“Eatin’ Good in The Neighborhood”

“It’s a good way to raise money and help a local business, and everyone needs to eat right? ” said Kim Thompson, secretary of the senior class when asked about their latest fundraising event. The senior class planned a dine and donate event at Applebee’s restaurant located at 3050 N 5th street hwy. The event raised money for trips and other activities that the senior class will be doing this semester. Kim who along with the other senior class officers planned the event said that between 50 and 75 people attended and participated in the dine and donate.

It is free for an organization to plan the event and ten percent of every check goes towards the organization that planned the event. In order to have the amount donated to the organization, the participants must bring a copy of the flyer to the restaurant and present it to their server. Applebee’s provides the flyer for the organization, it is then the job of the organization to spread the word and get as many people as possible to attend the event.

“We put one of the flyers in students on campus mailboxes and also posted them around campus to get the word out,” said Kim about how they got the word out. This type of fundraising event has been done in the past by many organizations. “Well, we sort of got the idea from other groups that have done it often,” said Kim. Since I was not able to attend this fundraising event myself I spoke to other students that did in fact attend and some that didn’t. “ From what I saw it was a pretty good crowd that attended,” said Meghan Jeffrey a junior. “I never pay attention to those types of notices that we get in our mailboxes,” said Jaleesa Lewis when asked if she heard or attended the event. “And even if I had seen the flyer I probably would not have gone, I have no money and my meal plan is just much easier,” added Jaleesa, a sophomore.

The event in theory is a great way for organizations to raise money and it does help the local business that hosts the event but for many students it is easier to use their meal plans for dinner if they have one. Personally for me it is much easier to charge dinner at jakes then to pay for a meal at Applebee’s. Many seniors who I spoke to had not even heard of the event and said that times are tough economically so it’s hard to spend money even if it is for a fundraiser. No word from Kim yet as to the exact dollar amount that was raised at the dine and donate.

The Uninformed Loss of Ruckus

On February 10th, all students received an e-mail from IT services. The e-mail read:
“Please be informed that Albright College IT Services has received a letter informing us that the Ruckus service was shut down effective immediately. The Ruckus service is the free music download service that all students have had access to for the past 2 years. We will be researching the options that we have to consider; but, at this time, this service is no longer available.”

Ruckus was a beneficial service too many. It allowed students to access music free of charge as well as prevented artists from getting their work stolen. Students on campus loved being able to login into a website, and in 5 seconds having full albums downloaded, and downloaded legally at that. It was a great service. One student replied “I tried to go download a few songs, and when I went to their website, it wouldn’t work. I had no idea why, and when I said something to my roommate, he told me about the e-mail.”

This e-mail came, and was left open to a lot of questions. Was the service just shut down for Albright? What was the reasoning for the shut down? What other options are there to consider? Upon going to Ruckus' website on the night of the 10th, everything looked normal. Only difference was I was unable to log in. When I went to the website on the 17th, I found the image shown at the top of this page. No information was available there.

On February 17th, I went to the help desk to ask some questions. Ryan from the Help Desk had stated that “the service as a whole was shutdown, not just for Albright.” When asked about the e-mail, he stated “The director just told me what to send out, and I did.” My last question was what other options are being considered, and I was told “we are still looking, but have none at this time.”

When I asked to speak with the director, he was unavailable for comment.
It is not our school’s fault that the service is gone, because Ruckus itself is gone. However; the e-mail sent out was very uninformative, and left too much open for question. It should have said Ruckus is shutting down, therefore the service is no longer available to all colleges. It should have said that we have no other options at this time, but are searching for alternative music sources. The e-mail lead me to believe that IT had an idea of where to turn for music, and that the issue would be resolved soon. After my interview with the Help Desk, I found out I thought wrong. So be informed that although IT is searching for other options, but they currently do not have any, contradictory to what their e-mail said. Let us hope for a fast search, and another option to be found soon.

