the chronicle at wvu parkersburg volume #46 no. 2

ChronicleThe

at WVU Parkersburg

September 23, 2015 Volume #46 No. 2

Inside this Issue

Lunar Eclipse, Page: 2

Cafeteria Changes, Page: 4

“Badlands,” Page: 7

Español Ensemble, Page: 6

by Mackenzie Nestor The Humanities Division is saying out with the old and in with the new. While looking at institutional organization, WVU Parkersburg President Dr. Fletcher Lamkin and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jane Milley thought that some of the placement of programs was not most beneficial for faculty and students. Thus, the divisions were reorganized, which included splitting up the previous Education and Humanities Division would be more effective. T h e c h a n g e r e s u l t e d i n a d iv i s ion fo r Educa t ion , as well as the grouping of Humanities, Fine Arts and Social Sciences. Kim Korcsmaros, chairperson o f t he newly r eo rgan ized HFA&SS Division believes the changes work better this way. “I think that it’s more intuitive and I think education works very well on its own as an accredited

program with everything that entai ls . When you put the Fine Arts and Journalism into a division where we already have other kind of like-minded courses, it works very well,” she said. The Humanities and Fine Arts sections of the division have much in the works for this semester. The Theatre Department is performing A Children’s Theatre Production of The Monkey’s Paw slated for around Halloween. The journalism piece also has the potential for much growth with a new broadcast program and radio station, WPKM, 96.3FM. The division faculty are also looking to rebuild the speech and debate team. Korcsmaros took a two-year hiatus, but she will be back coaching the team. Also coming up, the Chicago-based dance company Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theatre will take place Thursday, Sept. 24. The show will begin at 7 p.m. in the College Activities Center.

The Reconstruction Process:

Fine ArtsJoin theSocial SciencesDivision

In addition to a varied amount of programming from the groups in the division, other changes that will result are course additions/collaborations and new programs; as well as other ways to serve the needs of the students and the community. Courses in this division also appeal to community members, like the arts, theater and foreign language courses . Facul ty members are pursuing ways to meet those needs and continually involve the local community in the college activities. The reaction to the division

reorganization seems positive overa l l , “ I t has jus t been positive all the way around. I feel like they have come home,” Korcsmaros said. “This is where those divisions belonged. We kind of borrowed this from Ohio State University but they call themselves The Ohio State University. I like to refer to this division as THE Division of Excellence. The faculty and staff are very proud of being in this division. I am really honored to serve as a leader to this group,” Korcsmaros added.

The Chronicle at WVU Parkersburg September 23, 2015

News Editors: Candice Hoalcraft

Kyle NicholsJames Liebau IISheena ThornLayout Staff:

Erika DavisJessica FieldsRachael GantJames Liebau IIAustin JamesSheena Thorn

[email protected] find us on Facebook & Twitter

@wvupchronicle

Advisor: Torie JacksonAsst. Advisor: Olivia

Tyler BennettRussell BunnerLeah CarpenterAutumn CorbittAmber DeeterAmie LukasiakPeyton NeelyMackenzie Nestor

Volume 46Produced by students of WVU Parkersburg

Layout Editor: Hannah DuffieldAssistant Layout Editor: Shalee

News Reporting/Photography Staff:

Shalee LatheyJessica FieldsRussell BunnerAutumn CorbittAmber DeeterAmie Lukasiak

by Autumn Corbitt Movies trivia games, cookouts, troops week and much more are some of the events that are planned for this fall semester. Student Engagement Activities (SEA), plan the events that take place during the semester. WVU Parkersburg students come up with these events. They meet biweekly, every other Monday, to plan fun activities at the college for students. What activities, planning the dates and advertising are the steps necessary to execute the events the college hosts. Curious as to where you can find information about the events happening? Posters and TVs in the hall, WVU Parkersburg's Facebook page and the event calendar on the college website. The goal is to get as much

