Filmmaker Kevin Willmott speaks to Quivira, the creative writing club, Wednesday night in Science Hall 072. Jon Coffey/ The Bulletin

Kevin Willmott, professor of film at the University of Kansas and writer/director of several films came to ESU on Wed. to give a lecture entitled “On my Films.”

Willmott, a native of Junction City, has directed four full-length films and written four others. His most recent film, “The Only Good Indian,” was screened at ESU on Tuesday.

According to the movie’s website, it has received several awards, including a best director award for Willmott at the 34^th Annual American Indian Film Festival in 2009. The film was also screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

The “On my Films” lecture included various clips from Willmott’s films and a question and answer session with Willmott. The lecture was sponsored by the Department of Ethnic and Gender Studies, the Department of English, Modern Languages and Journalism, the Performing Arts Board, the Special Events Board and Quivira, the student-run creative writing group on campus.

Karen Smith, the director of Ethnic and Gender Studies, said the film screening and question and answer session was very successful.

“I’m thrilled… We had about 70 people here and usually we struggle to have people at our evening events for the Ethnic and Gender Studies. Every question I had was asked and answered so it was just great,” she said.

Willmott said that growing up in Kansas has a great influence on how he makes films.

“I had a great upbringing in Junction City and a great neighborhood I grew up in. It was an incredibly integrated neighborhood. I think it influenced me about race, which is a big part of my films typically, and it taught me a lot about trying to break open the whole issue of race,” he said.

Willmott also said that “The Only Good Indian” was different than any film he made.

“It’s different in the sense that it was the first time I had really got to make a western, so I got to do a lot of the things I have always wanted to do in a western, not fully but partially. There were a lot of things that were different about that film. I was trying to make a big movie with very little, in a way,” he said.

Willmott said that he is working on a couple new films dealing with the issue of race, including a sci-fi film and an alternative history film about McCarthy

Eric Hemphill/The Bulletin

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Last spring, faculty members at Emporia State were given a faculty input survey as a chance to express their views on employment at ESU.

Joella Mehrhof, professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and president of the Faculty Senate this year, said the results were helpful for the senate to determine how the faculty feels about working at ESU.

“The faculty like being at ESU, I really do think that. I think they enjoy the students and they enjoy their colleagues, so it’s a good place to be,” Mehrhof said.

184 out of the 253 faculty members at ESU (71 percent) participated in the survey and answered questions dealing with overall satisfaction with each faculty member’s employment at ESU, his/her feelings about salary, health care and retirement benefits and the reasons he/she would consider leaving ESU in the near future.

About 76 percent of faculty members surveyed said they were satisfied being on the ESU faculty, while 53 percent said it was likely they would leave ESU to find other employment because of concerns over salary, the advancement of his/her career, to reduce stress, to find a more supportive environment or to have more time for research and creative work.

At the Faculty Senate meeting on Oct. 15, each senator will discuss what the results meant for his/her individual department. The Faculty Senate will then determine what can be done to change the parts of the survey that had unfavorable results.

Mehrhof said she was slightly surprised by some of the results.

“More than 75 percent of faculty said they were satisfied being at ESU. This could potentially be the third year without a pay raise… so we thought that that might have more of an impact, but I was pleasantly surprised,” she said.

About 80 percent of those surveyed said that if they had to do it over again, they would still take a job at ESU.

TesMehring, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said the faculty input survey was “absolutely” a good thing for the university.

“The faculty input survey is a good way to gauge concerns the faculty may have, gauge morale to a certain extent and find points that, if the resources are there, can be improved on to make the lives of the faculty better,” she said.

The survey was administered by the Kansas Board of Regents advisory group, the Council of Faculty Senate Presidents and the ESU faculty Senate. Each Regent university administers this survey once every three years.

Eric Hemphill

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Daniel Rush displays some of the pieces he has made during the second meeting of the Toys and Textiles Wednesday night in the Memorial Union. Jon Coffey/ The Bulletin

The Toys and Textiles club is a new Recognized Student Organization (RSO) this semester. Senior biology major and club president Daniel Rush said the club will help members learn helpful life skills.

“(The club) will help people become just more creative in general… it will help to make campus a more creative place. Part of our mission is practical problem-solving skills and it will also help with multiculturalism, as part of the club is to learn about other cultures,” Rush said.