Photo: Courtesy of Ruckus

Another Housing Selection Headache

Housing selection has always been stressful process for me and my roommate. Freshman year it was trying to get rooms closest to our friends. Sophomore year it was trying to get an apartment in the Woods, getting stuck with the very last number, losing our other roommates because they didn’t want to live in the Pi Kap apartment, and scrabbling to find two new roommates to keep the apartment. Junior year it was wondering if the Pi Kaps were going to kick us out of the apartment we signed back into because they were tired of only having the top two apartments. Now as a senior I’m even more glad I don’t have to go through this process because there will be one less dorm for upper classmen students to choose from.
As of next year Smith Hall will now be an all freshman dorm, leaving the Woods, North Hall, Mohn Hall, Krause Hall, and Court for upperclassmen housing. This is a significant reduction of available housing for upperclassmen because the Woods, North Hall, and Mohn Hall all require a certain GPA for its residents. “I think it’s stupid,” said sophomore Emily Morin. “First, in order to live in the Woods, North and Mohn you have to have a certain gpa and lots of students don’t live up to it. That leaves Krause and Court and the downside to living in Court is it’s farther away from all the other upper classmen dorms.”
Court is not an appealing option to upper classmen. I have been in there once in all of my four years here and all I can remember is not being able to move in the double rooms. “There are 28 singles in Court, so the majority of the dorm is singles,” said Morin. Renovations to Court are expected to entice upperclassmen to live there. “I think if it was actually renovated to look nice for our age group it would work,” said junior Emily Duke. “It would be like living off-campus because it’s so far away. If they made it more like living in an apartment complex it would be much more appealing.”
Albright would have to renovate Court to appeal to a group that feel we have the right to be closer to campus and have the most advantages because we’ve been here longer than the freshman. They would have to combat the distance factor with something so appealing to upper classman that the distance from campus and to where their friends live wouldn’t matter. If Court were to become something like the Woods apartments, it would definitely be appealing because the lottery to live in the Woods is so popular every year.
At least one student could see there being a benefit to having all the freshman living in three dorms. “With all the freshman together, we get to know the people in our class more,” said freshman Stacey Norman. “If you live in the upper classmen dorms you met more upper classmen then freshman.” I tried to ask the director of housing the exact reasoning behind the change for Smith, but with it being RA selection time she has been unable to get back to me.
The decision to make Smith an all freshman dorm will no doubt be beneficial for them. It will also create another housing headache for upper classmen who feel they have earned living closer to campus and their friends. Making Court into another on-campus apartment opportunity for upper classmen would be Albright’s best bet for getting upper classmen to want to live there, because right now not many do.

Stores Going Out of Business Due to Construction?

It seems like it’s been about a year since the construction in Exeter first started and there really doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Roads have been closed and entrances to certain businesses were blocked off at one point just to “better” Exeter. For a resident in the surrounding area and actually working in Exeter it seems like the construction has caused more of a hassle then anything.

When the construction first started I know that I was late to work more then once because traffic was so backed up and there was really no way to avoid it. Thinking about how the construction was affecting me I started to wonder how it affected the local businesses that were right in the mix of all the construction.

The first business that I went to was the Turkey Hill gas station and they did not really express any hardships from the construction, even though they lost a little land they were paid for it in the end. This wasn’t really a surprise because gas is kind of a necessity, but what about the stores that aren’t? I then went over to Arby’s and Gravity and they both seemed to be impacted more by the construction then Turkey Hill did.

When I asked the manager at Arby’s how he felt about the construction he said, “It sucks. When the roads were closed access to the store was very difficult but now it’s not really that much of a big deal.”

The store that was affected the most however, was Gravity. This wasn’t a surprise that they were affected because not only did they have the construction going against them but they are also a newer store, so they don’t have the regular customers yet. What did surprise me though was when the owner, Robert Tyson, told me “I’ve had customers come in and say that they didn’t stop in more because of the construction”. He also explained how since there store was a destination store that people usually thought about going before they’d come and the construction would sometimes make them decide to come another day.

Although the construction is supposed to be helping Exeter, it seems like it may be hurting the local stores at the moment and not helping them. I mean, how can a store benefit from the increased traffic if they’re forced to close their doors before the construction is finished?

