"I wouldn't have nothin' if I didn't have you."

James Patrick McGill, 21, is a senior at Slippery Rock University studying Music Education.  He was born on May 10th, 1992 in Washington, PA to James and Nancy McGill, and has one sibling, Megan McGill.  What makes him stand out from most music students, is that he auditioned and received a contract to sing with the Pittsburgh Opera.

PMEA Region I Choir 2010.  (Left to right) Pat McGill,
Ben Bugaile and Sarah Boice.  Sarah and Pat went to
Washington High School together and performed
together frequently.  Ben is a friend of theirs from
church, community theater and PMEA.
(Photo courtesy Pat McGill)

McGills's singing career began early in life, and it in part because his mom, Nancy, is a music teacher and pushed him to sing at a young age.  He would sing at church events, and his first musical, Annie, was in 5th grade.  That following summer he began performing with his local community theater.  While in school he attended a number of Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) events, where he met a number of professionals in the field.

In the August of 2010 shortly after graduating from Washington High School, McGill auditioned to be in the music program at Slippery Rock University.  This is when he first met his voice professor Dr. Colleen Gray.  When asked in an email interview about McGill's voice development since he began attending SRU, Dr. Gray responded "A bass voice takes a long time to mature, reaching its peak when the singer is nearly forty.  As an 18 year old, Pat already had an unusually resonant, beautiful instrument, but he needed time for his interment to grow as he developed his singing technique.  Now, his voice is fully resonant and expressive throughout his range.  Pat loves his big voice, but sometimes he pushes the instrument a little too hard.  Pat's strength, beyond the fact that he has a wonderful instrument, is that he is very musical and expressive."  His first paid singing position came on his first day of college after his first meeting with Dr. Gray.

SRU Marching Pride Saxophones 2011. Pat can be located on the left hand
side, third person down from the top. (Photo courtesy Pat McGill)

Students in the music department are required to take lessons to help improve their singing/playing ability throughout the course of their time at SRU.  They are also required to attend events and participate in ensembles as well.  While attending SRU, McGill has been involved with numerous ensembles, including SRU's Marching Pride, and performed in a number of settings, both educational and professional. Fellow student and friend Eric Garber, a senior music performance major at SRU who has known McGill since high school, commented on his dedication to his fellow classmates.  Garber also discussed the music program and the amount of work required for an education major.  By the end of a music education major's four years at SRU, they will have taken a total of 84 classes (Note: As a journalism major with two minors, I will have taken a total of 48 total classes in my four years at college. Just to put that into perspective for you).

Slippery Rock University students and alumni who performed
in the Pittsburgh Opera's Aida in October of 2013.
Left to right: Eric Garber, Zach Wood (2010), Bob Simoni (1973),
Pat McGill, and Kevin Adamik (2013).

In May of 2013 McGill, Garber and two female SRU students were given the opportunity to try out to sing with the Pittsburgh Opera.  The auditions were held in Pittsburgh, and they were done with Mike Trawka, the chorus master with the opera.  Dr. Gray has performed with the opera before, and scheduled the auditions for her students.  She had the following comments when asked why she chose McGill as one of the students to attend, "I have sent a number of students to audition for Pittsburgh Opera over the years.  Since I sang with the opera, I am friends with Mark Trawka and I know what voices they are looking for and what kind of preparation the students need.  I sent Pat and a few others to audution when I felt the voices were sufficiently developed and their technique was strong enough that they would not hurt themselves singing such demanding, big music.  They also needed to have a sufficient study in the Italian, French and German language diction to independently learn the opera parts.  Pat had all of those qualities.  I knew that Trawka would love his full bass notes."

Both McGill and Garber were contacted shortly after the auditions, and informed they had a spot on the roster.  That means that they could get a show contract for future Pittsburgh Opera shows.  According to Garber, they do not contract out for a whole season, they only contract out individual shows.  Garber and McGill both got positions for Aida, and McGill got a second position in The Magic Flute.

Pat singing during the classical portion of his
senior recital on November 2, 2013.
(Photo courtesy Pat McGill)

For some people, being a full time student on top of singing professionally could be an overwhelming amount of work.  McGill on the other hand, said he enjoyed the experience and he was able to handle it because he likes to be busy.  He said that they had rehearsals two to three nights a week, and he would typically leave Slippery Rock around 5:30, and some rehearsals would go from 10:00 to 11:00 at night, which meant he wouldn't get home until around 11:00 pm or 12:00 am.  "Most people would find it very challenging to keep up with," he said. "But for me, I tend to thrive more when I'm busy.  I like to be involved in a bunch of things at the same time because it keeps me from getting bored.  I really like doing a lot of things at once, but believe me, it is nice to relax once its all over!"