The club will consist of constructing stuffed animals, hats, costumes and other sewing and textile-based toys. The club meets once a week in the Memorial Union to discuss current and future projects each member is working on.

The club originated partly because Rush saw there was not a club of this nature on campus.

“I knew there were a number of clubs on campus, but none of them seemed to be orientated at the arts other than movie clubs and anime clubs. (There was) no cooking club, no sewing club nothing like that, so I figured, why not?” he said.

Rush first started sewing when he was a kid, but picked the skill up again when he wanted to make a hat for winter. He also made a stuffed animal as a birthday present for a girlfriend. He started sewing more frequently and decided to start the club to find others who were interested in textiles as well.

The club started in early September and Bethany Bailey, freshman English major and group treasurer, was excited about the club.

“I joined because it seemed like an interesting club. I like working with fabrics and textiles, anything to keep my hands busy,” she said.

Matthew Simmons, freshman English major and vice president of the club, expressed similar excitement for it.

“(I joined) because it sounded like fun. I have made a couple stuffed animals and I wanted to do more with textiles,” he said.

Rush said the club does not have any events planned currently, but hopes to plan a Halloween party including homemade costumes. The group also wants to celebrate what Rush called “geek” holidays, such as Talk Like a Pirate Day, Hawaiian Shirt Day and Mask Day. Rush hopes these holidays will provide the opportunity for the club to showcase their homemade costumes and props.

Eric Hemphill

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Hemphill

This summer, I spent two months in Korea teaching English to college students. It was an experience I will never forget for more reasons than I have room to write. My students were excited about learning, and it made my job easier than I initially thought it was going to be.

But throughout the entire teaching process, I could not shake the thought that the reason it was so much easier for me as a teacher was not merely because the students simply wanted to learn the language, it was that they had a prior knowledge of the language that was essential to what I taught them.

The first day of class, I asked where they had learned English initially and the response that all my students gave me was that it was required of them from an early age to learn a second language.

From the time they are toddlers, Korean students begin the process of learning English at the same time that they are learning to master their native tongue. To me, this was not only inspiring, but also a difference in culture that stuck with me throughout the entire process.

What I thought then, and continue to think, is that America, being one of, if not the most powerful nation in the world, has somehow been convinced that learning another language is not beneficial or even necessary. This is a huge problem.

With the rapid globalization we are experiencing, having the ability to speak more than one language is an incredible asset. Language connects people. Being able to speak to person from a different culture in their native tongue will go a long way in terms of building a relationship with that person.

Korea is not the only example of this occurrence. When I studied in Europe, I found that not only did most of the Europeans I met know English as their second language, they were fluent or at least semi-fluent in a third language as well. It’s the norm in these countries.

America should be no different. For America to call itself the greatest country in the world, it needs to continue to be a place where cultures meet and blend, where people from any culture can find a home and feel like they belong. That is what this country was founded on. The Melting Pot must continue to be stirred for future generations of Americans to stand a chance.

It starts with the small things. Teaching other languages to young children is just one way that America can continue to carry on the spirit of multiculturalism that has somehow been lost along the way.

Elementary schools should implement foreign language curriculums nationwide. Learning another language should not be postponed until high school or college. It should not be considered going above and beyond what is required. Learning a foreign language from a young age should be the norm in this country.

The poet Ezra Pound once said, “The sum of human wisdom is not contained in any one language.”

Childhood is the beginning of the acquisition of knowledge. Why, then, is America trying to limit the amount of knowledge a child can learn from the very beginning?

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This week, I’m feeling funny… Alright, maybe not so much, but I did decide a long while ago that I eventually wanted to feature ZOIKS! in this column.

Improvisational comedy has always mesmerized me. From an early age, I would stay awake after I was told to go to bed and watch episodes of “Who’s Line is it Anyway” in secret. It always fascinated me that these guys and gals had the talents to think so quickly on their feet, and the incredible talent to entertain, which is an extremely valuable skill to have.

So, four years ago, when I arrived on Emporia State’s campus to start my college career, I was amazed to find there was a group on campus similar to the show I had watched for so long. I’d never thought about the fact that guys like Colin Quinn and Wayne Brady had to start somewhere.

So, when I first attended ZOIKS!, I was taken back to those nights I’d spend in my room, keeping the volume down so my parents wouldn’t hear, and stifling laughter with a fist in my mouth at nearly every joke.

