10/4/19 Digital Edition

the rocket

Friday October 4, 2019 • Volume 103, Issue Number 2 • An Independent, Student-Run Newspaper

www.theonlinerocket.com

SGA town hall turns political President Behre addresses future plans for SRU

By Hannah Shumsky Editor-In-Chief

Student networking opportunity at Media Hall of Fame

By Haley Potter

The Slippery Rock Student Government Association (SGA) hosted its first town hall to give the SRU community a chance to ask President William Behre about any concerns on campus.

With about 40 students, administrators and faculty members in attendance, Behre addressed questions concerning tuition, graduate student involvement and other general improvements to the SRU community.

This academic year, there were no increases to tuition or fees at SRU. Behre was quick to note that this wouldn't be sustainable for next year, as SRU started with $1 million "in the hole" at the beginning of this year.

Senior Rocket Contributor

The annual Media Hall of Fame, an event aimed to give communication students the opportunity to network with industry professionals, will be taking place during homecoming weekend. The event kicks off with two media symposiums at both noon and 1 p.m. in the Smith Student Center Theater on Friday, Oct. 11.

Dr. Brittany Fleming, Assistant Professor of Communication and one of the people planning the event, said she has been working with Jim Aronson to plan this event for the past three years.

“It’s a great event that the Communication Department works with a group of alumni from the department every year to bring a series of panels and a Media Hall of Fame event dinner at the conclusion of the day,” Fleming said.

SEE PLANS PAGE A-5

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

SGA President Nicole Dunlop speaks to the audience at this semester's first of two SGA town hall meetings. Dunlop is hopeful for the development of future SGA town halls, but realizes that there is room for improvement.

SEE DINNER PAGE A-2

The Rock and the Hawk Rivals on and off the field prepare to continue history

By Karl Ludwig Sports Editor

The Slippery Rock University football team has played Indiana University (Pa.) many times over the course of its 121-year history—93 times, in fact. A few dates in recent memory stand out, but one of them is still whispered about today.

Nov. 9, 2002.

IUP played SRU at the then N. Kerr Thompson Stadium in a contest with conference and national implications. A win clinched IUP the PSACWest title and a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs while SRU still held onto a shred of hope for a division title.

A tightly contested game came down to the wire, and the Crimson Hawks walked off with a 34-28 overtime win to clinch the title.

However, the result of the game paled in comparison to the aftermath—at least to SRU.

News

A long time coming

"The game went into overtime and unfortunately, we lost," former SRU head coach George Mihalik said.

"They scored down on the scoreboard end, and you could tell as soon as they scored—it definitely looked predetermined—they ran the length of the field to go stand on ‘The Rock’. Our players saw that, and our intent was that nobody stands on our rock."

In the postgame celebration, Crimson Hawk players rushed the ceremonial Rock and pushed past Rock ROTC cadets, who were stationed there to prevent the very same event, and a fight broke out.

The fight between Crimson Hawk players, Rock players and Rock cadets led to nine suspensions, five IUP and four SRU players, but ultimately served to heighten the greatest rivalry in the PSAC. Mihalik, who is known as Dr. Evil in Indiana, the only A-2

name he will call IUP, was not upset with his players for jumping into the scrum.

In fact, he reiterated that his players did exactly what they needed to do.

"It was a matter of defending your school’s symbol, your school’s pride, your school’s honor and it was an unfortunate situation that that occurred," Mihalik said. "It’s sad that it wasn’t controlled from the other side."

However, the brawl on The Rock did not ignite the rivalry, according to Mihalik it was only a continuation of controversial games over the past decade.

Mihalik pointed to a game in the early 1990s where IUP was holding a sizeable lead over SRU late in the fourth quarter. On a fourth down, the Crimson Hawks ran a fake punt that was converted and scored on. Mihalik emphasized that the play was completely

Opinion

Potter gives her advice

B-2

unnecessary with the score already decided.

That game was just one in a series of games throughout the 90s and early 2000s.

"There was another situation in the late 90s where we were accused of running up the score at their place on their homecoming," Mihalik said.

"Folks forgot about the fake punt, but they remembered that. It’s just been ongoing." itter feelings Despite the bitter between the two schools, mit Mihalik did admit the strong tradition a r o u n d Indiana athletics is something to be admired.

But he stopped there. ng "You were hoping I had something else to say,” Mihalikk said, laughing loudly.

SEE GREATEST PAGE C-2

Sports

600 and counting

C-3

Campus Life

Art and the Badlands

D-3

N

Watch WSRUTV's story about the Media Hall of Fame events

NEWS

A long time coming Strain Safety Building celebrates grand reopening ALLISON DOWNS / THE ROCKET

(From left to right) Safety Management Professor Dr. Joseph Cali, Professor Emeritus of safety management Dr. George Mihalik, President William Behre,and Council of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Smith cut the ribbon at the new MSA Construction Lab, Room 113-113A, to celebrate the offical reopening of the Strain Safety Building.

By Allison Downs News Editor

By Nina Cipriani Assistant News Editor

On Sept. 27, SRU President William Behre and the Council of Trustees officially reopened the Strain Safety Building in a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ceremony was held in the new MSA Construction Lab as a celebratory “closing” to the $7.5 million renovations.

The updates and renovations to the Strain Safety Building include faculty offices, student study spaces, ROTC student lounge, student art gallery, construction and general industry safety labs, improved industrial hygiene and emergency preparedness labs, fire safety labs and updated classrooms.

This grand reopening ceremony came after construction and renovation delays due to issues with contractors, according to Dr. Joseph Cali, Safety Management Chair and Professor.

The renovations were originally set to be complete in July 2018, but the building didn’t reopen to students and faculty until February of this year.

Because of the construction projects, classes in the safety management program were relocated to Patterson Hall and Eisenberg Classroom building.

Students and faculty are excited to finally be back in the building, and they are grateful for the new technology and equipment.

“They use the equipment here, and they go out in the field and have the same equipment out there,” Cali said. “They will then know

how to use it. It is based on hands-on learning, and that’s what’s key.”

In August 1978, Professor Emeritus of Safety Management George Mihalik was hired at SRU as a faculty member with a desire to develop a bachelor of science program with safety. With numerous revisions and curriculum updates, the state system of higher education approved the program. The first graduating class was May 1982, which consisted of only three students.

Mihalik said the dream of that time was someday to have their own building, and that dream has indeed come true.

“From those first three brave pioneering students to today’s nearly 500 majors in this program, the foundation of this program has always been the quality and excellence of our students,”

Mihalik said.

Pre s i d e n t D a m o n Morris and Vice President Nick Ravotti of SRU’s chapter for the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), both senior safety management majors, are grateful to be gaining valuable, handson experience before they graduate and enter the workforce.

“I know a lot of alumni who graduated recently who would have loved to use this equipment and gain the hands-on experience and technical knowledge,” Morris said.

“Now this next wave of safety students will be able to go into their first jobs having this technical and hands-on experience.”

Ravotti said his father graduated from SRU’s safety management program back in 1994, and he worked tirelessly after graduating to

gain the hands-on technical experience that current and future safety students will earn with the new equipment. Ravotti added that he and other safety management students will be “starting on the right foot” at their first jobs after graduation.

“What we’re getting is so much more than just safety equipment and technology; it’s a lifetime of education and experience for future safety professionals,” Ravotti said. “We prefer to learn in a hands-on environment, so all of this new equipment is going to teach us better than any textbook ever could.”

Many local safety companies like MSA Safety, 70E Solutions, West Penn Power and FirstEnergy donated and contributed to the renovations and addition of the many new safety labs.

“It is through investments and partnerships with organizations like Slippery Rock University that allow us to grow,” Ken Krause, Chief Financial Officer at MSA Safety and SRU alumnus, said. “We’re excited to be here, to continue to partner with one of the premier safety management programs in the country.”

Manager of External Affairs at FirstEnergy and SRU alumnus Robi Lombardo said the growth and changes that have been made since he graduated in 1995 are for the better, and that he’s excited to see what else SRU will do in the future.

“This is not the Rock that I went to 25 years ago,” Lombardo said. “Everyone here should be very excited to be a part of Slippery Rock University’s evolution. The future is looking bright.”

Networking over dinner Students are encouraged to attend the Media Hall of Fame CONTINUED FROM PAGE A-1 be able to attend during

She said that the symposium is a great way for students to pick the brains of industry professionals.

“We will have a panel of alum ranging from Mo r ga n Ko ziar who graduated a few years ago to alum that have gone on to do amazing things in the industry,” Fleming said.

She also said the panelists will be speaking to students about what the industry and job market is like and what skills they are expected to have.

She said both symposiums will be very similar but that having them at two separate times allows more students to

times that are convenient for them.

The Hall of Fame awards dinner will begin at 6 p.m. in the Smith Student Center ballroom.

Fleming said that several people will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year including two recent graduates, Logan Snyder and Tom Fabian. They will be receiving the Undergraduate Award of Excellence.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to meet with alum and find out how they got to be where they are,” Fleming said.

She said these types of connections can also lead to jobs and internship opportunities. She said this is a very inclusive and

intimate event and that all students are welcome to attend. “ Yo u re a l l y g e t t o talk one-on-one with these people which i s great for students,” Fleming said.

She encourages all students to come out the Friday of homecoming for this event.

“The dinner leads right up to the pep rally, so we all go over to the pep rally together,” Fleming said.

“One of our reporters will be featured in the pep rally as she was the homecoming queen last year, so we will be there for that after the dinner.”

She encourages everyone to come out and celebrate SRU, the Communication Department, and the media industry.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WRSU-TV

Students and faculty attend the Media Hall of Fame dinner in the Smith Student Center Ballroom. This year's event takes place on Oct. 11.

NEWS

October 4, 2019

A-3

APSCUF's involvement

How the faculty union played a part in SRU's recent award

By Haley Potter Senior Rocket Contributor

Slippery Rock University recently earned a great distinction in six different areas as a “Great College to Work For.” Five out of the six areas in which SRU earned distinction are part of the APSCUF collective bargaining agreement.

Jason Hilton, the vice president of APSCUF at SRU, said that he is proud to work for a university where the senior management and the union can work so well together. He said the faculty members seem genuinely happy to work at SRU and that they feel inspired by their students.

“When you look at SRU’s awards, five of them are related to our collective bargaining agreement,” Hilton said. “That means that these achievements are based on things that PASSHE, the state and APSCUF actually agree on.”

He said that one of those categories is “Compensation and Benefits,” while another is the “Tenure Clarity and Process.”

“APSCUF works really hard with the state in order to negotiate those items,” Hilton said.

Hilton said that the thing that sets Slippery Rock University apart c o m p a re d t o o t h e r institutions in PASSHE is the working relationship that SRU has with the senior administration.

“The shared governance approach that we have contributes to a lot of things like ‘Collaborative G ov e r n a n c e ,’ w h i c h is a category we got recognized for,” Hilton said. “The faculty and senior administration work together on that, and the ‘Professional and Career Development Programs’ are also developed in conjunction.”

Hilton said that another category that SRU was recognized for was the “Teaching Environment” acknowledgement and that it too was an effort that APSCUF and the senior administration worked on together. He said the teaching environment is the push for high quality

GRAPHIC BY ALLISON DOWNS

teaching practices in the classrooms, and it is something they all agree on.

“The nice thing is that these two groups have worked together for years, from our last president and this president,” Hilton said.

“President Behre continues the shared governance process.”

Hilton said that the way APSCUF negotiates with the state really underpins the factors for receiving this award.

“I wanted to make sure APSCUF was also acknowledged for the role we play in the shared governance model in earning an achievement like that,” Hilton said.

“It is unique in a college

setting for the union and management to be on the same side. The fact that we work so well together and have for so long is the formula that goes into us receiving these recognitions.”

Preventing hazing at The Rock The task force partnered with live-tech to create an online module

By Haley Potter Senior Rocket Contributor

SRU’s hazing prevention task force partnered with live-tech to create a hazing prevention 101 module for students to take online. The training is free and only takes about 45 minutes, according to Dr. Brian Crow, who sits on the task force and is the chairperson for the department of sport management.

The hazing prevention task force started in the fall of 2017, and Crow said even though hazing isn’t as big of an issue at SRU as it is at some places, the death of Timothy Piazza really encouraged SRU to take the precautionary steps to prevent hazing.

“We do not want anything as dangerous or

damaging to happen on our campus,” Crow said.

Crow said SRU had a lot of good policies in place to begin with when it comes to hazing.

“We wanted to make sure that awareness and education was consistent across all groups,” Crow said. “We got people from athletics, the marching band, Greek life, and other organizations on campus in order to create awareness in education training.”

Several student organizations on campus were required to take the online training module.

