Explore the Sky

http://www.outerspaceuniverse.org/outer-space-deep-astronomical-covers-vast-distance.html

You'll find that the FSU campus can prove to be interesting when you actually go looking for something to do. If you happen to be on the third floor of Tawes, stop by room 302 and you'll see what I'm talking about. Once your eyes adjust to the darkness you'll find yourself in the middle of FSU's planetarium.

This room, which is specifically designed for the planetarium, has been in use as long as Tawes has been in use and Dr. Robert Doyle, Professor in physics and engineering, is the current host of it's shows. Though this may not be considered by Dr. Doyle as research he still considers it a learning experience for not only the students and locals who visit it but for himself as well. “I think that it helps my students become better learners”, Dr. Doyle replied after mentioning that he is looking into whether or not more visually focused lessons have an effect on his students. Many other professors require their students to visit the planetarium under these pretenses.

The shows at the planetarium vary in subject. The one that I attended was called, “Planet's Peculiarities”, which was all about the planets in our solar systems and what makes the different from one another. If interested in what shows are playing and when they are playing, visit the FSU planetarium home page, http://www.frostburg.edu/planetarium/index.htm. Here you'll also find “Weekly Sky Events, Sky Sights Reports, and 2011 Night Highlights”.

To you give you a taste of what you'll be getting into I'll describe what I had experienced. In the beginning Dr. Doyle explains how the machine works and what to look for in the sky such as planets, stars, and constellations. After a review to get everyone on the same page Dr. Doyle updates everyone on local sky sights. This fall, locals should look for:

• Yule Moon 11/10, 12/10

• See craters on the moon with binoculars, 11/3

• Jupiter in the eastern mid evening sky

• Summer Triangle in western sky

  http://www.dmns.org/science/collections/space-sciences-lab/research-updates/july-skies

• Golden Capella Star in the northeastern sky

  http://earthsky.org/tonight/capella-in-october

• Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces constellations in the southern sky.

  Courtesy of http://karthickhariharan.blogspot.com/2010/12/sun-god-and-heavens-thereof.html

• Glow of the milky way.

• Venus (and Crescent moon and Venus) low in the southwestern sky in Thanksgiving.

  http://stargazerslounge.com/observing-planetary/89381-saturn-venus-mercury-thin-crescent-moon.html

After this, the lesson starts. Dr. Doyle goes through each planet and describes their special characteristics. He even describes why Pluto is not considered a planet anymore and instead is considered a dwarf planet among the many other small orbiting bodies such as:

1. Ceres

2. Makemake

3. Haumea

and

4. Eris

http://incredibledad.com/dad-tips/instant-expert-cheat-sheet-space/

The show is not only educational but interesting and humorous, thanks to Dr. Doyle's jokes every now and then. I would advise everyone to visit the Planetarium at least once, no matter what your major is. Outer space has captivated human kind for thousands of years, I'm sure it'll captivate you.

Hey This Isn't About Sex! Blah!

The Questions: What are your plans for Halloween? What’s your costume? What’s your favorite part of Halloween?

“…my favorite part of Halloween is it’s my birthday!” says Jessica Horne, will be going as Betty Boop for Halloween and having a costume party. For Jessica, Halloween is obviously a full spirited day, but for other students not so much. “I’m the wrong person to ask…” laughed Aaron Webb, a junior and a Business Administration major, who does not celebrate Halloween. Instead, Webb plans to attend choir rehearsal with his fellow members of UVUGD Gospel Choir* and then chill for the rest of the night. Tauren Lovell does not celebrate Halloween either, why not? –“Because I’m 21 years old and I’ll be watching Monday Night Football.” A senior at Bowie State University and a Biology major, Keisha Tappin admits, “I normally don’t do Halloween, but this year I will be going to a haunted house.”

Haunted houses, full of boos and ahhhhs, are being advertised all over Frostburg State University and students like Jimmese Hill, a senior and a Mass Communications major, are going in for the scares. She won’t be rocking a costume this year, but she did go to UPC’s* haunted house in Cumberland hall on Thursday. Jimmese brings out the child-like love of Halloween acknowledging that she loves the candy—just as A.J. Jones does, an Exercise and Sports Science major and a member of FSU’s football team, “No plans, I don’t get dressed up, but I love Halloween for its candy.”

