Cancer survivors receive make over benefit from fashion show fundraiser

Cancer survivors receive make-over, benefit from fashion show fundraiser FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2005 By Colleen Crowley Yellow Jacket Correspondent The Waynesburg Theater and Arts Center was pretty in pink last Tuesday evening for the “Parade of Fashions” to benefit the Greene County Coalition. About 100 people arrived at the theater for the show that began at 7 p.m. and were greeted by members of the coalition with gifts and a program. Chinese auction, silent auction and door prizes were all available for guests to win. Door prizes included $100 gift certificates to the Fashion Shop and the Carol Lee Shop, two sponsors of the show. Silent auction items included a signed hockey puck by former Pittsburgh Penguin Joey Mullen and a two day/ two night trip to Canaan Valley Resort in West Virginia. Several Chinese auction items were available as well, including Pittsburgh Zoo tickets, Carnegie Museum tickets, Pittsburgh Pirate tickets, a necklace from the Carol Lee Shop and an autographed Hines Ward photograph. Miss Pennsylvania 2002 Autumn Marisa emceed the show, which included several fashions from The Fashion Shop, Carol Lee Shop and Mickey’s Men Store. A survivor make-over began the show. Three breast cancer survivors were introduced and then whisked away to the backstage area, where experts worked on their hair, make-up and apparel. In between fashions, Debra Lee Davis of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute offered tips on cancer prevention. She spoke about the many environmental causes, like metals, pesticides, solvents and plastics. Davis mainly spoke about breast cancer awareness and mentioned that women who had their periods at an early age, late menopause and no or late pregnancy have a greater risk for breast cancer because of the high hormone levels. She told the audience, mainly women, that a good breast exam should take between five and ten minutes and reminded them to have regular exams. Refreshments were served during intermission. The second half of the show included more fashions and cancer segments from Davis. It concluded with the revealing of the cancer survivor make-overs and the announcements of the winners of the silent and Chinese auctions and door prizes. Alumna researches college’s early years By Michelle Thompson Managing Editor In her ongoing search to collect photographs and biographies of Waynesburg College graduates from 1852-1926, Candice Buchanan has collected information and pictures on approximately two-thirds. Although this project is not officially connected with the college, Buchanan’s ultimate goal includes publishing a book with a photograph and brief biography. Currently, she has created a Web site as a supplement to her potential book, which includes more information such as family photographs and even entries from a former student’s diary. The descendants of the first woman to receive a bachelor’s degree at Waynesburg College provided Buchanan with some of B Murder, mayhem run rampant as night of fun ensues at First Presbyterian By Lorraine Adams Yellow Jacket Correspondent Margaret Needham Still’s clothing and a transcribed diary from a school mate, Leroy Cleavenger, who had a crush on her. (Prior to 1897, Buchanan said that women received diplomas, not bachelor’s degrees.) On Saturday, May 31, 1857, Cleavenger wrote about one of the rare times he and “Maggie” spoke privately: “The moments there flew too rapidly by. We introduced such subjects and discussed them as the only of her female of Waynesburg would dare to attempt. “A more intelligent, interesting, little angel I never before encountered whilst in the midst of a very interesting conversation... Then the clock struck three in the morning before I could muster up sufficient resolution to drag myself away.” See ALUMNA on Page B4 Photo by Lorraine Adams “Murder, Mayhem and Marshmallow Salad” drew the audience in during a classic “Whodunnit” murder mystery at First Presbyterian’s second annual Mystery Dinner Theater. Greene County utilizes $8,846 to fund recycling coordinator By Alisa Clements Associate Editor No matter how people look at it, recycling is something that everyone should do to help preserve the earth. Pennsylvania and Greene County are doing their parts by improving and updating the county’s recycling program, as well as improving employment rates and the economy of the area. According to the announcement made by the Department of Environmental Protection, Greene County will receive $8,846 from the state to help pay for the recycling coordinator’s salary. That money was part of $1.16 million in County Recycling Coordinator Reimbursement Grants to be distributed to 51 counties in the state. Robbie Matesic, executive director for the Department of Planning and Economic