Jared Armstrong, a senior basketball player, said the training made their team aware of what to do if they witness hazing.

“It gave us precautions on how we should take it

"We don't want anything as dangerous or damaging happening on our campus."

– Dr. Brian Crow, hazing prevention task force member

if we see it on campus or what we should do if we know someone that did it,” Armstrong said.

He also mentioned that as a leader on the team, he would tell his coach if he witnessed any hazing.

Bryce Gabler, a junior member of the Psi Kappa Phi fraternity, said that if he saw hazing on campus that he would report it to the Interfraternity Council office in the student center suite.

“There is absolutely no hazing in our fraternity,” Gabler said. “We have a six week program of training for all of our new members so that they know everything they need to know about hazing and how to prevent it.”

Gabler also said that many of his fraternity brothers have taken

the online module in addition to the training within the fraternity.

Lacey Grassmyer, a senior member of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, said she has not seen any hazing in sororities but is aware of it happening in other organizations on campus.

“I think that this new program will help,” she said. “For us, we have an outlet source so that if our girls aren’t comfortable talking to us, they have higher up sources that are completely anonymous so that nobody has to feel uncomfortable.”

Crow said that the biggest misconception is that hazing only happens in Greek life.

“We have had several organizations and club sports that have been banned for up to five years

because of hazing, and this is not just an issue for Greek life students,” Crow said.

Samantha Kochis, a junior music education major who is also in SGA and was previously in the marching band, said that the band has had a history of hazing issues.

“It is important to not mix up tradition with hazing,” Kochis said.

“People need to look past tradition and see that a change needs to happen rather than saying that this is the way we have always done it.”

Kochis has not yet taken the online hazing prevention module but said that she thinks all members of SGA should be required to do so.

Students can take the module by following the link in D2L.

HALEY POTTER / WRSU-TV NEWS

Dr. Brian Crow, hazing prevention task force member and chair of sports management program, sits at his computer and shows reporter Haley Potter the new online 101 hazing prevention course. The task force was created in response to the death of Penn State University student and Beta Theta Pi fraternity member Timothy Piazza.

NEWS

A-4

October 4, 2019

POLICE BLOTTER September 26 - Police received a fire alarm activation at the ROCK apartments. Safety was notified and the cause of the activation is unknown.

earlier call. Ambulance was dispatched, and they took the person to the hospital. Taylor Pasciolla, 18, was cited with an alcohol violation.

September 26 - Police received an intruder alarm at Ski Lodge. Staff member called police and stated that they set off the alarm accidentally.

September 28 - Police received a pull station alarm in ROCK apartment seven. The reason why someone pulled alarm is unknown. This case is still under investigation for false alarm/ tampering with fire apparatuses. Annalise Modrick, 18, was cited with disorderly conduct.

September 27 - Police received multiple trouble alarms in Carruth Rizza Hall. Safety was notified and stated it was due to the high humidity and/ or heat in the area. Police attempted to reset alarm, but the system continually went back into alarm mode.

September 27 - Police received and responded to a fire alarm in Weisenfluh Dining Hall.

Police checked area and the cause was an oven, according to safety. The building was evacuated because of the alarm. Panel was reset, and the occupants of the building returned.

September 27 - Police received and responded to two fire alarms at the McKay Building. The cause of the alarms are unknown.

September 27 - Police were called about a crash on Harmony Road at Branchton. Police arrived until Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) took over the crash report.

September 27 - Police received a call from a person who stated an unknown vehicle hit their vehicle in Stadium C lot. Case is still under investigation.

September 27 - Police received a call for an alcohol violation in Building E. Alexandra Buchler, 18, Erin Collins, 18, Tiffany Conrad, 18, Joshua Connelly, 18, Carly Davis, 18, Alyssa Minguillon, 19, Alexis Schank, 18, and Ian Smith, 20, were cited with alcohol violations.

September 27 - Police received a call for an alcohol violation in Building A. A juvenile, 17, Lexis Hatzinikolas, 18, Hannah Mcginnis, 18, Ashley Panetta, 18, Joshua Peters, 18, Lexi Vinski, 18, and Ivy Zirnsak, 18, were cited with alcohol violations.

September 28 - Police received a call for an alcohol violation in Building E. Caleb Harskowitch, 19, John Kito, 18, and Aaron Rodgers, 18, were cited with alcohol violations.

One person was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

September 28 - Police noticed a person vomiting outside of a building on Rock Pride Drive while waiting for an ambulance for an

September 28 - Police received a call from a Community Adviser (CA) in Building F for marijuana. Police confiscated drug paraphernalia. Kaylee Johnson, 18, was cited with drug possession.

September 28 - Police received a call from a CA in Building F for marijuana. Cullen Bickham, 19, was cited with drug violation.

September 28 - Kaylee Johnson, 18, Morgan Seles, 18 and Samantha Torek, 18, were cited with alcohol violations.

September 29 - Police were called by borough police for assistance on a domestic on Kelly Boulevard. Police checked area, and they were unable to locate anything.

September 29 - Police conducted a traffic stop.

Alexander Murphy, 18, was cited with an alcohol violation. Charges are pending for DUI upon toxicology report.

September 29 - Police received a call from a CA in Building D for an alcohol violation. Josselyn Fester, 19, was cited.

September 29 - Robert Greer, 18, was cited with a DUI. September 30 - Police received a panic alarm in the SGA Bookstore. Safety was notified, and the reason of activation is unknown. It appeared to be a malfunction.

September 30 - Police received a complaint of damage to two message boards in an Eisenberg classroom. Report was taken and case is still under investigation.

September 30 - Police received a call from a concerned parent that had not been able to contact their child in a few days. Officers contacted person at Boozel Dining Hall and the individual was OK. Parent was notified.

October 1 - Police received a call of a bee's nest, or wasp nest, or something of the sort on a sidewalk in the Quad between the Physical Therapy and Vincent Science Center buildings.

9 No security deposits!

9 4 different locations - South Rock Apts. on Keister Road or South Rock Drive, Stone Crest Apts., & Main Street Apts.

9 2, 3 or 4 bedroom floor-plans 9 Over 180 apartments to choose from 9 Cable, internet, water, & trash included 9 Stove, microwave, dishwasher, disposal, fridge, washer & dyer included at South Rock & Stone Crest locations 9 NEW! On-site laundry facilities at Main St. location – NO COINS NEEDED! 9 Sofa, love seat, coffee & end tables, TV stand, twin or full size beds, dresser, desk, & night stand included 9 NEW! Bedroom furniture at South Rock!

9 24-hour emergency maintenance 9 Professional on-site management 9 Close proximity to SRU campus 9 Direct-wired smoke detectors 9 Fire extinguishers in each unit 9 Access to Clubhouse 9 Handicap apartments available 9 On-site parking 9 Close to SGA bus stop

Caller states that there was still some swarming around. Maintenance was notified and responded to location.

October 1 - Todd Ussack, 52, was cited with theft.

October 2 - Police received complaint of a motor vehicle parked in the Kraus Hall Parking lot with the lights on and loud music playing, causing a disturbance. Officer arrived at scene, checked area, and vehicle was gone upon arrival.

No further police action was taken.

October 2 - Police received a call from a CA in Rhoads Hall that stated there was an odor of marijuana coming from a dorm room. Officer on scene spoke with person. Officers found numerous drugs, and charges are pending.

October 2 - Police received a call of a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Kiester and South Main Street. Upon officer's arrival, both vehicles were moved to the side of the road. Officer spoke with both drivers who stated they were not injured. PSP was notified, and they took over the investigation.

October 2 - Police received a call from security company stating there was an intruder alarm activation in Weisenfluh Dining Hall. Officer on scene said all was OK. Dispatch advised security company of the malfunction.

October 2 - Police responded for a panic alarm activation in Rhoads Hall. Responding officer spoke to all staff personnel, and no one set off the alarm. Safety was notified of the malfunction.

October 2 - Police received a call of a motor vehicle accident on Campus Drive. Officer on scene spoke with both drivers. No injuries reported and both vehicles were drivable. It was a non-reportable accident. Both parties exchanged information.

October 2 - Police dispatch received a call from the Health Center nurse requesting that an ambulance be dispatched for an individual that needed medical attention. Dispatcher called Butler 911 and an ambulance was dispatched to transport person to an unknown medical facility.

COMPILED BY NINA CIPRIANI

NEWS

October 4, 2019

A-5

Searching for an advocate The Women's and Pride Center seeks a new assistant director

By Allison Downs News Editor

Several candidates for the open assistant director position for the Women’s and Pride Center have presented their visions and ideas during open sessions with faculty, staff and students.

K e v i n Mc C a r t h y, Chair of the search committee, said there are four important qualities the committee is looking for in the ideal candidate: studentfocused, experienced in one or both “issue areas” that the Women’s and Pride Center would handle, understanding of diversity and inclusion, and leadership potential. “ This is such an important role on c a m p u s ,” Mc C a r t h y said. “We’re looking for

somebody who can help shape the vision of what these centers will look like in the future.”

The hiring process for the position is simple but in-depth. The position was posted on SRU's website and other higher education job sites in early July, and the search committee began screening applicants soon after. McCarthy said applicants who the search committee feels have the most potential were invited for phone interiews and on-campus interviews. Candidates also attended lunch with student workers from the Women’s Center and presented their goals and plans for SRU during open sessions.

During the opensession presentations, candidates were asked to describe the strategies and

programming they would use to address what they see as the top issues facing women and LGBTQ+ students in colleges and universities.

Dr. Ashleigh Bingham, a graduate assistant to the Women’s and Gender Studies program at Ball State University and one of the candidates, said she focuses on three principles in her work: invitation, investment and collaboration. These principles are the base of Bingham’s ideas for SRU: inviting queeridentifying professionals for networking events to share their experiences, investing in student-run recurring events like a monthly “Lavender Lounge,” a safe space for queer women of color where they can discuss their experiences, and collaborating with other

"This is such an important role on campus."

– Kevin McCarthy, Chair of Women's and Pride Center search committee organizations for largescale, campus-wide events.

Bingham was among five candidates brought

to campus, and those five candidates were among a large, competitive applicant pool. McCarthy said the search committee saw applications from across the country with a large variety of experiences within and outside of higher education. He added that the candidates who were brought to SRU were incredible and that a few have really stood out.

McCarthy has been encouraged by the participation and support from the SRU community.

Students, faculty and staff from a variety of departments and offices have all attended open sessions, and everyone has asked each candidate great, thought-provoking questions and provided greatly detailed feedback.

He added that these different perspectives from

everyone who attended open sessions help the search committee validate their candidate selections.

"These people are taking time out of their busy schedules to come see a potential colleague or adviser," McCarthy said. "They have a vested interest in making sure this position sees a really vibrant, excellent candidate."

After reviewing interviews and collecting feedback from students and others who attended the open-session presentations, the search committee will compile a list of the most qualified candidates for the hiring manager. While it’s unknown when the position will be filled, McCarthy said it’s likely that the position will be filled soon.

Behre plans for improvement

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A-1 more, which means that if

For next year, Behre said that there will be a proposed tuition increase, although he didn't specifically state what the increase would be. " We ' re g o i n g t o propose a tuition increase, nothing crazy, but a few percentage points, and we're going to dedicate a portion of that tuition increase to go back into financial aid," Behre said.

"One of the intriguing things on our campus right now is that the only demographic that's growing is students whose families make $100,000 or

we are a state-supported institution that's supposed to be here to serve folks who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to go to college, we're starting to shrink that actual demographic."

Behre also said that the financial health of SRU's sister schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) may impact how SRU functions in the future.

"Because we are linked to the other schools, we have to help them figure out how to become more financially viable and more

financially resilient because as my boss, the chancellor, likes to say, we all have one single checking account," Behre said.

Tabea Ohle, SGA graduate senator, asked about the possibility to better engage graduate students who attend the Harrisville or Cranberry locations on SRU's main campus. Ohle, who mainly attends the Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry while pursuing a master's in business administration, mentioned that there is a lack of communication between administration and graduate students.

"We don't have the communication that would offer us to still be kind of involved," Ohle said.

Currently, there are no scheduled stops on SGA's Happy Bus route for the Harrisville or Cranberry locations. The shuttle system costs SGA $300,000 to operate.

Ohle also mentioned that certain graduate students don't have access to the student health center and Aebersold Recreation Center. According to a representation from student accounts, this is true in the case of graduate students who

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

President William Behre speaks to the audience at this semester's first of two SGA town hall meetings. Behre addresses how tuition increases means more need-based financial aid options, how the university can better include graduate students on campus, the political atmosphere on campus and the student mental health crisis.

are studying exclusively at Harrisville or Cranberry.

Behre suggested working to support the sub groups of graduate students in order to support graduate students who are highly involved or more "transactional."

