Wednesday, April 7th, 2010. Spring yawns awake, shaking off the oppressive chains of winter. A few tentative tweets from the birds fill the air, bugs lazily drone and awake, and life is renewed.

But not all was well on this tender Wednesday afternoon. While the world had its new beginning, one member of our campus sadly met his end.

Danny Hughes Jr., one of the newly bought fish at the writing center, was found gasping slowly on his side at the bottom of his tank. His thinning brethren swirled around him, while he slowly slipped into darkness.

Danny Hughes Jr. was only here for a few days’ time, but in his short stay here at McDaniel, he truly left his mark. All who saw his gaping, unerring stare were immediately changed. They were calmer, and somehow happier. This was just the kind of effect Danny Hughes Jr. had on all of those around him.

On April 7th, hours after his untimely departure from the living, Danny Hughes Jr. was ceremoniously memorialized by his surviving friends after his body was briefly used for a prank involving a pencil sharpener. On a traditional Roman pyre, made of computer paper, pencil shavings, index cards, and a staple box, Danny Hughes Jr. was burned.

Since then, all but two of the original 20 fish brought to the Writing Center for an April Fool’s Day prank have passed, but none were as influential as Danny Hughes Jr. Danny Hughes Jr. is survived by his father, Danny Hughes Sr., his friends at the Writing Center, and the two remaining goldfish, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. All who wish to pay their respects may do so any time at the McDaniel College Writing Center in Hill Hall.

In ‘Student-Athlete,’ student comes first

Marcus Dyson

Contributor

He wakes up at 5:30 every morning for either a weight-lifting session or a run with his football teammates. After a meal, he comes back to his room and attempts to get an extra half hour of sleep before his first class at 9:10 a.m.

After classes, he starts his homework. Next, he might have a captains’ meeting for the football team. Throw in another meal or two and an afternoon workout, and there is a typical day for Bill Gerdes at McDaniel College.

In the off-season.

Gerdes, however, doesn’t mind his schedule, which other college students might consider exhausting. Originally from Old Bridge, New Jersey, Gerdes attended Colts Neck High School and was very involved. Not only did he play lacrosse and run track, but he committed himself to dozens of hours of community service annually. He was also the company commander of the naval ROTC program.

Gerdes understood in high school that his first priority in school was academics. Being involved in extracurricular activities was considered a privilege in his household. “My parents made it clear that being the best student I can be was more important than trying to make it to the NFL” says Gerdes.

Gerdes plans to graduate with a degree in business administration. His professor of accounting, Susan Milstein, suggests that Gerdes’ hard work has earned the respect of his teachers and his classmates.

“Billy is always paying attention, unless a pretty girl walks into the classroom,” jokes Milstein. She notes that he rarely, if ever, misses class for a football-related activity and that football never seems to distract him from his work.

While his professors may not see him sweat, Gerdes does feel the pressure of performing in the classroom and on the field at times. “There will be days when I have two practices, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and in between that I’ll have two quizzes or a presentation. It can get a little crazy at times, but that’s when I know I have to come through in the clutch for my teammates, my parents, my teachers, and myself.”

To make things easier for himself and other college athletes, Gerdes says he would like to see the scheduling of classes changed. Early classes would leave more time in the afternoon and evening for things other than sports, such as homework, food, and leisure time.

McDaniel finished with a 5-5 record this season, its most wins since 2006. Gerdes says a conference championship would cement a successful career as a defensive lineman for the Terror. He lists three things as his essentials to accomplish his goal: “commitment, hard work and perseverance… both on and off the field.” Junior Michael Ford, a fellow defensive lineman, notes that Gerdes’ work ethic makes up for his lack of natural abilities.

“He may not be the tallest or fastest defensive lineman we have, but he is the hardest working. Eventually, that dedication is going to pay off.” It already has paid in the classroom, as demonstrated by Gerdes’ 3.1 GPA.

Does Gerdes take pride in the notion that he has earned the respect of his teammates, coaches, teachers and friends? “Not exactly,” says Gerdes. “I appreciate how other people view my work ethic, but if I get too complacent with where I am now I will stop progressing.” Gerdes recognizes that since high school, his mother would give him academic goals for each marking period. If he got anything lower than a B for two consecutive periods in the same class, he would have to stop playing sports.

“I think it really stuck with me, to be a student before an athlete. It’s just become a habit.” Just as habitual as waking up at 5:30 every morning.

Kelly Toms

Contributor

Though Sarah Byron only stands five feet two, she is looked up to by many of her peers, teammates, and even her elders because of her successful involvement on the McDaniel College campus and in the Westminster community.

