Mount Union students and volunteers took part in numerous service opportunities for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

At 9 a.m., on January 17, 2011, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service officially began.

100 volunteers, including Mount Union students and staff, volunteers from the Alliance Key Club, Canton McKinley High School, Alliance Community Members and AmeriCorps volunteers, participated.

Those volunteers were able to serve, during two shifts, at 12 different agencies around campus and the Alliance area.

Locations included Habitat for Humanity, the YMCA, United Way, the YWCA of Alliance, Villa Maria and Villa Maria Art Gallery, Feed My Sheep, Rodman Public Library, Massillon YWCA, Domestic Violence Shelter, Interfaith Child Development Center, and The Empowerment Center.

After serving, all volunteers were able to enjoy pizza, socialize, and most importantly, reflect.

“Each volunteer was asked to reflect on what they believe, to share a tenant or ideal that motivates and inspires them to be who they are and do what they do,” said Heather Eichner, Ohio Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA at Mount Union. “We hope to “publish” these essays electronically.”

Not only was there a day devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but the remainder of the week included an awards banquet, a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. educational PowerPoint and discussion, a candlelight vigil, a social justice workshop, and a speaker.

For more information on current and upcoming service projects or how to get involved, contact Heather Eichner at eichnehe@mountunion.edu, or Amanda Espenschied-Reilly at espensal@mountunion.edu.

In my opinion, Mount Union makes some very interesting decisions.

When they decided to change from a college to a university, I thought it was a bit silly but overall, I understand.

When they decided to renovate and make the “academic mall” I thought maybe it could be cool.

When they decided to put our welcome center on the side of campus I thought that they could have planned a bit better but what does it hurt?

But when they recently decided to move our health center off campus, I think that it’s time to say something.

First of all, I went to the health center once when I was pretty sure I had pneumonia for the second time in life.

The doctor took about 20 seconds to ask me what was wrong, before he called in a nurse, told me I had a slight cold, told her what medication to give to me, and walked out again.

Was it the right medication for a cold? Yes.  Was it the right medication for pneumonia? Absolutely not.

Did I have pneumonia and eventually have to go to a   doctor who has time to actually evaluate my illness for the correct diagnosis? You bet.

But one thing that was nice about that appointment was that I could walk to the health center from my dorm without too much effort.

Now, since they decided to move off campus, my pneumonia walk would have been almost physically impossible, without the aid of campus security.  Not to mention inconvenient.

Obviously the students who are sick and are visiting the health center, aren’t going to want to walk the entire way across and off campus to get the solace that they need.  Not only do they not WANT to, but they might not be able to.

If someone is really sick they can’t make a 15-20 minute journey off campus, and if they are going to go that far, they might as well just go to a regular doctor.

Obviously driving is always an option, but not for the students who don’t have cars on campus.

They have no choice but to walk or enlist one of their friends to drive them and risk spreading their ailment.

I guess what I’m trying to say here, is that people didn’t go to the health center because of their fantastic care and attention to detail; they went because it was convenient.  And now, it’s not even that.

There is no way to get through the semester without hearing someone mention Jersey Shore.

Last year I wrote an article bashing MTV’s Guido Sensation. Although I still find the show irrefutably ridiculous, I am now an official Jersey Shore fanatic.

I have to start my rant by expressing my gratitude to MTV. It’s about time that Angelina is kicked to the curb. She was nothing but trouble in Miami and has no place on TV (even trashy TV).

Deena has graciously filled the eighth spot giving viewers a slightly trashier, yet just as humorous, Snooki duplicate. Honestly, I don’t mind Deena, but I do think she tried too hard in the beginning and she needs to get over her crush on Mike “The Situation.”

Speaking of Mike, I find him much more tolerable this season.  In Miami, he turned into the gang’s “dad” and ended everything on a bad note but he’s really making up for that this season.

I actually felt sorry for him the night Vinny locked him out of the guest room and for the evening when Snooki turned his fantasy into a nightmare.

Although Vinny has been quite the player, he’s always number one in my heart; that boy can do no wrong. We all need a Vinny in our lives.

Pauly D also knows how to lay low. His bromance with Vinny is the best thing to happen to the shore.

Whenever they have a scene together all I can do is laugh. Who else would interview Snooki’s poof and Jenni’s chest?

Next is Jenni, who has had a pretty rough week.  In my opinion, her boyfriend, Tom, drove Jenni to the point of depression and right into the arms of her friends and maybe even her new man.

Roger (the new man) has my seal of approval and I hope JWOWW bounces back. I’m sure we’ll be seeing those low-cut shirts and underwear-pants soon enough.

So what is new with Snooks? Fresh out of jail, she catches herself a cute, fresh, gorilla. Go Snooki! Bronzer, boys, and alcohol are Snooki’s favorites.  Or maybe no alcohol?

I think hearts broke all over America when Snooki declared that she has decided to stop drinking. I mean, I’m proud of her and all, but now she won’t need directions to the beach…

Have I forgotten anyone?  Oh, Ronnie and Sam. Well, Snooki may have accepted Sam’s apology but I certainly didn’t. Sam can just go home as far as I’m concerned.

