The Collegian – Feb. 19, 2021

“His View”

Get Trump out of here Was impeachment a waste?

PERSPECTIVES

Psychology prof starts talk show

NEWS

The

@Collegian_GCC @gcc.collegian The Collegian: The GCC Newspaper Friday, February 19, 2021

Hear ye, hear ye Spring sports schedule released

SPORTS

Collegian The Award-Winning Grove City College Student Newspaper

Vol. 106, No. 14

Grove City College’s orchestra performed in-person Feb. 12 to a limited audience. COVID-19 protocols have made it difficult for students to perform live.

MATT SCHOONOVER

Musicians find a new tune Orchestra returns one year later

David Zimmermann News Editor

For almost a year, Grove City College music students have been eagerly anticipating the return of performing in front of a live audience.

The wait is now over.

Granted the semester stays in-person, the Music Depart-

ment has a full performance schedule this spring that will be sure to satisfy those hungry for the sound of music.

Music students last fall performed outdoors with small audiences and never performed indoors due to cancellation of the events.

Dr. Jeffrey Tedford ’00, the chair of music and director of

orchestras, was happy with the turnout for last Friday’s Orchestra Concert. About 18 students were absent for the dress rehearsal, but by the time of the event all students in the orchestra were out of Q2 and isolation. About 200 spectators attended.

“It was the first indoor concert with an audience we

have had on campus since last March. It felt so good to perform with our students and to share the stage with the student soloists,” Tedford said.

Senior Allison Smith and junior Holly Smith performed as student soloists with the Chamber Orchestra, while seniors Caleb Hixon

and Barb Matthews each served the role of student conductor in charge of the Symphony Orchestra.

To help the musicians rehearse for the event, Tedford organized the first orchestra camp at the college. With five hours of practice a day the MUSIC 3

SL&L considers rapid test New

class spurs dialog

Fiona Lacey

Community Editor When students are exposed to COVID-19 and in turn, get a PCR test through Zerbe, they wait a minimum of 36 hours for their result.

This doesn’t have to be the case, though, with an increasing number of companies utilizing the option of rapid antigen testing. Currently, Student Life and Learning (SLL) is assessing this same possibility of Rapid testing on Fridays and Saturdays in order to act upon a positive test right away instead of the usual two to three day turnaround time.

“We have been looking at doing rapid testing since October,” Larry Hardesty, Vice President of Student Life and Learning, said. “We’ve been talking to one another to see if it’s possible.”

GCC is already using a version of rapid testing for the athletics teams, which proves helpful in a fast-paced game schedule.

Because many students receive positive test results after a long waiting time of two to three days, the need

Chris Murphy Staff Writer

GCC

The COVID-19 Positive Test Dashboard has dropped to one new positive case after a large number of students were put into quarantine and isolation two weeks ago. for something with a faster turnaround rate is obvious.

And with the rapid tests, a student who gets a positive result in 15 minutes, the student can enter quarantine right away to complete the seven-day process.

Hardesty noted, though, that the utilization of rapid testing will not speed up or negate the process of selfisolation and/or quarantine for students.

“Rapid testing will do nothing to speed one’s exit from quarantine,” Hardesty said. “Its benefit is solely in expediting how quickly one can be moved into quarantine.”

But there are some problems with the antigen test.

The accuracy level is significantly lower than that of the PCR test, which arrives two to three days after testing.

While the PCR test accuracy

remains in the high 90s, the rapid test results remain only 80 percent accurate according to the CDC. The reason for this is the scope of the testing method.

Instead of testing the genetic reaction in a lab, which the longer PCR does, the antigen test only collects the protein remnants of coronavirus on the surface of the naTEST 3

With the spring term now in full swing, EDUC 290: Cultural Diversity and Advocacy discusses how Christians ought to respond to culture’s view of race while also offering two education elective credits.

Last semester, the college decided to bring about a more racially sensitive and aware community including the formation of the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity and the offering of curriculum targeting and discussing relevant issues and ideas.

Dr. Gina Blackburn ’94 and professor Cedric Lewis jointly lead the class, providing insight from their respecCLASS 11

Editorial

Page 2

The award-winning Grove City College student newspaper, Feb. 19, 2021

From the Tower

Collegian 101

These days we have a platter of information before us.

Each day we scroll social media, seeing posts from high school acquaintances, viral videos from strangers and the latest information from news sources.

The torrent of content can be a challenge to wade through. There’s no doubt about that. Opinions run rampant on social media, making it hard to separate fact from fiction.

What to believe? Which facts are real? Which parts are opinion? Both have tangled together in a mix in a way that appears impossible to unravel.

So, from the newspaper editors to you, here’s a legend to follow when reading “The Collegian:” • Front page features our top news stories, our best art and serves as the weekly star of our reporting activites.

• This is an editorial page that contains “From the Tower” and a weekly staff editorial, written by students for students. This series provides commentary from our staff.

It is not the source of reporting on a subject, but how the writers interpret the event or big idea.

• News is reserved for factual accounts of campusrelated news. This section is where experts will be quoted, data will be shared and reactions and opinions may be contained in quotes.

• Community is our feature space. It is where we explore relationships and the more personal side of the college.

• Perspectives is just that: perspectives. These pages are reserved for sharing student voices and represent the opinions of the writers only, not of “The Collegian,” the college, or “The Collegian” staff. It is our goal that Perspectives accurately represents the diversity of thought on campus.

• Sports reports on Grove City’s varsity athletic teams. It is also a great place to view original student photography.

• Through the Lens is an artistic space that is used to further illustrate timely news and capture unique moments or trends, exploring an idea through visual storytelling.

Engagement is good, but it is also good to know with what you are engaging. Talking and commenting helps us further a discussion and learn.

But as with any discussion, it is important to be informed. Knowing your material and knowing your source benefits your ability to engage.

Social media has become an excellent place for newspapers to share information and is a place for followers to engage with content. But, social media is not the only place for news engagement.

If you ever want to formally discourse with the paper, space is available for you. The dying art of letters to the editor is one that should be revived.

To send us your thoughts on a story or an editorial, send your letters to gcc.collegian@gmail.com for the opportunity for your thoughts to be shared beyond the screen.

We hope this key will be helpful to you as you peruse our weekly publication.

Collegian Staff Editor-in-Chief Paige Fay

Business Manager Kathryn Miller

Managing Editor Anna DiStefano

Copy Editors Jessica Hardman Ashley Ostrowski Claire Josey Lauren Ness Kylie Jasper Joanna Thorpe Katherine Bennett Austin Branthoover Sydney Travis Eve Lee

Section Editors News David Zimmermann Community Fiona Lacey Perspectives Clark Mummau Sports Emily Rupczewski Photo Chief Matt Schoonover Design Chief Caleb West Copy Chief Britney Lukasiewicz

Staff Writers Scott Amon Noel Elvin Connor Schlosser Gabrielle Capaldo Jules Wooldridge Ayden Gutierrez Chris Murphy 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.

Green Eyeshade Award the

This week’s Green Eyeshade Award goes to Community Editor Fiona Lacey for her innovative story ideas, creative writing skills and fun-loving spirit!

The Green Eyeshade Award honors student contributors that demonstrate consistency and excellence in their work.

Lacey

Grovers on ice

VISIT MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Fiona Lacey

Community Editor There are two types of people who attend Grove City College: those who skate on the icy sidewalks and those who pretend they can walk gracefully on it.

Yes, the bleak northern winds hailing from Lake Erie have naturally stripped the population of Grove City College down to its core, forcing us to acknowledge a tension that has remained within us since the first winter of time: to skate or not to skate.

“There’s no way I’m skating,” you may have just said to yourself as you read this editorial. It’s dumb and stupid. “It’s 9:56 and I’m trying to get to class without looking stupid,” you may say to justify yourself.

Oh, reader. By your very attempt to seem unfoolish, you achieve the opposite.

If I may, in this editorial I will demonstrate that skating is not only tolerated but should be the proper rule of etiquette anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line.

The side doors of HAL open, and you halt, darkening

the doorway while you make plans of where to take your first step. You soon figure out that your planning will be in vain because the ground is completely covered in ice shiny, beautiful, deadly ice.

What do you do? Where do you step - what’s more, how do you step? Memories flood into your brain of learning to swim, riding a bike, driving a car, but there was nothing about ice. That’s right, reader, Dad didn’t teach you this one.