by Jessica Fields Ready to witness a rare blood moon during a total lunar eclipse? The Environmental Ac-tion Group is hosting a Lunar Eclipse Viewing Party on Sun-day, Sept. 27. At approximately 9:07 p.m., the moon will pass through the partial umbra, thus beginning the eclipse. At 10:11 p.m., the total eclipse will make its way across the moon. The greatest view of the eclipse will occur at 10:47 p.m. while the entire moon is

passing through the Earth’s um-bral shadow. This is the only visible lunar eclipse for the next three years, and the last super moon eclipse until 2033. The word “super moon” comes from the proximity of the moon to earth and its red color which occurs as the sun rises and sets. The moon will appear to be 30% brighter and 15% closer to the earth. The event is to be held in the field in back of the cafeteria from

student involvement as possible. SEA believes they can do it. Previous events this semester included Suicide Awareness, Constitution Day Celebration and Movie Trivia Games. On Sept. 24, the Ensemble Espanol Dance Thea t re i s performing. For students that are also parents, a Kid’s Night Out is planned for children and family fun. The upcoming event for kids will be the ”Minions” movie on Oct. 1. Like most events the college hosts, it is free to watch and attend. Many SEA s tuden t s a r e wanting some events to come back to the College. For example, for the first time in five years the Comedy Club is returning. “Studies show that the more

SEA Acts this Semester

> Sept. 24 DPS- Ensemble Espanol Dance Theatre> Sep. 30 Anti-Bully-ing (Wellness)> Oct. 1 Kid's Night

Out - Movie "Minions"> Oct. 7 Domestic Abuse (Wellness)> Oct. 9 Fright Night at Kings Island> Oct. 14 Blood-

SEA Event Schedulemoblie & Health Fair> Oct. 16 Backdoor Comedy Club> Oct. 21 October-fest Cookout> Oct. 24 Vet Stock

students that are involved, the more likely they are to stay in school,” Student Activities Director Tom Yencha said. Yencha is behind the scenes for SEA. He can be contac ted by phone 304-424-8309 or by email at [email protected]. Face-to-face communication is advisable as well and he can be found in room 1537A.

9 p.m.-10:45 p.m. Participants will meet in the cafeteria and fol-low the trail to the viewing area. The building and restrooms will be open until 10:45 p.m. This event is open to anyone and ev-eryone who would like to attend. Astronomy instructor Val-erie Keinath will be sharing her expertise and the department's telescopes at the viewing event. This is a weather-determined event; if it rains, the event will be canceled. The moon will be vis-ible, even through clouds, so as

- American Legion> Oct. 28 Career Fair> Oct. 29 Tailgate Party > Nov. 4 Stress/Test

Students Watch the Sky

Anxiety (Wellness)> Nov. 11 Veteran's Day (Veteran's Corp)> Nov. 18 American Sampler (Staff Coun-cil)

long as it does not rain, the event will still take place. Student Engagement and Ac-tivities will be providing a grill and marshmallows for toast-ing, so bring a blanket and your children to this family-friendly event. I f y o u h a v e a n y q u e s -tions, comments, or concerns regarding the Lunar Eclipse Party, contact Rebecca Phillips at [email protected] or Valerie Keinath at [email protected]. Blood Moon fall 2014.

The Chronicle at WVU ParkersburgSeptember 23, 2015

by Mackenzie Nestor Over 25 years have passed since WVU Parkersburg added the Elementary Education pro-gram. Since then they attained numerous achievements like national accreditation in 1993, a high number of promise schol-ars, a 100 percent pass rate for licensures, over 750 graduates and a 91 percent retention rate in the program. Recently, some changes oc-curred in the division; but that is not stopping them from achiev-ing their goals. The Education and Humanities Division used to be in one division, but Dr. Lamkin and Dr. Milley believed that splitting up the Education and Humanities Divisions would be more effective. The divisions were then reorganized thor-oughly. Now the Early Learning Center and Mentoring fall under

the Education Division. The Educat ion Divis ion wants to continue to expand and grow. One way they hope to achieve this goal is with The Partnerships Project. The Partnerships Project began with one school, Fairplains Elemen-tary School. The program was known as The WVU Parkers-burg/Fairplains Project at that time. According to the Elementary Education Accreditation section of the school website, “Through the Partnership Project, the unit and its school partners share ex-pertise and integrate resources to support candidate learning. They jointly determine the spe-cific placements of student teachers and field experiences to maximize the learning expe-rience for candidates and P-12 students.”