I am SO excited for tomorrow’s episode when Sam punches Ron for talking to Jenni.   Hopefully it’s the final straw for Ronnie and he gets smart.

Pathetic? Yes. Idiotic? Absolutely. My Thursday evening obsession? You guessed it.

Daytime television will never be the same again after the co-host of the talk show “Live! With Regis and Kelly” announced his retirement.

Regis Philbin announced last Wednesday that he will retire from his co-host seat on the morning show, “Live! With Regis and Kelly.” He plans to step down later in the year.

Regis expressed his reasons for retiring to the morning audience, saying, “There is a time when everything must come to an end for certain people on camera – especially certain old people!”

Audience members were shocked to hear that the familiar daytime face will go, but none can compare to his co-host Kelly Ripa.
Ripa told the Hollywood Reporter, “While I realize that nothing is forever, still I always hoped that there would be an exception. I can’t overstate what Regis has brought to the table.”

Regis’ daytime appearances are numbered. Who will be his replacement? Many fans of the show hope for Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos or “Survivor” series host Jeff Probst, but these are only speculations.

The “Wendy Williams Show” reported that allegedly ABC is after multi-tasker Ryan Seacrest to fill in the hot seat.
No matter who gets picked to become Philbin’s replacement, many viewers can agree that there can be only one Regis.

Will Nintendo’s Wii be able to withstand all of the new video games and gadgets that have been created? My answer is yes, absolutely.

Being an avid Wii player over the holiday season, as well as several of my friends and family members, many reasons were found as to why this device will stick around.

Wii can withstand the new onslaught of video games and consoles because it doesn’t only appeal to young people. People of all ages own one to entertain their friends and family members. Wii was quoted as being different and a “hit” because it was unique compared to the other typical gaming consoles.

Here are some reasons why  Nintendo’s Wii is such an exciting and enthusiastic gaming device for people to enjoy for years.

First, Wii provides the opportunity to create a character that looks like you.

Second, Wii has a player-friendly remote that makes it quick and easy to use.

Third, Wii has the capability – like most video games – to be played virtually and that is fantastic.

Lastly, Wii is kept at a reasonable price to purchase. The price of a Wii is around $250.

Although no one can be certain that the Wii will exist forever, it is safe to say that the Wii is not going to die out anytime soon.
Shane Lester also believes that the Wii will be around for a while.

He said, “Nintendo Wii takes skill to play the sports games. This is why I enjoy it and this is how it sets itself apart from other video games.”

Very few remakes are better than the original, let alone worth watching, but “True Grit” debunks this notion.

The newest film from brothers Joel and Ethan Coen (“No Country for Old Men,” “Burn After Reading”) is all that and more.
This film is everything you would want when you go to watch a movie, from the perfectly cast characters, to the outstanding story, and finally the perfectly-timed humor that is randomly, yet somehow carefully, thrown into the film.

The story of the film, based upon the book of the same title from Charles Portis, is that of a young girl named Mattie Ross whose father has been unjustly killed by an outlaw named Tom Chaney.

She takes it upon herself to hire a U.S. Marshal by the name of Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn to bring him to justice.

They reluctantly team up with a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf, who is also hunting Chaney for the bounty placed upon his head. The three of them prove to each other that they all have what it takes to survive the harsh western world that surrounds them.
This movie is the rare remake that surpasses the original film. The casting in the movie is picture perfect with Jeff Bridges portraying Cogburn and all of his quirks and qualities.

Matt Damon is ideal as the Ranger who thinks he’s better than everyone he encounters. The best performance, though, has to go to the newcomer Hailee Steinfeld who plays the part of Mattie.

She was able to hold her own against the likes of Bridges and Damon all throughout the film and, in the end, came out on top.
This film was so fun to watch; it didn’t even feel like a movie in many ways. The whole tone of the film is serious, but there are really funny parts scattered throughout.

It’s the perfect film for all involved. Only rated PG-13 – a scarce occurrence for the brothers – anyone who enjoys westerns or just good films in general should go see this. It is very likely this film will be a contender at this year’s Academy Awards.

As Student Senate resumed spring semester on Jan. 18, members were reminded of just how serious the attendance policy is.  Possibly the most strict of all student-run organizations, representatives in Senate will get punished due to the amount of meetings they fail to attend.

One missed week results in notification to the president and advisor of the organization that they are representing.  Missing two meetings results in a ten percent cut of that organization’s budget and missing three results in their budget being cut completely.
Moving into the “Order of the Day”, Dean Frazier came to the front of the room to discuss the Academic Policy Committee (APC).  The APC is responsible for setting the academic calendar each year.  Frazier asked members of the Senate to participate in a discussion about Labor Day.

Currently, the academic calendar says that Mount Union holds classes on Labor Day.  This was decided a few years ago for retention.  The school board believes that having a three-day weekend the first week of school will cause first-year and international students to become homesick and possibly return to their homes and stay there.  Instead of having classes off that Monday for Labor Day, students and faculty then received an extra day of fall break, making it a four-day weekend.