On top of his opera preparations and classwork, McGill decided that he wanted to do a senior recital, which is not a requirement for music education majors.  He also decided to add a twist to the line up, by performing some of his favorite movie tunes for the second half of the evening, on top of the classical performance he did at the start.  This is something that is not commonly done in a senior recital.  Typically, a student performs a handful of songs that they have done successfully over the course of their four years at the university.  Dr. Gray commented "I typically do not allow students to devote so much for their senior recital to more popular music, but this project was so close to Pat's heart.  He sang the film music quite well."




In his time at SRU, McGill has been a very dedicated and hardworking individual, and on top of all this has spent time giving back to the community as well.  He works at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Butler, PA singing with the chorus there.  "Pat always looks to take on new things.  He's active with the church choir and he is also an active member in Mu Phi Epsilon, and is always looking for more performance opportunities," Garber added.

So what comes next for McGill? As of right now, he will student teach for his final semester at SRU.  He is expecting to graduate May 10, 2014, and then move onto the next stage of his life.... Whatever that may be.

J. Pat McGill - A Musical Timeline on Dipity.

Biography Proposal - Life with a Musical Twist

Pat McGill, September 2013 photo shoot.  Photo courtesy
Heartfelt Memories by Heather

For my biography assignment I would like to do a biography on Pat McGill, a senior music major who is currently singing professionally with the Pittsburgh Opera.

Pat is a music education major at Slippery Rock University, and grew up in Washington, PA.  I intend to document milestones in his singing career, and highlight achievements that have gotten him to where he is today.  I plan to use a combination of videos and photos, and if possible would like to use the Dipity Timeline program used in the "When You Wish Upon A Star" assignment I did earlier in the semester.

Pat's current position with the Pittsburgh Opera was recently covered by the Rocket, and I feel like a multimedia piece like this could accent the article written by Rebecca Marcucci very well if done properly.

Pat McGill, September 2013 photo shoot.  Photo courtesy Heartfelt Memories by Heather

This is Why We THON! #FTK

This Meograph goes over a very brief history of Penn State's THON organization, and highlights the 2013 event as well as the preparations for the 2014 THON event.  Due to the fact that it is a student run organization, the interviews included focus on the students who help run the event.  It covers their experience from committee members to dancers, and canning weekends to the 46 hour dance marathon.

THON is a huge event on the Penn State campus, and is known for being one of the largest organizations of its kind.  Capturing it as the incredible organization that it is has proved to be a challenge, but I hope that this gives you a glimpse as to what it is, what it stands for, and the incredible people that Penn State students are.

Below, you can find a photo slideshow with various THON photos that I was not able to place in this video.  Later on this week I plan to have some full length interview clips that also did not make this video for anyone who is interested in watching.  Consider it your "extras"! :)

Also, I want to give a shout out to all of the students who let me interview them as well as borrow photos and videos to make this story possible.

WE ARE!!!

A sneak preview....

A sneak preview of what is coming... 

This is why we THON

For our next big project, we need to come up with a timeline of an event, organization, or person and create a video project using the "four dimensional story telling" program, Meograph.  After attending Slippery Rock University's Up 'Til Dawn for Saint Jude's Childrens Research Hospital event last week, I would like to expand upon the idea of student run organizations that benefit pediatric cancer, and do a piece on Pennsylvania State University's Panhellenic Dance Marathon, more commonly known as THON. 

Penn State's THON held in the Bryce Jordan Center in the spring of 2013. The event raised $12,374,034.36, breaking the previously held record. (Photo credit: Elizabeth McClure)

From THON 2013

Elizabeth McClure (left), sophomore on the Rules and Regulations
 committee with senior Emily Wolf (right) who was one of the dance
participants in 46 hour event to help raise money for the Four
Diamonds Fund. (Photo courtesy: Elizabeth McClure)

In this video, I plan to focus on the student's current preparations for the event coming up February 21-23, 2014, as well as highlight pieces of last year's event.  This is an event that is run by the students, which is why I intend to focus on them and their input. They recently went through the interview process to join committees, and some have given member positions within the committees. 
I intend to talk to the following students for the video:

• The head of one of the Rules and Regulations committees
• Rules and Regulations committee members 
• A member of the Morale committee 
• Morale committee captain
• New members who will be experiencing their first THON event
• Students who have previously worked THON
• PSU Alumni, Emily Wolf, who was one of the dancers at last year's event

On top of talking to the above listed people, I want to do a brief history on the THON organization, starting from its conception in 1973, when it benefited the Butler County Association for Retarted Children.  The history would highlight some of the major events that have gone on since the creation of the program. I would also like to include as much information as possible in regards to this year's event, and have that be the concluding segment of this Meograph.  This is something that could potentially be updated as events go on throughout the planning and preparation process.