The Partnerships Project is be-ginning its 15th year of service to WVU Parkersburg and to the six counties it works with: Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and Wood County Schools.The Partnerships Project now in-cludes 22 schools. This year, $84,000 in grant money was awarded to The Part-nerships Project. To date, over $1,000,000 in grant money was awarded to the program. The results of grant money have im-pacted the lives of students and teachers alike. Over $40,000 in mini-grants were awarded to Partnership schools in the last two years to provide needed classroom mate-rials and technology, professional development and summer teach-ing assistance. During the 2015-2016 school year, the Project will have im-

pacted approximately 3,900 students and over 200 teachers in Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wirt and Wood County Schools. Aspiring teachers are offered tutoring in math, reading, science and numerous other con-tent areas. Dr. David Lancaster, Professor of Education and Chairperson to the Education Division said “El-ementary Education is something special. It’s special to me, to my

by Russ Bunner The Fulbright Program is an international educational ex-change program that is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. It offers great opportunities for students and teachers. For the students, it gives them a chance to earn a scholarship and to study the different cultures and how they celebrate holidays. For teachers, it gives them an amaz-ing opportunity to tell students about their experience and use that as a tool to improve their lectures. The Fulbright Scholar Program provides about 800 grants in 125 countries to support teaching and research in a wide variety of dis-ciplines. Dr. Elizabeth Collins, the Am-

bassador for the program, has traveled to many countries and learned about the cultures. She has been in the program since 1964 after she graduated with a BA from the University of Cali-fornia. Collins joined it because she always wondered what it was like outside of the United States. She went on her first trip to Mexico and Guatemala when she just 16. Right then and there she knew this is what she wanted to do. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, she then went to India and worked there as a Fulbright English teacher. She taught at the Baring Union College in Batala. Now teaching at Ohio Uni-versity, she still goes on trips in the summer with her family and shares her stories with stu-dents and teachers around the country. That is why she joined

the Fulbright program. In her book “Pierced by Murugan’s Lance: Ritual, Power, and Moral Redemption among Malaysian Hindus,” she describes the years she spent in Malaysia where the annual Thaipusam festival took place. It also describes the rituals and why they peirced the body for religious reasons. Knowl-edged sharing are the basis of the Fulbright Program. In 1925, James W. Fulbright created the program after gradu-ating college. He started it to let people know how others cel-ebrated and the rituals in which they believed. The Fulbright Program has grown and is now sponsored by the United States State Depart-ment. The U.S. Embassys in the selected countries, are working on ways to make it an even better experience.

The people who are in the pro-gram are understood to be great leaders and want to share the knowledge of cultures with other people. They want to create ideas and are committed to interna-tional engagement. Some of the Fulbright alumni have gone onto become Nobel Prize winners and head of state leaders, many like Dr. Collins, remain as teachers. According to the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, since the program has started, ap-proximately 360,000 participants have took part in the program. It has also gives out 1,900 Ful-bright U.S Student Scholarships each year. Each year, the pro-gram grows because people are curious to learn and to share the experiences they have. Anyone interested in the pro-gram can go to eca.state.gov/Fulbright for more information.

It also has an option to apply for the scholarship. Teachers can apply to be in the program there as well.

faculty and to my students. If you walked into room 1325 when the students are in the building, it’s like a family. You can hear them talking about assignments and what’s going on. Elementary Education is like one large fam-ily here.” For more information about the Education Division you can contact Dr. David Lancaster at [email protected] or reach him by phone 304.424.8346.

