Grove City’s got game
Men’s basketball follows through on preseason hopes to dominate PAC SPORTS
Trump returns to the capital
Violet Whitmore News Editor
The 47th President of the United States Donald J. Trump was inaugurated Monday inside the Capitol in Washington, D.C. after the ceremony was moved days earlier because of a forecast of frigid temperatures.
This is the fourth time in American history that a presidential inauguration has been held inside the Capitol since former president Ronald Reagan’s inauguration in 1985.
“I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” Trump said. “It is dangerous conditions for the tens of
thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!),” he wrote on Truth So-
On track to completion
Collegian The CRM granted $5M to expand
Sparks fly as Rockwell renovation continues
Christa Bashinski Staff Writer
The summer of 2023 marked the beginning of a two-year venture to renovate Rockwell Hall. Rockwell Hall dates back to 1931 and was built amid the Great Depression as one of the first buildings constructed on campus. It remains a staple of the Col-
lege’s grounds, as construction is designed to maintain the historic exterior while modernizing the inside.
The construction is on schedule and on budget. It will be ready for students to take classes in the fall, with an estimated move-in date of July 31.
The improvements are a part of Impact 150, which has made history in being
Imago Dei Center celebrates MLK
Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief
On Monday night, Director of the Imago Dei Center
Kendall Hunter and a team of students coordinated a service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
The service kicked off the spring semester’s Faith for Life Lecture series, of which there will be six stretched across the span of the semester.
“My genuine prayer is that
students will walk away from the King service encouraged, challenged and inspired to continue growing in love for the Lord and for their neighbor,” Hunter said prior to Monday night’s service.
Several students and College faculty read passages of Scripture and shared stories of how they have been impacted by the Civil Right leader’s legacy.
Junior Charli Missouri
3
Grove City’s largest fundraiser, as they are seeking $185 million in anticipation of its 150th anniversary in 2026.
The first phase of the campaign is the most ambitious as it looks to bring in $90 million, most of which will be directed towards the renovation, which is estimated to cost $48 million and is the focal point of the donations.
The remaining funds will
go toward the athletic facilities and increased financial aid. The second phase will look to raise $43 million for updates on residence halls and the auditorium as well as expanding student scholarships. The third phase marks the final leg of fundraising, as $32 million is hoped to be collected to build and reno-
Kathryna Hoyman Copy Chief
The Center for Rural Ministry (CRM) at Grove City College recently received a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. with which they hope to expand their ministry in connecting college, church and community.
Starting as the Project for Rural Ministry in 2019 and last year taking the name the Center for Rural Ministry, the CRM has aimed to bring college students and rural churches into community with each other from the beginning. With the grant, the CRM is experiencing another period of significant growth as it takes advantage of the notable opportunity that Christian colleges have in the world of ministry, specifically in rural communities.
CRM Executive Director Charlie Cotherman ‘06 shared that the Center’s heart for and focus on rural churches emerged from the College’s own context. “From the start, our team said ‘Grove City is a rural community … this College is in a rural place. How does God want to use our context? How can we be faithful in our context?’” Cotherman said.
Cotherman and his team recognize a specific need in small communities that the College has a unique ability to fill when working alongside the Center. “There is a real lack of effort at a national level to engage rural America,” he voiced. The Center seeks to bring colleges into connection with these rural towns, largely through their churches. “We want to be a part of holistic flourishing in small towns and rural places,” Cotherman said.
Receiving the grant from Lilly Endowment’s Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative is a pivotal step in the ministry’s expansion.
“In addition to expanding our work, we are going to be partnering with other colleges and universities to help them launch this program in
GRACE SCHELLER
A Trump supporter gazing at the Capitol on January 20th.
GROVE CITY COLLEGE
Rockwell Hall is set to be completed in July this year. Over winter break, workers began to install drywall and paint in new classrooms.
EMMA ROSSI
Director of the Imago Dei Center Kendall Hunter speaks at Monday’s MLK service.
ROCKWELL 3
TRUMP 3
A country divided by passion
Grace Scheller Managing Editor
To say that the energy in the air was unlike any other during my few days in the Capitol during the 47th presidential inauguration would be an understatement. I was fortunate enough to be in Washington with Violet Whitmore, The Collegian’s news editor, and her family. Violet and I are in undoubted agreement: we’ve never seen anything quite like D.C. on January 20th
If you were to dig through the streets of the Capitol, you’d likely find the phrases “ultra MAGA,” “God bless our warrior president” and “Kamala, you’re fired!” littered on the sidewalks and displayed on the folding tables of makeshift merch vendors. You’d notice the flags, the hats, the t-shirts, the signs and the silicon Trump pop-it’s that I admittedly fidgeted with while stopping at a crossroad.
Violet’s mother, A loyal MAGA republican, planned the entirety of the weekend in hopes of attending Trump’s inauguration. She was kind enough to let me tag along.
“Grace, you look cold! Here, you can put this on,” Mrs. Whitmore exclaimed as she handed me a black MAGA beanie. I was cold, but not that cold. Smiling and thanking her for her concern, I politely declined. “Oh, I’m alright! Really!”
Mrs. Whitmore woke up at 6 a.m. on Monday morning, prepared to stand in line at even the chance of entering the Capital One Arena, just to watch the jumbotron that projected Trump’s swearing in. Placing our bets that we wouldn’t make it to the arena (and frankly, too cold to try), Violet and I opted out of the excursion and instead toured the subways, the streets, the neighborhoods of D.C., keeping a keen eye on those celebrating.
We saw what I am choos-
ing to refer to as passion. At least, the very optimistic part of me is.
As we made our way through the streets and weaved through law enforcement, we found ourselves standing behind the blockade of the Capitol building, surrounded by a crowd of red. I noticed a man standing by the blockade, seemingly the only person not shouting or exclaiming or cheering. He held a sign that read, “So … you elected a rapist twice?” I began to take pictures, and I watched as another walked toward him. “He’s good for our country, better than Biden. Someone’s gotta keep inflation under control.”
The man with the sign responded and a crowd gathered. I watched as the two had it out. I looked around at the supporters on the street, at the protesters with their picket signs. We took a turn toward the Capital One Arena. The remnants left by those waiting to enter were an amalgamation of everything restricted in the arena: Hydroflasks, hand warmers, designer bags – essentially a sea of belongings left behind by Trump supporters.
Collegian Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Emma Rossi
Managing Editor
Grace Scheller
Section Editors
News
Violet Whitmore
Community Emily Fox
Perspectives
Grace Scheller
Entertainment
Catharine Runion
Sports Mia Gallagher
Photo Chief Luke Paglia
Copy Chief Kathryna Hoyman
Business Manager John Remaniak
Copy Editors
Anastasia Brown
Olivia Emerick
Kendall Lambrecht
Bonnie Pittman
Hannah Williams
Staff Writers
Dom Puglisi
Matthew Purucker
Madison Lynch
Christa Bashinski
Garrett Gess
Staff Photographers
Staff Adviser Nick Hildebrand
The Collegian is the student newspaper of Grove City College, located in Grove City, Pa. Opinions appearing on these pages, unless expressly stated otherwise, represent the views of individual writers. They are not the collective views of The Collegian, its staff or Grove City College. Happy birthday Nate :)
For most, it wasn’t a difficult choice.
The air that day was filled with a love for our country in a roundabout way. Perhaps, to some, it may appear as almost the opposite, but you cannot deny that Mrs. Whitmore, who waited eight hours in below-freezing weather, the man standing outside the Capitol with his sign or the swarm of people who discarded their belongings – that those people are dedicated to what they believe is best for our nation. Whether they are right or wrong is another conversation entirely.
