East Coast Skates, now located on 805 High Street, offers a wide array of skating supplies and accessories. The store also boasts a mini-arcade and, soon, a skate ramp.
- Photo courtesy of Ashley Carol-Fingerhut

Skateboarders and longboarders at Washington College no longer have to go to Baltimore or Annapolis to pick up their skating supplies, because East Coast Skates has just opened up shop on 805 High Street in Chestertown.

Owner and proprietor Jamie “Muss” Musselman said he opened his skate shop because, “there aren’t any other skate shops in Kent County. The demand is definitely there.”

Previously East Coast Skates was just run as an online business. Musselman then decided to open up a physical retail store in addition to his online venture. The skate shop is usually open from around 11 a.m. until 8 -10 p.m.

In the new location, Musselman hopes to have a skate ramp available in about a week. It should be a nice draw for people looking to get a skate-park-style fix without traveling hours away to a city.

Musselman hopes East Coast Skates will be a nice hangout for WC students and local residents alike. He also expressed interest in supporting some sort of skateboarding, longboarding, or downhill racing club if there was interest at the College.

While the skate shop may be a new establishment, WC students have already begun to take notice.

WC sophomore Ryan Smuz said that, “it’s a sweet place to chill and the owners are really good about pricing their stuff to fit a student’s budget.”

Musselman was born and raised in Anne Arundel County, but his wife grew up in Chestertown. Musselman has been living in Chestertown for the past three years.

“You need to have something to do around here,” Musselman said.

Not only is there skating equipment available for purchase, but also clothing and junk food. There’s also a mini-arcade.

1.) The purple squirrel that showed up a few days ago in central Pennsylvania just might be the real thing. Either that or he’s got a great stylist. Harold Cole, a warden with the Pennsylvania Game Commission who investigated the case, believes that this squirrel actually was a different color. He said, “It’s not typical, but it’s not impossible.” As crazy as the squirrel’s hair is, he doesn’t appear to pose a hazard or be suffering from disease. He’s just an oddball, now with his own Facebook page and 3,800 adoring fans. Dude, way to give the other squirrels another reason to be jealous. Msnbc.com

2.) They say as long as the first and last letters stay where they should be, the human brain can still read a word. Maybe that’s what a school building in the Lower East Side was thinking when it placed a sign reading “SHCOOL X-NG” on the sidewalk. The day after the New York Post reported the spelling error, utility workers used heavy machinery to correct the sign, which had been there since July 2010. This school is going to have a rough time getting kids to take their spelling lessons seriously. Usatoday.com

3.) Coming home to find that your house has been broken into is unsettling, but it just gets plain weird when the unwelcome guest has folded clothes, cooked dinner, swept the floor, and set up a pillow and blanket on the couch. That’s what Ashley Murray of South Bend discovered when she arrived home. Murray stated, “The police said it looked like he was a good chef.” Davis did not steal anything apart from the food, and as far as that goes, Murray said, “He drunk up my orange juice, but it’s cool because he swept up my floor and folded my clothes.” Let this be a lesson to petty criminals: a little housecleaning just might be something to think about. Msnbc.com

4.) The pub crawlers might have been ready for a pint or two, but no one was expecting this: a chainsaw-wielding man attacked customers in a United Kingdom bar, simply because he was not permitted to smoke inside. 24-year-old Dean Dinnen entered The Endyke Pub in Hull, drunk and high, and proceeded to threaten the pub patrons and obliterate every object in his path, much like a scene in a horror movie. Witness Kevin Fletcher said, “I ran. I did not look back. I could hear the chainsaw screaming behind me.” Dinnen has been sentenced to three years in prison; the UK can expect a sequel around then. Huffingtonpost.com

5.) Whenever anyone thinks of the Roman Empire, chariots and some guy named Julius Caesar come to mind. What people don’t think of are camels. In a report in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Belgian archeologists Fabienne Pigière and Denis Henrotay report that 22 sites in Northern Europe have turned up camel bones from the Roman era. The camels turn up near both civilian towns and military camps, far from their native homes, causing scientists to believe that the animals were used as beasts of burden or perhaps mascots for the Roman soldiers. After all, camels are quite inspiring in battle. Usatoday.com

