THE PENDULUM
WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 9. 2009 // PAGE 11
Moving forward and looking back
Andie Diemer
Editor-in-Chief
Since
1 first set
foot on this
campus
three and a
half years
ago, The
Pendulum
has been an
integral part
of my life.
I’ve moved
from position
to position on
staff, but my
period as editor-in-chief has been
nothing short of astounding.
The work this staff has
consistently pumped out is
something that cannot be paralleled
or appreciated enough, and the staff
itself cannot merit enough gratitude
for the breadth, depth and quality of
content it supplies.
The community often views
the news but rarely considers the
hours logged at the courthouse
sifting through documents or the
late nights spent trying to track
down sources for that breaking
story.
It is no easy task to tackle
stories about a dozen students or
a counselor being arrested during
final exam week, but many staff
members have sacrificed hours
of sleep, studying and relaxation
to provide top-notch content to
the Elon community to ensure
everyone is kept informed on
news, concerns, accomplishments
and other happenings.
Throughout the past year. The
Pendulum has been recognized
by many local and national
organizations for its dedication
and work ethic, including the
coveted Pacemaker Award for a
four-year, non-daily newspaper,
which the staff received from
the Associated Collegiate Press
in November. This is regarded
as the highest honor any college
publication in the nation can
receive, and it is a true testimonial
to the work the 2009 Pendulum
staff has completed.
But success could not be
possible without assistance from
countless others, including all
of the Elon professors, staff
members, administrators,
students and Town of Elon
residents that provide insight
and expertise to weave into
our content. Without you, this
publication would not be possible
or reliable, and we thank you for
all of your time.
We also wouldn’t be successful
without the assistance and
continuous support from our
adviser, Colin Donohue, or our
webmaster, J.D. Parsons, who has
worked incessantly to provide the
vital backbone to our online entity.
Appreciation is also extended to
professors like Janna Anderson
and Glenn Scott, whose constant
feedback, advice and criticism
enhance the organization.
Many thanks as well to the
workers at Acorn and Varsity,
who may not even realize that
their willingness to fill 10 cups
of ice water or throw together six
wraps every Monday night during
production keeps the staff moving.
In a few short weeks the next
editor-in-chief, Pam Richter, will
usher in a new staff to drive
the paper forward. Richter is
extremely talented, dedicated
and ambitious and will continue
to build on the foundation that
she has helped to lay as well as
continue to expand The Pendulum
in a variety of outlets.
A massive staff turnover will
also take place, all composed of
individuals that pour themselves
into making this product
every week. Much gratitude to
seniors Alexa Milan, Ashley
Barnas, Margeaux Corby, Laura
Smith, Morgan Little, Laura
Wainman, Rachel Cieri, Amanda
Kennison, Hannah Williams,
Dan Rickershauser, Jennifer
Clements, Jordan Frederick, David
Koontz, Michelle Longo, Rebecca
Wetherbee, David Wells, Caroline
Matthews, Miriam Williamson
and Chris Dorsey for their often
thankless work.
And lastly, many, many thanks
to the Elon community. Thanks
for picking up the paper each
Wednesday, thanks for visiting
our Web site and thanks for
supporting us. Without you,
there wouldn’t be a need for us to
function, and with your feedback
and support you have contributed
to making a bigger and stronger
Pendulum.
Remember that even though
The Pendulum has come a long
way, there is always potential for
improvement. Don’t ever hesitate
to let us hear your ideas or what
you would like to see in The
Pendulum for the New Year. After
all, this is a paper for you, made
by community members like you,
and it would not be possible for
us to be successful without your
feedback and support.
The wrong diagnosis
Governmental failure in cancer detection
Pam Richter
Columnist
The health care debate is
at the forefront of American
politics and recently the
government released new
guidelines that would redefine
testing for various diseases.
Despite this debate, the
U.S. Preventative Services
task force made its position
on each issue clear last
month. This Task Force
is an independent panel
of government-appointed
experts and in November they
released a report that laid out new guidelines for
the screening practices for many diseases.
The most notable and most shocking element
of the report regarded the guidelines for testing
females. First and foremost, the task force
advised most women ages 40 to 49 not to get
routine mammograms.
The panel also advised that women 50 to 74
should get mammograms every other year, and^
self-exams should no longer be part of a doctor s
instructions to female patients.
USA Today stated, “According to the American
Cancer Society’s Otis Brawley, population-based
studies suggest that 10 percent to 33 percent of
early breast cancers may not actually need to be
treated.”
In addition to this, the panel did provide
more explanations for these new guidelines. The
reasoning was that these tests cause too many
false alarms and, in some cases, unnecessary
treatment.
Admittedly, no woman wants to experience a
false alarm with breast cancer, but even more so
no women wants to be diagnosed too late with a
disease like cancer.
USA Today also explained that “for mariy
woman, however, breast cancer is an emotional
issue, not a scientific question."
