The Collegian - December 2, 2022

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Graduate Programs adds MAcc

Ayden Gutierrez News Editor

The college’s Department of Graduate Programs re cently announced the cre ation of its Master of Ac counting (MAcc) degree, which will be the college’s third master’s program.

The MAcc is a 30-credit online +1 program for those

majoring in accounting and will include both accounting and general business cours es.

According to Chair of Ac counting Nicole Stone ’98, ’99, students in the program can take courses in forensic and fraud accounting, finan cial statement analysis, cost management, auditing, cur rent topics, finance, law and

ethics and data governance.

“Students can then choose a domain area in either busi ness analysis and reporting, tax planning or informa tion systems and controls to earn a six-credit certificate,” Stone said. “That certificate can stand alone or be taken with the online MAcc.”

Online Programs, says that the new master’s degree is building excitement because of its preparation of account ing majors to take the newly revised CPA exam.

“The MAcc helps account ing students achieve the credits required to take the CPA exam. Accounting stu

Kengor to lead political magazine

Ayden Gutierez News Editor

Dr.

Christy Crute, execu tive director of Graduate and

Christmastime is here

The college’s own Dr. Paul Kengor, professor of political science, is the new editor of The American Spectator, one of America’s oldest and most influential conservative pub lications.

Kengor, who was already serving as a senior editor and regular contributor to The American Spectator, was chosen for the promotion by the magazine and online outlet’s longtime editor-in-chief R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., who founded the magazine in Bloomington, Ind., in 1967.

“It’s a thrill,” Kengor said. “When I was a junior and se nior in college, where I was the conservative editorial page editor of The Pitt News, the conservative magazine that I enjoyed the most was The American Spectator, especially leading writers like P.J. O’Rourke, Malcolm Gladwell and Andrew Fergu son.”

Kengor noted that The American Spectator and its brilliant, founding editor-inchief, R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., were hugely popular among college conservatives nation wide, more so than William F. Buckley Jr. and his Na tional Review.

Kengor admitted this was likely because Tyrrell and the Spectator had such lively, witty, hilarious content and simply all-around great writ ing and astute analysis of politics and culture.

“When I started writing for The American Spectator in the early 2000s, it was a thrill. And now to be chosen by Tyrrell as his successor as editor-in-chief is amaz ing and hard to believe. The more that I think about it, going back to my college days, the harder it hits me.”

To Kengor, the Spectator is a magazine that has al ways been fun, funny, bold, politically incorrect and yet substantive and thought ful. And he hopes to keep it that way with writers like Malcolm Muggeridge, Tom Wolfe, Russell Kirk, Frank Meyer, Paul Johnson, Robert Conquest, Robert Novak and Michael Novak.

Debate Team argues their way to victory

Nick Grasso Entertainment Editor

The Grove City College Debate Team, recognized as a successful campus club, is known nationally for its win nings.

The team’s most recent achievement came on Oct. 4 when they earned the one and two spots for top speak

er, collecting three of six team spots at the Collegiate Forensics Association’s tour nament at Bloomsburg Uni versity.

Dr. Jason Edwards, head debate coach and history professor at the college, said the team was new to the Col legiate Forensics Association competition and had to ad just but ultimately did what they needed to do.

The Debate Team has also done more than secure the Oct. 4 win this year.

“In the past six debate seasons, the college’s De bate Team has secured 12 national championship titles including the overall Qual ity Award from the National Christian College Forensics Association this past spring semester,” Edwards said.

“Most significantly for the

team is that our large fresh man class has enjoyed tre mendous success right out of the gate, building a strong foundation for the future,” he said.

The Debate Team has wrapped up its fall competi tions but is prepared for a full slate of challenges this coming spring, including the

“We’ll continue to bring in names like that. Also, I want to continue to bring in new writers and talents, includ ing promising young writers. The likes of George Will and Bill Kristol and Bill McGurn and so many others started at The American Spectator,” Kengor said. “I want to help find those new writers.”

President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said Kengor’s appoint ment

decor

campus Which is the best

Ye stirs controversy Does he show others how to conquer cancel culture?

solidifies the college’s

GRACE DAVID

The campus community celebrated the annual lighting of Rockwell Tower’s Christmas star Tuesday evening on the patio of Mary Anderson Pew South Hall. Light Up Night featured a traditional Christmas carol sing-along led by the college’s Marching Band and Koinonia/Gospel Team, snacks and hot chocolate, a gospel mes sage and the annual recitation of J.M. Lowrie’s “Star in the East” just before the star was lit. “The Rockwell-star lighting always puts me in the Christmas spirit,” senior Janessa Dawson said. “With some hot chocolate, good friends and Christmas carols, there’s nothing quite like it.” Upcoming holiday events on campus include the fourth annual “A Musical Christmas at Grove City College” tonight at 7:30 p.m., along with the annual Christmas Candlelight Service Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

MACC 3

Pondering another petition

In November 2021, the college became embroiled in a national controversy surrounding critical race theory and whether our Christian higher ed institution was going down the woke path. It’s now a year later, and this conten tious debate has not died down despite students, faculty, staff and the administration wishing that to be the case.

Before leaving campus for the summer, part of me hoped the official Board report addressing the issue at hand and offering remedial actions would settle the CRT controversy. The other part of me, however, thought that, given time to simmer over those three months, the conversation would crop back up again.

And that is indeed what happened.

The seventh CRT-related petition was anonymously posted online last month, this time calling for President Paul J. McNulty ’80 to step down from his administrative role at the college after alleging he hasn’t adequately re sponded to their statements and failed to follow through on the CRT report’s remedial actions. The petition expresses disappointment that “[n]o one had been fired” as a result of the report’s findings or McNulty’s actions.

I won’t get into the petition’s claims or how the admin istration has followed through on the CRT report’s recom mendations here, but The Collegian is working on a story for next semester.

On the one hand, I agree with the concerns raised by par ents, alumni and students regarding the possibility of Grove City College falling away from its 150-year mission. Sacri ficing an institution’s historic integrity for modern politics is an ever-increasing challenge in 2022, and the Grove City community has every right in voicing their concerns to pre vent this from happening to the school they love.

The problem is I haven’t seen woke encroachment at Grove on an institutional level. Yes, there were instances of racial discussions via an academic course, two chapel ser vices and RA training; but those supposedly CRT programs did not significantly influence, nor do they represent, the college’s institutional identity.

From my conversations with friends and peers, many, including myself, are of the opinion that claims of the col lege’s alleged promotion of CRT are baseless and not rep resentative of their education. Others see the college could possibly lose its distinctly conservative culture, but most are not claiming Grove is going woke anytime soon.

It may be that what started with good intentions has gone too far. The Collegian hasn’t verified any of the latest peti tion’s claims and I’m reserving judgment until it can. In the meantime, instead of calling for heads to roll, I suggest the concerned parents and alumni consider the possibility that Grovers will continue learning how to critically think about topics such as this in the context of a Christian liberal arts education. That’s important because we will need to think for ourselves when engaging with other beliefs and ideolo gies after our time here.

David Zimmermann Editor-in-Chief

Collegian Staff

Ax the pink tax

Grace Scheller Perspectives Editor

As of October 13, CVS has announced its lower prices on feminine hygiene prod ucts in 12 states. And why? The pink tax. Period pov erty. The tax that causes half the popu lation to pay seven percent more for spe cific products while making 30 percent less than their male counterparts. If you think it sounds ridicu lous, you’d be right. When the numbers are presented, this fact appears almost comical. Be that as it may, it remains very true. Half of the country’s con sumers are provided with several unwanted, “femalemarketed” products for a higher price. And while these women’s products are the same as their male opposite, they remain more expen sive. This classic, genderbased disparity is infamously known as the pink tax.

In its simplest term, the pink tax is an unnecessary and discriminatory gender gap in pricing. It’s the pink and purple razor that costs four dollars more than the generic grey and blue razor. It’s Bic’s “For Her” pink and purple ballpoint pens that cost 70 percent more than the gender-neutral ones.

DEBATE

continued from 1 National Christian College Forensics Invitational and Pi Kappa Delta’s National Championship, the largest forensics tournament in the world.