Creating Opportunities for Teachers

Education Division Updates and Changes

Murugan part of the Hindu Festival Thaipusam


by Shalee Lathey The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Division is providing additional science oppor tuni t ies for s tudents with two upcoming courses: Principles of Evolution and Environmental Geology. Students can schedule these in-teresting new courses beginning Spring 2016. Principles of Evolution, Biol-ogy 461, is a three credit hour course. This course is taught by instructor Holly Martin. S tuden t s mus t have ap-

STEM Offers New Courses for WVU Parkersburg

by Russ Bunner The college cares about its students. From their academics to their appetite, it is important that everything is top-notch and working to best serve the stu-dents in any capacity possible. A few changes were made to the cafeteria this year. First, and potentially most noticeably, the entrance and exit doors were reversed. This change hopes to increase a better traffic flow from order to check-out. The ultimate goal is to speed up service and have the food ready in five min-utes or less. In keeping with their desire to serve students, they acknowledge the students’ busy schedules and keep already pre-pared food warm for grab-and-go

options. In addition to keeping food warm, they offer many cold options like wraps and sand-wiches. These are fresh daily and offer students even more vari-ety. Resident Director Mike Wal-lace wanted to have better quality of food. So now some of the foods and ingredients are homemade. “We have a great variety of new foods that are fresher and we just want to serve the best food possible,” Wallace said. Prices are determined by looking at other schools and competitors and comparing them. It is also based on food percent-ages.

The sub bar that was near the entrance of the cafeteria is no more, and replaced by another option. Now the replacement is “Chopped.” It serves salads that are made to order. Subs and wraps are still available inside the cafeteria. The SGA listened to student concerns to develop a location that serves healthy snacks and meals options on campus. “The changes to the cafeteria will be beneficial because it is more convenient for the stu-dents,” Wallace said. The goal is to keep students on campus by offering food comparable to that if they chose to go eat out. Mike is also asking for sugges-tion to see what students would

like to see to in the cafeteria. “Eventually we are going to set up a suggestion box and have students write down what they would want served in the caf-eteria,” Wallace said. He wants to make changes that best serve and make the students excited to eat in the cafeteria. The older looking signs in the cafeteria were given a fresh makeover to match the new aes-thetic. Since the cafeteria is not owned by a larger corporation, the management can operate with a greater degree of freedom than a traditional chain owned restau-rant. “If a student, for example wants sweet potato fries, then I can order that for them and it

wouldn't be a problem at all,” Wallace said. Since Wallace has only been here for three months, he is still getting to know the things that the students want to see. He wants to make this the best place to eat and at a reasonable price. Down the road, the college will see better quality food, f resher opt ions , and more homemade options. Student satisfaction in terms of quality, quantity and overall happiness are Wallace's top priority. He be-lieves that there is always room for improvement. “We are working on ways to add foods that are popular here. This is not a finished product,” Wal-lace said.

Cooking Up a

Left: Grill Cook, Ethan Spencer posing under the new menu board. Center: New salad bar logo. Above: Fresh ingredi-ents.

propriate prerequisites before taking this course: Biology 371 Genetics or General Biology 101/103,102/104. This is a lecture course, but does not contain a lab. However, fun, hands-on activi-ties are planned for students to learn the study of evolution aside from the textbook. Throughout the course students are going to gain an understand-ing of how all living creatures unite on Earth and how species change over time. Students will discuss the his-

tory and diversity of life on Earth based on the most current understanding of evolutionary processes. Environmental Geology 105, a four credit hour lecture course is being offered in the spring for WVU Parkersburg students. This course is taught by instructor Valerie Keinath. Un-like Biology 461, this course is equipped with a lab, 105 L. “This course can fulfill stu-dents science requirements depending on a student's degree,” Keinath said.