*Unified Voices Under God’s Dominion

*University Programming Counsel

Food Stamps for College Students

Many students off campus are finding new ways to help keep up with their bills. After learning how to get rid of bad spending habits, they realize that doing just that is not enough. After paying for food, utilities, cable, and electric each month, life can get pretty expensive. However, with food being one of the most expensive necessities in a person’s life, college students are turning to food stamps.

Food stamps? Most people don’t believe me when I tell them this, but yes, food stamps. College students all over are applying for food stamps, which allow them to spend several hundred dollars on food each month, and it doesn’t come out of their pockets. The amount you get to spend per month varies. However, there are qualifications. You must be involved in some kind of work study for your school, federal or state, that’s it! You can also apply for food stamps with or without your roommates.

Loren Brown, a college junior, liberal arts major, who currently does work study at Frostburg State University says “Applying for food stamps is quick and easy, and once you submit your stuff, the food stamps card comes within 5 to 7 executive business days.”

If you are a student who does work study, living on or off campus, you can apply for food stamps today! Applying for food stamps will allow you to have money left from your paychecks to spend not only on your bills, but on personal items for yourself.

Apply at www.mass.gov/snap

Alcohol and Drugs, is it worth it?

Mix the immaturity that comes with age, the freedom of a wild horse, the endless possibilities of life, spells trouble for the college freshman. Drugs and alcohol are among the biggest contributors to the disasters that plague college freshman. College is a place where students come to further their education in hopes are getting a better career, but what is masked from the brochures and websites is the troubles that lie beneath. Alcohol and drugs are common issues that occur in the life of the freshman while they attend college. Top this all off with peer pressure and just wanting to fit in, is the quickest way to meet Lt. Scott Donahue.

Lieutenant Scott Donahue stated” I personally feel freshman are getting a first taste of being away from home and that sense of freedom that most abuse or can’t handle properly. They find themselves in situations where drugs and alcohol are everywhere and peer pressure (wanting to fit in) means everything to them. (Easily influenced)”

Below is a list of complied data from 2008-2010



ALCOHOL ARREST DRUG ARREST TOTAL ARRESTS # OF FRESHMAN
2008 81 22 103 1043
2009 64 28 94 1041
2010 71 57 128 1033


The numbers tell us that at least 10% of all FSU freshman will be arrested for drug related reasons. This number indicates how many freshman are caught each year but many go undetected. Getting a citation or arrested for alcohol or drugs can be an additional set back. Freshman arrested for drug related reason must pay a fine, attend court, meet with the disciplinary board, and complete an online module. All of which is time consuming and adds another stressor to the already crazy life of a freshman. So is it really worth it?

Happy Ghost Hunting

Every year, people of all ages dress up and door to door saying, "trick or treat!" Some, go to haunted houses, or corn mazes, and others.....to insane asylums. I asked Kim Riggin, a psychology major graduating in 2015, about her trip to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. "It was creepy!" she says. The asylum was open in the mid-1800's and holds a plethora of historical information from Civil War raids to being the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America. Located in Weston, WV; not too far from our little town of Frostburg.

Originally designed to house only 250 patients when the doors opened, in 1864, the premises boasted 2,500 patients by the 1950's. Patients were routinely subjected to ill treatment and children as young as four years old had procedures called lobotomies performed. The most common form of the lobotomy is probably the ice pick lobotomy; invented by Walter Freeman. He would drive an icepick above the eye of a patient and get the same results of the labor-intensive surgical method developed by Antonio Moniz.

Kim went on to describe how haunted this asylum really was, "There is this window that you can through and sometimes there is a face looking back, they put chairs stacked and than leave the room and they will be unstacked and in a circle. They throw a ball and a little girl throws it back. footsteps can be heard in the hallway." This is on place I will definitely be staying away from on Halloween!

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/lobotomy.html

http://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/index.html

Grad School Workshop held as part of English 489

Dr. Lutz's English 489 Capstone class in TH 229 was the venue for a graduate school workshop held last Tuesday morning, though all students were invited to the event, and many took advantage of the opportunity.

