By Kathryn Young, Features Co-Editor

The sensation can be described in many different ways: a pressure or tension with a sudden burst of release; an explosion; almost like a yawn. No matter how one describes it, however, an orgasm is something that everyone would like to experience.

Physically an orgasm can be summed up as the contraction of the uterus, vaginal walls, and anus all at the same time. Because it is difficult to try and put into words exactly what an orgasm feels like, many women wonder if they’ve ever actually had one. But when you have an orgasm you will know.

Masters and Johnson were the first to research the wonder of sex.

With research, they discovered that there are four distinct phases which become prevalent during sex. In order to understand the difficulties of achieving orgasms, it is helpful to know how the body responds to sexual encounters according to reporter for a local college, Lauren Sontag.

Male and female bodies alike go through four phases: excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution.

The excitement phase may occur as someone begins to kiss your neck allowing blood to rush to the pelvic region, said Sontag. The vulva begins to swell with this blood while his body begins to react in the same manner as the penis enlarges.

His body begins to produce pre-cum, as her vagina becomes lubricated and widens. Together their nipples become erect while the heart rate increases and their muscles become tenser.

At this stage, clothes sprawled on the floor, the plateau phase comes into play. Problems can sometimes arise during this second stage, Sontag said. The outer vaginal walls become swollen, as well, and his corona, the ridge of the penis, swells even further. The clitoris is raised and his testicles lift into his body.

According to Sontag and her research, it is at this point that sex becomes both physical and mental.

As wonderful as the moment has become, it has also brought on a certain amount of overwhelming pressure. The problem usually occurs because the plateau stage is much longer for her than it is for him. Sontag points out that many women have a hard time turning off their brain and actually “talk themselves out of an orgasm.”

Because of this, women become convinced that they are unable to have an orgasm, says Sontag, when in reality they need to relax and let their body take its own course. Once they get their mind back on track, sweat dripping and hearts pounding, the orgasm phase is let off by the release of sexual tension. The muscles within her vagina, anus, and uterus contract vibrations from head to toe despite whether the penis has released semen.

After the orgasm phase, the bodies return to their unexcited forms and begin the resolution phase. Their heart rates decrease. She may be able to achieve multiple orgasms but this does not pertain to him. Euphoria.

This homecoming could be the last for underground Greek letters on field
By Greg Pfeiffer

The view at Bair Stadium may not be as colorful this homecoming. The long-held tradition of painting Greek letters and logos of campus organizations on the hill enclosing the football field is under scrutiny, though decisive action has yet to be taken.

There has been recent debate over the ability of Greek organizations to paint their letters on the stadium hill. Fraternities and sororities are sanctioned a small piece of the hill to represent their group; Homecoming acts as the best event for these displays. With multiple Greek bodies on campus, both recognized and underground, space is limited.

The issue surfaced recently when underground organizations painted their letters on the field, crowding legitimate, school-backed organizations. Other members of the campus community were concerned about the even distribution of space per organization.

There has been speculation that underground groups should be denied a section on the hill, leaving only certain groups the chance for acknowledgement. According to senior Jonathan Schultz, however, the talk holds little certainty.

“The statement about letting only recognized organizations paint their letters on the hill is just that, a statement” says Schultz, the InterGreek Council President as well as the Treasurer and a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. “It has not been turned into a policy, and nothing has been established.”

The matter has been brought before the IGC, where a vote took place to gather support from recognized Greek groups to send the issue to administration. At this point, as Schultz explained only time will tell if certain organizations are denied the opportunity to display their letters. If the policy does indeed pass, unrecognized bodies will not have the privilege to paint, as deemed by administrators placing priority on known bodies.

This has not, however, stopped most organizations from displaying their letters in the past. In fact, groups who have not received space missed out because other groups take up too much room and cut into other areas. Once many groups do this, little to no room is left for a particular group; this happens mostly during Homecoming.

Schultz has done his homework on the issue, explaining that the McDaniel College 2007-2008 Student Handbook states “defacing College property” will result in “College discipline.” With that in mind, it seems administration has already set the ground rules for painting; anyone who does is clearly in violation of code of conduct. In this case, tradition continually outweighs the guidelines each year, and no damage takes place.

“Once the grass is cut, the paint will be gone. It’s as simple as that,” Schultz added.

The new policy would require approved groups to register with the College Activities Office before painting their letters. After registering, groups will receive an assigned space on the hill that they must adhere to, and consequences will involve disciplinary action against any violators.

