The Collegian – Oct. 21, 2022

Who to vote for? Students debate candidates

Rockwell snipers? A look back on the no-grass policy COMMUNITY

They’re perfect? Soccer wins fifth straight SPORTS

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Goldberg speaks on conservatism

Ayden Gutierrez News Editor

The college’s chapter of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), along with the Institute for Faith and Freedom (IFF) hosted a lec ture titled, “Conservatism in the Age of Trump” featuring guest speaker Jonah Gold berg on Tuesday night.

Goldberg is the editor-inchief of The Dispatch, a for mer contributor at Fox News and the founder of the Na tional Review, among other publications.

Goldberg discussed the definition of conservatism,

which he described as a very daunting task.

“What is conservatism? It’s much harder to define than people think,” Goldberg said.

He then went on to com pare conservatism to relativ ism and radicalism. Accord ing to Goldberg, radicalism is the opposite of conservatism. It has no goal other than to tear down an existing order.

Conservatives want to re store an existing order.

To illustrate this point, Goldberg used the analogy of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The cathedral has a team of people who replace the old stones to preserve

the cathedral. Once they get to the end and have replaced all the stones, they go back to the beginning and repeat the process. Goldberg stated this encapsulates what conser vatism is: conserving some thing that is already in place.

Goldberg then outlined three kinds of conservatism, the first being the conserva tive temperament. He ex plained the Founding Fa thers, who believed in the conservative temperament, were radical when they need ed to be. Goldberg explained it is hard to distinguish be

GOLDBERG 3

Miracles on campus

Two football players selected as matches

Emma Rossi Sports Editor

Last spring, the college’s football team partnered with Be the Match, an orga nization whose mission is to provide life-saving bone marrow and blood stem cell donations to patients suf fering from blood borne ill nesses.

After receiving recom mendations from Duquesne University’s football coach, the college’s Head Coach An drew DiDonato ’10 and Team Chaplain Dr. Jim Trasher ’80 chose to partner with Be the Match for the team’s annual service project.

The football team set up tables in SHAL and STU to source sign-ups, and in total received 224 participants. Of the 224, five matches were found, all of whom are on the football team. Be the Match representative Ronald Fran cois explained that the statis tical likelihood of a match is 1/220, making five matches nearly unbelievable.

Despite the high unlike lihood of this outcome, Thrasher had hopes from the beginning that the col lege would impress, and he shared this with Be the Match Coordinator Lisa Ma loney.

“I told her that this team, and this institution will sur

prise you. I boldly said that we would hit 200,” Thrasher said.

Sophomore Trenten Rupp is one of the five matches. He is a perfect match for an immunodeficient three-yearold girl who has six months to live. He recalls receiving

the phone call, during which he was informed by his co ordinator that he is the only DNA match for this girl in their database of over two million.

“I remember the goose bumps on my arms. I re member trying to hold tears back. It was a very emotional couple of minutes,” Rupp said. “Since the phone call, I’ve had multiple conversa tions with my coordinator. The phone calls have con sisted of very detailed medi

cal screening and a lot of questionnaires regarding my overall health.”

Rupp is now awaiting con firmation of his matching DNA and word as to whether he will be donating blood or bone marrow. He has been informed it will likely be a bone marrow donation, for which he will be flown out to another location.

Only 20 percent of cases require a blood marrow do

Baja racing is back, baby

Joel Sledd Contributing Writer

The college’s Baja Racing Club will host the second annual Baja Butler Bash In vitational Race, which will be held all day tomorrow at the SwitchbackMX off-road racetrack in Butler County, Pa.

The Baja Club is a studentled organization that partici pates in sponsored competi tions against other colleges located in the county. The Baja Club builds and main tains small, off-road vehicles

used in a series of national contests coordinated by the Society for Automotive Engi neers (SAE). Through direct competitions and inspec tions, these events assess ev ery aspect of the vehicles.

The Baja Club started in 2007 and has gained more traction in the Engineer ing Department since then.

However, the Butler Bash, hosted by the college, is a new event that was organized for the first time last fall.

Senior Olivia Whiteman,

No loan, no problem

Corey Kendig Contributing Writer

Like all students who take out loans to attend Grove City College, senior political science and economics major Jaclyn Nichols does not qual ify for President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness pro gram. Nor does she care.

“In my case, Grove City was the best college for my money, which ended up so lidifying my decision to come here,” she said.

“I don’t see education as a right — it is a privilege and my personal investment in my future. As such, I don’t expect other people to pay for it, especially since not ev eryone can or does go to col lege.”

Nichols attends one of 18 colleges in America that re fuse federal funding. Stu dents who attend these col leges cannot take out the Pell Grant or any other type of federal loan to pay for enroll ment at these institutions, and therefore do not have federal student loans to for give.

Many of these colleges are either conservative, Chris tian or both.

Hillsdale College is an other private conservative institution that has shunned federal funds.

According to the Federal Student Aid website, “the U.S. Department of Edu cation will provide up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to Pell Grant recipients with loans held by the Depart ment of Education and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation to non-Pell Grant recipients.”

Grove City and Hillsdale College officials said the sit uation has not caused any campus controversy.

President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said he does not believe the federal student loan bail out will hurt enrollment at his institution or ones like it.

“I think in theory that would be potentially true, but I think more in reality the students who come here know why they want to come

The Award-Winning

GRACE DAVID

Journalist Jonah Goldberg spoke in Rathburn Hall Tuesday night.

GCC FOOTBALL

A Be The Match member poses with Head Coach Andrew DiDonato ‘10 and Coach Dan Vogt ‘18.

GCC

Junior Joseph “Monty” Walker gets ready to testdrive the vehicle.

MUIRRUPP

From

Cultivating your imagination

Imagination is a key attribute of our humanity. Without it, life too often becomes dull and repetitive.

When we were children, reading, daydreaming and play ing pretend were just a few ways to spark our imaginations. These hobbies allowed us to see the world for its potential and what it one day could be. As kids, imagining came all too easy to us.

But when we grew up, most, if not all of us, lost this es sential ability. We became cynical individuals, and sudden ly the world was sapped of its awe and wonder. As adults, we’ve learned to rationalize the seemingly impossible with our minds and, as a result, have lost the power to imagine with our hearts.

Often understood as something childish, imagination is rather a childlike characteristic of the soul, which can lead to a deeper understanding of God and the world.

Reading stories is one way to nurture this quality in your life.

Whether the literary genre you prefer is fiction, nonfic tion or poetry, each offers an opportunity to get inside the mind of the author and understand his experiences and in sights through storytelling.

My favorite literary mode while growing up was fantasy. Though I haven’t yet read “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, I was exposed to “The Hobbit,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and the “Harry Potter” series. Each of these fantasy stories provided an avenue through from which I could suspend my disbelief without questioning the reality of it. In other words, these books stoked my imagination.

No one questions the fantasy of these stories with their fictional settings and mythological elements because they’re not meant to be taken literally, but they nonetheless get to the heart of the human condition.

Stories have a way of getting behind our defense systems and to our imaginations, communicating universal truths to readers. Or as C.S. Lewis once put it: “Stories allow us to steal past those watchful dragons.” The dragons of rational ization prevent us from enjoying a deeper understanding of humanity, life and our Creator, which is precisely what imagination provides in a cynical world.

Cultivating your imagination is no easy task, but the practice is so worth it. Without imagination, we lose sight of what makes us human.

David Zimmermann Editor-in-Chief

Correction from Oct. 7

A story in the previous edi tion about the Epsilon Phi fraternity’s charter loss in cluded some inaccurate in formation.

The anonymous portal mentioned in the story is not currently active. The college is currently working with a partner to create the portal where students can submit

concerns related to student wellbeing, concerning be havior and other issues. The portal is intended for sub mitting non-immediate con cerns and is not linked to, or staffed by, counselors.

Immediate concerns should be brought to the at tention of Campus Safety and/or Residence Life.

Copy Editors

Staff Photographers

Staff Adviser

PUBLIC DOMAIN PICTURES

What will you leave behind?

Emma Rossi Sports Editor

This past weekend I was able to go home for break. Midday on Friday, I decided to take a short walk through my neighborhood. While the walk was pleasant, what I saw on my way home struck me.

One of my neighbors had passed away. Lined up out side her house were nearly thirty cars, their impatiently waiting their turn to get inside the wood-paneled, shag-carpet ed rancher for an estate sale. I was sad to see the woman had passed. She was kind, always saying hello to me as I passed on my way home from work or on walks with my brother. She kept her collection of birdhouses full of birdseed and her pristine garden dotted with Balti more sports flags. She had a fat orange cat that would lounge in her driveway that was void of a car as long as I knew her.

Now, what seemed to be half the population of my hometown was dragging the mud from her now barren garden through her home to

BE THE MATCH continued from 1

nation, which entails a sur gical procedure and up to a week of recovery. According to Francois, only 50 percent of donors follow through with the procedure. For Rupp, there was no question whether he would donate.

