At this year’s Appalachian Festival there were symposiums that talked about the different walks of life for the people in the Appalachian region. One symposium was the produced by the students of the Mass Communication department. The presentation given by the Mass Communication department was on the history of Maryland’s Mountain Region. The history was given through different clips of historical moments that help shaped the culture today.
In the first clip the audience was introduced to a Lonaconing; a town that was plague with disaster, from floods to fires. Despite the traumatic disaster Lonaconing had Allegany county first coal mines in 1751. By 1839 the population of Lonaconing had grown. The coal industries ran everything employing many people and putting the mountain region on the map. In the 1950s the first furnace company was built. The furnace company produced pig iron and gave employment to over two-hundred and fifty people. However, a fire caused the furnace plant to close and in 1980 it was turned into a Park. Besides firers there were floods that destroyed the little community, the flood of 1936 and winter of 1996. The flood in 96’ was caused by melting snow and a nearby creek that overflowed.
With in coal mines producing most of the money to the towns there had to be a way to import and export the goods; this formed the Cumberland and Ohio canal. The C&O canal was a transportation system that allowed the citizens of the Appalachian region to import and export goods easier and faster. The canal is a water way that goes through the Western mountain region to southern states. The first idea about a canal was introduced by George Washington in 1754. Washington saw that this would be a way to move goods and make a greater profit. However Washington was never able to get the canal under construction. The construction started in July 1828. The canal stretched one hundred and four miles, through the Chesapeake to the Ohio River. It took over twenty four years to build. The canal had big competition with the construction of the Baltimore- Ohio railroads. Even with the construction of the B&O railroads the canal was still able to succeed and last longer than the railroad.
By giving the audience the past the students also gave a present day look at Western Maryland Mountain Regions. The students went around downtown Cumberland and Frostburg. In downtown Cumberland the students went to historic Curtis Famous Wieners. This establishment was built in 1918 and is still around today. In Frostburg the students went to Palace Theatre, a nonprofit organization owned by the Frostburg people. The Palace Theatre has been around for eighty seven years, the staff that works their work for free. One of the workers explains the payment arrangements as a “labor of love.” The theatre shows foreign, classics, and independent films. Most of the films they receive are from small distributors because small businesses support other small businesses. The Palace Theatre has a film club that cost twenty five dollars to join for twenty four films a year. Anyone can join the film club.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Meet William Watson
William Watson is a twenty-four year old super senior from Deep Creek, Maryland. Watson graduated from Southern High in 2003. Since then Watson has been attending Frostburg State University. Watson still lives in Deep Creek and commutes daily by his 2003 Hyundai Sonata. He was raised in a household with three sisters. Two of his sisters now live in San Diego, while the other lives in Frostburg. Watson is an animal lover who owns four dogs. He enjoys basketball, poker, snowboarding, skiing, and swimming. Watson’s biggest interest is playing the guitar. He’s been playing for six years and is in a band named Halo Blue, but the name could be changed at any time. The lead singer made the name up, but has since left the band. The band has been together for about a year and is now looking for a lead singer. If you are into rock, then you can catch them at the Honi Honi bar this summer, located in Deep Creek. Watson favorite musician is Adam Jones from the group Tool. Watson favorite album is “Fade to Black” from Metallica. With all this musical experience William still says “I hate rap.” Guess it’s an acquired taste that William just doesn’t have the taste for.
While at Frostburg Watson is an English major with a minor in Pre-Law. After graduating from Frostburg William plans to attend graduate school in San Diego next year. While in his down time, Watson loves to watch the cartoon South Park. He calls himself a “South Park freak.” When he’s not playing in his band, in class, or watching South Park, Watson is working at the Uno’s in his hometown. Here Watson is the self proclaimed, “Best server,” He has perfected his craft and has been working there since his high school days. Back home Watson has a friend who made it to the finals of the World Series of Poker. Needless to say he’s proud of him. This summer Watson attended the tour Crew Fest where he saw some of his idols and one day maybe he will be on the stage and will be able to be someone else’s idol.