Video courtesy of the Penn State YouTube account.

This is a video of inside the Bryce Jordan Center during the THON event.  The floor is filled with students who are dancing for the cause as well as Four Diamonds family members, while the seats are filled with students, and others who attend the event.  

For those who do not know what THON is, or what it does, and think I just posted photos and videos of a packed event center, here is a brief piece about the event:

THON is a completely student run event that raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund, a fund that strives to aid children battling pediatric cancer.  Each year, Penn State students sign up to be on committees that play some important role in the 46 hour dance marathon.  They begin working in the Fall, which is also when some of their fundraising starts.  Students travel in groups to various locations both inside the state of Pennsylvania and outside the state.  They also send out donation letters to try and get donations via mail from friends and family members across the globe. 

On THON weekend, Four Diamonds families are invited to join the students, and participate in the two day dance marathon, held in the Bryce Jordan Center on campus.  At the end of the event, the total is calculated, and presented to the crowd live (last year's video can be seen below this paragraph).  People who can't make the event are encouraged to participate by watching on the live stream online!

I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night!

Photo courtesy: SRU's Up 'til Dawn
Facebook page

Slippery Rock University is one of 230 colleges that participates in Up 'til Two (or in this instance, Up 'til Dawn) for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  This year's event was held in the Aebersold Student Recreation Center from 12:00am-6:00am on November 9, and students were allowed to sign in at 11:30pm (November 8).  The event was preceded by Azucar Salsa Band and Dance, which also collected donations for the event.  Students who did not register prior to the start of Up 'til Dawn were allowed to register on the spot.  Many organizations had teams who registered together, and would be participating in various events throughout the duration of the event.



Environmental Science major Shannon Wright said that this is not the only event that will be held to raise money for St. Jude's on campus.  Currently, they have over 350 participants, and have raised around $25,000, and their goal is $75,000.  The Up 'til Two organization, which became an official campus organization in November 2012, has raised over $70,000 in both 2010 and 2011.


You could search #stjudeutd at any time during or after the event and see all the tweets and photos that students were publishing about what was going on throughout the morning.

Athletic Training students Sara M. and Kristen Zaitz talk about their expectations for the event and what they did to prepare for it.

Students meet up in their teams or as individuals and begin the sign in process. 
The far table on the left was for registered teams, the table in the middle was for registered individuals, and the table on the right was for people who still needed to register.

Students who did not preregister were allowed to register before entering the event.
Student workers had laptops available with the registration site already open and ready for
 students to use.  Once they registered, they went to the team sign in or the individual sign in.

"Why Do We Fall, Mr. Bruce?"

"...So that we can learn to pick ourselves back up."

So here is a little more information about me for you all.  Radio wan't something I dreamed of doing.  Radio was something I listened to for years - primarily when I was driving, when I was going to bed, when I was cleaning... Alright lets get real, music and radio has always been a primary aspect of my life.  When it came to a potential career path, it was definitely overshadowed by my love of sports and television broadcasting.

Sports. Ask my boyfriend how upset I get if he tries to make plans when the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing a game.  Let me tell you how many eye rolls I get when I ask if we can put the Monday Night Football game on, regardless of who is playing in it.  If there is one background noise that is always on when I am in my apartment, its football, hockey, auto racing, and occasionally baseball.  When the olympics are broadcast,the TV would have to burn out before I would ever think of turning it off.  I just love sports.  In all seriousness, besides the cleanliness of my apartment, you'd think a guy lived there.  However, I am not a walking statistician.  I don't have every roster memorized.  I can carry on a conversation and hold my own, but I never claimed to be a walking encyclopedia of sports.