“Just walk on it,” you’re probably saying. Walk on it? Do you think that’s safe, reader? Let me inform you with a little science: if you walk on a slippery surface like it’s a normal surface, you will fall, reader. You will. So, don’t give me that.

“Okay, fine. I’ll just walk carefully,” you suggest. But what does that look like? The term “careful” is deprived of meaning here because you don’t understand ice. There is absolutely no way to measure how dangerous it is. In this moment, the ice is like a brooding creature below you, plotting its method to take you down.

So, we’ve determined that you can’t just walk on ice.

And there is no way to truly “take care” on ice. Any effort

to protect your dignity will end up shattering both you and the ice that takes you down. One must accept the bare fact that he is not safe.

And if this is true, what is there left to do?

Skate. Skate for the very fact of there being no other option. Breathe in that dry northern air, let go of your dignity and connect with your inner ballerina.

Not only is it a safer method of transportation, but it’s faster too. In the case of skating on ice, its slippery quality aides you in your effort to glide across it. What once hindered you in walking actually supports you in skating.

Life is hard. Its ability to take you down at any moment is terrifying. But the very suffering of life - the thing that takes you down - makes you resilient by default, all for the very fact of your embracing it. You must acknowledge the slipperiness to skate - in fact, you need it to skate. It is time to embrace the shiny, deathlike nature of our obstacles, with the realization that it can lead to beauty.

Skate, reader.

And, hey, it’s pretty fun, too.

This week in history...

Humor spotlight

February 1901 Local Department Poem “Little verbs of Latin, Little roots of Greek, Make the verdant Freshman, Feel extremely meek.

Then a little German, With a little French, Make the foolish Sophomore, Think he has some sense.

Then a year of Logic, And Philosophy, Makes the best of Juniors, Wise as he can be.

Then comes Analytics, Turns a fellow’s head, Makes the wisest Senior, Wish that he was dead.”

February 1911 The Bane of Life (With Apologies to Longfellow) “Tell us not in chapel speeches The advantages of drill: Of the manliness it teaches, How it trains the mind and will.

Drill is wholesome, drill is pleasant, If we only saw it so; But we’d rather, for the present,

Go and skate an hour or so.

Not enjoyment and not study Is our end each afternoon, But to march through streets quite muddy, To the band’s inspiring tune.

Our bold adjutant reminds us, If we all are soldiers true, Leave good records now behind us.

We can be ‘Napoleons’ too.

Let us then be up and going, For the clock says, ‘Time to drill,’ And the ‘powers that be’ decree it G. C. students must drill still.”

-Anonymous Feb. 25, 1931 A Smile or Two “Do you know a fellow down your way with one leg named Oliver?”

“I’m not sure,” returned the other doubtfully. “What’s the name of his other leg?”

“A little birdie told me what kind of a lawyer your uncle is.”

“What did it say?”

“Cheep! Cheep!”

“Oh, yeahhh. Well a duck just told me what kind of a doctor your pa is.”

Jules Wooldridge

Staff Writer

News The Collegian,

Feb. 19, 2021

Page 3

Peace in chaos

Clark Mummau Perspectives Editor

As exam season kicks off and projects are assigned, it is easy for students to neglect their overall well-being.

To combat this, psychology professor Dr. Suzanne Houk and three of her colleagues are starting a bi-weekly talk show called “His View” to equip students with a Christian understanding of optimizing wellness strategies.

In a survey Houk took in one of her classes, she learned that “everyone is more stressed and depressed” because of COVID-19. Despite the consistent stress, the same number of students as normal before the pandemic are using the Counseling Center’s services. Houk, Sheryl Anderson, Molly Hepner and Cara Papay hope that this talk show will reach more students who need help with their health.

“I don’t feel this is a place

TEST

continued from 1

sal passages. Consequently, the PCR’s results are harder to refute since an individual’s DNA was analyzed in a lab.

This does not happen for those taking a rapid.

The addition of antigen/ rapid testing being explored

by SLL is costly, though. As of now, the staff at Zerbe Health and Wellness Center only use the PCR nasal swab test.

Adding an entire new test to the process would result in a doubling of resources and time. The rapid testing that Hardesty describes will no doubt require more staff and more financial resources.

Rapid tests prove to be

where people rest enough,” Houk said.

The approximately 20-minute episodes are conversations among the women that begin by looking at the Bible before moving to studies on the topic. They end the episodes with practical ways students can apply the information discussed.

Each episode is designed to be short so that students can easily watch them during their busy schedules. The first episode airs next week.

A phrase Houk often repeated was “peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” and this is the foundation for the shows.

Because Scripture is the first source of information, Houk noted that the information is tailored to Christians, but she hopes that non-Christians can also learn from the discussion.

Their conversations will be characterized by biblical understandings such as the body being a temple of the

Holy Spirit, our status in the Lord and the relationship between the body, soul and spirit.

“I think it will be refreshing for everybody to be reminded of these truths,” she said. “Sometimes we get distracted.”

One spiritual practice she specifically mentioned as being important were prayer and devotions in the morning and evening. Beginning and ending the day focused on the Lord provides a sense of peace and joy, she explained.

“When you give the first fruits of a day to God, the whole day goes better,” she said.

Houk’s goal for students is for them to experience peace in a chaotic and unsure world. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid,” she quoted from John 14:27.

tricky in an individual with no symptoms, though. Hardesty cites several studies that claim a higher chance of an individual with no COVID symptoms receiving a false positive. These increases of false positives are particularly present in areas with low COVID numbers. This data throws a number of matters into reconsideration.

“We’ve been talking with our COVID team to see if we can do this,” Hardesty said.

“To see if we have the time and resources.” According to the CDC, these tests must still be administered by a licensed health professional, negating the option for the more efficient student selftesting. Hardesty also noted

that a student would receive both the PCR and the rapid at the same time.

SLL is specifically looking into the Abbott antigen testing kits, which are five dollars each with a remarkable 15-minute turnaround time. And the accuracy levels of this specific test are high, with percentages in the high 90s.

If a student receives a positive test result in 15 minutes, the processes of contact tracing and other measures become less complicated as the information is now known much faster and the student can enter quarantine right away instead of self-isolating for two to three days.

Finance column

“The simpler, the better” Alex Andersen Contributing Writer

You have probably heard the saying, “the simpler, the better.” With the utter complexity of modern financial markets, you might be surprised to hear that “simpler is better” regarding your retirement investments. One of the simplest long-term investment strategies is investing in index funds.

According to an online article written by Investopedia’s Jason Fernando about the topic, “an index fund is a type of mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) with a portfolio constructed to match or track the components of a financial market index.” In simpler terms, an index fund lets you mirror the holdings and returns of the overall stock market.

Index funds provide substantial advantages over other investment vehicles including fewer costs, less risk and stress.

First, selecting an index fund as your primary investment vehicle presents fewer costs for individual investors than selecting actively managed mutual funds. All mutual funds recompense managers who buy and sell stocks for it and cover transaction costs with invested money. Whereas actively managed mutual funds often impose hefty expense ratios of 0.5 percent to over

two percent of invested capital, managers of passively managed index funds require and charge much less, sometimes as little as a couple of hundredths of a percent of invested capital.

Fidelity Investments now even offers index funds to its members with absolutely no expense ratios. Furthermore, while many actively managed mutual funds require investors to pay additional fees (called “transaction fees” and “loads”), many index funds don’t require any such fees.

Second, index funds carry much less risk than actively managed mutual funds.

Generally, the more conditions necessary for an event to happen, the more likely one of these conditions will not be met and the event won’t happen. Now, in addition to the risks inherent in an index fund, actively managed funds require other conditions (like profitable market segments and correct portfolio manager opinions) to perform successfully. Also, because index funds hold a greater number of stocks across more market segments than most mutual funds, their extensive diversification mitigates the risk of loss.

Third, buying index funds can greatly reduce your investing-related stress. Instead of trying to find the perfect portfolio of mutual

funds, ETFs, individual stocks, bonds and commodities to try to beat the stock market, all you have to do is buy and hold a single fund mirroring the S&P 500 (a standard market index) to ensure that you capture the returns of the stock market at large. In the long run, stock market returns are fairly good. According to a calculator by Ian Webster on officialdata.org, the S&P 500 returned 10.64 percent annually on average from 1970 to 2020.

