Robert Downey Jr. returns as billionaire Tony Stark (a.k.a Iron Man), and this time, he faces his most challenging nemesis yet : The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).

The Mandarin is some kind of terrorist who is televising himself and talking about how he is the one who is the one who is behind a series of explosions.

After an explosion that leaves Tony’s friend in the hospital, Tony says in a live interview that he is not afraid of The Mandarin.

Shortly after he goes home, some of our villain’s henchmen attack Tony’s mansion. Pepper is able to escape unharmed as well as Tony. However, Tony escaped in one of his iron man suits and ends up near Tennessee.

He eventually meets a 10 year old boy named Harley, who is able to help him find the location of The Mandarin. The Mandarin is found in Miami and as Tony tracks him down, the first plot twist comes into play as the audience is introduced to a new character, Aldrich Killian, portrayed by Guy Pearce.

The film starts off in the year 1999 on New Year’s Eve where we are first introduced to him and where he meets Tony.

Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts, the love interest of Tony and plays the role really well. As always, Downey Jr. plays his role brilliantly and delivers most of the laughs in the film with his witty sense of humor and memorable one-liners.

The action scenes are more explosive, than the previous two Iron Man films, but that is not a bad thing.

The humor in the movie is pretty consistent, but a little more humor than needed at times.

When I first saw the trailer for the movie, I thought we were going to see a darker movie, with very little humor, but it was the complete opposite. This movie had some very funny parts, but there were some points in the story where “humorous” parts were not needed, and it would have made the scene more memorable without them.

If anyone is wondering, yes this does take place after The Avengers, as they make a couple of references to it and there is a short clip at the very end of the credits.

Overall, this movie is very enjoyable and if you liked the first two movies, there is really no reason why you would not like this one.

West Liberty University is now operating on a new Cisco router that greatly increases its broadband service, thanks to a $27,000 opportunity with the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

Funding for the router was part of a nationwide effort to expand broadband service across the United States.

“This means a more efficient level of bandwidth is now operating on campus,” said Chief Technology Officer James Clark. “It also means that our students and staff will enjoy faster translation of data from searches to results.”

The state-of-the art router also may allow West Liberty to get Internet Protocol (IP) telephones in the future, he added. Clark joined West Liberty in 2002 and heads the Information Technology department, headquartered in Main Hall.

The opportunity to get the high tech router presented itself to Clark recently when the West Virginia Governor’s Office of Technology announced that there was a surplus of routers available for institutions of Higher Education, libraries and other public entities. Clark expressed an interest in two of the routers, one for the main West Liberty campus and a second one for the Highlands Center campus.

“I put in a bid for both routers and still hope to receive the second one for the Highlands in the near future,” Clark said.

The surplus routers were received by the state as a result of a grant from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided the NTIA and the RUS with $7.2 billion to expand access to broadband services in the United States.

Of those funds, the Act provided $4.7 billion to NTIA to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service, and develop and maintain a nationwide public map of broadband service capability and availability.

Since the program’s inception, NTIA has awarded a total of $293 million to 56 grantees, one each from the 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia, or their designees

Everyone loves having the glow of a good summer suntan, especially with shorts and tank top season right around the corner. Although some students may use artificial tanning throughout the winter months, giving them that “California girl” look all year round, many let their tans fade away as summer fades into fall.

Since Topper Nation is located in an area where many students do not get much natural sun throughout the winter, students have a higher risk of getting a sun burn during the first couple days of being outdoors during summer vacation.

Many may feel they have a love-hate relationship with the sun because it can make them look and feel good for a short period of time, but also, all that time in the sun can often result in long term damage like wrinkles, age spots, or even skin cancer.

That’s why it is important to be safe and smart when it comes to the sun.

There are two solutions to defeating the sun: the first is to stay inside (but that isn’t usually one’s idea of a fun summer); the second solution, which is most ideal, is to apply sunscreen.

Sunscreen became popular in 1944, but did not hit the market until the 1960’s. Today there are various brands of sunscreen, some of the popular choices being Banana Boat, Coppertone, and Hawaiian Tropic which are available in sun protection factors (spf) ranging anywhere from spf 4- spf 100.

Of course sunscreen doesn’t serve its purpose unless applied correctly.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “It’s important to limit sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun’s rays are strongest. Even on an overcast day, up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV rays can get through the clouds. Stay in the shade as much as possible throughout the day.”

Some tips provided from the FDA for applying sunscreen are as follows:

             1.     Apply the recommended amount evenly to all uncovered skin, especially your lips, nose, ears, neck,

                    hands, and feet.

             2.     Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before going out in the sun.

