Living life in the fast lane

Jessica Sewing | design chief Wait for it. Wait for it. The lights change; she lets go of the throttle stop and takes off. Four G’s of force slam into her body as she races a quarter of a mile, going 270 miles per hour in just over five seconds. “You have to be the quickest to respond, not necessarily the fastest,” said Megan Meyer, sophomore in graphic design. “Most people don’t get to experience that much force. It’s really indescribable.” Meyer, 20, grew up on the racetrack. For the past decade, she’s raced different dragster cars alongside her younger sister, Rachel. Megan says that with the coaching of their father, Randy, it has been…

Students get FAMEous

Marcus Clem | copy editor Amid a great cloud of steam cloaking the catwalk, about a dozen student models displayed two unique styles of clothing custom designed by Pittsburg State’s future fashion professionals. About 40 people attended the show, held in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom on Monday, April 29. Emily Ballock, invited to the show by a friend, says that it was a display of high fashion in a way that students of PSU can appreciate. “Obviously, Pitt isn’t a big fashion mecca by any means,” said Ballock, senior in exercise science, “but I think (the show) is great, it brings diversity to PSU and it is something they work hard on all year,…

Working for peace abroad

Tyler Breedlove | reporter The Peace Corps was established more than 50 years ago, in 1961, and since then has been sending Americans to travel and help others around the world. Mackenzie Garst and Erin Sims, former PSU students, gave presentations on their experiences with the Peace Corps on Friday, April 26. The presentations followed a meeting of representatives of the Peace Corps who announced a partnership with Pittsburg State University. Lynette Olson, vice president for academic affairs, was present to sign the agreement. This agreement allows more opportunities for PSU students who are interested in joining the Peace Corps. About 15 people attended the presentations, mostly students. Coffee and snacks were served, and brochures…

Student club has a green thumb

Michael Bauer | reporter With more and more people trying to “go green,” a new group at Pittsburg State is trying to make the university more eco-friendly. The Planetarians formed this semester and have 30 members. Julie Adkins, junior in geography and Taylor Cunningham, sophomore in sustainability, founded the organization. “Planetarians was born out of the students with sustainability majors and social sciences,” Cunningham said. “Basically, we wanted to come along and support PSU, and the sustainability stuff they are doing.” Cunningham says the organization’s main outlook is to help grow campus awareness of environmental issues and what students can do to help out. “We want to make recycling a lot easier on campus,” he…

Keeping computers healthy

Gorilla Geeks offer free health checkups for computers Tyler Breedlove | reporter In the modern world, computers and digital devices are a necessity for young adults, and the Gorilla Geeks at Pittsburg State say that they know digital devices are even more important for students. The Gorilla Geeks hosted their annual computer health fair on Wednesday, April 17, in both the Overman Student Center and Whitesitt Hall. Students could win free prizes in the Student Center, including chips and stuffed animals. They could also sign up their computers for a free health check-up in the Gorilla Geeks office. Appointments are offered from Wednesday, April 17, to Friday, April 19. Colton Montgomery, an information service specialist…

A night at the opera

Tyler Breedlove | reporter Students and area residents were treated to a musical buffet on Friday when PSU’s Opera Workshop presented “An Evening in Lyric Theatre” at the Sharon Kay Dean Recital Hall. The event was a combination of opera segments from many works. The first part was a segment from “La Rondine” by Giacomo Puccini. In this part the poet Prunier expounds on his theories on love, but when he is unable to finish, the courtesan Magda finishes for him. George Frideric Handel’s “Giulio Cesare,” the next segment, involved Cleopatra after she was taken prisoner by Ptolemy shortly after her lover Cesare had been killed. Next was a segment from “Suor Angelica,” also by…

Students discuss crisis in their region

Marcus Clem | copy editor For anyone who has grown up in South Korea, the promise of death and destruction is as expected as the rising of the sun. Whether it prompts fear, anxiety or disregard, Jamie Kyongvin Lee, Lucas Seokhoon Koh, Bruce Sangwon Yun and Ryan Moonkang Heo all agree: When American media treat belligerence from the regime of Kim Jong-Un with surprise or shock, it can be difficult for a Korean to understand why. Exchange students Heo, Lee, Yun and Koh, as well as Korean-born American David Schlee, senior in premedical biology and exercise science, each gave their viewpoints on what’s going on in the Korean peninsula, and what should be done about…

Prom celebrates gay pride, respect

Joud Bayeh | reporter The Gay Student Association (GSA) wrapped up Pride Week by celebrating its second annual Pride Prom last Friday, April 12, at the Parrot Bey. “This week was about celebrating LGBT and educating the student body and let them experience the culture of our community,” said Theo Hines, junior in illustration and Pride Week coordinator. With a Disney movies theme, the venue was decorated with Disney characters on the walls. The 40 or so people who attended were serenaded by a deejay who stirred up the crowd on the dance floor and they enjoyed free pizza and desserts. This event had several goals. One of them, according to Hines, was to include…

No full ride

NCAA caps scholarship levels J. Fred Fox | reporter The vast majority of athletics spending goes toward student-athlete scholarships: A whopping $1.7 million out of the $2.3 million dollar budget. However, the NCAA caps scholarship levels for Division II. No more than the equivalent of 36 full-ride scholarships can be spent on football student-athletes. A full-ride scholarship pays all academic, housing and meal expenses and includes a $400 book stipend. However, no athlete at Pitt State receives a full ride. Also, PSU only paid out enough scholarship money to account for 32.64 of the limit last year. As a part of the process of distributing scholarships, there are transfer students, graduates and players leaving the…

Definition of marriage is important

J. Fred ox It’s time to identify what the gay-marriage issue is all about: The issue isn’t who is or isn’t able to marry, but what marriage really is. Conjugal-marriage, or marriage between a man and a woman, is an institution of our society built around its most important aspect: child-rearing. The revisionist view, or that of same-sex unions, redefines marriage as nothing more than an emotional fulfillment between any two people. The purpose of marriage law in any society is to promote the marriage-based, child-rearing family that produces mature individuals who can contribute socially to society. The revisionist view undermines this ideal culture and damages the cultural and political goods attained from conjugal-marriage and…