APRIL 15, 2016
VOL 43, NO.10
Geraldine M. Jones named president of California University of Pennsylvania NEWS
OPINION
S P O RT S
International Dinner
The Panama Papers Fiasco
GJ Senchak Feature
Prevention Awareness & St. George’s Day Recovery Center 10
12
15
NEWS
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what’s
INSIDE:
CAL U weather Friday
S aturday
40-67
44-70
Sunday
Monday
47-75
44-72
NEWS Presidential Election. . ............................... 3 Cardboard City......................................... 5 Greek Sing............................................... 4 Album Reviews......................................... 7 International Dinner Photospread.......... 10
OPINION Bernie Sanders........................................ 12 Panama Papers........................................ 12
SPORTS Cal U Golf................................................ 13 Cal U Tennis............................................. 13 Pitt Passion.............................................. 14 GJ Senchak Feature................................. 15 AOTW...................................................... 16
The Serene Leadership Institute and The International club presents:
Diversity Creates Dimension A Showcase of Students native countries
April 21,2016 From10-12 Convocation Center Lobby #CALUDIVERSITY
STAFF C AL T IME S . O RG CALTIMES@CALU.EDU 724.938.4321
JOSÉ NEGRON EDITOR IN CHIEF
RACHAEL MCKRIGER SPORTS EDITOR
LAUREN GRIFFITH NEWS EDITOR
JOSÉ NEGRON LIFESTYLES EDITOR
KATIE DELVERNE OPINION EDITOR
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KATIE DELVERNE WEBSITE COORDINATOR
CAL TIMES CONTRIBUTORS: DAN CARMICHAEL, zach fehl, JESS CROSSON, danny beeck, Cal u public relations, sports information, nate connolly, mari boyle, jerron corley, brad britvich
JEFF HELSEL DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS
POLICY: The California TIMES is a publication of the Student Association, Inc. and is distributed throughout the university campus and the Monongahela Valley area most Fridays of the academic year with the exception of holiday breaks. Any member of the university community may submit articles, editorials, cartoons, photographs or drawings for consideration. Deadlines are as follows: All written copy, announcements , e-mail (caltimes@calu.edu) and advertising submissions are due at Noon on the Monday before publication. Exceptions to these deadlines must be arranged with the editor. All submissions are the opinions of their creator(s). The California TIMES reserves the right to edit or refuse a submission as it sees fit without offering justification for content or advertising sections.
NEWS
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Board of Governors declares Geraldine M. Jones president BY LAUREN GRIFFITH, NEWS EDITOR California University of Pennsylvania has a new president. On April 7, Geraldine M. Jones was selected to serve as California University of Pennsylvania’s president. Jones was declared Cal U’s Acting President after former president Angelo Armenti was fired in May 2012. She was later declared the interim president. Jones graduated from California State College in 1972, and has spent time as program director for Upward Bound, chair of the Department of Academic Development Services, associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services, the dean of the College of Education and Human Services, and provost/vice president for academic affairs. The presidential selection was reached by the Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), after a presidential search committee was put together in September 2015. The committee consisted of three trustees, one executive, two faculty, two personnel, one student, one alumnae, and one former president of a PASSHE school. RPA Inc., an executive search and consulting firm, was hired to assist Cal U in the search for the new president. RPA Inc. held several different consultant meetings on campus in November for faculty, staff, and students to voice their opinions and concerns for the next Cal U president. An advertisement for the position was released November 20. In early February the candidates began their review by RPA
Inc. and the Presidential Search Committee, and later that month, applications were no longer being accepted. After initial interviews were done by RPA Inc. four candidates were invited to Cal U’s campus to speak in open forums with students, faculty, staff, and alumni. After one of the candidates did not continue with the interview process, the three candidates were Geraldine Jones, Ralph Rogers, and Guiyou Huang. On March 29, the Council of Trustees for Cal U approved two candidates-Geraldine Jones and Ralph Rogers. Jones and Rogers’s resumes were then forwarded to the Office of the Chancellor for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, and to the State System’s Board of Governors. The decision from PASSHE came just nine days later. In an interview with the Observer Reporter, Larry Maggi, chairman of the Council of Trustees for Cal U, said the search committee on campus did not recommend Jones for the job. The search committee recommended Huang and Rogers for interviews before the state system, Maggi said. The decision for Jones to serve as Cal U’s president came just one month after faculty and coaches, members of Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF), planned to take a vote of no confidence in the school’s council of trustees, interim president and three vice presidents. The votes were postponed until after the presidential search was completed. In an article from the Observer Reporter, members of
