Shield Magazine | Volume 22 | Issue 1 | WINTER 2022

SHIELD MEDIA VOLUME 22 // ISSUE 1

T H E L A N D O F O P P O R T U N I T Y

STUDENT S USE RU EXPERIENCES TO E XPAN D HORIZONS

The independent student publication of Rochester University

A LETTER from the editor

GABBY EUBANKS Editor in Chief

GOING TO COLLEGE IS VIEWED BY

Yes, the main function of college is education,

MANY AS THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY—

but don’t lose sight of the opportunities you have

a place to go to better your chances of success in

for fun experiences and deep relationships with the

life. Higher education’s purpose is to increase the

other students around you.

experience of the students who are attending,

In my own time at RU, I have been able to not

but it is up to you to truly get the most out of

only boost my resume through student leadership

that experience.

and working with Shield Media but also travel the

You may view college primarily as a way to fill your resume and to make you a more desirable

world with the GEO program and meet some of my closest friends through community events.

asset to future employers. But higher education

In this edition of Shield, you can read about

should offer you much more than that. The college

some of the opportunities offered at RU and the

experience offers the opportunity of community

stories of those who have had great experiences and

and growth in many different areas. You can enrich

made wonderful memories during their time here.

your mind while also gaining unique experiences

We hope you make the best of your time in college

and a community of friends.

and embrace all the opportunities provided to you!

MISSION statement » Shield Media is the independent student media of Rochester University.

As such, we are committed to engaging in thoughtful dialogue over issues relevant to our culture. Shield Media relates to our audience by providing them with bold stories that are intended to entertain, inform and stimulate.

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» Shield Media participates in Rochester University’s faith-based mission, and believes that, as ethically minded journalists, we have a responsibility to engage each story with open-mindedness, compassion and nuance.

» Along with Rochester University’s Department of Mass Communication, Shield Media prepares young professionals for work in media-related fields by teaching and honing their skills in writing, reporting, graphic design, broadcasting, videography and photography.

» Shield Media is a student and not a college publication.

Views expressed are diverse, and of course, do not correspond to all views of RU’s board, administration, faculty, staff, students or other constituency.

HELLO

CONTENTS 05 // 06

Let’s Game: RU adds esports team

07 // 08 // 09

RU reroutes Clinton River to save Palmer Hall

10 // 11 // 12

What’s New With RU: Student life is getting a makeover

14 // 15

Todd retires after 42 years of service

16 // 17 // 18

Warrior Wire: Overcoming challenges to achieve personal and team goals

19

Inspo

ON THE COVER The RU community gathers for a night of worship during Welcome Week in fall 2021.

Guard Elysia Mattos at the line for the Warriors against Cornerstone University.

A student helps clean up during Warriors Serve in October 2021.

GEO students gaze at the Bavarian mountains in Germany in 2020.

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THIS IS US

SHIELD MEDIA TEAM EDITORS Gabby Eubanks

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Olivia King

ONLINE EDITOR

Christian Frazier

CHIEF OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Hayley McQuade

CHIEF OF DESIGN

Paige Steele

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

Olivia Pannecouk

EVENT COORDINATOR &

CHIEF OF PROMOTIONS Jake Feldman

CONTENT ASSISTANT

Tamera Robinson

CONTENT ASSISTANT

Georgii Reshotka

ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER

Amelia Calkin

SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT

Stephen Figueroa

MULTIMEDIA MANAGER

Trenton Fagan

MULTIMEDIA ASSISTANT

TEAM MEMBERS Charles Aldrich

James Fisher

Brandon Byrd

Angel Formicola

Dylan Campbell

Jasmine Moore

Danielle Castillo

Josh Richardson

Luke Chapman

Emma Saddler

Christian Corey

James Thompson

Layla Cypher

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ADVISERS

MENTORS

Lora Hutson Darren McCullough

Elliot Jones | Photography Liz Fulton | Design

LET’S GAME: RU ADDS ESPORTS CHRISTIAN FRAZIER Chief of Photography

he Rochester University athletic department will add a competitive esports program that will start competitive play during fall 2022 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.

Christopher Ainhorn, a former assistant esports coach at Oakland University, is the Warrior’s inaugural head coach, and he is already in place at RU recruiting students for his first team.