When asked about the team’s competitiveness against national competition, Edwards said, “Grove City competes against all comers from fellow liberal arts col leges to Division I research schools, to the Ivy League. With 21 national titles in the

gags

The pink tax doesn’t stop there, though. Taxing of fem inine products, such as tam pons and pads, also falls un der the inequitable umbrella as they reside under the cat egory of “luxury items.” Now, it is worth mentioning that sales tax rates are applied to all goods and services until lawmakers decide it’s not; however, it is particularly in teresting that condoms and erectile dysfunction pills are exempt from such taxes.

In an NPR article, Cali fornia Democratic Assem blywoman Cristina Garcia unveils the horrendous real ity of the pink tax when she recalls the young girls who have told her they couldn’t attend school because they couldn’t afford menstrual products. She was even told by one young girl that she had to use rolled up socks to go to school. But the medical demand for Viagra is clearly of the utmost importance. We would never think to tax such a necessity.

Everything from clothing to personal hygiene to chil dren’s toys are examples of the polarity of pricing. For every pair of jeans a man buys, a woman pays approxi mately $5.66 more. For ev ery pair of socks, a woman pays $.25 more. The pink tax costs the average woman an extra $1,351 a year and giv en that the average woman also earns $.82 per dollar of

past decade, you’d be hard pressed to find a program with better results.”

The Debate Club also al lows students to grow rela tionally and academically with their peers. “Debate fosters development in all aspects of life, not just argu mentation,” said Edwards.

The team consistently en joys bringing in new partici pants looking to hone their debate skills or simply be come part of something big ger.

“Having the ability to step into the breach and speak

a man’s pay, the infuriating combination creates the per fect storm of gender inequal ity.

Rightfully so, the pink tax has been receiving its fair share of controversy and re sistance. In fact, the United Nations deemed feminine hygiene a public health and human rights issue in 2013, and therefore should be ex empt from the generic sales tax, along with other medical products. In 1981, Minneso ta dropped the tax, followed by Pennsylvania, whose pink tax was renounced in 1991. Shortly after, three more states followed.

More and more compa nies are fighting alongside women everywhere by offer ing specific, equal options to combat the pink tax. Newer companies, such as Boxed and Billie have worked to enforce pricing equality with their “Rethinking Pink” ini tiatives.

And now, CVS is taking on the period poverty by lower ing the price of these prod ucts and absorbing the pink tax themselves. A piece of rare, good news and a step in the right direction, yes, but one that is long overdue and, quite frankly, shouldn’t be the responsibly of retailers.

In a world where money engulfs all factors of living, gender discrimination is far too expensive, and therefore the pink tax is, too.

when needed is a confidence that most people simply do not have but wish they did. Graduates of our program leave with the certainty that they can effectively speak the truth to a fallen world,” Ed wards said.

“The friendships forged on the team quite often last a lifetime, and alumni regu larly come back to visit and assist the team,” he added.

Students interested in joining the Debate Team can contact Edwards or assistant coach, Dr. Andrew Harvey.

dents can do that now but with this program, they will be able to graduate with a coveted master’s degree.”

Stone noted the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam is changing its testing model and explained the changes.

“It will continue to be four parts, as it is today, but start ing on Jan. 1, 2024, one of the four parts of the exam will be chosen from among one of three domain areas of the examinee’s choice,” said Stone.

“In addition to the choice of a domain area, there are oth er skills, analytics being the biggest component, which accounting majors must en ter the workplace possess ing,” she said. “Whether stu dents are going on to a career as a CPA or a job in another area of accounting, the CPA

Finance column

has its pulse on the needs of current accountants.”

Stone believes that the MAcc program will boost the college’s Accounting Depart ment and ultimately help the college compete against oth er programs.

“Adjusting our curricu lum to the needs of the CPA is going to keep our curricu lum current in all aspects of accounting, while also strengthening our account ing program and keeping it competitive in the market,” said Stone. “We hope that the MAcc will draw in not only current undergraduate accounting majors but those from outside of the college, as well.”

Stone said business profes sionals many times change trajectory in their career, with many finding themselves working in accounting with out an undergraduate degree in accounting. “We hope that anyone that is interested in

How to overbudget and underspend

Peter Van Eerden Staff Writer

In past articles, the focus has been directed toward the significance of budget ing.

To recap, a budget is a tool to estimate how much you will make and spend over a given period of time. The necessity of creating a bud get and following a budget cannot be overstated. The latter is the more difficult task at hand; however, bud geting enables you to keep track of your finances so that you know where your money goes, ultimately giv ing you the keys to financial success.

The steps to practical and simple budgeting are threefold: save first, identify and list essentials and identify wants.

For starters, save first. This is by far the most im portant step in any budget. Saving first implies that you will allocate a sum of money toward a retirement plan, an emergency fund, an in vestment fund or some oth er means of building wealth for the long term.

The logic behind saving first is to promote smart spending. If you only save the leftovers of what you spent, your financial goals will be tarnished. But if you save first, you allow for spending flexibility with the remaining sum of money.

The next step is to iden tify and list essentials. This step is necessary; without

a firm grasp of what is a necessary expense, our hu man behavior will naturally lead us to make numerous non-essential purchases, leading to an avalanche of poor financial decisions. So, estimate non-discretionary expenses for the next six months to a year.

The last step in making a budget is to identify wants. This is a more enjoyable component of budgeting because this is where you set realistic goals for desir able products or services that you want in the near future. The point is that the choice is yours.

If you follow this process, your level of financial se curity will be far more ad vanced than if you were to spend now and save later.

There are two keys to making your budget suc cessful: evaluation and steadfastness. The pro cess of evaluating your budget cannot be stressed enough. There are financial tools available that track your spending and will make evaluations for you. I recommend getting your hands on one of these tools and using it.

The other key to success is steadfastness. A budget will only work for you as long as you work for it. This is the beauty and the curse of the tool. Build a budget that you can actually follow and stick to it. Remember to overbudget and under spend.

strengthening their account ing skills will feel free to ap ply to Grove City College’s MAcc program.”

Crute spoke on behalf of the Business Department’s efforts to create post-grad uate opportunities for their students.

“We are working to build programs that remain true to the Grove City College mis sion while delivering a high return on investment to stu dents. It’s long been my pas sion to build strong leader ship programs for men and women of high integrity,” Crute said.

“These programs all po sition our graduates to be the future leaders in busi ness, whether they currently study engineering, computer science, political science or anything else. The MAcc is the first of the graduate pro grams to be built for those who wish to lead in the area of accounting.”

KENGOR

continued from 1

longstanding relationship with one of America’s leading conservative outlets and pro vides an opportunity to ex pand the institution’s influ ence in an important space.

“Paul Kengor is a nation ally recognized thought leader and advocate for the ideas and values that define conservatism, and which are foundational to Grove City College. The American Spec tator has provided an impor tant forum for those ideas for more than a half a century. The college will now benefit from a closer relationship between one of our leading scholars and one of the coun try’s most influential outlets for robust and fulsome dis cussion of politics, culture and society,” McNulty said.

Tyrrell introduced Kengor as The American Spectator’s new editor at the magazine’s 54th Annual Robert L. Bart ley Gala last month. In his re marks, Kengor said it was “an incredible honor and joy” to become the editor of a publi cation that he began follow ing as a college student. He read a list of notable contrib utors to the magazine since its inception, from Malcolm Muggeridge and Tom Wolfe to Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley Jr. Kengor noted that leading writers such as George Will, Bill Kristol, Bill McGurn and Malcolm Gladwell started their writ ing careers at The American Spectator.

“What really stands out

in the life of The American Spectator are the printed words. That is what I initially saw when I first opened the pages in the late 1980s … I laughed and laughed and could not stop laughing. And as I laughed, I learned. I learned ideas and learned great writing,” Kengor said. “It was therapeutic. It helped me keep my sanity in the ac ademic asylum … By the end of it, I too was a conservative.

Like The American Specta tor, I learned to have fun boldly being a conservative.”

