Best known for his discovery of the sunken Titanic, Ballard has conducted more than 120 deep-sea expeditions using the latest in exploration technology. Ballard’s other discoveries include the Lusitania and vessels sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal which are featured in his book, “The Lost Ships of Guadalcanal: Ghost Fleet of the South Pacific.” Other books he’s written or co-authored about his underwater adventures include “Return to Midway,” “Finding the Titanic” and “Graveyards of the Pacific: From Pearl Harbor to Bikini Island.”

President of the Institute for Exploration and director of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, Ballard attributes his early interest in underwater exploration to reading the novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” While earning bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and geology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, he completed the U.S. Army’s ROTC program and, after graduation, received an officer’s commission in Army intelligence. He earned a master’s degree in geophysics from the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Geophysics, where he trained porpoises and whales.

Ballard founded the JASON Project, a distance education program designed to engage middle school students in science and technology, in response to the thousands of student letters he received following his discovery of the Titanic. His awards include the Explorers Club’s Explorers Medal, the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal and the Lindbergh Award.

General admission for Ballard’s lecture is $19, and tickets can be purchased at the Haas Center box office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday’s box office hours are extended to 7 p.m. when school is in session; on performance days, box office hours are noon to 8 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at (570) 389-4409 or at www.bloomu.edu/cas.

RateMyProfessors.com is a review site founded in May 1999. The website allows college and university students and even anonymous people to assign ratings to professors of American, Canadian and British institutions. The site contains more than ten million ratings, for about one million professors.

The main criticism of RMP is that there is little reason to think that the ratings accurately reflect the quality of the professors rated. RMP itself admits that the ratings are “not really” statistically valid.

Bloomsburg University has a total of 610 professors on the website. The top five highest professors were found using the ‘total ratings’ and ‘overall quality’ options. Here you can find the top five highest rated professors on campus, anoymous comments and a comment from the professor themselves.

1. Thomas Aleto – Anthropology

Anonymous Comment: “Cultural Anthropology with Aleto was a very interesting class. He gave assignments where you had to read articles about different cultures, and they were all interesting. There was no textbook. We also watched a lot of video clips. You need to go to class in order to get the notes, since there is no text, and take notes on the videos. Very fun.”

Professor Comment: Not Available

2. Eileen Astor-Stetson – Psychology

Anonymous Comment: “General Psychology was a lot of information for a one semester course. She makes it fun and keeps you interested. You need to workbook in order to do assignments. I used the book sparingly. Make sure you take down all her notes. And you have to study for the test, or else you will not do well. You need to go to class in order to get the notes.”

Professor Comment: Not Available

3. Peter Bohling – Economics

Anonymous Comment: “Extremely nice guy, funny, and helps you a lot over the course of the class. Class is actually fun, and he goes out of his way to make sure you understand it. While the material is somewhat hard, he makes sure you understand it so you can get an A if you do some work and pay attention. One of the best teachers in Bloom, hands down.”

Professor Comment: “As far as that website is concerned, it is a very bad website in my opinion. It allows people to put comments and rating in even if a person is not in the class. Also, I think people use it only when they are either pleased with a class or upset with a class so the ratings are not representative of the class or the instructor.”

4. Cynthia Surmacz – Biology

Anonymous Comment: “Having her for A&P1 and A&P2 she was extremely helpful! Even though the class was difficult, including the tests, she made the class fun and easy to learn new concepts. She was ALWAYS available and was willing to help! She takes attendance randomly and puts it towards your grade so you need to go. Make sure you take it with her and no one else!”

Professor Comment : Not Available

5. Kurt Smith – Philosophy

Anonymous Comment: “This guy is funny. I did not want to miss class in fear of missing him say something funny. Good teacher has a story to explain everything… Grades somewhat tough but its easy to get a B or better.”

Professor Comment: “I believe that it’s a good idea for students have a forum (consisting of just students) to vent their frustrations and it’s not a bad idea for there to be some resource they can tap to see what their fellow students think of professors. But, if the only students who are evaluating professors are those who take themselves to either really love or hate the professors being evaluated, then the resource isn’t going to be all that informative. That, I’m afraid, is really what we have with Ratemyprofessor.com. The voice of the LARGE majority of students (in the emotional-middle) simply isn’t being heard.”