“From the day I registered, I’ve felt God working in his own ways constantly. I felt nudged by him to join the database. Making the deci sion to go through with the donation process was a nobrainer,” he said.

“I’m ecstatic for the next

Grover gags

look at the earthly posses sions she had left behind. My curiosity pushes me though the open front door where I saw a bizarre scene of people passing in and out with arms full of antique Christmas dé cor, kitchen chairs and stacks of wicker baskets.

There were easily thirty people crammed inside the narrow halls and claustro phobic rooms of the ciga rette-stained home.

What began as curiosity quickly settled into melan choly. Here I was with these strangers, in my neighbor’s house, rummaging through her possessions. I saw a man passively flicking through her record collection, while an other dug around in her dish ware. It felt like an enormous and impersonal invasion of privacy. I couldn’t imagine someone going through my belongings like this.

Each room housed another assortment of items stranger than the last. It was clear what this woman loved. An impressive Elvis Presley col lection, vintage speakers and paper boxes crammed with disintegrating paperbacks telling stories of the Old West profiled this woman to the strangers now in her home.

What disturbed me the most was the kitchen. The

steps in this process. I hope to eventually meet the re cipient, given she recovers and lives through this ill ness. I can’t thank my fam ily enough for the love and support they have given me through this process. It has been life-changing to say the very least.”

Three weeks ago, senior Mason Muir was informed that he is the definite match for a recipient. Like Rupp, Muir received the initial phone call over the summer. Now that he is a confirmed match, he is awaiting details of when and where the pro

heart of her home was crammed full of about a dozen people rummaging around her kitchen cabinets. It was the most disagree able part of the whole event. People with arms already full were opening and closing her cabinets, almost climbing over one another to get to the next shelf. The place where this woman cooked for her self, her family, was now a flea market.

Perhaps I am assigning more to a simple estate sale than I should, but it left me with much to dwell on for the remainder of my walk home. In this material world, are we to be defined by the posses sions we leave behind? What would a stranger think of me if they had the opportunity to look through my library and take a couple books home for a dollar?

I was reminded of the brevity of life, of the value of what we leave behind. Lega cy is a vastly dramatic word for something as personal as what you leave in your wake. I hope to be defined by some thing much greater than what is left in my kitchen cabinets, and I now wonder how I will be perceived by a stranger at my own estate sale.

cedure will be held.

“Once I found out what Be the Match was all about, I was 100 percent in on poten tially helping someone. The experience so far has been awesome, finding out that I can help potentially save a life leaves me speechless,” Muir said.

The football team will part ner with Be the Match again this spring for their next ma jor service project. For more information on how to join Be the Match’s registry and the donation process, visit www.bethematch.org.

Angelica Hatke

BAJA RACING continued from 1

the club’s marketing direc tor, spoke about why the club started this race.

“Our leadership last year had the idea of creating a smaller race, similar to a dif ferent race hosted in Louis ville, Ky.,” Whiteman said.

She described what the club would hope to gain from this event.

“We created the Butler Bash in the hopes that it will someday turn into both a fun draiser for our club as well as a race that many teams look forward to in years to come,” Whiteman said.

The event will allow racing clubs from several colleges to practice in a competitive set ting before the SAE national races begin in the spring.

There will be three events during the invitational: the tech inspection, the hill climb and the endurance race, all of which will occur at the of

GOLDBERG continued from 1

tween wisdom, leadership and statesmanship. The con servative temperament is the belief that passion can mis lead, especially in politics.

This idea believes the wise person is the one who says, “Calm down, let’s figure this out.” It states most new ideas are bad ideas and most new ideas oftentimes turn out to be old ideas. The conserva tive temperament also be lieves all decisions require tradeoffs. All hard decisions are between two good or two bad things. According to this idea, human nature is real and permanent but can be improved and corrupted by institutions. Human nature has no history. Goldberg ex plained all good parents have some element of the conser vative temperament. Tradi tion and custom have some value.

The second kind of con servatism Goldberg outlined was conservative philoso phy. Goldberg believes con servative philosophy is antiutopian, and no philosopher can point out what a conser vative utopia looks like. This idea states you can’t make a utopia because human na

ficial SAE race in the spring.

Before the invitational, the Baja Club hosted drive days open to anyone wanting to participate. During the drive days, the club was able to drive their vehicles on four separate drive days to prac tice for tomorrow’s race.

The club has been working to improve both of their ve hicles, including their newer, electric vehicle. Because this event is not coordinated by the SAE, the regulations for the vehicles are less strict and the participants will be able to race with any type of vehicle they bring.

Junior Judah McGalla, vice president of the club, called the invitational a “nopressure environment” and “a chance for other schools to try out their exhibition ve hicles.”

“We have the electric car, but there is no organization that lets us race that car,” McGalla said.

ture is real.

In quoting William F. Buckley, Goldberg explained utopian movements try to make a heaven on earth, which is the basis of com munism, fascism, etc. These ideas all rest on the idea that you can start over with the year zero. Goldberg counters this thought, saying conser vative philosophy believes the past is always with us, so is human nature.

According to Goldberg, one way to distinguish the left from the right is the left talks about motion toward the future.

A key idea of conservative philosophy is that conserva tism is comfort with contra diction. Goldberg said con servatism is “a more grown up and realistic philosophy, not sexy and maybe not as fun. Life is about making choices.” Goldberg states progressive mindsets reject this.

Goldberg then discussed his third kind of conserva tism – American conser vatism, or ideology. He be gan by stating ideology is a worldview.

“It is an approach to life, a heuristic. A checklist of prin ciples and priorities,” Gold

The Baja Club will use this event as a chance to display this newly finished electric vehicle.

There will be five other colleges attending the race – Johns Hopkins University, Ohio Northern University, University of Maryland - Col lege Park, Miami University of Ohio and the University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown. All five of these colleges will bring a combined total of 15 different vehicles to compete.

The Baja Butler Bash is sponsored by Grove City Valvoline Express Care and Komatsu. Komatsu will at tend the race, promoting their internships and job op portunities for those in at tendance.

The gates will open to the public tomorrow starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. There will be a $5 admission fee and food available for purchase from Switchback MX concessions.

berg said when describing ideology.

Goldberg then explained dogma, saying being dog matic isn’t bad. He believed dogma leads to settled ques tions.

Goldberg mentioned the key thing is what conserva tives are trying to conserve is classical liberalism. He ex plained the job of American conservatives is to defend the basic structure the Founding Fathers gave us.

Conservatism in the age of Trump has become cor rupted, according to Gold berg. He said power corrupts intellectuals, which are the people who worship power.

In discussing power, Gold berg emphasized character is more important, even go ing so far as describing it as destiny.

Goldberg finished by stat ing the best way to think about conservatism is grati tude.

“It is gratitude and patrio tism about something that we want to pass on, some thing we value,” Goldberg said. “We don’t teach grati tude; we teach entitlement and resentment. The idea that the Constitution is mor ally neutral is idiotic.”

Finance column

Renting vs. buying

Peter Van Eerden Staff Writer

People are always making long-term decisions to buy or rent cars and houses. The financial repercussions can be dangerous if you are not cautious about internal and external factors that play a role in this investment.

For starters, we ought to define both the external and internal factors. Exter nal factors include interest rates, inflation, location, cost and more. Internal fac tors include the behavior of the individual, the longevity of the asset, the individual’s determination to maintain the asset, etc.

We also need to define good debt and bad debt. Generally speaking, debt is bad. However, certain debt is necessary to acquire cer tain appreciating assets that would be unattainable without borrowing money.

This concept of good debt is reflected in the saying: “It takes money to make mon ey.” Good debt includes debt related to education, real estate or business ven tures.

Bad debt, on the other hand, is when an individual purchases a depreciating asset. A depreciating asset loses value during its life.

Examples of bad debt in clude vehicles, clothing and other consumables.

What do those definitions have to do with renting and buying? Let’s start with housing because that tends to be the most important personal investment an in dividual can make.

STUDENT LOANS continued from 1

here,” he said.

“They have known all along that private debts are differ ent from government debt, and while they would not have known necessarily that this debt would be forgiven or will be forgiven someday, they have accepted that re sponsibility as a part of col lege and know that the value proposition is there,” he said.

According to junior Jacob Feiser, the problem with the loan plan is that it favors a select few students.

“My biggest concern is that, as Biden is ‘forgiving’ the loans for some, he is rais ing the interest rates on loans for all. That’s what’s going to hurt me and many other stu dents most,” Feiser said.

Hillsdale College Econom ics Professor Charles Steele said, “Our students tend to be skeptical of ‘free’ gov ernment stuff because they understand nothing is free. Because they grasp this core principle, some are worried this bailout will further push the United States govern ment closer to a debt crisis. I definitely share their con cerns.”

Hillsdale College’s spokes person Joshua Lawson said

When determining whether to rent or buy a house, there are several factors to consider. These factors include where you want to live, how long you want to live in that area, the tax benefits and how strong the housing market is at that period in time.