“Few citadels of conser vatism waged the battle of ideas, quite like The Ameri can Spectator. And none with the wit and panache, the outright hilarity, the fearless ness and the delightful po litical incorrectness,” Kengor said. “And few publications made the waves, controversy and history that The Ameri can Spectator did in the pro cess — particularly the maga zine’s riotous exposés on Bill and Hillary Clinton in the 1990s. The American Specta tor versus the Clintons was an epic showdown.”

In addition to his work in the classroom and with the Institute for Faith and Free dom, Kengor is a New York Times bestselling author of nearly 20 books, prolific contributor to a host of me dia outlets that have ranged from USA Today and The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post and a regu lar presence as a guest on conservative talk radio and television.

GCC

Twelve students on the Debate Team competed in the Collegiate Forensics Association’s tournament.

MACC continued from 1

Upcoming Events...

What’s fresh at the Grove?

A Musical Christmas

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2

Ketler Auditorium

Carnegie Christmas Concerts 12 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2

Carnegie Colonnade Threads: a Pop-Up Thrift Shop 12 - 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2

STU Great Room

Big Man on Campus 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 2

Crawford Auditorium

A Musical Christmas at Grove City College

7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2

Ketler Auditorium Alumni Santa Breakfast 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 MAP Cafe Jazz Dance 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3

MAP Cafe Christmas Candlelight Service 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4

Harbison Chapel Opera Workshop 7:00 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5

PFAC Little Theatre Study Day Open House 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8

Carnegie Colonnade SGA Moonlight Breakfast 9 - 11 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8 Hicks Cafe

Fire alarm follies

An open letter to MAP residents

Rachel Ledford Contributing Writer

It’s Monday morning, Oct. 7, 2019, at 4:18 a.m.

Most were asleep at this ungodly hour. But one per son was not — and it only takes one.

Students in the Mary An derson Pew dorm building were awoken by an earsplit ting fire alarm, blearily pull ing on mismatched pairs of shoes to shuffle their way to Harbison Chapel and fall asleep on the pews.

This was my freshman year, and now as a senior I have experienced my fair share of MAP fire alarms. The 4 a.m. alarm in 2019 is not the only memorable one – and not the only late night one. Just four weeks ago, Nov. 6, was another awful alarm.

Daylight Saving Time end ed that night, and the extra hour of sleep was stolen from all MAP residents. At 1:50 a.m., we were all rudely awo

ken and forced outside to the brain-shattering blare of the fire alarm.

Senior Brooke Kennedy spoke of the night saying, “I was up late dealing with a leaky toilet issue involving Campus Safety and mainte nance that night. I had been asleep for all of 10 minutes. Obviously, I was upset and frustrated while simultane ously feeling like I could hurl my guts out from the awful noise radiating through the building by the alarm.”

Since MAP as a collective building seems to struggle with how to not set off the fire alarm, let’s consider an example to explain it by ex amining when and how it is appropriate to pop popcorn.

Step 1: If you have proven yourself able to pop pop corn and someone asks for popcorn, feel free to pop the popcorn.

Step 2: If you have even the slightest doubt in your pop corn popping abilities, don’t pop the popcorn.

Step 3: If no one asked for

the popcorn, don’t pop the popcorn. Don’t look at your snacks, don’t grab the bag, don’t open the microwave, don’t pop the popcorn.

Step 4: If everyone is asleep, don’t pop the pop corn. Unconscious people don’t want popcorn.

Step 5: Let’s say everyone wanted the popcorn. But in the time it took you to look at your snacks, grab the bag, open the microwave and start the popping cycle, your pop corn popping abilities disap peared and you see a spark in the microwave. Stop popping the popcorn. There’s a cancel button on your microwave. There are fans and windows to open. There is water just a few steps away.

Sophomore Mikaela Jen kins can inspire us all with her story.

“I accidentally lit popcorn on fire in my microwave. I opened the microwave, threw water on the flame and shut the microwave door. I left the burnt mess in the microwave to cool off and never set off

the fire alarm. Proud mo ment for me,” Jenkins said.

Popcorn is not the only way to set off the MAP fire alarm, obviously. Junior Liz Hasse found a creative way to set it off her freshman year.

“I wanted to light my aes thetic candle while moving in after a break. My candle was under my dead pine tree that I was saving to reuse the soil. Match went flick; tree went foom,” Hasse said.

How can we avoid this sce nario? Firstly, candles are not allowed in dorm rooms, so the only step there is to stop sneaking contraband into your dorm room.

We can do better. We must do better. We must stop sneaking in contraband candles. And we must stop with popcorn in the middle of the night when we are all asleep. Sleeping people don’t want popcorn, sleeping peo ple don’t want tea and, most importantly, sleeping people don’t want unnecessary fire alarms.

Is sleeping over an invitation to sin?

So, my girlfriend and I were talking about our plans for Christmas, and the plan is for both of us to spend a night at each other’s house for different family get-togethers. This is the first time we’ve done anything like this, so is this wise? How can we fight temptation to do more than is ac ceptable? Discerning Grover

Dear Discerning Grover, I’m so glad to hear that you and your girlfriend are hav ing time to spend with each other and each other’s fami lies over Christmas. That is a

Dear Dr. Love

great opportunity to contin ue to see each other in new contexts and make sure that you both are the person God desires both of you to marry.

It also gives both of your families a chance to get to know her, and they will also be able to see you two inter act and can offer wisdom.

But staying overnight with each other does have its temptations. I’m sure you will want to stay up late talk ing to one another, and the bed will seem much more preferable than the sleeping bag or air mattress. While there is the danger of sin, I do not think that visiting overnight is inherently un wise.

There are many ways that you two can safeguard your

selves from falling into temp tation. When we are tempted with sin, there are two main ways that we can deal with it: fighting and fleeing. Paul describes fighting sin when he says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is com plete” (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

On the other hand, he says that we should “flee sexual immorality,” and elsewhere he says to flee other sins (1 Corinthians 6:18).

We might be able to stand

and do battle against sins of wrong belief, but it is harder to stand and fight against sexual temptation. So, the solution is to flee from it.

Give no opportunity to the devil.

What does this look like? It might mean one or both of you sharing a room with a sibling or other family mem ber, intentionally going to bed when everyone else does or making sure someone else is awake with the two of you.

By giving no opportunity for the two of you to face that temptation, you are less like ly to fall into it.

It would also be wise to set up boundaries and have con versations with your parents beforehand to see what they suggest. By including them

in the conversation, you are showing initiative in run ning from the sin before it even rears its head.

Is it unwise to spend the night in the same house? Not necessarily, but there are definitely ways that you can prevent a tempting en vironment from forming in the first place. Take time to put barriers up now to pre vent sin then.

I’m praying for you two to pursue the Lord together this Christmas,

Dr. Love Love M.D.

LIVERPOOL ECHO

One false popping of popcorn, burning of hair straightener or illegal toaster oven, and this could be you watching all your bel ongings burn. Always be vigilant; never light an illegal candle under a pine tree.

Seven questions with…

Dr. DJ Wagner

A walk through campus reveals Christmas cheer

Emma Whiteford Contributing Writer

Upon return from Thanks giving break, students stepped onto a campus decked for the holidays.

In addition to the whirl wind of festivities occurring over the next two weeks, Christmas appears around every corner of the college from the star atop Rockwell to the garland-wrapped, wreath-topped lampposts.

The Christmas cheer has also taken form of a multitude of trees.

Our forest exploration be gins in the south lobby of Mary Anderson Pew. The rail of the princess staircase wrapped in garland leads down to a tree. Wrapped presents sit at the bottom complementing the gar land and ornaments with which the tree is adorned.

To match, red and gold di rect the festive theme of this lobby; look around and you’ll spot poinsettias and garland at every turn.

Wander on over to Harbi son Chapel where the splen dor of magnificent archi tecture and the grandeur of Christmas is on full display. Leading down the main hall, columns have been decorated with wreaths. At the front, a pair of giant looming Christ

mas trees stand parallel to one another as they frame the garland-and-light-lined apse. Simplicity with hints of gold and an abundance of Christmas lights paints the theme for this building.

Next, we journey to Rath burn which houses some of the best trees on campus. The first sight to see is a tree shimmering with a golden sparkle that seems to be alive with glitter. From shim mering frills and berries to glistening red and gold or naments, this tree is a show stopper from top to bottom.