Photo by Erin Haynes

Trabanjdo Con La Comunidad: An Escape from the Average Spanish Curriculum

Anyone who has studied a foreign language in school for a number of years knows that textbook exercises and workbook assignments can easily become obnoxious and extremely boring. Because, I have these feelings everyday, I was instantly interested in learning about the community outreach program that some Spanish students participate in each year. I was pleased to hear that there is an esccapefrom the hum-drum life of verb conjugations and reading comprehension activities that I will be subjected to for my remaining two years at Albright.

The community outreach aspect of the Spanish 204 curriculum requires students to take their knowledge of the language to Reading Latino communities and to enhance their learning past textbooks and workbook exercises. “A college, in a sense, has a responsibility to reach out to the community,” says Professor Ozment, teacher of Spanish 204 students. “Many of my students underestimate their abilities. It helps them hear the language and exposes them to the culture and the people in an intimate way,” she adds.

This component of the 204 curriculum has been active for about 8 years and has the students participate in several types of community service acts for 10 hours per week. Some students work non-profit organizations that cater to Latinos in the community. Others work with bilingual middle and high school students and with elementary students at 13^th and Union Elementary, just across the street from the Albright campus. They also work with bilingual adults in preparation for their citizenship tests.

Freshman Fawn Lindsey is excited to begin her work with the community. “I love Hispanic culture and I am glad to be able to practice outside of the classroom,” says Lindsey. Lindsey appreciates this component of the curriculum and feels that this type of community involvement will make her a better Spanish-speaker. “Speaking Spanish with native speakers is the best way to improve your techniques when Spanish is your second language. We will also be helping the Hispanic community a great deal by providing English classes to those who are taking the initiative to learn English,” Lindsey concludes.

After learning more about the 204 curriculum, I am eager to participate in this type of community work as well as improving my mastery of the language. It will also be great to get a break from the oh-so-exciting textbook grammar exercises.

(picture source: www.dailylobo.com)

Storytelling, too Hollywood for underground film productions

When I went to the Black Maria Film Festival here at Albright Klein Theater, I was expecting to be amazed by the stories the younger amateur film makers would produce. The crowd was dense almost all the seats were filled in the theater full of people who were also ready to see what new directors were able to come up with.

Before any of the films were shown the Director of the festival came before the crowd to give a brief history. The Black Maria was built in 1892 by Thomas Edison, it was nicknamed after the paddy wagons of that time, and it was the world's first motion picture. The Black Maria was a milestone in film production today which is why the festival was named after it.

There were 600 submissions in this festival and the jurors and director narrowed it down to 45, and only showed the Albright campus bits and pieces of 12. John Columbus warned us that all the films were known as experimental work. "Film is a very young art work," he said, "but not all of it has to be storytelling."

With that he left us to enjoy the films.

The first film was Ice Bears of the Beauport, made by Arthur C. Smit and Jennifer Van Den Berg from Kaktovik, AK. The film portrayed polar bears in a silent manner, there were no voices, only words music and images. The bears were shown in what Alaska used to be, full of snow and ice where the bears thrived, even their bodies reflected the snow with blue fringes in their fur, and what it is now, bleak, melted, a shadow of what it use to be. The video won the grand prize selection, the best of festival documentary.

This film was what I expected to see, a movie that I was use to seeing. A documentary where the purpose is seen right away, polar bears.

The next films caught me by surprise.

Ichthyopolis, was created by the "creative wizard" Andre Silva. This film was, described by Jerry Ore, "a techno-animation wonderfully populated with a singing gold fish, an opera diva, claymation characters and water color".

For me, personally, it was my first experience of getting intoxicated. This world of singing goldfish flying in and out of people stomachs, getting caught, and crinkling paper surrounded by vast abstracts of an uncomprehendable world was a bit too much for me.

The next film, Les Chaises and Cubicle Revisited were also abstract films. Both movies consisted of abstract images with no music. The diverse sounds of nature, flurry of typing on keyboards, and other aimless noises were the music.