Development, recently took over the position of recycling coordinator. Mary Jane Kent previously held the position and now works on other projects within the planning and developing department The reason for the shift in positions comes from a decision made by county officials. Because the county is updating both its recycling plan and the overall comprehensive plan, officials indicated it would be easier to have one person overseeing both projects. Pennsylvania has been using recycling as an economic development tool and is thought to have a potentially strong impact on Greene County’s economy. Pennsylvania’s recycling industry leads northeast states in employment, payroll and sales numbers. Over 3,200 recycling businesses and organizations grossed, in annual sales, over $18.4 billion and provided jobs for 81,322 employees. The annual payroll is approximately $2.9 billion. “Pennsylvania is making an investment with its local partners in county recycling efforts,” Gov. Ed Rendell said in a press release. “Through these grants to county recycling coordinators, we maintain a strong and beneficial link to local municipal recycling programs. This is a valuable relationship that ensures Pennsylvania remains a national leader in recycling.” On the evening of Oct. 15, at the First Presbyterian Church in Waynesburg, mysterious organ music played, ominously signaling a classical case of a “Whodunnit” mystery. The second annual Mystery Dinner Theatre Production benefitting the church’s missionary fund, was underway. “Murder, Mayhem And Marshmallow Salad,” the name of this year’s production, had eight cast members and one director. In the basic plot of the story, the lisping Reverend Peter Piper Porcupine, played by church member Jay Gardner, and his wife Sister Polly Piper, played by church member Mary Walker, come to town to steal the job of Pastor Evan Keal, played by church member and Greene County Messenger editor Steve Barrett. “Anytime you’re doing fellowship, it’s fun,” said Gardner. During the play, the people hold a potluck dinner in honor of the visiting reverend. Disaster is in the air when they realize there is not enough marshmallow salad, and then a storm breaks out during the dinner and knocks out the power. The stuttering pastor is asked to make coffee, but first M.T. Socket, played by Waynesburg College student Christopher Schaffer, must fix the power. In the end, the power comes back on, electrocut- ing the pastor and killing him. Philosopher Phil, played by the church’s music director David Scoville, told the audience that the beloved pastor was not actually dead. Scoville has been involved in both years’ Mystery Dinner Theatres and recalls last year’s event. “It was a charming experience,” he said. “There is a lot of cast/audience interaction, and people respond to the eccentric characters.” Schaffer, who also plays a role in the Waynesburg College fall play production, “You Can’t Take it With You,” said a Mystery Dinner Theatre Production was a new experience for him. “I’ve just always wanted See DINNER on Page B4 Graphic courtesy of the Greene County Department of Planning & Development County Recycling Coordinator Reimbursement Grants are funded by the Recycling Fund. The Recycling Fund is supported by a $2-per-ton fee on all materials disposed of at municipal waste landfills and resource recovery facilities in Pennsylvania. The grants reimburse counties for up to 50 percent of the salary and authorized expenses incurred by county recycling coordinators. Section Page B2 Yellow Jacket Friday, October 21, 2005 Too much time off can be detrimental to schedule Miller plays the “Who Give me a Break named Plame?” game The First Amendment has always been a tricky subject, the gray area of our U.S. Constitution that is often twisted and bent to its breaking point by free speech proponents and defiant lawyers. The First Amendment protects, among other things, our freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. Both of these freedoms were taken away from New York Times reporter Judith Miller when she was jailed in July for refusing to reveal the name of her source who leaked an undercover CIA operative’s name to the media. That source, I. Lewis Libby, who is Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, called Miller in jail last month to let her know he was releasing her from her vow of secrecy EDITORIAL Many students are exhausted during the fall semester because there is no break until Thanksgiving. A possible solution is to have a week in the middle of the fall semester and cut some of the vacation time allotted for Thanksgiving. Waynesburg College accommodates American and Christian holidays, but the small minority of students with non-American nationalities are left out. Although it would mean a breather for all students in a semester, it would also mean the time would have