FSU to Increase Number of Friday Morning Classes

The Frostburg State University College of Business is planning to increase the number of Friday morning classes by 10 percent for the Fall 2013 semester to help stop Thursday night drinking. According to the Cumberland Times-News article that reported this, other colleges have done this and had positive results. But most FSU students seem to disagree with this initiative.

Senior Jessica Mensah stated, "I think people will go out regardless of having a morning class on Friday. The only way to lower drinking is maybe to close the bars on Thursdays...But I don't even think that will work."

Senior Felicia Muse also does not believe that this increase in Friday morning classes will lower drinking rates on "Thirsty Thursdays." She said, "It wouldn't stop me really, because if I want to go out I'll go out, no matter if I have a class on Friday or not. And I don't think it will lower the amount of people going out. It's a good idea to try, but overall it's probably just a waste." She also mentioned that this plan may just increase the number of hungover students in class or students that skip class frequently on Fridays.

I too do not believe that this plan will have its intended effect on students' drinking. Like Felicia said, students that really want to go out will go out, regardless of their schedule. I believe that if anything, students may just begin drinking earlier in an effort to go to sleep at an earlier time to make it to class in the morning. I also do not believe it is fair that the school seems to be trying to almost force students to take Friday morning classes. Some students don't drink and simply prefer to have Fridays off. Many students try to take more once-a-week night classes and more Tuesday/Thursday classes just to have a shorter school week, regardless of how much they drink. I think that if students want a three day weekend every week, they should have the right to be able to do so. Of course, every student will not end up with an early morning class on Fridays based on a 10 percent increase in the classes offered, but if FSU continues to increase the number of Friday morning classes in an effort to curb Thursday night drinking, it is possible that in the future Friday morning classes will become inescapable. Only time will tell if this initiative works and if Frostburg decides to continue on with this in coming years.

The End is Near By Julian E. Gates

The last week of the 2012 fall semester, is ending and the holidays are approaching quickly. Therefore, for the final posting of the nightlife blog; the topic discussed will be ideas of nightlife activities that future FSU students can do. First, let us review every nightlife activity posted on the blog. There was the Thursday night at the Diamond Lounge, the poetry slam at the mountain traditional arts center, professional saxophonist Matt Corey performed in Lane, we saw a fraternity decorate the streets of Frostburg and finally the 5 dollar special offered at cinemas 1 2 3 was featured. All of these activities are fun, safe, cheap, and guaranteed to be a good time. Although these nightlife activities are great, Frostburg offers many more activities that I did not have time to cover. For that, reason as stated earlier thanks to burpeereducation.com provides the list of activities to do in the near future. 

The website has a page titled “101 things to do in Frostburg.” A number of listings only include daytime activities such as biking but if you read more closely, an individual can find many activities to do at nighttime.  For example, the site lists bowling alleys. Although they it is not in Frostburg, the bowler is located in lavale and it offers cyber bowling that is offered Saturday nights at 10:00 pm.  Other ideas that can work for the spring semester because of weather conditions would be grabbing a blanket and watching the stars.  Other activities include stress busters at the Lane center before finals week.  The list goes on and it provides a wide range of exciting things to do while class is in session. Make sure you check out the link here (http://tinyurl.com/b2hlgce) and see the list.

            Whatever you choose to do in the nightlife of Frostburg be safe and always remember to be a student first. Moreover, never drink and drive!

Merry Christmas!

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

My roommate noticed that in our room the television is never really off unless we leave the room for long periods of time. We even sleep with the television on, naps included. So, I decided that we should sleep with the television to help save energy. This suggestion lasted for less than 15 minutes. Both of us realized that it was simply impossible to attempt to fall asleep without the television on. Which left me wondering why?

Then it clicked to me that maybe I’m not used to sleeping with the TV on but the creepy, eerie, silence that being in the dark  brings, brings me a huge discomfort. I am openly admitting that as a twenty year old young adult that I am afraid of the dark.

I asked my roommate, Cheyenne Bhutan, if my theory on being afraid of the dark could be a possibility to our sleeping habit with the TV and she said “ I've never thought about it like that but yeah I am”. Now, Cheyenne is highly paranoid person and is easily frighten person. When asked why she couldn’t sleep without the TV on she replied “In the dark, I feel like there could be something coming out of my closet and my eyes start to imagine things are coming towards me”. I completely agree with her. In the dark, I start to imagine things like my towel on my door is a ghost.

