Preservations in the Pinelands

 

Friday, March 21^st was a beautiful day in one of New Jersey’s most renowned wildlife preserves. As many people know, New Jersey is not a place that people typically go to for nature and animals. The Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge is located in what is known as the Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens stretches over seven counties of Southern New Jersey and remains undisturbed by any industrialization. Because of its unique ecology and need for land the 1.1 million acre area was the first designated national reserve in the country. On this sunny day numerous families, couples, friends and nomads traveled to see the great refuge of South Jersey.

 

The Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge was established by Jim and Betty Woodford after they bought some land and after falling in love with the area all they wanted to do was dedicate their lives to helping animals and preserving the area. The refuge is open to public and there are various trails to explore and see the great outdoors and rehabilitated animals. Shane Carrigan, a man who frequently visited the refuge told everyone he encountered why he loved the refuge so much. One day while grilling he noticed a large hawk laying face down with his wings spread which was obviously hurt. He made some phone calls and it turns out the hawk he found ran into electric wires and now permanently resides at the Refuge.

 

 One women who was there with her two children said how much she loved the place, “I think this place is great, the animals can’t survive in the wild so knowing they have a place like this to come and be free is awesome”. There were plenty of other tragic stories about the animals that people were talking about but the energy of the environment was so tranquil that it reflected positively on all the visitors that day. Glenn was the groundskeeper who routinely walked the premises to make sure everything remained as it was. The Refuge accepts donations and they even have the option to “Adopt a pet” for a year, in which your support pays for its medicine, food, treatment and loving care. There are over 65 animals that permanently reside in the refuge and there are nearly 4,000 animals in need of care that are dropped off. Eleanor, an elderly women who liked to briskly walk the trails with her husband was telling people to look out for the two bald eagles that live on the reserve, “They came all the way from Wyoming to live here, I’d like to live like they do” is what she told the other visitors. The Cedar Run wildlife preserve is a landmark of New Jersey that needs to be recognized and taken care of.

Visit their website here!

Lights, Camera, Pageants!

In Cumberland, Maryland on a Saturday night at the Allegany College of Maryland Theater, many young women lined the halls prepared to compete in the Miss Allegany County and Miss Cumberland Pageant. With spectators in their seats, the lights in the auditorium dimmed and the bright, white stage lights lit up the stage. Katy Perry’s “Firework” comes blaring through the sound system and each girl glides across the stage and into position for their opening group number. The girls performed a synchronized dance and as it comes to an end, the current Miss Maryland and Miss Cumberland graced the audience and competitors with their presence. The previous winners were the emcees for the event. Giving the competing girls time to prepare for the swimsuit category, Miss Maryland rapped for the crowd to pass time.

            “Looks like we’re ready to start the first category for the night: swim wear!”, Miss Maryland exclaims as she receives a cue. Ke$ha and Pitbull’s “Timber” plays through the speakers and the girls come out one by one and show their confidence in swim suits ranging from bikinis to one- pieces. After each girl got a chance to be featured, they all lined up for everyone to get a look at them all together.

            Following the swim wear category was formalwear. The majority of the girls wore red, black, or white dresses with the occasional pink, navy blue, and tan. The dresses were all in good taste and not too revealing. Among the spectators in the crowd were some other pageant girls who were not competing that day. Some had been participating in pageants for over four years and others were just starting out. Most people in attendance that day were anticipating that talent category. Some of the many talents included ballet, lyrical dancing, fashion designs, jazz dancing, piano, musical theater, singing, skits, and baton twirling. Throughout the formal and talent categories, the music cut out causing many problems among the girls competing but they all kept their composure and finished strong!

            Maria Pifer was crowned Miss Cumberland and Jade Kenny was crowned Miss Allegany County. This pageant is part of the preliminaries to the Miss Maryland and Miss America organizations. Good luck to these ladies as they continue their journey to higher competitions.

Dr. Fritz is Not the Average Teacher

On March 31^st of 2014, Dr. Janie Harden Fritz presented on Leadership Studies, in room 226 of Compton, at Frostburg State University.  The Leadership Studies minor welcomed Dr. Fritz to Frostburg, so students could hear her talk about her theories on leadership.  Refreshments and desserts were served as Dr. Fritz talked with potential and current Leadership minor students.  Dr. Fritz is associated with Frostburg because she taught the head of the Leadership minor, Dr. Ruminski, when she was an undergraduate.  Dr. Fritz has written scholarly journals, such as the journal titled “The Communicative Virtue of Civility”.  She often speaks about people’s roles in organizations and civility.  Dr. Fritz earned her Ph. D in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and she is currently a professor of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Duquesne University.  Dr. Fritz demonstrated her passion for leadership during her presentation and possibly swayed students into joining the Leadership minor.