Matt Lerman, parliamentarian of SGA, mentioned that while there are graduate senators in SGA, graduate students don't have a specific dean or school of graduate studies.

Behre said that he had mixed feelings on if a graduate students should graduate from a school that represents their academics or from a school of graduate studies.

"I hear the point about needing a graduate school advocate," Behre said. "I don't think that you need a dean. I don't know the answer to that."

Ian Coates, president of the College Republicans, asked about how to fix the polarization of politics on campus. Behre commended the College Republicans and Young Progressives for "putting democracy above party" by helping 35 students register to vote at an event on Tuesday.

Behre also warned that care must go into having these political discussions, specifically stating that Kaitlin Bennett's role in the campus carry rally in April was more of "a distraction than a help."

"When we're trying to get a headline or win an argument, we're not trying to progress a conversation," Behre said.

"I think the more we can work to model that across all groups, the better, and I think the co-sponsorship of events... is useful."

Be h re m e n t i o n e d that an upcoming SRU Performing Arts and Lecture event, "Crossing the Political Divide with Donna Brazile and Ana Navarro" on Nov. 19 will address this topic.

In response to a question concerning SRU's biggest challenges this year, Behre called the campus community cordial, yet segmented.

"What we need to do is help break down the walls between those segments, and I think that will help us become a stronger community, it will help us become a richer community, and it will also help us sustain students who can't figure out where their segment is," Behre said.

"When we're trying to get a headline or win an argument, we're not trying to progress a conversation."

– William Behre, President of SRU One of the final topics of the night focused on student mental health and accessibility of the counseling center. The counseling center works on an 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. schedule on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and a 10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. schedule on Mondays and Tuesdays. The studentsubmitted question also stated that the location of the counseling center was not listed online.

While Behre was unaware of the website issue, he said that students may prioritize other events over going to the counseling center. Last year, 24 percent of the counseling center's appointments were cancelled or no shows.

"The issue that we are facing, in my opinion, is creating a culture in which students are more likely to engage in their mental health hygiene in the same way they engage in their physical hygiene," Behre said.

Behre added that the university added three job positions, including two in the counseling center, to help support students.

Nicole Dunlop, SGA president, said that the town hall went well and that SGA will develop specific plans to address the topics discussed at the town hall.

"I think students were able to have their voice heard, but I also think that there's definitely places to improve," Dunlop said.

The next SGA town hall will be on Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. in the Smith Student Center Theater. This event will feature a panel of guests to answer questions about mental health and self care.

O

OPINION

Our View

OPINION

Volume 103, Issue Number 2

220 Eisenberg Classroom Building Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania 16057 Phone: Fax: E-mail:

(724) 738-4438 (724) 738-4896 therocketnewspapersru@gmail.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Hannah Shumsky

Editor-In-Chief

Allison Downs

News Editor

Karl Ludwig

Sports Editor

Hope Hoehler

Campus Life Editor

Lesa Bressanelli

Copy/Web Editor

Keegan Beard

Photo Editor

Aaron Marrie

Multimedia Editor

Nina Cipriani

Assistant News Editor

Zack Bonnette

Assistant Sports Editor

Brendan Howe

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Sam Shiel

Assistant Copy/Web Editor

Hannah Slope

Assistant Photo Editor

Dr. Brittany Fleming

Faculty Adviser

ADVERTISING STAFF Nicole Tolliver Emily Heyn

Advertising Manager Assistant Advertising Manager

ABOUT US The Rocket is published by the students of Slippery Rock University five times per academic semester. Total weekly circulation is 2,000. No material appearing in The Rocket may be reprinted without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief.

The Rocket receives funding from the SGA Student Activity fee paid each semester by students. All other income is provided through the sale of advertising.

Advertising inquiries may be made by calling (724) 738-2643 or by emailing rocket.ads@sru.edu.

CORRECTIONS If we make a substantial error, we want to correct it. If you believe an error has been made, call The Rocket newsroom at (724) 738-4438. If a correction is warranted it will be printed in the opinion section.

GRAPHIC BY: HANNAH SLOPE

Homecoming season is around the corner and students will be ready to show off their clubs and teams and engage with alumni and friends as soon they return from fall break.

With the sixth week of the semester coming to a close, homecoming gives the SRU community a chance to connect with friends and family in the quiet, rural Pennsylvania town many call a second home.

This issue, The Rocket staff members shared their own thoughts on what "home" meant to them.

Here are some of our responses: "Home is where I can feel comfortable and at peace.

It's where my mind wanders when I'm not there."

Home isn't limited to one place. It's where I can be with the people I love and feel like I belong. Slippery Rock, The Rocket office in specific, is a place where I've been able to feel at home. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

- Karl Ludwig "Home is a place not bound by blood or material possession, but defined by the presence of love, comfort and acceptance."

Home is a place not bound by blood or material possessions. It is a place defined by its infinite capacity of acceptance, love and compassion surrounded by those who have your best interests at heart. In that way, home is truly like a Rock.

- Lesa Bressanelli

"To me, 'home' means a sense of belonging.

Home is somewhere you feel accepted, loved and appreciated."

SRU has become a second home to for these reasons. The friends I've made in classes and The Rocket staff have truly made me feel accepted, appreciated and loved.

- Allison Downs "Home means a place where you can go that you always feel safe, comfortable and loved. No matter what highs and lows that life puts me through, home is a place that I know will always support me."

Slippery Rock is a place that always pushes me to become a better version of myself. Whether it is being inspired by my roommates or fellow classmates, I know that Slippery Rock gives me all the tools I need to grow.

Even when I'm feeling great or feeling down, I know that I can always count on those around me to have my back.

- Zack Bonnette "Home doesn't have to be place. Home can be where you heart draws you, where you feel loved and are surrounded by loved ones."

When it comes to Slippery Rock, it is a home. You are near your friends that can become your family. You meet the people you will never forget that you will love for life. Slippery Rock is home because you are constantly surrounded by the people you love.

- Aaron Marrie

" Ho m e m e a n s a welcoming place where you're accepted. Home is somewhere you can count on the people there with you and know that they'll support you. Home is somewhere you can go when you're sad. Not to be cliche, but home is where the heart is."

SRU is home to me because I consider The Rocket my second family.

SRU is a place I feel comfortable, happy and welcomed by friends and faculty. SRU is my second home and it means a lot to me.

- Hope Hoehler "Home is a place where I feel confident in myself and able to support those around me to make true life-long friendships."

In the short two-plus years that I've been at SRU, I'm so incredibly lucky to have met extraordinary people who have been supportive and encouraging throughout my entire experience. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

- Hannah Shumsky "Home is where family and friends are. Home is wherever you feel welcomed and loved, where you can be yourself and not feel judged."

Surprisingly enough, Slippery Rock has already turned into my home away from home. My bed here is more comfortable than my bed at home. I have

In The Quad

developed a daily routine that works for me, which makes being here much more of a comfortable experience. The Rock has become my new home. My roommates and I have a special bond, so much so that they feel like sisters to me. I am surrounded by a loving, welcoming, nonjudgmental community, and that is what is so important about having a "home."

- Nina Cipriani Home may not be defined by a physical location, but the 14 staff members of The Rocket consider SRU our second home. So, what is The Rock?

T h e Ro c k i s t h e idea where ever yone fundamentally believes they have a place on campus, including in a major, club or group of friends that support their needs and interests.

The Rock is the pride we share when we come together as a community and also the support we give to one another in hard times.

The Rock is the notion that our community will make strides to make sure every student, regardless if they are freshmen or have been in Slippery Rock their entires lives, feels that they belong and are loved and cared for.

Whether you've been here for a few weeks or are visiting back to reconnect with old friends, welcome home to The Rock.

Question: What is your favorite part of homecoming at SRU?

By: Aaron Marrie

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions to The Rocket are available. Subscriptions are $20 per academic semester and $35 for the full academic year.

Inquiries should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief at the address listed here.

EDITORIAL POLICY The Rocket strives to present a diverse range of opinions that are both fair and accurate in its editorials and columns appearing on the Opinion pages. “Our View” is the opinion of the Editorial Board and is written by Rocket editorial board members. It reflects the majority opinion of The Rocket Editorial Board.

“Our View” does not necessarily reflect the views of Slippery Rock University, its employees or its student body. Columns and cartoons are drafted by various individuals and only reflect the opinions of the columnists.

LETTERS POLICY The Rocket welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication.

The Rocket retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes the property of The Rocket and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published.

Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Please limit letters to a maximum of 400 words. Submit all material by noon Wednesday to: The Rocket, 220 ECB, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057. Or send it via e-mail to: rocket.letters@sru.edu.

Kemoni Farmer Senior Psychology

Kaitlyn Hazelett Senior Accounting

Morgan Clopper Junior Psychology: Pre-OT

“Seeing past students come back and interact with the current students and them drop the knowledge of what the university was like when they [were] here and compare it to what we are experiencing currently."

“The sense of everybody coming together whether it be students, alumni or even the community with a bunch of Slippery Rock spirt. I also enjoy the fun festivities that go on like the pep rally and tailgate and football game and i'm super excited to be running with Kemoni Farmer on behalf of SGA.”

“Everybody getting together, going to the football game, all of the camaraderie with the students who are going here currently and seeing everybody come and support the alumni.”

OPINION

October 4, 2019

B-2

What does it mean to be homecoming royalty?

2018 homecoming royalty winner Haley Potter shares her story PHOTO COURTESY OF DARLENE POTTER

Haley Potter Haley is a senior converged journalism major, president of WSRU-TV and a senior contributor to The Rocket. She was crowned homecoming royalty in 2018.

“And your 2018 Homecoming Royalty winners are…Haley Potter and Leroy Cooper,” a moment I will never forget and a phrase that will stick in my head forever, giving me chills each time I watch the video. Immediately looking into the crowd at my mom and crying because of how special this moment truly was would be the cherry on top of becoming Slippery Rock Homecoming Royalty.

Though, besides the crown, sash and title, what does it

really mean to be homecoming royalty?

For me it was something that I had dreamed of all through college and even before. At the beginning of freshman year, I made a bucket list of things I wanted to do during my time at The Rock and running for homecoming court was one of them. I was proud of myself for running for court, over-thetop excited to make it onto court and completely speechless when I won. Running on behalf of WSRU-TV and getting to represent our TV station and what we do for an entire year has been rewarding because it is the organization that has shaped me into who I am the most at college. Representing Slippery Rock University for an entire year also meant the world to me because anyone who knows me knows I love my school and the people here; I practically bleed green and white.

I do not see homecoming as just a popularity contest, but instead an indication that you made a mark on your school and a positive impression on people. It was reassuring in a sense. I have always cared a lot about my reputation and I have been involved in various organizations since the beginning of freshman year, including WSRU-TV News, The Rocket and Project to End Human Trafficking.

I always tried to be a role model to younger students and to my peers. I try to walk with a pep in my step and work really hard to be the best I can be.

I put extra effort into being a good friend and a person who is there for anyone who needs me, whether it’s for help on a project or just someone to listen to them. I also always strive to be a positive and happy person, someone that people want to be around and a leader.

WSRU-TV, but the fact that people then started coming up to me acknowledging me as homecoming royalty gave me more attention and more of a chance to be the role model that I always aimed to be. When I first won, I had several girls approach me and tell me that they admire my confidence and who I am. Many of them said they would never be comfortable campaigning and putting themselves out

"College is short, so live it up. If you want to run for homecoming court, or maybe even some other organization, position or team, DO IT. Be yourself. I would not have won homecoming queen if I wasn’t myself and my full self."

I think that winning Homecoming royalty confirmed for me that I did make an impression on people.

I was a good friend and a well liked person that people could open up to. It proved to me that my peers appreciated the person I am. It showed that my dedication to others paid off and that is all I could have ever wanted.

After winning, I continued to be the same person I was before, but instead I had more of a platform to go off. I have always been at least somewhat well-known on campus because of how active I am in

there like I did. I took that as a compliment because I am a firm believer that everyone should feel comfortable and confident with the person they are. Being homecoming royalty means that I had a year to try to prove that to people. It also was always something to come back to. During tough times, I knew I still needed to be a strong and positive representation of this amazing school.

Being royalty has given me the opportunity to meet some incredible people, including peers who approach me because they know me as “the homecoming queen”

and also many students, especially freshmen, who have come to me for advice or just to talk about life. Those are the types of things that make being homecoming royalty so rewarding. That for me is what being homecoming royalty means. My biggest goal as queen was to be “that person” for anyone that needed it and I feel that I did that for as many people as I could.

Lastly, I am so lucky to have won royalty with Leroy because we have become such good friends over the past year.

