With the risk of potential flooding in the California and Coal Center boroughs this weekend, California University of Pennsylvania released information to help prepare residents and students for flooding.

“Past experience suggests that those homes in the area bordered by First Street to Third Street and Mechanic Street to East Street are the most vulnerable to flooding,” the flood preparedness document said.

The release said students should be aware of the potential for flooding in their off-campus housing and should begin preparations now for flooding.

Flood Planning

As a result of excessive amounts of snow on the ground and warming temperatures, flooding may occur in some areas of California Borough this spring.   Students living in Coal Center Borough can also be affected near the Mon River.

Are you ready?

· Make an emergency plan and assemble an emergency kit:

o Know how to disconnect gas, electricity and water supplies

o Know where to move vehicles in an emergency

o Store valuable property in a raised secure location

o Fill containers with clean water (Avoid using flood waters or local water)

o If you need to evacuate, plan for alternate housing

o Care for the needs of pets and domestic animals

o Kit may include flashlights/batteries, medications, water and food supplies, etc.

· Purchase an inexpensive AM/FM radio or NOAA weather radio with batteries in case of power outages for urgent news day and night.

· Monitor area news media for information if flooding is predicted.

· Listen for alerts about evacuation routes.

· Monitor local road conditions and obey closure signs.

· Take medications and supplies with you, for those with medical needs.

·

· Minimize flood damage:

o Store valuables and electronics higher on the ground floor, on the second story or in your attic.

o Bring outdoor belongings inside.

o Keep hazardous chemicals out of floodwaters.

o Ensure storage tanks (i.e. heating oil tanks) are sealed and secure.

o Learn how to use sandbags and locate where you can buy or get them ahead of time if needed for flood fighting.

o Move vehicles and equipment to high ground before flood waters rise.

o Keep storm drains free of leaves and other debris.

General Health and Safety

· Do not walk, drive or swim through floods.

· If you must come into contact with flood water, wash with soap and clean water as soon as possible.

· Be aware of hidden dips in a road.

· Floods often contain sewage – avoid food that may have been contaminated by floodwater.

· Avoid wet electrical equipment.

· Ventilate your property as much as possible, while maintaining security.

· If evacuation is necessary follow directives given by local Emergency Agencies

Students returning to California and California University of Pennsylvania following spring break could find the Monongahela River in places they’ve never seen it before.

Flooding concerns are beginning to become a real issue on the Cal U campus and within California Borough as the Monongahela River rises because of snow melt and heavy rain.

The National Weather Service is forecasting the Mon River to flood at 32.9 feet this weekend. That level is 4.9 feet above flood stage in the California area.

The university campus begins to see flooding when the river rises to 35 feet.

Cal U Vice President of University Relations Angela Burrows said the university is working with the borough and landlords who rent to students in “high-risk” flooding areas to prepare students for potential water in their units.

In an e-mail, University Vice President for Student Development and Services Lenora Angelone said potential student housing that could be impacted are along First Street and the area near the Mechanic Street apartments near the playground, beer distributor and sewage plant.

Angelone also said the university is developing plans incase emergency shelter is necessary due to flooding.

Burrows sent an e-mail and message via Twitter to the campus community advising against parking vehicles in the river parking lot over night this weekend due to possible flooding risks.

“Because of the potential for flooding, cars should NOT be left in the River Lot this weekend,” the tweet said.

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a flood warning for the Monongahela River in Washington County, where Cal U is located.

“We are watching the river very closely,” Burrows said. “Our staff will be watching the conditions over the weekend.”

Burrows said faculty, staff and students should check the university’s Web site throughout the weekend for information regarding parking and potential flooding concerns.

You can find information on preparing for flooding here.

The Cal Times will continue to follow the risk of flooding to California Borough and the Cal U campus throughout the weekend.

Wookies, Gremlins, Superheroes and more all played a part in this past weekends Steel City Con, also known as the Pittsburgh Toy, Comic, and Childhood Collectibles Show. The show was held at the Monroeville Convention Center.

Various Toy and Comic Book distributors were on hand, selling various nostalgic pieces of merchandise. One of the vendors was Andy Loney, owner of The Toy Cave, located in Carlisle. The Toy Cave specializes in selling vintage toys from properties such as Star Wars, Transformers, and He-Man. “I like coming to shows rather than selling on e-bay, and dealing with the people in person,” said Loney, whose been working the Steel City Convention since the 1990’s.