“Since our program was announced, I have had an amazing pool of players lining up for tryouts. In terms of specifics, I have been promoting our program through various collegiate Discord channels and utilizing various esports databases,” Ainhorn said.

The Warriors will field teams in five titles: Hearthstone, League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League and Valorant; each title supports teams of three-to-six players. During WHAC play, the Warriors will compete against seven member institutions in League of Legends, Overwatch and Rocket League.

Ainhorn said his goal with adding additional competitive opportunities is to mimic the professional competitive scene.

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PHOTO BY Georgii Reshotka

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However, it’s not all fun and games for these athletes. Their training includes a mental and physical regimen with aspects that will improve their arm and hand muscles.

This will set RU apart from competitors, said Ainhorn, “In my mind, if it is good enough for the pros, why not implement it here at RU.” Ainhorn said his fiveyear plans for the program include adding a roster with 72 participants and becoming a Top 10 team nationally. He feels these goals are achievable with the support of the university administration.

WHAT IS DISCORD? W H AT

Discord is a free voice, video and text chat app that’s used by tens of millions of people ages 13+ to talk and hang out with their communities and friends.

WHO

People use Discord daily to talk about many things, ranging from art projects and family trips to homework and mental health support. It’s a home for communities of any size, but it’s most widely used by small and active groups of people who talk regularly.

WHY

FOR MORE INFORMATION

on the esports program, go to rochesteruwarriors.com or contact Coach Chris Ainhorn at cainhorn@rochesteru.edu 6 // WINTER

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The vast majority of servers are private, invite-only spaces for groups of friends and communities to stay in touch and spend time together. There are also larger, more open communities, generally centered around specific topics such as popular games like Minecraft and Fortnite.

All conversations are opt-in, so people have total control over who they interact with and the nature of their experience on Discord.

RU REROUTES CLINTON RIVER TO SAVE PALMER HALL

S A V I N G P A L M E R H A L L

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The next step was fortifying and reinforcing the new riverbanks on each side of the water. The contractors took a natural and sustainable approach.

Eric Diesing, watershed ecologist, of the Clinton River Watershed Council gave some insight on this procedure: The “use of large woody material from the site is common practice when restoring a river.”

The crew also planted grass, trees and staked in straw blankets to help the ground dry out, solidify and retain its new structure. The next action taken was sustaining the habitat of the river. Making sure the water flows in similar patterns that maintain the state of the environment, wildlife and plantlife, which was stressed by the Clinton River Watershed Council, was of high importance in this project.

The workers refined the angle of the river’s meandering points so that a natural curve existed.

They also placed large stones at the turn in the river to replace the riffle that was there previously. This stage also included the process of backfilling rocks into the riverbed and riverfloor to maintain a similar ecological balance to the ecosystem that previously existed before the movement.

Once the river was reset in its new location, the project shifted to restoring the land on RU’s campus.

With a project that large, a path of destruction remained after the river was relocated. Remaining were mud, logs, stones and an ugly cliff face that was an eyesore to the back side of campus.

There was also the issue of erosion occurring again the way it had in the past, so more had to be done to ensure the sustainability of the project.

The contractors dug a retention pond in the location of the old riverpath, and in the spring, they plan on backfilling it with stones and potentially stocking it with local fish species to avoid bacteria growth and invasive species taking over the location, according to a contractor on the project.

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ochester University had a crisis on its hands. Palmer Hall, located on the back of RU’s campus, faced a 30-foot sand wall that would eventually drop the building into the Clinton River. Something had to be done.

In a very rainy summer of 2021, Palmer Hall lost about 8 feet of land, and the safety fence placed behind the building was hanging off the edge of the cliff. The days of Palmer’s existence would be limited if action was not taken.

Rochester University acted quickly and brought a group of contractors who specialize in natural revitalization to campus. The contractors acted in accordance with Oakland County executives, the Clinton River Watershed Council, the City of Rochester Hills and Rochester University on the move, making for a large-scale project with many people involved.

RU’s Jaymes Vettraino, assistant professor of business and director of the Center for Social Engagement, ran the permits. Tom Rellinger, executive vice president and chief financial officer approved the expenditure, and on Oct. 4, 2021, the project began.

A local rental company brought in heavy equipment and the contractors moved into Barbier Hall and began rerouting the Clinton River to save Palmer. This was a multi-phased project, with phases still left to be completed in the spring.