I do not think the university could have elected a kinder, more genuine king with a bigger heart to represent this school. Being royalty together has allowed us to represent the school positively and enjoy every second in the process.

I have tears writing this, knowing that in no time at all I will be passing along the crown to someone else, but I will end with some advice.

College is short, so live it up. If you want to run for homecoming court or maybe even some other organization, position or team, do it. Be yourself. I would not have won homecoming queen if I wasn’t myself and my full self.

I sang in the singing bee even though I am the worst singer, I dance around like a fool and talk too much sometimes, I dress up over the top for spirit

events and holidays, but that is me. Life is too short to be anything other than yourself.

Also, I am a firm believer that you never know unless you try. Like my last example, I never would have won if I did not put myself out there and try.

Also, believe in yourself. It is easy to get down on yourself in college and I have been there too. Stress builds, things change, events happen, but you still have to be there for yourself and you can’t give up, no matter what. If that is the most important and the last thing I get out there as homecoming royalty, I will take it. You can do anything you put your mind to and if you don’t succeed, you have an entire life ahead of you to succeed in other things.

As your 2018 Homecoming Royalty, I am signing off, but I wish the best of luck to the new royalty members and to anyone else who needed to hear how confidence is key and how important it is to be yourself.

To the 2019 Homecoming Royalty, good luck and have fun. I promise you from experience that it will be one of the quickest yet most rewarding years of your life. Now that you know what being homecoming royalty meant to me, I hope that you can take that and make your own memories and mark on this school.

It’s time to bring back Rocky around campus. While it is true that Rocky is a relic of the past, Rocky is also emblematic of all the things that make Slippery Rock unique.

For most people, Slippery Rock is an anomaly of a university. A public college of 10,000 situated in a city of 3,000 with no real metropolitan areas within 30 miles. Slippery alumnus are prevalent Madison V. King Rock nationwide, including Donnie Iris and former US Secretary Madison is a junior of Health (and one-time vicepolitical science major, presidential candidate) Richard Schweiker. Not to mention, the news director of most curiously, it’s named Slippery Rock of all things! The WSRU-FM and a name of the university is unique transgender woman. and strange enough to elicit a reaction from most everyone.

She can be found on Slippery Rock University is a Twitter @madisonvking. unique college with a unique Homecoming is upon us background. At one stage, we had once again – and thus, plenty a unique mascot to go along with of Slippery Rock alumnus from it. Instead, nowadays, we have a years past and present will be on lion – which fits in perfectly well campus to take part in the annual with the 7 other Pennsylvania celebrations. As a result, it is once state colleges with generic animal again time for me to discuss mascots (Bloomsburg Huskies, Slippery Rock University’s brand Cheney Wolves, Clarion Golden – specifically our mascot, Rocky. Eagles, IUP Crimson Hawks, I’m sure most folks on this Kutztown Golden Bears, Lock campus are familiar with the Haven Bald Eagles and the background of our mascot Westchester Golden Rams) – by now – our current mascot, but doesn’t quite live up to the Rocky the Lion, was unveiled at unique and distinct atmosphere Homecoming 1999 – exactly 20 that Slippery Rock has cultivated years ago this week - after a vote over the years.

In addition to the unique by the student body, replacing the original Rocky – an actual aspect, Rocky the Rock is far anthropomorphic rock – who more representative of our team had been representing the Rock name than Rocky the Lion. since 1978. Rocky the rock Whether you like the name adorns all sorts of university or not, Rock Pride is definitely memorabilia – t-shirts, sweaters, more invocative of a literal hats and the like. In the past year, anthropomorphic rock than a even, stickers adorned with the lion. The obvious response to original Rocky illustration from this is that “pride” is the technical the era have been popping up term for an actual group of lions, but that’s not how it’s been used

with regard to Slippery Rock. If that were the case, I would expect the mascot to be more than a singular lion, seeing as a single lion is not a pride.

This newspaper is no stranger to articles in support of Rocky the Rock – he was last covered in a chronological history article in October of last year and an opinion piece in similar vain to this one was published in the April 24, 2014 issue of The Rocket. In fact, it seems that preferring Rocky the Rock is not an unpopular opinion among the campus community – people I’ve talked to in all different backgrounds, all different majors and departments, faculty and students alike have all mentioned that they preferred him to our current Rocky, not to mention the popularity of Rocky stickers distributed by anonymous folks in random buildings on campus. I firmly believe that if you polled students and faculty on campus, you would find a preference for Rocky the Rock over Rocky the Lion by a decent margin.

Of course, this doesn’t even begin to touch on the popularity o f Rocky with alumni and the community in general.

An acquaintance of my mother, who graduated Slippery Rock in the later 1980s, will regularly request I use my position as news director of WSRU to spearhead a campaign to return Rocky the Rock to prominence (I believe she is massively overestimating

my audience). People in online communities of SRU alums discuss the mascot situation at least once a week, by my measurements. Rocky the Rock is universally a hit, a truly unique mascot that fits Slippery Rock in a way no other mascot really does.

It was 20 years ago this homecoming season that the university unveiled Rocky the Lion to the world, retiring Rocky the Rock for good. Since then, we’ve had two Rocky the Lions, neither of them particularly memorable nor iconic. I believe it’s time we bring back Rocky the Rock for another generation – and, indeed, I call on President Behre to hold a

universitywide vote to decide.

Or m a y b e I’m just taking this all a bit too seriously.

Happy homecoming, folks.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAXIGENA YEARBOOK (1988)

OPINION

October 4, 2019

B-3

Editor's column: What you need to know from SGA's town hall

Hannah Shumsky Hannah is a junior secondary English education major and the editor-in-chief of The Rocket. She previously served as assistant news editor/SGA liaison.

Last week, the Student Government Association hosted its first town hall for the SRU community, providing a chance for concerned students or faculty members to ask President William Behre any question about community affairs.

Opportunities like the town hall are essential to having your student perspective understood at the administrative level.

However, if you missed the town hall or didn't understand the context behind the questions, here's some insight for you: SRU's price tag will most likely go up next year.

Both SRU and PASSHE didn't increase tuition this year; however, this left SRU with $1 million "in the hole" according to Behre.

Because of this, there will be a proposed tuition increase, although the percentage increase has not yet been announced.

Behre said that part of this increase will be dedicated to go back into financial aid, a move that is aimed

to help attract students whose families make less than $100,000 annually to attend SRU. Conversations regarding the tuition for next year are in progress and those decisions will be discussed at future council of trustees meetings.

Gr a d u a t e s t u d e n t representation will be an SGA priority.

The graduate student experience was a largely discussed topic, but the reasons behind these questions require a bit of context.

L a s t y e a r, M a t t Lerman (current SGA parliamentarian) was the only graduate senator in the SGA senate.

A couple weeks ago, Tabea Ohle and Daniel Dovgan were sworn in as graduate senators.

Ohle studies marketing and management at the Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry, and Dovgan is a second"Show up, represent yourself and your peers and use your voice to make a change."

year student in the doctorate of occupational therapy program at SRU's Harrisville location.

The graduate student representation doesn't stop there. Dallas Kline and Riley Keffer, who both previously served on the SGA executive b o a rd d u r i n g t h e i r undergraduate careers, are both student affairs in high education masters students who are on the SGA board of directors.

Having five graduate senators heavily involved in SGA is certainly unique to this year and informed many of the questions

concerning the graduate student experience, especially when it comes to communication and transportation. Expect this topic to be a priority from SGA for the next year.

Expect cross involvement between organizations this year.

So f a r, College Republicans and Young Progressives have started this off by co-hosting a voter registration drive.

With the 2020 election coming into view, this solidarity is a great first step to reduce political polarization on campus, and I'm personally excited to see how the College Republicans and Young Progressives continue this partnership.

During the town hall, Behre suggested that the two organizations work together on Relay For Life, for example. Be on the lookout for the possibility of this type of collaboration this year.

Despite the broad range of questions discussed, only about 40 people attended to ask the questions.

Most of the Smith Student Center (SSC) theater seats were left empty at the forum, and most of the students in the audience were directly affiliated with SGA or the Office for Student Engagement and Leadership.

SGA did offer ways for students who had class (including me) or other commitments to submit questions on CORE prior to the event. WSRU-TV's live stream of the event also made the discussion m o re a c c e s s i b l e f o r students who couldn't attend. That video gained about 180 views within 48 hours.

However, especially after Behre's forum last

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

Dr. Lauren Moran, director of the Office for Student Engagement and Leadership, speaks during the town hall on Sept. 25. Moran responded to questions about residence life and her office's on-campus involvement opportunities.

February attracted over 600 people, it's shocking that this forum didn't attract even one-tenth of that audience. For context, Behre held a town hall discussion after a Black History Month poster was vandalized in Rhoads Hall. The audience for that discussion filled the entire ballroom.

Personally, I highly doubt that one specific issue ties into this attendance. However, I hope to see more

promotion from SGA, professors and other student organizations to get a better turnout for next time.

The next town hall will address self care and mental health.

The next SGA town hall will be Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. in the SSC Theater.

This time, there will be a panel discussion about self care and mental health on college campuses. Panelists will be announced at a later date.

Unfortunately, SRU is too familiar with the nationwide college mental health crisis; however, if I know anything about this small town community, it's that we band together to make changes in the hardest times, and I sincerely hope the attendance at this event shows our dedication to make a change.

In short: show up, represent yourself and your peers and use your voice to make a change.

S

Rock defense more than an afterthought At theonlinerocket.com

SPORTS

Defense wins championships

By Zack Bonnette Asst. Sports Editor

A consistent theme through the history of football, the offense naturally garners more attention than its counterpart, defense.

This theme remains true when it comes to one of the powerhouses in Division II football, Slippery Rock University. Justifiably, much of the attention has gone to Roland Rivers III and his supporting cast, who have broken the stat charts in every category.

However, it is without a doubt that the Harlon Hill trophy contender and the rest of his offense know that without their stalwart defense, the juggernaut that is SRU would not be functional.

Returning all 11 starters in 2019, the defense brings experience and chemistry that any team would strive for. A leader in the secondary, junior defensive back Dalton Holt explains how his experienced unit maintains a business-like mindset.

“Saturdays, we get to have fun,” Holt said. “But Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we’re out there working,”

With Slippery Rock’s offense firing on all cylinders, the defense has not been called to preserve a win for the Green and White in 2019.

As for Holt, the ball hawk and his defense continue to perfect their craft, knowing that they will be prepared for the big moment.

“We just come out to work every day. We know our offense will put on a show and people want to see a show,” Holt said. “But when it’s time, the defense will emerge.”

With most of the attention surrounding Division II’s most prolific offense, the defense’s performance is often overlooked and under credited.

After the defense allowed 37 points on the road against Wayne State in week one, The Rock has come on strong since then, only allowing 33 points combined in the last three games combined.

Defensive captain Brad Zaffram gave some insight on what has motivated the defense to raise the bar after a poor week one performance.

SEE ROCK PAGE C-4

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Doubles team wins ITA title

Senior and sophomore duo earns automatic invite to ITA Cup in October

PARIS MALONE / THE ROCKET

Sophomore Lois Page looks to put a ball in play during a match last season. Page and her partner Viola Lugmayr won the ITA doubles championship on Sept. 23.

By Tyler Howe Junior Rocket Contributor

At the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Atlantic Region Championships on Sept. 23, the team of senior Viola Lugmayr and sophomore Lois Page won the doubles championship.

This will be their second year together, but they’ve already proven to be one of the best doubles teams in the PSAC.

“It’s nice when you have a team with chemistry together come along, that works hard and plays well together. It’s been about 15 years since we’ve been in this situation, we had two teams that time and this team is parallel to all those teams,” SRU coach Matt Meredith said.

“And that’s saying something because the last team that did this were All-Americans.”

In the 2018-19 season, Lugmayr and Page earned

first team All-PSAC West honors together and both earned second team All-PSAC honors in singles competition.

Lugmayr, a Linz, Austria native, was also the 2018-19 PSAC Champion Scholar and the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship award.

Page, who comes from Guisborough, England, is a PSAC scholar-athlete and was an ITA scholar-athlete team selection last season.

“[The transition here] was tough, I was in Oklahoma my first semester, so it was completely different to home. Now here environmentally it’s similar to home; it’s hard to be here without family, but I found great friends and they’re like my family over here and the team as well,” Lugmayr said.

In Austria, Lugmayr went to Georg von Peuerbach

where she played tennis, soccer, volleyball, track, and handball. She then moved to the United States, where she went to Cameron University before transferring to Slippery Rock.

"It’s just really different because I went from being a t home and knowing everyone, and I lived in a really small town and then I came here and I didn’t know anyone and obviously I don’t have my family, but like she said everyone here is really nice,” Page said.