to be made up elsewhere. Since this college is in America, we schedule around America’s calendar of events. As nice as it would be to tweak our schedules to the holidays of all students, that is virtually impossible and would leave us with more breaks than school time. This may not raise complaints from the students, as education is one thing that students generally don’t complain about getting a lack of, but the students or parents paying for college might have something to say about excessive breaks caused by holidays from around the world. We sympathize with those unable to spend holidays and special occasions with loved ones, and a fall break would provide for some students to go home for their own national holidays, but if the calendar is changed for one holiday, then it must be changed for every holiday. Elizabeth Witte Columnist to him. But when it came time for Miller to testify to a grand jury last week (the same event that landed her in the slammer in the first place), she flinched and said she “could not recall” who exactly told her the name of Valerie Plame, the former covert CIA operative at the center of a federal grand jury investigation into who leaked her name. For being an all-around upholder of the idea of free speech, Miller received the First Amendment Award Tuesday night from the Society of Professional Journalists, the very organization that gave this newspaper its 2004 Region 4 First Place Mark of Excellence Award for Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper this past spring. A former president of SPJ told Editor & Publisher that “this is an award for being willing to not reveal a source, willing to spend so many days in jail, and that is how we distinguish it.” That’s all fine and good, but how about an award for Biggest Waste of Everyone’s Time? Sure, Miller protected free speech and drew more attention to that old First Amendment cause, but I’ve got to say her release and subsequent testimony have See MILLER on Page B3 Arctic oil may drill into college funding Michelle Thompson Columnist School Spirit-less Megachurches a growing Homecoming suffers from lack of attendance The Lakewood Church in Houston, Tex. seats 16,000 people in what used to be the Compaq Center sports arena. Instead of pews, the arenalike sanctuary has padded theater seats; instead of an alter, there’s a stage; instead of stained glass windows, there are projection screens. Similarly, the Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill, a suburb of Chicago, goes beyond the simple layout of a traditional church building and includes a gymnasium, bookstore, food court and cappuccino bar. Did I mention the two sanctuaries and 155-acres of land the building sits on? This trend, known as the “megachurch,” could be just a reflection of an affluent metropolitan society.. However, I see something much deeper in this desire to become bigger and broader in scope. To be accurate, the idea of colossal buildings built for Homecoming is a joyous occasion for alumni and current students to watch the big game and enjoy themselves while the king and queen are crowned. This past homecoming was a little different in that aspect. Not only were three other games happening that day of homecoming, but students didn’t seem to have the same spirit. There was a low attendance for the game, and after Trevor Vaughan IV and Katie White were announced king and queen, a lot of the crowd left the game, not caring about the second half. Is that any way to have school spirit? It is the middle of the semester, and many students are bombarded with various projects and papers, but students can’t constantly work. There needs to be a time for socialization, and that’s exactly what happens at the football games. Homecoming is a special event, and students need to remember that. trend, but are they effective? Christina Bologna Columnist Taking Advantage Area schools should realize value of college event Waynesburg College’s Media Day gives the opportunity for local schools to bring students to experience Waynesburg College and its Department of Communication. A feat that has never been accomplished is having all five Greene County public high schools - Carmichaels Area, Central Greene, West Greene, Southeastern Greene and Jefferson Morgan school districts - in attendance. Media Day is a great opportunity for aspiring Department of Communication students to find out about the industry they are interested in learning. There are workshops and speakers that provide samples of what a student could be getting into when becoming a Communication student. The students can choose which workshops they wish to attend, and it is on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are only a few local opportunities to learn about media, and the Media Day is one of them. The local high schools should take advantage of having a college