The first phase of the process involved clearcutting the trees and bushes in the riverbank area. Roughly 250 trees were felled, and a few large trees were removed and relocated to provide structure for the new riverbanks.

Next, contractors began moving excavators into the riverbank area and digging a new channel to displace water from the current riverpath and move dirt and stone into the old river channel. The crew accomplished this task in about one day, building up the land behind the Palmer cliff where the Clinton River had previously eaten away at RU’s campus.

R

Diesing weighed in on this idea saying, “Native fish will have access to the pond from the river. Essentially it will act as an off-channel habitat. Any stocking of fish would need to be approved by the regulatory agencies.”

Finally, roughly two tons of fill dirt were brought in by the City of Rochester Hills to repurpose and restore the land behind Palmer.

The dirt was packed and smoothed, and a small team of volunteers spread straw blankets and planted grass on the ravine-side to beautify the land and make it a functional river overlook.

Sidewalks were put in, and two stone paths were created to put the final touch on the area between Palmer Hall and the RU amphitheater.

After a full two weeks of work, construction foreman David Bilderspach and the crew of restoration contractors headed back to Arkansas for the winter and asked RU to plan for the new purpose of the riverbank space.

Come Spring 2022, the team of river movers will return to RU to finish the final purposing and beautification stage of the elaborate Clinton River move project.

JAKE FELDMAN Content Assistant

PAIGE STEELE Social Media Manager

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SCOTT SAMUELS INTERIM DEAN OF STUDENTS

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ERICA SUSZEK DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUCCESS & WELL-BEING

SHIELD

EVAN GREEN DIRECTOR OF INTERCULTURAL & SPIRITUAL LIFE

BRIAN PETTY STUDENT ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR

MICHELLE GUINYARD DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY LIFE

KATELYN HARGRAVE OFFICE MANAGER

W H A T ’ S N E W WITH RU: RU STUDENT LIFE GETS A MAKEOVER

GABBY EUBANKS Editor in Chief

The “college experience” has been something many students look forward to when furthering their education. What many students may not realize is how much they are affected by the community around them and just how much the Student Life department can affect their time during their undergraduate years.

RU STUDENTS GATHER FOR AN OUTDOOR CHAPEL SERVICE

Rochester University’s Center for Student Life has undergone much change in the past year. With all the complications of the pandemic, activities look nothing like they used to.

From admissions to activities, new people and positions, RU is experiencing a complete makeover.

Scott Samuels, vice president and interim dean of students, stepped into leadership of the Center for Student Life after Dean Sharia Hayes moved to George Fox University in Oregon. Samuels said he wants to provide a new vision for the future.

“We are really looking to create a sense of belonging for students,” Samuels said. “We want them to experience what was promised when they enrolled.”

One of the main benefits of RU is its size and the close-knit community, which can create an environment of belonging.

Each member of Student Life contributes to the student experience and provides certain resources and opportunities for them.

Brian Petty, hall director and Community Programming Board manager, oversees campus programming and wants to ensure each student has a welcoming and fun experience through campus-wide events.

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Samuels helped create the new position and said, “We believed we needed someone to be a bridge between student life and academics.”

Suszek’s role goes beyond standard programming and community development by providing students with a counselor for help with academics and guidance when struggling to balance school with life problems.

Her goals for the future are to bring even more resources to the student body and to provide an environment where students “know they are heard and seen,” she said.

Her guidance is more than tutoring—she is responsible for ensuring students have a person to seek out if they are in a state of emotional or academic stress.

Samuels plans on remaining the interim dean for the rest of the academic year and is enjoying his time. “I enjoy this position because it reconnects me with students. My plate is full but I like it like that,” he said.

He also said Student Life will always strive to grow and to improve as it serves and reaches out to the RU student body.

Currently, Samuels and Victoria Dupuis, president of the student body, are working on new proposals regarding recreational possibilities on campus. These proposals include changing the open house hours for the dorms to be more accommodating to students, creating more designated spaces for studying specifically designed

for commuters, and making more utilization of Lake Norcentra Park for outdoor recreation.

Samuels believes the university has plentiful amounts of opportunities for students to get more involved so that they can get the full college experience during their time at RU, including student leader positions.

The school offers many leadership positions for students.

“Though these positions are limited, all positions are first paid which is great for any person and you get a lot of firsthand experience that can truly open doors you never even knew.