6.) Name a quality wine shop the Wine Thief, but don’t be surprised when a wine thief throws a rock through the window and takes a $250 bottle of 2006 Chateau Teyssier. Mark Clark, 54, has been charged with burglary and larceny after surveillance video footage helped New Haven police identify him. The expensive bottle of wine has been placed into evidence, giving it a little while longer to age. Msnbc.com

7.) Although Valentine’s Day is over this year, there’s no harm in reading about the truly unique gifts available for purchase next year. A heart pendant retails at $348, only this necklace, which is available in either gold or silver, is anatomically correct. Rubies are located at the end of each auricle and ventricle, which really helps make this necklace one of a kind. Or maybe a Frisbee greeting card is the right way to go. For $10, SendAFlyingCard.com will personalize a Frisbee with a special greeting, offering up the perfect opportunity to throw something at your special someone. If that doesn’t say love, what does? Huffingtonpost.com

8.) Scrabble players have been telling this to the rest of the world for years, but a new study has finally confirmed it: Scrabble players are actually smarter than everyone else. Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered that competitive Scrabble players are able to increase visual word recognition, or the ability to read words, well into adulthood. Study author Ian Hargreaves said, “I think that it’s safe to say that there is plenty of evidence showing that exercising yourself, whether physically or mentally, can carry positive benefits.” Let the board games begin. Msnbc.com

9.) Malaysia ruined Valentine’s Day for more than 80 Muslims after conducting raids and arresting couples who were sharing hotel rooms. Religious authorities in the country first started cracking down on the holiday that it considers “synonymous with vice activities” back in 2005. Last week, a campaign called “Mind the Valentine’s Day Trap” was launched, warning Muslims not to celebrate the holiday, since it is “not suitable.” Although other faiths were not affected by the anti-Valentine’s Day campaign, almost two-thirds of Malaysia is Muslim. Huffingtonpost.com

10.) Woolly mammoths are extinct, right? According to a sketchy video filmed by a government engineer in Siberia, there might be one left. The man supposedly saw the beast crossing a river in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug region last summer, yet the 10-second video has only recently been released. Paranormal writer Michael Cohen, who claims the copyright on the video, said, “Rumours of a handful of mammoths still kicking around in the vast wilderness of Siberia have been circulating for decades and occasionally sightings by locals have occurred.” To believe or not to believe, that is the question. Huffingtonpost.com

Professor John Beckman delivered a lecture chronicling the history and nature of fun in America. The lecture, entitled “American Fun,” was co-sponsored by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and the Sophie Kerr Committee and took place in the Hynson Lounge.
Beckman, an accomplished novelist, was introduced by friend and fellow writer Peter Manseau, the C.V. Starr Center’s Patrick Henry Fellow. In his introduction, Manseau related Beckman’s study of fun with his own survey of religion in the United States, referring to fun as what could be considered the “true American religion.” In this case, Manseau said, Beckman may well be referred to as the “high priest of fun.”

Beckman’s interesting and informative lecture delved into the nature of fun: what it is, where it comes from, and why it matters. He began with an anecdote about a young woman who participated in a dance marathon, dancing nonstop for 69 hours against opposition from the authorities. At the marathon’s end, the woman claimed that nothing had motivated her more than “the fun of it all.”

Throughout the lecture, Beckman focused upon this rebellious nature of fun “Conflict is an active ingredient in fun,” he said. “Fun is a studied rebellion, flaunting pleasure in the face of authority.”

The literature professor, as an example of this rebellion the literature professor cited acts by the sons of Liberty, a notoriously mischievous group of pre-Revolutionary Patriots. It was groups like these, in fact, that sparked Beckman’s interest in fun.
“I was in graduate school and doing a lot of psychoanalytic and political theory work on radical democracy, how the nexus of pleasure with radical democracy played into the reading of modern American literature. From there, I expanded the topic into a culture study.”