Dr. Kevin Kehrwald, Associate English Professor, opened the graduate school workshop held Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 8 a.m. in TH229 by talking about how to go about getting letters of recommendation for graduate school. Most graduate programs require 2 to 3 letters from past professors as part of their admissions process. Kehrwald's advice included giving professors ample time by letting them know as soon as students know they're ready to apply. He advised students to ask for letters in person, rather than via e-mail, and to make sure professors know what you intend to apply for and where. He also implied that it's a good idea to give the professor an addressed envelope with stamp to make the process easier for him or her. "We've all gotten where we are because of letters, so don't be afraid to ask us for them. It's part of what we do." Kehrwald told students.

Dr. Ralph Brewer, Associate Professor of English Education, talked about the Master of Arts in Teaching, or MAT, program. He handed out packets of admissions information, as well as what the course consists of. He told students that the program accepts only approximately 7 to 10 students per year, and that to get in, students will need to submit a writing sample and be prepared to teach an English lesson as they would teach when certified. On becoming teachers, Brewer told students, "Don't expect to go in and be given the best students."

Dr. Jill Morris, Assistant Professor of English, talked about other graduate programs, including that of Rhetoric Composition, in which students study a lot of critical theory. She also advised students thinking about teaching at the college level: "Don't go to grad school where you'd like to teach. It's considered in-breeding for colleges to hire their own PhD's." Morris talked about assistanceships and how they enable students to persue graduate degrees with less debt and more teaching experience.

Dr. Gerry LaFemina, Associate Professor of English and Director of the Frostburg Center for Creative Writing, spoke about studying creative writing at the graduate level. He advised students to never submit anything that hasn't been critiqued by several different creative writers or editors, and that when applying to grad school, students should submit their very best creative pieces as their writing samples and not be afraid to ask creative writing professors for letters of recommendation. "We're all here because people took the time and energy to talk about us." LaFemina said.

During the question and answer part of the workshop, Dr. Morris told students to first apply to the graduate program they're interested in, then send everything required to the department. "Sell yourself," she said, in regards to the personal statement that many programs require. Dr. Kehrwald chimed in by advising applicants to call the schools and follow up to ensure they received everything. Dr. Mary Anne Lutz, Professor of English, and the teacher of English 489 this semester, closed the workshop by advising students planning to go to graduate school next fall to get started recruiting professors for letters of recommendation now. "It's really important to give professors time to write letters," she said.

Halloween on the Mountain

What are your plans for Halloween?
Whats your costume?
Whats your favorite part of Halloween?

Ashley Foster

1 I'll be going to Delaware State for Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc Regional so unfortunately I wont be able to celebrate.

2 I would've been a robber.

3 Seeing other people's costumes.

Ryan Young (Towson University)

1 No idea yet.

2 Not yet, no idea what to buy.

3 Candy

Desiree Despertt

1 Going home.

2 If i were to choose a costume it would have to be a sailor.

3 The candy and going to other people's houses.

Eric Gross

1  Walk around maybe for to a Halloween party but I haven't decided yet.

2 I think I might go as Coach Schu. (Jamie Schumacher FSU football coach)

3  Hanging out with friends and trick or treating

Homecoming 2011

Surprisingly Frostburg State's homecoming isn't really exciting to students at the university like previous years. Only one out of three people were excited to talk about homecoming because she actually enjoyed herself. Kristin Brown, a senior Music Performance major with a concentration in Voice from Kensington, Maryland had a great time. She attended the pep rally, football game, and school dance. “My sorority sister won homecoming queen!" Her only suggest for homecoming is to make it more of an accommodations for other students besides Greeks and athletes. Other students didn't feel like homecoming was exciting at all. Jessica Musselman from Libetytown, Maryland didn't participate in homecoming at all because she decided to go home. "I didn't know too much of anything about it". She feels like upper classman who live off campus like herself, don't know anything about homecoming unless they are a part of an on-campus organization. She suggests stopping students on campus and encouraging them to come to the events. Jasmine Lynee, a junior Psychology major at Frostburg believes that it didn't really feel special. "It wasn't one of my favorites." She feels like it didn't start feeling like homecoming until Saturday. She attended the comedy show, football game, and school dance, but she wasn't impressed by any of the events. She suggests promoting more school spirit and having events during the week, which would make it feel more like a homecoming week.

How has Academic Advising Helped You?