Our fears of the dark made me question are we the only ones who are afraid of the dark. The answer to that is no we aren't  A recent study, done by the Ryerson University in Toronto showed that nearly half of the participants admitted being afraid of the dark which has lead them to have poor sleeping habits. What the study concluded was that insomniacs could possibly have the fears that tend to keep them up actually root from the fear of the dark. The good news is that the fear of the dark is curable with the help of behavioral therapy. Though, I doubt that either of us are going to do that. 

Staying healthy during the holidays

The holidays are coming up, and in less than a couple weeks, Frostburg students will be back home for Winter break. While it can be easy to let yourself go, divulging in tons of Christmas cookies and staying cuddled up on the couch watching movies for half the break, you will probably regret overeating and laziness if you end up gaining some unwanted weight. To avoid falling into an unhealthy routine this Winter break, consider following this guideline:

When it comes to meals:

• Use low-fat dairy products in cooking. Use skim milk and 2% cheese, and you’ll ditch some of the calories that the whole fat products have.

• Fill your plate up with more vegetables than carbs and meat. Fresh vegetables are preferable to canned ones.

• Stick with whole wheat/grains instead of white bread. Your body will thank you for the added fiber.

• Get a little of everything. You know, rather than a lot of everything. For a variety of nutrients and minerals, "eat your rainbow"/eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

• Eat slowly! You’re probably ravenous from eating college food, but take this time to catch up with your family and friends. While you’re doing that, your brain will have time to catch up with your stomach.

• Reconsider seconds if you know you have had enough already. And definitely reconsider thirds.

• Watch your alcohol intake. This is less about meals and more about calories. Remember that many alcoholic drinks are packed with calories, so drink responsibly - and moderately.

When it comes to exercise:

• Get outside. Not everyone is a snow person, but you don’t necessarily have to play in it. Bundle up and go for a jog or long walk. Make sure you get at least half an hour of cardio every day.

• Join a gym. Some gyms have trial periods, which are perfect if you don’t want to commit to a certain number of months, or if you would have to pay a membership cessation fee.

• Watch workout videos. You can buy some, or just find someon YouTube.

• Develop a floor workout routine. Pushups, sit-ups, etc. can be done anywhere., and you’d be surprised the kind of exercises you can do in your home. Check out some other floor workouts here and here.

• Go shopping. Whether you’re buying anything or not, malls during the holidays can be a lot of fun, and they can be a good place to catch up with friends from back home.

There are plenty of things you can do to keep yourself in check this holiday break. A little laziness and splurging never hurt anyone, but make sure you don't develop an unhealthy routine that will be hard to kick once you get back to school. 

Happy holidays!

Uncommon ingredients such as pork belly should be embraced

Some home cooks tend to shy away from cooking novel cuisine, effectively binding themselves to the confines of foods and techniques that are familiar. That’s a shame. Many of the cooks I've spoken with cite fear of failure as the main reason they are hesitant to work with unfamiliar ingredients. Mistakes are okay--and even necessary--to make as they facilitate growth as a cook. Simple mistakes are avoided by remaining calm. Start from the beginning, give the dish some thought and planning for some hours or maybe days beforehand, and examine the steps involved. Cooking is not brilliance and magic, as many people tend to think, but rather is a methodical process that requires patience and understanding.

One of my favorite commonly underutilized ingredients is pork belly. Though many American families eat bacon every morning (made from pork belly), that seems to be the extent of America’s exposure to the ingredient. Bacon is cured, smoked, and thinly-sliced pork belly. The raw product is far more versatile. Chinese cuisine commonly features braised pork belly, but unfortunately with the exception of crock pot recipes and authentic barbecue, braising has become a seldom used cooking technique in American cuisine.

Braising can be used to render just about any part of an animal edible. Applying heat to a product serves to break down the connective tissue. Collagen breaks down into gelatin, an irreversibly hydrolyzed form of the protein. Braising also softens the lean protein and renders fat out of a product. To make a cut of pork belly palatable, I typically braise it in aromatics, cut into 3x6 rectangles, score and then sear fat side down in oil. The result is an extremely flavorful cut of pork where the fat is as crispy as bacon and the lean portions are tender enough to eat with a spoon.