Unfortunately, buying or renting a home is not a cookie cutter answer for everybody. If you are fre quently moving and jump ing from home to home, it would likely be advanta geous to rent. On the flip side, if you are confident that you will live in the same home for 10 years, it would likely be advantageous to buy. Ultimately, the debate between renting or buying a home begins and ends with you.

When determining whether to buy or rent a car, one must look at several factors. Let’s start with the advantages of renting. The most significant advantag es, in my opinion, include fewer fees and taxes, lower insurance premiums and no wear-and-tear mainte nance costs.

The benefits of buying a car over the long term in clude its customization, no mileage limits and the fact that it is an asset. Whether you buy or rent should be determined by the flexibil ity of your budget.

As we continue to jour ney through the world of personal finances, everyone should be aware that every individual has a unique fi nancial background. There is no one size fits all.

even a student leader in the College Democrats said he opposes the bailout because it is a transfer from poorer people to wealthier people. The consensus is it’s a “bad, bad program,” Lawson said via email.

Grove City and similar col leges may be able to brave the storm and continue their path by relying on old friends.

McNulty said, “It seems counterintuitive to assert that declining federal fund ing has strengthened the col lege’s financial sustainability and affordability, but this is truly the case. Our alumni and friends have stepped up magnificently to support vigorously the college’s inde pendence.”

For her part, Nichols said she is more concerned about how Biden’s bailout “will jack up the rate of tuition of col leges everywhere.”

“They can now see that the government will subsidize education through a new avenue and so they have an incentive to get even more money out of tuition than what they are now,” she said.

A version of this article was originally published by The College Fix.

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The second annual Baja Butler Bash Invitational will be held all day tomorrow in Butler County.

Upcoming Events... What’s fresh at the Grove?

Fighting Hunger:One Mind at a Time

5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21

SHAL 108

PossumRoomEscape

7 - 11:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 Saturday, Oct. 22

7 - 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 Ketler, 3rd Floor, East

Gable

Concerto Competition

7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21

PFAC 106

AO Glow 8 - 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 Lincoln Lawn Freshmen Formal 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 Old MAP Wolf Creep

7:30 - 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 Wolf Creek Comedy Night 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 Guthrie Theatre

LinkedIn Workshop- How I connected with the CEO of Chick-fil-A 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 SHAL 108 Interactive Interviewing Workshop 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27

SHAL 210

Faculty Follies

7 - 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 Friday, Oct. 28

Crawford Auditorium Monster Mash 8 - 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28

Ket Rec Senior Recital Miles Dorst 7 - 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28

PFAC

The unwritten story of an aspiring screenwriter

Ryan Young

Contributing Writer

Just a year ago fans gath ered to watch him hit for the college’s baseball team, and now he is making his mark in a new arena – film.

Junior communications major Caleb Vinoverski’s journey into screenwriting sounds like a movie script itself – a strong main char acter, a fresh concept, esca lating conflict and an epic resolution that will leave you begging for more.

Vinoverski’s story begins when he was just a young boy dressed up in costumes with action figures soaring through the interior of his childhood bedroom.

“As a kid, I played with my action figures all the time and dressed up as superheroes. I always had that creative side of loving storytelling along with a passion for sports,” Vinoverski said. “My big dream, though, was to play baseball. I had an opportu nity out of high school and was recruited by Grove City to play baseball, and that is how I got in touch with the school.”

Vinoverski’s passion for the game never left him, but it did become overshadowed

by an emerging desire to pur sue film opportunities.

“I played my first year of baseball at Grove City, but then God started changing the desires and passions of my heart,” he said. “One of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make was step ping away from the game I loved.”

After completing his freshman baseball season, Vinoverski took a leap of faith and pursued his film passion head on, landing a screenwriting opportunity for a television show just two months later.

“Shifting the focus fully to film was really a big change, and just two months later to get an opportunity that was not at all by my hand but by God opening the door and putting those people in my path who gave someone who was young and inexpe rienced the opportunity to write was truly amazing and still has me dumbfounded because I know it was God,” Vinoverski said.

In one year, Vinoverski had landed a steady screen writing job, produced his very own short film and, with a team of peers, earned four film awards at the 2022 Lux

Mea Film Festival.

“I got to work with some amazing fellow students while making a short film,” Vinoverski said. “I wanted to get people that were better than me in different areas, because the only way you’re going to get better is if you get people that are even more specialized than you.

Vinoverski’s winning team consisted of juniors Luke Owens and Aaron Phillips who earned the Best Cinema tography Title, junior Elliot Eyre who won Best Original Score and junior Malachi Ab bott who was recognized for his acting abilities.

Abbott explained that “it was a great experience work ing with the guys last year. They are all very good at what they do and extremely talented.”

Phillips added that it’s amazing getting to have friends on campus who are just as passionate about film making as he is.

Of course, Vinoverski’s work didn’t go unnoticed by the judges either. In his first ever submission into a film festival, Vinoverski earned the title of Best Original Screenplay.

“When I got my screenplay

award, the person that gave it to me was Dr. Miller, the first person I ever talked to about movies at Grove City and my first screenwriting teacher. To be able to have that fullcircle moment was extremely special for me,” Vinoverski said.

Dr. Kimberly Miller, the Communications Depart ment chair, expressed a simi lar sentiment regarding the special moment.

“Caleb is a very talented writer and is quite conscien tious in his work, with a clear desire to always be improv ing. It was so special for me to be able to give him his award at the film festival last year,” Miller said. “He understands the craft of storytelling and will, I’m confident, continue to find success in filmmaking and writing.”

Vinoverski plans to con tinue his passion for film making after graduating next year.

“My goal as a filmmaker at this moment is to make my first feature film when I get out of school,” he said. “I currently have a few different scripts that I am outlining at the moment to find the right story that will work to make a low-budget feature film.”

A sloppy wet kiss stirs up controversy

My significant other is a sloppy wet kiss person, and I am an unforeseen kiss person. Is this cause for concern? Oh, and I do mean in the song, “How He Loves Us,” not in the PDA sense. Nervously, Singing Grover

Dear Singing Grover,

Thank you so much for clar ifying that. I was very con fused for a moment and ex tremely concerned for your levels of physical intimacy.

Just to address that el ephant in the room, I don’t think either of those kissing styles are acceptable. Ew.

Dear Dr. Love

So, onto your real ques tion. This is a doozy. This is a question deeper than just worship preferences, wheth er she’s a hymns person and he’s a contemporary guy, or he prefers the preaching of the Word to worship but she doesn’t mind when a 7/11 song goes on for as long as the sermon.

This is a question of the very bounds of orthodoxy, and you should address this is sue as soon as possible to

ensure that you two are on the same page theological ly, and that neither of you are heretics. That wouldn’t make for a good marriage. Some voices argue that “sloppy wet kiss” commu nicates a passionate, erotic view of God’s love, while an “unforeseen kiss” gives a view of the underserved na ture of God’s favor towards us. However, there can be different interpretations of these lines. As in all conflict, it is essential to listen be fore speaking, so see what your significant other thinks about the line. How do they interpret it, and what ramifi cations does this then have?

If you are defining God’s love as something emotion al, passionate, sensuous and extremely temporal, we have

no small problem. Through out Scripture, God’s love is described as steadfast, sac rificial, saving, pursuing, re deeming and the whole list in 1 Corinthians 13. There is a drastic difference between God’s love and how we often perceive human love.

If the difference lies in how you understand God’s love, then you likely have a dif ferent understanding of who God is, in general, and so you might have two different understandings of the gos pel. That is a problem, and something that you should sort out as soon as possible. However, there is a good chance neither of you have ever thought about the theo logical context of one line of one song, and you might agree entirely on theologi

cal issues. In that case, you should come to an agree ment on which version is better, so that when you two inevitably go to church to gether, you can sing with one voice, and not give awkward looks to each other when you disagree on the lyric.

If this ends up being a bigger issue, though, well, then I wish you luck as you two de bate the nuances of the na ture of God’s transcendence, immanence and anthropo morphisms. Have fun!

Debateably,

Dr. Love Love M.D.

GRACE DAVID

Junior Caleb Vinoverski positions junior Elliot Eyre in place, directing junior Luke Owens as he gets ready to film.

No walking on the grass!

Lauren Glickert Contributing Writer

Imagine casually enjoying your day as you stroll across the college’s campus.

You see someone you know at the far end of the Quad and walk across it, only to suddenly hear, “Hey! Get off the grass!”

Up until the early 2000s, this is exactly what would happen to any unsuspect ing freshman, according to alumni. Even now, the col lege’s “no grass” arrange ment precedes it, despite the activity being allowed for years.

“Reputations live on,” said Dr. Michael Coulter ‘91, the Political Science Depart ment’s chair and professor.

Coulter attended Grove City College from 1987-1991 and has been teaching at the college for over 25 years. While he was a student, he was also a Resident Assistant (RA) for two years. His long history in Grove City pro vides him with experience in the area of prohibited grass walking.

“It was the Quad and a few other places,” Coulter said. “And there wasn’t a re inforcement mechanism. It was more of a social norm that wasn’t backed up by the administration.”