             3.     If you don’t have much hair, apply sunscreen to the top of your head, or wear a hat.

             4.     Reapply at least every two hours.

So remember, Hilltoppers, soaking up the sun can be fun as long as it is done safely. Following tips may help prevent you from getting a sunburn this season as you enjoy your summer vacation.

The Business Office of West Liberty University will begin offering a direct deposit option for financial aid refunds beginning in the fall 2013 Semester.

This shift in the financial aid refund process will affect every West Liberty student. The Business Office has partnered with United Bank, and will be outsourcing all aspects of student refunds to United Bank.

Over the summer, United Bank will be sending every student a series of letters that will be critical for accessing their refunds this fall.

“United is going to start sending letters,” said Lisa Marpel, Accounting Assistant in the Business Office. “We realize that college students are constantly getting letters from banks about free credit cards, but these letters are important. They’re going to contain your password and your user ID.”

In total, every student should receive five letters directly from United Bank. The first will be a welcome/introductory letter. Within the following four letters, each student will be provided with a user ID and password, which will be in separate letters for security reasons.

The user ID’s and passwords provided in the letters by United will gain students first-time access into their accounts so that they can enter any chosen bank account for direct deposit, or indicate a preferred address should they choose to still receive a paper check.

“If you want your refund, you’re going to have to sign up for it,” said Marpel. “You’ll be able to do a direct deposit into an existing checking account. We’re partnering with United Bank and they’re offering free student checking accounts, so you’re able to go ahead and set up something with them and then have them put it right into that account. Or, if you opt for a paper check you can go online and put in a preferred address.”

United Bank has also supplied the new ATM in The Union. United Bank credit and debit cards can be used in this on-campus ATM free of charge. United Bank is also offering free student checking accounts.

Students who take advantage of United Bank’s presence on the WLU campus will be able to access their refunds from the ATM the day of the financial aid refunds, with United Bank cards, free of charge. No waiting in line for a check.

This change in refund procedure aims to resolve students’ largest complaint about the Business Office. No more waiting in long lines for refund checks just to find out the printer refused to print yours.

WLU students, pay close attention to the mailbox this summer to be sure you don’t miss these important letters.

Go to the Business Office’s Page to view a demo, contact them for more information, link to the United Bank website, follow them on Twitter, or Like them on Facebook.

As the school year winds down, there is a unique group of students marking the end of their first year in college, the students enrolled in the Advanced Academy of West Virginia.

“West Liberty University’s initiative to provide ambitious and academically motivated high school juniors and seniors a chance to accelerate their education is now ending the first year of its pilot program. This inaugural class has worked hard and has proven the initiative a success,” said President Robin C. Capehart.

A total of six students were admitted into the Advanced Academy in the fall of 2012. Of the six, four are returning to WLU, either as full-time college students or as second year AAWV students next year.

“The Advanced Academy is a dual enrollment program designed to give motivated juniors and seniors early access to higher education,” said Ron Witt, Jr., executive director of the Institute for Innovation in Education, whose office initiated the program.

Advanced Academy students join WLU’s traditional Honors College, another University initiative that offers regular college students an academically challenging environment.

But these younger students remain living at home and commute to the Hilltop for college level courses, in lieu of their standard high school classes. Advanced Academy students are not only earning college credit, they are simultaneously fulfilling their high school academic requirements. Therefore, by the time an Academy student graduates high school, he or she could earn as many as 60 hours of college credit, according to Witt.

Of the six students in the inaugural class, three are registered at Wheeling Park High School, one is registered at John Marshall High School and two are registered with the Abundant Life Home School this school year.

In addition to Ohio and Marshall County public schools, students from Brooke High School will have an opportunity to join the AAWV program in the fall, for the 2013-2014 academic year.

“Overall, we’ve been very pleased with the program. More importantly, our Advanced Academy students are happy to be in an engaging academic community with like-minded peers. They kept pace with their older classmates, and in many cases outperformed them,” said Shannon Halicki, Advanced Academy interim academic coordinator.

“The experience was great. It gave me a head start in my education and my future,” said Lacey Santorine, 17, who will graduate on May 18 from Wheeling Park and has elected to stay at WLU for her college degree. She plans to major in business management.

Comments from faculty about the youngest students also are favorable.

“At the beginning of the semester and knowing they were high school students, I was a little worried on how they would handle the chemistry class, as it is seen as one of the more difficult subjects and classes to take at WLU from what I hear students say. But they did extremely well and one of the students has the highest grade in my class and set the curve on nearly every exam and quiz,” said Professor Douglas Swartz. “They were a joy to have in class, as they were engaging, participated in class activities, and demonstrated maturity for both their age and academic discipline.”

