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  • Becca Pearson, sr. in exercise science, Taylor Saia, sr. in biology, Nicole rockhold, sr. in biology, Leah Flynn, sr. in plastics engineering, and Brooke Fay, sr. in marketing, flip a tire during the Gorilla Dash on Saturday, April 27.

    Dashing through the mud

    ROTC hots 70 participants in 2nd annual Gorilla Dash Joud Bayeh | reporter The Gorilla Battalion had many from the community turn out for its second annual muddy mess of a race. The Gorilla Dash, a 5k obstacle-riddled run promoted by the PSU Reserve Officer Training Corps, was held for the second year on Saturday, April 27, at the PSU Baja Course near the Student Recreation Center. About 70 people participated as PSU students, area high school students and people from the community struggled through a harder, muddier course compared to last year. “This year there are some differences because it is actually a 5K,” said Cadet Stephen Cuff, senior in geography. “Last year it…

  • Boston Marathon

    Surviving Boston Marathon

    Former PSU student reflects on racing during the marathon bomb attack Jay Benedict | editor-in-chief Scott Cichon was still on a high from running his fastest marathon ever on the event’s most prominent stage. He was just getting off the phone with KOAM-TV when tragedy struck. He had just walked back into his hotel room where his parents were watching a local Boston channel’s live coverage of the marathon when the explosions hit and chaos began. “My first thought was that it was an act of terror, but we were hoping that it was just some kind of accidental electric or gas explosion,” Cichon said. “Then you wonder about the motive or if it was…

  • Cory Strong, Senior, takes time inbetween classes to clear his head. April 5, 2013.

    Smokers under fire

    Sara Liming | reporter Smoking on campus and the rising issue of secondhand smoke has started to affect Pittsburg State’s faculty, staff, students and the community. The idea for a tobacco-free campus started in 1995, when a student brought a proposal to the Student Government Association for a smoke- and tobacco-free campus. On July 1, 2012, PSU adopted the current tobacco policy from the Kansas Clean Air Act. In November 2010, Gorillas in Your Midst held the first “Great Gorilla Smokeout.” Recently, Steve Scott, university president, created the task force to tackle the issue of changes to the tobacco policy. Jim Triplett, professor and member of the task force, says that the task force was…

  • Blake Hamilton (left) a freshman in fashion merchandising and Ashlyn Hilton (center) a freshman in biology recieve literature from student government presidential candidate Taylor Gravett (right) on Wednesday April 3 in the oval.

    Meet the candidates

    Marcus Clem | copy editor Taylor Gravett views running for SGA president as an opportunity and a duty, to try to fill the shoes of President Lara Ismert and Vice President Sydney Ward. “I’ve seen two previous administrations,” he said. “I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t work. As (Ismert and Ward are) leaving, my duty is to step up and continue to lead.” Gravett, junior in political science, focuses his student activities on government and politics: He has been in SGA since his arrival at PSU, and is Campus Democrats club president. He works as a legal aide in the Overman Student Center basement, right next to SGA’s office. He has always been involved…

  • T.J. Graber, freshmen in communication asks about were most of the students are coming from during the presidential Q&A in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom Thursday, March 27.

    Questioning the president

    Students challenge hot topics J. Fred Fox | reporter More than 100 students filled a lecture room in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom to listen to Steve Scott, univeristy president, answer questions. Questions taken on Wednesday night, March 27, ranged from budget, tuition and fee questions, to the introduction of the Baby Gus mascot, to Scott’s favorite thing that he has don e as university president. Shawn Naccarato, director of government and community relations, spoke on his work in Topeka with legislators on higher-education funding as they prepare a state budget for the year. “Our line from the very start has been no cuts to higher education,” Naccarato said. “Cuts to higher education damage the…

Sports

Women hope to keep momentum for Washburn rematch

Tyler Smith | Collegio Reporter The Pitt State women’s basketball team posted an 8-2 record over break, bringing its overall record to 16-2 (10-1 MIAA). The No. 16 Gorillas are one of the top teams in the MIAA and have steamrolled past the competition, losing only to No. 14 Washburn and Northeastern State from Tahlequah, Okla. “The Washburn game gave us a heads up that anyone can beat us,” said junior guard Drew Roberts. “We have to play our best game every game and play as a team to overcome big victories.” PSU has had great success from the 3-point line this year and looks to continue its offensive success with the help of center…

bball

Women improve to 9-0

Tyler Smith | Collegio Reporter The Pitt State women’s basketball team improved to 9-0 (3-0 in MIAA) on the 2011-2012 season after defeating conference rival Northwest Missouri on Wednesday, Dec. 7, in Maryville, Mo. The Gorillas won the game 84-63. The Gorillas’ defense was the key as they held the Bearcats to 38 percent shooting from the floor. Conley led the way, scoring 16 of her 22 points in the second half while hitting four shots from beyond the arc. Larissa Richards added 15 points while leading the team in rebounds with nine. Drew Roberts scored 13 points, Lauren Brown chipped in 11 points, and Lizzy Jeronimus added 10 points of her own. Pitt State kept…

track

Women stride through first indoor meet

Zach Wagner | Collegio Reporter The Pitt State women’s track team started its year last Saturday at the indoor meet at Missouri Southern State University. The Gorillas started with a strong performance in the throwing events. Three-time All-American thrower Heidi Smith placed second in shot put with a throw of 46 feet, 11 inches. Smith finished first in the weight throw at 54 feet, 11 1/2 inches. “She’s always been one to show up with big numbers,” said coach Brian Mantooth. “There’s no doubt in my mind she’ll reach nationals this year. We just need her to keep up the consistency and stay healthy.” Shanise Rice had a successful performance in the high jump, placing…