As an RA, Coulter ex plained how it was his job to inform freshmen of the un official “no grass” rule and place indicative signs around the dorms. Although the school did not formally dis cipline students for crossing the Quad, the student body took the unwritten policy very seriously.

“People used to joke that there’d be snipers out the top of Rockwell,” Coulter said.

Rumors fly around cam pus easily, and senior Ryan Fleming believes he heard one.

“I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard that the walking on the grass tradition ended during 9/11 when there was a big prayer service in the middle of the Quad,” Flem ing said.

In response to the idea, Coulter said, “I don’t re member a service like that. I am pretty sure we just had a gathering in the chapel, and students did not begin walk ing on the grass for a few years.”

According to an article published by The Collegian on Sept. 23, 2005, the Stu dent Government Associa tion (SGA) voted 17-10 the same week to open the Quad to “light leisurely activity,” finalizing the abolition of a 73-year-old tradition.

Initially, the president of the college in 2005, Dr. Rich

ard Jewell ’67, encouraged SGA to open the Quad the year prior. SGA was appre hensive, and apparently so was the rest of campus.

The Collegian article read, “Student responses to the Quad issue have varied, but in a Collegian Campus Sound-Off question, 86 per cent of respondents wanted the 73-year tradition to re main.”

The students may have disapproved of the decision, but only the upper half of the Quad was available for “light leisurely activity,” providing an amiable compromise.

Although the Quad was of ficially open in 2005, com mencement had been held on it for several years. Another Collegian article, published on May 6, 2006, shared that commencement was “once

again” held on the Quad.

According to the Vice President of Operations, Su san Grimm, the Quad is now maintained by a company called Custom Lawns. It is treated through weeding, watering and grass-cutting procedures.

Despite the disapproval of the college’s student body 20 years ago, current students now utilize the Quad for many activities and events, such as spikeball, frisbee, gatherings and worship ser vices.

Seventeen years have passed since the Quad opened.

The “no grass” custom may have ended, as Coulter agreed, but the reputation of the school’s grassless walk ing continues to survive.

Planning on event planning?

Mia Gallagher Staff Writer

The intricate components of any event — invites, press releases, catering, decora tions, music, menu, staff ing — must be thoughtfully planned and selected to cre ate a memorable experience for clients and guests.

For Grove City College alumna Holly Muchnok ’95, careful consideration of each of these components and countless others has led her to success in the event plan ning field. Throughout her career, Muchnok has navi gated through the many roles event planning spans, even tually leading her to launch her own business in 2002: East Wing Events.

Now, 20 years later, Much nok will be taking on another exciting role in the event planning scene as she lends her expertise to the research and marketing arm of entre preneur and business strate gist Tony Robbin’s company, Robbins Research Interna tional.

“After 20 years of business ownership, I felt like I had accomplished more than I ever thought I would. I took a yearlong sabbatical before COVID hit and was ready for a new challenge. I wanted to streamline my skills, focus on mastery within one role at one organization and ide ally work remotely for a wellestablished industry leader with a national/international

platform. The Tony Rob bins opportunity checked all these boxes,” Muchnok said.

The journey to Muchnok’s current career success began her senior year at the college. When her part-time job af forded an opportunity to put her skills as a business ad ministration major to the test in planning a grand opening celebration, Muchnok rose to the challenge and fell in love with the profession.

“I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at the start, but I researched and planned a successful open house for about 75 guests complete with invitations, press re leases, rentals, catering, bar, volunteer staff and music,” she said. “It was both terrify ing and exhilarating.”

After college, Muchnok accepted a position with In vited, the world leader in golf and country, city and stadium clubs, allowing her to explore the intricacies of event planning from many unique perspectives. Each of

these aspects of event plan ning aided Muchnok as she launched her own business.

“The relationships I had built through the years were a huge help as I looked for those early opportunities for events to plan and clients to serve. I’ve since worked with civic, social and business leaders to plan trips, pro grams and signature events from 20-20,000 attendees,” Muchnok said.

“My team did it all, but I focused on the business, cor porate and association man agement verticals. I loved that almost every day was

different, but we had antici pated regular needs: project management, marketing, sales, strategic planning, communication and public relations, budgeting, graphic design, menu planning, vol unteer management, content creation, fundraising and more!”

In her new role with Rob bins Research International, Muchnok can now use all her knowledge and acquired the skills and faith to make a lasting impact on the organi zation.

“As a small business own er/operator I bring a unique skill set to the role as a vet eran event professional who not only can sell events, but understand the inner work ings of event strategy, design and production. The orga nization is mission driven focused on gratitude and growth,” she said.

“I’m grateful that I’ll be able to participate in an or ganization that utilizes the power of events as a vehicle to encourage others toward purpose-fueled lives.”

Seven questions with…

Nick Hildebrand

Senior Editor of Marketing and Communications, Collegian Adviser

What is a movie that changed your perspective?

What (good) movie doesn’t? Among many gamechangers for me are “Taxi Driver,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Out of the Past” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

What do you listen to on your commute?

Mostly podcasts/NPR, the great Bob Dylan and whatever Apple Music serves up on shuffle. I love it when a song I love, but haven’t heard in ages, comes up.

What are you looking forward to this week?

My daughter coming home from college for fall break and the conclu sion of my son’s final high school soccer season.

Do you have any interesting hobbies?

I don’t really have any hobbies, but lately I’ve been trying to catalog (and monetize) the hun dreds and hundreds of comic books I collected as a kid.

What do you love about your job?

I love telling Grove City College’s story. There’s so much going on here and such a rich history to explore, that it never gets old. My favorite part of the job, though, is serving as adviser to the awardwinning Collegian student newspaper.

Why Grove City College?

Why not? While I’m not an alum, I’ve really come to love the college and the people here. It’s a great place to work and there are so many great stories to tell.

Favorite restaurant?

Hard call. Talbot’s in Mercer or Muscarella’s in Sharpsville are two great locally-owned restaurants that always deliver an excellent meal.

GRACE DAVID

In the new age of reason, President Paul McNulty can walk where he could not as a student: the Quad.

HOLLY MUCHNOK ‘95

Through the Lens

Photos by Jack

Eight-year-old’s gift leaves a lasting impression

by Grace David, Photo Chief

The Fair Haven Farm’s Sunflower Festival in Grove City, hosts a tent displaying photos from a particularly unique perspective. Surrounding several attendees will be an array of pictures depicting everything from marbles to mountains to majesty.

Standing in the middle of it all will be the 8-year-old who took every photograph.

With a twinkle in his eye and a playful smile on his face, Jack Shields will transform into a storyteller. Ev ery photo is a chapter of his life’s book, and he is ready to share it with anyone willing to turn the page.

For the past two years, Jack has been a vendor at the Sunflower Festival, selling his artwork to the curious attendees who walk by. One curious attendee, junior Kaylin Boring, who returns annually to the festival to see Jack’s work, explains why she loves Jack and his photographs.

“I was impressed by his charisma and ability to run a business and draw customers in,” Boring said. “But also, that he has such an artistic eye for being what, only eight years old?”

For the past five years, since he was three, Jack has been a photographer. He first snapped a photo with his mom’s flip phone in March 2017. In the same year, he was gifted his first point-and-shoot by his grand mother. Jack now shoots with a Kodak that was given to him on his adventure in Hell’s Hollow Trail in Slip pery Rock Twp.

Jack’s talent, so apparent at such a young age, shocked his mom, Heidi Shields, according to Jack’s blog on Wordpress. Just months after he took his first photo in September 2017, Jack was diagnosed with high-functioning autism.

“He’s always been different,” Heidi said. “He smiled at two weeks, rolled over at three weeks. He was al ways ahead.”

He was so far ahead that his work with the camera took off before most children can even read. “When I was three, I started taking pictures of sunflowers,” said Jack. His favorite thing to capture is nature and butterflies — particularly Monarchs.

The unique perspective that Jack offers within his photographs is in part from his experience with au

tism. “He sees things in a different way than a neu rotypical person would,” Heidi said. “There’s a tech nique that no one has taught him that professional photographers have told me — he uses the rule of thirds. He frames things without realizing he’s fram ing them.”

Jack creates masterpieces through angles that some may deem unusual.

“You just go and take them,” he said, when discuss ing how he shoots his photos. “You don’t think too much about it.”

Heidi explained that one psychologist could tell Jack was on the autism spectrum just by looking at Jack’s photos and the way he lines them up.

“Sometimes his dad and I, when we’re out and about, we’ll point out something and sometimes Jack will say, ‘No I don’t like that one — I know what I’m doing!’ He’s an independent spirit,” Heidi said.

Not only has Jack expressed a skillful gift, but he has also shown great ability in business, according to the co-owner of Fair Haven Farms, Karen Mullin. Mullin was contacted first by Jack’s mom and then directly emailed Jack about becoming a vendor at the festival.

“I think he’s a wonderful boy and is a good worker!” Mullin said. “I would even let him consign up in our hayloft shop in the fall!”

