No agreement in sight on abortion issue

Abortion is a divisive issue across the country, and Frostburg State University is no different. After asking three individuals about their thoughts on abortion on Thursday the 7^th, it was clear that there was no consensus on campus. That’s not surprising, given the charged nature of the topic that touches on religious, cultural, and personal beliefs.

Many people are against abortion because they feel that killing unborn fetuses is wrong. That was the opinion of Cierra Dupree, an undecided freshman from Baltimore, who said people “shouldn’t take other lives”. The core component of this argument is the idea that a fetus is a human, with the full rights accorded humans under the law.

Others feel that having an abortion is the right of the woman, since it is her body, and any attempt to limit abortion would impose a restriction on the woman’s freedom. Joanna Skelley, an administrative assistant, said that the decision to have an abortion should be an individual choice, rather than something that should be controlled by the government.

Some people simply do not know if abortion is right or not. William Jackson, a junior accounting major from Upper Marlboro, said that he was neither for nor against abortion, though he maintained that it was an important issue. Given that the pro-life position limits the rights of women, and the pro-choice position limits those of the fetus, it is not surprising that no agreement is forthcoming.

Charged for a Hate Crime?

Since the tragedy of Tyler Clementi committing suicide, many in the US feel that his roommate should be charged for committing a hate crime against him. Dhuran Ravi taped Clementi and another male together and posted the video on his Twitter for his friends to see. After finding out what happened, Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010. This problem caused an uproar that is sweeping the nation. Students here at Frostburg share their own opinions on how Ravi should be charged.

Tiegan Hauser a Social Science Junior from Frederick, Maryland agrees with most of American saying, "Yeah he [Ravi] should be charged for a hate crime. What he did was completely messed up. It was so cruel and it shouldn't have happened."
Though there are differences around campus on what Ravi should be charged with. Louis Mossano an International Business junior from Frederick also gave his opinion as he was raising money for the food bank, “Should he charge for a hate crime? No. All other issues? I support. I don’t think that he [Ravi] did this because his roommate was gay. He was just being an asshole.”

Laura a Pre-Vet freshman from Germany talks about the future and how we can learn from this tragedy more than the legal issues, “No. He should be tried for invading privacy or something. Though the thing society should worried about the most is making sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Social Status of Gamers

Over the years, video games have gotten a bad reputation. Many believe that some games have gotten to violent and addicting. There are styreotypes that people who regularly play video games are “not cool” or “losers.” Heather Mcintyre, an Accounting major at Frostburg State University believes that it depends on the person’s age whether or not he or she falls into these catagories. She stated, “if your out of college, like over thirty, yeah, I think you’re a dork.”

The “dorky” aspect often comes from the expectation that regularly playing video games forces a person to have less social interaction than most people. David Rands, a Professor of History at Frostburg, says that you are “not neccessarly “not cool” or a “loser” but it leads to a lack of social skills.” He attributes this to the interaction with a computer not a real person; therefore, players are lacking social interaction. However, many would controdict this statement. Louis Mozzano, a junior International Business major at Frostburg from Middletown, Maryland, commented that “video games are now social networks because of the online gameplay.” He says that although it is not face to face, there is still that interaction.

Opinions of video game players will always be different. A person’s perspective on players and video games will determine the impression they have on a player’s social status’.

Stormy and Safe?

Frostburg weather can be very unpredictable to say the least. When a huge snow storm hit in December 2009 it even caused a postponement with Frostburg State University graduation. With this situation still fresh on student and faculty minds amazingly enough when asked, “If they believe Frostburg State University takes necessary precautions in helping them deal with Frostburg’s winter weather?” Most people said yes. Kathy Perkins, the Administrative Assistant at FSU said, “Yes the weather is unpredictable, and it is hard to get every sidewalk while snow is still falling. They do a fine job.” Judy Abbott, the Information Desk Manager at FSU agreed with Perkins saying, “I think they try their best and it is very difficult.” Sharon Saku, a Biology Major in her third year at FSU thinks the college does a good job at cleaning up the nasty weather. Saku sadly stated, “We don’t get very many days off because of snow, they clean it up too fast.” Although most people believe that FSU does their best to keep Frostburg Campus safe during unpredictable weather circumstances, one student completely disagrees. Kristen Cousin, a Junior at FSU, confirmed that she indeed has fallen on campus. Nearly everyone would agree that after a snow storm it is practically impossible to make streets and sidewalks of Frostburg entirely harmless but, most agree the campus does its best to keep things safe.