APSCUF said the school lacked a strategic plan under interim President Geraldine Jones. Cal U created the Strategic Plan 2015-2020, which set five goals and 17 objectives, in December 2015. “President Jones has focused on three interrelated areas — academics, enrollment and financial stability,” Chris Kindl, Cal U spokesperson, said. “I would anticipate that initiatives in these key areas will continue” she said. Other initiatives taken by Jones are the university’s first doctoral degree program, and nine new academic programs in high demand areas. Claudia Pehowic, a junior, is one of the students on the Council of Trustees at Cal U. “President Jones was the tried and true candidate,” Pehowic said. “She lead our university during trying times, and being the face of a struggling institution (like a PASSHE university without a budget) can lead to some undue blame,” she said. Jones started on the job as soon as the announcement from Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, and spoke at the campus talk on April 12 held in the performance center of the Natali Student Center. “Even when she is called upon to make difficult decisions, she always considers the impact of those decisions on students,” Kindl said. If I were a Cal U student, this is what I’d want most — a leader who keeps students’ needs in mind even when grappling with complex financial and institutional issues.”
Understanding Climate Change Come share in an enlightening program on climate change: Faculty panel, video presentation, and discussion What exactly is climate change? Hasn’t the climate always changed? What are the dangers? Is there any reason for optimism? Tuesday, April 19, 2016 Duda Room 103 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Sponsored by the Cal U Faculty Climate Change Task Force: Carol Bocetti; Mel Blumberg; Chad Kauffman; Mario Majcen; Dawn Moeller; and Michael Slaven
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NEWS
Sigma Tau Gamma, Delta Zeta win Greek Sing title It did not take the judges long to figure out who was the winner of this year’s Greek Sing were. For their ability to stay consistent to the theme, provide a variety of choreography and skits, and use the most amount of people throughout their entire performance, it was clear
of Sigma Tau Gamma practiced every night for 2-3 hours the week prior to Greek Sing,” Delta Zeta’s Greek Week Students piled into the Performance Center last Chair, Shannon Barnett, explained. “We had a lot of fun Wednesday to watch and figure out who would be this working with the brothers the past two years for Greek year’s champion of Greek Sing. By the start of the event, Sing and look forward to Greek Week!” the Performance Center was so packed that Their Disney themed performance included people had to stand along the walls due to segments from Mulan, The Little Mermaid, every seat being taken. The Greeks provided Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Cinderella, a wide variety of themes including Sandlot, and Frozen. Based off of the crowd’s reaction Way Back Wednesday, Camp, Take Back the Lindsay Mackley’s comedic dancing around Night, and Once Upon A Time. Each sorority the stage while performing as Elsa dancing to and fraternity had a unique performance with “Let It Go” was one of their favorite parts. many different talents. Another highlight was the finale of the The night kicked off with a Sandlot themed performance which included everyone performance from Sigma Kappa and Theta involved coming out on stage. Just as everyone Xi featuring songs such as “My House” by Flo thought it could not get any better, Nathan Rida and “The Man” by Aloe Blacc. Connolly and Avonlea Keedy dropped into a They were followed by Phi Sigma Sigma and split making the audience erupt with applause Delta Chi who took everyone Way Back with and cheering. their performance of all throwback songs. “We worked decently hard but just hanging After that, Alpha Sigma Tau and Phi Gamma out and having fun with everyone helped a Delta kept it very classy with their black tie Sigma Tau Gamma and Delta Zeta won this year’s Greek sing, for the second year in a row. Congrats to all the fraternities lot,” Mike Mertz, Sigma Tau Gamma’s Greek performance of Take Back the Night. Week Chair exclaimed. “We all believed we Alpha Sigma Alpha and Alpha Kappa and sororities who participated! were going to win. It was great working with Lambda reminded everyone of what it was like to go back to camp with their upbeat performance why Delta Zeta and Sigma Tau Gamma were announced the lovely ladies of Delta Zeta.” this year’s champions. Whether first place or last place it was clear that featuring a variety of songs. “Coming off of a Greek Sing win last year made me feel everyone involved put a lot of time and effort into putting Closing the night were reigning champions Delta Zeta and Sigma Tau Gamma who put a on a stellar Once Upon as if there was no way we could top it. After deciding to on a great event for all to enjoy. do a ‘Dreaming of Disney’ theme, my sisters and brothers A Time routine.
