The All State

» Patrick armstrong – parmstrong@my.apsu.edu.

How do I sum up the last six years of my life at The All State? That’s really hard to do. I started out as a staff photographer and I will never forget my first assignment: capture pictures of students smoking in the illegal areas of campus without their face visible. And yes, smoking was still an issue back in September 2006.

I could go on and on about the many different assignments I’ve covered and roles I have done on staff, but that’s not what I want this article to be about. My entire college career — both undergrad and graduate — has been devoted to this publication, and I would not have had it any other way.

Working here has blessed me with many opportunities and experiences I never would have dreamed of. TAS has given every staff member real world experiences no class can simulate. Not only have these experiences been worthwhile, but the people I’ve had the pleasure to work with day in and day out have made these past years incredible.

Most people do not realize how much manpower actually goes into producing one issue of the newspaper. Each week a talented team of about 30 to 40 people comes together for one goal. They sacrifice their time and energy to bring you the news, and that should be applauded.

We have accomplished a lot this past year. Being ranked 4th Best College Newspaper in the South and earning the title of Most Outstanding University Newspaper are just two of the many honors we have garnered this year. One person cannot take credit for this. These accomplishments and others have been because of the hard work our team has done.

We have given a voice to students and groups who have felt silenced and brought awareness to issues. For the last 81 years, TAS has been the true voice of students, and I am happy to say that same principle is practiced today.

I want to thank everyone who I have had the pleasure of working with over the years. Tabitha Gilliland and Jake Lowary have been mentors, advisers and close friends to me. Both of them have helped me become who I am today and I am eternally grateful for all they have done.

I would like to thank the administration next. Many college newspapers face pressure and censorship from their higher ups on campus. There have been stories they probably wish would not have been published — mine are part of them — but they still respect and defend our freedom of the press.

I’m not going to lie, these past few years have been really tough for me. The pressures of graduate school, the newspaper of course, the loss of my mom and other things have taken a toll on me. The person who has helped me through all of those is Tammy Bryant in Student Affairs. Words cannot describe how much you have been there for me over the years. You have been a second mother to me, and I will never forget all that you have done.

The last people I want to thank are the many people whom I have worked with over the years in Student Publications. Jenelle, Chasity, Synthia, Brian, Trent, Kristin, Rachel, Anna, Ashley, Eunwoo, Marlon, Mateen, Dru, Devon, Kasey, Lois, Amie, Jenny, Shanna, Tangelia, Dave, Stephanie Coward and Martin, Jess, Mandy and the list goes on.

One of the special things about my Student Publications family is we are just that: a family. We are there for each other during our highs and our lows. Whether it be a shoulder to cry on, a place to stay during the flood or someone to simply talk to; we help and care for each other.

I don’t have a catchy ending phrase like journalism giants Walter Cronkite’s “That’s the way it was” or Edward R. Murrow’s “Good night. And good luck.”

So I will end my final article this way: Remember the freedoms we have granted to us in the First Amendment. Religion. Speech. Press. Assembly. Petition. And do not be afraid to exercise them. TAS

» By TIFFANY HALL – thall29@my.apsu.edu

Recent changes to the enforcement of military dress codes have caught the attention of both soldiers and civilians.

“Most of the uproar is coming from younger soldiers who are just starting out, but really, these rules have been in place,” said Master Sgt. Marcus Richardson.

Richardson, who has been in the Army for 23 years, said the rules that have gotten the attention of other soldiers are not new changes, just rules that until now have not been enforced.

Some of the issues Richardson spoke about include shorter sideburns, better grooming standards on and off duty, cosmetics for men, tattoos, piercings and the ironing of uniforms.

“All of the rules have a reason. There is something behind every rule, that’s why they are in place,” Richardson said.

One of the rules that has not been enforced is the rule of having shorter sideburns and cleaner facial hair. Both of these serve the purpose of letting gas masks seal properly.

“Let’s say that there was a troop walking into combat, and an enemy threw a gas bomb, having a longer beard or scraggly facial hair could prevent the gas mask from sealing,” said Alberto Fait, freshman and Army veteran.

Another issue is the ironing of the soldiers’ uniforms. The rule states there could be no commercial ironing, but only hand ironing.

Richardson rationalized the reason behind the rule is the uniforms are all weather resistant. Some of the chemicals and the amount of heat involved in commercial ironing could potentially damage the material and render the uniforms useless.