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the most
influential organization across the globe for
breast cancer awareness, recommends on its Web
site that women should have a mammogram every
year starting at the age of 40 if she is not a high-
risk patient. This is a 10-year difference from
what the governmental task force recommended.
The Susan G. Komen foundation is the largest
breast cancer charity in the world and has raised
more than $1.3 billion since 1982. The Foundation
has no hidden agendas — its mission is to simply
find a cure.
According to the Komen Foundation, on
average only 80 percent of breast cancer is
caught through mammograms, while the other
20 percent are caught through self-exams and
clinical exams.
When it comes to cancer diagnosis, our nation
should err on the side of caution and not take any
risks.
The Komen foundation is sticking with its
recommendation for regular screenings beginning
at the age of 40 and should be the trusted source,
along with the American Cancer Society, on this
matter.
There is no scientific need for the U.S.
Preventative Services Task Force, as it is
strictly a cost-cutting measure on behalf of the
government.
We are in a health care crisis and the
government is looking to cut as many corners as
possible when it comes to decreasing insurance
costs.
Health care is something we need to
make room for in our national budget and
different governmental panels should not be
recommending guidelines for screenings.
These recommendations need to be made
by independent organizations or by physicians
themselves.
www.p©ndulumopinions.wordpr©ss.com
Ashley Barnas
Columnist
Opinion
When Twilight’
loses its sparkle
There he stood like the
Greek Adonis. There she
stood several feet away,
tortured by the desire to
approach him and weave
her fingers through his
tousled bronze hair and
stare into his molten gold
eyes. When his gravitational
pull inevitably draws her
close enough to touch him,
realization hits. He’s too
good to be true. He does not
actually exist. She crumbles on the spot.
The “Twilight” series didn't invent the concept
of women existing solely to find the men to marry
and begin a family with. The series just perpetuates
a theme that has survived in popular culture for
decades. Author Stephenie Meyer even references
the classic love stories of “Wuthering Heights" and
“Romeo and Juliet” in her own story.
The readership of “Twilight” is the same general
audience for Disney stories where the damsel in
distress spends the entire tale seeking her Prince
Charming. Young girls, who have never been in love
before, are reading these books and gaining a false
idea of what first love is like. Edward and his ilk set a
high bar for men. Who wouldn't want the mysterious
man with a classically tortured soul? He's beautiful,
polite, refined, listens to classical music and
sparkles in the sun. Any young girl would want that.
According to Box Office Mojo, “‘New Moon'
distributor Summit Entertainment’s exit polling
indicated that 80 percent of the audience was
female and 50 percent was under 21 years old." No
matter how appealing the “Twilight" scries is, and
regardless of how many times girls devour the books
and watch the movies, the negative connotations the
themes have regarding gender roles in the ccmtext of
romantic relationships cannot be avoided.
Women in popular culture are often portrayed
as weak. Bella Swan “wins" in the end by getting
the guy, but what she teaches her young female
audience along the way lacks empowerment. When
Edward leaves her, she falls apart and loses her will
to live. Because of her full devotion to Edward, she
has no friends to turn to in her time of need.
From the very beginning of the “Twilight" series,
it’s apparent that Bella's only goal is to be with
Edward forever. She doesn't want college, she doesn't
want a job and she doesn’t even want children.
But it’s not Edward's fault. Everything that drives
Bella is about him. Edward pushes her to experience
all those human things she would rather not have.
Any cultural production reflects the populace as
a whole, and the themes in turn influence society.
In the same way, it also reinforces how we perceive
gender, said Lynn Huber, assistant professor of
religious studies and the women's/gender studies
program coordinator at Elon.
A practicing Mormon, Meyer is writing from a
particular perspective with very clear thoughts on
religion and sex. Beyond the theme of abstinence.
Religion Dispatches cites the Mormon values of
eternal marriage and family life as the strongest
themes in “Twilight.”
Rebecca Pope-Ruark, assistant professor of English
at Elon, taught a vampire literature Winter Term class
that included “Twilight." She said one has to take Bella
for who she is: a 17-year-old girl who is bound to grow
unhealthily attached to her first love. If Bella had been
25 years old, then she would be considered supremely
weak. Like Bella, when someone we love leaves us, we
seek validation elsewhere. When Edward left, Bella ran
to Jacob Blake for safety and to seek that validation.
It’s a puzzle as to why popular culture is ridden
with weak female characters. When it comes to the best
sellers and blockbusters, a damsel in distress sells.
“New Moon” brought in a $143 million opening
weekend. Women today aren't weak, but for some
reason, we relate to the weak characters in popular
culture. Maybe our nurturing tendencies lend
themselves to pitying characters like Bella. Or
maybe those weak characters help us find that
fulfillment we’ve been seeking in knowing we are
stronger than them.
The “Twilight" series won’t be the last to present its
female protagonist as powerless. The themes of eternal
love and finding a soul mate ring true because of what
we’ve been taught: to be attracted to the mythical male
savior figure. We want someone to take care of us and
protect us while we, in turn, can take care of them.
It's become so culturally engrained that it’s nearly
impossible to step out of it.