My first inauguration in D.C. filled me with a sense of awe at the sheer magnitude of ardor. I pray that, over the next four years, we refuse to let it divide us any more than it already has.
TRUMP continued from 1
cial.
Moving the inauguration indoors blocked tens of thousands of people from viewing the event on Capitol grounds. Temperatures did not stop supporters, protestors and vendors from gathering to watch Trump’s inauguration in lines outside the Capital One Arena. Only 20 thousand supporters were welcomed inside the Capital One Arena.
News Writer for the National Review in D.C. David Zimmermann ’22 witnessed a change in the rhythm of the city during the day. “I’ve lived in the D.C. area for less than two years now, and Trump’s inauguration is certainly the busiest day I’ve seen so far in the capital with increased security and a high volume of people,” he said.
“It’s nice to see D.C. get this much traffic for the incoming administration, and it shows the post-election vibe shift is real. I suspect Harris wouldn’t have gotten the same level of enthusiasm if she won,” Zimmermann
said.
Law enforcement around D.C. took security measures to protect the city as state, federal, local police and militia from the National Guard guarded the Capitol, public transportation, which was limited, and federal buildings. Law enforcement blocked entry to streets and strictly enforced traffic patterns. Over 30 miles of anti-scaling fence was raised and six metro stations were closed to riders.
Though Trump decided to move the event indoors due to freezing temperatures, some Trump supporters theorized that it was moved because the inauguration posed a serious security risk to Trump.
David Pyne, a Trump supporter and President of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security believes there’s more to the story than just the cold. “The decision to move the inauguration indoors and cancel all of Trump’s outdoor appearances was most definitely not weather related as is being reported. Reagan did the same thing after he was
shot. The security risk is off the chart compared to past inaugurations. The FBI is reporting 700,000 Telegram users are threatening to assassinate President Trump,” he said.
The peaceful transfer of power officially inducted Trump as the 47th president of the United States, who went to work signing executive orders on immigration, energy policies, trade, social issues and pardoning January 6th rioters as well as attending multiple inaugural balls.
“It was quite surreal seeing Trump supporters walking around with their MAGA hats over the weekend in a predominantly liberal city,” Zimmerman said. “And to my surprise, not as many anti-Trump protesters were around as in 2017. It reminded me of D.C. the morning after the election, which saw virtually no unrest, contrary to expectations. The attitude of Democratic voters seemed subdued then and continues to feel that way now.”
GRACE SCHELLER
Tens of thousands of Trump supporters flocked to the Capitol for the Presidential Inauguration on Monday.
GRACE SCHELLER
A protester stands across from the Capitol.
GRACE SCHELLER
Police, federal troops, and National Guard on duty during the Inauguration.
ROCKWELL
continued from 1
vate certain buildings on upper campus with some adding more to financial aid.
“Impact 150 is a vision for increasing the profound impact that Grove City College can have,” Edward D. Breen ‘78, chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, said. This vision is becoming more real on a daily basis as Rockwell Hall comes closer to completion.
Rockwell Hall will soon go
CRM
continued from 1
different regions,” Cotherman explained.
The CRM is excited to become “a hub for this kind of student-pastor-congregation connection,” according to Cotherman, and will seek to help other colleges learn what serving God through ministry to local churches looks like in their individual contexts. Through the work they have already done in rural communities, the CRM has laid a foundation for other colleges to see the impact of utilizing the specific assets of a Christian college at a local level.
Along with this outreach, the CRM is “going to work with some denominations and help them facilitate some affinity groups and, at a very local level, we are partnering with two community foundations, and they are going to distribute microloans to churches to help these churches be anchor institutions in their community,” Cotherman said.
“I think it’s really exciting that we can take some of this money and give it right into local communities and into the church,” he added.
While these expansions are geared towards serving, the CRM is excited about the mutual benefit they see for the interrelation between
by another name with the conclusion of construction turning it into the Smith Hall of Science and Technology. The new name is in recognition of William W. Smith Jr. ’69 and his wife Dieva Smith, who were generous with their donations for the project.
The project includes plans that will double the building’s square footage to a total of 66,500 square feet and modernize it with new technological systems that are fit for the present day. The renovations aim to provide
church congregations and students. Through hiring fellows in internship-like programs, coming alongside classes to give real-world experience to academic teaching and providing other service-learning opportunities, the CRM plans to supply students more ways to serve Christ in a hands-on way while experiencing active involvement in ministry.
“We think this is a great way to help students catch a vision for what engaged life in a local church looks like beyond college,” Cotherman said.
Assistant Director Adam Loretto ‘05 noted the opportunities the CRM provides for students. “I am excited for how the new grant continues to give students the chance to invest in local churches and vice versa,” Loretto expressed.
“We are praying for more students to encounter the Lord through engaged pastors and congregations in the coming years. And we are praying that students will develop in their understanding of how to serve him in their churches to the benefit of local congregations and communities,” he said.
For more information on the Center for Rural Ministry or to find ways to get involved, visit ruralministry. org.
Write for The Collegian
students with an academic space that will inspire innovation and creativity and aid them with tools that will set them up for success.
Completion will feature a two-story section designated the “science in action” corridor that connects the renovated building to STEM Hall and will feature Foucault’s pendulum that was originally in Rockwell.
The building’s first floor will highlight new studios and common areas with its second-floor housing offices,
labs and a darkroom.
During construction, faculty offices have been temporarily relocated to the Physical Learning Center and classes have been moved to various buildings around campus until the renovations are complete. Like the campaign, the renovations were planned around three different phases to ease the inconvenience of construction.
Work on Rockwell/Smith is expected to be completed this year. President McNulty spoke on the impact of the
project as it is a “historic investment in future generations of students” with “the success of the campaign not only helping us achieve the goals of our strategic plan in the short term but also advancing our distinctive mission and timeless values well into the future.” The completion of Rockwell Hall will mark the end of a two-year journey to better serve the campus community through its facilities.
IMAGO DEI
continued from 1
shared her experiences from attending private school as a child and never hearing about King in school. Instead, her mother read her books and educated her on what he did for the Civil Rights Movement. Missouri concluded her message by encouraging her peers to remember those who came before them but to continue moving forward.
Junior Raina Boykin spoke after Missouri, encouraging her peers to get comfortable with having uncomfortable conversations to work towards a brighter future. Boykin said that one of King’s qualities that stands out to her is his outspokenness, and she admonished those in attendance to practice that same outspokenness. Hunter delivered the service’s main message, where he spoke of King’s impact on his own personal life and the lives of his family. Hunter spoke of his grandparents’ experiences living through
the peak of the Civil Rights Movement.
He connected the stories of his family members through his grandfather’s cousin, Roscoe Burgess Sr. Burgess was born in 1929 and grew up in Bridgewater, Va. As an adult, he became the first Black councilman for Bridgewater and was reelected to the position six times.
After he passed in 2013, the Roscoe Burgess Riverwalk was unveiled in 2021.
The Riverwalk connects four parks in the same community Burgess served as a councilman. Hunter shared that the riverwalk parallelled the way Burgess had been so dedicated to bridging the divide between people. He encouraged those in attendance to continue building connections from person to person and breaking down the barriers that separate people. Through his work with the Imago Dei Center, Hunter sees connections like those he spoke of made often.
The Imago Dei Center is responsible for organizing,
facilitating and providing experiential and relational initiatives designed to connect students and facilitate community. The Center’s objective is to strengthen the structures of support for international, multicultural and minority students.
“In partnership with the Student Involvement Council, we plan to have a movie night in February. We also hope to have more iterations of our ‘Culture Convos & Cookies’ event we had last semester. Students can expect more details soon,” Hunter said.