If these are the type of students the Advanced Academy is going to bring to WLU, I would lobby to increase that number. It is an asset to campus. From what I’ve seen and experienced, it’s a wonderful program,” he added.

When The Trumpet last checked in with the construction of Campbell Hall in February, the construction crews were battling winter weather conditions as they worked to complete the process of laying concrete and predicted an increase of work pace once the weather broke. Now, with the weather seeing better days, the outlook is good for the return from summer break.

“It was a long winter, but we kept going. We’re getting there, we’re picking up speed,” project manager Larry Skrzypek said.

In February, a major setback to the construction process was caused by the cold winter temperatures. Temperatures need to be at least 40 degrees to pour concrete. Skrzypek and crewmembers solved the problem with the aid of placing temporary heaters throughout the building.

Skrzypek assured, the heaters weren’t for the luxury of the crew. “The only reason we did that was for the concrete. It’s not to keep everybody warm and happy. It’s just for that. Other than that, (the crew) wear clothes and they’re out in the elements,” Skrzypek said.

Overall, Campbell Hall will have four floors. Three will be used and the fourth will be left open, aside from bathrooms, for future academic endeavors.

Skrzypek estimated the walls of the second and third floor are about 95 percent done. They are laid out, framed and ready for dry walling. Door frames are also currently going in.

The summer will signify a temporary period of freedom for any West Liberty University student that isn’t enrolled in a summer course, but there’s no break in sight for the Nello Construction crew.

“We start at 7 a.m. and we’re done at 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. (The summer construction) is almost 14 weeks. There’s a lot that’ll go on here in 14 weeks,” Skrzypek said.

Over the course of the summer, windows will be going up, all of the dry wall will start going up, the electrical and plumbing work will begin. The roof will be completed, bricking and stoning on the outside of the building will begin as well.

By the time students return in August, Skrzypek anticipated that the windows will be in place and all of the rooms will have dry wall. Most of the brick in the front will be up and a lot on the sides, which means the building will start to look more like an actual building and less like a construction zone.

Campbell Hall, upon completion, will be a health and science center. All of the chemistry labs currently in Arnett Hall will move there. The building will include chemistry, nursing, physician assistant, and dental hygiene classrooms, offices, conference rooms and facilities. There will also be vending machines, a lounge area, and benches throughout.

Substantial completion is marked for Nov. 1 of 2013. It is projected that classes will start in Campbell Hall in January of 2014, although that date is not set in stone just yet.

On Saturday May 11, 337 students will graduate from West Liberty University.  The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in the gymnasium of the ASRC, and the building will open for seating at 9:30 a.m.

Although tickets are not required for attendance, student’s families are urged to arrive early for seating.  Graduates must report by 10:15 a.m. to their designated line up location in the ASRC.

The 337 graduates make up the largest graduating class that WLU has seen since the early 1980s.

Dean of Students Scott Cook predicts that this year’s large graduating class is a result of WLU enrolling its largest freshman class ever four years ago in 2009.  Many of those freshmen from 2009 will make up this graduating class.

The student speaker representing the class of 2013 will be Joshua P. Smith from Davis, W.Va.  Smith is a student of the College of Business with a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the college. The student speaker rotates each year from the different colleges, and this year it is the College of Business’ turn.

However, this year, two students in the College of Business both had perfect 4.0 GPAs, both Smith and Emily Shimp. The tie was broken by a coin toss.  Shimp will represent the College of Business as the banner carrier.

Nine students will carry the banners of the different colleges into the graduation ceremony.  Banner carriers are the students who have the highest GPA in their college.

This year Anna Patrick and Kassidy Wells will carry the banner for the College of Arts and Communication.  Emily Shimp will carry for the College of Business.  Molly Dennison and Brittany Loy will carry for the College of Education.  Elizabeth Francis will carry the banner for the College of Liberal Arts. Shayla Scollick and Leigh Stephens will carry the banner for the College of Science, and Mary Clark will carry the banner for the School of Professional Studies.

As of Friday, April 26 a commencement speaker has not been chosen by President Robin Capehart.

Cook predicts the ceremony will last two hours, and there will be a reception in the Student Union following graduation. The ceremony will also be broadcasted live on WLUTV Channel 14.

Graduates will also receive a video of graduation with their diploma.  In addition, Chappel Studios will take a photograph of each graduate as they receive their diploma on stage.  Students can order pictures at http://www.gradimages.com.

West Virginia State Senator Rocky Fitzsimmons of West Virginia Senate District One recently discussed his thoughts on the importance of the arts, education, and the economy at a state level.