Daily researching stocks and checking the news in search of optimal market returns not only costs you countless hours but doing so can also take a toll on your mental health by inducing stress and worry that your specific stocks or mutual funds won’t give you the best possible returns. Simply buying and holding index funds protects you from the allure of higher returns and the associated anxiety.

Index funds create fewer costs, less risk and less stress than other investment vehicles while also boasting about 10 to 11 percent returns. Simply buying and holding an index fund mirroring the S&P 500 until retirement is perhaps the most likely way to produce stable, lifelong investment returns. Don’t forget: when investing, “the simpler, the better!”

CALEB WEST

Sheryl Anderson and Dr. Suzanne Houk talk during “His View” filming. The first episode will air next week..

“Embracing the Lord’s love is the key to walking in wellness and fullness of peace,” Houk said. “Stay Spirit-led.”

“His View” will be found on the college’s livestream page and the Counseling Center’s Instagram profile, gcc.counseling.center, where

the center posts several wellness tips a week. Houk also mentioned they may be starting a YouTube channel soon.

Topics will include love for others and self, the power of our words, letting go of the past, living from peace and embracing joy.

MUSIC

“It’s hard to practice when you always have this feeling that the concert won’t happen,” she said.

To ensure the likelihood for more concerts this spring, students practice and perform while six feet apart.

String musicians must wear masks, and wind musicians must wrap their instruments with either bell covers or bags.

Senior Hannah Fleury hopes that the music events will continue to happen inperson.

“As cool as it is to be able to reach people from all over the country and the world, nothing beats performing for a live audience. It has a whole other energy and atmosphere to it that virtual concerts cannot give,” Fleury said.

Holly Smith added, “Musicians all over the world are hurting right now because stages have been empty and silent for an entire year. For many of us, it’s not just a hobby; it’s our livelihood and our passion.”

On behalf of all students in the Music Department, Dawson expressed gratitude toward music faculty, especially Tedford “for his creativity and fearless leadership through these uncertain times.”

Tonight, music students will perform in the Choir Concert on Facebook Live at 4:30 p.m. and the Broadway Revue in the Arnold Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are limited and required for the latter event.

continued from 1 week before classes started, Allison Smith said the extra time was a lifesaver.

“It was wonderful to have such a concentrated time to focus on just that without the distractions of classes and such,” she said. “The work paid off, and I think this ended up being one of the best February performances we’ve had.”

Though these extra rehearsal days proved helpful, some musicians found it challenging to practice for the concert especially if placed in Q2 or isolation. According to Hixon, rehearsals were more difficult this year due to limited space inside.

Tedford said that those practicing without the ensemble was not as effective as in a practice room, but students made do with what they were dealt.

Allison Smith, who was in Q2 for five days, practiced with her violin in the apartments. She was glad to have invested in a practice mute, a tool that muffles the sound, so as not to disturb her neighbors.

Senior Sarah Dawson said that, although she has not experienced it herself, her friends told her that practicing outside of the Pew Fine Arts Center can be stressful for a musician.

As for Holly Smith, going to practice without every musician present can be “disheartening.”

Music Department performance schedule February 20, March 12, March 13 – Senior recitals March 25 – Band Concert (Concert Band and Wind Ensemble) April 9 – 3:00 pm – Junior recital April 9 – 7:30 pm – Orchestra Spring Concert April 10 – Senior recitals x 3 April 10 – Touring Choir Home Concert at 7:00 pm in Harbison Chapel April 17 – Senior recital April 23 – Junior recital April 30 – GCC Singers / Concert Band / Wind Ensemble May 1 – Jazz Ensemble and Stage Band Follow us on social media @grovecitycollegemusic

Community The Collegian,

Feb. 19, 2021

Page 4

Talking theology

Sophomores BARS majors start podcast Laura Hamilton Staff Writer

Friday morning, 9 a.m., Transformation Church, Grove City. All is mostly quiet. Interrupting the stillness, two young men converse with each other about anything, from the Gospel to the theological pros and cons of wearing shoes in church.

Sophomores Gavin Eberlin and Josh Gornicz, two Grove City College ministry students with a passion for people, have created a platform for open, theologically centered conversations about real, relatable issues.

Their podcast is called “The Heaven’s Edge.”

“We really wanted to dive into challenging conversations on topics that may seem difficult to some,” Eberlin said, explaining the title. “We didn’t want to shy away from anything, but also just…talk about current events, sports or entertainment, or just the Christian life.”

Months in the making, “The Heaven’s Edge” podcast is a passion project for Eberlin and Gornicz. Throughout their podcast journey, they hope to explore the deep, significant questions such as purpose, identity and calling as well as how one engages with the world as a Christian.

They look forward to tackling all kinds of important topics, from sports to purity of the heart, mind and body and simply talking about current events and issues that may influence us more than we realize.

“First off, [we want] to in-

THE HEAVEN’S EDGE PODCAST

Sophomores Gavin Eberlin and Josh Gornicz wanted to engage challenging theological questions, so they created a podcast. vite people to sit down, to have a conversation with us, to really think about these difficult topics and work through them in their own lives, because they can often just be skipped over,” Eberlin said.

“We’re trying to create a good base…a lot of Jesuscentered stuff at first…then we’ll start branching out to things in the world,” Gornicz said.

This is not their first foray into the world of podcasting.

A previous experience with one of the college’s own Biblical and Religious Studies professor, Dr. David “Duffy” Robbins, inspired them to pursue truth through broadcast media.

“Both of us were invited on a podcast with Duffy Robbins. He was on the CPYU [Center for Parent/Youth Understanding] ‘Youth Culture Matters’ podcast,” Gornicz said.

Every Friday morning before classes, Eberlin and Gornicz go to Transformation church, where they sit down and record for about 45

minutes, just chatting about their chosen topic. Recording is only a small part of the podcasting process, however.

“All of the hard work and preparation…the good ones sound effortless, but there’s definitely more preparation and more behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on,” Gornicz said.

“It usually ends up being about 30- to 40-minute recording sessions and then from there we go into posts, editing, adding an intro and outro, etc.,” Eberlin said.

“For me, I’m big with graphics. I love to design, so even in that process…we had a whole process where we were like ‘what is it going to look like?’

It’s taken months. Probably since November.”

Regarding the best and worst parts of the podcast, Gornicz said, “What I like the most is just doing it. We’re just trying to have fun and have a conversation about things. The least fun part is how cold it’s been in the mornings.”

Eberlin added, “When you’re going back and edit-

ing… you can just tell that His handprint was on it. It wasn’t me speaking. Least favorite part is getting it edited. I’m a perfectionist, so I’m going all in.”

The preparation for “The Heaven’s Edge” podcast began almost a year ago, during the early quarantine of 2020, when Eberlin set up an Instagram page @gospel. vision. Eberlin wanted to get his passion for the Lord and ministry out into the world of social media. Around November of last year, he and Gornicz began to seriously work on starting a new form of ministry media—the podcast.

“We really just wanted to get things that are Gospel-oriented onto people’s screens…this year we’re kind of launching [the podcast] as a brother piece of media off of that,” Eberlin said.

“We hope that [audiences] enjoy it, that they get something from it, that it makes them laugh a little bit,” Gornicz added.

When asked about their future plans for the podcast,

both Eberlin and Gornicz will face whatever comes with faith and hope. Their greatest wish is for their audience to encounter God through their words, even in a small way.

Gornicz said, “We don’t know what’s going to happen, and we’re just kind of rolling with it for now…it’s definitely something that grows us, and hopefully the audience as well.”

“It’s a journey we take together, and that’s the coolest thing,” Eberlin said.

“The Heaven’s Edge” podcast launches officially today and can be found on any podcasting platform, from iTunes to Spotify. They also have a YouTube channel, “Heaven’s Edge Podcast,” where they have already posted an introductory episode: “Discovering Purpose in the 21st Century.”

You can also find them on their official website: https://heavensedgepodcast.buzzsprout.com/, their email heavensedgeofficial@ gmail.com and the Instagram page @gospel.vision.

Cause for concern on campus?

Hannah Young Contributing Writer

Most students remember that surprising email from campus safety last fall warning of bears in the area. It became the source of many campus jokes for the following week. But when another unexpected email from campus safety arrived in our inbox two weeks ago, the reaction was anything but laughter.

The warning of a potential predator targeting girls on and off campus brought one of the world’s greatest fears right to our doorstep. So, after that email, the mood, and habits of the girls of Grove City College drastically changed.

