“Some of the players really stepped it up this season” said Coach Rob Harmon, commenting on Senior Wes Weir breaking a record for the most three pointers made in conference games. Freshman Scott Rogers brought the score up, averaging fourteen points and seven rebounds a game and is now looking to go all-conference.

Many new players really brought an addition to the team this season including both Ian Jackson, averaging 12 points a game, and Ty Graham who played a big role in driving the lane. While freshmen J.R. Wuo and Andrew Haney also saw varsity minutes toward the end of the season.

“We’re losing some key players this next season but the next guys up I think will really have a handle on the games and be ready to lead the team.” Coach Harmon said about his seniors leaving Trine. The team will be saying goodbye to 5 seniors this year: Reid McNally, Wes Weir, Glenn Alfieri, Tim Raftery, and Tab McNally. While we say farewell and good luck to them, the team will still be ready for next year with three of their top four starters returning to play. But now that the regular season is over, the team is ready to move on to what counts the most, the post-season.

“I’m a little disappointed that the season has turned out like it has, but what really makes the tournament great is that all the teams come in with a 0-0 record. This gives everybody an equal chance at winning nationals, it’s essentially a brand new start.” says Harmon, “Now we have a chance to put all of those losses behind us and take another shot at it [nationals].” The tournament standings and schedule, which have not yet been released, will be out soon to find out when, where, and how to come out and support your Thunder. Check the team’s website at www.trine. edu/athletics for further information

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The Thunder lost the scrimmage to University of Michigan 2-1. Although the Wolverine’s are only a club team, the University of Michigan still has a number of NCAA Division I teams and very talented athletes. The Thunder knew this would not be an easy game. With this being their first time ever to play at the University of Michigan the team can still be very happy with themselves for how well they played.

The team then went on to play against Ohio Wesleyan University later the same day and was outscored 5-1, with the point being scored by sophomore midfielder Blaine Stahley, but once again the effort was just not enough to win.

The games, which were played as two 30 minute halves, were just scrimmages and the losses will not count against the team in any way. Junior attacker Cory Childs returns ranking eighth in the country in scoring. He scored the Thunder’s single point in the University of  Michigan game and is expected to lead the team in his third year playing for Trine. The setting for the games is said to have played a factor in the losses. “We had a lot of issues with the lighting,” says the team’s coach Vinnie Lang, “It was extremely difficult keeping track of a white ball moving that fast in a room with all white walls. But I think we played an alright game all things considered.”

The team plays a very difficult schedule early on facing Kenyon College, who has made the NCAA tournament two out of the last five years. But expectations are high from Coach Lang for his first year here at Trine. “There are two things this team really needs to get done. First we need to stay healthy; we’ve had a few injuries lately. Second we need to have more discipline, enough to execute during the times when it really matters. If we accomplish those two goals, there’s no reason we can’t go 12-2 in the regular season,” says Lang.

This year, the Thunder are led by returning juniors Dan Giorgis, Sean Hitz, Childs, Alex Gregg, Dan LaFond, Tom Shermetaro, and Tom Hopkins as well as returning sophomores Andy Lauer, Jeremy Sherman, Ben Montalvo, Sam Swerdlow, Eric Thompson, Nate Deinlen, Blane Stahley, Jeff Dombek, Chris Olney, and Jake Staines. The Thunder have also added freshman talent to round out their roster. The Thunder will start off their regular season with two home games February 27, playing Kenyon College, and March 7 hosting Hendrix College. Come out and support the men’s lacrosse team Saturday. Their game starts at 2 p.m.

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Jay kicked off his presentation by pointing out the different perspectives males and females have about sex. According to him, there are three pressures guys face that make them act the way they sometimes do. The first he called “locker-room talk,” referring to the conversations from the locker room, with guys asking each other how they “scored” the night before. The second he explained was simply homophobia. Not just homophobia, but the fear of being perceived as gay.

Jay specifically talked about using “girl” as a putdown. “Well, folks, that offends me,” he said. “That puts down half of our world’s population – our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, and perhaps our partners. Notice how sexism and homophobia get all tied together.” The final pressure Jay mentioned was the “blue balls,” or the discomfort associated with “stopping” and the false belief that guys would “explode” if not finished during sexual intercourse.

