Giving back: what lies behind the success of SRU's Annual Fund

Meagan Reed, director of the Annual Fund at Slippery Rock University, provides an overview of what exactly her title entails, as well as a description of the office's overall goals for the university.
Working hard - Coaching, checking tally sheets, listening in on student calls...these are just a few of the duties student supervisor Zach takes care of in a typical night.
What does a student call entail? Morgan, a sophomore phonathon ambassador, demonstrates her communication skills in talking with an alumnus.
Taking it back to our childhood days...an oldie yet goodie game of chutes and ladders provides incentives for students to stay motivated on the phones. Student callers Jade and Kelly head up for their turn.

Shh...we're in a library: a tour of Bailey at SRU

Cell Phones:  Enablers of efficient communication...or tools silently harming our health?

That phone call where your mother keeps telling you to make sure you’re still being safe, that 3 hour fight on the line with your soon-to-be ex, that hour long wait of being put on hold by your cable company…we’ve all experienced some, well less than satisfactory telephone calls.  Being in the digital age, the majority of these calls naturally occur via a cell phone.  So yes, while I think we can all agree to some extent that certain cell phone calls are less than beneficial, can we agree at the same time that these very calls are risking our health?

Thus where the debate begins.  Is cell phone radiation harmful or not?  Well the FCC's job is to evaluate the effect of emissions from FCC-regulated transmitters on the quality of the human environment.  In doing so, they have established the NEPA Act of 1969, which promises to prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere, and stimulate the health and welfare of man.  Osceola Medical Center's case-control studies have found no conclusive evidence linking brain damage to cell phone usage, ensuring that regulations on cell phone radiation have been kept in check. 

Despite these findings, though, contrasting evidence displaying brain damage from cell phone usage leaves thousands of Americans yet to be swayed.  The Huffington Post, for example, states that cell phone usage disrupts the natural metabolism of critical areas in the brain.  Life Extension's studies have suggested that the FCC’s preventative measures regarding cell phone radiation are failing.  They state that cell phones reach the market without proper safety testing, and as a result emit levels of radiation that cause brain dysfunction, brain tumors, and other conditions such as sleep disorders and headaches.  Additionally, PSRAST stresses that the root cause of these damages can be attributed to the fact that present safety norms allow the use of mobile phones that emit far too strong  radiation to be deemed safe.  The organization’s studies have manifested the need for further buildup of the mobile phone net to be stopped.

So who is right?  Does cell phone usage indeed lead to brain damage and dysfunction?  As with all controversies, the answer remains yet to be seen.  Unlike all controversies, though, this one's impact may not, at first glance, be easily seen.  Failing to look into the research as a result could make an enormous impact on our health.  So the next time that you pick up your cell phone to make a call, ask yourself if you are simply opening up a channel of communication, or if you are in fact opening up a channel of uncertainty as well that could be making a negative impact on your health.

Get in the Game:  You better hope you're on this guy's team...

A formidable yet talented force in the sports realm, Frank Haith, born November 3, 1965 in Queens, New York, is currently serving as the men’s head basketball coach at the University of Missouri.  Haith accepted his head coach job for MSU in April of 2011, after coach Mike Anderson left the Tigers to return to Arkansas, where he had been an assistant for 17 years.  Prior to his job at Miami, Haith served as assistant coach for over 15 years at such programs as Texas, Texas A&M, and Penn State.  In his first of seven seasons as the head coach, Haith glided the Hurricanes through victory lane with seven ACC victories.

Now amidst all of this success, of course there has to lie within some scandal too! The controversial aspect of Haith's life emerged in his implication with the Nevin Shapiro recruiting scandal at Miami.  It was stated that Haith had knowledge that Miami assistant basketball coach Jake Morton had received $10,000 from Shapiro to recruit Dequan Jones.  Upon discovery of this implication, Haith was put on administrative leave prior to the start of the season. 

On a more personal level, Haith is the proud father of two children with his wife Pam.  He has one son named Cory, and a daughter Brianna from both he receives great joy.  A description of Haith’s life would not be complete without one last aspect of controversy, though, this time emerging in the contents of his personal life:  Haith's nephew, Sean Bell, was reported slain by New York City police in a controversial November 25, 2006 shooting incident.  This man unfortunately seems to be exhibiting a theme, isn't he?

Overall, I was able to gather some insightful information on Haith through a variety of knowledgeable sources, including those from the following list.  Each of the 5 sites featured the authors of which contributed to the articles that I looked through, as well as an "about us" section that outlined the author's (or organization's) credentials and experience.  In addition, a few sites that I gathered information from were reputable, well-known online newspapers, such as the Washington Times and USA Today.

Upon Further Review - analytical commentary and insight on Kansas City Sports

Hurricane Sports - member of the CBS family, CBSSports.com College Network

Washington Times - reputable online news reporter for topics including sports

Mutigers - official team website offering bios on coaches and players

USA Today - well known national American daily newspaper

So the question is - proud father, award-winning basketball coach, or simply a laid-back man of which you'd love to sit down and have a beer with...which profile exactly is Frank Haith?  Well, the reality is that there does not prove a simple answer for this question, for Haith exhibits a wide array of personal characteristics that allow him to exhibit all of these duties.  Taking into account that I knew nothing of this individual's life prior to my research, combined with the low base of sports knowledge/information I personally maintain, Frank Haith sure seems like one heck of a cool guy, and that's all I can really ask for in the end.

Hmm, so first serious interview question I'd ask him for a story... I think it would have to be : Mr. Haith, do you have time to breath?  This, by the way, is an entirely serious question, with all joking put aside.