that openly welcomes students interested in Communication. We are here to learn, and they can learn from us. Classes in the Department of Communication are canceled on Media Day, Oct. 27. Communication students will be there, and maybe each high school will be represented as well. Free speech messy business in colleges By Kathleen Parker The Orlando Sentinel The First Amendment has been getting a workout in recent weeks on two college campuses -- the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -where students are learning that free speech is a messy business. The two cases, one involving a columnist at UNC and the other a political cartoonist at UF, have inflamed minority groups _ Muslims and blacks, respectively _ provoking protests and debate. That’s the good news; protest and the purpose of worship is nothing new. Saint Peters Cathedral in Rome, Italy, built in the 1500s seats 60,000 congregants. Yet, the sweeping Gothic cathedrals of the early centuries were designed and built as a bold statement for God, an act of worship in and of themselves. Modern megachurches attempting to emulate the ancient cathedrals is what Slate.com calls “as hopeless as translating Shakespeare into hip-hop.” While ancient European cathedrals are set apart from other buildings by their clearly recognizable symbols as places of worship (i.e. crosses, stained glass, etc.), megachurches follow a different architectural plan: to blend into their surroundings. Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for The New Yorker magazine, put it this way, “The Gothic cathedral was designed to inspire awe and thoughts of transcendence. Megachurches celebrate comfort, ease and the very idea of contemporary suburban life.” I’m not saying that all churches, to some degree, celebrate “contemporary suburban life,” especially considering geographic locamost tion; however, megachurches are secular in design. So secular in fact, that the average passer-by would not be able to distinguish the building as a church but could easily mistake it for a performing art center or a community college. At the risk of sounding overly religious, I have to raise the question of whether See CHURCHES on Page B3 Congress will soon vote on a bill that cuts more than $9 billion from federal aid that benefits college students. This means that the average student borrower with loans of $20,000 should add $6,000 more onto their debt. Students will not only face additional mandatory fees for each student loan, but they will not have the ability to consolidate their debt while in school according to the Sierra Student Coalition. The dent this bill could leave in students’ wallets will be compensated because in 20 years, we will each save a penny per gallon of gasoline according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. The passing of the 2006 Budget Reconciliation Bill will open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. Subjecting the Arctic’s delicate tundra to drilling would decimate the wildlife that life in the refuge and serves as a direct threat to the native Gwich’in people who have depended on the caribou to survive for 20 millennia according to Sierra Student Coalition. Even though gas prices continue to soar after the hurricanes which have thrashed the South, destroying Alaska’s pristine environment to save a penny per gallon of gasoline hardly seems like a reasonable answer. If oil is discovered, it would take approximately 10 years before it could be See ARCTIC on Page B3 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor are encouraged as a method to bring issues of concern into the public eye. Letters should be typed, limited to 300 words, signed and include a phone number for confirmation. Letters may be submitted at 400 Buhl, sent to the Yellow Jacket via campus mail or placed in the mailbox in the Buhl Hall mail room. Additionally, outside letters may be addressed to the following: Yellow Jacket, Buhl Hall, Waynesburg College, Waynesburg, Pa., 15370 You may also e-mail letters to jacket@waynesburg.edu. All letters must be received by 5 p.m. on the Monday of any week. debate are the currency of free speech. What’s not such good news is that the UNC columnist was fired, and the Florida cartoonist has been condemned and threatened. Both students have been virtually abandoned by university officials, some of whom apparently are more concerned about burnishing their multiculti self-images than in supporting an increasingly embattled founding principle. Jillian Brandes, a former columnist for UNC’s Daily Tar Heel, wrote a column See FREE on Page B3 Executive Editor Senior Editor Managing Editor Sports Editor Associate Editor Copy Editor Photography Editor Designer Designer Assistant Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor Editorial Assistant Advertising Director Assistant Adviser Adviser