BY JESS CROSSON, STAFF WRITER
Habitat for Humanity hosts Cardboard City BY MARI BOYLE, STAFF WRITER The Habitat for Humanity club at Cal U brought back a favorite annual tradition formerly known as the Box Out. The event has been renamed “Cardboard City” to more appropriately fit the purpose of the event. Cardboard City is Habitat for Humanity’s main event to help spread awareness for homelessness across Cal U’s campus. Habitat for Humanity invited students and clubs to the Performance Center on April 8 to build homes out of cardboard. These student and club formed teams sat in their cardboard houses from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., when the event was scheduled to end. The Performance Center was full with cardboard houses that reflected this year’s theme for the event, Castles and Mansions, and the space
looked like a cardboard city. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness for homelessness as well as fundraise to donate to the local Habitat for Humanity located in Washington County. The Habitat for Humanity club was able to raise close to $600 to donate from registration fees, food sales, as well as selling apparel. Scattered around the performance center were innovative and exquisite cardboard houses, along with games for participants to enjoy throughout the day such as Can Jam and corn hole, accompanied by music from the WCAL radio station. At the end of the day, prizes were awarded for the best cardboard houses. The Gamma Sigma Sigma National
Service Sorority was prized with first place and was awarded $100 to donate to philanthropy of their choice. Coming in second was Delta Zeta and the Team Spirit Award went to Sigma Tau Gamma. Other participants included, Alpha Sigma Alpha, the men’s and women’s Rugby teams, Theta Xi, and Acacia. The President of Habitat for Humanity, Savanna Carroll, commented on the events success saying, “We not only raised money for our local Habitat for Humanity, but we got to raise homelessness awareness and even collected nonperishable food donations for Cal U’s own food pantry.”
NEWS
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LIFE
LIFE
Albums of the
Week
By Dan Carmichael Cal Times Contributor
Page 7 April 15. 2016
Cleopatra - The Lumineers
With the rise of Mumford and Sons in the folk rock genre came a new group, The Lumineers, who released their first, self-titled album in 2012. After this album was released, the band coasted for a while off their current success and eventually fell silent. What many fans may not know is that the band originally formed in 2002 after lead singer, Wesley Schultz’ best friend and drummer, Jeremiah Fraites’ brother fell victim to a drug overdose. Schultz began writing music to help cope with the loss of his friend and they eventually found members to create a full band to really display the music they had been making. After a three year break, the Lumineers announced that they would be making their second, full length album back in 2015. In 2016, 3 songs were released as singles before the album made it to store shelves. The first song, “Ophelia,” shows visions of their first album, with a slight maturity level added. For the rest of the album, which spans through 11 songs lasting just over 30 minutes in length, nothing is beyond expectations. After giving the album a thorough listen through numerous times, it has grown on me more than I had expected. I do not think it will ever surmount the popularity of their first, nor will it break any records or win any awards. “Cleopatra” provides for a fairly somber listening experience with some upbeat songs thrown in every now and again. The first album had more fun, light hearted instrumentals than this, but the messages are still serious within both. I do not find many low points with this album. Some may find it to be a little boring, though it is very solid and refreshing from start to finish. All the same, I do not see all that many high points. The Lumineers will be going on a tour throughout the Summer, though they will not be coming very close to the Pittsburgh area. If they continue to grow in popularity after this tour, I imagine they will not take as much time to release a third album and then they may have a larger tour around the area.