She went to Prior Pursglove in England for high school, and was one of the top prep athletes in England.

“We get along better [than other teams], we work good as a team and we know what each other is going to do and where we’re going, and we don’t get angry with each other,” Page said.

The duo compiled an 18-9 record last season together, and was ranked as the third best team in the region by the ITA last season.

“Chemistry [is what makes them work well together], it’s just like in anything else you have to have chemistry to be able to work well together and they complement each other. And they’re constantly in your face, they’re going to bring balls at you they aren’t going to sit back and wait,” Meredith said.

Both have seen success in singles action too; Lugmayr posted a 15-13 record last season in singles, while Page ended with a 19-12 record.

Lugmayr, with her 77 wins, stands only 23 wins from the 100-win club. Page is already well on track to that club, too, as she enters this season with 52 wins already. Lugmayr has

an all-time record of 35-21 in singles action up to this point and a 42-23 record in doubles, while Page has 25-14 record in singles and a 27-12 record in doubles.

“I’ve been here for three seasons now and this is probably the best team that we’ve had, and now I’m captain this semester so it’s a different role on the team.

I’m kind of sad that I have to leave this team behind and my doubles partner,” said Lugmayr.

She will look to lead a team that went 16-9 last Spring, including 6-0 in conference play. The team will also return All-PSAC players Lacey Cohen and Olivia Warner this season to go along with Lugmayr and Page.

In the ITA Atlantic Region Championships, Lugmayr and Page made a comeback in the semi-finals against West Virginia State, winning their closest match of the tournament, 8-7.

“We were down so far, and managed to come back when we realized IUP had a close match and we came back and luckily won,” Lugmayr said.

In the finals, they defeated the University of Charleston, 6-4, twice in a row to claim the title.

The team is looking to build off of last season, where they fell in the PSAC team championship and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Mercyhurst after going undefeated in conference play last year. A lot of that success came both Lugmayr and Page, and they will enter this season with momentum following their ITA championship doubles win.

C-2

PSAC WEST STANDINGS Football 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Slippery Rock Indiana (Pa.) California (Pa.) Gannon Clarion mercyhurst Seton Hill Edinboro

4-0 (1-0) 4-0 (1-0) 3-1 (1-0) 2-2 (1-0) 2-2 (0-1) 2-2 (0-1) 0-3 (0-1) 0-4 (0-1)

Men's Soccer 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

west Chester millersville mercyhurst slippery rock east stroudsburg bloomsburg shippensburg lock haven pitt-johnstown california (pa.)

Shepherd gannon Seton Hill

6-1-1 (3-0-1) 4-3-1 (2-0-1) 3-2-1 (1-0) 4-3-1 (1-0) 5-2-2 (2-2) 3-5 (2-2) 1-4-2 (1-3-1) 4-5 (1-2) 1-4-1 (0-0-1) 1-4-1 (0-0-1) 2-6-1 (0-2-1) 6-0 (0-0) 4-4 (0-1)

Women's Soccer 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

Millersville Bloomsburg SLIPPERY ROCK WEST CHESTER EDINBORO EAST STROUDSBURG MERCYHURST SETON HILL PITT-JOHNSTOWN KUTZTOWN GANNON SHIPPENSBURG INDIANA (PA.) LOCK HAVEN CALIFORNIA (PA.) mansfield shepherd clarion

8-0 (6-0) 8-1 (6-1) 7-2 (6-1) 6-1 (5-1) 5-2-1 (5-0-1) 5-2 (4-2) 5-2-1 (4-2) 4-4 (4-2) 3-5 (3-4) 3-4 (2-4) 3-3-1 (2-3-1) 4-5 (2-5) 3-4 (2-4) 1-3-2 (1-3-1) 2-5 (1-5) 1-7 (1-5) 0-6-2 (0-6-1) 1-6 (0-6)

Field Hockey 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

West Chester east Stroudsburg kutztown Mansfield millersville indiana (pa.) shippensburg seton Hill bloomsburg mercYhurst slippery rock

7-0 (2-0) 9-1 (2-0) 7-2 (2-0) 7-2 (1-0) 8-1 (1-1) 5-4 (1-1) 4-4 (1-1) 1-5 (0-1) 2-6 (0-2) 2-7 (0-2) 2-7 (0-2)

Volleyball 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Gannon Edinboro Mercyhurst Clarion Slippery Rock

10-4 (3-0) 8-5 (2-0) 10-4 (2-1) 9-5 (1-1) 6-7 (1-1)

SPORTS

October 4, 2019

Field hockey wins in the classroom Swiney maximizes potential off the field

By Brendan Howe Asst. Campus Life Editor

A pair of victories away from setting a new program high for wins over a ten-year span, head coach Julie Swiney has helped to steady Slippery Rock University’s field hockey program on the field and, more importantly, in the classroom.

The squad has earned the highest team grade point average (GPA) out of any in Division II six times , in Swiney’s nine seasons at the helm. In the three years that it didn’t finish first in that academic category, the Green and White ranked either second or third. The team has also had the loftiest GPA in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference seven years running.

Along with the team accolade, Swiney has watched her student-athletes collect 172 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad honors. Her players have been NFHCA Scholars of Distinction 37 times.

Including midfielder Abby McKay and goalie Maddie Murphy, both juniors, and sophomores Emily Polakovsky and Jessie Trube, eight Rock players were named Scholars of Distinction last season.

As a head coach, Swiney said her philosophy is built around creating an environment with a high level of both academic achievement and competition.

She says her mindset of holding such a standard in the classroom stems from her time assistant coaching at Washington & Jefferson College and Amherst College.

“I talk about that through the recruiting process and, once they’re here, we […] give them guidance, track how they’re doing, and help find resources if they need them,” Swiney said.

The priority naturally trickles to her players.

“It’s kind of our team culture,” said senior midfielder Jordan Barnes.

“We really encourage girls to meet their professors one-onone to talk and go to various study tables or tutors if they feel like they need the extra help.”

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

The Rock field hockey team celebrates a goal against Frostburg State on Sept. 10. The Rock is 2-7 this season.

As hard as it is for nonathletes to balance their workload, it becomes increasingly difficult when a student finishes class for the day and has to lace up cleats and throw on a uniform.

“I think that it’s a challenge, for sure, to really be a high-achieving student and do the sport,” Swiney said. “I think they trade off a lot of their social opportunities and involvement off of campus because of the workload.”

“It can be pretty challenging at times, but our coach is really supportive of us putting our academics first,” said Barnes, who maintains a 3.79 GPA. “She holds us accountable from the start of freshman year. We have to send various things into her and school always comes before field hockey.”

Swiney herself started for three years at Division I William and Mary. Though she contributed to the Tribe’s top-20 national ranking each of those three seasons, she said that her school was a very academicminded one.

In her office, with sun shining through the window beside her, Swiney became a recruiter for a moment.

“We all know most field hockey players aren’t going to become professional field hockey players, so we make sure that this is just a part of a whole package,” Swiney said. “You’re going to be able to do well in school and also have a great experience with your team.

It’s going to make you a better person in life and whatever career path you choose.”

Swiney mentioned that the team has a couple of recruits joining the team next year that could have played in Division I but wanted to study in a pre-physician’s assistant major, which coaches at the higher level told them that they couldn’t do.

“We have a lot of girls in really challenging majors and those girls definitely have a harder time with it, but it’s doable because we’ve had a lot of success in exercise science and pre-PT and some of

those majors heavy in labs and sciences,” Swiney said.

Barnes spoke for her fellow upperclassmen about what it means for them to be acknowledged for their grades as well as on the field.

“We do put in a lot of hours off the field working together.

We do have rigorous schedules, so to maintain a [team] GPA, as high as it is, is something I take a lot of pride in and I’m glad my teammates are on the same page,” Barnes said.

Being the leader, Swiney explained that she’s been only a small part of the success and that, at the end of the day, her players are the ones that put in the hours of studying and building relationships with professors.

“Ever since I got here, I’ve been trying to maintain a competitive program,” Swiney said. “To be able to have a program out west where there’s not a lot of field hockey, it means a lot to be able to provide consistency to this Slippery Rock field hockey family.

The greatest rivalry

CONT. FROM PAGE A-1

The grudging respect lies on both sides as junior IUP student Jake Slebodnick pointed to the matchup of SRU quarterback Roland Rivers III and IUP quarterback Quinton Maxwell as one of the best matchups in not just the PSAC, but D-II football, this season.

Sometimes lost in the media coverage of Rivers and Maxwell, the social media presence of student-run accounts can occasionally be seen as taking things too far— on both sides. Slebodnick, a communications media major, cautioned SRU students to take what they read online with a grain of salt.

"Don’t take what our Barstool Twitter says as gospel, because while many may believe the word is negative about [SRU], we actually talk about the formidable aspects about the university.

Especially since they have a fantastic athletic program," Slebodnick said.

With a combined 29 PSAC titles, SRU and IUP have the measuring stick for teams in the conference. Since 2010, the two teams have combined for seven of the nine PSACWest titles. Each team has also won the PSAC outright twice in the same span.

The success and prominence of both schools on a regional and national scale has led to some interesting comparables.

Mihalik likened the rivalry to that of other prominent college football rivalries while Slebodnick took it to another level.

"I still get goosebumps talking about [the game]," Mihalik said. "It’s as big a college football rivalry as any major college rivalry. On our

scale in Division II, it’s just as big as an Ohio State and Michigan or an Alabama and Auburn. This is 'the game' that you look forward to playing in each year and who is going to have bragging rights that year. It’s still a game I enjoy attending.”

Slebodnick compared the teams' rivalry to that of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in the MLB. He said the smack talk is unmatched and the bragging rights about which team is better lasts the entire year.

Joey Crissman, a sophomore communications media major at IUP, pointed to the closeness of the students at IUP and SRU as a reason why the rivalry thrives among students, past and present.

"During the season, the rivalry game is the one game you look forward to," Crissman said. "Since a lot of people from both schools know each other, you kind of get some bragging rights if your team wins. It’s all in good fun."

Sometimes, that closeness can even transcend family ties.

In the case of Hayley Woodside, a sophomore communications media major at IUP and quadruplet, all three of her siblings go to SRU. She's the self-described "lone wolf" at IUP. "[The game] matters to me because I’m the only one in my family who goes to IUP, and I feel like I need to represent my school," Woodside said.

Deciding to go to IUP, Woodside strayed from the norm in her family and blazed her own path. When deciding where to attend college in the late 1960s, Mihalik found himself faced with a similar decision: SRU or IUP?

"I was a senior in high school, and I lived near the two of Indiana, maybe 20 miles away, and Indiana was having a great year," Mihalik explained. "There was something called the Boardwalk Bowl in which small colleges could play.

Indiana played in that and The Rock upset them in 1969.

Looking at a university to attend, I thought SRU must be on the upswing. If they just beat Indiana, they must be a program that’s going to do some good things. So, I decided to come attend The Rock."

When SRU defeated No. 5 IUP on Oct. 25, 1969, a chain of events was set into motion that would impact both schools for 44 of the next 45 years.

Mihalik came to SRU and became the team's quarterback under former coach Bob DiSpirito. After graduating, already with three PSAC titles under his belt, he became a graduate assistant at SRU and, aside from one year at the University of Kentucky, spent 44 years becoming the winningest coach in Rock history.

If the Crimson Hawks had won that fateful game in 1969, Mihalik said his college choice may have been very different.

"Maybe a good chance," Mihalik admitted. "It affected history, at least my personal history."

While Mihalik no longer barks out orders on the SRU sideline, his anticipation for the yearly matchup has not diminished. Being unable to do anything to influence the team, his anticipation may even be higher.

According to Slebodnick, the yearly game creates an

atmosphere that allows the students to come together and get behind both the football team and the university as a whole.

That sentiment was echoed

by Mihalik... in the hope that any negative events would be avoided. "[The rivalry] continues today and hopefully not to the point of any negative types of total team interaction during or after a game. Just a good, hard intensity on the field and a determination from both universities that this is a big week," Mihalik said.

Starting in 1907 with a 44-0 Rock victory, the teams have met nearly every year since— sometimes more than once.

While SRU drew first blood, IUP holds the overall advantage with a 50-41-2 record.

In the past two meetings, homecoming for both teams, SRU and IUP have walked away from road matchups with a win.

No. 3 IUP defeated No. 9 SRU, 34-17, in 2017 and unranked SRU defeated No. 14 IUP, 30-27, last season.

This season's matchup once again falls on a homecoming Saturday. As of Oct. 2, No. 10 SRU will host No. 19 IUP at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium on Oct. 14 for the 122nd alltime meeting.

The matchup will feature the two highest-scoring offenses in D-II football and should, once again, decide the winner of the PSAC-West.