Since that point, I have always found ZOIKS! to be one of the most interesting and almost enigmatic groups on campus. I was, and still am, amazed that these people have the frame of mind and frame of reference to crack jokes to a crowd of college kids whose views and senses of humor vary about as widely as humanly possible. But somehow, they pull it off, night in and night out.

With that in mind I decided to try to get into the collective head and funny bone of some members of ZOIKS!. I attended a ZOIKS! rehearsal, and was quite figuratively blown away.

When I arrived at King Hall, at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, I found a few ZOIKS! members, met the ones I didn’t know, and sat in on discussion of different types of “long-form” improv that the group wanted to try. It took me about as long as I would last in a ring with Pacquiao to become confused. “Short-form,” “long-form,” “the gauntlet,” “freeze tag”… What the hell was going on?

Eventually, I think they kind of realized how lost I was, and attempted to explain some of the terminology to me. I was completely taken aback. Me, in my ignorance, figured they just got up on stage and made shit up. I had no idea that there were volumes upon volumes of books written about different improv techniques and theories. I had no idea that my improv idols, the guys from “Whose Line” practiced a type of imrov called “theatersports.”

All at once, my respect for improv actors and actresses everywhere shot through the roof, and particularly, my respect for ZOIKS! members increased tenfold.

So maybe I could never be an improv actor. Perhaps I’m not cut out for the “think on your feet” atmosphere, or the self-inflicted pressure of participating in a group like ZOIKS!, but I’ll tell you one thing: I just became a damn good audience member.

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This is the 30th year of employment at Emporia State for Dick Garvey, Emporia State University’s senior photographer.

Garvey grew up in Wichitaand began attending ESU in 1972. Throughout his collegiate career, Garvey worked for several departments in different capacities, all of which involved photography.

“I basically worked every place on campus where I could be a photographer,” Garvey said.

Though Garvey said that he was always interested in the arts, his interest in photography began at a very early age.

“My dad took quite a few photos when I was a young kid, and when I got about 10 or 11, there was a (camera) sitting around, so I started teaching myself… I was on the yearbook staff (in high school) and started hanging out with the photographer and I thought it was pretty cool,” Garvey said.

As senior photographer, Garvey’s duties include taking display photos, directory photos, taking photos for the ESU website, photographing sporting events at ESU, photos for the National Teacher’s Hall of Fame and marketing the school through photos.

“(Part of my job is) marketing our students, professors, our campus and what we offer,” Garvey said. “We show how good of a place Emporia State is and photography is a really good way to give people an impression, that’s why it exists.”

Laura Eddy, director of Admissions, described what Garvey provides for the Admissions Department at ESU.

“Dick Garvey has helped Admissions for many years capture the best part of ESU–its students, faculty and staff,” she said.“He has helped us show prospective students how beautiful the ESU campus is during all four seasons. Also, he has photographed the many opportunities that students have to get involved including Union Activities Council that brings speakers, comedians and bands to ESU, athletic and theatre events, band and orchestra concerts through the music department and much more.”

Garvey said that he likes the senior photographer job because it offers diversity.

“It’s not the same thing everyday, which is the best thing about this job. Some days you sit at a computer all day, some days you go out and shoot (photos) all day, some days it’s a little of both,” he said.

Stephan Anderson-Story, who worked as a student photographer under Garvey for four years before graduating last spring, said he enjoyed working under Garvey.

“I think what I learned most from him was to try to stay calm and everything will work out in the end,” he said.“You might be stressed for one shoot, and you realize it will work out, and I think that goes for other things as well, not just photography.”

Anderson-Story also expressed that Garvey is a good fit for ESU because he is a likeable person.

“He gets along with everybody really well. I don’t know anybody that doesn’t like him, and I was there for four years,” he said. “For me, he was the best boss I’ve ever had, and I feel pretty confident saying he will be the best boss I will ever have.”

Garvey said he has no plans to retire anytime soon, and that he is still enjoying the job after 30 years.

“I think what keeps me going is the thought that the next photograph is going to be better than the last,” Garvey said.

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As I hope most of you know, this week is Green Week. In the name of doing what is surely a small percentage of what would be considered “my part” in helping promote this week and be environmentally conscious, I thought I would do something environmentallypositive.

So, on Tuesday, I pulled my work gloves on, grabbed a trash bag, and headed to the intersection of 12^th Street and Commercial Street to participate in the community clean-up project, sponsored by the ESU Environmental Club.