Rashad Bass, a junior accounting major from Baltimore, MD believes that the academic advising here at Frostburg State University “is very flawed. I have had to change my advisor three times since I have been here and I’m still having problems.” Due to the lack of information provided by his advisors, Bass says that “advising has not been helpful at all. I get more information talking to my friends about classes than I do my advisors.” To solve these problems Bass believes that “Frostburg should not allow professors to be advisors. Sometimes they have too much on their plates and they sometimes neglect their advising duties. There should be a group of advisors who are hand selected and who are qualified to do this job.” When asked the same questions, Berdia Monk, a sophomore music education and mass communications major from Prince Georges County thinks that “the academic advising has been fine since I have been here. My advisor is always there when I need to ask him questions about classes. I think the system we have now is working fine. It might depend on who you talk to but I like it.” Akkiaya Williams, a former Frostburg State University exercise and sports science major who now attends Long Island University knows all about the advising at Frostburg. She states “the advising at Frostburg is horrible. Now that I have transferred I have seen what real advising should be. My advisor was never available because he was always in class. I often had to go to other teachers for advising advice and it shouldn’t be that way.” When asked how we could fix this problem she responded “we should not have teachers being advisors. It doesn’t work. They are always too busy. We should have fulltime advising positions and maybe this will help.”

Halloween in Hagerstown

Halloween is a special time of year where children disappear and ghosts, monsters, and ghouls take their place. However, is Halloween just for these pint size non-human individuals who badger unsuspecting homeowners for free candy or is it for older generations as well?

Victoria Chavez, junior fine arts major at Shepherd University, enjoys Halloween because it’s a holiday where “most of us get together and have a good time. All of our friends are almost never in the same place at the same time. Oh and costumes are fun”. As for what she plans on doing, Victoria replied that she’ll be handing out candy appeasing the aforementioned monsters. She also plans on attending a Halloween party her friend Angel Himes is hosting, dressed in a leopard print skirt. When asked what the skirt represents, she replied that she had no idea and that she just wants to wear a cool skirt.

Angel Himes, sophomore at Hagerstown Community College, agreed with Victoria’s favorite part of Halloween but added that dressing up with family and friends is more important than just seeing friends and family. As for what she’ll be doing for Halloween, she will be hosting her “annual Halloween party dressed up as a masquerade butterfly”. Being a very creative person, Angel’s parties embody American Halloween traditions with decorations such as chains and skeletons and mood music such as classic horror songs.

Calvin Andrukat, incoming junior at Shepard University, is excited for Halloween because he gets to dress up. Though he is a friend of Victoria and Angel he won’t be going to Angel’s party but instead plans on spending time with his friend Paige. This night does include a pirate costume.

Halloween

When asking students about their Halloween plans I received the following responses:

Mary Biscoe this Halloween is going home and attending a haunted trail. She decided that she would be herself and her favorite part of Halloween is spending the day with her niece and nephew, and going trick or treating with them.

While Sam Flowers stated she had to work Friday she is most excited about "Wilding Out" on Saturday. Her costumes will alternate from Bumble Bee from Transformers and Harriet the Spy. Her favorite part about Halloween is giving candy to children while trick or treating.

Matt Jamerson's plans consist of staying sober for his girlfriend, so sadly he had no costume. His favorite part about Halloween is giving out candy.

In class interview assignment

Joshua Blatchley’s plans for Halloween include “Going home for my Dad’s birthday.” Josh said he hadn’t decided on a costume yet, but he mentioned it was sure to be something classy. Josh’s favorite part of Halloween? “Pumpkins and pumpkin patches.”

Frostburg alumni Allen Llanes said his plans include, “Going to Fells Point on Friday and possibly coming up to Frostburg on Saturday.” Allen’s costume is, “Wheels from "Wheels and the Legman" a fake buddy cop duo from American Dad, and a Vietcong.” When asked about his favorite part of Halloween, Allen responded, “Offensive costumes and scantily clad young ladies.”

Wes Fox, another Frostburg alum shared his plans: “This weekend, nothing special. On Monday I will be at my local watering hole dropping a dummy from a tree at pedestrians to scare them.” His costume will be, “Rowdy Roddy Piper, an old WWF guy.” Mr. Fox’s favorite part of Halloween is, “Girls dressing promiscuously.”