Female students said they altered their daily routine considering the potential threat. Freshman Lauren Miller said that her biggest changes were locking her dorm room at night and “always” having a partner to walk with after dark. She also said she carries a pocket knife as a defensive tool, something that many girls

have begun, or have continued to do.

Freshman Olivia Zook said she has always kept pepper spray with her, but the email “raised awareness that I might have to use it, and that this wasn’t the untouchable, safe place I thought it was.”

Sarah Webb said the initial email caused worry and “shock.” The anxiety over the past two weeks was often inflamed by multiple reported instances that a man had been wandering outside of the girls’ dormitory windows at night. These claims were later debunked by campus safety in the second email sent last Tuesday.

The second email also contained information that the perpetrator from the initial incident involving two girls off campus had been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and harassment, appearing to ease some of the worry.

Junior Johanna Gamble said, “After the second email, I’m not too concerned, but I do think we tend to be a bit relaxed in and around campus, so I’m trying to be more

careful in general.”

Many girls are continuing to implement precautionary habits, but a growing number are also returning to their normal routine. Campus safety has continued to do “additional patrols” and keep a prominent presence on campus.

The best thing for girls to do going forward is to listen to the advice of campus safety: avoid walking alone at night, keep self-defense tools close by and, if you have any concerns, contact campus safety immediately.

A unique aspect of the past two weeks is a fresh insight into the heart of the students on campus. As a freshman, I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to see the true nature of the GCC community that I was told so much about.

Between COVID and keeping up with schoolwork, it has been hard to find events that demonstrate that famed campus connection.

The past two weeks have revealed the love that hums beneath the surface.

Girls offering to walk with other girls who were alone,

and guy friends reaching out to their female friends to extend help. There were even reports of fraternities marching around campus at night to try and find the perpetrator. When we were reminded of the darkness in the world, students stepped up to show the light of a true kingdom community.

VECTORSTOCK

The Collegian,

Feb. 19, 2021

Page 5

Freshman finds Tik Tok fame Eve Lee

Contributing Writer A week ago, freshman Lexi Kilmartin’s Tik Tok video went viral.

Have you ever thought you left a fire hazardous appliance on and panicked? If you have, then you may find Lexi Kilmartin’s Tik Tok video very relatable.

As Kilmartin walked back to her dorm room, as pictured in her Tik Tok, she chronicled her growing fear that she might have left her curling iron on. Imagining a melting desk after a hot curling iron sat on it for more than four hours is very concerning. Thankfully, this story does not end with reporting a fire in MAP North, but with a very relieved Kilmartin finding her unplugged curling iron.

Kilmartin initially recorded her video on Snapchat but uploaded it to Tik Tok on Feb. 2. She was not immediately aware of her video’s viral status.

A little while after she posted the video, a school friend told her that his friend from Ohio asked him to remind her to turn off her curling iron. It was then that she realized her video was being seen and rapidly shared.

“I liked the attention,” Kilmartin said. “But now I don’t think the video is that great, but it was my actual reaction of my thinking. I guess it’s relatable.” She said the reality of video was the reason for popularity.

According to avid Tik Tok user and sophomore Karis Halley, a video going viral means that “the video gets so many views because it gets shared beyond a regular sphere of influence for the average person. People other than your mother and sister see it because it is getting shared so much. I consider a viral video to have at least upwards of 30,000 views.”

Kilmartin’s video has had two million views so far.

Interestingly, this is not the first time one of Kilmartin’s Tik Tok videos went viral. She created a Tik Tok senior year of high school and posted a video of her volleyball team. She had no idea how popular it was until a friend texted her telling her it had reached 200,000 views.

To date, it has amassed over 600,000 views.

Kilmartin shared some advice on how to make a popular Tik Tok video. “Keeping it real” is key. “Everyone tries to recreate something and tries to get famous, but if you

Seven questions with…

Dr. Rebecca Harmon

Professor of French What do you listen to on your ride home?

My ride home is 3 minutes long. I listen to the radio because the CD player in my car does not work. After a stressful day, I will hit the classical station. Otherwise, I like classic rock or one of the rock stations.

What are you currently reading?

MATT SCHOONOVER

Freshman Lexi Kilmartin poses with the subject of her viral Tik Tok video: her curling iron. just be yourself, people like it,” she said.

Kilmartin has no plans for making another viral video at this time. She said she is

waiting for another moment like the curling iron incident where she can record her gut reactions to unfortunate occurrences.

Remembering Greek groups Scott Amon Staff Writer

While many Greek groups at Grove City College have been around for over a century, not all of them have reached old age.

Greek life was allowed on campus in 1927, but many groups began earlier and trace their origins to as early as 1911. Since the early twentieth century, six sororities and one fraternity have ceased to exist.

The sororities that became defunct over the years are: the Delta Chi Omegas (19811991), Theta Kappas (19241970), Sigma Delta Betas (1921-1956), Delta Omega Rhos (1930-1934; 19361970), Kappa Pi (1924-1934), Delta Delta Tau (1924-1969) and Sigma Kappa/Sigma Kappa Deltas (1924-1955), “The sororities’ [collapse] were all because of declining membership,” Hilary Walczak, the College Archivist, said. Though the above-mentioned sororities failed to stay afloat, many of the sororities were able to combat their declining membership through two methods: class blocking and sorority size caps.

“The block class is if you don’t get any accepted bids during Spring rush the sorority can take a block class.

They will put up a list [where] whoever signs up gets in,” Walczak said.

The other option sororities employed was to place a member’s cap on the larger sororities. This cap prevented the larger sororities from siphoning all the available pledges from the smaller sororities.

The lone defunct fraternity is the Chi Delta Epsilons (1969-1984). “No group

Other than papers and tests…I’m reading Howl’s Moving Castle.

I’m on the third book of the series, House of Moving Ways.

What’s something you have been pondering lately?

What does it mean to bear with the weaker brother and what does it mean to advocate for the vulnerable. What does fellowship and unity look like for the church in a time like this?

What is your favorite restaurant right now?

It’s in France. I went with husband on our anniversary when we were on sabbatical. It’s called Le 180° on the island of à Belle Île en Mer off the coast.

Name the one movie that makes you tear up.

Now defunct, the Chi Delts pose for a group photo in 1979. has more rumors that spin around them,” Walczak said.

However, before you start believing in the horror stories told to freshmen, it is important to note that, as Walczak said, “most of these rumors, however, have no evidence.”

The group had too many run-ins with the college administration. “Basically, they kept getting in trouble and eventually gave up fighting,” Walczak said, but added, “One rumor is they were banned from campus. However, we have no record of that.”

No group, however large, is immune to a decline in membership. Traditionally, Greek groups enter periods of growth and decline. Sororities typically follow this pattern. For instance, according to Walczak, the Gamma Chi sorority “have been histori-

cally large. However, in more recent years, it shrunk in size, took a block class and now is growing again.”

Despite this continuous ebb and flow of membership, Walczak predicts that smaller sororities will become popular, as some of the larger ones may shrink and the smaller ones grow.

Current fraternities, however, are in a less secure position.

“In terms of fraternities, they have been dangerously getting smaller over the years but still manage to survive,” Walczak said. Some fraternities have a strong enough membership that they can endure without their charter for years, such as Epsilon Pi and Omicron Xi. The key for the survival of Greek life, Walczak said, is the alumni. If a group has a

GCC ARCHIVES

strong alumni network, then they have support system in areas such as “social media, the establishment of scholarships, the increase of alumni associations and the assistance from our Alumni Office,” Walczak said.

For instance, the oldest sorority on campus, Tri-Zeta, has over 900 living alumni, while the youngest sorority, Alpha Beta Tau, has over 800 living alumni according to Walczak. The groups that became defunct never had a strong alumni network.

Current sororities and fraternities have many advantages over their predecessors to prevent any groups from becoming defunct such as social media. As such, Greek life has a strong foothold at Grove City College and appears to remain for years to come.

Jason Reitman’s “Juno.”

I’ve adopted two children. I watched it six times before I could get through it without crying. Jennifer Garner absolutely nails the role of an adoptive mom who’s just struggling and trying to control as much as she can.

What are you looking forward to this semester?

I’m looking forward to the warmer weather because that enables a lot more socialization and fellowship.

What is your favorite class you are teaching this semester?

French Phonetics. It’s great because it’s unique.