Despite its origins in conflict, Beckman argues for the peacekeeping powers of fun. Often involving some element of risk, fun exists as a generally harmless exertion of freedom, a way to rebel without taking drastic action. It allows a taste of liberty and personal expression without overturning society. Beckman provided the example of the punk movement, a counterculture which spoke out against “the man” while still adhering to some type of convention.

Beckman’s own idea of fun is a slightly tamer one “I like to go out dancing with my wife,” he said. “That being said, I will gladly fall into any prank that’s happening nearby. Pranks are an honorable thing.”

During the question-and-answer session following the lecture, a question was raised about the legacy of fun that current college students will leave for the future. Beckman was enthusiastic, expressing excitement over the mobilizing effects of technology for the spontaneous occurrence of fun. His position toward the current and future state of American fun is optimistic.

“I’m so psyched by the imaginative displays of public pleasure among today’s teens and twenty-somethings, not just in America, but all over the world. I truly believe that the international forms of pleasure have clear origins in American fun. That’s a cool form of cultural imperialism. That’s something we should be proud of.”

Elm Staff Writer

After returning to Washington College, I was ready for this semester to be just as crazy and busy as the last one. One highlight that many students were anticipating came just a few weeks in: spring recruitment. Before coming to WC, I had nothing against Greek life, but I didn’t really see myself becoming a part of it. All of that changed last semester for a couple of reasons.

One, I realized that even for such a small school, Greek life plays a big part on campus. The various sororities and fraternities were holding events all the time, most of them helping out a local or national cause. Becoming a part of that seemed like a great way not only to become more involved and connected to the school, but to the community as a whole. Second, I decided to rush because I liked a lot of the people I met who were a part of Greek life.

These reasons were enough to motivate my best friends and me to go through the craziest week of our entire year at WC. On top of my regular schedule, meeting a bunch of new people every single night and learning so much information was overwhelming. But more importantly, it was fun.

I began to realize how much I wanted to be a part of a sorority, because of the reasons I’d had before, but also because of the connections I was making with so many of the people I met. After a long week and an agonizing wait, bid day came and I was lucky enough to become a new member of Alpha Omicron Pi.

Here we are, a few weeks later, and I could not be happier with the way things turned out. Greek life has its critics, just like any other organization, but I am definitely not one of them. I have met people who I would never have had the opportunity to be friends with otherwise, and I feel comfortable and at home. Even within my pledge class, so many of us are different, but the love and traditions of AOII are bringing us together.

One important thing I’ve realized since joining a sorority is that your new friends do not immediately replace your old ones. In fact, within my close group of friends, all three sororities are represented. Greek life has not made my life more exclusive, it has simply added to it. I’m looking forward to everything the next few weeks have in store, but more importantly I’m looking forward to the rest of my college years and spending time with all of the great people I’ve met.

Becoming involved in the community is an even bigger part of Greek life than I realized before recruitment and so is leadership. Members from all the chapters hold leadership positions both within their organizations and in others on campus. To me, this seems to be one of the strongest characteristics of Greek life, because you learn how to represent yourself and others in the best way possible. It becomes more important to uphold the image of a group of people you care about, and not just your own.

Provost candidate Jeffrey Barker speaks to a crowd of faculty, staff and students. He is one of four finalists in the nationwide search for a new College provost and dean.
- Photo courtesy of Natalie Butz

As stated on the school website, “the provost and dean of the College is the chief academic officer for the College,” with such responsibilities as budget planning, establishment of curriculum standards, and recruiting, hiring, and evaluating faculty.

“The provost and dean is both faculty member and faculty leader,” said Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Mela Dutka. “It is a critical position, second only to the President. I think first and foremost the candidate who will be the most successful brings a commitment to liberal arts. I think what we do, that personalized experience in and out of the classroom, works well for students. The College wants someone who values teaching, someone who is able to help us promote what is so strong here. We want a provost who will help us to think about what our distinguishing characteristics are as an institution, to promote who we are and what makes us stand out.”

In order to find such a person, the College has undertaken an extensive search. The Provost and Dean Search Committee hired a search firm to assist in recruitment and advertising for the position. After assembling a group of highly-qualified candidates, the pool was narrowed in successive stages.