Frazier said that they have a comparison group of schools and a group of peer schools in which they look to when making decisions for the campus.  This list contains about 16 schools, including Allegheny College, Ashland University, Heidelberg University, and Ohio Northern University.  These schools all also have class on Labor Day for retention purposes.

The floor was then opened up for comments and one student said one of the downfalls to having that Friday and Monday off for fall break is that we are missing the same classes twice.  She suggested that maybe it would be in everyone’s best interest to either have off Thursday and Friday or Monday and Tuesday.  The decision was then left up to a vote and every Senate member besides one said that we should keep it the way it is with having classes on Labor Day.

The remainder of the meeting was left to announcements from the various organizations.  The Black Student Union is having their fashion show on Feb. 19 and they are looking for models and volunteers. Contact the president of BSU, Will Warren, for more information.  The Calliope is now accepting submissions in fiction, drama, poetry, art and creative nonfiction.  Submissions and further questions can be directed to calliope@mountunion.edu.

President of Student Senate, Adam Hood, closed the meeting by stating the two main ideas that he would like to see accomplished by the end of the semester.  The first idea is getting closer to having a student union on campus, which is going to take some discussion with the Board of Trustees.  The second idea is to be able to pass constitution rules for a budget proposal.  This means that as a Senate, he would like agreement on what is acceptable to put into a proposal.

Whether you want to believe it or not, networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter are actually important tools.

Facebook is mostly used as means for staying in touch, posting pictures and putting off studying. Twitter users sometimes only use the site just to update every move they make. However, these tools have way more power than you think.

The network you build on sites can take you a long way. You never know whom you’ll talk to or where you will meet them again down the road.

These sites make it easy for users to find topics they are interested in and can relate to. Who knows, you might even find the people who can potentially hire you someday.

Actually listen to your professors and other mentors who say to be careful what you post.

Sure, some personality is good, but remember that you never know who is reading what you write.

There are many other social networking websites out there; some specifically for socializing and others for professional networking purposes.

Check out linkedin.com, teamworkonline.com or many of the other sites that let you build a  network and meet as many people as you can.

It is about 5:30 a.m., an early weekday morning.  While most of the Mount Union campus is still snug tight in their nice warm beds, Virginia Gaines is headed to work at the MAAC.

Virginia Gaines is a longtime member of the Mount Union staff, working here for the past 24 years as the part-time MAAC receptionist.

She works from 6 a.m. until 12 p.m. “I started off at Timken as a housekeeper,” said Virginia, “and then when my husband passed away with ALS they called and asked me if I wanted to come back and do this.”

According to Google Health, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is “a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement.”

The progression of ALS leads to nerve cells dying and the loss of muscle control.  Eventually, muscles in the chest stop working, making it impossible to breathe.

Virginia spoke of her husband’s condition briefly, saying that, “I never dreamed I would meet anyone that had ALS.”
Her husband was her best friend for 46 wonderful years.  “We did everything together,” she said, smiling.  “Grocery shop…just everything.  He worked and I worked.  He’d come home and we went out to eat.  We did everything together.”

Caught in the memory of him, Virginia said that, “Every day was a good day.”  She told a story of her husband bringing her lunch.  Even though ALS made it difficult for him to walk, he insisted on this little chivalrous gesture. “He wanted to make sure I ate my lunch!”

When she’s not working early hours in the MAAC, she enjoys spending time with her large family playing Texas hold’em, a gambling game.  Christmas Eve, though, is definitely her favorite event with them. “We just talk, catch up with each other, and have fun,” she said. “We go to church first and then meet at my sister-in laws.”

A farm girl at heart, Virginia has lived in the North Benton, Ohio area all her life.  She loved growing up on a farm. “We played games that these kids have never heard of,” she began as she described her wonderful childhood.  “Games like Kick the Can, they don’t even know what that is.”  Kick the Can is a game where the participants literally kick a can and then hide.  Whoever doesn’t get back to the base is it. “And we played Handy, Handy, Over.  Kids throw the ball over the house.  If they catch it, they come in and tag you.”  She added with a laugh that, “The old people know all of these games…this is really telling my age.”

She is enjoying her life now just as much as she enjoyed her past.  “Mount Union has been so good to me,” she said fondly. “It really has.”  Being with the school for so long, Virginia considers it her second home.  Her role is to monitor the guests and make sure that they are actually allowed to use the facilities.  She does not like having to kick people out of the MAAC, but it happens more often than not. Her favorite part of the job is seeing the students and people that work in the building.

The interview was going along fine when a thud that sounds like the anger of the gods from Mount Olympus sounded through the MAAC.  “The really big thuds do scare me,” Virginia commented.  All her years of working in the fitness facility, she has had only one injury.  “It was one of the chest machines here on the first floor.  It just gave out,” she told. “But that’s about it.”
Virginia Gaines is proud to be a staff member of Mount Union.  “I love Mount Union,” she said with a big smile.  “They saved my life.”

Status of the week: Adam Hood with:
“Due to the fact I have to be up at seven tomorrow: I will be doing what we all really wish Lebron would’ve done and stay home rather than go to south beach tonight”

Tweet of the week: Eddie Budde
“Walmart run with @AJD724 gotta get some milk I’m a growing boy”