Music. I love music.  Any kind of music (almost).  I'm stuck in the 80's though.  Give me hair bands, give me rock.  My guitar "gods" are Eddie Van Halen and Ted Nugent (who by the way I got to see live for the first time ever this past summer. I was in heaven... almost. If only David Lee Roth could learn to sing...).  I love finding out facts about bands.  Like why on Van Halen's venue set up they requested a bowl of m&m's with all the brown ones removed.  Or that the song Welcome to the Jungle was written off a balcony looking over a city, and combined with a guitar rift that Slash had played years before just sitting at home.  I love stuff like that. 

Television. Something about it caught my attention.  Maybe just because it is what I had on all the time.  Maybe it was genetic, since my grandfather was a reporter.  I have no idea.  But thats what I wanted to do.  More than anything, I wanted to be Andrea Kramer. On the sidelines, interviewing players, updating on injuries, talking to coaches.  I wanted to be down on the field, in the action, and getting the story.

So what lead me to radio? An internship fell through, one that I thought I had.  I was given an interview after being told I didn't have a position, and it was almost the textbook definition of a bad interview - the worst part was it only lasted ten minutes.  5 of which wasn't even an interview, it was me hearing about how I wasn't qualified.  I was upset, I was frustrated, and I was left wondering "Is this really where I need to be? Is this what I want to do?"  After many talks with my family, I sent out an application to a handful of local radio stations not far from where I lived.  Basically saying "this is who I am, here is my background, please let me work for you".  Within 24 hours I had emails from three companies.  All of whom were interested, two of which didn't want to do anything until I was back in California... Which was a problem because paperwork had to be filled out before hand... But there was one person, who was willing to do an interview over the phone.

I prepared like I did for my first interview.  I had webpages open about the company, about all the radio stations, about the man I was interviewing, I was ready to go for this interview... Once it happened, I didn't need a single one of those webpages.  It was one of the easiest interviews I have ever had, it was casual, it was comfortable, and I had the position.  Not only that, but I was working with the morning show of the station I have listened to for years.  I was excited beyond belief.

From day one I was on the air with the guys, editing audio, and getting into it.  Honestly, I felt like a fish out of water.  Nothing at college had prepared me for a radio internship - I was completely equipped for television and writing, but not for being on a morning show.  I dove in, and I loved it.  I loved the people I worked with, I loved the things we talked about on the air, and this past summer, I fell in love with radio.  I liked that if I didn't feel like doing my hair one morning, it was ok to go in with my hair pulled up.  Lets get real, whose going to see you besides the people you work with? I liked that on the morning show, you could bascially talk about anything and everything.  Nothing going on in sports today? Thats ok - don't beat a dead horse.  Talk how Pearl Jam is slowly relseasing new information in a unique way on their website.  Not only that, but do it live while they're doing it.  I liked the flexability, and the fact that a morning show is just like having a conversation, and anyone who listens can chime in and add to it.  The even better part is - you don't have to read off a teleprompter.  You say what you wanna say, and word it how you want, in the moment.  No scripts.  Pure, conversation.

Was this what I thought I wanted to do with my life? No! Not even close.  If you would have told me coming into college that I would land a radio internship the summer before my senior year and that I would probably have laughed and said "yeah, right!".  Now, I can't imagine not doing it.  Sure, I was upset and frustrated after what I had my heart set on seemed like it just wasn't going to work.  Did I give up? Maybe.  I don't see it that way.  I looked at my options.  I decided that maybe thats not what I wanted to do my whole life.  I questioned that career path on a regular basis anyway, so maybe it isn't what I was meant to do. 

So why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.  I wasn't in a great place after the train wreck of a first interview.  But after this summer, I think I found what I was meant to do.  I picked myself up, and kept moving forward.  Will I fall again, probably.  But hopefully I will be able to continue on like I have in the past, and find the next best route.  Life isn't always a cake walk, but thats what makes the good times even better. 

What I learned from this whole experience: never give up and keep pushing on.  Even if its not in the direction you wanted originally.

"Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake it" - Metro Station

Unfortunately, do to my busy schedule, I am unable to exercise as much as I would like to (isn't that everyone's excuse?).  One thing is for sure, if there were more events like this, where a simple $5 donation gave me a chance to do Zumba for two hours, and help support breast cancer research, I would be sure to join in and do it. ARHS, NRHH and Fit Club joined together to do just that.  The event was held in the ARC on October 27th, and had over 100 participants consisting of students, faculty, staff and local residents.  Over all, they raised over $600 with the event.  Participants could enter a raffle to win breast cancer support bracelets, as well as official Zumba articles of clothing.  Participants were encouraged to wear pink, the color of the breast cancer support ribbon.