Confidential interviews determined the final four candidates, who have been invited to campus to meet with administration and faculty and engage in open forums. Jeffrey Barker, Emily Chamlee-Wright, Robert Midkiff, and Karen Ryan are these candidates.

“While WC gets to know the candidates, the candidates are getting to know WC,” said Dutka. “We obviously want the candidates to work here, but we want the candidates to want to work here as well.”

In addition to both informal and formal meetings with administration, faculty, and staff, the open forums provide a good opportunity for this familiarization. “

Our goal as a Committee is to ensure that the campus community has the chance to participate in speaking with the candidates, asking questions, and engaging with them,” Dutka said.

The candidates participate in several forums: one for faculty/staff and administration, one for students, and one campus-wide open forum. At these forums, attendees are able to ask questions of and voice concerns to the candidates. In this way, the College is able to see how the candidate in question interacts with members of the campus community and gets a sense of what he or she will bring to the table. The candidates themselves are also given the opportunity to ask questions, allowing for a better understanding of what WC is and what it needs.

After this period, the Committee (consisting of faculty, administration/staff, and student representatives) will make their recommendations to WC President Mitchell Reiss. As the Provost reports directly to the President, it is ultimately his decision to whom the position is awarded.

For those who are interested, the final forum will be held Friday, Feb. 17 from 1:15–2:15 in the Casey Academic Center.

According to court documents, Spencer Evans, Kenneth Graeme Menzies III, and Dakota Poe were charged with possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, possession with intent to distribute, and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school zone.

Evans’ four charges were placed on the stet docket, which means the case will remain closed provided Evans commits no further violations for one year. All four of Poe’s charges have been dropped.

Two of Menzies’ felony charges were dropped. Two other charges, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia, have been forwarded to the Circuit Court for a trial in late March.

On Saturday, Feb. 12, the Service Council held a Senior Citizen Prom at Heron Point. The dance is a Valentine’s Day tradition that is held annually. This is the third year of the event.

The dance is a partnership between the Service Council and Heron Point Community, with supplying the food and decorations. The students advertise on campus and make
the necessary arrangements for flowers, prizes, and the shuttle to the dance.
“That is what is good about annual events because once basics and connections are established, it gets easier to plan every year,” said Kelsey Mills, a Service Council member.

Mills said the dance would not be possible without the help of Heron Point staff, especially Kim Barrol, director of activies. “Without her this event wouldn’t have been (possible). She has worked with us since the beginning.”

Committee chairs who planned the Valentine’s Day dance are Sarah Franklin and Katie Despeaux. “The Senior Prom is a great opportunity to bridge the age gap and allows Washington College students the opportunity to develop a relationship with the residents,” said Franklin. “Furthermore, Valentine’s Day can be an extremely lonely time for (some of) the residents because they have lost their spouse so it is a great opportunity to make a difference and brighten their day. I think having an event at Heron Point brings awareness to the retirement community, which may otherwise be overlooked. Additionally, the Senior Prom allows the entire campus to become involved
and make a difference in a residents’ day.”

“We enjoy working with the staff at Heron Point and I know that the residents there love our event,” said Mills. “It is important to link the close knit community of Chestertown to our even closer knit campus. The relationship is very important to maintain and events like these help it to be accomplished. I hope this event brings a stronger sense of community to our current WC population. It means so much to everyone at Heron Point when we work with them.”
Several students were in attendance this year, among them members of WC’s sororities, fraternities, and clubs. The dance was a success, with not only the students having enjoyed it, but the residents of Heron Point as well.

“After the dance multiple residents informed me that they were so happy the college had this event and were very appreciative,” said Franklin. “They loved the concept and enjoyed speaking with the students.”

“We had so many students in attendance this year, it was almost overwhelming.” said Jesse Schaefer. “I think we’ll need a bigger space next year.”

Senior WC peer mentors Emily Simpson and Antoine Jordan interact with a Horizons’ student during the November 2011 Play Day. - Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Siudzinski

The Peer Mentor Horizons Play Day is coming back for an encore this April, with one very important change. This time, according to Vice President for Student Affairs Sarah Feyerherm, the program will be accepting outside applicants who want to participate.