Whether or not any decision will be made before Homecoming is unknown, though it appears that this homecoming could be the last time underground fraternities and sororities will have a chance to sprawl their letter out on the grass.

Details surrounding missing girl remain vague
By Katelynn McGinley

Signs posted around North Village the morning of Thursday, September 27 alerted the campus that a teenaged girl was missing and may possibly be on campus.

Rebecca Bainbridge, age 16, was reported missing from her Hagerstown, MD home on September 12. Deputy of Campus Safety Mike Webster told The McDaniel Free Press that the posters were put up as a favor to the Hagerstown Police Department, saying, “Sometimes people from Hagerstown will end up here…she [Bainbridge] doesn’t have any ties to the campus.”

When asked whether or not progress had been made on the case, Webster said he doubted it adding, “since we haven’t received a call telling us to take the signs down, I assume the case is still open.”

Carroll County sheriff’s department officers spotted on campus the night of Saturday, Septem-ber 29 were tight-lipped about their reasons for patrolling the campus. They admitted that while they were aware of the case, they could not confirm or deny that it was the reason that brought them to McDaniel. One officer had this to say about Bainbridge; “She isn’t missing – she’s a runaway. There is some evidence to suggest that she has done this sort of thing before.” He went on to say, “If she doesn’t want to be found, we aren’t going to find her.”

Details surrounding the case remain vague, but to date, the facts are as follows:

• Rebecca Paige Bainbridge is officially listed as an “endangered runaway”.
• She is five feet four inches tall with shoulder length straight red hair and brown eyes. She wears glasses and has a scar on her left knee.
• Before she was rumored to have come to Westminster, police had reason to believe that she was in Sykesville, MD – where she had run away to previously, according to Gazette.Net

Calls to Hagerstown sheriff’s department, Hagerstown city police, and MD state police, finally took The McDaniel Free Press to the Hagerstown state police, to the officer in charge of the case, Sgt. Dave Bowers. Like Webster, he said that there was no indication that Bainbridge was affiliated with the college, but that she did have a history of running away to college campuses that were close to her home. He could neither confirm nor deny the rumors that police had tracked the GPS signal on Bainbridge’s phone to a building in North Village.

According to The Charley Project, a website that has documented over 6,500 “cold cases” concerning missing persons, the term “endangered runaway” is used in cases where a minor has been missing for more than thirty days, or when there is indication that a minor is missing under circumstances that indicate she left voluntarily. At the time the signs went up on campus, Bainbridge had officially been missing for approximately 15 days.

If you have any information on the case, you are encouraged to call either the Westminster state police 410-386-3000, or Sgt. Dave Bowers with the Hagerstown State Police at 301-739- 2101.

By Laura Hutton, News Co-Editor
Contributions by Geoff Peckham

On Saturday, September 29, McDaniel College held its first Founders Convocation since the 125th anniversary of the school 15 years ago. Among those honored was NBA hall-of-famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was awarded an honorary degree in Human Letters. Jabbar is the author of Brothers in Arms, which centers on the 761st Tank Battalion, the first all-African American battalion in the United States Army during WWII.

Also honored was 1931 alum Paul Lavern Bates, who was the commanding officer of the 761st.

Baron Bates, the son of Paul Bates, accepted the Trustee Alumni Award that was posthumously presented to his father. This honor is given to a very small number of alums who greatly impact society after leaving the campus.

“My father would have been most honored,” Bates said. Paul Bates was eager and confident to lead the first African American battalion and land on foreign soil. Bates insisted that his men, who called themselves the “Black Panthers,” be given nothing but the best.

Best known for his basketball career, Abdul-Jabbar is creating a new name through himself through his growing collection of authored works.

“He was most impressed with McDaniel College for producing a leader like Paul Bates who cared so much about his soldiers and for the cause of social justice,” states President Joan Coley.

Through Brothers in Arms, (published in 2005), Abdul-Jabbar remembers the 761st Tank Battalion. He became interested in the 761st through a 1992 documentary that he was invited to attend.

Disappointed with the sloppy production and factual errors pointed out by “Smitty,” a family friend and member of the 761st, Abdul-Jabbar decided to write the book. Abdul-Jabbar was surprised to learn that this “wise-cracking copwho was a friend of my dad’s was actually a war hero.”

Information about the Battalion “really opened my mind up and I was totally flabbergasted by what I saw,” said Abdul-Jabbar.