You’re studying the language itself and the sound system. It’s not so much about learning grammar and vocab. It’s fun because everyone assumes French is impossible to pronounce, but there is a really beautiful system, and it makes sense of a lot of things.

Through the lens,

Feb. 19, 2021

Pledge during COVID Fraternities encourage community during a time where social distancing is the norm

Greek Pledge occured this week as usual on campus, however students came up with a few creative twists. Josh Cook, member of the PANS, said, “We have had to get creative and work around the COVID pandemic, but nothing has really changed.”

Students decided that instead of skipping pledge week they would use the pandemic to their advantage as shown with the Okies covering a newcomer’s face and eyes (Shown upper right).

Although the pandemic has made students conform to new social customs to avoid exposure, community has appeared to grow stronger. The year 2021 seems to be optimistic in how students are engaged in their on-campus community.

Page 6

Through the lens,

Feb. 19, 2021

Page 7

Photos and text Matt Schoonover Photo Chief

One of Grove City College’s core values is community, and the institution encourages “life-long community through a dynamic campus experience marked by service, hospitality and abiding respect for others.” Students continue to prove their dedication to community by taking on the challenge of COVID-19, coming together to participate with housing activites. Looking at Pledge Week, students appreciate community on campus, and they see community as something to hold dear to their hearts.

Perspectives The Collegian,

Page 8

Feb. 19, 2021

Second impeachment ‘a disgraceful circus’

Benjamin Seevers Contributing Writer

The second impeachment of former President Donald J. Trump ended Feb. 13 with acquittal. However, the process left much to be desired.

The House rushed it through in the last 20 days of the Trump presidency and the Senate dealt with it in a mere four days, not even hearing witnesses.

This resembles more of a show trial than anything.

If they had allowed witnesses to testify perhaps the Senate would have convicted him. Showing the American people’s testimony could have placed the Senators in a position where the public was in favor of conviction, yielding the necessary twothirds majority.

Apparently, the Senate was not interested in accurately portraying the events of Jan. 6. They were not interested in giving the entire story.

Both Republicans and Democrats soiled the process by voting against hearing witnesses. The constitutionality of it is dubious at best. Furthermore, it may not have even been necessary in the first place if they wanted to prevent Trump from obtaining office in the future. Congress can disqualify persons from obtaining former office through invoking the 14th amendment, which requires that the person being disqualified must have had engaged in insurrection, which is the charge being levied against the former president.

The House ought to invoke the 14th Amendment. The nonstop rhetoric of the former president emboldened the rioters at the capitol on Jan. 6, and he remained resolute even after he left office that the election had been a fraud and Joe Biden’s presi-

NEW YORKER

dency is illegitimate, calling to action his supporters. This is tantamount to the actions of a revolutionary, perhaps not as extreme as some in the past, but nonetheless revolutionary. This should be enough to bar him from a second term, but whether the 14th Amendment will be successfully invoked or not is doubtful at the moment.

This leaves the American people wondering what lies in the future of politics in the United States. Whether

Trump pursues a second term in 2024 or not will determine the course of politics from here on out. If he runs, he will further divide the country regardless of whether he wins or not. If he does not win, he will divide Republicans even further, possibly drawing many away from the party and remain a divisive figure in the public forum. If he wins, he will solidify populism in the Republican Party for the coming years.

The best thing would be if he were to run and be rebuked by the Republican Party and/or lose the general election. It will show a definite rejection of Trumpism, and the country could move on. However, this is risky, as Trump may actually win in 2024. The best course of action for him would be to give up his political aspirations and play golf in Florida for the rest of his days, but given his demonstrably bad character, he will not settle

for that.

He will run again, so Congress must act over the next four years to disqualify him by any means. A dangerous, irresponsible man such as him cannot and should not occupy the office of President of the United States ever again, and Congress should avoid showboating any future attempts to disqualify him. Make him ineligible to run, and the world can move on from this disgraceful circus..

What, exactly, is in a name?

Clark Mummau Perspectives Editor

What do you call the large country south of Denmark?

Is it something like Gjermania, or perhaps Allemange?

Maybe it is Saksamaa, Nemecko or Vokietija. If you’re from there, it’s Deutschland.

We call things and places different names depending on where we’re from because of the different ways cultures have been in contact with each other throughout the centuries. This leads to the differences between endonyms and exonyms: names given within a place and names given from without.

Are any of these different names inherently better than others? In some senses, no.

If other people understand what we refer to, we have accomplished communication.

However, is it not more accurate to refer to things the same as those most intimately connected to them?

I think so and doing so

brings us closer to the origins of places and gives us a fuller cultural understanding of the world.

However, this approach leads to problems. Throughout history, nations have subjugated and colonized others, destroying their identity and arbitrarily drawing borders that care little for ethnic and cultural differences.

In these instances, neither endonyms nor exonyms may fairly represent the region.

Endonyms may only represent a part of the population’s identity, but exonyms may entirely strip all culture from a name.

One of the clearest examples of these difficulties is in Africa, a continent of about 3,000 tribes and 2,000 languages, but only 54 countries. With so many different groups living in the same areas, is there any name that can be truly descriptive of what the inhabitants call the place? Or, perhaps, a general exonym is necessary in order to prevent any cultural hegemony. But even with that there is a problem. Does not the naming culture have dominance over the culture

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

because it names it?

While it is one thing to think about this with countries, where names can carry the baggage of centuries of colonialism, conquest and destruction, and it can be argued whether or not the names are connected to continued negative views of such places, I think it is more interesting to look at names on a smaller level without such large ramifications on international relations.

Who are we on this campus? Officially, we are Wolverines, and many others recognize us as such. However, I think a larger percent-

age of students and faculty view us more as Grovers than as Wolverines.

Wolverines are aggressive, scavenging mustelids, and while such a violent picture may befit our athletic teams, I, spending most of my time in HAL and PFAC, do not like the mascot particularly.

I much prefer the Grover, that bookish and overcommitted paragon of Grove City College culture. But, while we at the college can chuckle about such a stereotype and how much we may or may not live up to it, we are no doubt shaped by it and judged for it by others.

What is in a name? Clearly, what we are called shapes both our view of ourselves and others’ view of us. When you call yourself a Pittsburgher or a Yinzer, people will judge you differently.

I can’t give answers on the appropriateness of different names, so long as they aren’t pejoratives, but I can encourage you to consider the names you do use.

Where did they come from, what other names are used and what do they mean? As the world continues to diversify, such cultural understanding will only be more important.

The Collegian,

Feb. 19, 2021

Page 9

Greek life has its benefits Zachary O’Neil Contributing Writer

ISTOCK

Put values before politics Isaac Willour

Contributing Writer It was December of 2019 and I was staring at my phone, unsure of what to think of the notification I had just received.

New Message: just admit youre a white supremacist and shut up.

A rush of emotions flooded in: laughter, inclination to mockery and more laughter.

The intellectual Instagram user who’d commented this presumably hadn’t looked at my profile picture. It was merely a knee-jerk response to my expressed conservative political stance that manifested itself in this perplexing accusation.

We talk a lot about the level of political division in this country and who exactly is responsible for its increase.

Whether it’s in a novellalength Facebook post or unspoken thoughts at family Thanksgiving, this question has crept into many minds,

Gabby Ross

not only in America but across the world: How did it get this bad and how do we fix it?

Politics is a field that prioritizes disagreement over agreement. Many cultural spheres increasingly incorporate partisan talking points along with their actual content, sports and entertainment media to name a few. It should come as no surprise that partisan discussions generate greater vitriol, given their burgeoning cultural prominence.

Many political issues, such as race relations, economic inequality and gender identity, are discussed in a way where both sides argue that their opponents are not merely wrong, but immoral by virtue of their wrongness.

If things as previously unifying and nonpartisan as sports and movies have become avenues for us to attack the moral standing of our fellow citizens, the temperature of our partisan discussions will inevitably rise. This trend is a poison requiring an antidote.

Much of our politics is an extension of our values and

principles. But, before we go into political battle, how do we fortify a scriptural framework that actually fosters and guards those values so as to withstand a lifelong storm of doubt, disagreement and, too often, disbelief?

Dr. Caleb Verbois, professor of political science, says there are several things young people can do to bolster and protect their Christian principles.

“It’s important that you visit churches, even ones that are outside your comfort zone… but don’t church shop forever. You have to find a church community where you can be more long-term. ...On that note, don’t be a moocher, don’t just show up on Sunday, eat the free lunch that the church moms with four kids made for you and leave. Offer to teach Sunday School, be willing to contribute to the community.”