Last November, Washington College’s Peer Mentor program hosted a Play Day for children participating in Kent County’s Horizons Program. Horizons is a national enrichment program whose goal is to reduce the achievement gap between low-income students and students from middle- to high-income families.

The program joined forces with WC peer mentors when Feyerherm introduced senior Jesse Schaefer to Connie Schroth, the executive director of Horizons.

“One of our predecessors, Katelyn Malchester, thought that there should be a community service element to the Peer Mentor program,” said Schaefer. “That we shouldn’t just be an on-campus organization, but we should also place an emphasis on reaching out to the surrounding community. She couldn’t make it happen before she graduated. But she passed the project onto Ross Mills, Molly Anderson, and myself, and we promised to continue with it. So it’s really a success story of collaboration.”

Inspired by Malchester’s vision, Schaefer, Mills, and Anderson set out to plan a program for the Horizons students that would meet the program’s goal of educational enrichment.

“We invited the Horizons’ students to campus because we wanted to introduce them, not only to WC, but to college in general, so they could conceptualize of college as an option,” said Schaefer.

But they wanted the day to be fun as well, so Schaefer, Mills, and Anderson used the peer mentors’ talents to organize activities for the children.

“We met the Horizons’ kids in the LFC, gave them breakfast, and hosted a mini playfair. Then the students were given the option of attending two of six activities, led by the different peer mentors. The activity groups included dance, acting, basketball, arts and crafts, and juggling groups. Then, we culminated in Hynson Lounge for cookies and pizza and ended the day with a tour of campus,” said Schaefer.

Although Play Day was designed with kids in mind, Feyerherm said the experience was valuable for the peer mentors as well.

“It benefits both groups,” said Feyerherm. “For the peer mentors, it helps them utilize their skills with a different age group. It gave them a connection to the community they may not have had otherwise and for those who haven’t had the experience of working with small children before, I think when you work with that age group is when you learn the most. And the Horizons’ kids got to see and connect with a college student. Hopefully, that helps them start to see college as an option.”

Because last semester’s Play Day was so successful, Schaefer and Feyerherm both hope that it will become a bi-annual tradition. The Peer Mentor program is planning to host the second Play Day this spring, with a tentative date set for April.

“I think we were able to serve as positive role models for the kids and help make college life not so intimidating. Although we are adults, I don’t think they see us in quite the same light as they do other adults. We’re young, so they relate a little more to us. We’re really at the perfect age to reach out to these kids and serve as role models,” said Schaefer.

Elm Staff Writer

Before getting into this review, let’s talk about gender and Dubstep. Despite what looks like a predominantly male genre, there’s actually a large number of female artists who both DJ and produce Dubstep music. It’s just that that side of the community has remained largely unseen in the past couple years. The big names out there right now belong to males.

Now some people consider Mary Anne Hobbs’ Dubstep Warz DJ sessions as the tipping point for Dubstep into the mainstream world, but Hobbs herself remained low on the list of male names associated with the actual Dubstep tracks on her playlists. There have been a bunch of female artists who made popular Dubstep tracks, but they were popular within the underground audience that the genre had at the time.

Dubstep has gone through some major face lifting, and by the luck of the draw, most of the producers now associated with that dirty, grimy bass wobble characterizing most modern Dubstep happen to be male.

That was just an interesting bit of history about Dubstep, and really it doesn’t matter because gender has nothing to do with the quality of music. If you think it does, then you’re a fool.

However, it’s also interesting because I recently came across a fantastic album put together by a male and female team of musicians in my never-ending quest to peruse the underbelly of the Electronic music world for great and underappreciated artists.

“Reset” is the latest EP by X Sentinel, which also contains three tracks featuring the prominent artist Girlstep. She’s a female, in case that name didn’t hit you over the head hard enough, and unlike most of the other female musicians I know, she’s producing heavy hitters as massive as what Flux Pavilion and Nero are known for.