On the topic of masturbation, he also pointed out that masturbation is a perfect way to practice using condoms, which should be an important part of sex. “Shopping for a condom should be like shopping for a car, with hundreds of varieties available, you need to find the make, model, luxuries and features that feel best to you and whoever might ride along with you.”

Jay also pointed out the differences between the America and Northern Europe. He mentioned a story about being a tourist in Sweden. He received a brochure filled with different translations of phrases like, “I love you,” “I want to sleep with you,” and “I think I might have a disease.”

Friedman pointed out that developed countries in Europe have lower rates of teen pregnancy, abortion, STD transmission and sexual assaults than those in the United States. He attributes this to comprehensive sex education programs in those countries, as opposed to the focus on abstinence we have here. Thinking back on my middle school education, we were shown a slideshow filled with graphic pictures of STDs and a video of a live pregnancy. My school had a classic “scare tactics” approach to force abstinence, which (in all honesty) doesn’t work. People are going to want to have sex whether their parents and teachers like it or not. Schools should have a comprehensive education to teach young adults the proper ways to do it safely. This was a core premise of Jay’s speech. I can’t help but agree with this.

He also pointed out that politics plays a larger role in our sexual lives then we give it credit for. “Everywhere that you see the oceans of America, it tends to be very open minded when it comes to sex,” he said. “It’s when I come close to the center of the country that things start becoming more closed-minded and conservative.”

Overall I found the presentation provocative, entertaining, and insightful. His views certainly won’t be palatable to everyone; being pro-choice, anti-Palin, and comfortable with premarital sex is certainly going to ostracize him in most of the Midwest. In my opinion, if you are focusing on those things, you are missing the bigger picture. Jay Friedman had a message to bring, and he brought it in an entertaining and sexual way. A final thought from Jay, “Don’t forget your kagels!”

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Dr. Pavan Karra, originally from India, received his B. Tech. at the National Institute of Technology in Warangal, India; his M.S. at the University of Nebraska; and his Ph.D. at Iowa State University. Pavan always wanted to teach and comes from a long line of teachers: his brother, father, his father’s brothers, and his grandfather all keeping the tradition. He now teaches alongside his brother, Prashanth Karra, here. He says that his favorite vacation spot is Alaska; he has been there several times and looks forward to the next opportunity to go.

Dr. Karra enjoys teaching Mechatronics and System Dynamics & Control. He enjoys the classes that are mathematically intensive and still fun. He is looking forward to the open house at the end of the semester for Mechatronics where the students get to show off the toys they spent the semester building. Some of the boxes on his shelf turned out to be remote controls, RC cars, and one that was a machine that followed a light on the wall; all of which were built in that class. I have to say… I’ll probably go to the open house out of sheer curiosity.

Dr. Karra is also the current academic advisor for ASME, which until this year was defunct; they have been working hard to get the organization up and running again.

In his free time, Dr. Karra enjoys reading; his current read is the Last Place on Earth, which is a book on polar exploration. He also likes to play chess and has been playing for around twenty years now, having been taught by his father. Pavan also likes to process music (chop and mix it) and enjoys pop and rock. As it turns out, his office wasn’t (as I had fist thought) all work and no play; rather, it served to show that, for him, they happen to be one and the same.

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Professor DeAgostino earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and his Masters of Science in Engineering Science

at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. Before coming to Trine; he worked in the automotive industry for Ford and General Motors for 25 years. A few years back he became concerned about the job security within the automotive industry and began teaching mathematics courses at a local community college near his home. He discovered that he loves to teach and noticed the open position here at Trine on one of his job searches.

Having six children himself he enjoys mentoring young people and said it to be much more rewarding than his previous work in the automotive industry. “I would much rather be responsible for people then for parts,” he stated of his new love for teaching students. While in his office we discussed what teaching means to him as he grabbed his textbooks and expressed that subject matter means something to him. Needless to say I believed him. All professors have knowledge of the subject matter they are teaching, but when a professor can relay that information with passion the way he does, it is hard for anyone not to want to listen, learn, and love the subject.