While at Frostburg Watson is an English major with a minor in Pre-Law. After graduating from Frostburg William plans to attend graduate school in San Diego next year. While in his down time, Watson loves to watch the cartoon South Park. He calls himself a “South Park freak.” When he’s not playing in his band, in class, or watching South Park, Watson is working at the Uno’s in his hometown. Here Watson is the self proclaimed, “Best server,” He has perfected his craft and has been working there since his high school days. Back home Watson has a friend who made it to the finals of the World Series of Poker. Needless to say he’s proud of him. This summer Watson attended the tour Crew Fest where he saw some of his idols and one day maybe he will be on the stage and will be able to be someone else’s idol.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Kurt Geisler:True Writer
True Writer
Meghan Purdy
Kurt Geisler, who turned 20 on September 18, probably didn’t have much trouble with this assignment. Kurt has written for Bottom Line his first two years at Frostburg State; starting as a staff writer and then later a music writer. Kurt is also an English Creative Writing Major along with Journalism minor.
Kurt attended Catonsville High School, graduating in 2007. Growing up Kurt spent most of his times with his grandparents, “They’re my best friends,” Kurt said. In high school Kurt appeared in eight plays with his drama class but didn’t think he was much of an actor. During high school Kurt worked at a Pep Boys. While working there Kurt injured himself once racing a go-kart. His other driving experiences include running another car off the road on his first try driving.
After moving here from Catonsville, Maryland his freshman year Kurt lived in the dorms. Now his resides in an apartment over a chiropractor and seamtress on Main Street in Frostburg, MD. Living there is very convenient since he also works in the Main Street Book Store. Living on his own he tries to eat healthy, when teased about the unhealthy eating habits of young guys he said, “Hey, I resent that.”
Kurt hopes to travel more someday. He traveled to Michigan for a writers’ conference and said, “It’s a really beautiful state; you should definitely visit sometime.” Along with writing Kurt also enjoys listening to music including folk artists such as Laura Marling and Andrew Bird along Sugene Stevens. Kurt really enjoys Stevens fifty states album with Michigan being his favorite of the albums. Kurt also has a cat named Drew, who he adopted from a waitress at the Princess Restaurant; he said he had to take him once he saw the cute kitten. Kurt also enjoys participating in a film club. One his favorite movie genre is horror, such a Repulsion and 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days. Kurt has led a very colorful life that will surely help him with his creative writing.
Meghan Purdy
Kurt Geisler, who turned 20 on September 18, probably didn’t have much trouble with this assignment. Kurt has written for Bottom Line his first two years at Frostburg State; starting as a staff writer and then later a music writer. Kurt is also an English Creative Writing Major along with Journalism minor.
Kurt attended Catonsville High School, graduating in 2007. Growing up Kurt spent most of his times with his grandparents, “They’re my best friends,” Kurt said. In high school Kurt appeared in eight plays with his drama class but didn’t think he was much of an actor. During high school Kurt worked at a Pep Boys. While working there Kurt injured himself once racing a go-kart. His other driving experiences include running another car off the road on his first try driving.
After moving here from Catonsville, Maryland his freshman year Kurt lived in the dorms. Now his resides in an apartment over a chiropractor and seamtress on Main Street in Frostburg, MD. Living there is very convenient since he also works in the Main Street Book Store. Living on his own he tries to eat healthy, when teased about the unhealthy eating habits of young guys he said, “Hey, I resent that.”
Kurt hopes to travel more someday. He traveled to Michigan for a writers’ conference and said, “It’s a really beautiful state; you should definitely visit sometime.” Along with writing Kurt also enjoys listening to music including folk artists such as Laura Marling and Andrew Bird along Sugene Stevens. Kurt really enjoys Stevens fifty states album with Michigan being his favorite of the albums. Kurt also has a cat named Drew, who he adopted from a waitress at the Princess Restaurant; he said he had to take him once he saw the cute kitten. Kurt also enjoys participating in a film club. One his favorite movie genre is horror, such a Repulsion and 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days. Kurt has led a very colorful life that will surely help him with his creative writing.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Frostburg State Holds MAT Informational Workshop
On Wednesday November 4, 2009 Frostburg State University Coordinator Vicki Mazer held an informational workshop for aspiring MAT applicants. The MAT program is a graduate program at Frostburg State that graduates students with a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree in 12 short months. Mazer summed up the program by declaring, “We teach you how to teach.”