Take a left and walk down the hallway to find the first tree’s rival. It is even taller and embellished with poin settias, glass ornaments and butterflies all in comple menting shades of red and contrasted with hints of gold scattered across the tree. These trees create a harmony of frilly holiday cheer within this building.

Lastly, on our way to the Pew Fine Arts Center, you can spy a giant tree framed by the center window in the Breen Student Union’s Great Room. It’s simply lit and does not bear any decorations, but it provides a warm glow for those who catch a passing glimpse from outside in the wintry cold.

Finally, we arrive in Pew’s atrium where a tree stands at

the center.

This year, the tree wears red, green and gold orna ments topped with a trailing plaid ribbon and inlaid with gold poinsettias. Standing alone, it provides warmth and festivity to the large atri um.

“I like the Christmas décor in Pew. It’s always pretty,” junior Anna Ortiz said.

Other buildings on campus

are hiding their Christmas trees. MEP, Harker, STEM and the dining halls house a multitude of trees as well that ought to be appreciated.

“I was cheered by the ex tensive Christmas enthusi asm plastered across Hicks,” junior Grace Anne Shaw said. And so, as you study and socialize be sure to enjoy the holiday décor that fills every corner of campus.

Alum’s explosive career

Mia Gallagher Staff Writer

then transitioned to a lead ership position as group su pervisor of an ATF office in Baltimore, Md.

Professor of Physics

What classes are you teaching this year?

Science 201 – Inquiry

Style, Physics II for En gineers, Physics I Work shop for Life Science Stu dents, Theoretical Physics and Modern Physics

What’s your favorite movie?

“Like Father, Like Santa” – a made-for-TV special starring Harry Hamlin

What is your favorite restaurant?

Elephant 8 – Thai restau rant in Slippery Rock

What kind of music do you listen too?

Musicals, classic hymns and 80s/90s Christian rock.

Do you have any interesting hobbies?

I am an avid (fanatical some may say) ringer of handbells. I ring in Tow er’s church choir as well as in the community hand bell choir, and I advise the college handbell choir (the Revelation Ringers) –check out our joint concert on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m., at Tower. I also do handbell solos and ensembles.

What are you looking forward to today?

Curling up with some hot cocoa and my cat, Pawli, after post ing handbell concert fly ers around town.

Why did you become a professor?

Special Agent

and Grove City College alumni Andy Hromyak ’95 lives a CSIlifestyle through his career with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ex plosives (ATF).

As an agent of the ATF, one of the specialized agencies of the U.S. Department of Jus tice, Hromyak works tireless ly to enforce laws and uncov er criminal activity that puts citizens in harm’s way.

Hromyak began his career with the ATF in 2000, serv ing as an investigative as sistant in Washington, D.C., where he aided agents and analysts with many investi gations including the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the D.C. sniper attacks. In 2003, he was sworn in as a special agent and would travel to various ATF offices through out the country for the next 14 years. From there, he went on to represent ATF on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Com mittee from 2018-2019 and

“As a special agent, we have the responsibility of investigating violations of the federal laws that ATF is charged with enforcing. I have spent much of my ca reer investigating violations of the Gun Control Act and the National Firearms Act, but I have also investigated crimes pertaining to explo sives, arson and tobacco di version. The goal of every in vestigation is to uncover the truth and to present a case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution,” Hromyak said.

Hromyak’s inspiration for his career was derived from a strong desire to do good and seek justice. While ap plying to various federal law enforcement agencies, Hro myak had the opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill and work closely with a deputy U.S. marshal who encour aged him to consider the ATF.

“He said that there is no better federal agency at in

vestigating violent crimes, and that ATF agents rarely leave to join another federal agency. And throughout my career, I have found both statements to be true,” Hro myak said.

This October, Hromyak began a new assignment as the ATF liaison to the U.S. National Central Bureau (USNCB) of INTERPOL, where he will be working with the 195-member coun tries to help investigate and combat firearm smuggling and trafficking along with other transnational crimes.

“One of the best aspects of my job is that no two days are exactly alike,” he said.

Hromyak detailed what a typical workweek as an ATF agent would like, start ing with “investigating a gun store burglary” on Monday and ending with “drafting the affidavit for a criminal complaint” or helping the federal prosecutor with pre paring for the court case on Friday.

“I enjoy the variety and unpredictable nature of my job,” he said.

Throughout his career, the challenges and experi ences Hromyak endured has taught him many lessons.

“I’ve learned that it’s es sential to adapt and learn new ways of investigating and solving crimes, because the criminals constantly adapt and learn new ways of committing crimes and victimizing people. And I’ve learned the importance of learning from my mistakes because everyone will make mistakes,” he said.

For anyone considering a career in federal law enforce ment, Hromyak recommend ed they pursue an internship or shadowing opportunity to get a true feel for the job — not just the version television shows perpetuate.

“It is a very rewarding ca reer. I have gotten to expe rience so many things that I never could have predicted. I’ve had many days where I drive home thinking to my self, ‘I can’t believe they pay me for what I got to do to day!’”

I found in graduate school that I loved serving as a TA and helping students learn about physics. Even more than the research, I loved teaching and interacting with students, so I looked for a position where teaching was val ued more than research ing/publishing.

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GRACE DAVID

Crawford Hall is decked for the holiday season. The intricate tree acts as the lobby centerpiece and is decadently decorated.

GRACE DAVID

A walk down the Princess stairs in MAP South brings you to a beautiful tree with presents for all.

Through the Lens

The Collegian, Dec. 2, 2022

Through the learning lens

Bandy’s Digital Photography class shares their semester’s work

Naomi Walters

Megan Eisentraut

Ayden Gutierrez

Professor

The Digital Photography class showcases a selection of photographs from their four proj ects throughout the semester. From campus landscapes to portraits, from vibrant color to black and white, the students demonstrated a wide range of talent and skill, guided by Pro fessor of Communication Arts Greg Bandy. by Grace David, Photo Chief

Naomi Walters

Sierra Nagy Jules DaSilva

Aaron Phillips

Karis Fischer

Mia Campagna

Mia Campagna

Mia Campagna

Naomi Walters

Aaron Phillips

Naomi Walters

Ayden Gutierrez

Ethan Pierson

Megan Eisentraut

Adeline Sarin

The scary reality of tech

The rise of iPad kids and the decline of social experiences

Hannah Welker Copy Chief

We’ve all either seen, heard or smelled them. The stinky, snot-nose toddlers who seem to have a tablet permanently attached to their tiny, cheesecoated hands.

time for toddlers is detri mental to educational and social development.

TikTok’s time is up

Joel Sledd Staff Writer

In early August 2021, while testifying before the Sen ate Intelligence Committee, former Deputy National Se curity Advisor Matthew Pot tinger said, “Beijing’s stolen sensitive data is sufficient to build a dossier on every single American adult and on many of our children too.”

TikTok should be banned because your right to privacy is important. The famous so cial media app blatantly and repeatedly violates its users’ privacy. Major corporations need to be held accountable for their unethical actions involving privacy. If TikTok cannot be trusted with its users’ data, then it should be banned from the United States.

TikTok’s privacy policy, which is available online, in cludes a list of information it stores. The data TikTok claims to collect includes IP

addresses, location informa tion based on your SIM card, what type of phone you use and biometric data like face prints and voiceprints. This list is only a small portion of what they collect. More in formation about what data TikTok hoards and how they use it is available in their pri vacy policy.

Brendan Carr, the commis sioner of the Federal Com munications Commission (FCC), testified before the Subcommittee on National Security of the House of Rep resentatives in July 2022. Carr accused the app of mis handling its users’ data.

“At its core, TikTok func tions as a sophisticated sur veillance tool that harvests extensive amounts of sensi tive data,” said Carr.

TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, based in Beijing, is very shady. In June 2021, CNBC published an article in which a previous ByteDance employee was interviewed. In this article, the anony mous source claimed that ByteDance employees have access to user data but must go through what he called a

“data team” in China to ac cess it.