Hunter suggested students interested in getting involved can begin by following their social media @gcc_imagodeicenter to stay up to date with upcoming events.
“If you are interested in helping plan and build future events, they can contact me via email to talk about ways to contribute,” Hunter said.
GROVE CITY COLLEGE
Pictured here is the connector which joins Rockwell to STEM Hall. The connector will greatly expand the space available for science and technology education.
EMMA ROSSI
Director of Christian Formation Virginia West addresses students during Monday night’s service.
Community
The Collegian, Jan. 24, 2024
Local business blooms
Wolf Creek Floral is a bright spot in the bleak winter
Sarah Barker Contributing Writer
Last November, Wolf Creek Floral officially opened its doors for business in Grove City. The business is located at 715 Liberty Street Ext., the building of the former Kocher’s Grove City Florist. When the former owners of Kocher’s retired from the floral business in 2023, Jennifer Lash and Grove City College professor of Chemistry Dr. James Clem purchased the building for their growing business.
Lash and Clem opened Wolf Creek Floral on Nov. 1, 2024. The new owners hope that their love for the community, entrepreneurial spirit and hard work will serve the Grove City community and surrounding areas for years to come.
Before the official opening of Wolf Creek Floral, Jennifer Lash had started the business in May 2023, arranging flowers for weddings and small events. In September 2023, she and her business partner Clem bought the building and started renovating. By May 2024, they were already selling potted plants out of the greenhouse.
Four months later in November, Wolf Creek Floral celebrated their official grand opening ceremony, drawing people from around the community to enter their doors and enjoy their gift shop, floral bouquets and potted plants.
In preparation for the grand opening ceremony, interns with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the College helped with organizing, advertising and managing different steps in the process. The grand opening featured the giveaway of 60 free bouquets to the first 60 guests through their doors, a ribbon cutting ceremony and the Grove City mayor, Mayor Randy Riddle.
Interns aided with advertisements on social media platforms, floral designs, inventory records and marketing. They set timelines and completed challenges working toward the opening day. Lash said the grand opening ceremony went very smoothly because of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innova-
I recently went on a double date, but the girl I was with seemed like she’d rather be with the other guy. She was paying a lot of attention to him, but she kind of ignored me. I could tell the other girl was also uncomfortable with how close my date was to her date. I like the girl I was with, and I’d like to ask her out again, but I can’t shake the feeling that she’d rather be with him. What should I do?
-The second choice
Judging from the tone of this submission, I think you already know what you are going to do, but I’ll put my two cents in anyway. I personally feel like any future
tion’s interns’ and owners’ collaboration and organization.
The success of Wolf Creek Floral’s grand opening can be credited to the store’s owners – people who love their community. Lash learned her love for fellowship while bonding with her family over their love for gardening, and she continues to create and share her floral arrangements because she believes that beautiful flowers bring communities and loved ones together.
Clem enjoys teaching
classes at Grove City College, where he touches the lives of many college students. When he’s not teaching his classes, Lash says that he spends his time off campus making deliveries and serving the surrounding communities with delivered bouquets. They see a lot of families and the community on floral deliveries.
“I realized I’m providing a service to people on a different level…It’s serving families,” Lash said.
The shop delivers to the surrounding areas, including Slippery Rock Univer-
sity and Grove City College campuses. Parents can order bouquets for their students on campus, and couples can order bouquets for special occasions like dances or a proposal. Lash says that they deliver the bouquets to the mail room, but when she can, she most enjoys meeting students on campus and personally delivering her arrangements. She likes to see the recipients’ joyful expressions.
Managing a business like Wolf Creek Floral requires an entrepreneurial spirit,
She’d rather be with him...
dates with this girl will be haunted by the memory of that first date. If this ‘other guy’ is your good friend, I may have some unfortunate news for you. Sometimes girls get close to their crush’s friend (yes, this could be you; yes, even in a flirtatious way) in order to learn more about their actual crush. You’d be
surprised by how much I’ve seen it happen throughout college. Now I have two questions. Is this behavior out of the ordinary for her? Second question: has she been showing consistent interest in you? Or has she been asking certain questions about this other guy? Normally, I might be able to brush this off as nervousness on her end. If there is someone I am more comfortable talking with, I tend to zero in on them. However, I have never done that on a date. Here’s some advice to those putting themselves out there: even if you are not interested in the person you are on the date with (why are you on the date in the first place?), then it is simple
courtesy to show polite interest in your date until the end. Unfortunately, if she is making everyone uncomfortable, then there is obviously a point that she is trying to make. A first date, and especially a double date, is a good way to understand the person you are interested in. How do they act around other people? How do they act towards you? This girl did not score too high on either front, which I assume is her way of making clear where her real interests lie. Perhaps she was more obvious than what she had intended, but the message was sent regardless of her intentions.
My advice? Don’t ask her out again. Find that person
love for community and persistent work. The shop has seen plenty of business since they opened, teaching flower arranging classes, providing flowers for weddings and even arranging bouquets for Parkhurst on the College’s campus. Lash also hinted at other services that she hopes to incorporate soon. Since they opened in November, the community’s response to the new florist shop has been encouraging. Grove City is likely to see Wolf Creek Floral in the area for a long time to come.
who is excited to go out and do things with you. No one likes feeling like the second choice. No one should be a second choice. Remember, dating to marry is the goal (at least for me, haha). Most people at Grove are looking to find that person who they can spend the rest of their life and raise a family with. Your future spouse will WANT to be with you and only you. Don’t settle for anything less.
Auspiciously, Dr. Love Love M.D.
WOLFCREEKFLORAL
Wolf Creek Floral owners, Jennifer Lash and Dr. James Clem celebrated the grand opening of the shop this past November.
Alum officiates Carter funeral
Emily Fox Community Editor
On Jan. 9, Grove City College alum and 28th
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Sean Rowe ’97, officiated the funeral of 39th President of the United States, James (Jimmy) Carter. Rowe described Carter as having been “a devoted peacemaker and steadfast public servant whose faithful labor for his country, his church and the cause of global democracy and human rights has long been an inspiration to Christians across the world,” according to an article published by Erie news outlet, GoErie.
Rowe was born in 1975 to a blue-collar family in Sharon, Pa. He grew up attending a United Methodist church in Hermitage, Pa.
Rowe was active in both his church and community, serving as an Eagle Scout, class president his senior year at Hickory High School and as a member of his church’s governing board. He was first introduced to the Episcopal Church by
Grove City College’s chair of the history department at the time, Rev. Barbara Akin. Rowe credits Akin for giving him a copy of “The Book of Common Prayer,” which proved to be a transformative part of his faith journey. During his time at the College, he attended the church where Akin served as the vicar, the Church of the Epiphany.
After graduating with a history degree from Grove
City, Rowe continued his education at the Virginia Theological Seminary (’00), where he served as class president before becoming the president of the student body.
He then became rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Frankin, Pa. where he served from 2000 to 2007. He returned to Grove City College in 2007 when he was elected to be the youngest member of the House of
Bishops. He was consecrated in the College’s own Harbison Chapel. Rowe was appointed to be the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pa., according to an article published by the Episcopal News Service. Rowe earned his PhD in Organizational Learning and Leadership in 2014 from Gannon University. The same year, he became the bishop provisional for the Diocese of Bethlehem.
He then served as the bishop provisional for the Diocese of Western New York in 2019, according to the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee’s website. Rowe was elected to the highest office of the Episcopal Church, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, this past June at the general convention held in Louisville, Ky. Rowe was one of five candidates nominated by the Joint Nominating Committee for election of the presiding bishop. This committee was comprised of 20 respected bishops, clergy and laypeople of the Episcopal Church.
