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The Pilot Wednesday, November 7, 2007 Page A3 Opinions Choose career that fulfills a passion, lucrative or not By Rebecca Clark Pilot Editor It took me more than two years to earn my associate’s degree, and by the time I had walked across the stage of my community college and received my diploma, I still had no clue what direction I wanted to take my life. Unlike some people I knew, I did not have a burning passion for what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” I was like a lot of young stu dents, drifting and unsure what step to take next. I took career tests and talked to guidance counselors. I investigated potential universities. I thought about taking a year off to travel and live like a hippy. I discarded possi bilities as quickly as I thought them up. Teaching was not one of my skills; I was not interested in the medical field; and I am terrible with mathematics and scientific formu las. But I did enjoy writing, and as I looked into possible careers that involved putting words together, journalism caught my attention and didn’t let go. I visited Gardner-Webb Uni versity and discovered that it had a journalism major, and in the fall of 2005 I enrolled. A lot of students begin their fi-eshman year intimidated by col lege life, the fi'eedom and autono my, and by the big decision of what field to go into. I remember the magnitude of the decision and having no clue what I wanted to become. It can be a tough choice, one of the biggest choices, it seems, that you might ever make. Career tests are helpful in giv ing an initial sense of direction. They might not give you an im mediate answer, but they can out line what your strengths and weak nesses are. I believe that everyone has an interest that could become a poten tial career. Once you determine what your interests are, you can develop that into a career opportunity And I believe in pursuing your interests instead of dollar bills. A satisfying job is more rewarding than one with the big bucks. By developing your passions and interests, you are also develop ing yourself. Another reason I chose journal ism is because I believe that through my interest in writing I can make a difference, even if it is a small one. Like in the Dr. Seuss book, “The Lorax,” I want to give a voice to those who do not have one. I wish for all students unsure of their path is success in choosing a career that you can be passionate about and that makes a difference, no matter how small. The Pilot Nancy-Pat Dire Faculty Advisor Rebecca Clark Editor In Chief Stephanie Kay Designer Ashley Carter and Haley Black Photo Editors Jacob Conley Sports Editor Jared Graf Kory McNair Christopher Shaver staff Writers Sarajane Burroughs Kate Gazaway Jessica Jones Tyler Kucifer Rachel Tucker Staff Photographers Phone Number: 704-406-3844 P.O. Box 5192 pllot@gardner-webb.edu Letter to the Editor Bost pool needs improvement to match swim team’s excellence MRSA: A deadly bug that’s simple to avoid By Kory McNair Pilot staff writer With the recent reports of deadly staph infection cases at schools across the nation, students want to know how they avoid contracting it. MRSA stands for methi- cillin resistant staphylococ cus aureus, which is particu larly resistant to antibiotics, even the most potent ones. Staph bacteria are com mon on the skin, which serves as an adequate bar rier to infection. However, MRSA spreads when wounds open in the skin. Staph can enter from con tact with used towels, ath letic equipment and shared personal items. According to Sherry In gram, director of housing and residence education, MRSA starts off as an irritat ing pimple that quickly be comes filled with puss that is The women’s swim team has once again rocketed to an excellent start for the 2007- OS season. On their way to a 7-0 start, the women have hosted two conference meets, and asserted their dominance both times. However, watching these meets has become somewhat difficult. Even with the ad dition of a men’s swim team, Gardner-Webb has not in creased the seating around the pool. Upon a visit to Limestone College to watch the swim teams’ first meet of the sea son, it was found that the Di vision II school had a seating capacity as large as, if not larger than, the one given for fans at Bost pool. This is unfortunate, con sidering the fact that the women’s swim team is 87-30 since its founding in 1999, and 60-19 since completing its transition up to Division I in time for the 2002-03 sea son. These records are good enough for a .744 winning percentage since the start of the program and a .759 win ning percentage since com pleting its transition up to Division I. This places GWU on par with such programs as the Michigan and Notre Dame football teams; Duke and UNC basketball teams; Tex as and Florida State baseball teams; and the elite schools of every sport. Unlike those larger schools’ elite programs Gard ner-Webb has finished over .500 every year the program has been in existence, and has finished with a record less than .666 only once, its first year as a Division I school. While Gardner-Webb does not boast membership in the ACC, Big 10 or Big 12, nine of its 19 losses in the past 4+ years have been to ACC schools. The Lady Bulldogs have also won four straight con ference titles in those years and are at the top of the con ference again this year, even though moving into a tougher conference. Even if the achievements are ignored, the two meets have been packed beyond capacity, which is fhistrat- ing considering it is rare to see such a well performing program. At both meets not only have the stands been packed, but there has been at least one row of people standing behind them and more people packed into the lobby strain ing to see what is going on. If the students are coming to the meets then they should have places to sit and not be forced to stand in areas where it is nearly impossible to de termine what is happening. While there are consistently large empty sections in Paul Porter Arena and Spangler Stadium, the Bost pool is constantly lacking in seating capacity. For these reasons the swimming programs should be given upgraded facilities. While the need to move the baseball team out of a stadi um stuck in the Dark Ages is understood, the swim teams should not be forgotten as Gardner-Webb upgrades its athletics programs. Lanny Newton Sports Men’s hoopsters eager to start tough season highly contagious. The painful lesions also won’t heal up. ^ Contact a doctor if you have these symptoms, so that you can be properly diag nosed. Prevention of MRSA can be quite straightforward. “Knowing