Yours Truly, Juror's Choice. came next. This was a tribute to antique Film Noir's with a twist, by Osbert Parker from London, Engliand. The film made of cut-outs and clips from the past, of two lovers from older cinemas. This, "frenzied tribute to celluloid history," took a turn when the woman killed the man, chopped him up and began to cook him before the police arrived. But she was eventually caught when the officer took a man-burger and found a hundred dollar bill in the patty.

After viewing these Columbus came back to address the audience, "The narrative feature length film (Hollywood model) has dominated our media. This festival gives independant directors a way to explore new ways, and possibilities."

Now fully prepared with both warnings and examples the audience was fully prepared to handle films such as Stigmata (a minute film with a man crucified in the air on a busy street with lava pouring out his hands and feet), "0" (a full 10 minutes of cars wizzing by and numbers racing across the screen), The Idiot Stinks (two minutes of "an utterly insane, inventive and riotous scratch board animation"), 1859 (an 11 minute film of light bounding off the screen over and over again), and Speechless (a 13 minute film of hairy vaginas and nature).

"I thought the film festival was very enlightening, actually," said Sarah Bruno, Albright student, "I won't lie, certain clips I enjoyed more than others (the lights-focused one was hard for me to watch), but I definitely saw film clips that I wouldn't have otherwise normally been exposed to."

Overall, the festival left me appreciative of both abstract films and the Hollywood model.

28th Black Maria Festival: An Avant-Garde Extravaganza

If you walked into the Black Maria Film Festival expecting narrative stories, plot development, and psychologically deep characters, you would be sorely disappointed. As it says on the poster, the festival is Diverse, Expressive, and Passionate. The name Black Maria came from the world’s first motion picture studio built by Thomas Edison, and it resembled a police paddy wagon of the era. John Columbus then founded the film festival, giving it that name in honor of this studio. Over 600 submissions were made this year from all over the world, and the festival travels from universities to art exhibits all over the country. This year there were 45 videos in total at the festival, but only 11 of them were shown at Albright, almost all of them experimental. Experimental films go beyond convention, take risks, and strive to make art out of film. John Columbus told the audience that “film is a young art form, dominated by Hollywood-type narratives, but it does not have to be like this; film can be like a moving painting.” Jerry Orr, head of Berks Filmmakers, told us that these films were “avant-garde, experimental, documentary narrations, or slices of life.”

The festival started off with a professionally-filmed style documentary about polar bears, and then moved to a film called Ichthypolis, which the program described as “a techno-animation wonderfully populated with a singing gold fish, an opera diva, claymation characters, and watercolor washes in this digitally triumphant work.” In almost every film shown there was no dialogue, and visual elements were key. These types of films are not always about having a purpose or making sense; sometimes you have look past this in order to fully appreciate a film. I took a film class last year with Gary Adelstein; (and) this has led me to have a much better understanding of film as an art form, and just sometimes to take them for what they are. Many stared at the screen with mystified, entranced looks, as other audience members seemed to be drifting off. After one particular film, 1859, a 13-minute film of just flashing lights, not recommended for the epileptic, there was a huge sigh of relief from the audience. Although John Columbus thought this film was “beautiful” and “hallucinogenic.” Some films were simply about the color palette or sounds, obnoxious as they may be. One student claimed that some of the films were “hard to look at,” while others thoroughly enjoyed them. Recent alumnus and film student, Kevin Vogrin, said he wished more films had been shown, while my roommate, an avid Disney Channel lover, left after three films and said she “couldn’t handle it.”

I spoke with John Columbus after the show, and he told me that people needed to be more open-minded and that “not every film has to be perfect to be appreciated.” He told me that people have a limited range of what they are willing to tolerate, and that everyone is so concerned with time. Some films are “interesting but flawed; they may be too long, but it is okay, it’s just time.” I heard many people complaining about how this was the longest-experience event they had ever attended. I know some people only went for experience credit, but no one can deny that this was indeed an experience. I can almost guarantee that people saw films like they have never seen and will probably never see again. John told me that there is a constant battle for film to be accepted as a legitimate art form. I personally believe it is, that you can do things with film that you cannot do anywhere else, and it can instantaneously show image after image right in front of you. Here at Albright we only got a glimpse of the kinds of films that are in it. John explained that each place they go, they show different types of films, but Berks County Filmmakers is are known for showing experimental films, and so that is the majority of what was shown.