This course does not require prerequisites, and does not entail higher level mathematics. Students taking this course will gain knowledge of how our environment and our health can be affected from various environ-mental causes. This course brings awareness to environmental issues. For example, coal mining in West Virginia affects the environment in which we live. Labs in this course are going to be adventurous with planned field trips.

Students will explore envi-ronmental effects within the community by potentially visit-ing fracking sites. Additionally, students are go-ing to learn how to map ground water pollution, and learn the studies of earthquakes in labs and in lecture. For more information on these new courses contact instructors Holly Martin and Valerie Keinath ot visit the STEM offices on the third floor of WVU Parkersburg’s main building.

Change


by Shalee Lathey Lions, leopards and cheetahs, oh my. World traveler, and Ca-reer Services counselor, Sandy Swisher visited Zambia and South Africa this summer. She explored with National Geographic and experienced the wildlife and environmental con-ditions of endangered “big cats.” Swisher is no stranger to Na-tional Geographic traveling. She journeyed with the traveler pro-gram to Bhutan, Antarctica and the Dalmatian Coast. She has visited 36 countries and does not plan on stopping anytime soon. She is such an active trav-eler, that she receives National Geographic Traveler magazines for upcoming trips. Not only is Swisher a world traveler, she is also a lover of all things cats.

She noticed that an upcoming trip dealt with cats, big cats in particular, so she pounced on the opportunity. Swisher, of course, was no stranger to Africa, she once trav-eled to Egypt. This particular trip lasted twelve days and was packed with adventures and new experiences. Throughout those days, she stayed in luxurious hotels and lodges, to bungalow huts with straw roofs. She traveled with 13 individuals, one being the pro-gram director, Dr. Luke Dollar. She traveled in the summer but in Africa it was considered win-ter. At night temperatures would reach 50 degrees but, throughout the day, the sun warmed up to low 70s and 80s. To her surprise, the environ-ment was also experiencing a

significant drought. She observed the wildlife of the big cats by taking safari rides with the traveler group.“The animals did not bother us, as long as we kept our limbs in the ve-hicle,” Sandy said. The travelers were informed to not wear bright colors, because it could trigger the animals and single out travelers. Swisher did not have a close encounter with a wild animal on a safari ride, however, she did have a close call with a baboon spider in a bungalow restroom sink. Aside from taking adventurous safari rides, Swisher experienced the beauty of Africa by staying at reserves and national parks and visiting Sunday markets and tex-tile print shops. She stayed at Kruger Na-

tional Park, which had a fence surrounding the area from wild-life species. She also stayed at South Luangwa National Park and Victoria Falls. When the travelers stayed at places without fences, they had to have an escort because wild animals would surround the terri-tory. Through all of the exploring, the big cats were still the main highlight and favorite part of Swisher’s adventurous trip. She shares her stories and experiences of her trip to WVU Parkersburg students in hopes to spread awareness of big cats be-ing endangered. National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative has one goal: to stop the decline of big cats in the wild. This program is designed for

educational purposes and, to inform travelers like Swisher, about these endangered species. To save these animals National Geographic uses only donations to prevent these animals from dy-ing off. A program in South Africa puts endangered species in small-er population groups for a higher increase in survival. This allows the cheetahs population to be managed better. To learn more about Na-tional Geographic's Big Cats Initiative log on to: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/big-cats-initiative/ and cause an uproar about these en-dangered species. For more information on San-dy Swisher’s exciting adventure to Zambia and South Africa visit Room 1013 in the banana wing.