On a political note, Verbois adds that healthy church life is not the only thing necessary to lower the national temperature. “If the temperature of American politics is going to go down, it’s going

to come from the local level and from people willing to stop demonizing and polarizing people on the right and the left.”

The antidote to vitriol and tribalism is not some new concept. Cavemen were hitting their fellow cavemen over the head with rocks over their disagreements long before Twitter made the process easier. But the antidote, the path to rise above division, isn’t as simple as “for the love of all that’s holy, stop hitting that guy with rocks.” The answer is to reinvest in the systems that guard our values; to learn about their history and to rededicate ourselves to the institutions that foster them. Mature Christian men and women don’t resolve disagreements on political minutiae by calling people white supremacists. If we are to become those Godly men and women, we must invest in values first, politics later; we must reject conformity to the patterns of a broken world that often seem so tempting.

Why I love dance

Contributing Writer I love dance because it is a means of expression unlike any other. It is both athletic and artistic. It pushes the boundaries of what the human body can (and probably should) do. It stimulates creativity and artistry in storytelling unlike any other art form.

Dance has pushed me to be the best I can be, to go beyond what I had thought possible of my body and create living, moving art with meanings that often go beyond what words can describe. Dance takes the deepest, most intimate emotions of life and puts them in motion for all to see and feel in their deepest being.

My experience with dance started when I was three years old, going to ballet class once a week at a local dance studio. My mom took me to see The Nutcracker when I was four, and that sealed the deal. I decided I was going to be a professional ballerina and dance for the rest of my life.

I simply loved it from day one and have never stopped loving it, although the journey since has been a roller-

coaster of injuries and obstacles. Dance has shaped me into the woman I am today, and I will always cherish the memories, experiences and lessons I gained from dance.

By high school, I was training 30 to 40 hours a week at my studio, taking classes in ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, jazz, musical theater, character dancing, flamenco, Pilates, yoga and pas de deux. I was performing in a professional Nutcracker and other shows every year, going through two pairs of pointe shoes a month and spending my summers doing intensive dance programs.

After high school I pursued the next training step in pursuit of my dream career as a professional dancer by joining a trainee company that dances under a professional company.

This was the year that the hard reality of professional dance set in. In order to have a professional ballet career, your body must match the “ballet body” ideal of extreme thinness. It’s this ideal which results in the cruel statistic of one in two dancers forming an eating disorder at some point in their life.

Fortunately, I never dealt with disordered eating, but I did learn the hard way that lacking the ideal ballet body would be the end of my ballet

GABBY ROSS

career.

When I came to Grove City College, I was still recovering from this crushed dream. I found Orchesis and this has been my dance home ever since. In Orchesis it doesn’t matter what your body looks like, or how many years of training you’ve had. What matters is your love for dance

and your willingness to push your creative boundaries to new points.

Through dancing in and leading Orchesis these past four years, I have been empowered to create, to move, to express myself and to tell my story through the medium I have loved all my life and will always love.

Grove City College boasts many great attributes, but its greatest may be the community that students find on campus.

As a freshman, the idea of having friends who I could live with and share life with was an exciting prospect.

This prospect was fully realized in my joining of the Omicron Xi fraternity. Community on Grove City’s campus can be found almost everywhere, but I found it to be most fulfilling in Greek Life.

Joining Greek Life has not only given me the unique opportunity to live life together with a group of men but has also allowed me to participate in a community of brotherhood steeped in 73 years of tradition and history. The friendships I forged in Greek Life ignited quickly and spanned further then just current students.

This is seen first in my friendship with Joel Salazar.

Though we were acquaintances during first semester freshman year, after joining the Okies we became quick friends.

After just a couple months of being friends, I decided to go live and work with Joel at Noah’s Ark Whitewater Rafting in Colorado for the summer. This was an adventure of a lifetime that happened only after freshman year and would not have happened if it wasn’t for the community sparked by Greek Life.

The benefits of Greek Life were again clear to me when I was able to connect to alumni in my hometown of Chattanooga. My first break home after joining the Okies I found out that there was a 2017 alumni and Okie who lived in Chattanooga. We were able to grab coffee and became friends. He is now someone who I hang out with every time I am home. Both of these relationships have been very fruitful in my life and would not have come to fruition without the facilitation of Greek Life.

Another unique factor of Greek Life is the broad swath of friendships that you create. The friends I have made in the Okies have different hobbies, different majors, play different sports and are altogether different people then I am. I would have never made friends with such a diverse group of guys if not for joining a group. Greek Life offers the unique opportunity to create lasting friendship with a diverse group of individuals through shared experience.

Because of the Okies, I not only have a small group of best friends, but I also have a large group of men all over the country who I can count on. The memories I have made, the growth I have had and the community I have developed would have been nonexistent without the Okies, and that is why I joined Greek Life.

Sports The Collegian, Feb. 19, 2021

Page 10

Preparing for a busy spring Emily Rupczewski Sports Editor

Around this time a year ago, spring sports were underway and preparing for their 2020 seasons. Pre-pandemic, the men’s lacrosse team was preparing for their first game of the season, and what would be their last at home.

“Last year was pretty devastating to see the season cancelled, especially for the seniors,” head coach Alec Jernstedt said. “We were having our best year to date and so to have it abruptly cut off was hard to swallow.”

This year, lacrosse, and other spring sports will have the opportunity to come out stronger than COVID, and they’re already preparing for it.

Lacrosse has been preparing for their upcoming season five days a week, hustling indoors and outdoors when the weather permits.

The privilege to gather and practice for the 2021 season means a lot more to teams hit by the pandemic than ever before.

“Getting back to the field this year means a lot,” Jernstedt said. “There’s a sense of getting back to normal.

There is the chance to hopefully pick up where we left off. More than anything it’s being able to bring the group together and continue to build the program and the relationships that come along with that.”

If the prospect of spring sports getting their redemptive 2021 seasons isn’t excitement enough, these teams will also be joined by their fall teams—volleyball, football, soccer and cross country.

The balancing of multiple teams in multiple facilities all at once may prove to be a tough challenge, and one team in particular is feeling the effects of the scheduling overlap.

This spring, both the cross country and track teams will be competing during the same season. Both of these

Sophomore James Petrolle and Junior Addison Bennett practice on Thorn Field despite the weather. teams share athletes and coaches.

Jessica Smith, head cross country and track and field coach has been a part of a very delicate scheduling process for all her teams.

“It effects different athletes in different ways since there are different types of runners that you can find on a cross country team,” Smith said.

“Normally in cross country, we would race a 6k for the ladies and an 8k for the men. For our distance runners, think 5k and 10k specialists in the track season, it really wasn’t an issue. Training would be fairly similar but our race locations or course would be different.

Not perfect but manageable.”

In November it was announced that the PAC had made the decision to scrap the indoor track and field season entirely to make room for both outdoor track as well as cross country in the

spring.

“Initially, we thought there would be cross country, indoor and outdoor track,” Smith said. “For our middle-distance runners, think anything 800m to the 3k, we would have to make some difficult decisions since the indoor season and cross country season would overlap. It’s really hard to train someone to do well in the 8k and the 800m at the same time. However, with our indoor track season now officially cancelled, it’s allowed us to put together a much more cohesive schedule for those runners.”

According to Smith, cross country races will be held between Feb. 27 and March 20 with the opening outdoor track meet on March 27, as normally scheduled.

Women’s volleyball will be the next big team to watch, however, as this usually scheduled fall sport will be

competing during the month of March and April. Their first home game is scheduled for next Friday at home against Washington and Jefferson.

The following day, lacrosse will visit Westminster in hopes to begin their journey to secure another PAC Championship, after a 2019 championship season.

Softball will open the 2021 season at home against Saint Vincent on March 3, after the pandemic took all of 2020’s regular season following their spring training outing in Florida last March.

“In a typical year, we would schedule 40 games,” head coach Kristen Cramer said. “We would play our PAC opponents twice, filling in the gaps with non-conference opponents and a spring training trip.

Softball will now play a 36game schedule, facing PAC opponents four times each in

GROVE CITY MEN’S LACROSSE

conference play.

Right on their tails will be baseball, with a March 12 home opener against Waynesburg.

Tied for their attention will be the first home football game, as Grove City is scheduled to take on Case Western Reserve on the same day.

