Liberal Arts, Limited Choice?

 By: Abbie Cichowski

It is common knowledge – or should be, at least – that all Ursinus students must take a lab science to fulfill the college’s core requirements. Part of the appeal of a liberal arts school is the fact that students are strongly encouraged to take a wide range of courses, thus making us well-rounded, informed citizens.

What initially was created to benefit us has proven to be a challenge for some. For those attending Ursinus without hopes of entering the fields of medicine or laboratory research, finding a science class to fulfill that requirement can seem like a semester’s worth of work in and of itself. That is, a science class that we actually want to take and has space for us.

Popular opinion on this campus is that, for people who are a bit intimidated by test tubes and such, you should enroll in geology, or as the poetically-inclined like to refer to it: “Rocks for Jocks”. Each and every semester Humanities majors hold their breath as they wait to see if the Class Registration gods will smile upon them. I myself tried to take geology my freshman year only to be waitlisted. I attempted to take forensic chemistry (a class designed for non-majors) only for the class to be cancelled. Despite numerous attempts, I am a senior who has yet to complete her lab science. And I am not alone. In casual conversations with my fellow classmates within the first week, I learned of at least four other students who are in the same predicament.

Yet, what I believe to be even worse is the fact that some students feel that they are forced into taking a science they normally would not have because of the lack of open spots in desired courses. MaryKate Sullivan, a senior English major, took Bio102Q to fulfill her science requirement. She said, “I decided to take biology because I was actually good at it in high school and I figured that since this was a 100-level course it wouldn’t be too hard.” When asked about the result of the class, MaryKate admitted her dissatisfaction: “This class affected my GPA negatively…grad schools will see. I worked very hard and did all of the homework, studied for the tests, and went to the review sessions when they were held…The part that disappointed me the most was that I did not have many choices when it came to picking a lab science.”

I direct your attention now to the Fall Semester 2009-2010 Class Schedule the Registrar produces. Looking only at the column entitled “waitlisted” one can see that it is environmental geology which displays the highest number of members who did not get into the class, 6, as opposed to the occasional 2s and 1s found in departments like English, exercise and sports science, anthropology, and interdisciplinary studies (UC InfoNet).

Please allow me to make clear my intent in writing this article. By no means do I want to use this as a chance to vent my own personal frustration. Moreover, I in no way wish to diminish the credibility of geology and similar courses by judging them “easy”. I simply want to bring the issue of limited course sections to the attention of this institution, as this will only prove to be more problematic as we continue to matriculate larger freshman classes.

At present, it appears as though there is hesitation in opening more sections of geology, rather than excitement over having so many students interested.

I, along with MaryKate Sullivan and every other student here at UC, realize the importance of a liberal arts education. If you type in the word “liberal” into any word document, a list of definitions will surface, and among them the following descriptions: “favoring reform” and “not limited” (Encarta Dictionary). We are hoping for reform. We are hoping that future UC students are not limited. For, as a result of that limitation, we may sacrifice an opportunity to take a class which interests us for one that just happens to have open seats.back to The Grizzly online

Paranormal Activity: A new form of scary

By: Rebecca Smyth

Over the years, scary movies have evolved into more than just the typical ghost story; these days, we see trailers for movies like the “Saw” series, which emphasizes blood and gore in its attempt to frighten audiences, or movies similar to “Orphan”, which utilizes realistic scenarios to terrorize peoples’ innermost fears.

While the recently released “Paranormal Activity” may appear to be a ghost story of sorts, viewers might be surprised at how much this movie preys on the weaknesses and nightmares of its audiences.


Starring two unknown actors Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, the film was directed by Indie-film director Oren Peli. Styled cleverly as a convincing documentary, “Paranormal Activity” presents what appears to be a normal situation: after moving into a new home, couple Katie and Micah come to the conclusion that they are being haunted by some sort of ghost or demon after videotaping odd disturbances that seem to only occur at night, while they are asleep. As more and more details are revealed about Katie’s troubled past with experiencing “paranormal activity” while growing up, Micah  and Katie seem to be fighting a losing battle as the terrifying phantom continues to terrorize their home.