“Smitty” only lived for a year after the book was published. It was just enough time to share his experiences with friends and family and see the smiles the book put on the faces of the Battalion members.

Abdul-Jabbar shared that people always ask him why he wrote the book and he said that the answer “is really very simple.”

Sophomore Lia Snow adds, “It is a great honor to have Abdul-Jabbar visit our school.”

Also honored was Dr. Vasilis Pagonis, professor of physics at McDaniel College, with the inaugural appointment into the John Desmond Kopp Professorship in the Sciences.

After receiving his Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, Abdul-Jabbar was presented with the Army Coin of Excellence by Major General W. Montague Winfield. “It is not very often that one gets to make a presentation to his hero,” stated Winfield upon the presentation of the coin, “Brothers in Arms is my favorite book.”

The army never intended for the 761st to fight. They just instated the Battalion to maintain continued support from African Americans for the war. Not only did they fight, but the 761st faced 183 days of continuous combat.

“These gentlemen were able to help tell America about the one to two million African Americans that fought in WWII,” explained Winfield, who also commended Abdul-Jabbar for the balance he created between sports and academics.

Coley added, “Founders Convocation was McDaniel College at its best. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an excellent example of a scholar athlete who valued his education and wants people to know him for something other than just his sky hook.”

By Geoff Peckham, News Co-Editor

If you were to ask Baron Bates about his father’s college years, he would probably say very firmly that Western Maryland College played a large part in the development of his character. Considering the type of man Colonel Paul Levern Bates was, this is something McDaniel College should take a lot of pride in.

“He always spoke fondly of [WMC],” said Bates after the Founder’s Convocation on September 29. “It had a tremendous influence on him.” Bates was on hand to accept the Trustee Alumni Award on his father’s behalf at the ceremony.

“He always said his purpose in life was to lead the 761st,” Bates said, referring to his time as the commander of the 761st Tank Battalion during WWII, otherwise known as the “Black Panthers.”

The 761st was entirely comprised of African-Americans, the first of its kind. They were never expected to see combat, and very few had faith in them, not even General George Patton, to whose US Third Army the battalion was deployed. But the “Black Panthers” would ultimately be engaged in four major campaigns, including the Battle of the Bulge.

Before he was the commanding officer of the 761st, Paul Bates was a student at McDaniel, then called Western Maryland College. Bates was offered 17 football scholarships coming out of high school, but ultimately decided to play under WMC legend Dick Harlow.

He highlighted his college career as captain of the undefeated 1930 team, was named an All-American in 1929 and 1930, and was on the Maryland All-Star Team in his final year.

He earned his degree in Economics in 1931, but as an ROTC student, he was drafted into the army in 1940 before he could complete his master’s in education. He ultimately went on to become the commander of the 761st, where he became one of the most respected men of the battalion.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who researched and wrote the story of the 761st in Brothers in Arms and was also honored at the recent convocation, dedicated the book to Colonel Bates. Baron Bates was surprised to see the dedication when he picked up the book after it was published.

“It’s interesting when you [personally] know history, then read about it,” Bates commented.

He said that except for two small biographical errors, the book is very accurate, and Bates was proud to see the story finally brought to light.

While serving his country during WWII, Col. Bates was wounded when a German patrol infiltrated American lines. Despite his injuries, Bates insisted on staying with his men but wasn’t given a choice by the medics. He would ultimately be awarded the Silver Star, two Bronze stars, and a Purple Heart. In 1978, Bates and the 761st received the Presidential Unit Citation from President Jimmy Carter. They were the only unit to be awarded with this honor.

Col. Bates also played a role in a course of events that would have a huge impact on desegregation.

Second Lt. John Robinson was one of many officers who joined the 761st. Before the battalion was deployed, Robinson was on a military bus, and when he was asked to move to the back, he refused.

A court-martial was initiated, but Col. Bates refused to sign off on it, as he had very high regard for Robinson’s moral conduct. Robinson was transferred to another battalion, but Col. Bates put his career on the line by testifying on Robinson’s behalf at the eventual hearing. Robinson was acquitted and honorably discharged, so he never saw combat.

Robinson eventually went on to desegregate baseball, except he would be known to the American public as “Jackie.”

History may remember Paul Bates as the commander of the 761st. His son may remember him as a “completely different person,” one who enjoyed opera and other cultural activities. But all will remember him as brave hero, a man who was committed to his troops, and who stood up for their rights as African-Americans after the war, reaffirming his place as one of McDaniel College’s favorite sons.