He is very passionate about the subject and pairing that with the mentoring of young people he gets to create something that he wants to wake up every day and do. A very humorous joker himself, he realizes that not everyone takes the same approach to the subject as he does. “They are either laughing with me, or laughing at me but either way it’s all good.” He enjoys what he does and he wakes up every day to be there for his students.

In the future Professor DeAgostino wants to continue teaching more complex subject matter and potentially further his own education with getting his PhD. “There is a lot of potential to do a lot of things when you have the time, resources and knowledge,” he stated, excitedly, about his future at Trine University.

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Dr. Karra was born in the southern town of Warangal, India, which he says is about the size of Fort Wayne. After completing his B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering in his home town, Dr. Karra moved to the United States to further his education by earning a Master’s Degree from Mississippi State University.

Additionally, Dr. Karra earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Iowa State University of Science and Technology. While at Iowa State University, he worked on projects sponsored by John Deere and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources as part of his Ph.D. research.

Outside of his work on campus, Dr. Karra enjoys reading about history and literature as well as listening to music. Additionally, he enjoys browsing. Another favorite activity he has is playing table tennis and is always looking for someone to duel.

Dr. Karra also loves to travel. He has been to Florida three times, the Smoky Mountains twice, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and the Northeastern United States. He has not yet visited the Northwestern part of the country but he plans to go this summer. As far as traveling outside of the United States, he has only ever been to India.

Being his first year at Trine, Dr. Karra already dove into helping with the extra-curricular activities of his department besides teaching several classes in the Mechanical Engineering Department. Dr. Karra is also the advisor for the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) at Trine. This organization is for the undergraduate Mechanical Engineers in the Allen School of Engineering. Currently, they are working on a design to build a formula car to compete in the SAE International Formula Competition. They are looking for sponsorship to help them get to the competition and businesses can advertise on the side of the formula car.

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Today people of all ages can go out and do just as Jesus has taught; giving to those less fortunate not only physically but spiritually. Each year thousands of people do the work of the Lord through mission trips. This year college students from our very school are doing just that, through an organized mission trip program called ‘Beach Reach’. Together this group of forty willing and open hearted college students will venture down to Panama City Beach, Florida as will thousands of other college students from across the country.

However, what makes Beach Reach so vital is that most of these spring breakers simply get away to involve themselves in sinful desires such as excesses drinking, partying, and sexual acts.

Yet, Beach Reach is here for our fellow college students to help fill the void they have in their lives with Jesus Christ. Participants of Beach Reach will get a hand on experience sharing the Gospel, through prayer, servant evangelism in the form of free van rides in the evening, as well as providing a free pancake breakfast every morning. Both the free van rides and the morning breakfast give students an opportunity to verbally share their faith in Christ, while also getting to know and care for their fellow peers. Consisting of three main weeks in March, Beach Reach participants involve themselves in areas most college students cannot even imagine. By reaching outside of their own comfort zones, students make a sacrifice to Jesus.

Mission trips are not only an exciting way to help people of all ages, or communities of any size but a substantially rewarding undertaking. Unlike a service trip that goes to fix and provide need in a more physical and material form, a mission trip seeks out areas of spiritual need, places where people gather that are missing a large part of themselves; God. This spring break wherever you are and whatever you chose to do, make sure that you are doing it for the right reasons. Be safe and keep in your prayers those who need it most.

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Monetary donations and hair accessories were also collected from those who could not donate hair to the cause. Bon Appétit even made heart shaped cookies for the participants with pink and red frosting reading “Locks of Love.” Not only did the benefit gather donations from students, faculty and community members, it also gathered quite the crowd. A large group gathered around the first alcove to see all the action and the donations that were being made.

The benefit was a great success and just in time for Valentine’s Day, being a great way to show some love for a cause. All of the donations collected here at Trine University will be sent to the non-profit organization and used to benefit people, particularly children, who unfortunately lost their hair. Large thanks to Bon Appétit and the Office of Student Life for putting on the benefit and to all the students, faculty members and community members who made donations to the Locks of Love organization.