Time and Space Toys, which is located in Monroeville Mall, was also present. In addition to toys, Time and Space features the Monroeville Zombies exhibit. The exhibit celebrates not only the original 1978 Dawn of the Dead, which was filmed in Monroeville Mall, but all zombies in pop culture as well.

Steel City Con Celebrity guests included John Schneider from The Dukes of Hazzard, and Mark Goddard, who played Major Don West in the 1960’s television series Lost in Space.

“I love going to the toy shows because everything I want is in one place,” said Denise Faust, who works for the retro Toy Store Cash-In-Culture.

“It’s usually the same vendors every time, and that means discounts after you befriend them. I’m an all around nerd, so I run into friends, customers, and co-workers at this show.”

“I look forward to the shows so I can check up with people I don’t get to see on a regular basis,” added Faust. “Also you can find some rad pin-up style superhero paintings and drawings.”

Imperial Storm Troopers, and their boss Darth Vader, were on hand to see if they could locate the droids they were looking for. Luckily Chewbacca was there, as well as Captain Jack Sparrow. Fans could get their photos taken with these iconic pop culture characters.

Attendees were also able to pose with giant LEGO versions of Spiderman and Darth Vader courtesy of the Bellaire Ohio Toy and Plastic Brick Museum, which is the home of the world’s largest private LEGO collection.

While some attendees have been to previous shows before, for others, this was the first time. “It was my first toy show and I thought it was a great experience for anyone who enjoys pop culture,” said Jason Kukulka. “The atmosphere was really laid back and anyone that has a collection or just enjoys classic items needs to attend the next show.”

“The celebrities, display items and characters in costumes made the show even more exciting, especially for children,” added Kukulka. “I will definitely be attending the next show, and can’t wait.”

If your interested in attending the next Steel City Con, it’s scheduled for August 6th-8th. Scheduled celebrity guests include Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees and David Faustino who played Bud Bundy on Married With Children.

For more info on the upcoming August Convention, check out www.steelcitycon.com.

“Welcome to Kitchen Stadium,” William Cowherd, director of communications for AVI, said as he welcomed students into the Gold Rush on Feb. 25 for the third annual Platinum Chef Cook-Off at California University of Pennsylvania.

Returning to the competition this year were last year’s student’s choice winner, Paul Krons, sous chef for AVI, and the reigning Platinum Chef as chosen by the judges two years running, Melinda Gibson, chef manager of the Sycamore Bistro.

As opposed to previous years, the chefs competed in three teams of two, each a pair of Cal U’s very own cooks.

“We’re feeling confident,” Patsy Leonard, executive board chef of AVI and Gibson’s team mate, said. “Whenever we make pasta, the cream sauce with shrimp is [the student’s] favorite and pierogies are their other favorite, so, you gotta please the kids.”

“Yeah,” Gibson interjected. “They’re the ones who are voting.”

Leonard and Gibson cooked up a seafood parmesan potato roulade with a cream sauce, using this year’s “secret ingredient,” miso, a traditional Japanese seasoning made of soybeans used to flavor soups and sauces.

“I can’t pick a favorite because I can’t be biased,” Cowherd said. “But I love the food, I love Asian food.”

However, some students had a hard time getting on board with the exotic theme and preferred Leonard and Gibson’s subtle touch of ethnic flavor in contrast with the other chefs.

“Patsy and Melinda are my favorites,” Lindsey Gray (freshman-undecided) said. “The stuff from Paul and Jeremy was a little too oriental,” she continued, referring to their deconstructed miso glazed skirt steak spring rolls.

Even early on in the competition, it seemed that Leonard and Gibson’s strategy was working, as they were the majority favorite. However, some students found themselves torn between the delicious dishes.

“I liked the potatoes from Patsy and Melinda,” Shantae Motley (freshman-justice studies) said. “But the spring rolls from Paul and Jeremy are pretty good too.”

“I couldn’t choose between the egg rolls and the skirt steak,” Charisse Varga (sophomore-modern languages) said.

Although most students said they enjoyed all of the dishes, they found themselves easily picking a favorite in Leonard and Gibson’s meal.

