your favorite movie is terrible: Harry Potter

The Movie: The AwfulOnes(aka. The First ThreeHarry Potter Movies). Alas,we have reached the movieseveryone has been dread-ing/waiting for.

The first three movies inthis movie series follows theabsolutely horrible boy wiz-ard, Harry Potter, as he liveslife as an inept boy wizardconstantly looking to findnew ways to escape death sohe can rub it in his bestfriends face.

I am referring to the factthat in the first sign of trou-ble in the first movie, Ronends up almost dying twicebecause of his lackof……brain, But more onthat later.

Harry spends his first threeyears at Hogwarts (which co-incidentally is also a STDointment) constantly blamingProfessor Snape and residentsnobby super douche/ neonazi archetype, Draco Mal-foy for every negative thingthat happens at his school. Harry: I GOT A “D” ON MYPOTIONS EXAM.

Ron: Its Snape, Harry. Hehates you. I bet its just a bigconspiracy for Malfoy andhim to kill you. Mark my

words, they are evil.Hermione: You didn’t studyeitherRon: I LOVE YOU…….Imean, shut up you curlyhaired know it all.Character Everyone Lovesto Hate:

Although it is very easy topick out almost any characterin the first three movies inthis series, you HAVE to givethe prize to the poor, useless,ginger sidekick, RonWeasley.

Here’s a fun game to playwhen you are drinking on theweekends. Take a drinkevery time Ron has an A.Poor Moment, B. Near DeathExperience, C. A momentwhen he does not listen toHermione or Harry when heprobably should. If you arenot completely belligerentbefore the end of the firstmovie, you might havemissed a few hundred scenes.

And the scene that will al-ways upset Potterheads andcasual fans everywhere ISWHEN HE FALLS OFFTHE HORSE DURINGCHESS.

The scene that finally givesRon some sort of use andcompletely screws it up by

falling off the horse after sac-rificing himself to win thegame, only to be knocked un-conscious from a fall that lit-erally every drunk collegestudent has experienced Sun-day mornings after a week-end bender. Ron is terrible.

By the second movie theyadded a new layer to his aw-ful character by making him

a whiny baby who’s majorfear is…….spiders.

Why didn’t Rowling killthis character? Guess we willfind out later. Oh and his hairin the third movie…….gotsto go.Why The Movies Are Aw-ful:

Harry cannot do magic orstay out of trouble, Ron

is…..well he is Ron, andHermione is basically thestudent everyone hated ingrade school, only to becomethat same person once theygot to college. Oh and for therecord, I think the director ofthe 3rd movie purposely triedto upset the book fans bycompletely changing most ofthe things that happen.

Why the Movies are Not Aw-ful:…..Nope, I got nothing.Even Dumbledore, the ulti-mate hero, is a bit of a bore.WHY ARE YOU CRYPTIC.

Best Parts from theMovies:

Big black student that ran-domly shows up, Gary Old-man…..and Quidditch.

by Andrew Denson, adenson@thiel.edu

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are solely the views of the author and are meant to be offensive. They do not necessarily represent the views of the Thielensian and its staff.Please proceed to read at your own discretion or do not read if you become easily offended.

TC Comic by Christina Ryan, cryan@thiel.edu

Why I love being a Potterhead

OPINIONPage 7 THIELENSIANFriday, April 11, 2014

#Twittin’@Thielensian@????? - Def reppin that FR blueand gold up at Thiel today. Staystrong back home panthers.

@????? - I’m gonna pass outon the sidewalk. Get yourcameras ready. This shouldbe in the Thiel brochure.

@????? - My girlfriendsperiod has become a holiday #team-notpregnant #wishfulthinking

@????? - Celebrating ChiOmega’s birthday today with a super awesome FOR-MAL! #classy #ChiOmegaFoundersDay

@????? - Why do people at Thiel think it is acceptable towear flip flops already? #callthefashionpopo #tooearly

@????? - It’s raining in my apartment. Literally.

@????? - Just two more weeks. That’s all the longer Ihave to last. Two weeks.

@????? - If you miss high school, you aren’t doing col-lege right.....

@????? - Did everyone forget that there are finals? Whatis wrong with people?

@????? - Ever since freshmen year I’ve wanted to get1st in sync and sing and my senior year we finally didit!! I’m so proud of my @ZetaBetaLadies!

@????? - Just deleting all the texts with someone withone swipe is really rewarding.

If you have a picture of Thiel,send it to the Thielensian.thielensian@thiel.edu

PPhhoottoo ooff tthhee EEddiittiioonn

International Students showed off their fashion-sense at the Fashion Show. This was an OBC event.Photo credit: Claire HyeonJung Lee

Jaeyoung Jang“Painting Easter eggs.”