The audience ranged from art and film students who were excited to see these films, to students simply looking for experience credit. Either way, I think that the opportunity to see something like the Black Maria should not be missed. These films were unique in every sense of the word; some were beautiful, some comical, and some made no sense at all. However, each of these things helps to expand our minds and to be open to art in every form. I could tell how much hard work went into these films and the efforts put forth for this festival every year, and I hope it continues to allow independent filmmakers the chance to express themselves.

The Leader of the Pack

Playing a sport at the college level can be very stressful and demanding, but not for senior softball player Alex Keyes. At times she finds it difficult during season to balance out academics and softball but always finds a way to do so. Keyes is the only senior on Albright College’s Softball team and holds two records as well.
Alex currently holds records for the most homeruns in a season and has a high of 19 career homeruns coming into her senior season. Alex has come a long way since freshman year, and for the past three seasons has played under the same coach. This upcoming season she has two new coaches and is the only player leaving the team at the end of this 2009 season.
“It’s completely different being the only senior. There’s a lot more pressure on me personally to be a good team leader. I don’t have other seniors to help share responsibility with, but luckily for me a few of the underclassmen stepped up tremendously,” says Alex Keyes.
Not only do her teammates respect her because she is a senior, but because of the dedication she puts into the team. Teammate Marry Dwyer said, “I look up to Alex as a teammate, captain, and a person. I do not just respect her because she is captain and the only senior, but she's pretty much the heart and soul of the team.”

It is obvious Alex is respected in many ways other than just as a senior. She has motivation and dedication, which help her strive to be the player that she is.

Alex states, “I think that being a good player makes it a lot easier to gain respect from your younger teammates.”
Another fellow teammate Megan Keohane says, “The respect I have for Alex is ten times higher than the respect I have for the other juniors and sophomores that also lead the team. This isn't really because she's older, but because she works the hardest at getting all of us to play our best.”

There is no argument amongst the players that Alex Keyes is the most respected on the team and it seems that it is going to be a major transition next year without her. Keyes is a great asset to Albright College’s Softball team and has learned a lot from her team. “Playing college softball has taught me how to manage my time better, how to be a good team player, how to work with others to accomplish a common goal”, states senior Alex Keyes.

It seems that not only has Alex taught her teammates a little bit about heart and dedication, but she has also gotten some things in return that she will take with her past the sport of softball.

To get scores and see how Alex Keyes and the rest of the softball team are doing this season, check out the Albright College’s Softball website. http://www.albright.edu/athletics/softball.html

*Photos Courtesy of Alex Keyes

Don't be Forgotten, Leave Your Legacy!

Tuition for 8 semesters at Albright College: $119,080
Room and board for four years: $19,480
Full 7 day meal plan per year: $3,800
Pledging money for the Senior Walkway Legacy: $100,
Having the most memorable four years of your life: PRICELESS!!!

It’s no surprise that college has been super expensive but I’m sure that when you graduate and look back you won’t regret a single minute of it. Ok, well maybe there are a few things you would change like that one psychology class you had at 8 o’clock in the morning or letting your friends throw you in the pond in the middle of December.

Because of all of the memories, knowledge, and stories students get during their time here at Albright it is not uncommon for many to want to give something back.

So how can you give back to the place that you called home for four years of your life when you are getting ready to graduate and leave your mark for all to remember you? Thanks to the class on 2006 it’s really easy.

THE SENIOR WALKWAY LEGACY!!!

The Senior Walkway Legacy (SWL) is the class gift program that was developed in 2006 by the College’s Sesquicentennial Class. Traditionally, each senior class raised money for a campus project in honor of their graduation, but the Class of 2006 had a “different way of thinking.” They decided to start a project that could be carried on by future graduating classes by raising money to restore walkways around campus.