“Nick and Jay were good too,” Matt Miller (sophomore-earth and space, secondary education) said, referring to their “Trio of Miso” spread. “But [Patsy and Melinda] put that stuff in the shells with the shrimp and it was just really good.”

The judging panel included Joy Helsel, director of fraternity and sorority life/special publications, Jackie Davis, student body president, Ryan Jerico, coordinator of student and young alumni programs and Terry Wigle, associate dean of student services.

“It was wonderful,” Wigle said. “It was nice to see all the chefs pulling out all the stops.”

“It was a great event and I’m glad I got to be a part of it,” Helsel said. “I want to thank the chefs for doing a great job. I’m looking forward to next year.”

When it came time to announce a winner, Gibson secured her title of Platinum Chef for the third year in a row as she received both the judge’s and student’s choice awards.

“Patsy and Melinda are awesome,” Micah Patragas (junior-secondary education, history) said. “It was pretty tasty. I wish they would do it more often.”

On February 24, the Black Student Union held their slam poetry event in the Gold Rush. The event featured students and professional poets reciting original works and compositions. The poems ran through a gauntlet of emotions and showcased the talent California University of Pennsylvania has.

The first professional poet to perform was Ezra, also known as Leslie X. He has numerous awards to his name, including Poet of the Year at the Pittsburgh Hip Hop Awards and Best Lead Actor in a Play by the African American Council of the Arts in 2008. Ezra took the challenge of going first head-on and set the stage for the rest of the event. “Go Within” was the highlight of his set with the repeating phrase “if you don’t go within, you will go out” being the main focus. It sent a strong message that if you don’t know yourself, you will never understand anything else.

One of the few female poets to perform took the stage after Ezra and just about stole the show. Y’Lioness commanded the stage as soon as she walked on, and what she lacked in height, she more than made up for in emotion and talent. She performed a number of personal poems including “My Roots”, a piece about her heritage and knowing where we come from. She used a call-and-response element to another poem as well as using two audience members to beat box during her last poem.

During the event, an open mic list was circulated throughout the crowd and everyone had the opportunity to come up and share their poetry. Numerous students leapt at this chance and showed that they can hang with the pros.

Josh Palmquist (Junior-psychology) was one of the student performers. He had a fire and brimstone theme with one of his poems, “Inferno”, which was inspired by the Italian poet and writer, Dante. Rashad Henderson (Junior-sports management) was another student poet who shared some of his works. He recited a very personal letter about his deceased grandmother.

The last poet who took the stage was Ja-Live. With his dreadlocks, Ja-Live resembled Bob Marley, and so did his poetry. Much of the material addressed injustice, standing up for the right thing and what you believe in. He also shared one of the most personal poems of the night: “Tale of Two Sons.” The poem spoke of his two sons; one of which lives the hard life while the other is a special needs student. It was a poem that showed two conflicting sides vividly and displayed just how different two people can be.

The Slam Poetry event was a real success for BSU. Numerous students and people from the non-student population attended and enjoyed themselves. All the poets were extremely talented and displayed bravery for getting onstage to share their personal, and sometimes sad, stories.

Cal U has a variety of sports and clubs, but many might not be aware of the Racquetball team. The club was founded this year during the month of October 2009. It started very small with just a mere three members including President Mike Ulderich, Ryan Hornstein, and Dan Tursky. Now the team has grown to fourteen members and would love to expand that number.

The team has had five matches this year around the tri-state area. They have traveled to tournaments at Slippery Rock University, Cincinnati, Akron, and Ohio State. They received fourth place out of nine teams in Akron, Ohio with three players attending and have been doing fairly well this season. The team has made regional’s and will be traveling to Ohio State with eight members on February 26, 2010. They are involved in the Mid Eastern Racquetball Conference and are one of six teams to compete in regionals. They hope to be victorious over their rival, Slippery Rock University, who defeated Cal U by just five points in the last match.

The club is really starting to come together and will be kicking off several fundraisers next month to support the team. At the beginning of March, the team will be set up by the courts in Herron selling 50/50 raffle tickets. The tickets will be sold almost the entire month of March and the winner will be chosen during the PA lottery on the evening of March 26, 2010. The cost is one dollar and up to one hundred tickets can be bought. They can be purchased on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the courts.