No matter the outcome or aftermath of the game, one thing is almost assured: back and forth among everyone involved.

"Well, SRU and IUP are rivals," Crissman said. "We talk shit. Whether it’s on Twitter or in person."

Sometimes, if it's not broken, don't fix it.

SPORTS

October 4, 2019

C-3

600 and counting

By Karl Ludwig Sports Editor

When Slippery Rock University football coach Shawn Lutz originally came to SRU, he intended to stay for a year or two before bouncing to a Division I program.

More than two decades later, and numerous promotions through the SRU football coaching staff ranks, Lutz still hasn't left. There's nowhere he would rather be actually.

"I thought I was going one, two years then getting to the highest level I could," Lutz said. "I got married pretty quickly and I have three beautiful boys and it just worked out for me to be here this long. I really enjoy success here."

The years of loyalty to the university and patience in waiting for the head coaching job paid off when Lutz coached SRU to the program's 600th win Saturday, Sept. 21 against Millersville University.

"I wouldn't say my name is on the same level as [DiSpirito and Mihalik], but I'm just trying to maintain [their success]," Lutz said. "To me, this will always be coach Mihalik's program. I just want to make sure our guys are maximizing everything they can. In the program, in the classroom and just making a difference in these guys' lives."

Lutz, now in his fourth year at the helm of the program, has strived to continue to build upon the legacy of all the coaches and athletes that came before him in Rock football history.

The road to 600 began many years ago. Through two millennia, over the course of three centuries, Slippery Rock University has known many names during that time.

Founded in 1889 as Slippery Rock State Normal School, the school served the purpose of training teachers for elementary and secondary education until the early 1920s.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the school in 1926 and the Slippery Rock State Teacher's College was formed to continue the education obtained under the old name.

SRSTC was known as a school only for teachers until 1960. When, that year, Slippery Rock State College was established and students were able to receive degrees in liberal arts programs.

The success of its newfound academic programs enabled enrollment to spike and as part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Slippery Rock University was born.

Through the many names and purposes of SRU, Rock football has been through it all.

Rock football kicked off its first season, just before the turn of the century, in 1898. Playing just one game against New Castle High School, a 10-0 win that started the program with a perfect winning percentage, the team prevailed without the assistance of a coach.

For the first eight seasons of Rock football, the team operated without a head coach. In 1906, John B. Price was named the first head coach in SRU history.

His two-year stint at SRU, in which the team went 5-32, was followed by a stretch of three short tenures from Rock coaches until N. Kerr Thompson took over in 1920.

Thompson, who the Mihalik-Thompson Stadium is partly named for, became a legendary figure at SRU. Coaching the football, baseball and basketball teams, Thompson led SRU to unreached success in program history.

In his 25 years of coaching, SRU won 126 games, which included 12 conference titles and eight Pennsylvania state championships. Four of the five undefeated seasons in program history came during his tenure (1924, 1933, 1939, 1945).

It was under Thompson that SRU began to become known across the country.

In 1936, the consensus No. 1 team in the country was a hotly debated topic, coming down to Pittsburgh and Minnesota. One journalist provided a true scenario, through a series of games throughout the season, to show who should be ranked No. 1: SRU. His scenario was as followed: SRU beat Westminster, which beat West Virginia Wesleyan, which beat Duquesne, which beat Pitt, which beat Notre Dame, which beat Northwestern, which beat Minnesota. By his logic, SRU had earned the No. 1 ranking.

The coverage of the sportswriter's story was picked up by newspapers across the country and the legend of Slippery Rock began to grow.

SRU capitalized on its newfound popularity with a "guest" appearance at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, for a game against Boston University in 1937.

The "mystique" of Rock football steadily grew over the next few decades.

Mihalik- 197 wins Thompson126 wins DiSpirito- 79 wins Godlasky- 32 wins Lutz- 30 wins Storer- 30 wins Toward the end of Thompson's run with SRU, World War II canceled the 1943 and 1944 seasons. He returned in 1945 to coach his final season, a 3-0-1 undefeated season.

William "Pop" Storer, Chester Stackhouse and William Meise combined to guide SRU to a .444 win percentage in the 13 seasons following Thomspon's retirement.

It wasn't until Charles Godlasky took over the program in 1959 that SRU experienced state-level success again. Winning 32 games during his six seasons, Godlasky led SRU to three PSAC-West championships and a state championship in 1962. In 1963, his team competed in the All-Sports Bowl.

However, the All-Sports Bowl, one of the numerous bowl games in SRU history, ended with a 59-12 loss to Northeast Oklahoma State.

In the next season, Goldlasky and SRU drew 15,000 fans to the Colosseum in Los Angeles (the Rose Bowl) for a game against California State University.

Following a two year run from Jack Olcutt, who took over for Godlasky in 1965, in which the team went 7-8-2, Bob DiSpirito took over the program in 1967.

DiSpirito quickly returned SRU to prominence, with future coach George Mihalik as his quarterback from 19701973, and changed the entire culture around the team.

“The only reason I became head coach here was because of coach DiSpirito," Mihalik said. "I learned a tremendous amount from him. How to run a program, and how to have a family life while also having a football life. He helped me get this position."

Winning 79 games over his 15-year coaching tenure, DiSpirito won three PSAC titles from 1972-1974. From 1971-1980, DiSpirito led SRU to a 66-30-3 record.

DiSpirito continued the tradition of traveling across the country for guest appearances against various schools. SRU

played against Nicholls State in Louisiana, Pudget Sound in Washington and Texas A&I in Texas in 1972, 1973 and 1976, respectively.

The crown jewel, however, was the first game played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1979, SRU played Shippensburg University in front of 61,143 fans, the largest crowd in D-II football history.

The Michigan connection, the most well-known amongst SRU's obsession among Division I programs, began in 1959 when Michigan's public announcer Steve Filipiak announced the SRU score in his rundown of Big10 schools.

The reception from Michigan fans in the crowd was raucous. To this day, the announcement of the SRU score is usually the loudest applause barring a touchdown from the Wolverines.

According to Bruce Madej, Michigan's former sports information director, Filipiak simply picked SRU because he thought the name was interesting.

Over the next few years, Michigan along with Texas, Stanford, North Carolina and other D-I programs began to announce the score of SRU games at halftime of its games.

Michigan, however, was the loudest and most lasting "supporter" of SRU. Originally stepping down in 1980, DiSpirito returned for one season in 1987 on an interim status to help SRU President Robert Aebersold in a time of need. According to Rock Athletics, he returned simply because of his passion for the university.

In 1987, DiSpirito groomed his protege Mihalik for the head coaching position before allowing him to fully take over in 1988.

"Coach DiSpirito called and said, ‘our offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach is taking a job elsewhere, would you be interested in coming back?’ And I came back and never left. I always wanted at some point to have a family and wanted my family to have roots. My two daughters, to this day, often thank me for not getting on the college football merry-goround," Mihalik said.

Mihalik started his career at SRU as the quarterback of DiSpirito's PSAC winning teams in the early 1970s.

He then spent 11 years as SRU's quarterback coach and an additional season as the associate head coach— with 1976 spent as the lone season away while he served as a graduate assistant at the University of Kentucky.

Once taking over as head coach in 1988, Mihalik arguably made the greatest impact in the history of Rock sports.

In 28 years at the helm of Rock football, SRU won 197 games, nearly one-third of the current total of 601.

Continuing DiSpirito's legacy of valuing the importance of building quality people over "winning at all costs", Mihalik still left SRU as the most prolific coach in program history.

Mihalik led SRU to eight PSAC-West championships, including two back to back to back titles in 1997-1999 and 2013-2015. His teams also qualified for six NCAA D-II playoff berths.

At his peak, Mihalik led SRU to the NCAA D-II semifinals in 1998 during a 12-2 season. The next season, SRU climbed as high as No. 2 in the nation, finishing the season second in the country, while once again reaching the NCAA playoffs.

During 12 straight winning seasons between 1991 and 2003, SRU won 95 games.

After a relatively mediocre stretch of play, by his lofty standards, between 2008 and 2012, Mihalik

finished his final three seasons with a 30-8 record.

Mihalik ended his tenure at SRU with a 12-2 record and another trip deep in the NCAA playoffs. The 2015 season included a second consecutive PSAC title a national-best 17 game win streak.

Attributing a lot of his success to a great foundation of coaches and staff along with recruiting the "good guys" from western Pa., Mihalik felt as though his balance between football and academics set his program apart.

Despite being the fourth winningest coach in PSAC history, Mihalik never allowed academics to fall to the wayside. In fact, unlike almost any coach in college football, he earned his Ed. D. in safety management from West Virginia Univesity in 1986.

While coaching at SRU, he also served as a full-time staff member in the Safety Management department.

Mihalik was instrumental in the forming of the bachelor of safety management at SRU. "I valued my dual role as a professor and a head coach," Mihalik said. "In recruiting, I’d say to the young man and their parents, ‘I won’t ask you to do anything I don’t do.’

I teach and prepare for class and that’s what he’s going to do. And we practice and play games."

Under Mihalik, SRU continued the tradition of playing uncommon opponents. Thrice under Mihalik, his teams played in Florida.

In 1990, SRU played Central Florida at the Citrus Bowl in Miami, and in 1998, SRU played in the final game at Tampa Stadium against South Florida.

The final trip came in 2001 against Florida Atlantic University, a now D-I program, in the firstever game for the Owls.

Mihalik handed the reins of the team to his long-time assistant Lutz following the 2015 season.

Not unlike Mihalik's t r a n s i t i o n f ro m DiSpirito, the leap from the grizzled veteran coach to the up-andcoming young man went off without a hitch.

"Shawn had been a loyal assistant for me.

He came here as a graduate assistant and he developed into a great coach and defensive coordinator. I thought for the stability of the program, he’s been here for 19 years and knows the traditions of Slippery Rock, he was it … he’s the one who knows the pluses of The Rock and the challenges. It was a natural fit and one that keeps me close to

the program… although I don’t try to interfere in any way, shape or form," Mihalik explained.

Following a ho-hum 7-4 start to his tenure with SRU, Lutz has improved upon each of his seasons.

In 2018, Lutz led SRU to a PSAC-West title and a D-II playoff berth.

His 11-2 record ranks among the best seasons in program history.

The two-decade wait for Lutz, working almost every coaching position on the team, ultimately led him to be exactly where he wanted.

"I just kept working my way up, and when coach [Mihalik] did finish, I wanted an opportunity to run my own program," Lutz said.

Continuing the success in 2018, Lutz and his team have gotten off to one of the best starts in program history in 2019. The highest-scoring offense in the country and a veteran defense has led to a sort of "championship or bust" expectation around the team.

SRU has been fortunate, in recent seasons and in the history of the school, to have a team that competes for PSAC championships nearly every season, and Lutz emphasized how the friendships and relationships formed along the way have allowed t h e team to thrive.

"At t h e end of the day, football i s important, b u t t h e re are other aspects that are bigger," Lutz said. "There's life, there's family, and

"At the end of the day, football is important, but there are other aspects that are bigger.

There's life, there's family, and just having a balance between family and football means so much," -Coach Lutz just having a balance between family and football means so much.

I could be at a Power 5 school where I don't value family, and I don't get to see my kids play at sporting events because the emphasis is all about pressure and winning. I value the importance of the family approach at this university."

The intense pressure and demand to win haven't been negative factors at SRU. They haven't been a deterrent to winning because that balance between football and life has given SRU the secret recipe to success.

Life isn't just about f o o t b a l l . Di Sp i r i t o ingrained that in Mihalik who made sure Lutz knew it as well. However, when done right, it can be a huge reason why life at SRU is so good.

One hundred twenty one years later, with 601 wins in program history, Slippery Rock football is doing pretty well, and Lutz couldn't be happier.

And while Mihalik misses the excitement from Saturday game days, he admitted the time off from Sunday to Friday might make up for it.

But when the stadium is named after him, he'll never really be away from "his team".

The chance for the 602nd win in program history arrives Saturday when SRU takes on Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon.

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

SPORTS

C-4

October 4, 2019

Rock defense excited for rest of season CONTINUED FROM C-1

“It was pretty much a wake-up call honestly,” Zaffram said. “We were kinda high on ourselves going in there and it was kind of a punch in the face.”

Holt went on to expand off Zaffram’s point, citing that the defense had to knock off some rust in week one. Displaying the team’s professional mindset, the defensive back then explained that the defense went to film study the next day and made the corrections. Since then, the results have shown.

In addition to only allowing 11 points per game since week two, the Green and White defense has improved its rushing defense from 248 to 88.0 yards a game. This puts The Rock’s run defense 24th in the nation out of 166 Division II football teams.