The security risk of Tik Tok is apparent in the Unit ed States Armed Forces. Lt. Col. Robin Ochoa, an army spokeswoman, told Mili tary.com the U.S. Army has banned TikTok on militaryissued phones, calling the app a “cyber threat.”

You alone should have control over your personal information. So why would it be acceptable for major cor porations to collect and sell your data to third parties?

More importantly, data breaches have been more common these past few years. Companies like Face book, LinkedIn and Yahoo have experienced breaches where user data was stolen. If such a popular app like TikTok can collect and hold information on its users, then the app is a potential target for hackers.

Carr once again calls for a ban on TikTok. America would be better off without this app and its egregious business practices of collect ing and selling your data.

These kids have received the title “iPad kid,” and can be identified as a child whose guardian has stuck a shiny, colorful and captivating elec tronic device in front of their face instead of interacting with them on a very basic level.

They are frequently spot ted in grocery stores, wait ing rooms, in strollers while their mom gets her steps in, in strollers while their dad scans the lawncare section of Home Depot or sitting in a restaurant highchair while the adults converse.

The digital age has popu larized this reality and sets a precedent that providing your toddler with a tablet is the peak of childcare. Ac cording to whattoexpect. com, a website that provides parents with information about raising children, 80 percent of kids today have access to a tablet.

What used to be a last re sort is now an immediate in stinct. From crying to count ing, an iPad is the widely accepted solution.

As a 20-year-old junior in college, I am hardly qualified to give up-and-coming par ents advice on what is best for their children. However, it does not take a seasoned parenting veteran to under stand that extended screen

Earlyeducationcentral. com reports that iPads can have some positive effects, such as increased vocabulary and mathematics skills, but the cons of screen time make these pros seem almost in significant.

The Mayo Clinic has seen excessive screen time linked to obesity, irregular sleep patterns and impaired aca demic performance, despite the vocab and math skills an iPad kid might gain. Behav ioral problems like emotion al, social and attention issues are also on the rise as tablet parenting becomes more prevalent.

When I was a kid, I spent my days outside with the oth er neighborhood kids. I was always riding my bike around the block, playing games in my friend’s backyard or the street, drawing with chalk on the driveway and, best of all, drinking water straight from the hose.

But most kids today do not have those experiences. According to childmind. org, the average American child spends a mere four to seven minutes outside daily but seven hours in front of a screen.

For Grovers who plan to get married two weeks after graduation and get pregnant two weeks after that, fill the void created by the techno logical age by prioritizing face-to-face quality time with your kids. Encourage par ticipation in outdoor games, going to parks and playing sports instead of isolated iPad time; your children will thank you later.

The ultimate anti-political sentiment

Isaac Willour Staff Writer

If you’ve been reading, skimming or briefly glancing at the titles of these columns, you may have gathered that I’m not the most politically hopeful person. The deeper I get into poli tics and the more about the industry I understand, I’ve found that pessimism often rises in a wave and subsumes the frustratingly weak ripples of optimism. I have to be hon est. Pessimism is not a great driving force to push one’s life forward.

To a point, I think this pes simism is justified and in small doses, even healthy. If you’re expecting the rote world of shifting partisan el ements to be the ray of hope that gets you out of bed in the mornings, let me imme

diately suggest that you bail on that strategy.

One of the greatest mis takes I see in political people my age is thinking that politi cal advocacy will bring us to some utopia of happiness or guaranteed positive change.

Several weeks ago, on The New York Times’ Argument podcast, I recall being told by a seemingly sincere progres sive co-guest that they work in politics out of a desire to turn America into a society guided by “radical love.”

It doesn’t surprise me.

Progressive or conservative, it’s a natural tendency of Generation-Z-age people to think that through heartfelt and outspoken advocacy we can make the communities around us inherently more moral, love-bound or equi table. That’s the romantic, hopeful case. Saying any thing else is Puddleglumesque parade raining.

The rough part? It’s true. We can’t make people less

inherently selfish. We can’t make people operate accord ing to radical love instead of self-interest. Even powerful social institutions like gov ernments — from American democracy to Monty Pytho nian anarcho-syndicalist communes — don’t change the inherent motivations of sinful humanity.

It makes sense for ideal istic 20-somethings to see the world in fundamentally transformable terms, even though some people never manage to stop seeing it that way. We can change minds and, if we’re lucky, hearts. But we will never change na ture, no matter what avenues of political power we’re will ing to go down in the quest to do so.

I’m primarily a cynic; by George Carlin’s logic, that makes me a disappointed idealist. He’s probably right. It’s stuff like this that sur prises people when they find out I’m a huge Christmas fan.

As in, Christmas-music-inOctober level Christmas fan. In lieu of entertaining mea ger protestations over this, I’m simply going to move on to the broader philosophical point at hand: I love Christ mas, but it’s really hard for me to understand.

The theology behind the Incarnation and birth of Christ has always seemed one of the most counter-in tuitive parts of Christianity for me, and I’ve finally real ized what it is. Along with not being an optimist, my natural tendency isn’t exactly one of humility. The birth of Christ — where the Almighty comes to us in human form out of love for his fallen cre ation and desire to see them reconciled to Him — is not an intuitive one for my cynical, arrogant, fallen self.

We need the Incarnation because it cuts against all our society’s worst temptations. The world of politics tells us that partisan war is the path

to peace, that freedom is found in slavery and that ig norance is electable strength. The Incarnation tells us that fighting the war for the soul is godly peace, that freedom is found in submission to the will of our Creator and that blind ignorance falters in the face of the strength of re demption in Christ.

This message cuts against the human drive to see life as a tragic game of shifting power dynamics and instead calls us to embrace the mys tery of eternal victory, won in the face of ultimate humilia tion and sacrifice.

If you don’t struggle with pessimism, maybe that’s not a controversial message. But in the world of politics, it’s the most extreme idea ever conceived.

Merry Christmas. Thanks for reading. See you next year.

KNOWYOURMEME

Stop dragging children’s purity through the mud

Ryan Young Contributing Writer

As children, our parents warned us of the potential dangers of accepting candy from strangers or wandering off in a store.

Today, our youth are be ing taught to give money to sex perform ers and sit on the laps of men disguised as women with augmented plastic breasts, revealing outfits and fake eyelashes.

The world has gone mad, and if you dare to say any thing on behalf of the pro tection of America’s youth, you’re lambasted as insensi tive, transphobic and repul sive.

The tragic cultural can cellation across our nation should not sway Christians from speaking up and stand ing up for children’s inno cence.

Children have no business being anywhere near explicit material involving sexual dancing and adult content. Despite the risks of these inappropriate activities, an increasing number of tax payer-funded public librar ies and school boards across the country continue offering Drag Queen Story Hour for children. Holiday events are being hosted where drag per formers dance and play with kids.

Several reports outline the questionable activities at these drag events and crimi nal allegations against drag performers.

In September 2019, pho tos surfaced on social media

of a drag queen named Carla Rossi as he laid on the floor as young children crawled all over him at St. John’s Li brary in Portland, Ore.

In March 2019, a group called Mass Resistance ex posed that Alberto Garza, a 32-year-old drag queen invited to Houston Public Library’s Drag Queen Story time under the name of Tati ana Mala Nina, is a child sex offender who was convicted of assaulting an eight-yearold boy in 2008.

Brice Patric Ryschon Wil liams, a drag queen who danced explicitly for chil dren, was charged with 25 counts of child pornogra phy in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Attorney Gen eral’s Office said Williams was in possession of at least

49 photos and 25 videos of naked, prepubescent boys that he downloaded between May and December 2020.

A practical and commonsense solution will protect children immediately is the implementation of back ground checks on all vol unteers, performers and visitors who enter the school grounds.

Currently, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), “Vol unteers who are responsible for the child’s welfare or who have direct volunteer contact with children at a school, meaning the care, supervi sion, guidance or control of children and routine inter action with children, are re quired to have background checks, but those who are not

responsible for a child’s wel fare or are visiting the school irregularly” do not need one.

Shockingly, the PDE lists “guest readers and chaper ones for field trips and danc es” as examples of people who are not required to have background checks.