Mazer also says, “We take as many applicants as we can, but there are some restrictions. It’s much easier to get into the program if you already have or are planning on having a degree in a specific content area.” When Mazer talks about the content area degrees she is referring to a Bachelors degree in a field such as Math, English, Biology, etc. The program is set up to quickly acclimate students who have a vast knowledge of their content area to the world of teaching.
The program starts in the summer immediately following the commencement of the university in June and runs until the following May. In the summer, Students on the secondary (middle and high school) side of the program take 15 credit hours of coursework. Then in the Fall the coursework is cut down to 12 credit hours, but students begin their placement in the local schools. Students can expect to be in public schools for approximately 100 days Fall through Spring. However, the coursework does not stop. There are 3 more credit hours of coursework in the winter and 12 more in the spring. As Mazer says, “This is a very intense program. You go to school a full school day, and then you are expected to come home and go to class until eight or nine o’clock at night sometimes. Most Students have no time to keep a job, except for occasional part-time jobs on the weekend.”
However the program is not as bad as it seems. For those intent on becoming teachers, it only takes 12 months to become fully certified and accredited by the NACATE. Not to mention there is Financial Aid available. Students can earn the Teach Scholarship, worth up to $8,000, if they agree to take a teaching position in a high need low income school in the State of Maryland. Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans are also available to help with the costs of the program which totals around $15,000 - $16,000. The cost of each credit hour is $399 at Frostburg State, and $327 at Hagerstown Community College.
As Mazer, piled all this information on the plate of 13 students sitting in attendance in Pullen Hall room 107, not a word was spoken. Not until the end of the presentation at least, at which time a few hands shot up. All of them had questions about the application process or the interview scheduling and those questions were handled relatively quickly and the entire workshop lasted about 45 minutes, but 45 minutes was all it took to put a couple bewildered looks on students’ faces and send then scrambling to the registrar’s office for applications. Mazer concluded her workshop by announcing that the MAT committee will be holding a Portfolio/Interview Training session on Thursday November 12 at 5PM, which put a small sign of relief back into most of the faces in the room.
Mazer also says, “We take as many applicants as we can, but there are some restrictions. It’s much easier to get into the program if you already have or are planning on having a degree in a specific content area.” When Mazer talks about the content area degrees she is referring to a Bachelors degree in a field such as Math, English, Biology, etc. The program is set up to quickly acclimate students who have a vast knowledge of their content area to the world of teaching.
The program starts in the summer immediately following the commencement of the university in June and runs until the following May. In the summer, Students on the secondary (middle and high school) side of the program take 15 credit hours of coursework. Then in the Fall the coursework is cut down to 12 credit hours, but students begin their placement in the local schools. Students can expect to be in public schools for approximately 100 days Fall through Spring. However, the coursework does not stop. There are 3 more credit hours of coursework in the winter and 12 more in the spring. As Mazer says, “This is a very intense program. You go to school a full school day, and then you are expected to come home and go to class until eight or nine o’clock at night sometimes. Most Students have no time to keep a job, except for occasional part-time jobs on the weekend.”
However the program is not as bad as it seems. For those intent on becoming teachers, it only takes 12 months to become fully certified and accredited by the NACATE. Not to mention there is Financial Aid available. Students can earn the Teach Scholarship, worth up to $8,000, if they agree to take a teaching position in a high need low income school in the State of Maryland. Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans are also available to help with the costs of the program which totals around $15,000 - $16,000. The cost of each credit hour is $399 at Frostburg State, and $327 at Hagerstown Community College.
As Mazer, piled all this information on the plate of 13 students sitting in attendance in Pullen Hall room 107, not a word was spoken. Not until the end of the presentation at least, at which time a few hands shot up. All of them had questions about the application process or the interview scheduling and those questions were handled relatively quickly and the entire workshop lasted about 45 minutes, but 45 minutes was all it took to put a couple bewildered looks on students’ faces and send then scrambling to the registrar’s office for applications. Mazer concluded her workshop by announcing that the MAT committee will be holding a Portfolio/Interview Training session on Thursday November 12 at 5PM, which put a small sign of relief back into most of the faces in the room.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Meet Tracey Taylor
Tracy Taylor
Tracy Taylor is an English major here at Frostburg State University. Tracy is 34 years old, a single mom, and a current resident of Frostburg. Tracy’s concentration is in Creative Writing, and for good reason. Tracy has had lots of experiences to write about, having lived in nine different states thus far, including California and Montana. She was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia and graduated high school from Chesapeake High School in Essex, MD in 1993. But as Tracy says, “If I told you in which order I lived in all those states and why, you would have way more information than what you need.”