“I’m really happy with the progress the team has made and I’m expecting an even better turn out for the team next year,” said Nick Sferra (junior-Technology Education).

The team is also having an Open Racquetball Tournament to all students and faculty that care to learn the game or pick up a few pointers. It will cost five dollars to enter and more information will be given out throughout the month of March.

For now the club is relatively small, but has every intension on growing and prospering. With only three girls on the team, it makes it difficult for matches and the addition of a few more feminine teammates would help.

“I would love more girls involved because I love it and it was something new to me. The guys help me out a lot and it’s tons of fun,” said Trisha Johnson (sophomore-Communications Disorders).

The team is very enthusiastic about getting more involved on campus and making themselves known. They welcome anyone willing to give the game a shot and encourage students to check out the team at any of their practices. These are held at the racquetball courts in Herron Fitness Center and run from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. No experience is needed and equipment can be provided at the front desk of the fitness center.

The women’s swim team is known for being on top of their game and leaving their competition in the dust, but one student seems to stand out on the team.

Melissa Gates (sophomore-environmental science) has helped lead the women’s team to record-breaking achievements in the 50 meter freestyle and the 100 meter breast stroke events.

She is also an All-American member of the 200 freestyle relay, and a three time All-American honorable mention at this past year’s NCAA Division II nationals.

Gates was one of the captains at Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, Pa. and wanted to continue swimming throughout her college years.

“In high school, I made it to the PIAA state meet and YMCA nationals my senior year, which really helped me get the experience of a big competiton,” Gates said.

“Joining Cal’s swim team helped me to improve my times, especially in the 50 and 100 freestyle, and I knew I just wanted to keep swimming after high school and see where it would take me.”

Gates serves as only one member out of the 14 woman on the team. She feels the team is very close and that is a key factor in their success.

“By the end of the season the team is like my second family.,” she said. “We go through everything together and are always supporting each other.”

The team’s success, as well as her own, have been showcased in the previous NCAA and PSAC competitions.

“This past PSAC meet we earned 5th out of 14 teams in our conference, which is very good, considering a lot of the girls are freshmen,” Gates said. “Only three out of the 14 members this year were upper classmen. We have even swam against some Division I teams, like Pitt and Marshall.”

Swimming has taught Gates the value of team work, friendship, and that nothing is out of your reach. She stays fully focused to reaching her goals with her team mates.

“I love the quote from the movie The Pursuit of Happiness: ‘If you have a dream, you have to protect it. People can’t do something themselves they want to tell you that you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period.’

“In the end, the only one that can get you to reach your goals is you, and that applies in life and swimming,” Gates said.

The woman go on to compete at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Nationals in Canton, Ohio March 10 to 13.

Gates hopes she and the team can end the season by working toward their highest ranking.

California University of Pennsylvania junior Brice Myers (Pittsburgh/McDowell) broke his own school record in the 60-meter hurdles and won the event with a NCAA Division II Championship automatic-qualifying time on Saturday at the Kent State Tune-Up. In addition, the Vulcans also qualified three new entries for next weekend’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships.

Myers posted his fourth victory of the season in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in the finals in an amazing 7.99 seconds. The McDowell product broke his previous school-best mark set last week by four-hundredths of a second and became one of only three hurdlers in Division II to run a sub-eight second race this season. After finishing second at last year’s PSAC Championships, Myers enters next weekend’s championship at the top seed in the 55-meter hurdles.

Also in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, freshman Toby Oduho (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) finished eighth overall with a season-best and PSAC-qualifying time of 8.57 seconds.

The Vulcans qualified a pair of runners for the PSAC Championships in the 5,000-meter run, as sophomore Tim Lahmers (Delmont, Pa./Franklin Regional) posted a season-best time of 15 minutes, 43.99 seconds and freshman Chris Werner (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) was close behind in 15:46.58.

Freshman Gavin Volosky (Dubois, Pa./Dubois) also qualified for the league championships on Saturday, finishing the 800-meter run in a season-best time of 1:57.93.

In the 400-meter dash, junior Frank Ehrensberger (Saint Marys, Pa./Elk County Catholic) crossed the finish line fourth overall with a time of 48.65 seconds. Freshman Da’Joun Heidelberg (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) also posted a season-best time of 7.01 seconds to finish seventh in the 60-meter dash.