In New York alone, over $200,000 tax dollars have been spent since 2018 on drag performances for chil dren, with many districts failing to inform parents or allow their children to be opt ed out of the activity. Worst of all, the PDE refused to say whether the drag queens had to pass any background checks but defended the pro gram as lifesaving.

While advocates of trans genderism claim that drag performers are no different

than mall Santas or clowns dressing up to entertain chil dren, the evidence and agen da tell a very different story.

Hypersexualized dancing, often explicit language and the normalization of sexual depravity have no place on the school grounds, in public libraries or anywhere where children are present. At a bare minimum, background checks need to be required immediately.

While the idea of allowing all people to freely express their beliefs and identity seems noble at first glance, the problem arises when mainstream cultural accep tance now shelters the vilest of all behavior: the abuse and exploitation of children so perverted men can explore their warped fetishes.

Cancel culture vs. Yeezus

Ben Seevers Contributing Writer

Kanye West has recently made waves over his com ments on Twitter about the Jewish people. It goes with out saying that what he said is unintelligent and wrong and should not be defended.

However, we can all ac knowledge that the conse quences of his outburst will probably result in nothing. His comments on slavery from 2018 prove this. Oc casionally, he says or does something outrageous, and everyone makes a big deal about it, but the result is nothing.

The interesting part about this is not Kanye’s comments but what happened because of them. Adidas, along with

other companies, dropped him after his remarks, and he was canceled on Twitter. However, despite all the ef forts to ruin him over his carelessness, he stands tall. Essentially, cancel culture is powerless against him.

Despite the media hurri cane, Kanye still has over 49 million monthly listeners on platforms like Spotify, mak ing him the thirteenth most listened to artist on the app. Despite taking a significant hit, his net worth stands at a whopping $500 million. Fur thermore, seemingly nothing can keep him out of the me dia. If he says or does some thing, everyone knows about it within minutes.

What is behind his ability to be un-cancelable?

Setting himself apart from previous examples of can cel culture, Kanye responds arrogantly and loudly to all

criticism meant to silence him and send him into hid ing. He does not care. Ironi cally, companies cutting ties with Kanye only make the is sue worse. If they really think that Kanye is a danger, then they would not put him in a situation where he has noth ing to lose.

As of now, Kanye West is free of his marriage and his business deals. If his critics are correct in their judgment of the danger West poses, they effectively made him more of a loose cannon than he was already.

Kanye is spitting in the face of cancel culture, and that is a good thing. In an era where misgendering people and “wrong” opinions can be the final nail in the coffin of your social life, this is exactly what we need. Don’t take my word for it; take it from former President Barack Obama.

Speaking on a podcast, he stated, “Sometimes people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells, and they want some acknowledg ment that life is messy and that all of us, at any given moment, can say things the wrong way, make mistakes.”

Are we still free to make mistakes? Obama’s words seem to suggest not. The re action to Kanye’s statements certainly affirms Obama’s claim. What makes this worse is that grace cannot be given to someone going through a rough personal situation while also dealing with men tal issues. Cancel culture is unconditionally opposed to all “unacceptable” positions regardless of the context.

Again, Kanye’s words should not be defended, but his defensive tactics should be welcomed. The weakness of the cancel culture crusad

ers is being shown for what it is, ineffective.

Ultimately, Kanye will not be canceled and he will con tinue to say stupid things, but we should look at his example and realize the hol low threats of cancel culture. Nothing the crusaders can do to you is worth stressing over. Do not be controlled by this progressive undercur rent.

Amidst this firestorm, Kanye announced his 2024 presidential campaign along side certain firebrand farright figures, opening himself up to more controversy. We will continue to hear shriek ing over what Kanye says and does, and he will con tinue not to care. We should do the same and reject the moral grandstanding that proponents of cancel culture engage in.

TEXAS SCORECARD INSIDER

‘Wakanda Forever’ hits right note

Nick Grasso Entertainment Editor

When the world was intro duced to the Black Panther in 2018, it changed for the bet ter.

Chadwick Boseman brought to life a lesser known but classic Marvel hero in a way that changed the scope of a cinematic universe. What’s more, director Ryan Coogler delivered on the promise of Marvel’s first black superhe ro in a classy, natural man ner. It was a masterclass in every way.

After Boseman’s passing and a gradual decrease in quality from Marvel Studios, my expectations for the se quel to “Black Panther” be gan to dissipate quicker than you can say “Wakanda for ever.”

I couldn’t have predicted how well Coogler would do in his second stint at the helm of a Black Panther movie considering the circumstanc

es, but to say I was pleasantly surprised by the final prod uct is putting it lightly.

After the death of King T’Challa (Boseman), Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) find themselves with a coun try to lead and a precious re source to protect from vari ous global superpowers who want to get their grimy hands all over vibranium.

Combine that with the in troduction of an underwater civilization called the Talo cans, who had secretly been sitting on a stash of their own vibranium, and the film’s plot thickens. While aiming to keep vibranium out of the hands of a world not pre pared to wield it, Wakanda must adjust to new leader ship and begin planning for a war with the Talocans. There’s a lot going on, but in a good way.

First and foremost, credit must be given to Wright, who turns in an outstanding performance as the little sis

Classic film turns 25

David Smith Staff Writer

Every once in a while, a film comes along that has the potential to change a person’s life. For me, “Good Will Hunting” is one of those films.

I can’t remember the first time I saw it, but I have en joyed it countless times since. Every time I watch the movie, it feels like I’m watch ing it for the very first time. Maybe it’s the story, maybe it’s the acting, maybe it’s the music. It’s probably all the above and so much more.

I do, however, vaguely re member asking myself how someone like Will Hunting could squander his God-giv en talents and mathematical abilities. After watching the film, and with years removed from first watching it, I’ve come to realize and accept the magnitude of holding on to resentments. It is some thing that can hold anyone back, no matter how brilliant that person is.

It is inconceivable to be lieve that “Good Will Hunt ing” is now 25 years old. Where have the years gone? So much has happened since then, and several actors who were relatively unknown at the time are now household names.

Since its release, there hasn’t been a movie quite like “Good Will Hunting,” and that might be one of the

reasons why it is so easy to revisit it year after year.

“Good Will Hunting” tells the story of a young man named Will (Matt Damon) who is a mathematical genius with a photographic memory but works as a custodian at MIT. Will spends his idle time with his friends, going to bars, getting into trivial fights and solving complex math equations that would take an average person days or weeks to solve.

One day, Will gets into a fight with a gang, specifically with a member who used to bully him, and he is arrested soon after.

Professor Lambeau (Stel lan Skarsgard) bails Will out of jail and arranges for Will to avoid jail time if he agrees to study mathematics under Lambeau’s supervision and participate in psychother apy sessions. After string ing several therapists along, he forms a bond with nononsense Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams).

Over the course of the film, we learn that even the most brilliant human beings are just like you and me. It is also apparent that even some of the most troubled people with challenging pasts can overcome their adversity and learn to accept the love they deserve.

Matt Damon started writ ing the screenplay as a final assignment for a playwrit ing class he was taking at Harvard. Years later, Damon

ter of the former Black Pan ther. Her emotional range is considerable, and several scenes depicting her rageful spirit are wholly believable and relatable. She eventually takes up the mantle of Black Panther and shines in a way that eerily salutes Boseman’s portrayal of the character.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” succeeds where past Marvel installations have failed in that it services the continuation of a massive cinematic universe while rec ognizing its place as a turn ing point in the franchise. It doesn’t sacrifice plot or writ ing, thereby avoiding the pit of forgetfulness that such movies as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Mad ness” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp” have fallen into.

Throughout the chaos and character development, the emergence of one of Marvel’s better villains flies below the radar, that is until he causes a significant death that I re fuse to mention here. Namor

debuted in the comics in the 1930s and has been kept from live-action films for all these years, but Tenoch Huerta convincingly brings him to life. We are very likely to run into Namor again thanks to Huerta’s top-tier delivery.

It was always going to be difficult to replicate the cul tural and commercial success of the original “Black Pan ther” movie, and admittedly this sequel still underwhelms compared to the great Mar vel films of old. But what could have been another cog in the machine turned out to be a seriously enjoyable film.