Dr . Fritz is a tiny woman full of spunk and a passion for learning about leadership.  She is very animated and moves her hands around as she talks about leadership and interacts with students.  After only five minutes into the presentation a Frostburg senior in the audience, Emily, said, “I really like her, she’s very funny.”  Another audience member, a Frostburg junior named Ryan, said “I love the energy that she brings.”  The majority of the students in attendance laughed during much of Dr. Fritz’s presentation.   Dr. Fritz discussed the importance of being involved in student organizations during her presentation.  She went onto list the positives of being involved in organizations, such as meeting new people, gaining experience, and making connections.  She encouraged all students to get involved in organized activities at the University, or in the community.  She talked about roles that people play in organizations too; she explained that while not everyone in an organization can have a main leadership position, everyone can have a role.  She emphasized the importance of putting the correct people in leadership roles in order to create a strong organization.  Dr. Fritz also focused in on the importance of civility.  She discussed the positive outcomes that civility can bring to communities.  She explained the importance of approaching situations in a peaceful manner first, and not just getting up in arms about an issue and causing a riot.  Dr. Fritz said “there is no point of a making a mountain out of mole hill” if an issue can be solved peacefully.      

Dr. Fritz made a possibly dry topic, such as leadership theories, into a fun presentation.  She managed to come across silly and intelligent at the same time.  She was silly when she joked around and said “that we could not tell the way she was looking because she had a lazy eye.”  She also came across intelligent when she talked about her theories on leadership and her academic writing.  Dr. Fritz not only taught students about leadership, she got more students interested in the Leadership Studies minor because she is not the average teacher.  

Click here for more information.

Leaders in Training: March Event

On March 31^st, the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) hosted their spring semester Leadership Training Day for their upcoming members. NSLS began its chapter at Frostburg State University in 2011 and is becoming more prevalent and talked about throughout the campus community. To become an NSLS member, a student must have at least a 3.2 GPA and attend three Speaker Broadcasts and Social Networking meetings along with attending Leadership Training Day. All of the programs offered by NSLS are fun yet educational so that students can build their leadership and networking skills with others.

            In the past, the National Society of Leadership and Success used the national chapter’s leadership training manual for Leadership Training Day. It included a packet with a variety of questions, activities and group work guided by a video with numerous different speakers. However, the training sounded scripted and trying to get people to share what they wrote in their packets was almost forced by the presenters. Not only that, the training day created by the national chapter was over two hours long! Not only is that long for a training day, it takes the time out of the students’ day from doing homework and other extracurricular activities to come and participate in the mandatory training day. There also was no communication between the members and the executive board members who oversaw the training day; the video played and the members did their packets. Sophomore Sarah Deprey-Severance helped put together an original and activity-based leadership training day packet that was more user-friendly and with the hope that the upcoming members would have more fun doing. “We tried to make LTD [Leadership Training Day] more interactive for new members, allow them to introduce themselves and learn more about themselves,” Sara mentioned.

            This semester, NSLS will be inducting in over 20 new members into the society. There will be an induction ceremony at the end of the month especially for the members to award them on their dedication to the society as well as being treated with refreshments and a guest speaker. “I think NSLS has gotten a more positive reputation here. Students are realizing the benefits of personal growth they can gain from the organization, and are joining for more than just putting it on their resume,” senior Rachel Clark stated. For more information about the National Society of Leadership and Success click here

Sphinxman salon: March event

On March 31, 2014 the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated  founded hosted a free salon day for women at the Frostburg State University campus. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, a predominantly African American fraternity was founded on December 4^th 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. They are known for supporting socially and racially discriminated people because of their good character and humanitarianism. The fraternity has been interracial since 1945.

 Every fraternity or sorority has a week to host events of their choice, and this week happens to be Alpha week. The purpose for having their own week to host events is not to party. But to prove to the Frostburg students that they are involved not only academically, but socially and somewhat politically.The men showed their appreciation to the women of our campus by providing 2 stations to pamper them. 

As I walk into the room, there are lots of girls conversing amongst each other as I expected. There was one station for women to receive massages and one to get a manicure. Only 5 women were able to get massages due to the first come first served policy. Allison Testamark stated ecstatically “the massage was good, it was good!" The event was called Sphinxman Salon due to the room that Alpha's hosted the event in. There were about 50 young women present; out of the 50 women 35 of them were able to get a manicure. Also, a few women from the Delta Sigma Theta sorority showed support as a group.

As time progressed I noticed the refreshments that the Alpha’s offered that made the women happy. There were pretzels, chocolate covered fruits, and cheese cubes available to everyone. This event was not only significantly pleasing and pampering to the young women of Frostburg, but it was a social event in which young African American women were able to socialize and network. The young men of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity did a wonderful job at catering to the needs of a young woman in college. Who doesn't need a free and quick massage followed by a manicure? The men hosted the event very well by playing movies and also a playlist of good music which kept a feeling warm and welcoming throughout the event. I sat and waited with a few people before they were able to be serviced and according to the attitudes of the women, they were pleased.