Average Critic Rating: 70/100
My Rating: 78/100
Junk - M83
M83 is a French electronic band who specializes in synthpop. They formed in 2001 when they released their first, self-titled album. Since then, they have released seven, full length studio albums including their newest album, “Junk.” It was not until 2011 that the band saw their first song finally reach into the top 100 of various charts. M83 has been known for making loud instrumental music, full of reverb, with soft vocals throughout. “Junk” provides nothing short of what is expected. M83 has continuously been unsurprising with their music. The most shocking thing about this album is the length. “Junk” contains 15 tracks reaching 55 minutes in total. It seems that more and more music falling under this genre does not make it past the 45 minute mark. All the while, the length of this album does not help it any. It lacks much content. It just moves from one song to the next without much grace. From one song to the next, there is no consistency. It seems that the instrumentals go off on a tangent with the passing of each song. One positive surprise of the album was that Beck was featured on a song. I feel that his song was the best on the entire album. Where this album lacked consistency, it did provide a gateway for the band to expand upon their current sound. They will be able to see which songs become popular and better develop their future sound accordingly. M83 has been seen among the top 15 bands to play at numerous music festivals this Summer. They will also be headlining a show in Pittsburgh in early June. Their tour will stop at a few venues in Ohio, as well as Maryland and Virginia. Half of their tour will take place in Europe where their fanbase is much stronger. They have been said to put on a good night show and if this is your style of music, you should definitely plan on seeing them live when they make their stop through.
Average Critic Rating: 71/100
My Rating: 68/100
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LIFE
BSU CORNER
We Wear The Mask – by Paul Laurence Dunbar
By Jerron Corley
We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,— This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Greetings everyone, Tickets for the 13th Annual BSU Formal are still on sale! Ticket prices are $10/single, $15/ couple and $70/table of 8. The theme for this year is casino, so make sure to dress the part! Ticket includes food and transportation. If you would like to ride on the bus to the formal, please email Sheleta Webb at webb_s@calu. edu. Any questions and future ideas for the BSU Corner should be directed to me. Have a great weekend and remember to plan your success accordingly. Yours in Blackness, JC
Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask.
“When you create art, the world has to wait.” -Will Smith
APRIL 15 - 21
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask!
LIFE
Page 9 April 15. 2016
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
FALL 2016 / SPRING 2017
LEASING HAS BEGUN
FOR UNIVERSITY HOUSING
RESIDENCE HALLS & VULCAN VILLAGE APARTMENTS
Log on your VIP account and select housing /dine tab for more information.
Questions?
Call the University Housing OfямБce at 724-938-4444 or e-mail housing@calu.edu.
www.calu.edu/current-students/housing
Page 10 April 15, 2016
LIFE
Students were treated to multicultural cuisine on Sunday, April 10 in the Natali Performance Center
Photos: Rachael McKriger
LI F E
Page 11 April 15, 2016
Photos: Rachael McKriger
St. George’s Day By Rachael McKriger, sports editor The Manderino Library was anything but a quiet place to study on April 5. That’s because the Spanish club, as well as many other clubs, took over the library to promote a St. George’s Day festival. St. George’s Day celebrates the patron saint of England, George, who was a soldier in the Roman army who killed a dragon and saved a princess, according to legend. He is a revered saint not just in England, but in countries like Spain, Portugal, and Iraq to name a few. Spearheading the miniature festival was the Spanish club, but they had plenty of help from the graphic design club, the library services, and many more other clubs. Festival goers helped themselves to free food, some free books, and even caught a medieval dancing or fencing lesson.
