Month: April 2011

By Matthew Conley. Published April 25, 2011. It seems so strange. As little as five to six years ago, the term “gamer” defined a predominately male, teenaged population that invested with the Big Three (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo), commonly purchasing titles from popular series, such as Final Fantasy, Halo, Metal Gear Solid, Mario, and a massively diverse list of other archaic standbys that made the gaming world what it is today. These classics defined gaming; they brought new and wonderful stories, action, and characters into the plot and most individuals that called themselves “gamers” at least had some shred of knowledge about the major titles. (more…)

By Maegan Hafley. Published April 25, 2011 As the final stretch of school is dwindling down, students at McKendree begin to have summer fever. The sweetness of freedom is at their fingertips, and students are excited for three whole months of nothing but great weather and late nights. While the liberty of summer vacation is very enticing, some students are looking forward to summer for other reasons. (more…)

By Shawn Printy. Published April 25, 2011. If you’re a faculty member at McKendree, you’ve probably heard of the e-Friday program. However, if you’re a student, you might not be too sure of what they are. According to IT director George Kriss, the e-Friday events are “28 minutes of training that doesn’t hurt.” (more…)

By Chris Moore. Published April 25, 2011. They’re one of the rarest big cats in the world and, in fact, one of the rarest species found in the wild. It can also be said that with their spotted coats and striking blue eyes, they’re also among the most beautiful. Unfortunately, this has led to their distressingly small numbers, as the species has been poached for their pelts. In addition, they have suffered severe habitat loss due to deforestation, as well as accidental death from hunting snares. This elusive creature is the critically endangered Amur leopard, Panthera pardus orientalis. (more…)

The April 25, 2011 Poll. Do you think that Ames offers enough healthy dining options? (more…)

By Chris Moore, Editor-in-Chief. Published April 25, 2011 A pallid young woman in somber clothing runs across the drenched English countryside, finally collapsing at the doorstep of a family who takes her in. An unloved little girl at a draconian boarding school awakens to find her best friend has died in her arms. A serious governess falls in love with a moody man with a dark past and even darker secret. Sounds like something out of a Gothic novel, doesn’t it? If you thought so, that’s no surprise, because they’re all events of Jane Eyre, the latest novel by a Brontë sister to be adapted to the silver screen. (more…)

What do you think about the changing of Spring back to Winter-like weather? (more…)

By Nykhala Coston, Staff Writer. Published April 1, 2011 Early on a Saturday morning, fourteen students from McKendree University were up and ready to embark on a trip to Chicago Illinois with the Campus Ministries. Although some students had an idea of what would take place on this five hour train ride, some only had a general idea that some sort of community service would be involved. (more…)

By Kevin Schaefer, Associate Editor. Published April 1, 2011 One of the worst disasters that the world has seen in quite some time hit Japan a few weeks ago. As of March 23, the confirmed death toll was 9,452. In addition to that, almost 15,000 people are still missing, and about 260,000 people are now homeless. The bad news doesn’t stop there. What could have been one of the worst Nuclear power accidents became a little too close to occurring. (more…)

By Julie Guenther, Contributing Writer. Published April 1, 2011 This is a drama filled with suspense, which will leave you on the edge of your seat. You will be drawn to the storyline and want to know the outcome of the production. If you enjoy spectating plays and/or desire suspenseful stories, then you must go see this amazing and thrilling production! (more…)