Online Journalism Today

A class project of CMA 304

You are here: Home / Archives for Hood College

Men’s lacrosse team struggles with weather, opponents

by


By Amir Abdelrady//The Hood College Men’s lacrosse team experienced a rough start to their 2016 season due to snow, but now enter the third week with one win and two losses.

“Working around the snow was difficult,” said Brad Barber, head coach of the team. “With limited field time, it’s hard to implement a full-field, game scenario during practices, and it’s even harder to work the players’ with such little space.”

Along with multiple practices being cancelled or rescheduled before the season had begun, Hood’s season opener against Southern Virginia was cancelled on February 13th, due to inclement weather.

Junior captain, Nick Masucci felt very strongly about the cancellation of the season opener against Southern Virginia.

“The snow at the beginning of the season was really frustrating because it caused us to miss a lot of practices on the field, and even our first game,” said Masucci. “We didn’t get a chance to practice what we planned to execute during the season.”

“Having an extra game to play during the beginning of the season is always a good thing,” Barber adds. “It gives the players a chance to get out any butterflies and really get a feel for the field as it was in fact some of the players first collegiate level game.”

Lacrosse team

Members of the Hood lacrosse team.

The following week, the Blazers faced off against Rosemont on February 21st, but lost in the last few seconds 10-9.

“We could have won that game, and we should have,” said senior defensive captain, Tucker Palmer.  “We were up five to two at the half, but we just couldn’t hold the lead. Everyone was too tense.”

The Blazers were able to overcome their rough start as they clenched their first victory over Immaculata University ten to six on February 25th.

“The guys didn’t fold at all after the half, they came out knowing what they wanted, and followed through with the game plan,” Barber said. Palmer would seem to agree as he said “, the team went in with more of a game plan. We got ourselves ahead early in the game, and we simply stayed up.”

[Read more…]

Hood housing changes will eliminate all-girls dorm in the fall

by

By Taylor Yancey//It has been over 10 years since Hood College decided to allow males to attend the institution as full time students. Throughout those 10 years the staff at Hood has accommodated to both the male and female students.

Hood College students are now in the second semester of the 2015-2016 academic year, and there have been discussions regarding dorm changes. There was recently an open forum held on campus by the Student Government Association (SGA) that discussed the changes that will be implemented in the fall of 2016. This forum was held on February 26, 2016.

Some students were concerned with what these changes would consist of so the forum granted them an opportunity to gain some clarity.

Sarah Scott, a House Council representative for Shriner Hall said, “I heard that within the next 10 years Shriner will no longer be an all-girls dorm. I can’t imagine what that will be like.” Scott is a sophomore and will be graduating Hood in the winter of 2017.

At the beginning of the 2015-2016 semester, all of the students were asked to participate in an anonymous survey that featured questions about dorm life, both currently and in the future. The results of the survey were released and discussed at the open forum.

Matt Troutman, Director of Residence Life and Student Contact said, “These changes will take place this fall. I would say that there were some loud voices initially not supportive or seeking to learn more information.”

These changes were brought up in order to create a better living environment for the students. Troutman said “In addition, we will try to have full occupancy on campus to have a robust campus life.”

Some of the reported changes include, granting the option for girls and boys to room together, transforming the only all-girl dorm into a coed dorm, and reserving both Smith and Memorial Halls.

dorm sign

Sign in front of Memorial Hall.

[Read more…]

Students spring break travel includes Haiti and the Grand Canyon

by

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon in the evening. Photo by Tony Hisgett

By Mary Milligan//

For college students, spring break is a week to take off and let off steam, which means something different for each student.

Some students, like juniors Molly Masterson and Emily Zeller decided to spend time with family, while others like junior Anne Lessard chose to use the time to volunteer.

Masterson is visiting her sister in Philadelphia for the first half of spring break, the second half she will be preparing for Easter with her family in western Pennsylvania. Friday is Match Day for her sister who attends Jefferson Medical College, where she will be matched with her residency hospital, which will follow with a celebration with friends and family.

She wanted to be present for the occasion as it is a milestone in her sister’s career, and she wanted to celebrate with her. They also plan on exploring the city, like seeing Love Park, City Hall, and hoping to enjoy walking in nice weather.

Masterson will then take the train to her family home in Indiana, Pennsylvania. “Easter is my holiday, I’m going to make a lamb cake and prepare all of the food for about 16 of my family members. I even have a Pinterest board so I’m ready before I go home,” said Masterson.

Other students explore options that would give them a chance to give back. Hood offers students the ability to volunteer to help others in an alternative spring break. This includes staying in Frederick, going to North Carolina, and this year, some students are going to Haiti.

Anne Lessard, another junior, is choosing to partake in Hood’s alternative spring break, she will be going to Borgne, Haiti.

After a friend talking to her about it for years, Lessard said that this year she felt like she had the time to do so. Lessard felt that going to Haiti would be the best thing for her to do volunteering wise, saying “go big or go home.”

[Read more…]

Performance draws attention to sexual discrimination

by


By Shanayah Braithwaite//

Hood College presented a benefit reading of V-Day’s, “Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer: Writing to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls,” on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 in Hodson Auditorium.