The efforts of West Liberty University’s College of Education and College of Arts and Communication to integrate the arts into the classroom through the Center for Arts and Education have not been unnoticed by Fitzsimmons.

“I believe the Center for Arts and Education is a prime example of a program that integrates arts into the classroom,” he said. “The Center does this through its advocacy and educational workshops and has proven to be a state leader in those efforts.”

According to Fitzsimmons, the educational world is heavily influenced by the arts. The arts prove to increase cognitive development and academic achievement, and students who have been educated within settings that incorporate the arts in education are statistically shown to be more successful.

According to Fitzsimmons, the arts also play a crucial role in economic development and thriving economies. Successful urban and rural areas usually have one common element, which is the incorporation of arts in some manner.

As Fitzsimmons pointed out, even the city of Wheeling has an Arts Commission along with several world-renowned art organizations within close distance, such as Carnegie, Benedum, and the Warhol.

“Our state efforts to integrate arts into our classrooms are better than most in the country, but there is always room for improvement,” he explained. “Maintaining top-level state educational institutions, which fully integrate the arts into the classroom, can be challenging given budget shortfalls and current economic conditions.”

Luckily, the center fulfills a unique role that helps with different aspects of the educational and economic side of things.

“The Center allows for both personal development and at the same time has the potential to stimulate and inspire economic development. I believe the Center is the leading example of advocating arts into our classrooms.”

The winners are as followed: In College Animation Bryan Gasaway received first place for “NikeID” and Aleece Abell received runner up for “Peej.”

In College Digital Imaging Lucas Fauble received first place for “The Fountainhead” and Kali Davis received runner up for “Attack of the Reinfish!” Caleb Kissiah earned honorable mention twice in College Digital Imaging for “Clarity” and “Phantom.” DJ Tirpak also received honorable mention in College Digital Imaging for “Logos & Banners.”

In College Electronic Music Cody Gaston received first place for “Away From Home,” Tyler Rodgers received runner up for “Alive” and Sophia Kayafas received honorable mention for “Trip.”

In College Graphic Design Miranda Pellicano received first place for “Wells Street Art Festival” and Sean Ritner received runner up for “50 SEJU Packaging Design.”

In College Illustration Amanda Carney received first place for “I Felt Like a Monster Reincarnation” and Corrine Martin received runner up for “Hansel and Gretel.” Earning honorable mention in College Illustration is Abbie Merryman for “The Ends Justify The Means,” Lindsey Fair for “Have A Nice Day,” and Abbie Merryman for “Nate Reuss.”

In College Interactive Brandi Hollingshead received first place for “Happyleaf” and Richard Clifford received runner up for “Chuck Palahniuk.” Earning honorable mention in College Interactive is Lindsay Riggs for “Traveling Guru” and Amanda Swann for “Swann Design Website.”

In College Mixed Media Aaron Allman received first place for “Hornets and the Hive” and Dalis Wilkerson received runner up for “Boxed Mind.” Earning honorable mention in College Mixed Media is Lindsey Fair for “True Beauty” and Aaron Allman for “Pheasant Made of the Woods.”

In College Photography Jessica Taylor received first place for “Adventure” and Mary Livingston received runner up for “Color Explosion.” Earning honorable mention in College Photography is Miranda Tharp for “Photographic Memory” and Fatem Alsabea for “New York City, Brooklyn Bridge View.”

In College Video Dillon Richardson received first place for “All That I Want” and Danielle Zacherl received runner up for “Crossing Borders.” Earning honorable mention for College Video is Dillon Richardson for “White Christmas.”

In 2010 West Liberty University’s College of Business accepted the largest single donation in its history from WLU alumnus Gary E. West.

West’s very generous donation totaled to $1.5 million, according to WLU’s Chief Financial Officer Jack Wright. “The College of Business was given $500,000 a year by Gary E. West, a major donor, for three years,” Wright said.

As a result, the College of Business chose to honor its donor by renaming it the Gary E. West College of Business.

Fast forward to three years later and the college finds itself on the final share of West’s donation. So what happens next?

Before speculating on whether West will decide to invest more of his hard-earned money into the college, it can be assumed that WLU’s most generous alumnus will be scrutinizing and examining how his money has been spent.

Dean of the College of Business Dr. Loren Wenzel said he knows that the college will be judged by West, but “I’m confident that we are doing good things.”

He added, “(West’s) main objective was to increase enrollment in the college of business.”

According to WLU’s fall 2012 enrollment report, the enrollment figures in the college of business have been on a continuous decline over the past five years. In 2008 the college had 486 students enrolled. By 2010 the figure stood at 437 students. In the fall of 2012, the enrollment for the College of Business had fallen to 393 students.