Another issue is no man would be allowed to wear any cosmetics. However, Richardson also said in the event of someone having a disfigurement or injured face, there could be an exception to the rule.

The biggest issue sparking attention is the tattoo changes –— which include no visible tattoos while in uniform — and no visible body piercings.

“I don’t see the issue. If you’re doing funeral detail, then yeah, cover them up. It can be viewed as disrespectful. However, if I was to do a funeral for a fallen brother who rides bikes for instance, it could be a form of respect,” said Ryan Waldorf, senior and Army veteran.

On the other end of the spectrum, Fait believes as long as the tattoos do not detract from the physical appearance of the soldier, it should not matter.

Waldorf and Fait both explained the army is a job, regardless of the reason for signing up.

“Really, I believe that the rules are being put into place to cut back on budgets,” Waldorf said.

Fait believes the Army is enforcing the old rules in order to weed out soldiers. He also said if a sudden war broke out and soldiers were needed, they would throw the rules out.

Richardson said when the Army needed soldiers, the requirements for getting recruited were limited.

Richardson also mentioned, in the past, criminals were sometimes given the option to go to jail or join the Army. Now the Army has a surplus of soldiers, and enlistment is completely voluntary, so there are stricter requirements.

“What it all boils down to is that the older generation wants to see professionalism in the Army,” Richardson said. TAS

» By CONOR SCRUTON – cscruton@my.apsu.edu

After finals week is over, most of us will still have some built-up stress to work off. This week, I found a perfect place to relieve some of that stress: H & S Strawberry Farms.

H & S is a family-owned farm just south of Clarksville that has grown various crops for 200 years. While they do offer pre-picked strawberries and various desserts, they also allow — and encourage — customers to go into the fields and pick their own.

Getting to H & S Farms from Clarksville can be tricky the first time, but isn’t much to worry about after that.

H & S Farms is located at 400 Seven Mile Ferry Rd., and you can get there by taking Highway 48 off Riverside Drive. Once on the highway, drive for about 7.5 miles, and Seven Mile Ferry Road will be on the left just before a small gas station and convenience store. About a mile down Seven Mile Ferry, H & S will be on the left, and you can take the gravel driveway just past the strawberry fields to reach parking.

While that may sound like a long trip, it only took me 15 minutes driving from APSU. Also, anyone uncomfortable with navigating country roads can plug H & S’s address into a GPS to find it.

H & S is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, making a trip easy to fit in around almost any schedule. As I mentioned, they do offer pre-picked strawberries for $12 a gallon, but you save $2 by picking your own. Besides, spending an afternoon picking strawberries is a lot more fun than it sounds. I’m an outdoorsy person anyway, but I was genuinely surprised when I looked at my watch and realized I had been out in the field for 40 minutes.

The farm is also very family-friendly. On weekend afternoons, you can count on seeing plenty of kids running around. H & S has picnic tables where you can relax and eat lunch, or enjoy a nice day with the strawberries you just picked.

My only warning is when picking for yourself, be wary of exactly how many strawberries fit in a gallon basket. I filled my basket to bursting, basically, and when I got home I filled up five small containers and still had strawberries to spare. Needless to say, my roommate and I will be living off H & S strawberries until the end of finals week.

For more information, you can check out the H & S Farms Facebook page. The farm is typically open through the end of May, though you may want to make a trip while spring is still in the air. A warm March made for an early crop this year, so it’s in your best interest to go while the best strawberries are still unpicked. TAS

» By BRITTANY WESTER – bwester2@my.apsu.edu

The Parks and Recreation administration of Clarksville completed the Clarksville Greenway on 1101 Pollard Rd. just a few years ago. Now the administration is starting on a new project, the Clarksville Blueway, adding a new venue for outdoor fun for Clarksville residents and visitors.

Clarksville Parks and Recreation will build the Blueway, which will be an access ramp and walkway down to the West Fork Red River and a spot for canoes and kayaks to be placed. Motorboats will not be allowed. The Blueway will begin on Tiny Town Road on the acre of land next to Dollar General.

The city received a grant that will cover most of the cost, so it will not cost the city any tax dollars. The materials for the walkway down to the river will be donated. The Parks & Recreation administration is in communication with Lowes on Madison Street as a possible donor.

Melissa Adkins, superintendent for the Parks and Recreation department, said the acre of land was big enough to include all the construction they have planned for the Blueway.

At the start of the Blueway will be a parking lot, followed by a walkway down to an area where people can place their boats.