The walkway around Sylvan Pond is the starting point where each graduating senior has the opportunity to have his or her name engraved on a paver brick with other members of their graduating class.

How do you get your name on a paver you may ask?

To get their name on a paver seniors are asked to make a pledge of $100. Since many seniors can’t afford to pay $100 right away they have until the end of May of the following year to pay it off.

Students can decide to pledge any amount but if they donate $100 or more they also become a member of the President’s Council for Young Alumni, in which they receive recognition as a leadership donor to the College, and get two complimentary tickets to the President’s Council Dinner. While still here they also get to attend a “Pizza & Pledge Party” as well as receive specials at both the 100 and 50 Nights till Graduation Senior Nights!

Thea Graybill, a senior this year, stated, “I think the Senior Walkway is a great gift program. I am actually asking my parents to get it for me as my graduation present. I think it is an awesome way to give back and I can’t wait to come back at homecoming and reunions to see my name on a paver and remember how great my college experience was at Albright.”

Bill Gusler, Class of ’07, Assistant Director of the Fund for Albright and the man in charge of the Senior Walkway Legacy explained two reasons why the program is important, “First it gives each senior a chance to leave a permanent mark on Albright’s campus. Second, it helps to educate seniors why it is so important to give back to your school. The goals for the Class of 2009 are 148 pledges, and $10,500. If these goals are achieved, the Class of 2009 will then hold the record for SWL.”

Christina Reimer, a senior who is on the SWL committee, said, “Bill and the rest of the committee are really working hard to get students to pledge and emphasize the fact that they don’t have to pay until next year. The committee really wants to break the previous class records so we really need to get 45% of our class to participate.”

It might not be your name on a Hollywood Star but it is YOUR NAME on a 12” x 12” paver letting everyone know the huge accomplishment you made, graduating from Albright College!

*Photos courtesy of Albright College’s website http://www.albright.edu/seniorwalkway/2007.html

Please Pass the Rolls, Mr. President

As a college senior dinnertime in my life usually consists of one of three scenarios:

1) Running to Wawa, Jake’s, or some other fast food chain to get food on the go
2) Rummaging through the cabinets in my apartment to find something to eat
3) Getting lucky and eating whatever my roommates decided to cook that night

It should come as no surprise then, that I was very surprised to find myself sitting at the dining room table of Albright’s President, Dr. Lex McMillan last Thursday.

When I first got the invitation the previous week I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I had heard of these dinners vaguely throughout my time here at Albright, but they were never anything I ever took the time to consciously think about. Sure I’m involved on campus, and a good student, but I never considered myself special enough to actually get an invitation to have dinner with the president of the college.

It was then I realized that I didn’t know much about the dinners at all.

Each year the McMillan’s have made an effort to host a variety of dinners throughout the school year with different groups of students. Groups can range from students with exceptional GPA’s, to athletes, to Student Government Association, etc. Over the years different formats have been experimented with, including some that invited younger students, but this year’s dinners are geared specifically towards seniors.

According to Dr. McMillan, “The student dinners are something we’ve experimented with since I arrived. I like having direct, casual exposure to students in our home. It re-charges my batteries and I also learn a lot about student likes and dislikes, suggestions for improvements, etc. I hope the students enjoy face time with us!”

Senior Kimberly Thompson also attended the dinner held last Thursday and said, “I thought it was really cool that I got to have dinner with the president. I felt like my voice was actually being heard, especially when Dr. McMillan asked what we would change about Albright if we had a magic wand. It was just one more thing that made Albright great, you probably wouldn’t have the chance to do something like this at a bigger school.”

My experience at the dinner was wonderful, it’s not every day you get to discuss your favorite dessert with the president of your college, but it got me thinking about all of the students that don’t get the opportunity to attend one of the dinners.

“I never even thought about [them] until I saw some of my friends go,” said senior Ashley Gaynor, “it made me wonder why I wasn’t picked to go and they were. It seemed like they all had a good time and like it would be something I’d want to do.”