As well as stopping the run, the Rock defense is talented at getting pressure in the backfield. A mainstay in this defense since 2017, defensive end Chad Kuhn currently leads the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in sacks with 5.5. As for the team, the experienced unit ranks fourth in the nation in sacks as a team at 4.25 sacks per game while also ranking second nationally in team tackles for loss at 10.5 per game.

These statistics are especially impressive when considering how quickly the offense scores, which in turn, results in the defense being on the field for a majority of the game. Of the 34-total scoring drives Slippery Rock had this season, the offense has scored in less than two minutes of game time on 22 of those drives.

Kuhn, Zaffram and Holt alike welcome the challenge,

citing a multitude of reasons as to how the defense embraces the challenge.

“It’s more opportunity to make plays, that’s the way we look at it,” Holt said.

Zaffram quickly followed as he began to grin. The 6’1” 230-pound enforcer emphasized how he will never complain about the offense scoring too quickly, as he gets more opportunities to punish opposing offenses.

Showing a team first mindset, Kuhn expressed his confidence in the defense to outlast its opponent.

"Coach always preaches 100% effort, 100% of the time. So, like [Kuhn] said, we gotta get better everyday and just go out there and work," -Junior defensive back Dalton Holt “If the defense is on the field a lot, that means that our offense is doing their job,” Kuhn said. “And if we’re on the field a lot that means we’re making their offense tired.”

The talented defensive end continued by saying

that the defense is ready to go all four quarters, bringing the same energy from the first snap to the last.

On Saturdays, most will see the defense locking down their opponent play after play, but what isn’t seen is what occurs during the rest of the week. No matter how big or how small, the defense strives to become better than they were the day before. “[We need to] get 1% better every day,” Kuhn said. “[We] just find something to go out there to practice and focus on every day.”

Holt added on by explaining the mindset that head coach Shawn Lutz instills in his team each day.

“Coach always preaches 100% effort 100% of the time,” Holt said. “So, like [Kuhn] said, we gotta get better every day and just go out there and work.”

Blood, sweat and tears have gone into building this Rock football team into what it is this season ,and with the defense finding its rhythm, The Rock has had no problem rolling by its opponents in 2019. As the season wears on, the defense continues to make its presence known, reminding us all of an inherent truth about the game of football.

While it is true that offense wins games, it is defense that wins championships.

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Rerdshirt junior defensive end Chad Kuhn celebrates during a game against Shippensburg University on Sept. 14. Kuhn leads the PSAC with 5.5 sacks in four games this season.

WE’RE HIRING JOIN OUR TEAM! 724-748-6767 225 Westside Square Dr. Mercer, PA 16137 blackoutburgerbar.com

gourmet burgers / craft beers / vodka bar

C

SOL's Hispanic Fiesta

At WSRU-TV's Facebook

CAMPUS LIFE

Homecoming Royalty Candidates Brendan Balara

Olivia Bazanos

Ignacio "Nacho" Cisneros Jr.

Tyler Dixon

Trey Douyon

Nicole Dunlop

Kemoni Farmer

Celine Halt

Kaitlyn Hazelett

Roslyn Heald

Alaina Stroud

Nechelle Trawick

Eric Warmbein

Kendall Wescoat

Not Pictured Taylor Cochran

Calling: Come one, come all

A variety of festivites and events to be held to celebrate Rock pride for Homecoming week

By Brendan Howe Asst. Campus Life Editor

Multiple events will be held throughout next week to celebrate school pride for homecoming.

While the school is on fall break, homecoming festivities will get underway Tuesday.

Also, voting will open for Homecoming Royalty on CORE at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

Both Paint the Town and Campus Window Wars will kick off at noon.

In town, fraternities and sororities will paint the

windows of businesses on Main Street while student organizations and residence hall floors, wings or groups will be welcomed to participate in Campus Window Wars, coloring windows of buildings such as Boozel, the ARC and Weisenfluh.

L a t e r i n t h e d a y, students can paint spirit boards that will line the sidewalks of the Quad, with the winning design earning a pizza party.

The winners of all three of these events will be announced at the pep rally at Old Thompson

Field on Friday evening.

The court will also be announced at this event.

The Homecoming Steering Committee will let organizations, residence halls and individuals compete against each other for prizes at the Singing Bee Wednesday evening which will be held in the Smith Student Center. The playlist will fit the circus theme and differ in genres for three rounds, which will get increasingly tougher.

On Thursday during c o m m o n h o u r, t h e Homecoming Steering

Committee will hold Loco for HOCO, featuring n ov e l t i e s , g i v e a w a y s and live entertainment.

Operation GLOW!, put together by the University Program Board and Homecoming Steering Committee, begins at 8 p.m. and students will run, walk and dance their way through a two mile path for giveaways that include glow sticks and body paint with a concert afterwards.

After the pep rally, there will be fireworks and bonfire with root beer kegs and snacks.

Students attending the pep rally will have

to wake up early to get downtown for the parade, featuring balloon animals, stilt walkers and mascots.

Rock the Block, a tailgate before the football game against archrival Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) will be held in the stadium parking lot. A DJ, airbrush t-shirt artists, food trucks and vendors will be in attendance.

To cap the evening, the Black Action Society will present the first ever Homecoming Fashion Show.

Junior Adriana Sykes, a member of the Homecoming

Steering Committee hopes that students will get a sense of community from the festivities.

The committee has reached out to residence halls to help increase involvement for students.

“Being able to meet new people, especially for freshmen, [is important],” said Sykes, the royal court coordinator. “They’re coming in and they don’t really know anyone because it’s the beginning of the year. It’s hard for a lot of freshmen to get involved because they don’t know the events that are going on.”

D-2

CAMPUS LIFE

October 4, 2019

Diversity, inclusion and photography Portraits of students and the community offer a diversity perspective on campus

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

One of the installations for the Inside Out: People's Art Project is displays on the outside entrance of the Vincent Science Center. Installions for this project are being hang up around buildings in the quad, Bailey library and the Smith Student Center.

By Hope Hoehler Campus Life Editor

Along with 128 other countries, the United States, specifically Slippery Rock, Pe n n s y l v a n i a , t o o k part in Inside Out: The Pe o p l e’s A r t Pro j e c t , adapting the theme “Face Diversity, Foster Inclusion”.

The participatory ,collaborative art project initiated in 2011 and has since expanded to 129 countries and over 1,300 group actions.

The idea started when an artist began taking portraits of community members in small towns and put them on silos, the sides of industrial buildings and trains.

Doctor Cindy LaCom, a gender studies professor, was excited to bring this installation to Slippery Ro c k , b e g i n n i n g t h e conversation with Theresa Antonellis from the art department and Us r u a l a Pa y n e w i t h

the Frederick Douglas Institute in February of 2019.

“I think this is going to be one of the coolest [ p r o j e c t s ] ,” L a C o m s a i d . “ It’s i n n ova t i ve and interesting. If you [ p u t a p i c t u re ] o n a giant boulder next to t h e o c e a n , w e c a n’t match that on our campus, but in terms of scope, breadth a n d v i s u a l p o w e r, I t h i n k i t’s f a s c i n a t i n g and inspiring as any [installation].”

T h e Pe o p l e ’s A r t Pr o j e c t i s h o s t e d b y the art department, the Frederick Douglas Institute and the gender studies program, with co-sponsorship by the President’s Commision for Gender Identity and Expression and Sexual Orientation (GIESCO) and Residence Life.

The 5’x3’ por traits are hung on the side of buildings and the portraits around SRU are part of the 260,000 portraits worldwide.

The preparation for

this project began with seven photo booths set up over a three week period where students volunteered to get their picture taken.

Along with volunteers, LaCom and Antonellis reached out to about 2 5 d i f f e re n t s t u d e n t organizations, offices, resident life and GIESO. Currently, 180 portrait photographs have been taken of SRU students and the community, a curtsey of Jamie Hunt’s photography class.

LaCom said that they are deeply commited to the practice of diversity and believes that this project star ts to emphasis the diversity and inclusion on campus.

“Diversity by itself is never enough,” LaCom s a i d . “ I f y o u’r e n o t practicing inclusion, then you can still be a diverse place and have people feel discriminated against and not included.”

LaCom adapted a mantra around

KEEGAN BEARD/ THE ROCKET

Volunteers hang up the portraits by putting glue on the outside of the building.

diversity an inclusion after talking to an international student who said they would have felt more at home on campus if they had seen a picture of someone like them in their first year.

Although LaCom said that those involved with the project were also careful not to misrepresent,the diversity on campus. “ I f e e l t h a t i t ’s important to be accurate, but also to have a visual reminder that says we do have diversity here and this is a way to be inclusive,” LaCom said.

Responses to the installation have been mainly positive LaCom said. They mentioned one run in with a student outside of Vincent when the potraits were being hung up.

“We had a guy come up and stop in his tracks,” LaCom said.

“He said ‘Oh my God, this is the third time I’ve walked by and have been so buried in my phone

that I never even looked up. What is this? This is cool’.”

Although, LaCom also said that they had a talk with a student with a more conservative idealogy than themselves who said that it was weird that pictures of students were on the outside of buildings, wondering why they were staring at him.

“I hope people are visually reminded that there is an incredible array of difference and that difference is b e a u t i f u l . . . ,” L a C o m said.

The conversation w o n’t s t o p w h e n the installations are finished, in the future there will be an exhibit in the Martha Art Gallery about Inside Out: The Pe o p l e’s A r t Pr o j e c t , “Face Diversity, Foster Inclusion.”

H o w e v e r, L a C o m said that they hope the conversation extends into residence halls, the Smith Student Center,

KEEGAN BEARD/ THE ROCKET

The portrait is hung where the glue resides as volunteers align the photographs.

parties on Friday night and between families.

“We get so attuned to the notion that learning happens in classrooms,” LaCom said. “Some of the most important lessons I’ve learned have nothing to do with the classroom. I think what this project invites is a reminder that learning happens everywhere.”

LaCom believes that artistic movements can drive social change in ways that academics can’t.

“I love that this isn’t presciriptive,” LaCom said. “It doesn’t say, this is what we want you to think. It invites conversations and it invites people to look and relook.”

LaCom said that the timing of the installation was not random. Those helping with the project wanted to wait to start hanging flyers and go live with everything.

“To have people ask ‘what is this?’, it’s such an awesome question,” LaCom said.

KEEGAN BEARD/ THE ROCKET

The portraits will be hung on the outside of buildings until they begin to fade. Volunteers move on to hang the next portrait.

No time to waste: Find clean resources Women's and Macoskey Center increases conversation about platic waste in the environment

By Jack Konesky Senior Rocket Contributor

SRU’s women’s center & Macoskey Center collaborated Monday as part of their Women in the Environment series, kicking off their second ye a r w i t h a s h ow i n g of and subsequent discussion surrounding the documentary From t h e Wa s t e Up : L i f e Without Plastic.

The film focused on

one woman’s challenge to go plastic free for a year, and the overall goal was to use it as a starting point for a greater conversation about lessening personal waste said graduate assistant of the Women’s Center and Pride Center, Erin O’Connor.

“We used it as kind of a way to start a conversation, that was o u r g o a l ,” O ’ C o n n o r said. “Realistically, we can't go plastic free for a year, but what are the things that we can do to lessen our impact

on the environment -- to lesson our plastic waste?”

O’Connor’s personal role within the project is to lead the discussions that take place after the films. With the help of two other GAs, she works to connect the issues and concepts s h owc a s e d o n s c re e n b a c k t o t h e l i ve s o f those who attend and participate in the events. “ My b i g g e s t g o a l with every event we do is making sure no one leaves thinking 'Okay,

well… that was a nice hour and a half,' and living their lives the exact same way they did when they walked in.”

O’Connor said. “My job is helping to bring actionable steps to the event so that students don’t just leave with ' Ok a y, I w a t c h e d a movie. That’s nice. What else?'

Empowering and educating students is the primary goal of both organizations at the head of this series. One of the biggest issues,

O’Connor said, was that students were unaware of what changes to make and how to begin making them.

“There are a lot of things that are ver y accessible for college students to d o ,” O’Connor explained.

“I’m not asking you to do anything drastic like making your own toothpaste or shampoo, but you should think about what kind of easy things you can do that won’t make it feel like you’ve lost anything.”

O’Connor pointed t ow a rd s t h e v a r i e t y of options SRU itself provides; highlighting the array of filtered water fountains on campus as well as the Macoskey Center’s own farm stand, which appears ever y Thursday at common hour.

From the Waste Up was the first of four films planned for the academic year and as students ponder its lessons, the next film, Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, awaits its Nov. 12 arrival.