Mindy “Seeing all of the bright col-

ors. ”

Clarissa Whippo“Watching the Scavenger

Hunts.”

Ronnell Hunt“Sharing the story of Jesus. ”

Kierra Lee “Finding my Easter Basket.”

A Traditional Woman Leads Non-Traditional Life

by Melanie Thompson-Soros, msoros@thiel.edu

My daughter surprisedme with a visit this weekendand brought the new baby.At 4 months old, Iris wasready for her first car trip tomeet her family. So, ofcourse, yesterday we got to-gether with all my siblings atmy father’s house – its tradi-tion. As family gatheringsalways are – it was messyand loud and wonderful. Mybrothers were arguing goodnaturedly in the backgroundwhile my sister rolled hereyes at their antics. It hasbeen this way since we werelittle – some things neverchange – nor are they meanttoo. As for me? Well, I’m theyoungest and has alwaysbeen, and always will be, Isat laughing quietly at all ofthem. There is some joy inbeing the youngest of many.If you’re smart, you learnfrom the mistakes your sib-lings make. For instance, Inever once got caught skip-ping school, managed tograduate with decent gradeseven though I skipped mostof my senior year, and brokedecades of family traditionby not marrying (the first

time) till in my twenties.Granted, it was my earlytwenties, but still it brokethe tradition of marrying at18.

My mother once told methat she should have namedme Scarlet instead ofMelanie. It wasn’t a com-pliment. Her original rea-soning was that people willlive up to their name andshe wanted me to be sweetand mild-mannered like theMelanie in “Gone With theWind,” following alongwith family traditions with-

out any argument. Sadly, Ibroke that tradition too –hence the reason she thoughtshe had misnamed me. (I canstill hear her telling that sto-ry to anyone she wouldmeet. I gave her a lot of griefas a teenager and she wasmaking sure she paid meback by embarrassing thehell out of me!)

Families, and traditions,are wonderful things and Iwish I had figured that outwhen I was much younger. Iguess the important thing isthat I did, eventually, figureit out and really look for-ward to those messy, loud,and exhausting family din-ners. Of course, it’s not real-ly the same as when I wasyounger because my motherhas been gone many yearsnow. But we, my siblingsand I, have started a new tra-dition of leaving one chair atthe table empty. It sits there,pristine and undisturbed, toremind of us of her and allshe did for us – and its onetradition that I will neverbreak.

Dylon Fleming “Getting candy. Yummy! ”

Opinion Poll - What is your favorite part about Easter?

Fashion Frenzyby Katie Allgeier, kallg@thiel.edu

With Spring just around the corner, fashionistas everywhere are putting away their bulky sweaters and pulling out theirspring attire. Short skirts and fun printed flats will shortly be seen regularly, and the fashion conscious will soon be scour-ing the latest news for the most up-to-date Spring trends. Well look no further, readers! I, your faithful fashion writer,have gathered the latest and greatest predicted trends from Elle, Glamour, and Vanity Fair, and have compiled them herefor your reading pleasure. And so, without further ado, here are the top three fashion trends for Spring!

Printed flats:Few things say Spring quite like a pair of fun printed

flats. Find yourself a versatile print to accompany youroutfits and welcome in Spring with some fancy foot-work.

Crop tops:For those of you who committed to working out

through the dreary winter, Spring offers the perfect op-portunity to show off some skin--and that georgeousbody of yours-- in the form of crop tops. These updatedtakes on the 90s staple can be worn with a high-waistedskirt or shorts to avoid showing off too much skin. Pairwith the next trend for even more style!

Sheer fabrics:Amp up your crop top by layering it under a sheer blouse.

An easy way to make a spring statement, this look can be workto the park, a lunch date, or to class for a much more eleganttake on the traditional crop top. Bonus points if you combine itwith cute sandals!

Various retailers will offer up to $600 for Spring fashions;clothing pieces seen here are all availiable for less than $50.Be thrifty, fashionistas, ad stock up on Spring trends beforewinter comes around once more! Photo credit: H&M (top), Nasty Gal (left), Swell (right).

The views and opinions expressed in the Thielensian do not reflect those of the Thiel College community as a whole. The views expressed by the writers of this publication are original to the author andby no means reflect the opinions of Thiel’s faculty, staff, or student body.