* Honorable mention: Alan Baker – Music

Anonymous Comment: “From a music-illiterate person’s perspective: SO MUCH FUN. The atmosphere is great and I feel as though my lack of skills does not matter anymore and I could possibly be learning something…”

Professor Comment: “I know of the website but I, intentionally, stay away from it. I have colleagues and friends (even a wife) who look at the site with some regularity, but I don’t. My reasoning is that I don’t really know what kind of sample one is getting of their entire class, nor does one really know what criteria is being used to make the evaluation. Perhaps I’m rated the way I am because my class is considered “easy.” If so, that’s not  particularly flattering. Do the disgruntled “weigh in” on their professors more than the complimentary? I know I am more likely to “go the extra mile” to complain about something than I am to “praise” something. Not a great self-realization, but we’re all busy and I suspect lots of others behave in much the same way.”

All photos courtesy of Google Image Search

AJA Productions

Anna Katz

Email: alk90109@huskies.bloomu.edu

Phone: 814-207-4709

Immediate Release

Issued 1/01/09

BU Dance Ensemble Takes Center Stage to Perform First Fall Showcase

            BLOOMSBURG PA (October 2009) – The Bloomsburg University Dance Ensemble will be making history on Sunday, November 15 after performing a collection of 14 types of dance in the university’s first Fall Showcase. This event will take place from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Kehr Union Ballroom, located above the Husky Lounge in the center of campus. This show will be open to the general public at no cost, however donations are appreciated. The doors will be open at 6:30.

The Dance Ensemble is Bloomsburg University’s largest student run organization and this showcase will help gain exposure and raise awareness for their annual spring production. Shannon Stahl, the president of the dance ensemble, is looking forward to the show. “It is really exciting there is going to be a fall showcase this year. It is always a great feeling to be a part of something that is new and original. All of the classes work really hard throughout the year and it is a great way to showcase their dedication and talents,” Stahl says.

The evening will be packed with a variety of different dance styles, baked goods, and dance ensemble merchandise, such as t-shirts and umbrellas.

For more information regarding this event, contact Anna Katz at alk90109@huskies.bloomu.edu, or additional members of AJA Productions, Andrea Kellock at amk74566@huskies.bloomu.edu or Jillian Mundhenk at jmm65767@huskies.bloomu.edu.

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Each child receives two large toys, two small toys, a game, a book, a stuffed animal and a bag of stocking stuffers from the donations by people like you. Toys must be unopened in the original wrapper or still have the tag on. Even though the economy is struggling, children still should experience a normal holiday season as much as possible. Last year TFT helped over 4,300 families, and with the number of toys growing each year, the organization hopes to help around 4,500 families.

Even though we are all college student and struggling for money, try and put some money aside for less fortunate children in our area. We were all kids once, so we know what it feels like to experience the holiday season with presents. So please try and donate a toy or two to the on campus or off campus drop off locations if possible and put a smile on someone’s face during this holiday season.

Becoming a D.J. is very simple and no experience is required and you do not have to start as a freshman, you can join when you are an upper classman. The staff of WBUQ will teach you how to work the equipment and give you the confidence to become a D.J. You can even pick your own program.

WBUQ D.J. Kelly Barnett, Photo Courtesy of Julianne Cozens

One D.J. who has been working at WBUQ- The Revolution since her freshman year is Kelly Barnett. She started as a freshman and has been on the executive board at WBUQ- The Revolution since Spring 2008, and has her own program at the radio station. In asking her a few questions about the radio station, you can realize that she is a committed and loyal member of the radio station and really wants it to thrive!

She wants to convey that anyone can become a D.J. and to understand it is not as scary and nerve-racking as it might seem. When the question arose about what you would tell a student who wants to join but is too afraid, Barnett said, “I was the exact same way. I was so nervous, but I guess I kind of sucked it up and just went for it. It’s really not scary at all – we don’t yell at you and you get to do things the way you would like to on air (for the most part). It’s really a great experience – surprisingly minimum pressure.”