Byron is a 2007 graduate of Winters Mill High School in Westminster. When deciding where she was going to attend college, McDaniel was one of her top choices. Unlike most eighteen year olds, Byron chose McDaniel because it was close to home and a school where she would have the opportunity to continue her volleyball career. These two reasons, as well as academics, were high on Byron’s priority list because family and sports are two things she holds close to her heart. Byron is the second oldest of four in her family. Having two younger siblings is what stimulates Byron’s efforts to be a role model for her younger brother and sister.

Though Byron is looked up to by many she owes a lot of her success to her parents. Her mom is her biggest fan and supporter. A diligent work ethic was instilled in Byron at a young age by her parents. She carried this hardworking attitude throughout her junior and high school years as she won many academic and athletic awards which included second team all conference for volleyball, county champs for cheerleading and she was always on the honor roll.

As Byron entered college she was ready to take on anything this new transition threw at her. With confidence, she entered the McDaniel College volleyball tryouts with high hopes of making the team, but she did not make it her freshman year. After this minor setback, Byron was “heartbroken,” she explained, but didn’t let it stop her from getting involved on campus. Because of her size and experience, as soon as the cheerleading squad heard that Byron was not playing volleyball they asked her to be on the team, which she accepted and was a cheerleader for both the fall and spring semesters of her freshman year.

In Byron’s eyes, while she missed playing volleyball it gave her more free time to branch out and meet new people, many of whom were involved in Greek life. In spring of 2008 Byron joined the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority which has become a huge part of her life. Most of the girls who persuaded Byron to consider joining a sorority were already Greek and were also part of her cheerleading squad. Byron explained that she decided to join a sorority because, “I joined Greek life because I saw how much fun the ladies already actively involved in sororities were having. Greek life holds a strong presence on our campus and it always stood out to me,” she said with a sparkle in her eye.

Byron’s love for her sorority shines through her leadership roles in the chapter which include, Scribe and Chapter Excellence Chairman and her biggest achievement was when she was elected Archon (President) for the 2010- 2011 school year. Making this one decision to join a Greek organization has led to good things for Byron, including intramural softball, Student Alumni Council, Order of Omega and Alpha Kappa Delta.

As well as on campus, Byron has a part- time job in Westminster at Bj’s Company, where she works thirty to forty hours a week. Also, Byron’s determination led her to try out for the McDaniel volleyball team again, which she made and currently holds a starting position on.

Maggie Fennelly, a freshman on the volleyball was “amazed” when she heard about Byron’s college volleyball experience. Fennelly describes Byron’s decision to try out for the volleyball team for the second time as, “triumphant and gutsy,” and she feels the reason why Byron is so successful in life is because she never gives up.

Many may wonder how Byron makes being involved in so much and achieving academic success look so easy. But, that is not always the case, she explains “I think this really shows how being involved can enhance your academic performance as well as how much Phi Sigma Sigma encourages academic success. So, while stress does exist due to my involvement I would say that is always manageable,” she said. Byron believes that “organization is key” when being involved in so much.

Some strategies she uses to keep herself organized include making a lot of to-do lists, daily plans and she uses her agenda effectively and keeps all of her due dates and events in one location as an easy reference.

Byron’s involvement and time management skills are seen by many who she spends time with, one person in particular is her sorority chapter key advisor, Rachelle Seeds. Seeds describes Byron as, “Enthusiastic, energized and a leader” and is impressed with all she does. Seeds also feels that Byron’s ability to be a team player on the volleyball court carries on to her success in the sorority, in her academics and will help her in the future,

“Being involved in so many different activities on campus will help Sarah in the future to balance the responsibilities of life,” Seeds explains. Though Byron is small in size, she does big things here on the McDaniel campus.

With our campus and town blanketed with snow, pictures have become the best way to tell the story of the Blizzard of 2010. With many roads unrecognizable and cars being camouflaged under mounds of snow, pictures now speak louder than words. The Free Press coverage of this ongoing snow saga will continue around the clock with timeless photos that truly capture what newcasters have dubbed, “Snowmaggedon”.

For amazing photos of the Snowmaggedon 2010, check out our new page with the above tab Pictures Speak Louder or follow the link: Snow photos!

The McDaniel Free Press is home for the storytellers, the artists, the eye openers, the world changers. We inform, we educate, we entertain, we anger. We thrive on the edge. Thrive on the edge too.

Make the most of your four years at McDaniel–Step up to the first edge– Monday nights, Hill Hall 111, 7:30 p.m.

Meet the editors, share ideas and be welcomed to the staff.

Co-Editors:  Kate Delenick: Kld008@mcdaniel.edu, Juli Guiffre: jdg010@mcdaniel.edu