SPORTSPage 8 THIELENSIANFriday, March 21, 2014

Napier Stays Hot; UCONN Wins Title

This game was foughtbetween two teams unlikelyto make it too deep in theplayoffs according to mostanalysts. No Wichita State,Florida, Duke, or Virginiain this year’s championshipgame. Instead, it was thesurging U-Conn Huskiescoming off a win againstnumber one seed Floridaagainst Kentucky who hadanother comeback victoryagainst Wisconsin. Thiswas shaping up to be a greatgame considering the speedof the Huskies battling withthe five freshmen of theWildcats let by Julius Ran-dle. Kentucky had beenstarting slow for most of thetournament so many ex-pected them to pull theirnew routine of flashy fin-ishes to win the title.

At the start of the game,Kentucky turned the ballover frequently with sloppypasses and ball mechanics.U-Conn tried to convertthese to three pointers butconsistently missed. Randlewas out early and regularlythroughout the game, deal-ing with cramps. His pres-

ence was missed greatly onboth sides of the ball as theHuskies dominated early.Their quickness was couldnot be deciphered fromKentucky and they wereroutinely beat by screensand pick-and-rolls. Boa-tright and Napier madeplays shooting and hustling,outscoring the Wildcats bythemselves early on. How-ever, in typical Kentuckyfashion the Wildcats startedto comeback after a couplethrees from Harrison andturnovers from the Huskies.At the end of the first halfthe Huskies were leading35-31 after previously hav-ing a 15 point lead.

The second half openedup like the first. TheHuskies played smotheringdefense and stole the ballalmost with ease to makethe lead 48-39 in their fa-vor. However, the forwardsof the Wildcats were play-ing volleyball defense bystuffing and swatting thepost players for U-Connand the frustration showedfor the Huskies. Young ofthe Wildcats has an impres-

sive dunk and sparks a 6-0run for his team to cut thelead to three; making thescore 48-45. Napier was notgoing to be denied evenwith Kentucky playing bet-ter defense. He made hisown shots and lit up his boxscore by making difficultattempts look easy. He ledthe Huskies in scoring, re-bounds, assists, and steals.

As the game began toclose, the Huskies showedno fear as they made all oftheir free throws. The de-ciding factor of this gameappeared to be the inabilityof Kentucky to make freethrows, as they only con-verted 13 of 24 attempts.While close at times, theHuskies became championsafter beating Kentucky 60-54. Kentucky showed thatthey need that veteran pres-ence in the starting lineupto put a championship to-gether. After another yeartogether, look for Kentuckyto have a great shot to godeep in the tournament nextseason. However, this wasthe Huskies year and theyearned it.

by Christian Kafka, Ckafka@thiel.edu

Shabazz Napier, point guard, helped lead the Huskies to victory shooting 8-16 from thefield for 22 points.

Photo Credit: NY Daily News

Spring Weather Rains On Tomcats’Parade; Thiel Stays Busy Playing Catch-

Up

Spring is officiallyhere and for college base-ball fans, it usually meansrain delays and postpone-ments. After the trip toFort Myers, the Tomcatshave found themselves inthe rut having to resched-ule several different gamesincluding a doubleheaderat John Carroll and a non-conference matchupagainst Mt. Union. How-ever, the Tomcats have hada rough start for April inthe games that were able totake place.

Thiel started the monthoff with two losses in adoubleheader against Way-nesburg on April 1st.Short-stop, Cody Trinch,

recorded his first careerHR while sophomorepitcher, Matt Elko, went 2-3 with a double and anRBI. The Tomcats thenfell to Allegheny in a gamethat was cut off at seveninnings due to rain. Catch-er, Dan Koller, went 2-for-2 at the plate while JoshDoody went 2-3 with adouble and an RBI.

On Friday the 5th, Thieldropped two against #1PAC ranked Washingtonand Jefferson. Elko al-lowed only two runs over asix inning span whilesophomore, Sam Passafi-ume, went 2-6 with a dou-ble. The Thiel squad thenbrought the contest back to

Greenville the next dayand picked up the Wagainst the Presidents win-ning 10-7. A six-run rallyin the fifth inning con-tributed by Trinch, andsophomores, BryanMitchell and Trent Smith,is what propelled the Tom-cats to a four-run advan-tage late in the game thatwould eventually lead tothe victory.

Senior, Nick Schiavoni,was 3-5 with two runsscored while Smith record-ed 2-5 with two runs, twoRBIs, and two doubles.The Tomcats are currently7-14(1-9) and have seven-teen games left in the regu-lar season.

SAAC Celebrates DIII Week; Thiel Honors Athletes’ Off-Field Achievementsby Paul Connelly, Pconnelly@thiel.edu

NCAA Division IIIweek, a tradition carriedout to showcase the contri-butions of all Division IIIathletes, kicked off onMonday, April 7th. TheNCAA started this event tofocus on the more philan-thropic aspects of the stu-dent athlete that take placeoff the field. As the DIIIlevel contains the largestnumber of collegiate ath-letes and provides no kindof athletic scholarships, theNCAA uses this week toshow off its shining stars inorder to spread awarenessof the purpose behind theDivision III athlete.