Many arrived in traditional medieval garbs and the left side of the library was decorated in a medieval theme. The art club made pieces to be displayed, but the most prominent was the medieval dragon art work. For the co-advisor for the Foreign Language Club, Andrea Cencich, St. George’s Day was an opportunity to bring all Cal U students together. “This is an event that has different departments coming together, helping ou,” Cencich said. “We have the art and languages departments, the history department, and the graphic design department coming together to promote the Spanish and religious part of this event. Everyone thinks about Cinco de Mayo, so it’s nice to show the students something else in Spanish culture.”
Cencich said that everyone was invited to the event, including people around the community. Authors around the community were invited to promote their books, including Cal U alumni. Cencich said the plentiful amount of people was exciting for her to see. “We have so much here at the university to show the community, so this was a good thing,” Cencich said. “The library really helped us out. The library got us the area and helped us set up the artwork and decorations. They were a really big help.” Cencich said she’d like to do the same event next year, and hopes that people that attended the event got a dose of Spanish culture. More importantly, Cencich was glad that the event helped promote diversity around Cal U.
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OPINION
Why the Panama Papers really are a big deal By Rachael McKriger, Sports Editor
When it comes to digging up dirt, investigative journalists know how to do it correctly and covertly. However, a number of German journalists uncovered some big news that shocked the world. Earlier last week, a number of independent investigative German journalists uncovered what are now called the “Panama Papers”. The Panama Papers might not sound like a big deal, but in reality they really are. In the simplest of terms, the Panama Papers are 11.5 million leaked files from the database of Mossack Fonseca, located in Panama, which is the fourth biggest offshore law firm. A German newspaper called the Süddeutsche Zeitung obtained the papers anonymously. Essentially, the Panama Papers reveal tax corruption. According to The Guardian, an online newspaper, the documents show the “myriad ways in which the rich can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes.” 12 world leaders, including the likes of Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad among others, were named to the list, as well as 143 other politicians, their families, and close members of their inner circle.
Other members listed were Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister; Ayad Allawi, ex-interim prime minister and former vice-president of Iraq; Petro Poroshenko, president of Ukraine; Alaa Mubarak, son of Egypt’s former president; and the prime minister of Iceland, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. The prime minister of Iceland even resigned last week due to massive protests in Iceland. Big names in the sports community are also listed. FIFA, who have recently subdued their scandals by electing new president Gianni Infantino to replace Sepp Blatter, are named on the list. Also named on the list is Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who plays club level at Barcelona. Messi could even face up to 22 months in prison for his involvement with the Panama Papers. Recently connected to the Panama Papers was the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron even released his tax report due to his name being on the papers. The UK has a big influence with Mossack Fonseca, as half of the companies registered with them are British.
This scandal is huge for a number of reasons. Statistically, this is the biggest leak in the history of modern technology. It’s bigger than the 2010 WikiLeaks and the Edward Snowden leaks in 2013. To be specific, there were 11.5 million documents leaked, which is rounded to be 2.6 terabytes of Mossack Fonseca’s data. Another reason why this is important is because a number of United States officials are said to be on the list. No American names have been leaked yet, but many are expecting big names like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to make an appearance on the list. However, neither have yet to be named to the Panama Papers, thus far. It will be an interesting turn of events if Clinton and Trump are named to the list. If they are, the race for the White House would seemingly go to a Bernie Sanders versus Ted Cruz. Right now, as it were to seem, the race for the White House might depend on the outcome of the Panama Papers.