If March 12 isn’t enough action, both men’s and women’s soccer play their season openers the following day, March 13, with tennis also slated to make a return the following Tuesday.

With athletic events scheduled daily, many overlapping one another, this spring is set to be the redemptive opposite of last spring.

“Honestly, I’m just grateful to be able to work with our team this year,” Smith reflected. “I know that these athletes have worked hard all summer, all fall, all winter and I believe this spring, the best is yet to come.”

Women’s basketball team goes 3-0 Gresham Smith Contributing Writer

The women Wolverines keep winning and winning.

Wednesday saw a strong game on the road against Chatham, 72-53. Freshman forward Kat Goetz dominated the Cougars, posting 17 points and a whopping 17 rebounds in route to her second double-double in three games. Goetz also walked away with four steals and knocked down seven free throws.

Podkul was a reliable contributor once again, scoring double-digit points for the third game in a row, and adding eight rebounds. Senior guard Jordan McConnell contributed four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Wednesday night also saw the return of Vezzosi, who hit two triples and scored nine points in 21 minutes off the bench. Bowen also continued to impress, scoring 14, grabbing eight rebounds and swiping seven steals.

A prequel to Wednesday’s win, Saturday proved

to put the spotlight senior Jess Bowen. Between a trio of three pointers from Geneva, the senior guard scored a quick four points prior to taking over the game at the 5:49 mark in the first quarter. Bowen drained back-toback threes, added two layups and kicked start a 16-0 Wolverines run.

The second quarter proved to be a bit sluggish, as neither team broke 20 points. Geneva continued to rely on threepoint shooting throughout the night, as the Lady Wolverines neutralized Geneva’s Lauren Tipton.

The Wolverines’ offense exploded in the third quarter, sparked by a steal and layup from Bowen, who would later punctuate the end of the quarter with an emphatic block at the buzzer.

The story of the quarter was Allison Podkul. The junior forward scored 11 in the 3rd, despite at one point having to throw her own shoe out-of-bounds after it came off in transition. Podkul notched her second doubledouble in as many games,

MATT SCHOONOVER

Senior Guard Lauren Frederick receives a pass during Saturday’s game versus Geneva. adding three assists and a As much as the Wolverine’s effort came at a great time steal along the way. team play shined through, for Grove, who was without By the start of the fourth, Saturday was really the Bow- sophomore guard Emma Grove held a 35-point lead. en Show.

Vezzosi for the night.

Threes from Bowen and seThe senior guard was a Catch the Wolverines at nior guard Lindsey Stanforth stat-sheet stuffer, finishing home in the Grove City Colstretched the lead even fur- with a career high 30 points, lege Arena as they take on ther, and two free throws as well as seven rebounds, Westminster tomorrow at 1 from senior forward Gretch- seven assists and six steals. p.m. and Saint Vincent Monen Elsey put the Wolverines The individual perfor- day night at 5:30 p.m. up by 43. mance and the collective

The Collegian, Feb. 19, 2021

Page 11

National Sports Column

The best just keep getting better Connor Schlosser Staff Writer

Los Angeles has been the city of champions thanks to the combined success of the Dodgers and Lakers last season.

Returning champions almost always sit atop power rankings for the following season and the Dodgers are no exception.

On Twitter the Dodgers cleverly wrote a Valentine’s Day love poem to their success saying, “Roses are red, Dodgers are blue, one trophy is nice, but we’re ready for two.”

With Spring Training around the corner, the Dodgers are still very much the top dogs, and they are quite literally paying for it with a whopping league high payroll of $226 million. LA did better than just maintain its roster, they added National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer.

The Dodgers bullpen is in a comfortable position with Bauer and veteran Clayton Kershaw. Last season’s MVP candidate Mookie Betts returns to action in an already star-studded squad.

The Yankees are a likely playoff lock and listed second in the power rankings

OPENER

continued from 12

four from the Golden Tornadoes.

Saturday’s game was as competitive as the score suggests, with 12 lead changes and 16 ties.

The last 49 seconds of the game saw 15 points scored as Grove fought desperately to tie, only down three with two seconds remaining, until a pair of free throws by Geneva gave them the win.

CLASS

continued from 1

tive fields of education and entrepreneurship as well as personal experiences with race relations.

“These are difficult discussions. They have to be,” Lewis said.

Blackburn explained, “I personally learned this summer that, as a Christian, it is not enough to simply try not to be racist myself. I must be actively anti-racist.”

The class is currently working through the book “Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity” by David W. Swanson and will eventually utilize books such as “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo and “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi.

Freshman Mallory Jones said the book has opened discussions about “discipleship and differences in church styles across cultures and races.”

Junior Josh Ledyard described the book as “an excellent, compelling and uncom-

thanks to signing of top free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole.

Pillars DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge inked deals to keep them in the Big Apple for a little longer.

The one team that stands out in the top tier of the power rankings is the Milwaukee Brewers. Ranked third in the power rankings, the Brewers are a comparatively cheap team listed 22nd in payroll. Christian Yelich is Milwaukee’s shining star in the outfield. Veteran outfielder Ryan Braun is currently a free agent and may retire after 14 seasons if an opportunity is not presented.

The Padres of San Diego return this season with their dynamic duo of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. The Padres were a top three team projected the previous season and return with similar expectations listed at fourth. They added considerable pitching depth this offseason adding veteran Yu Darvish and former Cy Young winner and World Series pitcher Blake Snell.

Cincinnati most notably lost Trevor Bauer to the reigning champs, yet 37-year-old Joey Votto remains an offensive presence. Projections have the Reds somewhere in the topten.

Last year’s NL MVP, Fred-

die Freeman, Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuña Jr. headline the Braves roster going into this season. A potential title-contender according to some, the young Atlanta lineup may be a competitor in the playoffs.

Chicago is looking hopeful for playoffs, but it’s not the Cubs. The White Sox, another up-and-coming team, boasting a young and hopeful core to build around for years to come. Young names like Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada will be key pieces going forward.

Colorado sits at rock bottom in power rankings. The Rockies are hitting the restart button most notably moving their best piece in Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals.

The Red Sox have completely restructured their outfield. Andrew Benintendi was dealt to Kansas City, Jackie Bradley Jr. is now a free agent and veteran Red Sox legend Dustin Pedroia officially called it quits.

Their roster changes have been heavily criticized and Boston looks anything but a playoff team.

This seems like an offseason where the best teams seem to get better while the starved teams are forced to tank and rebuild. But this is baseball and anything, as they say, is possible.

Redshirt freshman Luca Robinson scored fourteen points in fifteen minutes, shooting 10 of 12 from the foul line in his college debut.

Rice scored 13 on four of six shooting and four free throws, and Thrasher scored 11, making three of six from beyond the arc.

The Wolverines as a team were efficient, going 30 of 60 from the floor including 46 percent from beyond the arc and knocking down 21 free throws.

Capacity for Wednesday night’s game was 100 students, an increase of 25 from the previous two home basketball games this year, both Lady Wolverine victories.

The men’s team will be on the road for their next two games as they take on Westminster tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.

They will then travel to Latrobe Monday night as they face Saint Vincent at 7 p.m.

fortable read. We’re going to be reading a lot more books like it as the class continues.”

The class also hosts guest speakers to further discuss topics brought up in the curriculum. Lewis said, “It’s not a situation where students sit and listen to us tell them they’re wrong or lacking in some way. We try to focus discussions on the readings and stated topics that will hopefully lead to a greater understanding of one another.”

Blackburn and Lewis are also using this opportunity to critically analyze recent events and organizations that have been at the forefront in recent racial discussion.

“Most recently, we perused the Black Lives Matter website and highlighted effective methods, ineffective methods and principles that either align with or contradict Christianity,” Jones said.

Looking ahead, students hope to take this knowledge and understanding with them into their future endeavors.

Senior Zack Spang said, “I am hoping to get a more indepth view on race, culture and society today. I also hope it will help me be a better educator in future employment, in my community and in general life.”

Blackburn detailed ways the class is preparing students for life after this semester. “Students are required to create a project, in lieu of a final exam, where they share what they plan to do to impact either their workplace, local community or church to work toward racial reconciliation. Our hope is that they will implement this plan on their own.”

While the class is taught in the pursuit of a more diverse and conscientious student body, the top priority of the course is that these discussions are applied with a Christian understanding of ethnicity and race.