Members of Thiel’sStudent Athlete AdvisoryCommittee contributed tothe cause on Saturday bysponsoring a team partici-pating in Thiel’s 2nd Annu-al Relay for Life. On Mon-day and Tuesday, members

of the SAAC devoted theirtime to the community byreading to preschoolers atSt. Michael’s in Greenvilleand donated collections tothe Good Shepherd from arecent clothing drive heldon campus. One Wednes-day, the SAAC hosted anice cream social in thecafeteria which included aslideshow featuring someof Thiel’s finest athletes.On Friday morning, thecommittee is set to meetwith President, Dr. Troy D.Van Aken and the Board ofTrustees to honor theirachievements on and offthe field.

Thiel Athletics Hall OfFame Member, DonAchenbach, was featuredin the PAC’s website’s“Personalities of the PAC”,a daily edition producedthroughout the week fea-turing some of the confer-

ence’s best individuals tocomment on the DIII expe-rience. “All successfulstudent-athletes havetremendous discipline re-gardless of level, but I findDIII student-athletes just alittle hungrier“said Achen-bach. Face it, most of themare carrying the burden ofstudent loans vs. scholar-ships and need to earnsalaries to pay back theprivilege of extending theirathletic careers four moreyears. They hit the groundrunning.”

Thiel Wrestling Coach,Craig Thurber, is also set tobe featured in Thursday’sedition. DIII week at Thielconcludes on Friday withthe SAAC picnic hosteddown campus featuringcorn hole, relay races, andan opportunity for athletesto pie their coaches in theface.

NCAA Holds Press Conference; Emmertsays unionizing is a “grossly

inappropriate solution.”

by Paul Connelly, Pconnelly@thiel.edu

As collegiate athletes be-gin to unionize, the NCAAcontinues to stand theirground. The mark of theannual Final Four held inArlington, TX this pastweekend, was also the siteof a very dire press confer-ence hosted by the NCAA.Committee President,Mark Emmert, discussedwith other big school exec-utives the possibility ofchange in attendance costsand self-governing regula-tions for top conferencesbut the debate that the pub-lic wants to focus on is therecent unionizing ofNorthwestern Universityfootball players. The Na-tional Labor RelationsBoard recognized the stu-dent athletes of the NUfootball program as em-ployees which made themqualify for unionization.The question that comesinto play now is whether ornot unionizing can becomea regular thing for all col-lege athletes, a conceptthat brings the NCAA toshake in their boots.

“The notion of using aunion employee model toaddress the challenges thatdo exist in intercollegiateathletics is something that

strikes most people as agrossly inappropriate solu-tion to the problems” saidEmmert. “It would blowup everything about thecollegiate model of athlet-ics.” The decision of al-lowing student athletes tounionize could ultimatelychange college sports for-ever but Emmert doesn’tsee that happening anytimesoon. While he made itclear that he recognizeschange is in order but healso believes that this typeof action is not the answer."There's some things thatneed to get fixed," saidEmmert. "They're workingvery aggressively to dothat. No one up here be-lieves that the way you fixthat is by converting stu-dent-athletes into union-ized employees."

In August, the D-1Board of Directors are setto vote on whether or notathletes will be compensat-ed equivalently to the costof game tickets. The com-mittee will also vote on theway the power conferenceswill be regulated, hopingto limit the monopoly theyhold on the competition.Many are worried that thismay create an even bigger

conflict than the existingone between better fundedschools and the less fortu-nate. Kansas State Presi-dent and committee mem-ber, Kirk Schulz, believesthat such action is neces-sary and that the vote maybe split even. "I thinkthat most of Division Imemberships see thatwe're standing at a fork inthe road” said Schulz. “Ithink at the end of the day,there's a realization that ifyou don't do this, that wecould be in some real trou-ble." Emmert believes thatthe line between student-athlete and employee ismuch thicker than it ap-pears. "You can't split thatone in two. You're either astudent at a universityplaying your sport oryou're an employee of thatuniversity" said Emmert.“If you move to a modelwhere you have labor ne-gotiations between man-agement - that would becoaches and athletic direc-tors and student-athletes todetermine everythingabout what that relation-ship should be, [it’s] awildly different notionthan saying these are stu-dents."

by Paul Connelly, Pconnelly@thiel.edu

The Tomcat baseball squad finds struggle at the start of April but knocks off top PAC contender, W&J, in the process