Campus Life

Spring is in the air

Melding new, old attractions At 4 p.m. Thursday, April 25, Gibson Dining Hall shut its doors and moved operations outside for an evening of food, games and fun: Spring Fling. Sponsored by the Student Activities Council (SAC) and co-sponsored by Residence Hall Assembly (RHA), Black Student Association (BSA) and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), Spring Fling is held annually. This year, organizers worked hard to bring several new attractions as well as old-time favorites to the event. “The caricature (artist) had a line of at least 10 people for over three hours,” said Kassandra Turner, SAC committee chair and junior in commercial graphics. As it is such a large scale and popular event, the work…

600 songs, one guy

Joud Bayeh | reporter John Rush, or “The Human iPod,” is a personification of multiple talents. He plays guitar, harmonica and can sing more than 600 songs from more than 200 bands. “I’ve always just had a good memory,” Rush said. “The guitar parts are all pretty easy to remember, because I hear the melody in my head, but the lyrics are the hard part. So, I picture them as a story and if I can see the story, I can sing the song.” Held by Student Activities Council (SAC), at the U-club in the Overman Student Center on Tuesday, April 16, the Human iPod made an impression on the crowd of about 30 people….

Showing-off science

Students gather in Overman to present research findings Audrey Tucker | reporter The 2013 Research Colloquium was held Monday, April 15, in the Overman Student Center. Ten judges evaluated student oral presentations and projects outlined on posters. These students have been working on their projects for several months. Most of the students say they will be continuing research and plan to present their findings at other events in the future. The Graduate and Continuing Studies program sponsored the event. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, April 24, during the Graduate School and Research Awards Banquet. Will Dixon and Dustin Newman, both seniors in electronics engineering technology, presented a poster entitled, “Bluetooth Enabled Home Power…

Biking nowhere for a cause

J.Fred Fox Members of Campus Christians spent all day riding bikes in the Oval on Wednesday, April 17, except they didn’t go anywhere. The riders, who each had a bike with a pedestal attached, lifting the driving back tire off the ground and holding the bike in place, were pedaling for a cause. That cause is the third annual Tour de Hope, sponsored by Campus Christians. The riders were in the Oval to hold a fundraiser for Jordanian and Syrian refugees. The contest prizes consist of a $200 prize for teams that pay a $50 entry fee, or a $50 prize for individual entrants who pay a $5 entry fee. Teams will bike for 55…

Kanza, Collegio win top honors

56 awards at state conference For the third year in a row, the Kanza, Pittsburg State University’s student yearbook, was given the All-Kansas and the Gold awards by the Kansas Collegiate Media, formerly the Kansas Associated Collegiate Press. The All-Kansas Award is the highest award given to a college publication in the state. The Collegio, PSU’s student newspaper, also for the third year in a row, won the Silver Medalist award. Kanza editor for 2012 was Kimber Lane and managing editor was Bethany Wolverton; Collegio editor for the contest period was Jay Benedict and managing editors were Val Vita in the fall 2012 semester and Getchen Burns in the spring 2013 semester. “Our goal this…

Big event just keeps getting bigger

Marcus Clem | copy editor A project that involves 900 students working at 100 job sites may seem big, but the Big Event also needs a student government officer to spend an entire year preparing for it. “It is a relief for sure,” said Elle Walker, SGA Big Event director. “The event went off very smoothly for the size of it all and I couldn’t be more happy about that.” The 2013 Big Event was actually a little bit smaller than the 2012 project, with about 30 fewer students participating, Walker says. Pre-event ceremonies She says she believes that this event’s new features, highlighted by a performance by the Shane Duling Band of Frontenac, made…

PSU gets internationally cultured

Korean students draw crowd Tyler Breedlove | reporter As tensions brew on the peninsula, hundreds of people gathered in the Overman Student Center got to see that there’s much more to Korea than dramatic headlines. Korean Culture Day was held in the Crimson & Gold Ballroom from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with traditional Korean food being served at the United Methodist Campus Ministry afterward. More than 350 people attended. The event began with a welcome by the president of the Korean Student Association (KSA), Kyongvin Jamie Lee, junior in international studies. Choong Lee, professor in management and marketing, then spoke as the KSA adviser. Lee says the first Korean Culture Day was in 2000….