“If we get back to that basic tenet, it puts us on the right path to reconciliation and unity of the body,” Lewis said.

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Sports at a Glance

News

The Wolverines continue racking up wins.

Most notably, women’s basketball is 4-0.

Jess Bowen put up 30 points on Saturday’s game against Geneva, earning her PAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. She added 14 more on Wednesday’s game against Chatham. Bowen has advanced from 10th place into sixth place on Grove City’s career assist list with 233 career assists.

In Wednesday’s game against Chatham, freshman Kat Goetz recorded 17 rebounds, the most in the program since Christine Slater put up 19 in 2010.

Results Women’s Swimming & Diving (4-0): W, Franciscan (128-95) W, Washington & Jefferson (124-92)

Men’s Swimming & Diving (3-0): W, Washington and Jefferson (112-69)

Woman’s Basketball (3-0): W, Geneva (89-56) W, Chatham (72-53)

Men’s Basketball (1-1): L, Genevva (92-87) W, Chatham (69-56)

Upcoming Men’s Swimming and Diving: Feb 23, 6 p.m. at Westminster

Women’s Swimming and Diving: Feb 19, 6 p.m. vs. Westminster

Women’s Basketball: Feb 20, 1 p.m. vs. Westminster Feb 22, 5:30 p.m. vs. Saint Vincent Feb 24, 6:00 p.m. at Thiel

Men’s Basketball: Feb 20, 1:30 p.m. at Westminster Feb 22, 7 p.m. at Saint Vincent Feb 24, 5:30 p.m. vs. Thiel

WOLVERINE WEEKLY HONORS

Denali Hutzelmann

Senior Swimmer PAC Women’s Swimmer of the Week

James Hancock

Senior Swimmer PAC Men’s Swimmer of the Week

Jess Bowen

Senior Guard PAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week

Sports The Collegian, Feb. 19, 2021

Page 12

Home sweet home opener Men’s team takes down Chatham Gresham Smith Contributing Writer

The energy was off the charts at the men’s basketball home opener against conference foe Chatham on Wednesday. The Wolverines snagged their first win of the year with a 69-56 victory over the Cougars. Senior guards Erik Meiners and Justin Rice each contributed heavily to the win, as Meiners scored a team-high 15 and Rice scored nine, along with seven rebounds and seven assists.

But it was the depth of Grove’s bench that proved to be the difference, as seven non-starters scored, led by junior guard Isaac Thrasher, who drained two momentum-changing threes. The bench was good for 27 points in total, easily besting Chatham’s 10 bench points.

The teams traded leads throughout the first half until Grove took the lead for good as Thrasher scored a three at the 7:54 mark. Meiners also added eleven points in the first half.

The second half showcased the Wolverine’s depth as Chatham began to fade down the stretch, especially in the last ten minutes.

Layups from junior center Josh Brown and senior forward Joe Meola kickstarted the second half and Mein-

MATT SCHOONOVER

Redshirt freshman Luca Robinson passes the ball during Wednesday’s game versus Chatham. The Wolverines went on to win 69-56. ers added four more points.

However, Rice proved to be the player of the second half as he grabbed five rebounds and scored seven, including a

jumper with 4:51 left to give Grove its biggest lead of the night at 15 points.

The score at the buzzer was a welcome sight to the Wol-

verines who narrowly lost their opener on the road to conference rival Geneva, 8792. The high scoring affair that took place on Saturday

night saw seven different players score in double digits, three from Grove and OPENER 11

Just keep winning, winning Ayden Gutierrez Staff Writer

The swimming and diving teams continued their dominance in the last week, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning their meets.

The women’s swimming and diving team beat Washington and Jefferson 124-99 on Friday night. The Lady Wolverines won 10 different events during the meet to seal the victory. Sophomores Rachael Wallace and Rachel Ledford each secured two individual wins for Grove City, with Wallace winning the 200 free, the 100 butterfly and the 100 free and Ledford won the 200 backstroke and the 400 individual medley.

Sophomores Rachel Shoemaker and Rachel Grubbs, along with Ledford and Wallace, won the 200 medley relay to start the contest. Shoemaker also won the 1000 while sophomore Reese Trauger won the 50 free. Freshman Liz Hasse won both the 100 free and the 500 free.

Sophomore Ellie Dobel won the 200 breaststroke.

Trauger, Hasse, freshman Emma Otten and freshman Katie Goodwill won the 200 free relay to cap off the night and claim the team victory.

While one half of the squad was competing at Washington & Jefferson, the other half was competing at home against Franciscan. The Wolverines also won the home meet by a score of 128-95.

Sophomore Sydney Laughlin earned three individual victories Friday night for Grove City. She won the 200

MATT SCHOONOVER

Junior Will Hannon powers his way to victory in the 200 butterfly vs. Saint Vincent on Feb. 6. butterfly in 2:17.33, the 200 breaststroke in 2:32.99 and the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:47.37.

Laughlin also contributed to a relay victory Friday night along with seniors Denali Hutzelmann, Anna Emmons, Alliefair Scalise and Heather Russell who opened the meet by winning the 200 medley relay in 2:02.32.

Laughlin, junior Jenny Baglia, senior Amanda Mazoch and freshman Hannah Millar claimed victory in the 200 free relay performance with a time of 1:50.76.

Baglia also won the 50 free in 25.39 while Scalise captured the 200 backstroke in a winning time of 2:27.00.

Mazoch won the 500 in 5:56.78 and Millar won the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:14.92.

Sophomore Madi Tipple won the 200 free in 2:06.60. Sophomore Meg Dobel posted the top score

on the 1-meter diving board, 140.65.

Coupled with the Wolverines’ 124-92 split-squad win Friday night at Washington & Jefferson, the Wolverines are now 4-0.

The men’s swimming and diving team improved to 3-0 overall by earning a 112-69 victory on Tuesday night.

The Wolverines tallied 11 total wins during the contest, as well as finishing first in three other events during the dual meet.

Senior James Hancock and sophomore Elias Griffin started the night by winning two individual victories each. Hancock won the 100 butterfly in 54.61 seconds and also took the 100 free in 49.50 seconds. Griffin swept the breaststroke, winning the 100 with a time of 59.92 and the 200 in 2:14.04.

Junior Peter Millar won the 200 free in 1:48.34 and the 500 with an exhibition

time of 5:14.92. Junior Ryan Klemmer prevailed in the 200 fly with a time of 2:05.30 as well as the 1000 with a time of 10:52.98.

Senior Michael Moosa won the 400 individual medley in 4:29.30 and senior Jason Alexander won the 200 backstroke in 2:04.29. Junior Noah Berkebile won the 100 backstroke in 56.02 seconds.

Alexander, Griffin, junior Reid Blackstone and sophomore Mac Hancock opened the meet by winning the 200 medley relay in 1:39.66. Millar, the Hancock brothers and senior Devin Reynolds sealed the meet by winning the 200 free relay in 1:31.45.

Senior diver Jonah Sutter produced the top score on both diving boards Tuesday night. He recorded an exhibition score of 238.05 in 1-meter diving, then recorded a total of 202.50 points on the

3-meter board.

Two Grove City College swim and dive athletes earned weekly honors Monday afternoon from the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

Grove City swept the Swimmer of the Week awards as senior Denali Hutzelmann captured that honor in women’s swimming and diving while James Hancock earned Men’s Swimmer of the Week distinction.

Hutzelmann won three events Friday night to help lead Grove City to a 128-95 home victory over conference foe Franciscan at James E. Longnecker Pool. She won the 100 backstroke in 1 minute, 3.77 seconds and then took the 100 freestyle in 56.46 seconds. Hutzelmann closed out her night by winning the 100 butterfly in 1:01.51.

Hutzelmann also helped Grove City’s 200 medley relay team record a victorious time of 2:02.32. Her time in the 100 fly ranks second in the league and her 100 freestyle time ranks third in the conference.

Hancock won the 100 and 200 freestyle last Tuesday night in Grove City’s 87-54 home victory over Chatham.

He won the 100 in 49.48 seconds and then recorded a winning time of 1:49.52 in the 200 free. That 200 free time ranks first in the conference this season. Hancock also touched first in the 100 butterfly with an exhibition time of 54.52 seconds.

The Lady Wolverines will host archrival Westminster next Friday at 6 p.m., while the men’s team will also go to battle with the Westminster Titans on Tuesday at 6 p.m.