Rowe was elected with 89 of 158 votes by the House of Bishops and was confirmed with 778 votes by the House of Deputies. Rowe succeeded former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and officially started his nine-year term on Nov. 1, according to articles published by Word and Way and by the Office of Public Affairs of the Episcopal Church. Rowe was accompanied by his wife Carly Rowe and daughter Lauren Rowe when he accepted his position after his election June 26th, according to the Episcopal News Service.
Student Rec starts spring sports
Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief
A new semester means new classes and new classmates. It also means a fresh slate of intramural sports (IMs) are scheduled and ready to be played.
This spring, the Student Recreation team (SRec) have three separate seasons with 15 different sports and games. Season One’s registration closed on Wednesday, where teams could sign up for badminton, Brawl Stars, Super Smash Bros,
cornhole and ping-pong.
Season Two’s registration opens on Feb. 9 and continues through Feb. 19, featuring the ever-popular volleyball leagues, indoor soccer, racquetball, dodgeball and Euchre.
The final season opens for registration from March 1626. IM basketball begins, as well as sand volleyball, softball, ultimate frisbee and for the first time, pickleball on the new outdoor courts on lower campus.
With the growing size of the athletic department and
the SRec programs, sharing the limited indoor space for IMs in the bleak Western Pa. winter and oft-delayed spring weather is a challenge.
Assistant Volleyball Coach and Director of Student Recreation Emily Grossman said students can expect some rescheduling due to unpredictable weather pushing varsity athletics inside.
“We are working on the schedule to save a day during the week for make-up games should our schedule need moved around. Students can always submit a reschedule
request in IM Leagues if they need to reschedule themselves. The best place to see updated schedules is on IM Leagues,” Grossman said.
“SRec is doing our best to make sure we still have full seasons for every sport. IMs will start slowing this semester, but in the late spring expect some of the biggest and best seasons at Grove City –especially basketball and volleyball, which will have multiple levels of full leagues for both men and women,” SRec IM Commissioner senior Aidan Mazzucco said.
Senior Nathan Blackburn has played IMs every semester he’s been at the College.
“It provides a great opportunity for physical activity, burning off energy during difficult academic periods and is a great way to meet new people on campus. I enjoy playing basketball, soccer, volleyball and other IM sports and would love to graduate this year as a reigning IM champion,” Blackburn said.
During his time involved
Alum serves others in emergency medicine
Bonnie Pittman Copy Editor
Many of us Grove City College students often think, “How can I take the skills God has given me and use them all cohesively in one career?” Grove City graduate Rachel VanderWel Germiller ’12 does just that in her career as an emergency medical physician.
Because she works in the field of emergency medicine, Germiller does not treat one specific type of person or have a specialty she focuses
on. She has treated a variety of people, in a variety of places, for many different reasons.
“Variety is the nature of emergency medicine. In one shift I can be expected to manage children, patients who are pregnant, elderly or homeless with complaints ranging from a minor cold to critical gunshot wounds,” Germiller said.
College may seem like the high point of our lives, but
In the PLC...
Free Bowling Night Jan. 24 7 - 10 p.m.
Bring your friends and let off some steam at the PLC Bowling Alley. Play free of charge tonight starting at 7.
as seen through Germiller’s career, God has so much more in store for us beyond these four years. She has filled close to a dozen different roles throughout her career as a physician, some of which include medical work abroad.
“I first became interested in emergency medicine when I scrubbed in the ED at the University of Colorado hospital in Denver. During the many years of training, I have gotten to be a tutor, student mentor, work in a clinical lab, coach basketball and participate in medical mis-
In the Student Union...
Camp Fair
Jan. 29 1 - 4 p.m.
Stop by the Student Union next Wednesday to learn about Christian Camps seeking counselors and volunteers for the upcoming Summer season.
sion trips to Botswana and Costa Rica,” she said.
More recently, Germiller has served the roles of a mom and full-time physician.
Although college and postgrad programs are the end of formal education for most people, Germiller’s position keeps her on her toes. Her job continues to be exciting every day because of the unknown.
“I’m still getting to learn and implement new knowledge and procedures every month in this ever-changing profession,” she shared.
Because of her time here at
Grove City College, Germiller learned how to work alongside others and found joy in that aspect of her work. She explained the necessity of working well with a team and what that looks like as a doctor.
“Emergency doctors never work in isolation, and getting to lead a team of nurses, medics and other physicians in a difficult case is one of my favorite parts of the specialty,” Germiller said.
Germiller attributes a lot of her spiritual and personal
In Crawford Auditorium...
Faculty Follies
Jan. 30
7 p.m.
ODK presents your favorite professors, including President & Mrs. McNulty, acting out hilarious skits in Crawford Auditorium next Thursday at 7.
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and Grove City College alum Sean Rowe, at right holding staff, officiated President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Jan. 9.
GERMILLER
‘Fall’ back to last semester
A throwback to the first day of classes for the fall semester.
‘Spring’ into this semester
The current state of Grove City College to start the spring
Looking back to the start of the fall semester seems like it was some time ago. The sun was shining, the air was warm and the trees were green. That feels like it would have been ages ago based on the way it is now.
The spring semester has begun with some of the coldest temperatures that Grove City has seen. Students came back to campus with snow on the ground. A week after classes started, Grove City recorded one of its lowest temperature in history.
by Luke Paglia, Photo Chief
Photos by GCC
Democracy dies in darkness and so does its press
Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief
For the first time since 1976, The Washington Post did not endorse a candidate in their editorial section. Initially, this could be seen as a win for unbiased journalism, but what it actually reveals is the increasing corporatization of mainstream media like the Post.
CEO and publisher William Lewis stated that the paper was “returning to our roots” of not endorsing candidates, and explained that the move was “a statement in support of our readers’ ability to make up their own minds” and “consistent with the values the Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law and respect for human freedom
in all its aspects.”
The past and present of the Post tell quite a different story.
When Eugene Meyer bought the Post in 1933 at a bankruptcy auction, the paper was a shadow of what it had once been and a shell of what it would become.
His daughter, Katharine Graham, took over the paper in 1963. Under her leadership, the Post covered some of America’s most prominent political scandals and national tragedies, including the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Pentagon Papers and Watergate.
Keeping the dirty work and nasty secrets of D.C. on your front page for several consecutive decades gets a newspaper some attention. Graham and the Post were catapulted onto the nation’s center stage and quickly became trendsetters in journalism.
One of these trends became a tradition. Beginning in 1976, the Post’s editorial
board endorsed political candidates during election years.
After seventeen presidential election cycles, this tradition ended – and I don’t think it was for the reasons the CEO claims. It was a decision made out of fear and greed.
The Post is a part of Nash Holdings, a digital investment group owned by Jeff Bezos. Bezos donated $1 million to Trump’s campaign in an effort to remedy their rocky relationship of the past.
Aside from the Post, Bezos has numerous economic interests that Trump could easily endanger during his second term. The Post had always endorsed Democratic candidates for presidential elections, meaning Kamala Harris would have been their pick.
Instead of allowing the Post’s editorial board to endorse Harris, Bezos and Williams together denied the board an opportunity for en-
dorsement. Unsurprisingly, the Post’s journalists and editors were not thrilled or quiet about this change.
The Post’s former executive editor Martin Baron called it “disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.” 250,000 people (10 percent of the Post’s subscribers) cancelled their subscriptions.
The owner of a newspaper should not tell the newspaper what to publish or what not to publish. The owner of a newspaper should not prioritize his other business ventures and his political reputation over the freedom of the press.
Claiming this choice was “a statement in support of our readers’ ability to make up their own minds,” subsequently claims that the Post is responsible for their readers’ autonomy and intellectual independence.