For years, Jack’s young creative eye has left a last ing impression on many who are excited to see how his journey unfolds. “We have a lot of repeat people — a lot of people will buy his pictures and then come back two to three years later,” said Heidi. “He rec ognizes them all. He makes acquaintances of people buying his pictures.”

If you are interested in learning more about Jack, viewing more of his photography or keeping up with his journey, follow his blog at photosbyjack180416331. wordpress.com.

Make an acquaintance of the young photographer at the Lawrence County Festival of Trees in Neshan nock Township School District on Nov. 25-26 and at Fair Haven Farm’s Sunflower Festival at 206 Lee Road, Grove City Pa., 16127 in August 2023 to be in spired and be left with a twinkle in your own eye.

photos contributed by Jack Shields

Perspectives

Partisans voice messages

Democrats debate party divisions

Sophia Martin President, College Democrats

This election is crucial for Demo crats everywhere and, among the available candidates, the decision to vote blue has never been clearer.

As attorney general, Josh Shapiro exposed decades of sexual abuse hidden by the Catho lic Church, protected access to health care for nearly two million Pennsylvanians and ensured every legal ballot was counted in the 2020 election.

By preserving voting rights, de fending a woman’s right to choose, creating stable, well-paying jobs and helping working families pay their bills, Shapiro has proven he cares about issues facing Pennsylvanians.

Shapiro plans to invest in public safety and pursue criminal justice reform. He also intends to issue gas tax refunds, eliminate the state cell phone tax and lower household costs to curb the effects of inflation.

Regarding healthcare, Shapiro in tends to ensure more funding to im prove the workforce crisis, expand telehealth services, lower drug prices and protect rural hospitals.

Shapiro hopes to decrease discrim ination against LGBTQ+ individuals by expanding our hate crime laws, investing in mental health resources and banning conversion therapy for minors.

On the other side of the aisle is Doug Mastriano: a dangerous ex tremist who led Donald Trump’s charge to overturn our elections.

Mastriano aims to nearly eliminate mail-in voting, remove drop boxes and require voter ID, effectively re ducing voter participation and tar geting low-income voters, racial mi

norities, the disabled and elderly.

Mastriano is a hypocritical “prolifer” who intends to strip women of their right to choose in all cases, including cases where the mother’s life is in danger. In addition to these unjust plans, Mastriano plans to es tablish the Property Tax Elimination Taskforce and lower corporate net income tax leading to a 33 percent decrease in school funding.

Pennsylvanian Senate candidate John Fetterman also has big plans if elected. He intends to follow through on promises made to our veterans by improving healthcare access and quality. Fetterman plans to fight for an equal legal process and hopes to reform the criminal justice system. He also expects to decriminalize marijuana.

Fetterman favors universal health care and will protect women’s repro ductive freedoms and right to choose. To protect LGBTQ+ individuals, he hopes to pass the Equality Act, end conversion therapy and strengthen anti-harassment policies.

In stark contrast to Fetterman is Dr. Mehmet Oz. Oz moved to Penn sylvania within the past two years to transition from TV show host to poli tician. He is not a true Pennsylvanian and is unfit to be elected due to his inexperience, inadequate plans and unclear values.

Oz lacks the knowledge in Pennsyl vania and its people and cannot ad equately serve the people he knows nothing about.

The College Democrats predict that Shapiro will win the gubernato rial race in Pennsylvania. Regarding the U.S. Senate seat, we believe it will be a toss-up due to polling fluctua tions over time. According to recent polling data, both Shapiro and Fet terman are favored and predicted to win in the 2022 midterm elections.

Republicans contemplate a country in crisis

Katie Kenlein Member, College Republicans

Under two years of President Joe Biden and a Democrat-led Congress, America has seen a decline in hope and human dignity.

Today, the amount of deadly fentanyl in our country is seven times more than enough to kill every American. Today, a black baby in New York City is more likely to be aborted than born. The Biden admin istration’s disastrous open border policies have been shown to enable human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Murders and violent crime have risen to record levels across the country. In May, gas prices soared to over $4 per gallon in every state for the first time in history. Then, in June, inflation hit a 40-year high at 9.1 percent.

As energy costs rise, the Biden administration is failing to provide solutions, choosing every day to in crease America’s reliance on foreign nations for our oil and minerals. The Biden administration canceled American oil production in Alaska and Florida, and Democrats have turned down legislation that would unleash American energy. With ev ery one of us facing higher prices than four years ago, the Democrats’ platform is not promising.

Undoubtedly, the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade will af fect this election. We cannot ignore the Democratic Party’s total denial of human dignity and support for on-demand, tax funded abortion. In stead of shying away from abortion, Republicans need to press into their

opponents.

With this election, the future of the filibuster also hangs in the balance. The filibuster and the use of a cloture vote are necessary procedures in the U.S. Senate. By requiring a consen sus of 60 out of 100 senators, instead of just a majority, the Senate is kept from hyper-partisanship.

The only reason we still have the legislative filibuster is because two moderate Democratic senators, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, sup port protecting this procedure that Democratic candidates across the country say they will work to get rid of.

If the Republicans can flip the Sen ate, it will mean at least two more years of a strong consensus that the filibuster is a necessary protection for democracy. The 60-vote thresh old ensures that the minority has a voice, and the majority cannot move to vote on extreme or reactionary leg islation.

Voters must go to the polls remem bering that many of the left’s legisla tive priorities are dark realities hid den under political correctness. At the ballot box, voters can reject the elitist idea that some people have more potential and worth than oth ers.

We can reject hyper-partisan po litical games. We can reject the disas trous energy and economic policies crushing average Americans.

We can vote for the candidates who will work for our veterans, elders, families, farmers and marginalized communities. We can vote for the candidates who will lead from a ba sic understanding of human dignity and work to restore hope and oppor tunity.

Libertarians fight to stay on the ballot

Ben Seevers President, College Libertarians

Reading a Libertarian perspective on the midterm election might seem unpro ductive. Isn’t it obvious that our next U.S. senator and governor will be either a Re publican or a Democrat? I cede that we will probably have Governor Mastriano/Shapiro or Sena tor Oz/Fetterman as the po litical candidates likely to win the race, but Libertarians are aiming at a different goal, as all third parties should.

Primarily, the Libertarians are focusing on education and recruitment. In the com ing municipal elections, the

Libertarian Party will need a solid base of members to fill local positions across the country. This is a long-haul strategy that is highly effec tive at outreach and getting things done. Pennsylvania has over 100 elected Liber tarians and is probably set to increase those numbers in 2023. This is contingent on the growth of 2022.

If you are interested in par ticipating in this Libertarian wave (as I did in 2021), reach out to your local Libertarian Party. The midterms are a time for preparation, not a time for celebration.

Additionally, how the state-wide candidates do in the election will determine whether or not the Libertar ian Party retains minor party status. If either the Libertar ian Party’s U.S. Senate or

gubernatorial candidate se cures at least one percent in the election returns, minor party status will be main tained. This is important because it will guarantee Lib ertarian Party candidates a spot on the ballot for special elections. Will conservatives recognize Dr. Oz for the con man that he is and give the Libertarian Party candidate for Senate, Erik Gerhardt, at least one percent of the vote? Probably, and that is all that matters.

As special elections occur from 2023-24, Libertarian candidates can easily jump into the spotlight and help grow the party at a local level.

Regardless of what hap pens in Pennsylvania, it is clear that there is a broader battle for control on the fed eral level, and that is what

most commentators will be watching closely. The Fetter man-Oz race in Pennsylva nia will definitely be closely watched but not necessar ily decisive. The Republicans will probably take the Sen ate regardless and will likely take the House of Represen tatives.

This means two years of Republicans taking principal stances on issues in defiance of the Biden administration and then becoming moder ate when they take the White House in 2024, as they al ways do.

From a Libertarian stand point, this election will be crucial for the growth of the movement and obtaining minor party status. Still, ul timately, the results of the election will mean very little. We will continue to see the

same from Republicans and Democrats. They will hold their political hostages while the country’s state slowly worsens.

My advice is not to care as much about the strategy of voting. Your individual vote will probably not make a difference, so just vote your conscience.

If the Libertarians appeal to you, vote Libertarian to at least help them get minor party status in Pennsylvania and possibly elect a Libertar ian to the state legislature. The smaller races are win nable. Libertarian candi dates have gotten within the 30 to 40 percent range in these races before, so if you do have a Libertarian on the ballot in your district, pull the trigger. Vote Libertarian.

Enough with the Putin comparisons

Isaac Willour Staff Writer

To quote Godwin’s law, the longer an online argu ment goes, the greater the probability that someone will break out an unwarranted Adolf Hitler comparison.

While this may seem like a more natu ral segue into a piece about Kanye West, I don’t think I have the forti tude to try and address ev erything wrong with Ye and his favorite black right-wing influencer – at least not in this column. Instead, I want to talk about the principle behind Godwin’s law and how it affects the hyperbole game we play in politics.

Why does the Hitler com parison pop up so much? The simple answer: it’s im possible to ignore. You can’t downplay a Hitler compari son; it’s an in-your-face de mand that you take seriously in arguments that might not actually be all that serious.