Bernie Sanders in the ‘Burgh By Bradley britvich, cal times contributor There are not very many reasons I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning. If you told me a year ago that I would waking up just to go see a 74-year-old senator from Vermont, I would say you were crazy. But after all this is an election year and as we have seen, it makes people do crazy things. I have wanted to see Bernie Sanders speak for quite some time now. Whenever I heard he was coming to Pittsburgh, I figured there was no way I could not go. However, when I saw the time that the doors to the David L Lawrence Convention Center were supposed to open I was surprised. Sanders was not supposed to speak until 10 a.m. but the doors opened at 7:30 a.m.? There’s no way it would take that long to fill the place up, so I had thought. Nothing could have prepared me for the massive line that awaited me when I got there, shortly after the doors were scheduled to open. It went from the entrance of the convention center, snaked around the parking garage and up to the second floor of the building. Once inside, the line went still went
on. And despite all this, everything was pretty organized. When the senator finally came out, with David Bowie’s “Starman” blaring over the system, it was hard not to get swept up in the moment. There I was, with what is now estimated at about 8,550 people, waiting to hear one man speak his mind. But I had to wonder, did anybody really care what he was saying, or were they just there to take a photo and post it to Twitter? It was easy to tell the difference between who would come out to vote for him for the Pennsylvania primary, and those that just wanted to say they were there. The ones who would cheer unprovoked were the ones listening to what he said. Sanders gave a pretty inspirational speech, based on the changes that he has seen across the country in the past 50 years and what changes he still thinks are necessary. He also focused on how his humble upbringings shaped his morals in life. What surprised me the most was how much he criticized Hillary
Clinton in his speech. At a time when Republicans are separated and disjointed, it was interesting to see Sanders try so hard to distance himself from Clinton. He brought this up on national television last week, when he doubted that Clinton was fit to be president because of her past judgements, but not because of her experience. On a campaign that is based on equality for all, I do not think Sanders should put so much effort in to disqualifying Clinton. If he is not successful in securing the nomination, he will have posed some questions to his followers that would make them hesitate in supporting her until November. But since his appearance in Pittsburgh, Sanders has been performing pretty well. He has won the last 8 out of 9 states, the most recent being Wyoming on April 9th. If he somehow manages to pull off landslides in New York and California, things will look pretty good for him. But no matter the outcome, I will still be able to look back and say my first political event was a worthwhile experience, even if I did have to get up way too early.
SPORTS
Page 13 April 15, 2016
Men’s and Women’s Golf finishing impressive year By Danny Beeck, Staff Writer
A sport which requires one individual to hold their own, and perform under great pressure, involves great skill, and even more heart is golf. At California University of Pennsylvania, the men’s and women’s golf teams strive to be the best individuals they can possibly be, not only in the tee box, but also on the green. With a top three finish at the PSAC Championships, the women’s golf team, who are coached by MerriLyn Gibbs, has both the skill, and experience to consistently make their mark on the leaderboards. Carla Maestre, a junior from Venezuela, leads the team with a 78.3 average on the year. With two Top-20 finishes on the season, Cara Vanderham, a senior from Innisfail, Alberta, Canada, is also putting up impressive numbers, averaging an 80 average throughout the 2016 season. However, as a collective team the Vulcans finished just one stroke behind Millersville University in the PSAC Championship round in Hershey, which took place in October. Only two more rounds remain for the women’s team, as they play up in Erie this weekend. The men’s golf team is also hitting their marks, as this season produced five Top-3 finishes, along with a first place finish in September. A team made up of primarily juniors, the leaders on this team set the
Junior Carla Maestre, from Venezuela, has been a leader this season for the Vulcans golf team. (Photo: Scott Spangler, Cal U)
example. Tyler Robinson, a junior from Annapolis, Maryland, has been helping his team secure high finishes in multiple events this season. Sophomore Kirby Manown, from Belle Vernon, is also pursuing a high finish each event, and this season he even medaled at the Browngolf Intercollegiate, an event hosted by Indiana
University Pennsylvania. The team, who are coached by Peter Coughlin, rounds up the 2015-2016 season at IUP this weekend as they try to finish on a high note.
