PrideWire

Dear Readers,

We figured you might enjoy some post-finals recreational reading!

Check out the latest issue of The Dome by clicking on the link!

Have a great summer break!

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

MR. VIETOR:  Thank you, everyone, for joining us, especially so late.  Wewanted to get you on the line quickly with some senior administration officials to talk about the operation today regarding Osama bin Laden.  And with that I’ll turn it over to our first senior administration official.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks for joining us, everybody, at this late hour.  It’s much appreciated.  From the outset of the administration, the President has placed the highest priority in protecting the nation from the threat of terrorism.  In line with this, we have pursued an intensified, targeted, and global effort to degrade and defeat al Qaeda.  Included in this effort has been a relentless set of steps that we’ve taken to locate and bring Osama bin Laden to justice.  Indeed, in the earliest days of the administration, the President formally instructed the intelligence community and his counterterrorism advisors to make the pursuit of Osama bin Laden, as the leader of al Qaeda, as a top priority.

In the beginning of September of last year, the CIA began to work with the President on a set of assessments that led it to believe that in fact it was possible that Osama bin Laden may be located at a compound in Pakistan.  By mid-February, through a series of intensive meetings at the White House and with the President, we had determined there was a sound intelligence basis for pursuing this in an aggressive way and developing courses of action to pursue Osama bin Laden at this location.

In the middle of March, the President began a series of National Security Council meetings that he chaired to pursue again the intelligence basis and to develop courses of action to bring justice to Osama bin Laden.  Indeed, by my count, the President chaired no fewer than five National Security Council meetings on the topic from the middle of March — March 14th, March 29th, April 12th, April 19th, and April 28th.  And the President gave the final order to pursue the operation that he announced to the nation tonight on the morning — Friday morning of April 29th.

The President mentioned tonight that the pursuit of Osama bin Laden and the defeat of al Qaeda has been a bipartisan exercise in this nation since September 11, 2001, and indeed, this evening before he spoke to the nation, President Obama did speak to President Bush 43 and President Clinton this evening to review with them the events of today and to preview his statement to the nation tonight.

And with that, I’ll turn it over to my colleague to go through some of the details.  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  As you heard, the President ordered a raid earlier today against an al Qaeda compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.  Based on intelligence collection analysis, a small U.S. team found Osama bin Laden living in a large home on a secured compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad.  The raid occurred in the early morning hours in Pakistan and accomplished its objective.  Osama bin Laden is now no longer a threat to America.

This remarkable achievement could not have happened without persistent effort and careful planning over many years.  Our national security professionals did a superb job.  They deserve tremendous credit for serving justice to Osama bin Laden.

Bin Laden was a sworn enemy of the United States and a danger to all humanity; a man who called for the murder of any American anywhere on Earth.  His death is central to the President’s goal of disrupting, dismantling, and ultimately defeating al Qaeda and its violent allies.  He was responsible for killing thousands of innocent men and women not only on 9/11, but in the 1998 East Africa embassy bombing, the attack of the USS Cole, and many other acts of brutality.

He was the leader of a violent extremist movement with affiliates across the globe that had taken up arms against the United States and its allies.  Bin Laden’s most influential role has been to designate the United States as al Qaeda’s primary target and to maintain organizational focus on that objective.  This strategic objective, which was first made in a 1996 declaration of jihad against Americans, was the cornerstone of bin Laden’s message.

Since 9/11, multiple agencies within our intelligence community have worked tirelessly to track down bin Laden, knowing that his removal from al Qaeda would strike a crippling blow to the organization and its militant allies.  And last September the President was made aware of a compound in Abbottabad, where a key al Qaeda facilitator appeared to be harboring a high-value target.  He received regular intelligence updates, as was just mentioned, on the compound in September, and he directed that action be taken as soon as he concluded that the intelligence case was sufficiently strong.  A range of options for achieving the mission were developed, and on Friday he authorized the operation.

Now I’ll turn it to my colleagues to go through the intelligence.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you.  First I want to point out that today’s success was a team effort.  It was a model of really seamless collaboration across our government.  Since 9/11, this is what the American people have expected of us, and today, in this critical operation, we were able to finally deliver.