It’s truly one of the best ways to make the most out of your college experience,” Petty said.

Having all new staff may seem like a disadvantage, but the Student Life team has been taking it in stride and maintain the viewpoint that this is not a complication, but an opportunity to refocus their goals.

They are creating the environment that shapes the community for future classes of students, and they are responsible for helping students prepare for the future just as much as the teaching faculty are.

Samuels said Student Life welcomes the feedback of students. Students can complete a feedback form with any thoughts, comments, questions or concerns online at my.rochesteru. edu. Also, the office doors to Student Life are open and to students from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Campus Center building.

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try new things and find who you are,” he said. “Through my work within the residence halls and student activities, I hope to provide opportunities for every type of student at RU.” Michelle Guinyard, resident director, said, “I’d love to see us incorporate more programming with a learning aspect and address critical social topics like safe drinking practices, sexual assault prevention, race/racism, LGBT+ allyship, mental & emotional health, etc.”

This would further the level of inclusivity and belonging for all types of people at RU and expand the understanding and feeling of community within the student body.

Similarly, Evan Green, director of spiritual and Intercultural life, said, “One change that has been exciting is seeing the Student Life team become more ethnically diverse. In light of all the changes, Student Life is still committed to our core purpose of improving the student experience, student engagement and student support.”

Belonging and representation go together in a social environment and this diversifying of Student Life allows students to feel represented in positions of leadership and have more familiar areas of cultural understanding with people in authority positions.

The list of experiences and resources that Student Life provides has stretched even further this year with the addition of Erica Suszek, director of student success and wellbeing,

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Todd Retires after 42 Years of Service The star t of a new journey

fter 42 years of teaching at Rochester University, Dr. John R. Todd has now retired. In his time at RU, Todd was not the typical professor seen in most classrooms. He has been visually impaired for over 50 years, so he didn’t use screens, handouts or writing on the board.

Instead, he used his voice to teach and to recall all of the knowledge he had gained throughout his life.

His life story is dramatic to all who have yet to hear it and his journey to RU is full of surprises both good and bad.

When Todd was living in Frankfurt, Michigan, at only 17 years old, he was drafted into the U.S. military to serve in the Vietnam War. The day before he expected to be shipped out, he was accepted into flight school where he trained for one year before being stationed in Vietnam as a highly-skilled fighter pilot.

On Jan. 17, 1969, Todd’s life changed forever. “I was attacking a target and it attacked me. I was

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in the backseat shooting rockets with the co-pilot in front. I was at the bottom of the dive when I was hit. I went unconscious and I felt us pulling away,” Todd said.

After a few minutes, he returned to the base where a doctor performed emergency surgery and saved his life. After being hit in the face, Todd suffered serious hearing loss, as well as the loss of his sight.

“The faculty and administration of this university have been my biggest inspirations, and Joyce, too.”

After this event, many would think their life was over, but Todd’s story was only beginning.

While spending months in the hospital recovering, Todd remained hopeful of his future and knew that there were so many things he still wanted to accomplish. He knew that there was a plan for him.

During his time recovering,

Todd became a Christian and welcomed Jesus into his life.

Because of this, he continued to have an even stronger hope for his life.

After recovering from his injuries, Todd moved to New York City where he met the love of his life, Joyce. Todd recalled meeting Joyce for the first time and joked, “It really was a blind date!”

The couple dated for four or five months before getting married, and after a year of marriage, the Todds moved to Washington D.C. to attend law school at Georgetown University.

While living in Washington D.C., Todd worked to improve the lives of veterans struggling after the Vietnam War. He constructed the Veterans’ Disability Compensation and Survivors’ Benefits Act of 1978 that would help change the lives of widows and orphans of veterans killed in action. As the legislative director for the consolidated group of veterans, he spent a year and a half writing, lobbying and testifying in Congress to get the bill passed.

Todd first came to Rochester University in 1979 when it was still named Michigan Christian College. There he

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ABOVE RIGHT Todd during his military service.

BOTTOM RIGHT Todd and wife Joyce accept the J. Robert & Mary Utley Philanthropist award.

developed a passion for teaching and growing the community.

Although Todd did not always imagine himself becoming a teacher, it is clear to everyone around him that he truly loves what he does.