The Vulcans return to action Saturday, Feb. 28, when they open competition at the PSAC Championships in Edinboro, Pa. before taking part in the NCAA Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., March 11-13.

The snow storms earlier this month made California University of Pennsylvania’s campus a mess. Classes were canceled for an entire week on account of the dangerous weather and the effects of the storm on the community. Losing a week of school may seem great at first, but it also brings much aftermath.

The week-long university closure made many faculty alter their course syllabi, causing changes to scheduled events and pushing back several assignments, projects and tests for students.

Examples of course changes were found in Brandon Bonar’s (junior-business management) Intro to Earth Science class. Lab due dates were pushed back as well as the test date of their first exam.

“It prolonged my preparation to excel on my test in Earth Science since it was moved to the following week,” Bonar said.

The setback of classes forced teachers to switch some things around and make the best out of the situation. Assistant Professor of Earth Science Swarndeep Gill had to adjust his class syllabus to accommodate for losing a week of class.

“It made things more rushed,” Gill said. “I try to build the syllabus with cushioning for sick days and such, but the weather had taken many of those away resulting in less time to covers the material now.”

Despite the delay, Gill’s classes were back on schedule by the end of the week the university reopened.

The week off didn’t just affect class schedules, but also affected the jobs of residence hall community assistants. Kalla Brinkley (senior-education) is a CA in Residence Hall C and had to make changes to her residence life programming schedule.

“I had to move a program I had scheduled [the week of the storm] to this week because a lot of people had gone home and would not have participated,” Brinkley said. “While everyone else got a week off and could go home, I stayed here and kept the building from falling down.”

With Vulcan Blizzard 2010 now becoming only a memory, classes and events are starting to return to normalcy. Cal U students and faculty are adjusting as classes resume and continue.

California University of Pennsylvania took a gamble in October on bidding for casino revenues to help pay for a portion of the under construction convocation center.

Earlier this month, the university received word the gamble turned out to be a good bet.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners voted February 4 to approve the university for $500,000 in Local Share Account funding to help pay for a portion of the executive conferencing equipment that will be in the convocation center.

Cal U originally requested $750,000 from the LSA funds. The funds are available through slot machine revenues from the Meadows Racetrack and Casino in North Strabane.

The university plans to use the money to purchase and install state-of-the-art “smart” technology for the executive conferencing center in the convocation center.

Cal U President Angelo Armenti Jr. said he is grateful to the county commissioners and the LSA review committee for bringing this project closer to reality.

“The conferencing center will be a tremendous assest to the region’s business and nonprofit community, allowing business leaders to offer top-quality training sessions right here in Washington County,” Armenti said.

The total cost of the executive conferencing component is $2.3 million. The university has already secured $1.55 million of that total. With the $500,000 from the county, there is still a $250,000 gap in funding.

University Director of Communication and Public Relations Christine Kindl said the shortfall won’t have a major impact on the construction and development of the executive conferencing services.

Kindl said aside from the equipment, the funds were also going to be used to hire a technician to maintain the “smart” equipment and provide training to outside personnel who want to use the technology in the classrooms.

That position will now not be included and the training and equipment maintenance will be handled by existing university information technology staff.

“The funds we received are enough for the university to move ahead and equip the conferencing center,” Kindl said.

The funds will be used to install intermediate-level “smart” technology in two conference rooms and advanced-level technology in a third.

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce sponsored the Cal U request for the LSA funds. Also submitting letters of support were state Sen. Richard Kasunic and state Rep. Peter Delay, a member of the University’s Council of Trustees.

The Washington County commissioners will forward their fund distribution recommendations to the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development for final approval.

The Department of Community and Economic Development have the final say on casino allocations, but historically they accept the recommendations of the counties.

This was the first time Cal U requested funds from the LSA account. Kindl said this probably won’t be the last time the university will look into accessing funds through this avenue.

“The university would expect that if we have a project that does fit the requirements of the grants, that we would move forward again,” Kindle said.

The conferencing center at Cal U will the first in Washington County. There are three comparable conference centers in western Pennsylvania, all of them in Pittsburgh.