After the construction of the parking lot and walkway to the river and spot for boats is completed, bathrooms and hiking trails will be added in the back portion of the property.

The bid opening for the construction will take place Wednesday, May 2.

“All bids will have to be turned in by May 12,” Adkins said. The bid will then be awarded to a company.

The company will have up to 120 days to complete the project. The project should be completed in the middle of August, under the worst-case scenario, Adkins said. TAS

» ASSOCIATED PRESS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Nashville Predators are young, deep and talented. They’re also the NHL’s first team to advance this postseason.

The Predators moved on to the Western Conference semifinals by topping Detroit with a 2-1 victory on Friday, April 20, to win the series in five games.

David Legwand, a native of the Detroit area, scored the game-winning goal 13 seconds into the third period, and goalie Pekka Rinne made that stand up the final 19 minutes.

“It’s huge,” Rinne said of beating the Red Wings. “They have such a great team, great organization with a lot of history, with a lot of success. It was a great chance for us to play against the Detroit Red Wings and beat them in five games. It’s great. It tells something about this team. We have a lot of talent in this locker room, and [we’re] having a great time playing right now.”

The Predators now get several days off. They could face third-seeded Phoenix in the second round. The Coyotes lead Chicago 3-1 in that series.

“It’s not time to celebrate,” Predators forward Alexander Radulov said. “I mean, it’s only the first round.”

This is the second straight postseason the Predators have won the opening series, but beating Detroit makes it even sweeter.

The fourth-seeded Predators finished ahead of their Central Division rival for the first time in the regular season, and now they have their first series win over the Red Wings in their third try.

Nashville also handed Detroit its earliest postseason departure since a six-game, first-round loss to Edmonton in 2006.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock said the Predators were deeper than his team. He also noted the Red Wings now have followed being ousted in the second round in 2010 and 2011 by San Jose by going out even earlier this time.

“One thing about it,” Babcock said. “We’re going to have a lot of time to figure things out.” Legwand also added an assist, and Radulov had a goal and assist for Nashville. The team that scored first won each game, and that was Nashville again.

Jiri Hudler scored for Detroit, which heads into the summer having lost three straight waiting to see if captain Nicklas Lidstrom has played his last game after 20 seasons. Lidstrom has said the past couple days that, as usual, he will decide whether he returns in the summer.

The Predators won the final three by allowing a total of four goals. They also outshot and outhit the older Red Wings in Game 5. The winning goal came from Nashville’s first draft pick at No. 2 overall in 1998 as Legwand scored on a wrister off assists from Gabriel Bourque and Radulov.

“It’s special obviously to beat those guys,” Legwand said. “Great organization, great team. They’ve had their fair share of wins and series wins and those types of things. So they’re obviously going to [come] back strong. We’re excited to get this one and move onto round two and get to see who we play now.”

The Red Wings took a timeout with 3.1 seconds left after Henrik Zetterberg missed a rebound and the puck was iced. They added some time, putting the clock at 4.2 seconds. It just wasn’t enough as the Predators cleared the puck to start the celebration.

Legwand’s goal started the sold-out crowd counting down the final minutes, eager to celebrate this former expansion franchise’s biggest victory yet against Detroit. Fans even gathered outside the arena watching on a giant TV, and those inside gave the Predators three standing ovations in the third period during timeouts.

Nashville had watched teams such as Pittsburgh and Vancouver stave off elimination since they won Game 4 in Detroit on Tuesday night, so the Predators were ready when the Red Wings came out with all the desperation of a franchise that had won 32 postseason series during their 21 straight playoff appearances.

“We showed a lot of confidence that we were going to win that hockey game,” Nashville coach Barry Trotz said.

Detroit opened the game by outshooting the Predators 6-1, and Valterri Filppula even had a partial breakaway attempt midway through the first period only to see Rinne make the save.

But the Predators withstood the early flurry and started going on the offense, and they finally went up 1-0 when Detroit defenseman Kyle Quincey misplayed the puck. Legwand grabbed it and fired a pass to Radulov in front, and he easily beat goalie Jimmy Howard with a wrister at 16:10.

Zetterberg helped the Red Wings tie it up when he threw the puck toward the front of the net with Filppula getting an assist before Hudler poked the puck past Rinne’s right skate at 13:45 of the second.

The Predators killed off the rest of the period before getting a much-needed breather at the second intermission. TAS

» By PHILIP SPARN – psparn@my.apsu.edu

As the 2012 elections near, the presidential campaigns are tightening their focus on the largest and arguably most important segment of voters, women.