When you wish upon a star...

The Road to Homecoming on Dipity.

Its that time of year again! Football is in full swing, midterms are right around the corner (if you haven't already had them yet), and homecoming is finally here.  This big event isn't just composed of a football game and some tailgating; it's a week long event full of odds and ends that get students minds off of just about everything important they have going on.  Here at Slippery Rock, that could be anything from voting for homecoming court to building a stuffed animal.  The timeline above will show you just about everything that SRU did for this year's fairy tale themed homecoming week.

Your Home of a Rock Solid Education

 

Slippery Rock University held their first Saturday Showcase for the Fall Semester this past Saturday, October 12, 2013.  The showcase gives prospective students an opportunity to tour the campus, meet current students and faculty, and explore programs they are interested in.  Senior Communication-Public Relations student, Hannah McLaughlin, took time to tell us how she felt the showcase went for the Comm. Department.

Lambda Pi Eta Beta Upsilon Wants You!

The best part about the Lambda Pi Eta Initiation meeting was the cake of course.

WDVE Rocks Children's Radiothon

WDVE Rocks Childrens

Curious to hear Scott Paulson's comedy skit as Gregg Allman? Listen below!

Rocky Bleier - The Unknown Sponsor of my Athletic Career

Cheating and steroids makes you a coward.  Being an underdog who becomes successful based on worth ethic and heart makes you a hero.

Over the past week or so I have tried to come up with a blog about how upset I have been with sports lately.  I've deleted a handful of them because I felt like all I was doing was attacking PED's, the athletes that take them, and writing what I felt it takes to make a real athlete. What sparked this topic was the MLB's recent Biogenesis sweep, and NASCAR's recent Chase for the Sprint Cup scandal.



Instead of talking about things that have made me upset with sports, I decided to write about a man who I have always idolized and who I consider to be a hero in the tainted world of professional athletes. That man, is Rocky Bleier.

Rocky Bleier - Photo Courtesy of blogs.militarytimes.com

Rocky's story is one that you can read up on if you're interested, by looking online or purchasing his book Fighting Back.  Or even by watching the short YouTube film below.


Many people may wonder how the heck it came to be that my sports idol is someone who played years before I was even born.  Well, it so happened that when I was in the 8th grade, my dad gave me his book.  He figured that because I was not only into football, but into history as well, that I would find his story interesting.  Needless to say, my love for Rocky Bleier was born that day.     I was completely blown away by the fact that a man could have part of his foot blown off by a grenade, struggle with just the simple task of being able to walk again, and still had the heart and determination to push on and get back to where he was physically before the accident.  He was told he would likely struggle to walk for the rest of his life.  His book talks about the struggle he went through every day to try and prove the doctors wrong.  The important thing is - he did it.  He fought back, and pushed through everything, so that he could rejoin the Steelers and go back to being a professional football player.  Not only that, but he assisted the Steelers with their four Super Bowls in the 70's era.   When did I really realize how much his story impacted me?  I was a thrower on the track team in high school.  My freshmen year I injured my shoulder, and didn't tell anyone for a few days.  The only reason people found out was when it became blatantly obvious that I was struggling to move my shoulder, let alone try to throw an object.  A few people tried to tell me I need to stop throwing, and that my shoulder was never going to fully heal.  I was only a freshmen, and I really wanted to throw.  I was never an athletic person, and I had finally found an event that not only was I good at, but I loved. Throwing became my stress reliever, my passion.  I couldn't give it up just because of a busted shoulder.   So who did I think of? Mr. Rocky Bleier of course.  Now, I am in no way shape or form comparing my minor shoulder problem to having half my foot blown off in war.  But I can tell you that his story is what drove me to not only stick with it and battle through it, but it drove me to accomplish two goals that I set as a freshmen.  The first, was to break the Templeton High School discus record, and the second was to get Female Field Athlete of the Year by my senior year.  
Unfortunately, during my final meet of my senior year, I injured my shoulder pretty bad.  I was on my third of four throws in the shot put, when my shoulder just snapped.  They thought it may have just been a bicep tear, but they weren't sure.  I came to Slippery Rock University with every intention of competing with the Rock Athletics Track Team, but my body had other plans.  My shoulder continued to get worse, and I ended up home for the Thanksgiving break, and found out that I may have torn the biceps tendon, needed surgery and would probably never throw again.  The pain I felt was almost unbearable - more mentally than physically.  It took months, but I finally came to terms with the fact that I would more than likely never throw again.  For once, I felt like I might have a small taste of what Rocky felt.   In the end, Rocky's story is what made me push through everything.  If it wasn't for his story when I was younger, I may not have accomplished everything I did while I was in high school.  I probably would never have even tried to compete at a collegiate level either.   I haven't touched a shot put or a discus since my surgery (which for anyone who cares ended up not being as severe as they thought.  They said I could possibly throw again, but it would take time to build back up.  After finally coming to terms with losing throwing, I didn't think it was something I could put myself through again).  I have hopes that one day I can pick it up again, just for fun.  But still to this day, I thank Rocky Bleier for being a crucial reason why I stuck out what I did.  He was the reason I pushed through my high school years, when people thought I couldn't do it.  Because if Rocky could win the Super Bowl after being told he may never walk again, I could push through a small shoulder injury and accomplish my dreams too.   Rocky, is an example of a hero that I think every young athlete should have.  Someone who they can look up to, who can inspire them to do great things, and who accomplished things based upon their hard work and determination. If you're lucky, you might even get a chance to meet that athlete that inspired you, and even thank them for it.  Just like I got to do with Rocky last April.