Part of freedom of the press means freedom for its readers, too. Engaging with
an opinion does not mean adopting it – and this statement equates the two.
When I think of the Post’s “roots” that they claim to be returning to, I see a scrappy institution that clawed its way back from bankruptcy. When it came to publishing the Pentagon Papers, I remember Graham’s decision to put aside her personal relationship with Lyndon B. Johnson and Ben Bradlee’s choice to do likewise for his relationship with the Kennedys.
When the Post was barred from White House events because of their early coverage of Watergate, they did not back down with their tail tucked between their legs and make an appeal to Nixon because it would hurt them financially.
There is no room for cowardice in journalism. Not allowing your editorial board to publish an opinion out of fear is just that.
A better man than a president
Madelyn Braho Contributing Writer
Jimmy Carter will not go down in history as our best president.
He took office in 1976, during a time of economic and political uncertainty, with the Watergate scandal leaving the country distrustful of politicians. Between his rocky relationship with Congress and the multiple national and international crises that took place during his term, including the Iranian hostage situation, even if he was otherwise completely flawless, he would likely still have only gotten one term.
His time in office did have some notable successes though, such as the Camp David Accords, which se-
cured peace between Egypt and Israel.
Carter passed away at the end of last year in his hometown of Plains, Ga. at the age of 100, having spent over half his life working for his country.
He will be remembered not for his political career but for his faith, and how his faith led him to be perhaps one of the best men to ever be president of the United States.
Carter’s faith influenced his politics even before he was president. When running for the governorship of Georgia in 1970, after losing in the previous election, Carter stayed fairly quiet about segregation, being careful not to stir the water about the issue.
He had spoken out about the injustice of proposed literacy tests for voters, which would disproportionately affect poor and black voters, as
was the intention, but did not take a firm stance on either side.
However, once elected, he stated that the time for segregation was over -- he had turned the tables on the segregationists who had voted for him. This was after Carter had re-examined his faith, leaving him as what he described as a “born-again” Christian.
Although we might initially balk at his strategy, it can serve as an example of how we can stay committed to our faith while still being aware of how best to act to enact that faith.
Carter did not lie his way into office; he did not support segregation publicly and then turn, nor did he lie about his entire platform. Instead, he knew what to be quiet about until it was the appropriate time.
After his presidency, Carter continued to dedicate his life to fighting for human rights. He was a tireless advocate for peace at home and abroad, and in 2002, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work for “...advancing democracy and human rights and promoting economic and social development.”
His work with Habitat for Humanity was not a onetime publicity stunt but a decades-long mission, helping to build thousands of homes since the 1980s up until he was 95.
Jimmy Carter is an example perhaps more Christians should follow. He publicly professed his faith, yes, but he did not stop there. From clever, justice motivated political moves like when he became governor to his dedication to environmental care in office and his extensive work
after his presidency, Carter did not seek his own aggrandizement. He intentionally made the presidency less closed off.
He did not just donate money to charities but picked up a hammer and actually helped. As Christians we should not seek our own glory, our own comfort or our own legacy.
Instead, we should work for the good of others, even those society sees as undeserving.
Jimmy Carter will not be remembered as our best president, but he should be remembered as a man who fought the good fight and finished the race. May we all keep his memory alive and pick up a hammer.
Moving on from Biden legacy
Benjamin Jones Contributing Writer
Joseph Biden delivered his farewell address before now President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. He used his farewell address, not to recite a laundry list of his accomplishments, but to issue warnings about the nation’s future.
His farewell speech may be his main legacy, as much as he draws upon former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell which also issued prophetic warnings, highly remembered for the fear of a “growing military-industrial complex.”
Biden’s warnings are threefold: He first warns of a growing oligarchy being the return of ‘robber barons,’ the old villains of the Progressive Era during the turn of the 20th century, obviously a veiled shot at billionaire Elon Musk’s support of a wealthy Donald Trump.
He warns of the rise of not a military-industrial complex like Eisenhower, but a techindustrial complex gaining control of the people through misinformation and disinformation.
He finally warns of A.I.’s great risks and great opportunities, and said that “unless safeguards are in place, A.I. could spawn new threats to our rights, our way of life, to our privacy, how we work and how we protect our nation.”
Biden frames his entire speech through a mental picture of the Statue of Liberty, an ode to the political world of the United States’ involvement with other nations that Biden emerged from in his 50 years in Washington, which he sees being replaced by the nationalist and isolationist outlook of Trump.
Throughout listening to this speech, I reflected on Biden’s entire presidency from the view of a middleclass American, trying to weed out frivolous calls of unity from facts about what he accomplished in his presi-
STUDENT REC
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with IMs, he’s noticed the need for larger spaces for student recreation and varsity sports.
“IM sports have a difficult time being scheduled during the winter. The dust left from outdoor sports such as baseball and tennis leads to the floor being unsafe for running and cutting hard,” Blackburn noted.
He suggests having an updated schedule available for students to reference so they know when the IM rooms are unavailable due to the varsity
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growth to her time here at the College. She constantly uses the skills and wisdom she learned throughout her time as a student from pro-
dency, ultimately trying to find the actions behind his words.
Biden’s legacy in office will be written in history from a political view, an economical view and a social view. Politically, the major issues included the COVID-19 pandemic, the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and United States’ aid to Ukraine and Israel. The U.S. government has admitted that they did not handle their response to the COVID pandemic as well as they should have, with mask mandates that may or may not have worked and mishandling of information about vaccines. Still, the administration succeeded in keeping the country together through a worldwide pandemic and successfully issued vaccination across the country.
While I can call Biden’s handling of COVID-19 “damage control,” I cannot say the same for Afghanistan. It will stand as Biden’s greatest failure in his presidency, although it was not his fault. In early 2020, President Trump had actually called for U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by August of the next year, and Biden was given the task of following that deal, only to go into it with no plan of stabilization. Imagine the
sports using them for practices.
“It would be appreciated if a mop was available to clean the floor in the IM rooms when they are dusty. Many people would be happy to sweep the floor before playing sports to prevent injuries and excessive sliding. I believe the thousands of students should always have a court to use on campus and hope they are considered when decisions for the athletic facilities are being made in the future,” Blackburn said.
The College has several projects in the works that will
fessors and fellowship with friends.
“The Christian liberal arts education has impacted me in more ways than I can specify. I still have a close community from my time
situation: a 16-year-old with no driving experience being given a sports car and told not to crash it. In this case, a 79-year-old with no military background was given a strategic military withdrawal and told not to screw it up. 13 American soldiers died, numerous Afghan citizens were butchered and the Afghan democratic government collapsed to the Taliban in days.
In situations with Ukraine and Israel, Biden will be remembered as a Scrooge McDuck-type spender in military aid. American dollars winning foreign wars, a price on election night that most Americans were done paying. Well, at least it wasn’t American bodies. One of the few Americans who traveled to Ukraine during his term was Biden himself, the first U.S. President to travel to a war zone outside of U.S. control.
Economically, in his farewell speech, Biden touts the affordability of American healthcare, thanks to aid from his administration to make vital medicine cheaper to the average American. I juxtapose this with Luigi Mangione’s murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, an action that Mangione claims he perpetrated because the rich ex-
provide more flexibility and space to schedule within the coming years.
“Patience on everyone’s part is key here. These things don’t just pop up overnight and we want them to be done right. The bubble will be a huge help, along with the anticipated lower campus field house. We are trying to utilize outdoor space where we can,” said Grossman.
In the meantime, sign up to play IMs with your friends in season two or season three.
in college that has positively shaped me as a person and Christ follower for the 10 plus years since graduating,” she expressed.
“Being called to follow Jesus and be a physician is a
ploit the price of healthcare. Is healthcare really affordable if people are murdering CEOs because of the price?