The book is a collection of monologues by world-renowned authors and playwrights, edited by Mollie Doyle and Eve Ensler, V-DAY founder.

Proceeds raised from the event went to the Heartly House, an organization that helps Frederick County residents who have been impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.

The benefit performance was presented as part of V-Day’s One Billion Rising for Justice campaign, a global call for women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in places where they are entitled to justice and release their stories through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, sit-ins and testimonies.

Ellie Blaser, a junior at Hood, performed, “The Aristocrats,” by Kate Clinton. “It’s basically just women telling their stories about sexism that they’ve faced – maybe on a personal level, maybe on a global level, and the different ways stuff like that can happen and have negative affect,” she said.

V-Day organizers have changed laws to protect women and girls, funded rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters, educated their communities, and raised over $ 100 million for groups working towards ending violence and serving survivors and their families (V-DAY, 2014).

Members of Hood College’s Feminist Student Union (FSU) and the V-Team, Eve Ensler and part time and full time members of V-Day, teamed up to make the event possible by directing, managing backstage, and performing a variety of monologues.

[Read more…]

Tolerance is not enough, speaker tells Hood community

by

Ash Beckham present her talk “Give Voice to Your Truth.”

Ash Beckham presents her talk “Give Voice to Your Truth.”

By Shannon Jones//

Students, staff, and faculty gathered to see Tedx speaker Ash Beckham present her talk “Give Voice to Your Truth” on Wednesday, Oct. 27 in the Brodbeck Music Hall.

In this talk, Beckham, who considered herself an “accidental advocate” for the LGBTQ community, addressed the importance of empathy and acceptance and shared her own experiences to engage the audience. The main idea of this talk was “creating a more empathetic community on campus,” she said, and bringing that empathy into other communities as well.

“The first step is to embrace the diversity that we all bring,” Beckham said. “To embrace our own differences, and be willing to share our own stories so people better understand us.”

[Read more…]

Safe Harvest provides a Halloween treat for Frederick kids

by

Frederick kids dress as Mario and Lluigi

Frederick kids dress as Mario and Lluigi. Photo courtesy of Katie Stout.

By Katie Stout//

Each year, Hood College hosts Safe Harvest, an annual autumnal celebration that occurs around Halloween, providing local children in Fredrick, with a safe haven to trick or treat.

Hosted by Hood’s Mortar Board Society, Safe Harvest “provides children ages 12 and under the opportunity to enjoy a safe and fun-filled evening of games, arts and crafts, and trick or treating on Hood’s campus,” according to the society’s public relations chairwoman, Sienna Bronson.

This year’s annual Safe Harvest was on Oct. 28th. The Mortar Board Society organizes the event, but the whole Hood College community comes together to make it happen. Students are encouraged to buy candy to either donate or hand out to kids when they walk around the college’s five dorms.

[Read more…]

Career center helps students find their way in the job world

by

By Gabrielle Cavalier//

Hundreds of students entering their first year of college have absolutely no idea what they want to do as a career path. Some think they do, but then change it three years in. What if there was a place a student could go to for career path advice, right on campus? Well, that’s where the Hood College Career Center comes in.

The Career Center, which can be found on the second floor of the Apple building connected to Whitaker, is the place to go to when a student needs an internship, resume critiquing, career help, volunteering opportunities, etc. The Career Center has plenty of options for students to engage in networking and finding a job after college that is suitable for them.

[Read more…]

Students talk about sex and consent

by

By Destani Jameson//

On Thursday October 10, the Hood College Health Center and the Coordinator of Diversity inclusion cosponsored an uncensored series conversation about sex and consent. The Coblentz game den was the perfect atmosphere for the drop in conversation for “real people with real issues to have a real conversation.”
Although staff members of the Hood College community sponsored this event, it was a conversation for students and led by students. Travis Eichelberger, Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Diversity Initiatives Coordinator, and Dede Trapp, Staff Nurse from the Health Center, facilitated the conversation.

Free pizza, drinks, candy, condoms and sex education gathered about 15 students. The Coblentz game den was set up in a cozy comfortable setting with couches set up in a circle. The group was instructed to write a topic that connected to sex or consent and place it in the bowl. This is how topics were picked for the discussion.

[Read more…]

Students find release from stress and comfort in a furry friend

by

By Ashley Trovato//

An Emotional Support Animal is, according to the writers at anxiety.org, and The National Animal Registry, “an animal that, by its very presence, mitigates the emotional or psychological symptoms associated with a handler’s condition or disorder.”

At Hood College, students are allowed to have a hermit crab or goldfish. They are also permitted other animals, but have to go through the CAAR Center first.

Megan Poole, a senior at Hood College, recounts her experience in obtaining permission to bring a service animal on campus. “It was awful.” Megan said, “The process should not have been as hard as it was.”

Poole is diagnosed with PTSD, severe clinical depression/anxiety, and ADHD. She was permitted to have an animal last year, which was a guinea pig named Angel, and it took over a month to obtain permission. Since she stopped seeing a psychiatrist, residence life and CAAR took that privilege away.

[Read more…]

A class project of CMA 304.