Vaccine requirements from private businesses is

an abuse of power? Not the most compelling argument but break out a comparison to concentration camps when you’re suing a hospital that requires vaccinations and it becomes national news.

The primary benefit of us ing morally inarguable anal ogies is that they make your pet issues similarly unassail able. Are you about to argue with the Hitler comparison? Thought not. How ‘bout them apples? Playing the card doesn’t mean you’ll win, but that’s a different story.

Well, this time, it’s not just Hitler. As Russia launches barrages of rockets at Kyiv, Vladimir Putin has never shied away from the occa sional Hitler reference in his own propaganda-laden public addresses, even as he starts to fulfill the role of “convenient dictatorial refer ence” himself.

The Washington Post pub lished a piece on Sunday proclaiming that the string of right-wing political victo ries in various European na tions are an “echo” of Putin in their “authoritarian tilt.” This is a prime example of

the modern incarnation of Godwin’s law — the longer a political discourse goes, the more likely it is that some one’s going to be compared to the world’s most aggres sive authoritarian currently in power.

According to the Post, ev eryone from Italy’s Giorgia Meloni to Donald Trump represents this echo, the im plied premise being that sup port for socially conservative, strongman-style politicians is some kind of dog whistle to Putin-like values.

Is it the case that some Trumpsters and Meloni sup porters aren’t particularly far off from Putin? Sure. But the trend of most modern moves toward nationalism is that, except for the most extreme and dedicated factions, peo ple who support real nation alism are faint-hearted na tionalists.

In fairness, I doubt Trump, Meloni or most of their sup porters are particularly sup portive of the Russian atroci ties in Ukraine or Putin’s claimed rationale of “de nazifying” the region as jus tification for invasion. Even

Trump, for all his flaws and moral failings, isn’t Putin, although Trump did call him a powerful and strong leader he’d always felt fine about. He’s too soft for all that. Putin’s a former KGB agent who’s overseen war crimes, engineered the brutal crush ing of his opposition, holds zero actual goodwill towards America and would kill as many Americans as possible if deemed necessary.

Does a segment of the American and European political right demonstrate a bizarre and perverse ob session with his strongman style? Yes. Does that mean they have any idea of the true nature of what they deem the “bad boy” on the geopolitical scene? No. Putin is a monster and maybe the last of a breed that can’t die soon enough.

So maybe it’s time to lay off trying to compare every right-wing authoritarian to the one in Russia. Like Hit ler, the people deluded by Putin may be foolish and weak. But in the face of a true old-school tyrant, their adu lation is nothing but feeble imitation.

Republicans fail to be truly pro-life

Liliana Zylstra Contributing Writer

What happens when Re publican politicians fail to meet ethical standards? When are “pro-life” candi dates not actually pro-life? How should conservative voters respond?

Some choose to focus only on the good, for the sake of party unity and political victory. Oth ers withhold support from anyone guilty of hypocrisy. Yet our political and moral duty is best fulfilled through a third, more complex, less comfortable option.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Re publican candidate for U. S. senate in Pennsylvania, has been the subject of numerous controversies. Most recently, his opponent John Fetter man alleges that Oz oversaw cruel scientific experiments on animals during his time as principal investigator at the Columbia University In stitute of Comparative Medi

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cine Labs.

In January this year, Oz visited campus, where he discussed, among other is sues, his opposition to abor tion. However, he took a weaker stance during a Fox News interview in Decem ber. “I’m pro-life with the three possible exceptions of the mother’s life, rape and incest. That’s where I stand.”

As a pro-life advocate, I understand the weight of these issues and sympathize with Oz’s view. However, his position fails to protect all lives equally. The logical im plication of the “rape excep tion” is that the circumstanc es of a person’s conception determine whether they are worthy of protection.

When I had the chance to speak with him in person, I shared this concern, hoping he could defend his position.

Rather, he dodged my ques tion, pretending that I asked him something else. What bothers me most about Dr. Oz as a candidate isn’t his stance on abortion, but the dishonesty shown by his fail ure to own up to it.

Herschel Walker of Geor gia is another Republican candidate for the U.S. Sen ate whose name has been in the news recently. Most notable are allegations that the “pro-life” candidate paid for a girlfriend’s abortion in 2009. This scandal presents a moral dilemma for many Georgia voters. Adding to the controversy, Walker’s son, Christian Walker, has made several public accusations against his father.

Many are reacting to the news as justification not to vote for Walker. Others see it as simply a distraction from real issues. One Twitter user wondered why Christian couldn’t have waited until af ter the election before speak ing out. Both reactions are misguided.

If it means telling the truth about a candidate’s results in the loss of an election, so be it. However, a vote is not an endorsement but a strategic move to limit evil. Walker may be a hypocrite, but he does not openly support abortion for any reason, at any time, while his opponent,

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Raphael Warnock proudly does. Oz may be a hypocrite, but he does not support the effective legalization of in fanticide like his opponent Fetterman.

As a canvasser for Susan B. Anthony’s Pro-Life America, I recently knocked on doors in Harrisburg, Pa., inform ing voters and urging them to vote for Dr. Oz over Fet terman. This fall break, I was sent to Atlanta, Ga., where I canvassed for Walker.

I’ll admit, I’m frustrated that these are the candidates Republicans chose. I’ve been open about my feelings to ward them, but I still think that Republican Pennsylva nians and Georgians have a duty to vote for them.

Candidates like Oz and Walker deserve to be called out and held accountable by their party, precisely because their actions will hurt the chances of Republicans gain ing power. Yet, we ought not be part of those who abstain from a vote out of imagined purity. Our responsibility is to be both fearless truth-tell ers and pragmatic voters.

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Word on the street...

What did you do over fall break?

Corin Kraai ‘25

I saw the movie “Am sterdam.” It’s about veter ans and the fight against fascism. It’s a pretty welldone movie. I’ll give it a 9 out of 10.

Lauren Border ‘24

I just kind of hung out at my house. I went to my old work and visited, went to a football game and also played in my church band. I did some stuff for rush, too. Actually, that’s really all I did.

Anna Miller ‘25

Over fall break, I worked on my Hallow een cos tume! I’m go ing to be Jack Skellington. Eli Jones ‘26

I stayed here and played football. We went to Al legheny and laid the hammer on the Gators. Backup stepped up, and we focused on our vision. We came through. And we hung out too — team bonding, you know. That’s what we’re about here at Grove City. Brick by brick, baby.

Hannah Grymes ‘25

I went to see a concert and then I spent time with my sis ter. I also went out with my mom and dad.

Sarah Sawyers ‘23

Over break, I went to New York City. I went with my friends; we visited some publishing houses and we went to see “Hadestown”! I loved the show, I’ve been listening to it since fresh man year. It’s a 10 out of 10 if you get the chance to see it.

BBC

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The Wonder Years visit Pittsburgh

Vincent Clay Contributing Writer

What does it mean to make an epic comeback? The Won der Years will tell you how to do it.

Last week I had the privi lege of experiencing The Wonder Years, Fireworks and Macseal bands live in Pittsburgh at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, and it was indeed an epic comeback.

Among the Machine Gun Kellys and WILLOWs of the world, it is important to har ken back to the glory days of emo. The year 2005. The year the emo band The Won der Years was born. The very underrated Fireworks broke through at a similar time, and the two acts toured together.

Both bands, especially The Wonder Years, were heavy weights in 2010’s pop-punk revival alongside popular bands like Modern Baseball, Trophy Eyes and Paramore.

All this to say, Fireworks and The Wonder Years are

the veterans of old, the torch bearers of the millennial gen eration. So, where are they now?

The Wonder Years have re turned with this year’s “The Hum Goes on Forever,” a gorgeous rock album that is a rare case of a teenage band maturing with grace and beauty.

Fireworks, on the other hand, went on hiatus after 2014’s “Oh, Common Life.”

Though they have always carried an air of mystery, their status has grown with a new generation of fans in the years since. Now that they are back on the road and ac tive on social media, it seems like a new album could drop in the coming months.

Now, both legendary bands have returned. The indoor venue was the perfect place to start. The venue is big enough to gather a crowd and small enough to create an equally electric and inti mate atmosphere.

The opener, emo-tinged indie rockers Macseal, was

a welcome start to the night. Their songs mix bedroompop aesthetics and lyrical touches (think Clairo or Rex Orange County) with the hardcore pop-punk and emo music of the 2000s. Their pieces “5:45 a.m.” and “Next to You” were performances to remember.

Fireworks were up next. Though a little rusty at first, they wasted no time jumping into the show with their hit “Arrows,” and they did not let up the energy for the next couple of songs. However, as their set unfolded, they be gan to embellish their hard rock songs about growing up in suburbia with organ and piano.

The atmosphere was one of almost holy reverence for a once-young band holler ing the hymns of yesteryear.

“The Wild Bunch” and the aptly titled “When We Stand on Each Other We Block Out the Sun” were definite high lights.