A positive action that Biden surprisingly did not tout in his farewell speech was the $1 trillion program to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, the largest infrastructure plan since Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Interstate highway system.
This positive rebuild of roads, bridges and airports came with bipartisan support from both parties, a feat that will likely be overshadowed in Biden’s legacy. Socially, Biden will be remembered for record levels of illegal immigration in between two Trump terms that promise a crackdown on it, and the highest inflation in four decades.
Biden’s age still showed in the televised farewell speech, with him switching up the words “time” and “term” and having to correct himself.
On Biden’s warnings of the future, I wonder how those concerns arose – in rebellion against his political career or in support of putting career politicians in power like himself.
Let us all hope as a country that this disconnection does not continue in the coming term under President Trump.
Scan this QR code to access the sign-in page for IM Leagues. Students can use their GCC emails to create accounts and access scheduling and roster information. Registration for Season Two begins on Feb. 9.
calling to be patient, content, diligent to your field and open to the voice of God to remind those who are hurting that he has not forsaken them,” Germiller said.
What’s your New Year’s Resolution
Rebecca Svendsen ‘26
I don’t have much to say about New Year’s resolutions, but I have been hoping to do much better in terms of academics this semester!
Joslyn Borah ‘27
It is cliché, but ultimately, I would say that the thing I would like to work on is my overall fitness. I want to get to the gym more and prioritize my overall health. Ideally, that would include eating healthier, drinking plenty of water and getting adequate sleep. I think it would really help with more clarity of mind. It is also something to do when taking a break from schoolwork. Here around Grove City, we can get caught up in doing schoolwork over taking care of ourselves. Fitness would be helping me personally, but it would also help me get away from doing schoolwork constantly.
Sam Mayfield ‘27
One of the things I was working on was learning some new languages. I was working on several as an experiment to see what the challenges of learning multiple at a time were, and to see if there was any way to actually build off of that challenge to make it quicker to learn multiple at a time rather than one. I’m also trying to read my Bible every morning and get back to my room at a reasonable time at night so I can have a routine before I go to bed.
Kieran McFall ‘28
Typically, I do not make any New Year’s resolutions since I tend to break them, but I’ll say that this year, my New Year’s resolution was to replace my diet from processed carbohydrates to healthier foods. Have I followed it? Not really, but it is a work in progress. The process of building better habits will lead to the pursuit of living a healthier life with more adventures!
BULLETIN
Vampires. Devotion.
Two thousand rats.
Madelyn Braho Contributing Writer
Robert Eggers’ 2024 film “Nosferatu” is an adaptation of the 1922 German expressionist silent film of the same name, which was in turn an unauthorized adaptation of “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. It follows Ellen and Thomas Hutter, newlyweds who cannot escape Count Orlock, a possessive revenant. They are aided by Dr. Von Franz, who plays a Van Helsing-esque role.
Being an Eggers picture, it is of course impeccably costumed and designed, and although it is significantly more modern in its cinematography than the original, there is a clear attention to and love for the sources. Though the original film is silent, there are multiple lines that are taken directly from it.
Thomas and Ellen’s relationship is also remarkably similar to that of the protagonists of Dracula, Jonathan and Mina Harker. Count Orlock is a fantastic folkloric vampire. He is a true rotting corpse who cannot give up what he believes is his.
Willem Defoe’s Von Franz is a blend of mystic and scientist, still providing the things we have come to expect from Defoe and Eggers collaboration – in this case a scene involving fire and at least two thousand live rats.
Aside from the spectacle, this is a well-crafted horror story. Gothic horror has had a resurgence lately, perhaps because of the rise of “aesthetics,” or perhaps because there is a desire to explore the evils of human relationships. “Nosferatu” fulfills both.
The world of “Nosferatu” is a grim one without clean happy endings, but not without hope.
Anyone looking for a simple romantic relationship between Ellen, Thomas or Orlock will not find one. Orlock tricked a young Ellen, a strange and lonely child with a connection to the spiritual, into an oath, which it seems only her marriage to Thomas broke. This oath that Ellen barely understands leaves her full
of
yet something still draws
It is not love, but it cannot be ignored. Thomas and Ellen too have a complicated relationship. They love each other, but Ellen and Thomas have both been preyed upon by Orlock, leaving them unsure of their own minds.
This interplay between madness and desire is a staple of Gothic horror, one that Eggers nails.
Orlock especially is a remarkable character, far from the romantic, heroic vampires we have come to expect. Eggers drew inspiration from vampire folklore, where vampires are people who have risen from the grave, not just humans who have been “turned.”
In this case Orlock was a Transylvanian nobleman, mustache and all. He brings plague and death to the town where Ellen and Thomas live, flooding the streets with rats and killing their friends. The current cultural image of the vampire can make this version of Orlock hard to appreciate.
Movies like “Twilight” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” have made vam-
instead of
with his
is not
of attraction – the choice to make him feed by biting the chest and not the neck alone indicates this – but it is a disturbing kind of attraction.
It cannot be overstated that “Nosferatu” is disturbing.
Death, sexuality and the intersection of the two does not make for a nice story. But just because it is not a clean and pretty story does not mean it is not worth telling.
Thomas and Ellen’s devotion to each other even amid the horror is a beautiful picture of what love can drive one to, even to sacrifice. Orlock’s possession of and contract with Ellen bears similarities to child abuse, including the uncomfortably complex feeling victims can have about their abusers.
Horror is an avenue for exploring the mess and evil of humanity, including the things we are not willing to face in the real world. “Nosferatu” is a beautiful example of this, as well as being a well-crafted piece of film.
‘A Complete Unknown’ delivers
Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief
“A Complete Unknown” debuted in theatres on Christmas Day after the film spent nearly five years in a purgatory of pandemic-halted production – and it was worth the wait.
Talks of a Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee Chalamet began in early 2020 when director James Mangold announced his intentions to create the movie, at the
“Walk the Line.” The lattermost of these, a biopic of Johnny Cash starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Man in Black, set the tone for what viewers could expect from “A Complete Unknown.”
If viewers went into the movie expecting a historically accurate chronology of Dylan’s rise to fame and his impact on American folk’s legacy, then they’d find themselves disappointed.
Running nearly two and a half hours, Mangold does not attempt to tackle Dylan’s 60-year career but rather focuses on a pivotal moment in the singer-songwriter’s journey – when he pulls out an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
In an interview between CG’s Jack King and Mangold, the director explains his approach to biopics. “You’re telling a fable, or a kind of fairytale, but it’s also based upon a reality. I don’t think they’re supposed to be Wikipedia entries. I think what biographical movies offer us is the chance to experience the world, and the tone, and the vibe and the feeling of that place and time,” Mangold said. Mangold packages Dylan’s life into an easily digestible narrative that immerses the viewer into “the emergent moment” of his music and its effects.
Tunes from the Tower ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales’
Catharine Runion Entertainment Editor
Music is too personal these days. There is a large place in songwriting for personal and confessional song lyrics, but when every song is reflective of the singer’s own experience, you end up with album after album dealing with the same subjects, struggles and boy dramas.
I’m sure many of us resonate with Sabrina Carpenter begging a man not to embarrass her, but I find myself wanting more out of lyrics as an art form, not merely as every artist’s diary put to a rhyme scheme and melody.
Enter Sting. You may know him as himself in “The Bee Movie,” or in season one of “Only Murders in the Building,” but Sting has been telling wild stories through his lyrics since the ’70s.
He became famous with his band The Police from hits like “Every Breath You Take” and “Don’t Stand So Close to Me.” The lyrics of these songs don’t speak well to the singer’s character. Would Sting write such damning lyrics about himself?