Dr. McMillan pointed out that with over 1600 students at the school it is unlikely that every student would be able to attend a dinner during their time at Albright. He also mentioned that since the dinners began four years ago, there has been a decline in interest and response rate.

He continued by saying, “If any student wants to come to dinner, just call or email my office and we will put his or her name on a list. If the list gets too long, we’ll start a lottery.”

So if the dinners sound interesting, or like an event you’d like to attend, you heard the man, just ask!

*Photo courtesy of albright.edu*

If you haven’t noticed I love basketball. I also play basketball for Albright. Being a senior in college I think should be one of the best moments in life and I can not wait till next year when that moment is mine. I feel weather if its your last time up to bat, last pass thrown into the end zone or your last jump shot the memories that you have made from the beginning of freshman year till the end of senior year will always be with you. To make senior year even better, four people that I know and respect have had the privilege of being captains of the Albright Men and Woman’s Basketball Teams.

Philip Hall A.K.A Phil Tall is a 7’0ft senior who is majoring in business administration and marketing. I know him as a very nice person with a very sarcastic personality that can make you laugh till you cry. When it comes down to basketball Phil has the responsibility of being captain that means he needs to keep all those fifteen plus boys in line. To get down to the nitty-gritty I asked him how he will feel in two weeks when he hangs his jersey up “weird, knowing I’m not gonna have spring workout and nothing to do after classes.” Having the opportunity of being senior captain I would like to know how it made him feel “I feel honored to have a leadership role and need to keep everyone focused.” I hope Phil and the rest of the team come out of the season with a championship.

Left: image of Phil Hall

Matthew Bazsika A.K.A Zeke is majoring in business administration and digital media. The thing that I thought was funny when I first met Matt was Zeke is my dogs’ name. Zeke has one of the most contagious laughs ever. He is one of the kindest people I know and I am lucky to call him a friend. I never would have guessed that he was from New Zealand. The thing that is sad is his family is still in New Zealand. For Zeke I wanted to know how he feels about being so far away “I miss them [family] a lot. I can’t wait to go and visit home again.” The question that I was dying to ask was how he felt about being a senior, captain and not having his parents able to watch the games. I know that was a reason why I transferred I wanted my parents at my games. His answer was surprising “I wish they were where but hey things like this happen, I enjoy the job of captian. I had a great opportunity to play in America and I am happy to be here. Even though my parents are not at the games I’ll send game tapes so they can watch me.” At first I thought he was crazy but when I think about it I would do the same thing if I was in his position.
Annemarie McMahon A.K.A Annie is majoring in accounting, finance and economics. She is one of the players on the women’s basketball team to scored over 1,000 points in her basketball career at Albright and the 10th woman in Albright Basketball history. Annie has been more then just a captain to me, she has been a teammate and more then that a friend. The one thing Annie knows is how to bring a team together “A team is made by having heart, determination, enthusiasm, communication, loyalty, respect and trust.” My last question for her was how she was going to feel when she hangs up her jersey “I don’t wanna do it I wish I had more years.” I know I am going to feel the exact same way she does.
Charlotte Ciccone A.K.A Char is a marketing and communications major. She came to Albright four years ago and worked her way up the bench to a starting spot her senior year. I know Char as a teammate and a friend, but the one thing that surprises me with her is how she never settles for second best. Her drive and determination on and off the court make me want to be a better player and person. I look up to Char because of the person she is and I asked her how she felt about being a captain this year “it is quite an honor; people can look up to me on and off the court.” The final question that I really wanted to know the answer too was the same I asked Annie and Phil; I asked how she feels about hanging up her jersey “sad, I’ve been playing organized basketball since I was 7 years-old and this is the last real team I’ll ever be on.” Hearing her say that made he realize that I have been playing for as long as she has and it is going to be shocking when I have to hand my jersey over.
These four people I will miss so much. Not only do I play with two of them but I have a bond with all of them that can never be broken; that bond is basketball.