Rocky Bleier and me at Steelers Fan Blitz 2013 - One of the greatest moments in my 21 years of living on this planet.

 

So my question for all of you out there is this: WHO inspires you? WHY do they inspire you? The person might not be a professional athlete.  It could be a genius like Steve Jobs, a musical inspiration like John Lennon.  Please comment on this blog post and share your stories!  

Just the Facts: Age Requirements on Drinking Alcohol

"If I can go to war and fight for my country, I should be able to have a drink." 

"The brain is still developing at 18 and allowing alcohol consumption at that age would interfere with brain development."

The argument for lowering the age from 21 to 18 for alcohol consumption in the United States isn't new - it's a historical topic that has been around for years.  People base their opinions based on many things, sometimes factual, and sometimes strictly feeling based.  Regardless, the age requirement doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.  However, here's some information you may find interesting, that may help to not only get you informed, but also help you make a decision on how you feel about the situation.  Just in case you ever decided that you should stand up and make your feelings heard.  Might as well at least get the facts straight, right?

One thing to make note of is that the global average minimum legal drinking age is 15.9. Yes, you read that correctly.  Overall, most countries have the drinking age set at 18, but there are many countries where the number is less than 18, and 12 countries, where the age is higher than 18. Curious to see which ones have what age restrictions? Click here!

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcohol results in 2.5 million deaths each year, and 320,000 people between the ages of 15-19 die of alcohol related causes.  The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in the United States 15,590 deaths are caused from alcoholic liver diseases, and 25,692 are alcohol induced deaths (this includes accidents and homicides).  The CDC also states that 51% of adults (18 or over) are "regular drinkers" in the U.S. (meaning they have had 12 drinks or more in the past year).

Even if the drinking age was lowered, people below that age mark would more than likely still drink, because underage drinking is already a problem we face today.  The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 10.4 million people between the ages of 12 and 20 drank more than a few sips of alcohol in 2009.  They also found that the older they get, the more they drink.  By 15, half of the teens surveyed said they have had at least one drink.  By 18, more than 70% said they have had at least one drink.

So lets say you drink underage, and get caught.  Now what? What happens to you varies by state.  Typically, you will be fined and may even be placed into a diversion program or have to serve community service hours.  But these fines aren't enough to stop people from drinking underage.  And would lowering the legal requirement also lower the age when youth start to try alcohol?

There are many arguments for both sides of this topic.  The U.S. lets its citizens make legal decisions at 18, and considers its citizens adults at that age.  However, many would argue that you are still not old enough to make such decisions at such a young age because brain development is still occurring, and will continue to develop until age 25.  One could easily argue that the drinking age should be increased from 21 to 25.

Regardless, it does not seem like there will be any changes made to this law anytime in the near future.  Teens will continue to drink underage, death tolls will continue to rise due to alcohol related deaths, and the world will continue to decide what age is the "right age" to allow people to hinder their mental capabilities and it be "legal".  

The Never Ending Saga of the Penn State Sandusky Scandal

Recently I read an article that was posted online by an organization called Onward State.  It originally began as a student run blog page for Penn State students to keep up with news that might impact the campus in some way, shape or form.  Today, it continues to produce stories and issues them to the students.  On occasion, the news they report includes incorrect facts, and sometimes what they report is the truth.  Sometimes you just need to wait and see if the news continues to be reported that way by other organizations before you can decide if what they reported was factual in nature.