Then, finally, came The Wonder Years. They came

out and stood all in a row, dressed the part of skaterkids-turned-dads-in-a-rockband. We in the crowd stirred and shot sidelong glances in anticipation for what was about to hit us.

With a sudden jump, the band rocked into the first chords of “Low Tide,” and the show began. It was truly jaw-dropping in every sense of the word. The band held the crowd in the palm of their hand, and the energy was off the charts.

Their setlist played out less like an average concert and more like a complete anthology of all the band’s best songs. Lead singer Dan Campbell gave the best vocal performance of the night on the end-of-set song, “Ciga rettes and Saints,” the band’s magnum opus.

Overall Fireworks and The Wonder Years proved that pop-punk isn’t dead. The night was an incredible expe rience that I believe many of those present will carry with them for years to come.

Hopefully, ‘Halloween Ends’ is the end

David Smith Staff Writer

In “Halloween Ends,” di rector David Gordon Green concludes his trilogy on the Michael Myers saga, but we are left assured that evil sim ply changes shape.

The film explores whether evil and its effects can be overcome. This concept is il lustrated very well from the beginning of the film.

Between the years that Myers had been gone, Had donfield, Ill., has turned on itself. Freak accidents, crime and a habit of transforming each other into their own it erations of the Boogeyman ensued the ill-fated town.

One unfortunate case is a babysitter named Corey (Rohan Campbell), who ac cidentally killed the child he was watching. Although he manages to escape legal re percussions, it plagues him wherever he goes. He feels inferior and is tortured and ostracized by the townspeo ple. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) attempts to help Co rey heal from his tragic past.

In this film, Strode has seemingly moved on from the wreckage of her past caused by the supernatural serial killer Michael Myers. She has endured a lot of pain and anguish since she first crossed paths with Myers in 1978.

Now she is living with her granddaughter, Allyson

(Andi Matichak), who is now a nurse. Allyson falls for Co rey after a string of strange events and Strode becomes increasingly suspicious of his behavior.

Myers is still around in the film. He has been lurk ing in the shadows, although I won’t say where. “Hallow een Ends” ultimately comes down to the last half hour or so with the epic battle be tween Strode and Myers.

“Halloween Ends” is the gutsy final chapter to a horror franchise that has spanned

nearly 45 years. This film, with the exception of “Hal loween III: Season of the Witch,” takes a very original approach to the Boogeyman concept.

I do not believe fans will unequivocally approve the film with ample applause. Still, John Carpenter’s origi nal “Halloween” theme song and lots of stabbing with kitchen knives makes up for whatever the film lacks.

Overall “Halloween Ends” is a considerable improve ment over its predecessor

“Halloween Kills.” It is not, however, as robust as “Hal loween” (2018), but it serves as an adequate bookend to the “Halloween” franchise if this is indeed the end.

If, for some inexplicable reason, the franchise was to continue, it would be strange to see a 70-year-old Laurie Strode battling Michael My ers.

Nonetheless “Halloween Ends” crushed it at the box office, bringing in over $40 million in its opening week end.

Tunes from the Tower ‘Circles’

Dominic Puglisi Contributing Writer

Released a year after artist Mac Miller’s pass ing, this studio album is unlike any other within his discography. More singing than rapping and more live instrumentation than beats make this album a standout.

The opening track “Cir cles” begins with slow bass and peaceful guitars. Mill er, grieving that despite his efforts to change, is just “drawing circles.” This theme drives the album — Miller’s life trapped in a perpetual loop.

Punchy synths build energy on the track “Com plicated,” while Miller’s weary delivery laments the complications in life that trip him up; he re flects he’s “way too young to be getting old.” Miller portrays a wearied veter an of life in this song, but the next track ushers in a change.

“Blue World” is the most rap-inspired song on the album, a yearning chopped-up soul sample dominating the beat. A counterpoint to the down trodden “Complicated,” Miller raps, “The Devil on my doorstep bein’ so shady, don’t trip, we don’t gotta let him in.”

The song’s energy is vic torious; Miller promises self-change and to escape the mess he’s made.

“Good News” continues his effort to change world views more subtly, with a beat composed of plucky acoustic guitar.

Contrary to Miller’s pessimistic outlook on his struggles, he sings, “I finally discovered that there’s a whole lot more for me waiting…I know maybe I’m too late…I fi nally discovered that it ain’t that bad.” He poi gnantly describes finding direction after being blind for so long and realizing it might be too late.

“Hands” is purposefully placed toward the end of the album, more akin to the typical Miller track, a return to self-deprecia tion.

He makes the listener wonder if he’s planning on changing at all: “I spent my life living with a lot of regrets, you throw me off my high horse, I’d prob ably fall to my death.”

“Once a Day” closes the album with Miller decid ing against changing but resigning to move forward from his decisions.

Miller’s tangled emo tions resonate in “Circles” with low-key crooning, uplifting rapping, oceans of synths and the few plucks of guitar strings. This project distills his personal and artistic evo lution. Miller missed mak ing the changes he des perately desired, instead drawing circles unable to escape the cycle he had created.

This album reminds us of our own power to change. Thanks, Mac, for opening yourself up to the world and for spurring our own change.

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

The night that changed Wolverine football

Joel Sledd Staff Writer

It was a crisp, fall night on Sept. 23, 2017, on Rob ert E. Thorn Field, where Grove City College had just witnessed an extraordinary event. The football team won a game.

This might seem unre markable to current students familiar with today’s team, but this single win shifted the entire culture of the Wolver ines’ football organization.

With a victory over the Saint Vincent Bearcats, the Wolverines broke the 33game losing streak they had endured for three consecu tive seasons.

Athletic Director Todd Gibson ‘02, who was on the coaching staff at the time, re called the day of the victory.

“At the end of tonight, we’re going to win this foot ball game. We’re going to be watching fireworks together, and people all over the cam pus are going to be emotion al,” he said.

Gibson gave this speech to the team three hours before the game. This premonition soon turned into reality, as the Wolverines won with a final score of 24-14.

The entire college commu nity came together for one night to celebrate something that had not been accom plished in three years.

“The game had ended, and the fireworks had ended, and there were probably a thousand people still on the football field. It was unlike anything I had ever seen,” Gibson said.

Gibson explained the im portance of Grove City Col lege’s core values to the ath letic program, specifically the community. “It was such a great picture of what the col lege community can be.”

Head Coach Andrew DiDo nato ‘10 was the mastermind behind this victory, and he is one of the reasons why the football program has pros pered since. DiDonato de scribed his experience that night.

“Watching the tears of the players and the fans rush the field, I was just overwhelmed with a sense of community,” he said.

DiDonato spoke about the reaction from the crowd and his players.

“Very few times do you get to experience over a thou sand people having the same reaction. It didn’t matter

what your connection was to the team or what your involvement was. Every sin gle person cared about one thing, and it’s that Grove City College won a football game.”

Between 2001 and 2017, the football program’s sole winning season took place in 2012. Currently, the program has not had a losing season since 2017.

DiDonato went winless in his first year as head coach, but since that night, the foot ball program has won 34 games and lost only 14. In less than three seasons, the coaching staff was able to turn the program into a pow erhouse that rivals any other college.

“It would have been easy for people to not believe we were going to turn around the football program,” Gib son said. “But people stuck with it and leadership stuck with it.”

Exactly five years and one day after that famous night, the football team beat Saint Vincent again, but this time with a score of 42-7. This remarkable performance by the Wolverines symbolizes the massive improvements DiDonato and his staff have made to the organization.

Volleyball looks to finish strong

Emma Rossi Sports Editor

Women’s volleyball just keeps winning, going 4-2 against Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) oppo nents. Over the past week, they have improved their record 14-8, losing only two conference games.

Head Coach Leo Sayles spoke to the team’s impres sive success so far this sea son.

“All season, this team has done a great job building connections with each other on and off the court. Our culture is built in such a way that I believe the athletes are finding and embracing their roles and are supporting each other in such a way that they can challenge each other to be their best,” Sayles said.

On Wednesday evening, the Wolverines faced the Franciscan Barons on the road in Weirton, W.Va. Grove City fell short of continuing a multiple-game win streak with their battle against the Barons resulting in a final decision of 3-1.

Junior middle blocker Anna DeGraaf put up 10 kills, followed by senior Faith Ke ating who contributed eight

kills. Sophomore setter Ka mryn Kerr had 26 assists to aid in the offensive efforts.

Sophomore middle blocker Audrey Donnelly led the de fense with eight blocks.

Grove City earned a fourth consecutive win on Satur day, Oct. 15, with a shutout against Saint Vincent. The first two sets were won with scores of 25-18 and 25-17, with the third set being a hard-fought final of 32-30.

Last Tuesday, Grove City made the hike to Bethany College to earn their third straight win in a 3-1 decision.

The Wolverines lost only the first set and closed out the game with wins in the next three sets.

Big numbers across the board gave Grove City the overall victory. DeGraaf tied her career high by posting 10 blocks, while junior libero Gabby Lucas put up a season high 30 digs.

Grove City took the win by sweeping three sets over Penn State Greater Alleghe ny at home on Friday, Oct. 7.