I’m going to lay my cards on the table. This album is awesome. Both X Sentinel and Girlstep have original and stunning styles that adhere to the demand for heavy bass lines while maintaining a creativity helping them rise above the rest. X Sentinel has a great understanding of melody, and Girlstep’s use of crazy low and high tone sounds bring a sense of controlled chaos to the final mix. Placing them together then is like a polar bear and a shark high fiving two slices of bread into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich of win.

So what is “Reset” about? Video games, or at least that’s what I think. Right on the album art,  you’re asked “Reset?” with the choice: yes or no. After hearing the album the first time, I found myself selecting yes over and over again. Also, the biggest track on the album is called “Game Over”, and it hits big. Every time I hear the lead synthesizer, I feel as though I’m trapped playing games on The Grid. X Sentinel is also known for making Hardstyle Dance music, which you can hear come through in the upbeat four to the floor rhythm of Awaken.

Of course not everything about this album is perfect. “Make Me Anime”, for example, sounds nice up until the drop hits, which sound as though a second track was roughly tacked on in haste to finish. A couple of the tracks also seem to end without a cool down or any conclusion, leaving the listener hanging on the final note. This works well for a live mix, when one track bleeds into the next, but on an album it doesn’t come across so well.

Still, this remains an awesome album due to everything it gets right. If you like EDM at all, I wholeheartedly recommend getting yourself a copy of this album right away. Also, go support X Sentinel and Girlstep. Now that we can see a female artist making a splash in the genre, it’s time to show her off to the masses.

Elm Staff Writer 

Ever since becoming a vegetarian last year, my meal plan on campus has been going to waste. With each meal,  I am hesitant to go to the dining hall because of the lack of variety in vegetarian options.  How hard can it be to provide healthy and appetizing alternatives to beef, chicken, or pork? To quote whoever wrote on the white board a couple weeks back, “Vegetarians and vegans need protein too.”

Although there are numerous alternatives for vegetarians on campus, they just don’t necessarily contain the proper nutrients. Pizza, fries, pasta and veggie burgers are served almost everywhere, but these sometimes grease-soaked and carbohydrate-rich foods just add more starch and minimal amounts of protein to vegetarians’ diets.

There’s always the option of salad but even that won’t supply all the nutrients needed to keep up a healthy diet, and eating the same thing over and gets tiresome. The attempt to serve at least one vegetarian alternative to the meals is admirable, of course, but sometimes those choices are questionable too.

I don’t think it’s fair to put more focus on the majority as far as diets on campus go; wraps almost always have some element of meat in them, staff-made salads are forever made with chicken or ham, and it’s getting down right irritating. It might be more difficult to find the alternative for meat while on a budget or buying from vendors. But people who are vegetarians and vegans have their reasons for not wanting to eat animal products, and that should be respected as much as those who chose the opposite.

Recently, I have also noticed a bit of false advertising on the options that are supposed to be vegetarian friendly, such as macaroni and cheese that claims to be vegetarian on the sign but clearly has large chunks of meat in the actual product. From experience, I know the challenge of finding satisfying vegetarian food anywhere, but that should not mean that vegetarians should continue to face dull or unhealthy foods.

Simple fixes to the signs could help to prevent misunderstandings on what a vegetarian can and cannot eat. At a certain point in the vegetarian process, the body can reject meat if it is accidentally consumed and create nausea or some form of rejection, as well as possibly emotionally upsetting the person. I faced an incident like that at home over break and would like to never know those feelings again.

There was an e-mail sent out sometime last year asking for feedback on what vegetarians and vegans would like to see more of in the dining hall. I got my hopes up that this would lead to more variety for people like me. Disappointingly, however, there seemed to be a decline in the foods that I could actually eat. Not wanting to face the same old unhealthy foods and meat in the cafeteria, this often leads me to skipping meals, dining in my room, or going to the Cove.

Would it kill them to offer more vegetables, tofu, or wraps without meat? Have options that are not just cheese and carbohydrate-laden? The surprising fact is that most vegetarians and vegans’ diets lack nutrients from vegetables moreso than they lack protein. Perhaps sending out the email again will help to see if there are more ideas and recipes that could be generated. Nothing will get done if the other vegetarians and vegans don’t offer suggestions, because clearly, the dining hall staff is a little bit lost here.