I first heard about the event through Facebook, and thought it would be an interesting installment for this column.

I think I need to say right off the bat that I personally do not do all I can to help the environment. I mean, I don’t pour vats of industrial waste into bodies of water or anything like that, but I don’t do everything I could be doing. I recycle, when it’s convenient, but I don’t go out of my way to throw away every Snicker’s wrapper I see on the sidewalk.

This is another reason I thought this would be a good subject for this week’s column – as a person who is only semi-environmentally aware, I thought I could try a little more when it came to the environment and what we can do to keep it healthy.

The clean-up started in front of the Emporia State sign on the South side of campus. When I got there, I met with some of the Environmental Club members and off we went. The 15 or so students who participated in the event broke off in groups of two or three and worked their way down Commercial Street, picking up any loose trash we saw.

Other than a few particularly filthy items, the trash we picked up was pretty standard as far as trash goes—wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic cups, paper bags, you know, normal stuff people toss on the ground when the nearest trash can is just a few steps too far away to basketball toss it into.

Overall, I liked the experience a lot. It was easy, and yet, I feel like it was a pretty beneficial thing. Sure it was just a little bit of trash (and I got to see the surprisingly large amount of trash that is thrown on the street in the six blocks between campus and 6^th Street), but it felt good.

The entire time I couldn’t help thinking how awesome it would be it this kind of thing happened every week, or better yet, how awesome it would be if everyone would just put their own trash in a trash can. Sure, maybe I wasn’t saving the planet, but it did make Emporia’s busiest street look just a little bit nicer.

It made me feel good. It made me feel like I was doing something, and I could see the results instantly. So, if for no other reason than quieting my own selfish conscience, the community clean-up was a success. Nothing quite like a bit of trash to brighten your day.

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About two weeks ago, a friend and I had the pleasure of giving a presentation to a freshman class on a topic I feel very strongly about—studying abroad.

The presentation went relatively smooth and my perception was that the class enjoyed it. Maybe they were interested in studying abroad, or maybe they thought it was a nice break from the normal classroom routine, in either case, they all seemed to pay attention.

Afterwards, I was satisfied and excited about how the students seemed to be listening to what we said. I cannot remember a time in my entire collegiate career when a student group or RSO came into my classroom to talk to my fellow students and I about what the group was all about.

This thought stuck with me, and I find it relevant to use this article as a kind of question box. Why doesn’t this type of thing happen more often? Not just study abroad but any RSO or student group. Maybe I have had a perpetual case of “wrong place, wrong time,” but I feel like at least one or two of my classes would involve something like this at one point.

It seems to me that the answer to this question of why this doesn’t happen is more complex than it looks on the surface, but something easy remedied.

The easiest answer is that professors have a strict syllabus and list of coursework they have to cover in any given semester. That makes sense. But I think that a professor’s job (especially in freshmen-dominated classes) is not only to teach the subject material for a class, but also to introduce students to the extracurricular opportunities involving the subject material.

Why couldn’t one political advocacy group talk to a political science class about their RSO or student group? Why not have members of Quivira talk to an English class about creative writing?

It seems like this would help students connect what they are learning about with real world events and inform them on how they can get involved in an organization they feel passionately about. It is just my opinion, but this would help them learn in the classroom setting as well. Getting students passionate about a topic, which then helps them in their studies is a win-win situation in my book.

I’m not saying that there should be a presentation on a different RSO for every class period, all I am suggesting is maybe once or twice a semester, a different on-campus group speaks to a class about joining or supporting their organization.

I think, ultimately, the problem is that RSOs and on-campus groups don’t ask professors to present because they think professors are too busy teaching the coursework to allow it, and since no one asks the professors, professors stick to their coursework. This may be presumptuous, but I think it is close to the truth.

So, my “mission statement” is this—if you are in an on-campus group or RSO, ask your professors if giving a presentation in his or her class on the subject the group advocates would be something they would be interested in. You never know if the professor would support something like this if you don’t ask, and the worse they can say is no.

Our campus has many noteworthy organizations that cover a wide array of topics. One of the few elements they all have in common is that they are all always looking for new members. By promoting their group and their events in class they have a direct audience in which to appeal to and hopefully generate interest in what they are doing.

Try it. A 10-minute presentation may be just the catalyst some students need to get on board. When your group grows, awareness grows with it.