Now, when asked what her favorite place to live was, Tracy replied, “Baltimore, because a lot of my friends are there.” However, Baltimore has not always been kind to Tracy, as she goes on to explain one of the scariest moments of her life. “I was in a bad neighborhood one night, and as I was walking down the street a guy came up to me and put a gun in my ribs and asked for all my money. Luckily I was able to get away.”
Ms. Taylor goes on to explain how she simply took off running after she told the man she did not have any money to give him. As she came to the next intersection a few good Samaritans noticed she was frightened and in a panic and they willingly gave her a ride back to her car that was parked several blocks away.
It is a good thing she was able to escape, because Tracy has a 16 year old daughter and a 9 year old son that she has to take care of. Tracy is a caring mother. She lights up when she quickly talks about her kids. “My kids are brats sometimes, but I still love ‘em and I manage to get all my work done.”
Tracy is aspiring to become a professional writer, either as a journalist or a fiction writer. However, she is still a student and makes mistakes as all student writers do, but when she does, she turns to her father who is a successful playwright. Her father lives in Ohio, and when Tracy runs into a problem, she communicates with him via e-mail to see if she is doing things the right way.
If creative writing does not work out, Tracy says she would like to be a teacher of English; and with two students of her own at home, she will have plenty of time to practice.
Tracy Taylor is an English major here at Frostburg State University. Tracy is 34 years old, a single mom, and a current resident of Frostburg. Tracy’s concentration is in Creative Writing, and for good reason. Tracy has had lots of experiences to write about, having lived in nine different states thus far, including California and Montana. She was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia and graduated high school from Chesapeake High School in Essex, MD in 1993. But as Tracy says, “If I told you in which order I lived in all those states and why, you would have way more information than what you need.”
Now, when asked what her favorite place to live was, Tracy replied, “Baltimore, because a lot of my friends are there.” However, Baltimore has not always been kind to Tracy, as she goes on to explain one of the scariest moments of her life. “I was in a bad neighborhood one night, and as I was walking down the street a guy came up to me and put a gun in my ribs and asked for all my money. Luckily I was able to get away.”
Ms. Taylor goes on to explain how she simply took off running after she told the man she did not have any money to give him. As she came to the next intersection a few good Samaritans noticed she was frightened and in a panic and they willingly gave her a ride back to her car that was parked several blocks away.
It is a good thing she was able to escape, because Tracy has a 16 year old daughter and a 9 year old son that she has to take care of. Tracy is a caring mother. She lights up when she quickly talks about her kids. “My kids are brats sometimes, but I still love ‘em and I manage to get all my work done.”
Tracy is aspiring to become a professional writer, either as a journalist or a fiction writer. However, she is still a student and makes mistakes as all student writers do, but when she does, she turns to her father who is a successful playwright. Her father lives in Ohio, and when Tracy runs into a problem, she communicates with him via e-mail to see if she is doing things the right way.
If creative writing does not work out, Tracy says she would like to be a teacher of English; and with two students of her own at home, she will have plenty of time to practice.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Uno, Dos, Tres...SUCCESS!
Andres Lara better known as “The Cuban Guy” paid a visit to Frostburg State University on September 17th 2009. The intention of his visit was to enlighten students of the University the key to success. Audience members could not ask for a better individual to give a motivational speech on success. Andres is a highly successful individual in many aspects. At the age of sixteen, he escaped from Cuba and came to the United States. Having grown up in Cuba, Spanish was the only language that he knew. No family of his lived in the states either. This lead Andres to be stranded in the United States. No family, no shelter, no understanding of the English language and no money. Ten years later, Andres was a millionaire. Currently, he is the CEO of A. Success Training, an author and a world renown motivational speaker. At one point he was also the president of Inspiration Magazine. He has been the feature in numerous radio shows and newspapers as well.