The operation itself was the culmination of years of careful and highly advanced intelligence work.  Officers from the CIA, the NGA, the NSA all worked very hard as a team to analyze and pinpoint this compound.  Together they applied their very unique expertise and capabilities to America’s most vexing intelligence problem, where to find bin Laden.
Continue reading →

THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Public Affairs

News Media Contact: (202) 586-4940

WASHINGTON, DC – On Earth Day, April 22, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will participate in a conference call hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement with students from college and university energy clubs across the country.  The Secretary and Governor will ask these youth leaders to continue their hard work raising awareness among other students on energy issues and encouraging their schools and communities to support the science and innovation that will help the US to win the future.  They will also take questions from students on the call.

WHO:            U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Jon Carson

WHEN:         Friday, April 22, 2011 2:00 P.M. Eastern

WHAT:         Conference Call with Energy Club Student Members Across the Country

Media interested in listening to the conference call should contact Tiffany Edwards at tiffany.edwards@hq.doe.gov or (202) 586-4940.  Please note that members of the media are invited to participate in a listen-only mode so that students have the opportunity to ask questions.

Before tonight’s first-place showdown against Messiah at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium on the Chester Campus, Widener will give out gold t-shirts to the first 100 fans in attendance.

Game time is at 7:00 pm.

Widener and Messiah each enter tonight 9-2 overall and 7-0 in the Middle Atlantic Conference.  This game originally was scheduled for March 23, but was halted early in the second quarter due to lightning.

Both teams already have clinched a berth in the MAC Tournament.  Tonight’s winner will secure a home game in its first tournament contest, whether in the first round or in the semifinals.

Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343

WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will host a conference call with national, regional, and college media outlets to launch a new effort to inform graduating seniors about the new health insurance choices available to them thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

WHO:             Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Arne Duncan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

Dr. Alan Glass, President, American College Health Association and
Director, Habif Health Center at Washington University in St. Louis

WHEN:           Wednesday, April 20, 2011

2:15 p.m. EDT

DIAL IN:        888-664-9960

PASSCODE:  2315111#

WASHINGTON - For the first time, the Big Ten conference has surpassed the Ivy League conference as the top athletic conference in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) College and University Green Power Challenge. The University of Pennsylvania continues to be the top individual school in the challenge, beating out 68 other universities by purchasing more than 200 million kilowatt hours (KWh) of green power, or 47 percent of its power purchases. Purchases of green power help accelerate the nation’s voluntary green power market and help protect people’s health and the environment. 

“We’re glad to see the competition heating up as more and more colleges and universities join the Green Power Challenge,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “This year’s schools used more than 1.5 billion kilowatt hours of green power, cutting harmful emissions from our air, protecting health and driving demand in the clean energy market.”

The Big Ten had an annual green power usage of more than 256 million kWh annually, which is equivalent to the electricity use of more than 21,000 average American homes for one year, with Pennsylvania State University leading the conference. The Ivy League, followed by the University Athletic Association are in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.

Continue reading →

The newest issue of the Pioneer Review has been published! Come join us and pick up your own copy on April 20, 2011 at 7pm in the Mac Street Lounge of the University Center. There will also be an open mic to celebrate the occasion. Join us to enjoy other’s creative work, musical talents or come to share your own.

For any questions, comments or concerns please contact: klvaldez@mail.widener.edu or btalvare@mail.widener.edu

Founded in 1996, the Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. From the first-ever Day of silence at the University of Virginia in 1996, to the organizing efforts in over 8,000 middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities across the country in 2008, it’s textured history reflects it’s diversity in both numbers and reach.

The LGBTQS Alliance is building a new tradition here at Widener. We are starting the first Widener University Day of Silence, April 13, 2011. This day will allow students, faculty and staff to show their participation in this day by silencing themselves through voice, text, writing, etc. this is a chance for students, faculty and staff to take a stand and take a vow of silence to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBT students and their supporters.

Continue reading →

Do you like to get the crowd riled up at sports events? Do you bleed Widener gold and blue? You could be a Widener Pride mascot and receive a $1,000 scholarship. Tryouts will be held on April 13 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Webb Room.

You must be an undergraduate student with at least a 2.0 grade point average to be eligible for the tryouts. For more information and to register, visitwww.widener.edu/mascot_tryouts.