Whole pork belly that has been scored, studded with clove, and braised with mirepoix, cinnamon, and orange peel for three hours

Though some cooks tend to take a minimalist approach to serving pork belly in order to accentuate the meat, it can also be served with a variety of sauces or flavorings:

Chef Tylor Dinteman’s pork belly appetizer featured at Savage River Lodge is braised with mirepoix and herbs, seared to golden brown, and served atop shredded sour red cabbage. The acid from the red wine vinegar used to cook the cabbage cuts through the flavor of the fat on the pork belly, effectively make the dish an upscale take on the tradition pork and sauerkraut combination.

Braised and seared pork belly served over shredded sour red cabbage

Asian pork belly dishes are fairly common. Asian styles are typically served with the rind or skin still attached to the fat cap. Asian pork belly also differs in that it is usually seared first, then braised with scallions, fresh ginger slices, soy sauce, and rice wine or sake. An accompanying sauce can be constructed by reducing the braising liquid.

Chinese steamed pork belly over braised mustard greens

At a party I recently catered, I braised pork belly with cloves, orange peels, bay leaves, and cinnamon. I seared 2x2 cubes fat-side down in a cast iron skillet for 25 minutes, then plated the pork belly atop lentils and finished the dish with a spiced orange gastrique. A gastrique is made with caramelized sugar and vinegar, then flavored with an ingredient of the cook’s choice. In this case, I reduced orange juice, cider vinegar, and brown sugar with juniper berries, bay leaves, mustard seed, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon. The reduction was strained and used as a glaze to finish the dish.

Braised and seared pork belly over lentils with a spiced orange gastrique

One of my favorite pork belly dishes is simplistic in construction but bold in flavor. While I was working under Tylor Dinteman, then Sous-chef at Rocky Gap Lodge, he constructed a braised and seared pork belly with melted gorgonzola, garnished with a lemon-dressed microgreen salad.


It is worth noting that one does not have to braise raw pork belly in order to make it palatable. Home cured pancetta is one of the most fulfilling projects a cook might immerse themselves in. Likewise, homemade bacon is just as satisfying to make. Last May, I cured and smoked jalapeno bacon at home. My friend and fellow cook Joshua Herrell cured a red miso bacon that is absolutely phenomenal.

Two Ways to Help Improve your Shopping Experience this Holiday Season!

While I'm torn about this blog post due to the fact that I've always been someone who believes presents really ruin the spirit of the holiday season, the fact is that people will be going shopping and buying presents. So since it's going to happen regardless, you might as well save some time and money, right?

One of the most frustrating things EVER (in my humble opinion) is buying something from one store, walking into the next and finding a very similar item on sale for much cheaper. ShopLocal.com helps resolve this problem. This handy website is a frugal persons Mecca. It has everything from coupons, to hot deals, to a weekly circular section. This website is very easy to maneuver, so spend 10 minutes before you head out to look at the circulars for the stores you had planned on stopping by and find out which places are having the best deals so you don't miss getting that nice fleece on Mom's list that's 50% off this week only!

Another thing that you'll find amazing is Best Buy's best-kept-secret. Best Buy has been hurting recently with more and more people shopping online and getting much better deals at online vendors. To counteract this Best Buy is now price matching with Amazon.com. Besides the fact that this will probably end up hurting Best Buy in the long run, it is AWESOME for you, take advantage of it while you can. If you have a smart phone, download the Amazon App that comes with a barcode scanner and start scanning every item before you buy it and find the cheapest price you can on Amazon, if it's the exact same and it's sold by Amazon.com, Best Buy will match the price then and there.

So now you'll be saving some time & money, now get back and enjoy the Holiday Season with family and friends!

SURVEY UPDATE: Over half of FSU students surveyed have had sex in a dorm room!

                                                Survey Update

                                               by: Neil Ralph

I updated my survey by adding questions and asking more people to take it.  50 students were surveyed still about 50% said they were sexually active at Frostburg. About 50% of the students surveyed claimed they had sex in a dorm room. I added the survey question "what is their favorite way to notify their roommate that they're having sex?" The most popular answer was that they don't notify their roommate at all! Also, as expected, condoms are the way most FSU students stay protected!