Dominance across the roster on both offense and defense gave the Wolverines an edge in the sweep.

Six Wolverines contribut ed five or more kills to the of

fensive effort. Junior outside hitter Eloise Augustine and Donnelly led the team with seven kills apiece. Freshmen setter Brooklyn Wirebaugh had 20 assists and served three of the Wolverines six aces.

Lucas headed up the de fense with 18 digs. She was joined by Kim who put up 16 digs. Wirebaugh added to her stat sheet by posting 12 digs.

As the team prepares for the last stretch of the regu lar season, Sayles shared the team’s goal “to play free, play focused and play in the mo ment.”

“We are taking one game and one challenge at a time. Each opponent is different, so we are determined not to take any team for granted,” Sayles said. “But we also do not spend most of our time focusing on what other teams do; our practices focus on maximizing our strengths and building up weak areas we may see within the team.”

The Wolverines close out their season with four PAC games. They face Washing ton and Jefferson on the road tomorrow, Oct. 22, at 1:30 p.m.

Sports at a Glance

Results

Football (6-1):

W, Bethany (44-17)

Men’s Soccer (10-5):

W, Geneva (1-0)

W, Allegheny (4-2)

W, Waynesburg (4-0)

Women’s Soccer (8-6-1):

W, Geneva (5-1)

W, Allegheny (1-0)

W, Bethany (4-1)

W, Waynesburg (3-0)

Volleyball (14-9):

W, Penn State Greater Allegheny (3-0)

W, Bethany (3-1)

W, Saint Vincent (3-0)

L, Franciscan (1-3)

Women’s Tennis (11-2):

L, Franciscan (2-5)

Men’s Cross Country: 1st/4 – 30 pts. Marymount Invitational Women’s Cross Country: 1st/6 – 31 pts. Marymount Invitational

Women’s Golf: 6th/8 – 841 PAC Fall Championships Men’s Golf: 4th/8 – 664 PAC Fall Championships

Men & Women’s Swimming and Diving:

L, Clarion Invitational (573.5-867.5)

Upcoming

Football:

Oct. 22, 1:00 p.m. vs. Westminster Men’s Soccer: Oct. 22, 3:00 p.m. at Saint Vincent Oct. 26, 6:00 p.m. at Wash. & Jeff Women’s Soccer: Oct. 22, 12:00 p.m. at Saint Vincent Oct. 27, 6:00 p.m. at Wash. & Jeff Volleyball: Oct. 22, 1:30 p.m. at Wash. & Jeff Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m. at Westminster Oct. 27, 6:30 p.m. vs. Allegheny

Men & Women’s Swimming and Diving:

Oct. 22, 1:00 p.m. vs. Allegheny

WOLVERINE WEEKLY HONORS

Lydia Bennett Cross Country Runner of the Week

Sam Beltiz Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week

Gabby Lucas Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week

Rachael Wallace Women’s Swimming Swimmer of the Week

Caleb Einoff Men’s Swimming Rookie of the Week

Paige Doleno Women’s Swimming Rookie of the Week

Will Sterrett Men’s Swimming Swimmer of the Week

ANDREW STEIN

Head Coach Andrew DiDonato ‘10 celebrates with the team after their historic victory.

Perfect in the PAC

Wolverines earn 8-0 record in conference action

Joel Sledd Staff Writer

Men’s soccer has swept every Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) opponent they have played this season.

A win over Waynesburg so lidified the Wolverines’ first place standing in PAC rank ings.

In yet another statisti cally one-sided match, the Wolverines won 4-0. On Wednesday, Oct. 19, Grove City bested Waynesburg in a match that saw the Wol verines’ offense dominate in almost every single category.

A total of 23 shots and 12 shots on the goal were made by the offense with each of

the four goals being scored by different players.

Sophomore midfielder John-Luc Harbour led the team with four shots and three shots on the goal.

Senior goalkeeper Jesse Greyshock did not allow any points and made two saves.

On Saturday, Oct. 15, the Wolverines played Bethany at home. Grove City pulled out the win with a final score of 4-2.

The Wolverines gained an early lead, scoring two goals 18 minutes into the first half.

Bethany’s offense was able to score two more goals, tying the score at 2-2 by the half.

A penalty kick goal by fresh man midfielder Daniel Sharp

doubled the score for a Wol verines’ victory.

Grove City attempted 12 shots with five shots on the goal. Freshman forward Aiden Eck contributed four shots and three shots on the goal and freshman mid fielder Daniel Sharp had two shots with two more shots on the goal.

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, Grove City dominated Al legheny College in yet anoth er victory over a PAC oppo nent. The final score was 4-1.

Grove City and Allegheny entered the second half with a score of 1-1, but the Wolver ines scored three more times in the second half to win 4-1.

The Grove City offense

had an astounding 33 shots and 17 shots on the goal. Al legheny’s disregard for their defense allowed 13 Wolver ine players to get at least one shot and eight players to get at least one shot on the goal.

Freshmen forward Aiden Eck and midfielder Matt Herrmann both had five shots and Herrmann had five shots on the goal. Senior forward Sam Belitz had two goals while sophomore for ward Jordan Rebsamen and Luke Kimmich also made a goal.

The Wolverines’ offense had 27 more shots and 15 more shots on the goal than Allegheny’s offense.

In the last nine games the

Wolverines have played, eight have been played against PAC opponents. The Wolverines have also won eight of the last nine games, giving them a perfect record against PAC opponents.

As of now, Grove City is ranked first in the PAC. Only two regular season games re main for Wolverines, both of which are PAC opponents.

The Wolverines play at Saint Vincent on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m. and round out their scheduled season at Washington and Jefferson on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m.

Growing the game, from Grove City to Puerto Rico

Kyle Coogan Contributing Writer

Instead of sporting his Grove City College (GCC) colors while coaching the college’s men’s lacrosse team, Coach Alec Jernstedt traded his crimson and white for red, white and blue last summer.

Jernstedt took the helm of the Puerto Rican national lacrosse team, leading them to a first-ever qualification in the Lacrosse World Games for the summer of 2023.

As the first ever varsity head men’s lacrosse coach at the college, Jernstedt plans to take his coaching and team building skills to GCC’s programs and build upon the foundation of the Puerto Rican team. Along with his long-time Grove City College assistant coach Ben Suchomma, Jernstedt has high expectations for the Puerto Rican squad this coming summer.

Jernstedt and his former

JERNSTEDT

assistant Suchomma were selected to coach the Puerto Rican men’s national team in their world qualifier in Co lombia. The World Games are composed of the best teams from each qualifier, held in different regions of the globe.

Thirty teams will be com peting next summer in San Diego, Calif. A supplemental Pan-American Lacrosse As sociation (PALA) qualifier championship added Puerto Rico, Mexico, Peru and Ja maica to the World Games.

In 2028, men’s lacrosse will be introduced to the Summer Olympic Games, and many of the teams in the World Games will qualify, giving Jernstedt and Suchomma a chance to coach in the Olym pics.

“It’s a long way away, but if lacrosse gets added to the Olympics, it would be huge, not only for the sport, but the island of Puerto Rico to rep resent themselves on a grand stage,” Jernstedt said.

The PALA qualifier ended dramatically with a 6-5 win over an established Jamai can national team, earning the Puerto Ricans a gold medal. Puerto Rico is the first territory to compete in the World Games, marking a historical step in the history of the World Games.

“Being able to not only qualify, but win the qualify ing tournament was a really validating achievement. I think we proved that not only can we be there, but we can compete with some of the

best teams and players in the world,” Jernstedt said.

The Puerto Rican national team is comprised of play ers of Puerto Rican heri tage. Most of the players on the team reside in the U.S. and currently play, or have played, on NCAA rosters.

Nelson Telemaco, a sopho more at Rollins University in Winter Park, Fla., plays on the Puerto Rican men’s na tional team.

Telemaco is not surprised with the success of the team, as he stated that Puerto Ri cans are hardworking indi viduals who take pride in their heritage. He says these traits, combined with Jern stedt’s coaching philosophy, are the driving factor behind the team’s successful sum mer.

“To be honest, I am not re ally surprised at the success. A lot of very talented play ers are of Puerto Rican de scent and that hardworking mentality, as well as having a coach who knows so much

about the game is a recipe for success. Coach Jernstedt gives very clear and detailed goals and expectations,” Telemaco said.

Suchomma, who is now the head coach at Mari etta College, will return to coaching the Puerto Ricans with Jernstedt in the 2023 World Games. His rapport and coaching chemistry with Jernstedt lead him to believe that they will succeed on the main stage of the World Games.

“There’s never a dull mo ment coaching alongside Coach J. He’s been a great friend and mentor to me over the years. I think we did a good job getting the players organized while making sure there was a system in place and rules to fall back on,” Suchomma said.

The 2023 World Games will take place from June 21 to July 1 and will be aired on ESPN family networks. Schedules and pools are yet to be announced.

GRACE DAVID

Freshman midfielder Camden Thomas shoots the first goal in the Wolverines’ 4-0 win over Waynesburg on Wednesday.