Elizabeth Witte Christina Bologna Michelle Thompson PJ Myers Alisa Clements Tessa McCullough Tina Crossley Jayne Mamuszka Nichole White Dan Wozniak Erin Fisher Ariel Dugan Christin Buckhalter Brandon Szuminsky Richard Krause NEWSPAPER POLICY The Yellow Jacket is the student operated newspaper of Waynesburg College funded by student fees and business advertisements, and it is intended for the entire college community. The Yellow Jacket is produced by the student staff on a weekly basis during the academic year. The office of the Yellow Jacket is located in room 400 Buhl Hall. The adviser can be contacted in this office or by phone at 852-3240. It is the right of the Yellow Jacket to print all material deemed newsworthy and gathered in a fair and unconditional manner. No advance copies of stories will be shown, and reporters' notes are considered confidential. No "off the record" information will be accepted. Friday, October 21, 2005 Yellow Jacket Page B3 OP/ED Miller plays mind games Continued from Page B2 been nothing short of anticlimactic. For the first time in a while, journalism had a martyr figure, a Joan of Arc willing to fight for what she believed in and to hold her values and virtues as closely as she did her secrets. We admired her integrity as she was locked up, and we kept a virtual vigil all summer. But now Miller has changed her tune, playing mind games with that poor grand jury and all of her supporters. Now I’m left wondering why our support for her was thrown to the wind in favor of protecting someone who obviously does not deserve such shielding. Does the First Amendment protect the freedom to disappoint your fellow journalists? Many other former supporters have now turned on Miller in light of discoveries that she may have obtained an extremely special classified status while embedded with soldiers looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, an action akin to practically being licensed by the government. What kind of a reporter was Judith Miller anyway? I’m sure she’ll let us know soon, however; Miller is writing a book about her ordeal. Perhaps when Miller left her jail cell, her soul stayed behind. Feds need to prepare now for pandemic Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service The following editorial appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday, Oct. 6: Harkin, D-Iowa, voted last week to provide $4 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stockpile medication, improve vaccine research and manufacturing capacity, and to help states and municipalities plan. The House should second the action. Also this week, the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to release a long-awaited national pandemic management plan, before Secretary Michael Leavitt leaves on a tour of Asian countries vulnerable to outbreak. These are overdue steps to brace the United States for a virulent global flu, which medical experts believe is inevitable. They don’t know when or how bad a pandemic it might be, but historical cycles say one is coming. Epidemiologists are tracking the H5N1 virus in Asia, which has been killing off poultry and migratory birds since 2003. It spread to Russia last summer. So far, most human cases amateurish. Brandes’ editor claimed that he fired her for “journalistic malpractice,” for taking quotes out of context, not in response to pressure. I can only say that in 25 years with newspapers, I’ve never known anyone to be fired when a story’s subjects didn’t like the way quotes were used. In Gainesville, Fla., cartoonist Andy Marlette drew an image that has angered some black groups. Marlette is the nephew of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and author Doug Marlette, whose talent as an equal-opportunity offender apparently seeped into the family gene pool. Marlette the Younger ’s cartoon in the Independent Florida Alligator was a commentary on rapper Kanye West’s remarks following Hurricane Katrina that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Marlette drew a cartoon of West holding an oversized have been linked to contact with sick birds, but experts fear the virus will mutate to a form that spreads easily among humans. That’s when it gets dangerous. In this age of global air travel, a cough, sneeze or handshake could send it quickly around the world. Initially, there would be little way to stop it: Humans have virtually no immunity. Unlike most influenzas, which most often attack the very young and the very old, healthy adults would be the most vulnerable. That means huge disruptions in workand national forces economies. The nonprofit Trust for America’s Health predicts a half-million deaths and at least 2 million hospitalizations if a moderately severe pandemic strikes the United States. That’s why this nation needs a comprehensive plan delineating roles for federal, state and local