Into the Wild:Visiting Zambia and South Africa


by Amber Deeter What does high energy, lots of color and live music have in common? The Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater. T h e E n s e m b l e E s p a ñ o l Spanish Dance Theater will be performing at WVU Parkersburg on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. in the College Activities Center. Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults, and $10 for students. WVU Parkersburg students can purchase two tickets in advance for $5 per ticket. Ticke ts a re ava i lab le in the College Business Office o r b y c a l l i n g ( 3 0 4 ) 4 2 4 -8223. T h e E n s e m b l e E s p a ñ o l

Spanish Dance Thea te r i s celebrating their 40th anniversary by “honoring the past and celebrating the present and securing its future.” The group brings their culture to life through dance. They feature three different styles of live dance and music, which is being performed live; Spanish classical, folkloric and flamenco. The dress attire is like a kaleidoscope, bright and vibrant. Flowing dresses, beautiful props and the live music they dance to brings the performance to life. The group is dancing their way across the country and will soon perform internationally. They are performing in West

Virginia, Illinois, New York, Washington, D.C., Florida, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Missouri and a then to Spain. This performance is brought to the college and community with the financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and National Endowment for the Arts, with approval of the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and additional support from Artsbridge. This is a rare opportunity to see the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater because of their world-wide schedule, and tickets are expected to go quickly.

Spanish Dance Theater Visits WVU Parkersburg on 40th Anniversary

by Russ Bunner T h e W V U P a r k e r s b u r g Riverhawk soccer team is looking to score a big one with a new coach and some promising players. This year, Matt Westfall will step up as the new head coach of the soccer team and is looking to make a big impact. “I am very excited about the season and hoping it will be a successful one,” Coach Westfall said. Coach Westfall has never coached a collegiate team, but has experience coaching local youth soccer. The Riverhawks started their season 2-0-0. They won their season opener against Southern State Community College, 8-2, and defeated King’s Academy with a score of 4-3. Currently, the Riverhawk soccer team, a coed club, has 12 players. “I am hoping in the future we

have a seperate boys’ and girls’ team,” Coach Westfall said. The goal this year is to try and gain more players. Regardless of experience, he just wants to have a decent amount of players. Having said that , Coach Westfall still sees great potential in the team. The team's greatest strength is speed; they are a lot faster than last year and that is a plus. They also work very well as a team. Coach Westfall said the only weaknesses the team has are players showing up late and they lack a roster. The team is planning on running a 4-1-3-2. What that means is four defenders in the back with the goalie, one player above the defenders (also known as a defensive midfielder), three midfielders and two strikers. That means he only has one substitute (and if you have ever played soccer) one substitute is not enough. “Having looked at the schedule

and done research, I think the toughest team we will play this year is Crown College,” Coach Westfall said. The Riverhawks will play that game at home on Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. They plan to take on Crown by refining previous game experience and continuing to

work hard at practice. Having a successful season, hosting adult tournaments for fundraisers and having more players come out and join the team encompass some of the team goals this season. The soccer team has an open door policy to all of their pract ices. This means that anyone is welcome to help and practice with the team. Although Coach Westfall is the only coach, he is willing to have any person come out and work with the team. The soccer team practices Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. During practice they work on real game situations by doing drills and scrimmaging. “For practice, we want the players to get in shape and work on passing so they can use that as an advantage for upcoming games,” Coach Westfall said. While working on expertise

on the field, the team would like recognition off the field as well. “I want students to not worry about not playing. If you are on the team, you are going to play. Everyone deserves a shot,” Coach Westfall said. C o a c h We s t f a l l i s a l s o working on ways to recruit high school players so when they start college at WVU Parkersburg they will play for the Riverhawks. Coach Westfall cannot stress how much he needs players and how much the club needs exposure. That is why he took this job. He wants to build up the program to make it to where he knows it can be. Anyone interested in joining the team or anyone that would like to help Coach Matt Westfall can visit Tom Yencha, Student Activities Director, in Room 1535 or email him at [email protected].

Korie Morgan in action against SSCC.

Riverhawk Soccer Club Kicks Off Season with New Coach

Dancers perform a traditional Spanish dance during a performance.