An applause-worthy cam eo midway through, plus two moving tributes to Bose man top off “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” with ful fillment and poise. An onbrand post credit scene paves the way for the Black Panther to return to the big screen in some form, a fact fans are sure to delight in.

Tunes from the Tower

‘The Ride’

Miles Dorst WBN Assistant Music Director

“Rock is dead” is a phrase touted by those who have lost faith in rock music.

Their claims are backed by the mindless pop and hip-hop that rule today’s charts. But Small Town Titans seems to be spark ing a revival in the rock genre. The up-and-coming band is bringing a kind of rock to the masses that is both heavy and accessible, while avoiding a hack neyed and cookie-cutter sound.

Led by the jaw-dropping voice of Phil Freeman, this group really puts the pow er in power trio, and along with bands like Rival Sons and Greta Van Fleet, these guys have what it takes to help modern rock ap peal to a younger audience without alienating older fans.

The band’s 2020 album “The Ride,” is one of the most fresh, dynamic and enjoyable albums I’ve heard in a very long time. Although I was a fan of the band before this al bum came out, it confirms Small Town Titans as my favorite group on the rise.

“The Ride” is an eclectic mix of hard rock (some of which borders on heavy metal) and mainstream rock just begging to be played on the radio.

On the one extreme are songs like “Universal Limits” and “When It All Comes Down,” which are considerably heavy. On the opposite spectrum is “9 to 5,” a song that could be played on country radio stations.

asked Ben Affleck, who also stars in the film as Will’s best friend, Chuckie Sullivan, to assist with the script.

After securing a distribu tor with Miramax, Affleck asked Kevin Smith (“Clerks” and “Chasing Amy”) to direct the film. Smith declined and said they should find a good director. Ultimately, they chose Gus Van Sant (“Drug store Cowboy”).

“Good Will Hunting” is the story of a young man’s battle with self-destruction and cowardice. Chuckie says to Will: “You’re sitting on a winning lottery ticket. It would be an insult to us if you’re still around here in 20 years.”

Will, unfortunately, doesn’t perceive his reality that way. Instead, he believes the lies that dwell in the

darkness of his past.

What makes “Good Will Hunting” such an enduring and lovable film is how it takes a predictable story and trajectory and focuses on in dividual moments. Damon shares several scenes with Williams and Minnie Driver, who plays Will’s love inter est, Skylar.

These scenes make us real ize what we ought to value in life, and that there are things in our lives that we ought to change.

The film is all about change. Accepting the past and embracing the present is the key. “Good Will Hunting” went on to win two awards at the 70th Academy Awards ceremony: Robin Williams for Best Supporting Actor, and Damon and Affleck for Best Original Screenplay.

The album is riddled with mid-tempo rockers that can’t help but make the listener nod their head or tap their foot. From the moody “The Man,” “Let Me Breathe” and “Junkie For You (Hey Mama),” to the more upbeat “Rufflin’ Feathers” and “Behind the Moon,” the delivery is var ied and fulfilling.

We are left with two oddballs: the cover of Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy” that takes the quirky pop-rock hit and slows it to a dirty, blues-y rocker, and the sprawl ing, epic-length title track that takes the listener on quite the musical journey throughout its eight-min ute runtime.

Listen to this album, and you will not be disap pointed. If you like what you hear, check out their other releases and keep your eyes peeled for their next album drop.

MARVEL STUDIOS

THE BOSTON GLOBE

Wolverines go bowling with the Devils

Emma Rossi Sports Editor

Wolverine Football defeat ed the Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Devils 31-14 in the Eastern College Athletic Conference James Lynah Bowl. The Nov. 19 match-up served as the Wol verines’ final victory of the 2022 season.

The Devils came into the bowl game with a 6-4 re cord, going 4-4 within their conference. The Wolverines boasted a 7-3 record, going 5-3 in Presidents’ Athletic Conference competition.

Senior offensive lineman and captain Vinny LePre spoke to the team’s antici pation after being given the opportunity to play in a bowl game.

“We were very excited to come and play in this bowl game and that energy showed big time. For many of the se niors, this was their last ever game so they gave it their all, and the rest of the team gave a full effort for those guys too,” he said.

The bowl game served as the last game of many Wol verines’ careers on the field.

“For me, this is the third post-season bowl win I have been a part of, and for the fifth-year seniors, this was their fourth bowl win. Knowing what football at Grove City has looked like in the past, we are grateful for the guys before us who worked to put us in a posi tion to know nothing but post-season wins,” LePre said of this season finale.

The game was a Wolver ine defensive showcase, with Grove City coming away from the win with seven quarter back sacks and two forced turnovers. The Wolverines snuffed the Devils’ offense. The visiting New Jerseyans squeaked out only 160 yards on 63 plays and finished with minus-11 rushing yards.

Half of the Wolverines’ sacks came from senior out side linebacker Ryan Flem ing. Fleming’s career-high 3.5 sacks made him the Most Valuable Player of the game

BASKETBALL

continued from 12

second-chance points. Grove City opened PAC action against Geneva on Saturday, Nov. 19 at home.

Bock led the Wolverine

and officially puts him at the top of the charts as Grove City’s career leader in quar terback sacks. Fleming is the proud contributor of 22 ca reer sacks.

In a dramatic game-ending finale, Fleming earned his fi nal career sack on the last play of the game, sealing the victory and the record.

“It feels like the perfect reward to the work I have put in and the help of all my teammates, coaches, train ers, family and friends,” Fleming said of the record. “I knew that coming to Grove City to play football was a great choice, but if you would have told me I would be at the top of the record books, I would’ve laughed and called you insane. It truly is a dream come true and a storybook ending to the season.”

Contrarily, Grove City’s run game put on quite the performance. Sophomore running back Nico Flati had a career game, earning 155 yards. His game included a personal best 69-yard rush, which set the Wolverines up for their final touchdown of

offense with a 15-point per formance. He was joined in the offensive effort by Bryan, who contributed eight points.

The Wolverines face the 5-1 Westminster Titans on the road in New Wilming ton, Pa., tomorrow, Dec. 3,

the game.

LePre spoke to junior quarterback Ayden Gutier rez’s takeover behind center after sophomore quarterback Logan Pfeuffer left the game due to injury.

“Offensively we had a great day on the ground, and the leadership shown by Ayden Gutierrez as he stepped up as quarterback, focused on the vision and rallied the team after Logan Pfeuffer went down helped us finish strong in the second half.”

The 2022 season has come to a close, but this last win sets the tone for Wolverine football going into the off season for incoming recruits and rising sophomore, junior and seniors looking ahead to the 2023 campaign.

“This was a great conclu sion for many guys’ careers today, and we are proud to have continued to set the standard of this program by not only getting into but winning in the postseason,” LePre said. “This sets the ex ample for the underclassmen and will propel us into the next season.”

at 3:30 p.m. The Titans are coming off a 72-59 victory over the 1-4 Waynesburg Yellowjackets. The game can be watched via livestream on the Grove City College athlet ics website.

Sports at a Glance News

Wolverine Athletics leads the Presidents’ Ath letic Conference (PAC) in the All-Sports trophy race for men and women after fall sports sea sons. The men earned 24 points across cross country, football and soccer. The women earned 35 points across cross country, soc cer, volleyball and tennis.

Head Men’s Soccer Coach Mike Dreves ’97 was awarded PAC Coach of the Year for the first time following the conclusion of the 2022 season.

Freshman linebacker Ben Bladel earned PAC Newcomer of the Year. Bladel finished his freshman season with 50 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.

34 Wolverines earned All-PAC recognition following the conclusion of fall sports 2022 season. Football is represented by 15 honor ees, men’s soccer by six, women’s soccer by six, women’s tennis by three and volleyball by four.

The College Sports Communicators honored 14 Wolverines for their outstanding academic performances during the fall sports seasons.

Senior forward Sam Belitz and sophomore de fender Luke Kimmich represent men’s soccer.

Junior Eloise Augustine, senior Robyn Collier and junior Anna DeGraaf earned All-District for volleyball.

Junior defender Holly Grose, junior midfielder Anna Jenkins, sophomore forward Britta Lagerquist earned recognition for women’s soccer.