Another question that came up was how working for the radio station could help you in the future? As a Mass Communication major and Marketing minor, “having broadcasting experience will be a great addition to my resume,” she said, and it will help her find a career after she graduates. Being a part of a program like this might cause stress in the beginning but in the end it will be worth it when you have a job and you enjoy what you are doing.

At the conclusion of the interview, Barnett was asked what advice would you give someone who wanted to join the staff of WBUQ- The Revolution? Barnett answered the question with this simple response: “JOIN! It looks great to have a real position in a club on your resume, and it looks even better when it’s a club that makes you unique. I mean really, how many people really can say they have been a DJ on the radio? We are looking for new members for next year and next semester- I would love to meet them!”

So if you had any concerns about joining the WBUQ staff, go and ask them! They are always willing to sit and explain everything they know and want to make you feel comfortable there. Any questions please contact Kelly Barnett at klb33104@huskies.bloomu.edu.

The New York Post has been the center of all this Phillies bashing on the front page along with articles inside the paper. The Post has somehow created a sex angle against the Phillies along with calling the city of Philadelphia second-rate in comparison to New York City.  Yes, baseball has to do with these particular cities, but not which one is better. The media buzz surrounding the 2009 World Series is directly targeting the fans and players, mostly the Phillies by the New York Post.  This bashing is not a positive influence on the sports of baseball in any way.

Joel Sherman, who has been covering the Yankees baseball association since 1989 and is the author of “Birth of a Dynasty, Behind the Pinstripes with the 1996 Yankees” said on CNN, “The idea is to get the casual fan involved.  If you flip open the paper and read the words, it’s like one baseball team versus another, just like it’s always been.”  Inside the Post the articles are bashing of the city of Philadelphia, its fans, and the baseball players themselves. There are no straight forwards articles inside the New York Post which states the hard facts about the upcoming games, only articles about A-Rod’s girlfriend, how great their cuisine is in New York, and so on.

The gossip surrounding this series is completely irrelevant to the players. Of course they are going to read about themselves in the paper, which might distract them from playing like they are able to in the games. Yes, the New York Post is not meant to give cold hard facts like the New York Times, for example, but it should still not have a biased opinion for the entire country to see.

In the Philadelphia Daily Item, writers have not included any articles or demeaning headlines to try and say the Yankees are any lesser of a team in comparison to the Phillies.  Dean Grenfell, an avid Philadelphia Phillies fan of Bloomsburg University said, “All this mumbo jumbo is completely pointless. The sport of baseball just needs to be played with no questions or comments about it.”

Will Bunch, a senior writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, said on CNN, “Now since the Phillies won last year’s World Series, Philadelphia is a more confident city. And now it’s like New York is mocking us.” The New York Post has no reason to bash the Philadelphia Phillies team other than out of want to influence the Philadelphia players and fans.

Fans of baseball wonder why this World Series is so much more monumental than the past series. The media has built up these potential seven games to be the biggest games in a couple decades. Along with the buildup, the media has brought the nasty side of journalism into the series and is attempting to influence the opposing team continuously. Baseball is known as the all-American past time sport and that should not be challenged or potentially ruined by a few articles written by bias sports writers of the New York Post.

Need something to do on Sunday, November 8th?  Give back to the community for only $5.00  while getting the chance to win prizes and mall discounts!

Columbia Mall is holding their third annual night of giving on Sunday, November 8 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.   Donations of five dollars will benefit The United Way of Columbia County.  A five dollar donation will also give you the chance to win prizes and mall discounts.  The grand prize will be a three day two night stay at Caesars Pocono Resort.

Food, activities, and entertainment will be available at the Night of Giving.  Vendors include but are not limited to Quaker Steak and Lube, Holiday Inn Express, Econo Lodge, Perkins, and Catawissa Chiropractic Center.  There will be food and wine tasting, a performance by Covert Action at 7 p.m., and FREE chair massages from Catawissa Chiropractic Center.

For more information about the Night of Giving contact John Thomas, CEO United Way of Columbia County by visiting http://www.unitedwaycolumbiacounty.com/ and sending comments through the contact tab.