The Chronicle at WVU ParkersburgSeptember 23, 2015

by Russ Bunner A great team is when a group of individuals come together, love the game they are playing and want to carry a legacy that will never be forgotten. And this year, it could be for a group of girls that play volleyball The volleyball team is hop-ing for a successful season. With only two returning players from last season, Coach Debbie Peck still sees great potential in the team. Although the team has mostly all new players, a majority have experience with volleyball. Having played their first game against Ohio University Eastern on Sept. 3, she has a good feel for the team so far. Although they lost all three games, she can already tell they have improved from last season and will con-

tinue to improve as the season carries on. “They work very well together and are always helping each one out," she said. Coach Peck feels that the team has some weaknesses, but noth-ing they cannot overcome. Two of those weaknesses include new players and the lack of playtime as a team. However, they are getting to know each other as a team and discovering the team and indi-vidual strengths. The strength the team possesses is that all of the girls are devoted to practice and working as a team to make them improve. They are always trying to help each other out in every way they can. The team practices Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. During

that time, they practice basic fundamentals like hitting, ap-proaching, blocking, passing and serving. They also work on serve/receive so they can know where to be on the court. They also focus on movement to make sure the ball is returned. Peck has the help of her hus-band, Rick Peck, who serves as an assistant coach and Aaron Beam, who works with the team at practice. Beam work on of-fensive drills. That way, they can all work with the girls and provide input on what ways they think will improve the team. The goal for Coach Peck and the volleyball team is to have enough girls available to play the scheduled games, ensure they are having fun while working as a team and learning life lessons about winning and losing.

Having played their toughest opponent against Ohio Universi-ty Eastern, Coach Peck believes they can learn from the mistakes they made and that can only make them a better team in the long run. “They have a great all around team and a great coaching staff," she said. The results from that game may have been different if every-thing had panned out. The game was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m., but since they were stuck in a wreck, the game didn’t start til about 9:30 p.m. "Having only 30 minutes to stretch and warm up, they actu-ally did an awesome job having been in a van for four hours and not having much time to get warmed up," Peck said. Going on her fourth season,

Coach Peck has been head coach for three years and has loved every minute of it. She loves coaching volleyball and loves the friendship she has with the girls. She believes this team has great potential and thinks they could turn some heads on how well they are looking as a team and helping each other. The coach says this group of girls love the game of volleyball and they show great passion on and off the court. They come to practice ready to work hard and do what needs to be done. They always do as they are told and they listen to the coaches. “We have an excellent group of motivated ladies with lots of potential that love to play the game of volleyball and all I can say is the sky is the limit," she said.

by Mackenzie Nestor Something historic happened on Aug. 28, 2015. Halsey, released her first full-length album, “Badlands.” Halsey is a powerhouse; a blue-haired, one-woman wonder with over half a million Twitter followers and almost 800,000 Instagram followers. Her album is highly anticipated by her fans and causal listeners alike. The deluxe edition has a whopping 16 tracks, yet somehow still manages to be a completely unified work of art. “Badlands” is a symbolic depiction of who Halsey is and what she stands for. Growing up biracial, and often whitewashed, has not made her ignorant of her privilege; but rather it has made her aware. She is an inter-sectional feminist who uses her privilege and large following to make known of the world’s growing racial injustices. She educates and attempts to make a change in the world in any way

that she can. Lucky for us that is through her music. Our journey into the “Bad-lands” begins with “Castle,” an eerily profound electro-pop song. We dive deep into her sub-conscious where the sexism and forced societal expectations she has dealt with are made blatantly obvious. A chorus of “Agnus Dei” which means Lamb of God, referring to a lion like lamb that rises to deliver victory after be-ing slain. This closely parallels Halsey’s own rise to fame. While capitalizing on her creative niche, she also uses her indie-pop style to find a place in the mainstream market. Like “Castle,” “New Americana” talks of another issue close to her heart. Bringing together both captivating pop rhymes and a plethora of pop culture related references, such as the legalization of marijuana and the admiration of Nirvana, this song showcases not only how