who you’re having contact with is the best way to prevent you from getting MRSA,” said In gram. Washing your hands of ten and not touching any open wounds is a simple way to avoid getting MRSA, she said. Residence Life plans to send out brochures to fiirther inform students about how to avoid contracting and spread ing MRSA. “Just educating people on what to look out for, what to do and what not to do” is GWU’s strategy for now, In gram said. By Jacob Conley Pilot sports editor The bright lights of basketball sea son are again beginning to shine on Gardner-Webb University. Men’s Head Coach Rick Scruggs is excited about the upcoming season, which features the Bulldogs’ tradition ally tough schedule. “We are really young, but a lot of guys have played in the system before,” said Scruggs. “This team reminds me a lot of the team two years ago that beat Minnesota and almost beat UNC.” Scruggs and his staff have reason to be excited. The ’Dogs only lost one starter from last year’s team and have added several components such as freshman Nate Blank and transfer Lu Dovonou. This depth will allow Scruggs to im plement a more up-tempo style of play. “We are going to have some high scoring games,” said Scruggs. “It should be exciting for the fans.” Even with added depth and the new style of play, Scruggs and the rest of the Bulldogs make no bones about this be ing a difficult season. GWU has even garnered some na tional attention about the tough non conference slate. “ESPN called the other day about it,” said Scruggs. “It is great that the basketball pro gram can give the university visibil ity by playing teams like Clemson and UConn.” The tough non-conference schedule is a precursor to what Scruggs admits is equally tough conference action. Duke-N.C. State rivalry victim of ACC expansion COMIVIENTARY By Michael Moore The Chronicle (Duke) (CSTV U-WIRE) DUR HAM, N.C. - A fiinny thing happened over the last few years as the Duke Blue Dev ils jetted to Beantown and South Beach in search of ACC victories in football and basketball. The Duke-N.C. State ri- The firapevtne Osed 'v ~ Accessories “llie Grapevine” IS Kings Mt s Best Kept Secret “Radical Reruns” at ITie Grapevine is not your typicjU secondhand ciotiiing shop. We offer Abercrombie & Fitch, Acroposlale, American Eagie, Batiana Rep., Gap, Hollister and J.Crew, jmt to name a few! Ilie Grapevine also carries vinta^ and relro accessories to complete your owtiiti So if yon like dressing “rich” for less, you need to corac check us out! We’re located at 225 South Battleground Ave. in Kings Mt (two doors up from Papajohn’s). Wednesday thni Friday 10-7 and Satorday 10 - 4 Bring in this ad for free gift! Wednesday is GWU Students Day! Get 10% off your purchase w/your student id! _ g04| 734-1081 valiy died. The Blue Devils haven’t played the Wolfpack in foot ball since the Red Sox were still cursed. And the last time the basketball teams met twice in the regular season, Luol Deng was a resident of Bassett and not Kobe Bry ant’s newest crush. Expansion, and the kinks that came with teams enter ing the league at different times, has completely sapped the local rivalry of its luster. Although there was cer tainly a lot of skepticism and outright criticism in the years just before conference expansion, everyone since has accepted it without much analysis of its effects. But the significant sched uling drawbacks everyone saw coming have played out, and the Duke-N.C. State ri valry has been perhaps the most notable victim. The Blue Devils and Wolfpack never approached the level of Duke-Carolina or even UNC-State, but there is a lot of history between the two, compoimded by some natural rival elements. The schools are 30 minutes apart, more people in North Carolina are State fans than are Duke fans, and State sup porters on the whole even outpace the Tar Heel faith ful in their view of Dukies as elitist outsiders. Basketball games were almost always nail-biters when Coach K and Jimmy V matched wits. And in the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the teams fought in several tre mendous bouts, including the 2003 ACC title game in which the Blue Devils came back from 15 down in the second half. There is, however, a larg er point to this discussion. Before expansion, the ACC wasn’t just about the depth of the most premier rival ries, it was about breadth of rivalries among teams within the conference. And that has suffered as a result of the constraints of scheduling in a larger league. Maybe it’s not the line policy that needs to be over hauled. Maybe it’s the con ference scheduling that does. In the meantime, the oft- forgotten Tobacco Road ri valry has some hope for re vival. The basketball teams have a home-and-home se ries for the first time since 2004, and they are predicted to finish second and third in the conference. The bottom line is that theA.CC needs rivalries like Duke-N.C. State. And if the league can’t rebuild those mid-major rivalries, we’ll start to see the real price at which expansion money came. “The Atlantic Sun is split in two di visions,” said Scruggs. “And of course we are in the toughest one with Lip scomb Belmont and ETSU. You could have a great year and still finish third or fourth.” Scruggs is counting on the fans to help overcome the difficult draw in the conference pairings. “We have the best fans in the league,” he said. “They give us a real boost and they stick with the team through the good and the bad.” Fans may get an early chance to see GWU on national TV. If the Bulldogs can defeat Alabama A&M in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the team will play in the second round tonight at 9 p.m. on ESPNU, which is available in The Kennel. Volleyball team heads to A-Sun tournament By Kory McNair Pilot staff writer A hard-fought season for the volleyball team has come to an end, with only the Atlantic Sun Confer ence tournament left to test the team’s skill. A3-0 sweep against Lip scomb Saturday brought a victorious end to the team’s home matches and put it into the tournament. “Up and down all year long. We played really well at times and just haven’t put it together at other times,” said Coach Chris Philips of the team’s performance this year. Gardner-Webb ended the season Tuesday night against Winthrop, but the score was not available be fore press time. This is the team’s final year in the Atlantic Sun Conference; it moves into the Big South Conference next year. Asked what she thought about the move. Philips gave a confident answer; “We have a pretty good idea with what we are walking into next year.”
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