Five football players were acknowledged. Senior linebacker Ryan Fleming, senior line backer Curtis Freyermuth, junior wide receiver Ryan Heckathorn and Robert Tamburrino were awarded All-District.

Results

Women’s Basketball (1-4, 1-1 PAC):

W, Geneva (95-56)

L, Saint Vincent (47-57)

W, Franciscan (88-38)

Men’s Basketball (2-4, 1-2 PAC):

L, Geneva (44-66)

L, Saint Vincent (62-73)

W, Franciscan (83-78)

Upcoming

Women’s Basketball: Dec. 3, 1:30 p.m. @ Westminster Dec. 7, 6:00 p.m. @ Bethany

Men’s Basketball: Dec. 3, 3:30 p.m. @ Westminster Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m. vs. Bethany

Men’s Track and Field: Dec. 2 @ Youngstown State Icebreaker

Women’s Track and Field: Dec. 2 @ Youngstown State Icebreaker

GRACE DAVID

Freshman running back Ian DeMeri takes it to the house in the Nov. 12 game against Thiel.

GRACE DAVID

Senior linebacker Ryan Fleming holds the sack record for Wolver ine football with 22 career sacks.

Barons bulldozed

Women take two

Emma Rossi Sports Editor

Women’s basketball is 2-1 in Presidents’ Athletic Con ference action so far in their 2022-23 campaign.

Head Coach Chelle Fuss spoke to the team’s prom ising season ahead and the faith she has in her roster prior to Wednesday’s game.

“This team has a high ceiling, and they are fight ers. They are a team that will be ready for every game and all the moments in the game. They are a team that what ever they put their minds to they will work hard to ac complish that goal. Success is not a straight line; it has a lot of ups and downs. We are on a great trajectory for this team,” Fuss said.

The Wolverines bulldozed the Franciscan Barons 8838 in their third conference game of the season. Grove City took an early lead of 200, keeping the Barons’ side of the scoreboard empty until the end of the first quarter.

Senior guard Megan Kal lock paced the Wolverine offense with a 20-point per formance. Kallock also con tributed to the defensive ef fort with three steals. She was joined in the double dig its by sophomore point guard Mara Polcynski, who added 12 to the board for the Wol verines.

The outstanding perfor mance stretched across the roster, with the Wolverines’ bench contributing 43 points to the offensive effort.

The Wolverines had 55 re bounds, scoring 17 second chance points. The domi nant Wolverine defense shut

down the Franciscan offense, forcing 38 turnovers and scoring 40 of their 88 points off these Baron blunders.

The Wolverines made their season’s conference debut against Geneva in a Satur day afternoon home game on Nov. 19, flattening the Golden Tornadoes with a fi nal score of 95-56.

The following Tuesday, Nov. 22, the Wolverines fell to the Saint Vincent Bearcats at home, ending with a 57-47 decision.

The battle with the Bearcats began with a large lead gain by Saint Vin cent. Unfortunately for the Wolverine offense, the ball

missed the hoop more than could be accounted for and Grove City couldn’t catch up.

Strong rebounding from the team earned them 14 points off 18 offensive re bounds. Junior forward Kat Goetz led the team with nine rebounds, as well as her sea son’s high 14 points. She was joined in the offensive effort by senior guard Megan Kal lock, who posted nine points.

In Team 47’s confer ence debut, the Wolverines pulled out an overwhelming 39-point victory over the vis iting Golden Tornadoes.

Grove City went 49 per cent from the field, with a trio of 13-point scorers and

an impressive offensive effort stretching across the roster.

Sophomore forward Clara Hannon, senior center Nina Cano and Kallock finished the game with 13 points. Ju nior center Katie Baller con tributed 10 points to the of fensive effort.

The Wolverines play their next game tomorrow, Dec. 3, on the road at Westmin ster College. Westminster has a 5-1 overall record and has gone 2-1 in the confer ence, losing only to the PACleading Washington and Jef ferson Presidents. The 1:30 p.m. tip-off can be watched via livestream on Grove City College’s athletics website.

Men get PAC win

Emma Rossi Sports Editor

Men’s basketball held their own against the Franciscan Barons and earned their sea son’s first conference victory with a final score of 83-78.

Eleven Wolverines con tributed to the scoreboard for Grove City. Freshman guard Daniel Penosky led Grove City’s offense with a 16-point performance. Soph omore guard Jonah Bock and sophomore guard Chase Yar berough had 14 points and 12 points, respectively.

Yarberough had himself quite the game, adding seven rebounds, two blocks and six assists on the night.

It was a good night for three pointers for the Wolverines, with Bock and Penosky going 4 for 7 from behind the line and Yarberough shooting a perfect 100 percent.

Senior forward Josh Bryan had eight rebounds, contrib uting to the team’s total of 55. The Wolverines scored 17 points with their second chances.

The team faced a rocky start in the first two games of their Presidents’ Ath letic Conference matchups. Shooting woes left the Wol verines with an 0-2 confer ence record, but Head Coach Steve Lamie ‘85 has full con

fidence in the team’s oppor tunity to improve.

“Collectively, this group works as hard as any team I’ve coached with regard to individual skills, weight training and film sessions. That’s going to pay off and it speaks to their desire to compete to our standard,” he said.

“Defensively, what we’re focusing on is reducing the number of mistakes we are making. From our first game until now we are making steady improvement,” Lamie said prior to Wednesday’s victory over Franciscan. “Of fensively, we are executing well enough to get open shots – now we need to have the confidence and fearlessness to make them.”

In last Tuesday’s loss against the Saint Vincent Bearcats, the Wolverines dropped a 73-62 decision.

Bock had a career perfor mance, scoring 23 points for the offensive effort. Bock also tallied three rebounds and two assists in his 28 minutes of court time. Yarberough contributed 10 points and three assists.

The Wolverines out rebounded their opponents 35-32. Eleven offensive re bounds earned Grove City 15

Track and field season takes off

Joel Sledd Staff Writer

Men’s and women’s track and field are returning for another indoor season to begin their 2022-23 cam paign for another Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) championship.

The 2021-22 season ended with the women’s team tak ing the season to a victori ous conclusion, scoring 113 points in a close race against Westminster in the PAC championship and earning the title. The men earned second place with only two points behind first. The 149 points scored by the men was the most they have scored for the last 13 years.

“Women got first in the PAC for both indoor and out door last spring, and men got second place by only two points. It’s exciting to be back in the running,” said Assistant Coach Brett Mc Bride ’18.

As the Wolverines move on to the next season, they wel come the incoming freshmen for the season. The recruiting for this year has successfully improved certain areas on the team. The men’s team is welcoming 34 freshmen across the program, while the women’s team welcomes 12.

“We had a pretty successful recruiting class this past year and we were able to bring in a good number, so I think they will be a big help this coming indoor and outdoor season. I think especially the men got a lot of numbers, so that will be helpful,” McBride said.

“I think sprints and hur dles have been smaller for us, but we brought in a good number of sprinters that will help us,” he said.

As the indoor season be gins, athletes are looking forward to another chance at the championship. Se nior thrower James Parenti gave his opinion on what has changed the most since last season.

“We’re going to have more of a closer team. In the past, it’s kind of been throwers and runners hanging out on their own; I think this year we’re going to be more of an actual team.”

The season will consist of seven meets, three of which are indoor. All three in door matches will be held at Youngstown State in Youngstown, Ohio. Athletes also have the chance to par ticipate in the All-Atlantic Track and Field Champion ships in New York.

“This meet is our only track meet in the fall semester. Our brunt of it is all in the spring. This is really just to get ex perience for freshmen and for the upperclassmen to get back in the swing of things,” said McBride.

“We try to keep this one a low-pressure meet for our team just as a way to get ex perience, but I am excited to see some talented freshmen and what they can do.”

The season begins Friday, Dec. 2, with the Youngstown State Icebreaker. Track and field will return on Jan. 20 at the Youngstown State Invita tional.

GRACE DAVID

Senior forward Josh Bryan goes up for a shot in Wednesday’s win over Franciscan.

MEGAN EISENTRAUT

Freshman guard Emily Garvin squares up for a shot in Wednesday’s win over the Barons.