Todd has also dedicated many years of his life to the Rochester University community, so it is only fitting that he was awarded the Most Outstanding Professor Award, presented by the faculty and staff of RU. Todd explained that this is one of his most favorite awards he received. “The

faculty and administration of this university have been my biggest inspirations, and Joyce, too,” Todd said.

Todd and his wife were presented with RU’s J. Robert & Mary Utley Philanthropist of the Year award in 2021 in recognition of their dedication to Rochester University over the years.

In addition to their support of RU, the Todds have served in their local church and supported missionaries and mission work.

Todd has received multiple awards for his service, including

the Purple Heart, National Distinguished Veteran of the Year, and the Albert Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award from Who’s Who in America.

The RU community will miss Todd’s presence around campus. His legacy and love for this community will not be forgotten. All of us wish him happiness in his retirement!

LAYLA CYPHER SOPHOMORE MASS COMMUNICATION SHIELDMEDIA.ORG // 15

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES TO

NATALIE

KUTZLI Wa r r i o r W i re

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ACHIEVE PERSONAL AND TEAM GOALS

T

Natalie Kutzli

is a health science: pre-physical therapy major from Hudsonville, Michigan. She is a pentathlete specializing in discus. Here is her story:

hroughout my many years as a student athlete, I have experienced both good times and bad, yet through it all, discipline, focus, determination and faith have brought me to where I am today.

I came from a big high school near Grand Rapids named Hudsonville. At that school, they had all the facilities you could imagine—a new track, three shot circles, two discus circles, pole vault pits, a high jump mat, four long jump pits and a brand new weight room. The list could go on.

Much different from Rochester University where I run on a middle school track and throw in a parking lot. The point of me telling you this was not to talk poorly about Rochester University or the opportunity that I am so grateful for but to tell you that you too can persevere and accomplish your dreams with minimal facilities or equipment.

I knew what I was getting into when I signed for RU. My dream of becoming a Division I athlete was gone. It turned into me wanting to be a part of something greater than myself, to show the state that RU’s track team wasn’t going to be quiet anymore and is a force to be reckoned with.

On this track team, I am not just another body. The most amazing, beautiful part of it is that I am not alone. Every one of us on the track team share that goal, that bond, and that is what makes us stand out from the rest of the schools. This is why I chose and love RU. Throughout my two and a half years here, I have accomplished many things with minimal resources.

In my freshman year, I placed eighth in the 2019 indoor conference for the weight throw, even though my first time touching a weight was in fall 2019. My spring season was cut short due to COVID, so I was not able to accomplish my freshman goal of breaking the school discus record.

I was more determined than ever to accomplish my goals. During that quarantine, I trained like mad.

My sophomore season approached quickly. This was the year I started trying other events.

My first time ever doing long jump in college was at a track meet, believe it or not. I had not

“ practiced, and I broke the school record, which was apparently one of the oldest school records at RU! At the indoor conference of 2020, I placed eighth in weight again. In the first meet of the outdoor season, I broke the school record in discus, but I wanted more. I kept training, it didn’t matter the weather conditions or how tired I was.

My four-word mantra repeated in my head, discipline, focus, determination, faith.

With the outdoor conference approaching quickly, I continued to push my body to its limits, signing up for things the team needed. I was always pushing for the ultimate goal of being a part of something bigger than myself. I ended up placing sixth in the conference for discus. Not what I wanted, but it didn’t matter the number I placed, I knew I had improved dramatically with each throw, even if my place in the conference did not prove it.

It was the fact that every throw was farther than the last. Each time I let the disc go, I felt it fly farther, higher, faster, stronger. Yet I went out of the sector. I am not going to blame my performance on the constant downpour of rain for over five hours, or the fact that the discus ring was as slick as ice. I used this experience as motivation—to stay hungry and to never give up my ultimate dream. To make RU’s voice heard.

I ended my sophomore year as team MVP; I received RU’s Athlete of the Year award in 2021; and I was nominated for outdoor team captain.

This year I am participating in the pentathlon, which consists of the 60m hurdles, 800m run, long jump, high jump and shot put. I am more excited than ever to let the conference know what RU is all about and what we stand for. Go Warriors!

It turned into me wanting to be a part of something greater than myself.”

“In the middle of difficult y llies oppor tunit y.”

Albert Einstein

THE EVENTS WE’LL REMEMBER THE PEOPLE WE’LL NEVER FORGET THE STORIES WE’LL RETELL

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