she was raised, but also accord-ing to Halsey, “a generation that is unafraid of diversity.” New Americana is symbolic of the unique being that is Halsey. One of the more notable songs of the album, “Hurricane,” comes to us straight from Halsey’s “Room 93” EP. “Hur-ricane” is what makes this album an iconic feminist work. It por-trays Halsey as someone who knows herself and finds peace in being vocally true to who she is. She is a person that welcomes controversy with wide arms. Without making it obvious, she sets herself up to be the perfect role model to her largely young audience by teaching them that you can do anything you want as long as you stay true to yourself. Some of the darker songs on the album and my personal favorites, “Gasoline” and “Con-trol,” show that while she might be self-aware, she is also very unsure of herself and can often

get stuck inside her own head captivated by the voices. Never-theless, she presents herself as someone who can find beauty in the darkest of places. “Strange Love,” while being on the op-posite side of the spectrum, is devoted to showing a more un-forgiving side of her. Halsey ends her debut with a sultry cover of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.” This song represents the diverse atmosphere she grew up in and serves as a song of devotion to her fans and her established career. Halsey is very straightfor-ward and bluntly honest which always makes for a refreshing narrative. She is directly repre-sentative of the counterculture that has come about in the past few years. She believes, as we all do, that if we aren’t saying some-thing or standing up for what we believe in, then we are part of the problem. As hard as it can be when there are a million people pushing against us, she encourag-

es us all to push on. She knows what we and the rest of the world are only just beginning to real-ize – this generation will not rest until we’ve made a change in the world around us. Halsey’s methods of song writ-ing are expressional, passionate and marvelously creative. The haunted “Badlands” ambience of her album, from “Castle,” all the way down to “I Walk the Line,” takes on a new form of indie-pop music that the world has been waiting to hear.

Riverhawks Volleyball Showing Great Potential

Halsey's “Badlands” has a Song for Everyone


It is our basic human nature to want to experience peace and happiness; though for many of us we do not know exactly what that means and therefore we often find that they are seemingly elusive qualities in life. There is a tendency to think that peace means having a life that is rela-tively problem free, and that happiness is the result of getting what “I want.” On the surface the aforementioned criteria may be appealing, however when put to the test it quickly becomes apparent that such an expectation is un-realistic and thus not sustainable. The fact is that we will often experi-

ence peace in our life when we focus on becoming more adept at coping with stressful situations compared to our ability to dodge them. Realistically happiness is not always found in getting more of what you “want,” but rather accepting and appreciating what you already have. Life is a journey that is made up of daily decisions and choices that can change our experiences in an instant. Peace and happiness begins with accepting who you and appre-ciating yourself at this very moment. Compare yourself to no one. When we begin to compare ourselves to others we have a tendency to ignore and minimize our own wonderful “self.” Take a few minutes to reflect on YOU! Look for and ac-knowledge your own accomplishments, your talents, your own attractiveness both externally in the form of your appearance and those wonderful qualities that create the image of your personality. Give yourself credit for all of the wonderful choices you have made in your life thus far. If you find yourself having trouble finding positive and attractive qualities about yourself, I invite you to consider the potential value of counseling as a means to work together to identify and change the course of your journey in search of peace & happiness.

Kurt

Student Q & AWhat do you like most about Fall?

“I enjoy watching NFL football in the fall. I can watch football anytime, it

is entertaining.”

“Probably Halloween. I re-ally like the decorations, it

brings back memories.”

“I like fall because that means band season. It

reminds me of band com-petitions. I was in band for

eight years.”

“My birthday is October 27. I like driving down

Route 50 and enjoying the leaves.”

“I like fall because of the fall fashion. I also like

when the leaves change.”

Andrea Weethee

Logan Evans

Cody Morrow

Veronica King Rachel Morton

Needing information about the campus with hilarious oddities? Tune in to the Kitty and

Kyle show every Monday and Wednesday from 11 am to noon on WPKM 96.3!

Kurt'sCornerPursuit of Peace and Happiness

the chronicle at wvu parkersburg volume #46 no. 2

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