October 4, 2019

CAMPUS LIFE

D-3

Between a Rock and a Hard Place Art exhibition reflects art professors' solo trip to the Badlands

By Megan Majercak Senior Rocket Contributor

Sometimes, the true beauty of something is not appreciated unless you see it at it’s darkest moments. That is why Katherine Mickle, an art professor at Slippery Rock University, decided to take her sabbatical to venture solo to the White River Badlands in South Dakota last November, to car camp in freezing temperatures and capture nature through her artwork.

Mickle opened her exhibition,

titled “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” in the Martha Gault Art Gallery, located in Maltby, Monday evening.

“The big inspiration [to go] was that I have never been to this area during any different time of year than May or June when everything is really lush and green and lovely and that’s not really how it is most of the year so I felt like I was a getting false perception,” Mickle said.

“Nature becomes an avenue for me to identify and interpret life experiences.”

Mickle had taken the trip eight times before, first in 2006, as part of the Badlands Working

Group, an interdisciplinary research project led by Dr. Patrick Burkhart, professor of geography, geology and the environment at Slippery Rock University.

“My artwork touches on themes of personal concern including: aspirations, the passage of time, grief, selfdoubt, perseverance and social justice,” Mickle shared in her artist statement.

Mickle gathered photographs during her solo trip so that she could compare photos of the same place, years earlier when she had taken the trip as part of the Badlands Working Group.

One way Mickle showed the passage of time in her artwork was with lenticular photographs and a specialized printing process that accentuates moving or 3D images by covering specifically prepared graphics with a thin plastic sheet. This way, when viewers see her artwork from one angle, they see a photo she took of a landscape in 2014 and, from another angle, the photograph changes into what the exact same landscape looked like in 2018.

Mickle also experiments with photographs, plein air drawing and using repurposed plastics as part of her art. Many

pieces in the exhibition also focus on contrasting the difference the park shows between seasons as well as over the years.

Other pieces in the exhibition showed the passage of time metaphorically. One piece had an original poem about grief written on it.

“One piece I did a b o u t g r i e f s o t h a t’s a different sense of passage of time and loss,” Mickle said.

Fiona McKenzie, senior communication major shared that she really admired Mickles’ work.

HANNAH SLOPE/ THE ROCKET

Professor Heather Hertel looks at some of the photographs in the Between a Rock and a Hard Place exhibit. The exhibit is on display until Oct. 24 in Maltby.

The first day of college is the most exciting and terrifying moment for many students. Entering a classroom with a sea full of strangers, having little to no friends to eat lunch with and of course the navigation through this completely foreign environment can

be very stressful to anyone.

I chose to go through this stressful first day of a new world twice.

I am indeed a transfer student here at Slippery R o c k Un i v e r s i t y. I attended a community college for two years earning my associate’s

and I am now here on the road to a bachelor’s degree. Let me tell you a little secret: my second first day of college was brutal. Being a transfer student is hard. I felt like I was on the outside of my neighbors in the dorms, organizations and

“[Mickle's photographs do an amazing job at capturing the Badlands for what it really is and how it changes over the years,” McKenzie said.

Along with the White River Badlands, Mickle was able to visit Toadstool Geologic Park in Nebraska, Hells Half Acre in Wyoming and Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.

“Going alone was really nice, something about being on the road and being free… it was lovely,” Mickle said.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place will be on display in Martha Gault Art Gallery until Oct. 24.

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

Between a Rock and a Hard Place draws the attention of a man looking at the black and white photographs as well as the 3D images.

the overall participation in Slippery Rock events.

I have now been here a year and I no longer feel like a transfer. I very much feel a part of the senior class. I feel like I belong. If you are also a transfer student, I have some suggestions that might help the transition of transfer “outsider” to a fellow student.

One: Join as many clubs and organizations that apply to your major as possible. The people in your major are the people with whom you have the most in common! They are the people you will do group projects, late night runs to Sheetz and study sessions with until all hours of the night.

Joining clubs made me feel extremely welcome to the Slippery Rock community and gave me something to look forward to throughout the week.

Tw o : L e a v e y o u r comfort zone, to an extent, at the door. You

are in a new environment again, so why not try new things? Put yourself out there when it comes to leadership positions. Be the first person to raise your hand proud with the answer. Talk to the new face sitting next to you in class. Most importantly, do not be afraid of speaking up!

Three: Find yourself.

One of the hardest things about being a transfer student was all the time I spent by myself every day. I was always surrounded by my huge family and tons of friends back home. I never did things alone. Here, it was different. I was “always alone”. I went to see a movie in the student center theater and really took in the movie. I went grocery shopping and got to decide things I like, not what the family likes. I wrote scripts and journaled. I was free to be creative with personal projects regarding my major that I could not

do when I was around all the noise back home.

Four: Be patient. This is the most important advice I can give anyone. Last year was tough. Tears were shed and the days felt long. But I never gave up. I continued to attend club meetings.

I continued to speak to the new faces around me.

I continued to learn how to be with myself. I kept pushing through until I was happy again. Then, one day I had friends, a roommate, a leadership position, and so many great things to look forward to in the upcoming new year. I made it to senior year with a smile on my face and friends by my side.

Being a transfer and a college student can be difficult for anyone.

Remember, the people around you are probably going through the same thing as you. Do not sweat the small stuff and keep pushing through the hard times. Happiness is waiting for all of us one semester at a time!

Comic books, confidence and conferences English Professor Nicholas Katsiadas elected to PCEA Board, to present at three conferences

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Dr. Nicholas Katsiadas sits in his office in Spotts intently working on his computer

By Brendan Howe Asst. Campus Life Editor

Nicholas Katsiadas, a professor of english at Slippery Rock University, was recently selected to the board of the Pennsylvania College English Association, an organization that

provides a platform for civil discourse and people to discuss literature, their research, and creative and professional writing.

Made up of all of the state universities, Pennsylvania College English allows for civil discourse, which is something Katsiadas believes is vital on both sides of the political spectrum.

“It’s the whole nine yards with English studies,”

Katsiadas said. “It’s more of a generalist approach to see who is involved within the research community and also within the teaching community as well.”

When he started instructing here, Katsiadas was looking to fulfill service opportunities and was welcomed with open arms by fellow professor Itzi Meztli, who invited him to begin planning the Pennsylvania English Association Conference.

The symposium, titled “Engendering Narrative: Transforming Image, Text, and Medium,” will be held at Slippery Rock University April 22-24 in the Smith Student Center.

Katsiadas will sit in on board meetings to discuss future conference opportunities and will also collaborate to choose the theme of the gatherings.

Along with Meztli, Katsiadas has been guided by Jessica Jopp and Michaela O’Toole, both professors in Slippery Rock’s English department.

The board is soon to launch discussion on 2021’s conference.

Katsiadas has tabbed Danette DiMarco, the chair of SRU’s English department, and artist Marcel Walker, as

guest speakers and has been combing through submitted abstracts of those who would like to attend. “[The planning] is not as much of a challenge in terms of intellectual rigor as it is a challenge to make sure I dot all of my I’s and cross all of my T’s.”

Katsiadas is heavily involved with Sigma Tau Delta, the english honors society, and is trying to provide opportunities for undergraduates to explore these conferences.

“If [undergrads] are interested in grad school, it’s a good place for people to network,” Katsiadas said. “Editors sit in on conference presentations, so not only do people have the opportunity f o r n e t w o rk i n g a n d presenting, but also to publish, too.”

Katsiadas said that, right now, people aren’t aware if they professionally develop.

For Katsiadas, entering this community is a chance to engage in civil conversations, no matter how difficult they may be.

“This is the culmination of 15 years of being in school,” said Katsiadas, who graduated from

SRU with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. “Being able to call these people my colleagues, and to be able to trust what they say and rely upon them for the promotion of literary studies is super important to me […] I feel privileged to be a part of it.”

Described as “the world’s largest professional organization for researching and teaching composition, from writing to new media” in its website, the Conference on College Composition and Communication will host Katsiadas for its yearly convention in March.

In a combination of his dissertation and doctoral work, Katsiadas, who bought his first comic when he was five, tries to promote writing as collaborative and looks at the way the “Marvel Method” can act as an analogy.

“In the Marvel Method, you have a bunch of people collaborating on one title or one issue,” Katsiadas said.

“You have a writer, a penciler, an inker, a colorist, and an editor. We want to demystify the myth of the ‘lonely artist’ sitting in their room by themselves, just writing. That’s not how writing works at all.”

The presentation is actually a performance, Katsiadas said,

in which he and his colleagues dress as the Avengers and have a dialogue. In their first recital, Thanos served as the heel, trying to discourage the heroes from attempting to reinvigorate composition as a practice within the university.

He will also present the study of comic book pedagogy and the Romantic literary history of comics at the gathering. Katsiadas will also offer the presentation at the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association regional conference in Pittsburgh in November and at the 2020 Popular Culture Association national conference in Philadelphia in mid-April.

“In comic studies, people gravitate to superheroes and a lot of studies involve comparatively reading superheroes with classical mythology,” Katsiadas said, likening Superman to Hercules as an example.

“But, there’s an entire spectrum of mythology that you’re not paying attention to that we can generate opportunities to better understand the literary history of comics as not solely within classical mythology and religion.”

October 4, 2019

THE ROCKET

D-4

OCTOBE R 9-13, 201 9

Tuesday, Oct. 8

friday, Oct. 11 , continued

9 a.m.

8 – 9 p.m. HOCO Pep Rally Announcement of Homecoming Court Old Thompson Field (Rain Location: Aebersold Student Recreation Center)

Homecoming Royalty voting begins on CORE

Noon Paint the Town to 3 p.m. Main Street, downtown Slippery Rock Noon to 3 p.m.

Campus Window Wars Various campus windows

9 p.m.

%RQƓUH DQG )LUHZRUNV :DWFK 3DUW\ Old Thompson Field BYOB: Bring Your Own Blanket!

3 – 6 p.m. Spirit Board Painting - The Quad

Wednesday, Oct. 9

Saturday, Oct. 12

4 – 8 p.m. Theme Meal Boozel Dining Hall

8:30 – 0XIƓQV DQG 0LPRVDV IRU 5HXQLRQ 9:45 a.m. Alumni House

8 p.m.

9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Happy Bus transportation

9 a.m. – 9 p.m.

ROCK the ARC Aebersold Student Recreation Center FREE access for alumni and SRU family and friends

HOCO Singing Bee Smith Student Center Ballroom

Thursday, Oct. 10 Noon to 2 p.m.

LOCO for HOCO The Quad (Rain location: SSC Ballroom)

4 – 8 p.m. Theme Meal Boozel Dining Hall 8 p.m.

Operation GLOW! to 10 p.m. Bookstore parking lot of the Smith Student Center Registration starts at 7:30 p.m.

(Rain location: SSC Ballroom)

9:30 a.m. President’s Parade Viewing Tent Corner of Maltby Avenue and School Street 10 a.m. Homecoming Parade Main Street, downtown Slippery Rock 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

“Rock the Block” Tailgate Festival Scarnati Band Field SRU Alumni Association Tailgate Tent Scarnati Band Field Music Alumni Tailgate Swope Parking Lot

Friday, Oct. 11 6 – 9 a.m. ROCK the ARC Aebersold Student Recreation Center 9 a.m.

Campus Alumni Breakfast Alumni House

1 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs. Shippensburg Egli Field

10 a.m.

Campus Window Wars and Paint the Town judging

2 p.m.

Noon

Spirit Board judging

Football vs. IUP Mihalik-Thompson Stadium Announcement of Homecoming Royalty at halftime

Noon

Homecoming Royalty voting ends

2 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball vs. Shepherd Morrow Field House

Noon

Media Alumni Symposium Smith Student Center Theater

3:30 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs. Clarion Egli Field

1 p.m.

Campus tours Alumni House

4:30 – 6 p.m.

5th Quarter Reunion Alumni Party Smith Student Center Theater

6 p.m.

Class of 1969 and Golden Graduate Club Dinner Alumni House

2 – 3 p.m. Class of 1969 Welcome Reception President’s residence

Soccer Ring of Honor :HLVHQŴXK 'LQLQJ +DOO

4 – 6 p.m. Alumni Student Leader Reception Smith Student Center Suite 5 p.m.

Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner Alumni House

8 –10p.m. Black Action Society Fashion Show Smith Student Center Ballroom

6 p.m.

Media Hall of Fame Smith Student Center Ballroom

Sunday, Oct. 13

7 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball vs. Shippensburg Morrow Field House

9 a.m – 9 p.m.

ROCK the ARC Aebersold Student Recreation Center FREE access for alumni and SRU family and friends

Noon

Polish the Rock Campus and downtown Slippery Rock Meet in The Quad

#13239 9-2019

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE •

www.SRU.edu

• A member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education