governments. Only a coordinated effort will head off panic, result in proper care of the sick, and playing card labeled “The Race Card,” with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying, “Nigga Please!” The N-word makes me cringe... especially every time I hear Kanye West say it. His songs, including his current hit, “Gold Digger,” are liberally seasoned with the word, often couched in violence and obscenity. But when I imagine the immaculate and proper Condi Rice saying it, especially to a “brotha” who has made a fortune playing the bad boy, it makes me laugh. Which is to say Marlette’s cartoon hit the mark. It was sophisticated, irreverent and funny. His use of West’s own language to parody the rapper ’s political statement was, in fact, the art of the cartoon. certain campus Yet groups and administrators were outraged. This, even though the same student government that pulled ads from the Alligator is paying West to drop the N-bomb in Churches mix with culture Continued from Page B2 There’s been an outbreak of awareness on avian flu. Last week, ``Nightline’’ featured ``the pandemic waiting to happen in a nation unprepared.’’ This month’s National Geographic asks, ``The Next Killer Flu: Can We Stop It?’’ More important, the halls of Washington are buzzing with talk of H5N1, the flu strain rampaging through Asia’s bird population. It has killed 60 of 116 humans infected. ``I am concerned about what an avian flu outbreak could mean for the United States and the world,’’ President Bush said at a news conference Tuesday. He’s wisely studying the 1918 pandemic, fearful of repeating disastrous policy choices made then. The Senate, led by Tom contain illness. Next week, the Senate should take up proposals from Harry Reid, D-Nev., Edward Kennedy, DMass., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., to make these plans more effective. The president’s idea Tuesday to put the military in charge of quarantines was premature, although quarantines may eventually be needed. He was right, however, to question the world’s capacity to manufacture vaccines. With current technology and factories, it would take six to nine months after identifying a virus to produce a vaccine. Many people would die waiting. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the consequences of a nation blindsided by emergency. A flu pandemic would, by definition, be a dozen Katrinas at once. Scientists have issued their warnings. Congress and the president are right to listen and prepare. or not the megachurch is an effective tool for spreading the Word of God. While it is not my place to judge its success, the main problem I have with this trend is not so much its size, but rather its focus on blending into the culture. Christians are called to be set apart from the rest of the world, salt and light if you will, and yet technology and “progress” are quickly taking the place of the simple words of faith. Bobby Maddex, the Christ and Culture lecturer last week, raised this issue during his evening address. He said that while we should not shun the popular culture and the technology it offers, we should also be very aware of its effects and how we are using it. By placing the main focus on screen projectors and surround sound the Word of God is diminished while the image of man is emphasized. Amongst all of the modern conveniences, it is hard to become quiet and focus on the eternal and not on the trivial. I am well aware that not all megachurches fall into this category and some have a very dynamic ministry. Yet the question then becomes does the end justify the means? Regardless, I believe the Bible said they will know we are Christians by our love, not by how much technology we use. cles are engineered to use regular unleaded fuel; however, many drivers believe they can improve their vehicles performance by using premium grade. If drivers nationwide pumped the correct fuel octane into their tanks, 65,000 barrels of oil could be saved per day. By ensuring that replacement tires are as fuel efficient as the vehicle’s original tires could save 270,000 barrels of oil per day. Motorists should take care in selecting the proper grade of motor oil. By using motor oils with additives that reduce friction, we would notice an increase in a vehicles fuel economy by 1-2 percent. In 2013, 100,000 barrels could be saved per day if we implemented a widespread use of efficient motor oils, which could reduce fleetwide gasoline consumption. By reducing truck idling at overnight truck stops and providing electrical hookups or fitting trucks with auxiliary power units, 50,000 barrels of oil could be saved per day. Therefore, I urge everyone and especially students to write letters to Congress and sign petitions opposed to the passing of a bill, which would significantly decrease college aid in exchange for a mere cent per gallon