It’s an age-old problem: listeners confuse the artist’s voice with the narrator’s voice. That’s the first principle of media analysis. Music is not always meant to be an extension of the self; sometimes it’s a way of exploring specific characters and stories.
Sting’s penchant for these songs didn’t end when The Police disbanded. He continued to use strange narrative voices throughout his first several solo albums, but his 1993 album “Ten Summoner’s Tales” is his most masterful foray into storytelling.
There are so many reasons why this album is a masterpiece. He has several songs in 7/4 and 5/4 time signatures and an incredibly diverse array of sounds and vibes.
The album title is a pun too. It combines Sting’s last name, Sumner, and the titular character of “The Summoner’s Tale” from Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” to create a thesis for what the album ends up being — 10 songs telling the stories of 10 different wacky characters.
In the spirit of the “Canterbury Tales,” these characters are each given a chance to justify or condemn themselves or tell the listener of their plight. Nearly all of them are larger than life and frequently ridiculous.
Chalamet delivers excellently as Dylan. He captures the artist’s distinct voice, both in speaking and singing, as well as his mannerisms.
Despite the actor being ubiquitous to the silver screen as of late, his performance is so realistic that it never feels like you’re watching Timothee Chalamet; it feels like you’re watching Bob Dylan in the flesh.
The movie also succeeds in avoiding the all-too-common biopic blunder of deifying its subject. Dylan’s not the nicest guy and he doesn’t do the nicest things to some of those closest to him, and this movie does not avoid that fact.
Elle Fanning plays Sylvie Russo, Dylan’s partner for the majority of his early career. Their relationship is ridden with infidelity and stretches throughout the movie in an on-again-off-again timeline.
While the story focuses on Dylan, it’s just as much a story about Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. Baez, played by Monica Barbaro, is a titan in Dylan’s story, and the movie treats her as such for the most part. At times, Baez plays as a foil for Dylan’s story arc, which has led many viewers to ask for a Baez biopic next.
“A Complete Unknown” delivers on all fronts, serving as the perfect introduction to Dylan that younger generations needed as well as a reminiscent journey that older generations needed.
“Love Is Stronger Than Justice” is the story of a man who saves a town with his brothers, only to later kill those brothers over a prize wife. “St. Augustine in Hell” imagines the deadly fate of a man who becomes entangled with his best friend’s girlfriend, with a speech from the devil himself in the bridge. “Seven Days,” one of my favorite songs, features a man who has a week to make a move before his girlfriend leaves him for another man.
This is just a sample of the drama and wit contained in this album. Though I believe it’s Sting’s best work, it’s by no means the end of his creativity. I have many favorites from this album, but his other hits “Englishman In New York,” “Children’s Crusade” and “Fortress Around Your Heart” are catchy and brilliantly written.
The 11th track on “Ten Summoner’s Tales” is an epilogue subtitled “Nothing ‘Bout Me,” where he delineates his own personal distance from his artistic persona, something that many artists struggle with today (see Chappell Roan!).
“Check my records, check my facts. Check if I paid my income tax; pore over everything in my CV, but you still know nothing ‘bout me,” Sting writes. Sting knows his song lyrics are strange, but he maintains his own separate (and private) identity outside his work.
In an age which values artifice, we should seek out those artists who maintain artistic integrity and continue to push the letter in terms of sound and lyric composition. Until modern artists catch on, I’ll have “Ten Summoner’s Tales” on repeat.
shame,
her to Orlock.
pires beautiful seductors
undead monsters. Orlock
maggots and giant fur cloak
devoid
SCREENRANT
Sports
Men’s volleyball kicks off inaugural season
Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief
Grove City men’s volleyball played its inaugural varsity game against Penn State Behrend last Wednesday, Jan. 15 in front of a packed Grove City College Arena.
The team was announced to join the PAC as Grove City’s 24th varsity sport in December 2023. Prior to this season, the men’s volleyball team played as a club sport for upwards of 30 years.
The Wolverines fell to the Lions in three sets that came down to the wire (25-23, 2523, 26-24).
Head Coach Brett Heckathorn ’19 leads the team this season. Heckathorn began working for the athletic department shortly after his graduation from the College. During his time as a student, he captained the volleyball team when it was a club sport.
“I was pumped to see the turnout we had for our first game,” Heckathorn said.
“I knew it would be a wellattended event, but it exceeded my expectations. The amount of energy in the gym made the evening even more special for me and the guys. I wish we could have gotten the win, but hopefully everyone got to experience how fun men’s volleyball is to watch and will continue to come out to our games,” he continued.
Last Friday, Grove City traveled to Huntingdon, Pa. to participate in the Juniata Tournament. In their first game of the tournament, they were bested by the Juniata College Eagles in three sets (25-15, 25-13, 25-13).
The following day, Grove City played Stevenson University. The Wolverines secured a 26-24 win in the second set of the match. Ste-
venson went on to win the match with two more winning sets (25-19, 24-26, 2519, 25-19).
Senior Quintin Norris led the team with 11 kills against Stevenson, while freshman Keith Otto added seven kills. Sophomore setter Craig Fair tallied 22 assists.
The Wolverines faced the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras in their last game of the tournament. Rio Piedras swept all three sets with the same final score (25-17, 25-17, 25-17).
Sophomore Andrew Kessler had five kills to lead the competition against Rio Piedras.
Juniors Derrick Lambert and Tieg Malcolm followed –both had four kills.
The team is heading into the last of their non-conference games before moving into the bulk of their PAC play.
Wolverines top Lions to open 2025
Nedilynn
Bowser Contributing Writer
The Grove City College men’s swimming and diving team delivered a commanding performance last Saturday, Jan. 18, capturing 13 event victories over Penn State Behrend in a non-conference dual meet at James E. Longnecker Pool. With contributions from several standout performers, Grove City improved its season momentum in a meet marked by dominance.
Three Wolverines swimmers earned multiple individual wins, showcasing their versatility and strength as competitors. Junior Caleb Einolf led the charge with three first-place finishes. Einolf clocked an impressive 47.61 seconds in the 100 freestyle, followed by victories in the 100 breaststroke (57.06) and 100 butterfly (50.68), affirming his status as one of the team’s most consistent swimmers.
of it,” Sudar said. In the men’s competition, junior runner Alex Mitchell led the charge with a firstplace finish in the 400-meter dash, clinching the victory and smashing the school record with a time of 48.20 seconds.
Further contributing to the Wolverines’ effort on the track were senior Jonah DeWitt, juniors Christopher Kline and Owen Genesemer, who secured fifth, ninth and twelfth place in
Classmate Will Sterrett matched Einolf’s triplewin effort, displaying his expertise across multiple disciplines. Sterrett claimed the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:59.80 and swept the backstroke events, posting times of 52.82 seconds in the 100 and 1:58.32 in the 200.
Sophomore C.J. Mayhew dominated the distance events, taking first in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:00.92 and opening the meet with a decisive victory in the 1000 freestyle, finishing in 10:15.56. Mayhew’s endurance and consistency set the tone for Grove City’s overall success in the longdistance races.
The Wolverines also displayed their relay strength, sweeping both team events. The quartet of Sterrett, Einolf, sophomore Owen Hancock and junior Nathan Beukema claimed victory in the 200-medley relay with a time of 1:33.89. Later, Hancock teamed up
the 5000-meter, respectively. Additionally, freshman Jeremiah Knowles recorded the third fastest 400-meter time in program history with a 51.10 second, ninth-place finish.
From the field, senior Ryan Lenhart posted the Wolverines third record-worthy performance in the weight throw, clinching sixth with a program record-tying best throw of 50 feet, 3 ½ inches. Lenhart also recorded a 10th-place finish in the shot put. A pair of Wolverines, senior Nick Petucci and fresh-
Sophomore OH Max Gianneski attempts spike in inaugural game.