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For this installment, I thought I would highlight my incredible athleticism…

I wanted to write about something physical, because at least then there would be some comic relief involved. I thought about what club sport would be the most foreign to me, or else something that men of my stature usually do not even try to play. I finally settled on rugby. A sport, which met both criteria I set for myself, and also one that, I felt most certain had the highest risk of injury.

Let me preface this by saying that I am 5’6’’ and 125 pounds (after a good meal). Through the wonders of the Internet, I found that the average weight of a rugby player in the United Kingdom (where rugby is a major sport, just behind soccer) is 235 pounds. So, I am only at a slight disadvantage physically.

Rugby is played outside of the UK as well, and is extremely popular in South Africa, Australia,NewZealand and throughout Europe. ESU has its very own rugby team, Old Yellow Rugby club, which competes with regent schools, as well as schools from Missouri. I decided to get a better glimpse of the game by attending an Old Yellow practice.

When I arrived at the rugby pitch, located between Glennon Field and campus woods, I found a group of about 15 guys throwing around a ball shaped like an over-inflated football. I knew this experience was going to be interesting, but I had no idea what I was in for.

Once I met some of the guys and started asking them about the rules of the game, I realized how much I underestimated the intricacies of the game.

Rugby is an incredibly complex game, which doesn’t help a guy like me, who just wants to discover what it’s all about.

The team has a game this Saturday, versus Missouri Northwest. So I, not wanting to detract from practice time, decided to sit the practice out and try to analyze the game as they played it… My athletic prowess would have to wait to be unveiled to the rugby world at a later date.

But I did learn a lot for one afternoon, which was my primary purpose in attending the practice. I feel like I now have a better, albeit sideline, view of what the hell this game called rugby actually is.

I found a deep appreciation for the game, and respect for those like the Old Yellow Club, who play it. These guys go out there with next to zero padding on, ready to crush somebody, and often times get crushed in the process. That takes an incredible amount of gall, and a ton of intestinal fortitude, no matter who you are.

I feel like rugby doesn’t seem so foreign to me now. I am still a lowly greenhorn, but I think I could really get into this game— as a spectator, of course. There is so much rich history in it, even here at ESU. Andrew Rutter, the president and captain of the club explained that different groups of students have been playing rugby at ESU since the ‘70s. There is even an alumni game set for April 24, which I strongly urge everyone to attend. Rutter estimated that around 50 alumni were set to attend the event.

Rugby is an amazing game, and I am really thankful that the guys of Old Yellow took the time to painstakingly explain it to me.

There aren’t many organizations at ESU that practice a craft that has so much history and tradition behind it.

From my perspective, a scrum still seems like one giant mosh pit, and something I would be mildly terrified to be involved in, but for the guys of the Old Yellow Rugby Club, it’s all in a day’s work. And for that, I commend them. Keep scrumming guys.

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The Emporia State Philosophy club sponsored a formal debate on Monday to discuss the topic of abortion.

The debate was organized so that each side of the debate was allowed opening statements, rebuttals to opponents opening statements and a question and answer session between the debaters and the audience.

Leo Arellano, senior social science major and ESU Philosophy Club president, moderated the debate and said that he believed the debate to be a positive thing.

“Normally we hold Socrates’ Café, which is an event where everybody can come in, and it’s sort of like a ‘group hug’ conversation (where) everybody gives their opinion. I wanted to create something that is a little more specialized,” Arellano said.

There were three students participating in the formal portion of the debate. Richard Stephenson, junior chemistry major presented the “pro-choice” side of the debate. Lauren Halstead, junior elementary math education major, and Lauren Brown, sophomore elementary education and Spanish major presented the “pro-life” side of the debate.

Halstead and Brown both said that they were expecting the debate to be more controversial and more heated than it was.

“We prepared for the worst,” Halstead said.

Brown also mentioned that she thought the debate went better than she expected, and that the purpose of the debate was fulfilled.

“I think the exact purpose of this debate was to make people, ourselves included, think about things that we wouldn’t necessarily normally think about, and I think it did just that, and (did it) very well,” Brown said.

Halstead also said that she believed debates in this format were a good thing for the ESU community overall and were something that she would support in the future.

“I think the point of (this debate format) was to keep an open discussion on both sides instead of a head-on battle of conflicts of interest, and I think it worked well this way. I would definitely support future debates in this format,” she said.