two decades from now. If we as a nation can implement a few of these short-term methods to conserve gasoline, we can make more barrels of oil available than destroying the Arctic’s tundra ever could. Arctic oil cuts student aid Continued from Page B2 Free speech causes conflict Continued from Page B2 making a case for racial profiling in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that began hyperbolically: “I want all Arabs to be stripped naked and cavitysearched if they get within 100 yards of an airport.” Then she proceeded to quote several Arab students and a professor who said they wouldn’t mind being searched. Some subsequently claimed their remarks had been taken out of context, an unprecedented development in journalism. Brandes was fired. One could make a strong argument that Brandes’ column was silly, amateurish, lacking in taste, strident and ineffective. But people have a clear and protected right to be both silly and concert at the university in a few days. It’s hardly surprising that students don’t understand that the First Amendment, which protects Marlette’s and Brandes’ right to voice unpopular opinions, also protects West’s “music,” as well as their own right to protest. It’s disturbing, however, when faculty and administrators’ understanding is little better. The painful irony is that minorities are historically the first to suffer when free speech goes. Not so long ago, blacks were lynched in this country for trying to voice their opinions at the polls. Which is why African Americans -- and now Arab Americans troubled by the specter of discrimination -should be the loudest voices supporting the freedoms that permit even speech they find offensive. It’s a messy job, but everybody’s got to do it. produced, which means that it would make up .06 percent of the world oil production. At its peak in 2025, it would raise to .8 percent of the world’s oil production according to The Wilderness Society. Evidently, drilling in the Arctic does not offer a timely solution to the rising gas prices looming over Americans’ heads. Instead of trying to save a few pennies in 20 years, perhaps the nation should start becoming more conservative. Currently, the United States contains 5 percent of the world’s population; however, this fraction of people use more than 25 percent of the oil produced worldwide according to the Arctic Refuge Action. The Arctic Refuge Action recommends five short-term solutions which can make more oil available than drilling in the refuge. These include keeping tires properly inflated, using the correct grade of gasoline, ensuring that replacement tires are as fuel efficient as the original tires, using a fuel efficient engine and reducing heavy duty truck idling. By keeping our tires properly inflated, we can save 200,000 barrels of oil per day in 2013. Additionally, this increases the tire life and improves the vehicles safety. About 80 percent of vehi- Page B4 Yellow Jacket Friday, October 21, 2005 Rising gas prices cause drivers to speed to alternative options By Katie Rogg Staff Writer The latest estimates, based on a comprehensive study released in 2002, predict that if gas prices rose from $3 per gallon to $4 per gallon and stayed there for a year, which would be far longer than the impact of Katrina, purchases of gasoline in the United States would fall only about 5 percent. James Bush, associate professor of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics at Waynesburg College, said that he has changed his driving habits. Bush, who is from the Edgewood-Swissvale area, has over a one-hour commute everyday to Waynesburg. “I have lowered my speed by 55 to 65 miles per hour,” Bush said. “It seems to really conserve gas.” Bush’s wife has also made some changes in her daily commute to work. She is employed at the University of Pittsburgh and has been riding the bus into the city more often than she normally did before gas prices started to increase. Bush, who has always walked to the local Giant Eagle near his residential area, said that he takes advantage of their fuelperks! program, and he avoids making any unnecessary trips in what he refers to as his “fuel- efficient Dodge Neon” that he bought a few years ago, specifically for the long daily commute from Pittsburgh to Waynesburg. Rachel Pikula, front-end manager at the Waynesburg Giant Eagle, said that customers like Bush are really starting to take advantage of the fuelperks! program. “With our program, you can accumulate up to three months worth of points before they expire,” she said. This leaves many residents of Waynesburg in the predicament to travel to or to Washington Morgantown to redeem their points at one of the Giant Eagle GetGo locations. Besides taking advantage of programs like Fuelperks! carpooling has turned out to be another popular way of conserving gas. Richard Leipold, professor