The atmosphere upon entering the ARMAH was mellow. Music was playing while Andres was making rounds to students and other audience members. Calmly and confidently he approached different people and struck up conversation. By glancing at him, one might think he was a college student dressed up for a formal occasion. His whole aura was that of a strong, confident, successful individual, though he was not intimidating. Approaching him before his speech the question, “what do you think the key to success is?” was presented. Calmly and without a bit of hesitation he answered, “I will tell you in the first five minutes of my seminar, it will hit you, one word. You don’t even need to write it down.”
That one word was “goyaata”. Immediately after revealing the word of truth he announced, “Get off your ass and take action.” That is exactly what Andres did. He decided he needed to better his life and leave Cuba, even knowing the risks that it entailed. Only having been in the states for ten years, he had already took action to learn English, find a home and become a successful young man. Andres provided books to the audience members that he is the author of. The Finish Line includes a series of motivational quotes, insights and inspirations. The book is categorized into different types of messages, for example complaining, remain focused and rise above to name a few. On the opposite page are quotes that obtain to the message. Andres gave specific instructions to audience members as to how to use the book, “It helps, it really does” he stated to members of the audience.
Audience members has rave reviews of Andres. Emily Fucello, a junior at Frostburg State University stated, “I was anticipating the greatness this gentleman had to offer. After hearing him speak it was everything I hoped that it would be and more.” Genesis Martinez, a sophomore at Frostburg State University stated, “I see exactly why this guy is a millionaire!”
Michael "Bunni" Sicilano
Since Michael Sicilano was been eleven, he has not cut his hair once. That means, over a span of seventeen years, not once have clippers, scissors or anything been taken to his long locks. To be able to successfully avoid a barber for seventeen years is truly a talent, the reason behind this incredible effort was just the lack of desire. After not having cut it for a long enough time, nature began to take its course and now his hair is thinning. Michael believes that there is not reason to cut his hair at this point. Intriguing, motivated and loyal are three attributes that are prominent in twenty eight year old Michael, better known outside the classroom at "Bunni." There nickname was given to Michael years ago by a close friend that drew a picture of a rabbit wearing a yamaka. Underneath of the picture read "bunni rabbi." Upon presenting the drawing to Michael the friend stated that this was a portrait of him. Ever since that day, the nickname has stuck.
Michael is currently a student at Frostburg State University. He has been enrolled in college over a span on ten years and in this time frame, attended three different colleges. Michael stated, "If a super senior is five years, I have no idea what to call myself." He used the phrase "touring majors" to justify why he has been in college as long as he gas. From an education major to everything in between, liberal arts is now his declared major. throughout his lifetime he was moved about fifteen to twenty times. How much longer he will be a student at Frostburg State University is a wild guess. Michael stated, "I like to say corporate nomad" when describing his father and the reason as to why he moves around so much. Thus far, four years has been the longest for his family and himself to reside in one destination and that place is the friendly town of Cumberland, Maryland. Having finally settled down in a location, Michael has been given the opportunity to participate fully in something that he is passionate about, "Church should be called a fellowship," stated Michael. This is a strong fact in which Michael is a thorough believer. With such a strong opinion, there is no doubt as to why he is the vice president if his church board. He is also involved on the Frostburg State University campus; he created a live action improvisation club.
Something else that Michael enjoys doing in his free time is debating; he considers this a hobby. He believes that his helps him to better address issues though he is embarrassed by the fact he debates so much. In his free time, role playing games also strike much of an interest in Michael. Friends that he plays with often find themselves calling one another by the names used in these games. This is only when they are trying to discretely something in the presence of others. At times, the other individuals present could be his two siblings, a brother and a sister, both younger than himself. Although Michael is the oldest, he does tend to envy a certain aspect about his brother. The fact that his brother studies video game design in Baltimore, Maryland leads to the classes that he takes being much of an interest to Michael. Though, his brother does have a reason to be envious of him. Other talents of Michael's include ballet and martial arts. Martial arts is one sport which Michael understands fully. When Michael was living in Switzerland as a younger child, he missed the whole time period in which sports came of interest to male teenagers. For a young teenage boy, the appreciation and understanding for American sports never exactly set in.
Having lived in such exotic places in other countries and many different states, Michael keeps an open place in his heart for New York. That is by far his favorite place. Much of the passion he feels towards New York may be due to the fact that he played Columbia, a female role and Riff Raff is the Rocky Horror Picture Show. So, if you ever travel to New York or decide to join the live action improv club, keep an eye open for this "bunni" hopping along.
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