To compare, WLU’s College of Arts and Communication steadily grew from 245 students in 2008 to 300 in 2012. Including WLU’s new Physicians Assistant Program, the College of Sciences gradually increased from 614 students to 714 in 2012. In 2008 the College of Liberal Arts stood at 362 students and now supports 429 students in 2012, according to the enrollment report. Including the Masters in Education program, the College of Education now boasts 551 students compared to 461 in 2008.

The College of Business is the only college at WLU to have continuously decreased in enrollment over the past five years as all of its counterparts have increased their enrollment compared to the 2008 figures.

Wenzel said there isn’t a clear answer to explain the decline, but noted “the national trend for business is a decline in enrollment for business. It’s not a sexy thing anymore.”

When analyzing the figures, obviously a decline in business college enrollment across the country is in some part to blame, but should the national decline take all of the credit?

Why are all of the colleges on WLU’s campus making improvements and increasing enrollment while the College of Business’ figures continue to fall?

I hope to not make it seem as if I am simply picking on the College of Business. However, no other college on WLU’s campus has been as fortunate as the Gary E. West College of Business. The College of Business is the only college at WLU to have received such a large donation. The donation in itself is newsworthy. If the College of Education had received such a weighty sum it would be under the same scrutiny.

The irony to the story lies in the fact that West’s intention behind the donation was to increase enrollment and the opposite has occurred.

“Do we like it? No, of course not. It’s our complete intent to turn it around,” said Annette Godown, College of Business faculty member and communications director for the college. “Our very generous benefactor Gary E. West had that in mind when he made his donation. He said he would like to see business enrollment, and he would tell you this, back to the levels they were when he was here (in 1958).”

“Gary’s money is for curriculum development, faculty development, recruiting students,” Wenzel said.

After West’s donation, the College of Business began hiring more faculty members with PhDs in their respective field to enrich the staff. The act of increasing PhD faculty was to qualify the college for more accreditation, which is still in the process.

“We’re trying to build our programs and get another accreditation and to become internationally recognized. We’re trying to get our programs online and we’re trying to get a master’s program,” Wenzel said.

He added, “We’ve spent a lot of money on billboards to try and let people know about West Liberty and specifically the Gary E. West College of Business.”

This spring the College of Business has also started a new scholarship to assist out-of-state students who enroll in the college.

“We have to build programs that are relevant to the next 10 years. We’re trying to build the curriculum and we’re trying to make our curriculum special to serve a niche for the 21st Century,” Wenzel said.

Wenzel said the college is extremely excited about an interactive computer lab, which they are terming a “finance trading room.” The room would be placed on the right side of the first floor of the Elbin Library. The lab would contain 41 work stations with two monitors at each station for students.

Obviously, the College of Business would use the room for many computer-interactive courses. When the room is not being used, it would be available to students and faculty across WLU’s campus. Wenzel said the anticipated price tag of the room is $900,000. He is currently working to gather donors for the room’s completion.

It cannot and should not be denied that the College of Business is taking steps to try and make the college more appealing to students. Do I want to see the College of Business’ enrollment increase over the next five years? Certainly. I hope that a future editor of The Trumpet will be writing an article in 2018 about the College of Business’ explosion in enrollment. I hope that the techniques the College of Business has implemented to gain the interest of more students works.

However, keep in mind that nothing operates within a vacuum. The WLU students, staff and administration will be watching, as they have been over the past three years, to see marked improvements in the College of Business.

Also College of Business: Keep in mind how some of your actions come across to the rest of WLU’s community. The College of Business is the only college to hold a separate banquet to honor its students at the end of each school year. The remainder of the colleges proudly honored students in the Honors Convocation on April 26.  With the College of Business’ marked absence at the event, it may appear to others that the College of Business is too good to honor its students with the rest the university.

Also, the College of Business is the only college to hire its own recruiting specialist. I understand that the college feels like it might be fighting an uphill battle with the national decline. However, that action again appears like the trained staff in the Admissions Office is not good enough.

Also, it is fantastic that the College of Business wants to improve its facilities on the second floor of Main Hall. The walls have been recently painted, a new conference room has been completed and College of Business logos and sayings have been plastered on the walls and doors. But please understand that your improvements to “clean up” the hallway may appear as elitist to the remainder of WLU’s community.

As this is the final Trumpet of my career, I wish the best for all colleges at WLU. I have no doubt that I will continue to see great improvements coming from the hilltop.

My closing note for the College of Business is: Be aware how your actions may be forming impressions (some not so positive) among students, faculty and staff at WLU. Keep in mind that we are a community and we are all working for the same goal. Also, understand that every interaction on this campus affects enrollment.