“I was really glad they had the nail polish that I needed RED ” said Gabrielle Adair as she left the library. Overall, the event was successful in catering to the needs of the young women of the Frostburg University campus. The Alpha’s clarified their appreciation of the women that they encounter daily because of their good character and humanitarianism. I thought that it was very generous, in a way a random act of kindness. Men usually don’t cater to women during their fraternity appreciation week. Not to mention, everything was free. Everyone seemed to be  pleased all due to the Alpha’s.

How About a Semester at sea? March Event Coverage

Frostburg State University's Center for International Education hosted a Study Abroad fair on March 31, 2014 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.  The fair was held in The Lane University Center Atkinson Room. Rows of tables were set up with various study abroad opportunities from countries such as France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, England, Peru, Mexico, and many more. There were tables displaying Study abroad voyages for a Semester at Sea and also, a table directly displaying Frostburg State’s own Center for International Education.

Victoria Gearhart, who is head of The Center for International Education began the fair by introducing each table and the countries or programs it displayed. “There are so many opportunities and places your life can take you; take the first jump here.” Victoria introduced and welcomed each guest with open arms and a big smile. “We have so many guest from around the world today,” she explained.

Global Links Learning Abroad was the first table in sight when entering the room.  Erica Delrisio, an ambassador for Global Links, was the head representative for this table. She held a smooth Australian accent. I later learned that she was visiting from Sydney, Australia. Within Global Links, Ms. Delrisio explains, “Global Links is the best Study Abroad program for Sports Science and Hospitality Management interests.” She advised everyone how they could be take special trips to Olympic stadiums and excursions during their time overseas.

A very popular table at the fair was the table displaying A Semester at Sea. Ashley Langston was the head ambassador for this table. Ms. Langston explained, “You could travel the entire world in one semester for $22,000. There is no cheaper way; most valuable investment you could ever make. “She was very good at selling her stuff.  There were pamphlets on financial aid, programs of interest, and time charts. There was even a CD-ROM available that displayed a virtual tour of life on the ship. As I watched student after student swarm to this table I began to mosey over to find out what was the hype. Each semester at sea goes different places and changes in price. If you go in the fall you travel to Europe and all its surrounding countries. If you travel in the spring you go across the entire world. This spring is also the most expensive semester to travel. If you travel in the summer you visit England, Norway, Germany, Morocco, Spain, Ireland, and France. The around the world voyage was getting the most questions. Student, Victoria Miller, explained her interest in traveling around the world and how the Semester at Sean would be the perfect opportunity for her.

All in all, The Study abroad fair was a great success. Most students are worried about cost and it deters them away from even attending the informational. Victoria Gearhart expressed, “Financial Aid goes a long way; please feel free to stop by office anytime with any question.” For more information on the Center for International Education please click here.

Opportunities Abroad: The Decision That May Change Your Life

Frostburg was home to a brisk day on the mountain today, as representatives from multiple study abroad programs were present in the Atkinson Room at Lane University.  The Bobcats were out in force looking for information about educational opportunities outside of the country at the Spring Study Abroad and International Fair to present overseas opportunities, as well as showcase the experiences of Frostburg’s own students who are, and have studied abroad.

            For those who don’t know, studying abroad is a great experience that is almost universally endorsed. First and foremost, it can and very possibly will change your life in a number of ways. By simply taking you across the ocean, being in a different place, with different people, and different customs forces you to change, and with the opportunity so readily offered here at Frostburg State, why not take it?

            Justin Lee, one of the representatives from AIFS, responded similarly. A former foreign exchange student himself, he was happy to share exactly why he feels studying abroad is important. “It’s important to have that cultural understanding in today’s global economy” he says looking at a group of entering students. Handing out pamphlets, he explains the ins and outs of studying abroad with AIFS, making sure anyone who wants to know understands that studying abroad isn’t nearly as daunting as it seems.

            Kerry Geffert, a representative from CEA watched from his table patiently waiting to share similar information. With pencils, pamphlets, and sunglasses scattered across, Geffert proceeded to share all he could regarding studying abroad. “Affiliated programs cover full schedules,” he said sternly. Mr. Geffert focused on dispelling any rumors against studying abroad students may have as well as saying where they can go with CEA. “Our largest program is Spain” he says to a smiling crowd. He ended his presentation urging students to “Get outside your comfort zone, learn about new cultures. It’s more than just academics and business, it’s an amazing personal growth opportunity that’s not necessary, but very important.”

            3 foreign exchange students from France also gave testimony to the wonders of travelling abroad for school. Alban, and Alexandre are from Western France, while Florent is from the North.  The three of them were all too happy to explain their experiences studying abroad in America, as well as how our schools compare to theirs. “Our diploma is European, when you graduate, yours is an international diploma,” Florent said before continuing, “it will be honored anywhere.” Alexandre quickly chimed in “Open yourself, you start to learn and understand different things.” Getting back to studying abroad, and the differences between European and American schools, Alexandre explained that in college “From the beginning, you must create connections and internships.” Emphasizing the lack of encouragement from their schools back home, the 3 of them explained that we need to embrace the faculty’s attempts to help us out much more.

            With so much information at the fair, Frostburg needs to spread the word, and get more students to explore studying in the international community.