Tennis posts big wins before end of season By Nathan Connolly, Contributor
The No. 18 Vulcans posted a 9-0 win on Senior Day over West Liberty in non-conference play on Friday afternoon at Roadman Park. With the victory, the California University of Pennsylvania tennis team improves to 12-2 overall and extends its winning streak to 11 matches. The Vulcans swept doubles play for the seventh-straight match, losing only six games. Senior Kiefer Shaw and sophomore Lena Dimmer earned an 8-2 victory at the first position against the regionally-ranked tandem of Raquel Cabero and Rhiannon James. At second doubles, junior Jasi Witherspoon and freshman Holly Bennett recorded their seventh-straight victory with an 8-3 win over Emily Dawson and Laura Huwe. Juniors Veronika Mikulis and Alyssa Savill claimed an 8-1 victory at the third slot against Kate
Pinchuk and Alaina Pauley from West Liberty. Cal U completed the match victory on Friday by winning all six singles matches. Shaw tallied a 6-1, 6-0 win over Huwe at the first position and Dimmer registered a 6-0, 6-1 victory at the second slot against Dawson. Witherspoon earned a 7-5, 6-4 win over James at third singles, while Mikulis extended her team-best winning streak to 11 matches following a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the fourth position against Pinchuk. Savill recorded her eighth-straight victory by blanking Ana Berbel by a 6-0, 6-0 count at the fifth slot and freshman Jacqueline Olivia claimed a 6-2, 4-6, 10-3 win at sixth singles against Andrea Puga. Cal U’s own Kiefer Shaw was selected for the PSAC West Athlete of the Week after her performances in the past week. Shaw helped the Vulcans extend their winning streak to 12
matches and move into a tie for first place in the divisional standings. Shaw also posted a 6-4, 6-0 win at first singles on Sunday while playing at Seton Hill and collected an 8-1 victory in doubles while playing with a new partner for the first time. A native of Quebec, Shaw has posted a 13-5 record in singles play this year while playing at the first position for the second-straight year. She also sits second on the team with 17 wins in doubles behind a 10-1 mark in dual play. The Vulcans are red hot right now and keep finding ways to win. With the way they are winning, it is safe to say that this is one of the best teams out together in a while here at Cal U.
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SPORTS
Pittsburgh Passion and the Cal U Connection By Rachael McKriger, Sports Editor
California University of Pennsylvania student Nate Dillon scored an internship with the Pittsburgh Passion this school year. Dillon, a junior at Cal U, earned his internship with the Passion as credit towards his sports managment degree. The Pittsburgh Passion are a female women’s football team that is part of the full-contact Women’s Football Alliance league. In the WFA, the Passion are in the Central North Division along with the Cleveland Fusion, the Columbus Comets, and Thee Toledo Reign. The Passion are owned by Teresa Conn and Franco Harris, a former Pittsburgh Steeler. The team is led by co-head coaches Conn and Harvey Smith, from Aliquippa, Pa. The Passion were founded in 2002 and played their first games in 2003 at Belle Vernon Area High School. Now, the Passion play at three different venues. They kick off their first home game at Slippery Rock University on April 23. The Passion make their
way to Cal U on May 7 at Adamson Stadium and then play two home games at Cupples Stadium in Pittsburgh on May 14 and 21. The Passion have two Cal U alumni on their roster. Tight end Lorraine Stanek graduated from Cal U and when she’s not playing football, she is a nanny to four children. She is in her fifth year with the Passion. Fellow alumni Madison Baxter is a rookie on the team and hold the defensive back position. She graduated from Cal U with a Master’s degree in exercise science and is currently a gymnastics coach. Being a Cal U student, tickets are only 10 dollars.