The article I read continued the never ending saga of the Penn State Jerry Sandusky scandal.  If you are interested in reading it, please click here.  For those of you who do not know me, I am a Texas Longhorns football fan.  I do however, have a sister who attends Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania, and have quickly learned to love the school and the football team.  Even though I have been a Longhorn fan for many years, I have always loved and supported the great man that was Joe Paterno.

I have been shocked and amazed by how the media has chosen to cover this story from its beginning back in November of 2011.  The media has tried to awe and amaze us with facts about the cover up, pinning blame on Joe Paterno, former university President Graham Spanier, former university Athletic Director Tim Curly, and former Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Gary Schultz.  Any news story that was produced showed photos of Joe Paterno, followed by the headline of "The Penn State Scandal".  We saw footage on almost every television news station of Penn State Students rioting in the streets the night that Joe Paterno was fired.  Media vans were flipped and students were deemed to be "on a rampage" due to the removal of their beloved Coach.

According to the Admissions Page for Penn State University Park, approximately 35,000 students attend their largest campus.  Approximately 1,000 of these students were in attendance of the riot the night that Paterno was fired.  Considering that there are 35,000 students on that campus, it could have been far worse.  But news organizations painted it out that the entire student body was rioting at the loss of their coach.

Candlelight Vigil held at PSU for the victims.

But how many of you heard about the student organized candle light vigil held for the victims?  Hardly any television news organization covered the event.  Some print organizations, like Reuters did.  Were you aware that over 10,000 people were in attendance at this event? Now, I am sure that there were more people at this event than just students alone.  But that number is ten times higher than the number of those who were rioting.  But it was brushed under the rug because it wasn't juicy enough to catch the eye of many news organizations out there who were trying to show the nasty under belly of the Penn State Athletic Organization.

Now, here is what I have a problem with.  Why was it that every time the Penn State Scandal was brought up, Joe Paterno's face was shown.  Joe Paterno is not the one who abused those innocent children.  The only person whose face should have been shown, was that of Jerry Sandusky.

My next issue is the people that say "he should have done more".  Sure, I see your point, and I agree, but only to a certain degree.  Here's my arguments for this issue.

• Take a moment to consider the generation Joe Paterno was from.  Also, take a moment to consider how old the man was.  That generation really didn't openly discuss sexual topics.  It was something that was to be left behind closed doors.  Maybe Paterno didn't realize how bad the situation was - not because he was trying to protect his program, but because he simply couldn't wrap his head around what was going on.  
• Now think of a time when you reported an incident to whoever your higher up official is, or even filed a report to the police.  What is it that you usually hear from them once you turn in the information? "Thank you, we will investigate this." and usually, you will never hear what came out of that investigation.  Joe Paterno did what he was LEGALLY required to do.  An incident was reported to him, and he took it to the people above him, and was told it would be looked into.  And from what we can gather, we can assume a few things.  One of which is that he turned it in, and never heard anything more of it.  Another is that he turned it in, and knew that there was more going on and didn't do anything about it. 

I simply can not wrap my head around the comments that "he didn't do enough".  Change your sentence, please.  Joe Paterno did what he was legally required to do.  COULD he have done more, yes.  Could he have called the police if he felt it wasn't being investigated properly? Yes! Could he have placed a phone call every day to make sure that the situation was being handled properly? Yes! But would anything more have come of it? Who knows! The man was old.  He wasn't even on the sidelines for the majority of the football games because of it.  How much energy do you think one old man could put toward a situation, when he was probably very confident that the school he loved so much and dedicated his life to should have been taking care of the situation.

For those of you who question his character.  Please think back for a minute on all of the things this man stood for.  He wanted his football players to excel in college.  He felt that they were there as students first, and football players second.  He was a strong supporter of liberal arts.  His wife went so far as to tutor players who were struggling in classes. Together, the Paterno's donated roughly $4 million to various departments at the university, and helped raise over $13.5 million to help build an extension of the school library.  He was paid roughly $500,000 a year to coach that school.  While other college football coaches at schools of an equal skill level are paid two or three million dollars a season.

But lets remember, that this man was a bad man, and lacked any form of morals, and only cared about football.

So the sanctions come out, and everyone is so happy because "Penn State deserves everything it has coming to it".  Why would you ever think that students who weren't even involved deserved to have games stripped from them? Why should they lose all of their wins? Why were the punishments so harsh?