“We are continuing to prepare hard for our conference schedule, which is not set to begin until the second week of February. Our non-conference schedule will continue to get us ready to compete at
a high level once our conference games come around,” Heckathorn said.
Grove City plays tomorrow in a tri-match, hosting nonconference Mount Aloysius and Olivet.
Sports at a Glance
Results
Men’s Basketball (12-4): L, Saint Vincent (78-80 / OT) Women’s Basketball (9-7): W, Saint Vincent (59-47)
Men’s Swimming (5-1): W,
(193-95) Women’s
(3-4):
with sophomores Bryce Pope and Sam Funches and freshman Ryan Turner to win the 200-freestyle relay, clocking a stunning 1:27.18.
Individual wins continued to pile up for the College. Hancock took the 200 butterfly in 1:57.57, while Turner prevailed in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:50.24. Pope added to the team’s success with a first-place finish in the 200 breaststroke, touching the wall in 2:15.31.
With this victory, Grove City remains undefeated, demonstrating skill and balance across all strokes and distances. The Wolverines will look to carry their momentum into next weekend as they visit Washington & Jefferson for a Presidents’ Athletic Conference dual meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
As the season continues, the Wolverines continue to solidify their reputation as a powerhouse team, with every member of the roster contributing.
man Caleb Haley, claimed sixth and seventh in the triple jump with marks of 41-5 ¼ and 41-3, respectively. Rounding out the field highlights was junior Tucker Owens, who cleared 12-11 ½ in the pole vault to secure 11th place. Both the men’s and women’s team will be back in action tomorrow, Jan. 25 at the SPIRE Invitational in Geneva, Ohio. They will then travel back to YSU on Saturday, Jan. 31 for the Youngstown State Mid-Major Invitational.
Behrend (174-106) Men’s Track and Field: Youngstown State Collegiate Invitational Women’s Track and Field: Youngstown Track and Field Men’s Volleyball (0-4): L, Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (0-3)
WOLVERINE WEEKLY HONORS
Sterrett
Swimming Swimmer of the Week
LUKE PAGLIA
LUKE PAGLIA
Men’s volleyball will continue their 2025 program Saturday, Jan. 25 against Mount Aloysius at 12 p.m.
Sports
Collegian, Jan. 24, 2025
Dozen days of basketball Wolverines roll through winter break schedule
Matthew Purucker Staff Writer
Although much of the student body enjoyed a relaxing winter break, the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams had visions of victories, rather than sugarplums, dancing in their heads.
Men’s basketball continued their winning ways, compiling a 5-0 record during the academic break. The highlight of the team’s winning streak was an enthralling 62-61 win over Geneva that saw the Wolverines erase a 17-point deficit over the final 15 minutes of play.
Junior guard Mike Christenson scored 15 points to lead Grove City, with the last two coming off a fadeaway jumper that clinched the victory with 10 seconds remaining.
“We drew up the play out of the timeout, and I knew I was going to get it in the post…Once I got the ball and took the first dribble, I knew I was going to shoot the bump fade towards the middle. I practice that shot every day; I’ve probably shot it over a thousand times,” Christenson said.
Aside from the Geneva game, Grove City won each of the other games over break by 10 or more points, much to the delight of players, coaches and fans alike.
“Obviously, I’m really pleased at how we played over break. Defensively, we focus on rebounding margin and field goal percentage defense, and we were very good in both those categories. Our defense is our calling card,” Head Men’s Basketball Coach Steve Lamie ’85 said.
At the time of writing, the men’s team is 12-4 (9-2), one game back of first-place Chatham, whom Grove City defeated earlier in the season 72-62 in Pittsburgh in the PAC standings. With four teams contending for the PAC regular season title and better playoff seeding, Grove City has the confidence and mentality needed to take home the PAC championship.
“The important thing for the back half of the season
“This is where the mental grind starts to kick in. You’ve been playing and practicing for so long that part of you just wants it to be over already. But we have a veteran team, and I think we’ll be able to stay focused and take one game at a time.”
is staying focused. This is where the mental grind starts to kick in,” Christenson said.
“You’ve been playing and practicing for so long that part of you just wants it to be over already. But we have a veteran team, and I think we’ll be able to stay focused and take one game at a time,” he expressed.
On the women’s side, the team went 4-2 over winter break, capturing wins over PAC foes Thiel, Geneva and Bethany. Defeating North Park (Ill.) 61-50 in St. Petersburg, Fla. marked the highlight of the break.
“Our Florida trip was great. We were able to split against two really good teams (Wisconsin Stout is a nationally
-- Mike Christenson
ranked team). Anytime you are staying right on the beach in December there are no complaints,” Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jason Baker said.
The Wolverines sit at 9-7 (7-4), and leaning on their balanced offensive attack, consisting of five players who are averaging at least seven points per game, should help the team continue stacking wins in conference play. Grove City seeks to earn a top two seed in the PAC playoffs and end the regular season with some strong performances.
Baker’s squad dropped two matchups in conference play by five points or fewer, so he hopes the team can respond
by turning those losses against Washington & Jefferson and Allegheny into victories the second time around.
“Last week our team showed some real toughness with two come-from-behind
wins, holding our two opponents to 41 points in the second half. It’s great to see the culture that we work on every day take form because we would not have won those games without it.”
Track opens 2025 with dominate showing at YSU
Mia Gallagher Sports Editor
Wolverines track and field opened a new year of competition this past Friday, Jan. 17 with promising performances at the unscored Youngstown State University Collegiate Invitational.
The competition – only the second of a busy indoor season for the Wolverines –produced many impressive finishes and three recordsetting results, boding well as both the men’s and women’s teams look to produce PAC indoor titles in late February.
Headlining the effort from the women’s team was senior thrower Danika Sudar, whose school record-breaking weight throw of 46 feet, 8 ¼ inches allowed her to clinch an eighth-place finish.
“Each time I have a new personal record, I am grateful and fulfilled that my work in practice and in the gym is
“We
want to push each other to be our best selves, as students, athletes and people...I have no doubt that we, as a women’s team, will continue to work towards improvement both in practice and out of it.”
paying off, but I also try to keep moving onto the next goal because I know there is always room for improvement. This weekend was rewarding and challenging because of my competitors. I was in a flight with other athletes that were throwing almost three meters further than me. While this was intimidating, it was also a good incentive to perform my best,” Sudar said. Other impressive performances from the field included junior thrower Megan Wise’s sixth-place finish in the shot put, where she posted a best mark of 36-3, and
-- Danika Sudar
sophomore Victoria Leak’s eighth-place finish in the triple jump with a best jump of 31-8 ½. On the track, the women’s 1600-meter relay composed of sophomores Alexandra Senko, Bonnie Pittman, Hannah Costa and freshman Kiara White clinched sixth place with a time of four minutes, 32.41 seconds. Additionally, a pair of ninth-place finishes from junior Audrey Karwowski and freshman Maggie Mollenauer in the 400-meter and 5000-meter, respectively, further highlighted the Wolverines’ success on the day.
“We want to push each other to be our best selves, as students, athletes and people. This group of women is full of drive and passion, and they are all hard-working individuals who strive to im-
prove in everything they do. I have no doubt that we, as a women’s team, will continue to work towards improvement both in practice and out
JOHN HAKE
Sophomore guard Alexa McDole, attempting a lay-up.
MATT DURISKO Sudar broke the school record in the weight throw at YSU invite.
JOHN HAKE
Junior captain Mike Christenson made the winning shot against Geneva to secure the come-from-behind 62-61 victory.