The presidential contest has essentially become a two-person race between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and incumbent President Barack Obama. These candidates, along with both parties, are wasting no time in attempting to appeal to women voters and gain or bolster their support.

Recently, both the Romney and Obama campaigns seized on some ill-advised and controversial words said by a Democratic CNN contributor, to demonstrate their support for women and mothers. Both campaigns used this opportunity to point out all women work hard and face many challenges, whether it is raising children or managing a career or both.

“There needs to be a constructive national conversation about women’s issues, with women actually at the table, instead of a rhetorical war among men,” said Marsha Lyle-Gonga, assistant Political Science professor.

Regardless of where each side stands on women’s issues and the challenges of motherhood, Republicans, especially Romney, are facing an uphill battle when it comes to winning the ever so important women vote.

A CNN/ORC poll released last week indicates a majority of women believe Obama is “more in touch with the problems facing women today.” The CNN poll reveals Romney faces a 16-point deficit among women voters, when compared to Obama.

Historically women have voted Democrat, creating a “gender-gap” for Republicans.

In the 2008 Presidential elections, Obama received 56 percent of the women vote over U.S. Sen. John McCain.

The Democrats have received a majority of the women vote for over 30 years, according to the Pew Research Center.

Some point to the types of policies supported and implemented by each party as the main reason for the historic trend of a majority of women voting Democrat. Some also point to the paternal instincts of women, for the reason why they typically support liberal policies that focus on equality, federal assistance and taking care of the needy.

“Democrats have historically focused on policies and programs that directly benefit women, such as healthcare access, government assistance, food stamps, WIC, childcare and early childhood education programs,” Lyle-Gonga said.

Lyle-Gonga points out that, recently, Republicans have opposed or attempted to limit and cut some of these programs and benefits.

“Women will look to the economy as a key factor in their voting decision as always, but they will also look at the bare bones issues that directly affect them, their choices and access to these choices as well,” Lyle-Gonga said.

The President’s supporters suggest Obama has focused on women’s issues and has shown devotion to American women of all types. Supporters point to Obama’s work on building our economy fairly, health care, health care access, education, federal assistance and on his work in ensuring an equal pay workforce — to demonstrate Obama’s devotion to helping all women in America.

Romney presumably comes to the general election campaign after a hard-fought and drawn out Republican primary race with some political bumps and bruises to show for it, especially in women’s support.

Some blame the debate over women’s health issues, such as the access to reproductive health care and cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, as the main reason for the increased gender gap Romney is facing.

Some solely blame the negative effects of the primary process for his negative poll numbers.

Romney’s supporters suggest he has shown great compassion and care towards women and all Americans and will work hard to ensure everyone has access to a growing and robust economy, full of choices and opportunities for women.

Republicans suggest women are not looking for specific social programs and benefits and they would actually prefer to have a healthy economy and economic freedom rather than any particular government program or benefits.

“Women want more and better opportunities for their children and their grandchildren to live and preserve the American dream,” Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, said in a recent interview on Rush Limbaugh’s radio talk show.

Blackburn pointed out most women are experiencing the effects of the Democratic Party and Obama’s economic policies, which includes the high costs of gas prices, healthcare, accelerated spending and negative job growth.

“Women do not want to be dependent on the federal government for education, home loans, student loans and for their health care,” Blackburn said. “They want to make their own decisions that are best for them and their families.”

Susan Cockrell, assistant professor of Accounting, points out neither side or candidate is offering many new or bold economic solutions that are certain to help women and their pocketbooks.

“Women have a lot at stake this election … Women have to vote for the candidates that represent their interests,” said Jill Eichhorn, associate professor of English and coordinator of Women’s and Gender studies. “It is vital that women have choices and the ability to make these choices — especially when it comes to choices about their own careers, families, reproductive health and health care decisions.”

Cockrell said women today are still facing many issues of inequality, access, choices and responsibility.

Lyle-Gonga points to data that demonstrates women are poorly represented in politics and leadership positions even though they represent a majority of the voters in past elections.

In the 2008 elections, women placed 53 percent of the votes. However, women only make up 17 percent of representatives in Congress, according to the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.

Lyle-Gonga believes the campaigns that focus on women’s issues in a positive and constructive manner are going to come out ahead in women’s eyes.

“Women are not one monolithic voting block that candidates can win over with one particular speech or promise,” Cockrell said. “Women are extremely intelligent, wise and ideologically diverse.” TAS