Stephenson agreed with Brown and Halstead’s contention that the debate was enjoyable and informative.

“I enjoyed myself. I thought it went well,” Stephenson said.“It seemed to be rational, which is what we wanted to promote—rationality and discourse, and polite disagreement, even over controversial issues.”

Stephenson, who is a member of the ESU Philosophy club, addressed why he felt it was important for debates like this to occur.

“I think it is a lot of fun, and also, it is part of what philosophy should be—exploring questions in a public nature,” he said.

Arellano expressed that he and the Philosophy Club are exploring other topics to hold similar debates on.

‘There are a couple other things in the works, but we’re not really ready to announce them until we have the people completely lined up,” he said.“Largely, it depends on if there are people who are willing to come forward, and who have strong feelings, and are willing to do their homework. But if we can (have more debates) we will.”

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This past week, I took on the World… of WarCraft…

Okay, I stole that from South Park, but WoW is something that has always fascinated me. It is amazing to me how dedicated some WoW players are. I have heard the stories about WoW becoming so addicting that players spend countless hours on gameplay, but I wanted to find out what it is about this specific game that so intrigues people that these stories could even be in the public sphere.

I asked a friend who had played the game extensively to be my “WoW mentor.”

What I found when I began the game under his trusted guidance was almost overwhelming… okay, it was overwhelming.

First thing I had to do was make a character. This is a lot more complicated than it sounds. First, there are 10 races to choose from: Draenei, Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Undead, Tauren, Troll, Blood Elf and Orc… wow… no pun intended.

I chose Troll because I just felt like I could connect with a Troll on some level… don’t ask why.

Next was deciding a class… For the sake of not leaving the reader as inundated as I was, I will not mention all the classes. My “WoW mentor” advised the Hunter class. He mentioned something about being a “noob.” I tried not to take offence.

Then came the fun part—choosing weapons. According to my “mentor” and the description of classes I found on www.worldofwarcraft.com, Hunters are “deadly marksmen.” This appealed to me. Again, don’t ask why. I chose an ax for my close combat weapon, because it seemed fitting for a troll. I chose a crossbow for my long range weapon—a no-brainer.

At this point, about 45 minutes after I started the game, it was time for a break—I got a snack, wiped the sweat from my brow, and went back to work.

I then chose my talents, professions, dancing animation and stopped into the barbershop to adjust my appearance (and to learn how to emphasize my distinguished cheekbones, which I deemed to be my most attractive feature).

I was, at this point, nearly an hour into game play, and had not actually started the game yet. Therein lies one of the reasons this game can be so addictive and time-consuming—the game has so many intricacies that it becomes nearly impossible to start the game without spending hours working your character into a formidable player in the World… of WarCraft.

So there I was… The typical WoW student: A Troll Hunter, blacksmithing and mining major (with a minor in first aid), equipped with an “epic” two-handed ax and a crossbow. My beginning talents included beast mastery, marksmanship and survival. I was dressed in cloth from head to toe and ready to “pwn” some “noobs” on the fields of Warsong…

See what I mean about being overwhelmed? If not, consider that I now had to learn all the controls, figure out the WoW-speak language everyone around me was talking in (which I needed a glossary to achieve), learn about items, combat techniques, find out what the hell a quest was AND last but not least, wrangle myself a nice pet, and name him “flabbergasted.”

My quest continues, but no, I’m NOT addicted. I can stop whenever I want… I can. Honest…

There are over 11.5 million monthly subscribers to the World of WarCraft. This means that if WoW were its own country, it would be the 90^th most populated country in the world. The fact that many users play this ultra-complex game says something about the players.

There are those who immediately write WoW players off as “weird” or “different,” but there has to be something said about the dedication it takes to actually play this game. I mean, I was exhausted after playing for almost three hours, so I find it hard to believe that anyone who actually achieves something substantial in this game can be labeled so quickly, not to mention the implications of labeling 11.5 million people into a single category.

WoW is not weird. It’s not a sign of being “anti-social.” It’s the same as any other leisure activity. There is community involved. There are friendships. Chances are numerous ESU students play this game and to write them off with the aforementioned or any other derogatory terms is simply ignorant. After all, with 11.5 strong and no signs of stopping, WoW is much more than a fad–  it’s the baseball of the internet age. Simply put, this game is a homerun.

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