of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics, happens to have a friend that is in graduate school at West Virginia University and carpools with him during the week. “With carpooling, I’m spending about the same amount of money as before gas prices went through the roof,” said Leipold. He admits that carpooling is less convenient than traveling in his own vehicle REGION Alumna finds early graduates Continued from Page B1 every morning and he is now forced to leave an hour earlier to be on time for his earliest class. Like Bush, Leipold who normally did not shop at Giant Eagle, made the switch to take advantage of the fuelperks! program. Leipold has also taken advantage of other offers that are not affiliated with a grocery store or gas station. Instead of waiting a few months to buy four new tires for his truck, he bought them early because with the purchase of the tires he received a free tank of gas worth $50. Christin Buckhalter, Waynesburg College student commuter, said that her driving habits have not changed drastically, but that all of the small trips do add up. That’s why Buckhalter stays on campus for an extra hour or two instead of driving home. Buckhalter, who works in Waynesburg, said that the price of gas has not affected her work schedule, but she definitely does not “make random trips to Wal-Mart [in Washington] anymore.” Janet Stephenson, assistant manager of Sheetz in Waynesburg, said that “when the gas prices were really high, there was a little bit of a change [in the way people were spending money on gas], but other than that, I really haven’t noticed any lately.” Buchanan, a third generation Waynesburg College graduate, has an interest in piecing together small parts of the past and works on a number of genealogy projects. “I like to focus on the small stories that make the big story,” said Buchanan. “If you study one soldier by one soldier, you get an army.” Buchanan graduated in the summer of 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in History and enjoyed independent studies with Professor of History Dr. Thomas Pavick, who helped her develop a thesis and gain a more indepth look at genealogy. “[Pavick] has such a vast knowledge,” she said. “I always enjoyed listening to him.” Her genealogy hobby has driven her toward spending evenings and weekends walking through the Greene Mount Cemetery, located behind Ray and Burns Halls. She enjoys examining history on a smaller scale, feeling that each individual’s life adds up to create the whole story. “We all play our part in the world around us...” said Buchanan. “It’s like putting a magnifying glass to history.” Wading through the tombstones and looking at individuals’ history, Buchanan noticed a pattern of Waynesburg College graduates. Additionally, as she researched her own family’s history, she found many of her ancestors attended the college as well. “I needed to explore what the college had because it was such a common thread in all of my research,” she said. In the spring of 2003, Buchanan scanned graduation photographs with help James “Fuzzy” from Randolph, museum curator, who had saved and preserved them for exhibit displays. The President of Waynesburg College from 1921-1963, Dr. Paul R. Stewart, initially collected these pictures in an effort to preserve the college’s history. Buchanan requests that anyone with pictures or stories about ancestors who attended Waynesburg College access her Web site (www.greeneconnections.co m) and contact her through e-mail. She hopes that this project will preserve a piece of Waynesburg College’s past, and that the students’ individual stories do not get buried with them. Dinner theater brings mystery Continued from Page B1 to do a very live performance like this,” he said. Diane Toothman, also a church member, plays Tess T. Honcho, the matriarch of the church. “I want to help when I can help,” she said of her involvement in the production. There were only eight rehearsals for the production, the dress rehearsal being the only one with a full cast. “I [was] not 100 percent sure [that my lines were] memorized,” said Gardner. Roughly 90-100 percent of the audience was in attendance during the dress rehearsal. Martha Noftzger, member of the First Presbyterian Church, was among them. “Last year was very fun,” she said in anticipation for the start of Saturday night’s performance. In addition to actors, waiters were there to serve the guests. Mack Kline, a senior at Jefferson Morgan High School was one of the waiters. “[The Murder Mystery Dinner] is a good thing that’s bringing a lot of people together,” said Kline. “[Last year ’s] production was very good and very funny.” Kline is also a two-year member of the youth group. Rachel Sukolsky, daughter of Rev. Sukolsky and sophomore at Waynesburg College, said of the preparation and production, “It’s been awesome to witness.”