Photo: Even Flow Studios
Cal U
Students, Faculty & Staff Ride all MMVTA Buses for FREE!! *Just show your Cal U ID
Any Route, Anytime! 1300 McKean Ave., Charleroi, PA
www.MMVTA.com 724.489.0880
SPORTS
Page 15 April 15, 2016
GJ Senchak, Baseball Team ready for PSAC Playoffs
By Rachael McKriger, Sports Editor GJ Senchak grew up around the sport of baseball. The senior pitcher on the California University of Pennsylvania men’s baseball team started playing baseball at the young age of seven. He hasn’t been off the diamond since. Senchak credits that to his first teacher: his father. Senchak said that his father noticed he liked being a part of a team, and that he signed his son up for youth baseball. However, his father didn’t have him do it alone. Mr. Senchak was his son’s first coach, mentor, and teacher. Senchak has been playing organized baseball all of his life, but really took it seriously during his high school career at New Castle Senior High School. At New Castle, he wasn’t a pitcher, but a center field player. He said he began pitching when he noticed that he was a competitor and that he always wanted the baseball in his hands. He credits him being a pitcher, and even being able to become a college athlete, to his time at New Castle. “At New Castle, I started as a freshman and became close with many of my teammates which became some of my great friends,” said Senchak. “I had a good career and had a lot of fun playing there. Playing at New Castle made me the player I am today even though we never really had a good team, I still found a way to have fun with my friends and play the game it needed to be played.” When he was at New Castle, he was recruited in his junior and senior years to come to Cal U. He eventually decided on Cal U, which he said was an easy choice, because he knew of the school’s historic past and coaching staff. He also said he liked the style of play Cal U had. He was also excited to come here because of Mike Conte, the head coach. “He’s a very intimidating man but also has been around the game awhile playing in the minor league at my age,” Senchak said. “He believes in our team and each of us and I know he would have our back in any situation on and off the field. Coach and I have a great relationship. As a senior, I’ve grown a great bond with him over the years and learned a lot of helpful tools about life and baseball. He’s a very intelligent man and he’s brought the best player out of me on the diamond and classroom.” Senchak, being a senior on the team, realized himself, and not by coach Conte, that he had to be a leader on the team this year. He said that he wanted to teach his younger teammates that baseball is about
GJ Senchak has pitched in seven games for the Vulcans this season, thus far. Photo: Don Wright/Sports Information team unity and that it’s not an individualized sport “This team has so much talent as a whole and I think we can accomplish many great things with the way our season is going so far without some key players due to injuries,” Senchak said. When it comes to his leadership abilities, Senchak said that he’s more of a visual leader on the field, but will speak up when needed. “I’m not a very outspoken person but we have great captains on our team that put our team on the right route with how they handle situations,” he said. “Overall I try to show the younger ones to have fun because college goes so fast and it helps that we play a kids sport that were just college kids trying to continue having fun playing baseball.” Senchak said that if he had to pick a teammate that he was closest with, it would be fellow senior pitcher Mick Fennell. The two are roommates and have even played together when they were younger, according to Senchak. “Mick lives about 30 minutes from New Castle [Ed. Mick is from Butler, Pa.] and we played against each other when we were younger,” Senchak said. “I’m glad we both made the decision to come to Cal U and be a part of a great team and to become even better friends than we were.” Senchak also said that he’s close with his fellow
pitchers. The baseball team, including Senchak and Fennell, has 18 pitchers. Some are listed as just pitchers, while others are listed as a pitcher and/or a second, or even third, position. Senchak understands that there is competition among the pitchers, but believes that it’s more about self-competition. “We know we’re in competition with each other but we’re also in competition with ourselves,” he said. “We all have different roles and we try to play our role as best as we can. Baseball is a very mental sport which makes pitching a grind dealing with arms and injuries a lot. We are all different in our own ways but we all get along. We have great team chemistry on and off the field.” That team chemistry has come in handy for the baseball team this season. The team is currently at an 18-12 record, and have 12 more games to play. Currently, Cal U leads in the PSAC West standings with an 11-3 conference record. Behind them are Mercyhurst, Seton Hill, and Gannon. For Senchak, he wants to win a PSAC Championship before he graduates in May. He would also like to win a National Championship, but the PSAC Championship is at the top of this list. Senchak said he has nothing but confidence that his team can be number one in the PSAC West standings and can win a PSAC Championship.
Page 16 April 15, 2016
SPORTS
Cal Times
At h l e t e S p ot l i g h t kiefer
shaw
Class: Junior Major: Business Administration Hometown: Westmount, Quebec High School: Centennial
Kiefer Shaw, a junior from Westmount, Quebec, Canada, is this week’s
athlete of the week due to her earning four victories in a two dual matches last week. On top of her contributions at the singles, she is also in
doubles with her partner Lena Dimmer, a sophomore. Shaw was named
the PSAC West Athlete of the Week on Monday for her achievements. In her singles games, she had a 13-5 record, so far this spring season.
Photo: Sports Information
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