Lets go back to when the Duke Lacross team had charges brought against players for an alleged rape incident.  The NCAA decided not to get involved because it was a criminal case.  So why is it that they can get involved with a criminal case involving a coach of a team? This incident had nothing to do with students of the school, yet they are the ones being punished for actions that they had no control over?

Then comes the incident with Notre Dame that was barely even covered in the news.  Girls were allegedly raped by football players, and then threatened not to go to the cops because "you don't mess with the football team".  The girls were harassed so much that one of them, who was a freshmen, went to far as to commit suicide because she couldn't handle it.

Did the NCAA do anything? Those players were playing in championship games like nothing even happened.  There was no national story with news airing 24/7 about the Notre Dame Scandal.  So what made Penn State such a priority over schools with similar incidents like the Duke Lacross team or Notre Dame?

All and all, I am curious to see what all is said about there being no evidence that Paterno did anything to cover up this scandal.  I will forever be a Joe Paterno fan, and a firm believer in what he stood for.  I can't begin to wrap my head around how people think he was this evil and corrupt man, who cared only about football.  When that is in fact the farthest thing from the truth.  I hope that one day, his name will be wiped clean, and all that he stood for will be what he was remembered for, and not this scandal that has ruined Penn State in the eyes of many.

Lastly, to all my Penn State friends and family members. Just remember to stay strong, and don't let people with negative opinions weigh you down.  The actions of a few corrupt people do not equal the actions of the whole.  You all have done things to be proud of at that university, THON being one of the most important ones.  You had a record breaking year last year, so keep up the good work and break it again this year.  FTK!

WE ARE.... PENN STATE!

Microphone check, test, test, test.

The group I interned with this summer on the 93.3 KZOZ
morning show, Jeff and Jeremy in the Morning.

My name is Heather McClure and I am a senior at Slippery Rock University studying communication with an emphasis in journalism.  I have a passion for football, hockey, photography, and music in almost any form. Currently, my career goal is to work in radio, and have my own show of some sort.  This summer I interned on the morning show of a radio station in San Luis Obispo, California, and I realized the impact that blogging and social media can have on a company.  I saw how using social media can create a new level of interaction from the listening audience, and creates a 24/7 presence that would otherwise go unnoticed by a segment of the audience.

I have always been an active member of the social media networks, some would even say too active.  I am constantly updating my Facebook with news events, concerts or sporting events I'm attending, along with other things that happen to me throughout the day.  My Twitter feed is not nearly as polluted, but I do get on it frequently to see if I can catch any breaking news that may be going on in the world or in sports.  I have also joined the likes of Pinterest and Instagram, but never have I attempted a blog.  I have considered writing one on numerous occasions, but never have due to a fear of not knowing what to talk about.  Today, I put an end to the fear, and begin creating my blog, The Keyboard is my Microphone.

This semester I enrolled in a New-Media Journalism class, which will teach me how to become a better "backpack journalist".  I hope that this course can provide me with some more insight on the effectiveness that new-media can have in the journalism field, be it print or broadcast, and will help improve my ability to use these tools to their fullest potential.  All of the class blog posts can be viewed on our class Facebook Page, or by searching Twitter for the hashtag #nmjatsru.

A photo of my grandfather, Tom Schell - Reporter for ABC Los Angeles.

My interest in the journalism field sparked from my grandfather, Tom Schell, who was a reporter for ABC News. ABC is a traditional media outlet that was created far before the creation of the internet, and covers not only national news, but also covers local news with its affiliate stations.  They have been a news organization that I have enjoyed and respected my whole life, but this may be in part because of my grandfather.  They now use the internet and social media to not only inform citizens about national news stories, but their affiliates cover local news stories as well.



A non-traditional news outlet that I frequent is Yahoo! News.  What I like about Yahoo! is its wide coverage of topics, ranging from world news, to United States news, to local news, as well as sports, entertainment and weather.  I also like the set up on the Yahoo! Homepage that allows you to scroll through anywhere from 15 to 100 headlines, which is typically the headline accompanied by a photo that is meant to grab your attention.  I like this because I can scroll through rather quickly, find articles that catch my interest, read them, and move on without having to sort though numerous articles that I would have no interest in reading, similar to what some people go through when they read a newspaper.

I think that should be enough information on my first blog post to get you started.  Start following my blog and feel free to comment on any post you find interesting! Here goes nothing!

-Heather