HUGE class sizes

When several students at Frostburg State were asked what their average class size was the response was extremely varied.  Anthony King a Senior from Germantown, Md said around 20, Mike Jones a Freshman from Baltimore, Md said about 25, Scott Wasser a Junior from Leesburg, Va said around 22, Mike Naylor a Junior from Largo, Md said 25, and Auston Brown a freshman from North Beach, Md said 30 along with Chad Bondura a sophomore from Baltimore and Brendon Blanchette a sophomore from Westminster, Md.  According to these young men the average class size at Frostburg State is around 26 students per class.  Seeing that Anthony King had the smallest class size the large average may be due to the large numbers given by the younger students.

Gay marriages, yes or no?

Walking through the FSU campus armed with the controversial question, "Do you think gay marriages should be legal in all states?" a journalism student might feel apprehension about asking people their opinions due to the polar opposite of viewpoints that can be presented.

When approached Melissa Zachritz, a senior Art major from Cumberland responded, "Yes, of course. Gay's struggle so much more trying to get around governmental policies, it's ridiculous. They are people too and deserve the same rights as straights." Melissa's friend sits quietly beside her, as if awaiting her turn to answer. Francesca Pehr, who is also a senior Art major from Baltimore, quickly chimed in, "Yes, 110%," she states firmly, and goes on to continue, "I've seen firsthand how it can affect a family. We've come so far in woman and racial rights it's only fair that people of a different sexual orientation have the same equal rights protection under the law. Gays are people too. People treating other people differently based on sexual orientation is disgusting. I used to babysit for a lesbian couple, and seeing all the hardships they faced because they were gay was revolting."

However, one is quick to face the opposing argument placed on gay rights. Josh Gilhart, a junior Education major from Hagerstown, did not express the same positive feelings. When asked the question he seemed to become irate, his face expressing a look of disgust, "No, I believe it goes against the Bible and the Word of God. The government, and the works of men, should not be able to prevail over God," he forcibly states.

Ashley Swinford: The Southern, Dancing, Traveler

Many people have goals that they wish to complete in their lifetimes. For some that is to succeed in school and get a successful job, and for others it is to carry on their family business. For Ashley Swinford’s goal in life is to be happy and continue to enjoy life to the best of her abilities. Her carefree nature causes her to live by such sayings as, “If it’s meant to be, it will happen.” Quotes such as this are what keep her going day by day.

Ashley is very passionate about traveling and seeing the world. She expressed an interest in going to France and Ireland the most, but she seemed passionate about traveling anywhere to experience what life and this world have to offer. She already has a good list of different states and countries she’s visited, including Canada, Florida and Georgia. When first meeting Ashley, she immediately wins you over with her cheerful attitude and friendly nature. A new potential friend will immediately see that she is a caring and respectful person. This, along with her constant and cheerful laugh, will make any person open up to her in a trusting and positive manner.

On first glance, Ashley is like any college student. She enjoys playing Xbox, particularly Gears of War, and likes music and movies. She has a deep passion for football and NASCAR, which she expressed was caused by her Southern upbringing. Jokingly she told me, “My dad is a Southern redneck, so that was bound to rub off on me growing up.” As family is important to her, it is a definite that she will be bidding on some of the upcoming NASCAR auctions that are featured on the NASCAR site. However, beneath all of those normal interests, she has achieved many goals in her life and has talents that she is passionate for.

When she was little, Ashley tried many variations of dance, including jazz and tap, but as she entered high school she found an interest in her high school’s drill team. Through her hard work and dedication, she became a lieutenant as a senior on the drill team dance squad and even had the opportunity to dance solo. When asked if she was nervous during such a big event in life, she said, “No, it is what I enjoy doing, and it was within my comfort zone.” Many people should meet someone such as Ashley Swinford because it is important to have such an optimistic and driven friend in anyone’s life.

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