What this ghost story uses that not many others take advantage of is its style of filming; recording in a fashion mimicking a the act of looking through a handheld camera (identical to that of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield”), the shaky camera angle gives the audience a more personal contact with the horrified couple. Viewers not only watch the movie, they seem to share the experience with the couple; the used, odd method of filming adds to the movie’s scariness through forcing the audience to actually “live” with Micah and Katie in their haunted home. 

Originally created in 2007 with a different ending than the released version, the 2009 ghost thriller has received mixed reviews from both movie critics and students. “I thought it was really scary, especially because of the way it was recorded,” said sophomore Alaina Gaines. Another student, who chose to remain anonymous, claimed that the camera angle did not allow her to enjoy the movie. Said Olivia Minick, a sophomore, “I thought it was scarier than the average ghost story, because of how they made it similar to a documentary.” Other students agreed: “Until the end, I thought it was a true story,” said another junior, who chose to remain anonymous. “The whole style of how the movie was filmed and directed made the plotline a lot scarier than other ghost movies.”

While critics and movie-goers have given “Paranormal Activity” many different reviews, one cannot deny that the film is receiving a great deal of national attention, and has definitely made a dent in the movie industry. Whether the style of filming employed by Peli will set the standard for future horror films is unknown, there is no doubt that “Paranormal Activity” has explored a new realm of what will scare viewers. back to The Grizzly Online

My Horizontal Life: One night stands have never been so funny

By: Andrea Magnolo

"Where have I been all of Chelsea Handler's life? I had no idea how funny, how brilliant she is.  She is too clever for words”, Liz Smith of the New York Post writes of comedian Chelsea Handler’s bestselling memoir, “My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands”.

I too still have a hard time believing it took me this long to discover Handler, who I am now, completely obsessed with.   Handler is not only an author but stars in her own late night cable talk show, “Chelsea Lately” which premiers on E! Entertainment  Network. 

“My Horizontal Life” is a series of short stories about one night stands the author took part in throughout her life.  The first chapter begins with a hilarious rendition of the first time she caught her parents having sex because her sister dared her 5 dollars to break into the room and take a picture.  Handler writes, “I may not have known what sex was, but I did know that I needed to step up my wardrobe in order to be taken seriously in the first grade”.  Her father was so angry as a result of the incident that Handler and her sister hid in the basement for hours in fear of being punished.  Growing up the youngest of 5 brothers and sisters, much of her writing refers back to her half Jewish half Italian family.  Throughout the book Handler would constantly mock her father for thinking he was a used car salesmen, her sister Sloane who suddenly turns Mormon and later her roommate whom she refers to as “dumb-dumb”. 

Initially I was shocked at the brutally honest raw language, along with description that Handler uses in the book.  However this is also what makes it so appealing, it’s tell all, including every embarrassing detail that most of us would rather not share with the world.  Handler’s ability to open up about her sex life and feel completely comfortable relating it to others in a humorous way, is what attracts readers to the book.  I can’t begin to count the amount of times she left me hysterically laughing and each sex-capade was funnier than the last.  Deb Yanessa, a Junior at Ursinus said that, “I liked her sarcasm and sense of humor. The stories were completely wild but believable due to the way she told them”. 

Aside from the memoir only being based on one night stands, Handler includes many major transitions in her life such as moving from New Jersey to Los Angeles and even to New York City.  Handler also writes about the many of the highs and lows that take place during this time from being completely broke and living in Martha’s Vineyard to finally starting to perform standup comedy.  I enjoyed being able to get a feel of who Handler was from her descriptions of what it was like growing up in suburban New Jersey and her successes as well as failures in careers humanized her tales even more.  So if you’re looking for a quick, laugh out loud scandals read then “My Horizontal Life” is perfect for you! back to The Grizzly