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Monday night kept the festivities going with a soul food feast for dinner in Whitney Commons. The menu included red beans and rice, Jambalaya, collard greens, gumbo, peach cobbler, grits, barbeque chicken, banana bread pudding, and more delicacies from the South. Along with southern soul dishes, diners listened to the smooth sounds of entertainer Chris Worth, a live performer that has wooed the University before.

Tuesday night showcased Trine’s finest musicians, singers, poetry readers, and performers at the Open Mic Night. There were ten acts of very diverse performances including poetry, sword fights, a Beynoce cover of “Halo”, and even a band. The grand prize of $100 went to freshman David Lopez who played his guitar to a couple of songs written by himself as well as Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” and Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop”.

Wednesday was filled with a Wacky Wednesday of southern desserts followed by a step performance from North Side High School. The audience even got to learn some step moves of their own from the team.

The week ended with twenty years of celebration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History month on campus. Keynote speaker Dr. Crystal B. Thomas, founder and senior pastor of New Zion Tabernacle Church in Ft. Wayne; spoke to the crowd on the topic of “911, Can We Call You”. In addition The Voices of Unity Youth Choir, under the direction of Marshall White, belted out numbers to keep the crowd alive.

All in all, the Multicultural Student Organization, Deb McHenry, and Bon Appetite did an amazing job keeping Trine students interested in and excited about Black History Month, with a fun-filled week of activities.

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The Reiner’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering demonstratedthe action of a hydraulic flume. In this experiment, a water flow over a dam spillway was shown in the lower level of Fawick Hall. The Department of Technology demonstrated rapid prototyping and the Wade Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering demonstrated metal casting techniques.

Senior Mechanical Engineering student Wes Stinson and fellow Mechanical Engineering student, junior Seth Wise demonstrated the process of metal casting. In this process, they made a hammer. Using aluminum, when heated to the proper temperature turns into a liquid, they were able to replicate the tool. Stinson and Wise started the process by sifting sand into the mold. “By sifting out the sand, you get the finest pieces of sand possible and it makes the finish at the end higher quality,” said Stinson.

Making the mold is what took the longest. First, they had to fill and pack sand into the square mold. Then, they had to dig out a hole where they would put the original hammer. They then put the second mold on top and filled and packed it with sand. When it was packed, they removed the top of the mold as well as the hammer. They then had an empty space where the heated aluminum would go to form the hammer. This process took roughly fifteen minutes. Once the mold was ready, Stinson and Wise suited up in their protective gear and filled the mold with aluminum. They had to wait 15 minutes for the aluminum to cool and harden.

The McKetta Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering demonstrated a distillation column and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department demonstrated motors and generators.

Members of the student body, faculty, and staff were all invited to take place in this exhibition of the talents of Trine University’s Engineering students.

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On May 8 none other than legendary basketball coach Bob Knight will be speaking at Trine’s 125^th commencement ceremony, where the school will present him with an honorary doctor of public service degree.

Knight’s college coaching career included six seasons at Army, 29 seasons at Indiana University, and six seasons at Texas Tech. Throughout the years he has won over 900 of those games. He has coached a perfect season, even won an Olympic Gold Medal, and that is seriously just the start of the long list of accomplishments. The proof of his services does not just stop on the basketball court.

“Coach Knight’s respect for learning and his ability to instill character in his players make him an inspiring speaker for Trine University’s 125^th commencement,” said Trine President Dr. Earl D. Brooks II. “He has not only lived an exemplary life, but has played a pivotal role in the development of many outstanding young people. His reflections on leading a life of impact and meaning will be well received by our degree candidates, their families, and our community, and we are pleased to host him on our campus.”

Knight was the youngest coach ever in major basketball history when he started in 1965, and since then has always had a bond that is unmatched with his players. Out of every student that ever  played under his coaching, 98 percent of them have graduated an unmatched feat by any other peers.

His career came to an end in 2007 after his run with Texas Tech. His entire career spanned over 41 seasons, and he continues to lend his name to charity organizations and puts money into the community.

So to congratulate and recognize him Trine will be giving Knight his honorary doctor. The schools board members are very pleased to have such an esteemed speaker for the 125 graduation class from the university.

When graduation time rolls around, you might want to keep your eyes open around campus, you might catch glimpse of or even talk to this great individual.

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