12/04/15 Digital Edition

Friday December 4, 2015 • Volume 99, Issue Number 12 • An Independent, Student-Run Newspaper

www.theonlinerocket.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Rock redshirt-junior defensive end Cody Conway bursts by an Assumption lineman to pressure the Greyhounds quarterback. He had nine tackles with one sack and forced a fumble

Assumption's late rally comes up two points shy as The Rock advances to round three

By Ryan Barlow Sports Editor

A late rally came up short for Assumption as Slippery Rock is able to hold off the Greyhounds 41-39 in the second round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

The Rock led 41-19 entering the fourth quarter, but the Greyhounds

Professor works with students and physics department to begin painted sails project

By Daniel DiFabio Rocket Contributor

An art professor at Slipper y Rock University is in the process of receiving funding for a project that would showcase painted sails.

Heather Hertel, art professor, is the leader of the project. The idea to paint and make artwork on sails came to her while sailing during the summer.

“I went back to competitive sail racing this summer and I was on the water a lot and I kept looking up at the sails and it just clicked,” Hertel said.

Hertel applied for two grants, one through the Baytime Maritime Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, which would supply materials and art supplies for the project as well as helping the center to run the exhibit.

The second grant is a student faculty research grant through Slippery Rock University which would allow for students to work with faculty professionally. If the grants are awarded Hertel will work from Jan. 1 to Dec. 30, 2016 on the project.

SEE PROJECT PAGE A-2

scored 20 unanswered to pull within two points. Assumption needed a two-point conversion to tie the game with just over three minutes remaining, but sophomore defensive back Titus Howard broke up the play to keep The Rock lead intact. Slippery Rock was forced to punt the ball on its next possession, and Howard was able to pick off Assumption quarterback Marc

Monks on fourth down with just over one minute remaining to ensure The Rock victory.

"If you're going to have a great season, you're going to have to be able to come out on top in games like that," Rock head coach George Mihalik said. "I don't think we played our best game. We made plays when we had to, but overall it wasn't our best. When you can

win a game when you're not at your best then that's a pretty positive situation."

The SRU offense moved the ball on the ground, rushing for 260 yards as a team. Redshirt-junior Shamar Greene led all Rock runners with 164 on 34 carries and a touchdown.

SEE RULES PAGE C-1

Uber offers transpor tation services to Slippery Rock University students

By Haley Barnes News Editor

Uber is now offering transportation services and jobs to Slippery Rock University students and citizens of Slippery Rock.

The first night of operation was Thursday, Nov. 12, according to Twitter page @UberSRU. Uber driver and senior marketing major Christian Scott said that Uber is a transportation service that helps its passengers get where they need to be safely and efficiently.

"Uber is evolving the way the world moves," he said. "By seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through their apps, they make cities and towns more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and more business for drivers."

Scott said he got involved with Uber over the summer because he needed a flexible, part-time job.

"I love to drive and talk with people, so I found Uber and have been happy driving with them ever since," he said.

Scott believes that Slippery Rock University students will highly benefit from Uber, especially

during drinking and social hours on Tuesday nights, Thursday nights and weekends. He also said he has high hopes that Uber will be especially popular during the winter, as students will not have to walk in the snow and cold.

"As Uber is not only meant to help people get home after they drink and can't drive, but here at Slippery Rock there is not a service that helps students get home," he said. "Yes, there is the Happy Bus, but the Happy Bus does not run on Thursday nights, which is Ginger Hill's most popular night. Also, with Uber you can request a ride and we'll be there to pick you up and get you home much quicker then the Happy Bus." Scott said Uber is very affordable for students, but that the price varies depending on distance.

"The minimum fee is $7.25 and that will be the typical fee for anyone in Slippery Rock because of the short distance," he said. "I couldn't imagine seeing costs for a ride reach over $10. If you and a few friends go home together, that is a pretty cheap and safe ride."

Scott said that it is easy to request a ride from Uber.

Copy/ Web Editor Says Goodbye

Athlete Of The Month

The Rocket's graduating Copy/ Web Editor says farewell to the paper.

Page B-2

Junior Lexi Carpenter has made a big impact for the Rock women's basketball team.

Page C-2

SEE COMPANY PAGE A-3

HIMYM Mother Star Visits SRU TV star Josh Radnor visited SRU Monday to talk to students about his love of acting.

Page D-1

NEWS

A-2

December 4, 2015

SGA responds to student survey results P

Catch something exciting happening on campus? Want your Insta-photos to be featured in The Rocket? Just follow @SRURocket on Instagram and use # in the caption for your chance to be featured here every week!

By Chris Gordon Assistant News Editor

Slippery Rock's Student Government Association revealed the results of the 2015 student life survey Monday night and recommended changes around campus accordingly.

SGA Vice President of Student Affairs Jessica Johnson proposed the idea of a new Rock Audit system that would allow students to plan ahead for coming semesters. In turn, campus departments would be able to base course offerings off of the number of students who plan to take those classes.

To remedy parking issues around campus, Johnson proposed increasing the prices of parking passes, creating a tiered system of parking, in which higher priced passes wold allow students to park in more desirable spots, and eliminating

parking passes for freshmen.

"Allowing freshmen to have cars is a big perk of our campus, but many campuses don't allow this," she said.

In terms of winter weather cleanup, Johnson said SGA would begin advertising that SRU's maintenance department does not have the manpower to remove snow all throughout the day in hopes of lessening student complaints.

Other ideas Johnson proposed included moving the mail center to the Old Union, creating a new website with details of SRU's clubs and organizations, offering degrees in American Sign Language and speech pathology and developing an online orientation session for transfer students and veterans.

About 500 students responded to the survey, she said.

Additionally, SGA approved a new club, the SRU Military Support Group.

"This is for students who are in some way connected to a service member and want to send them support," a club representative said.

SGA also approved $2,350 in funds to provide for a fan bus to transfer students to the football quarterfinals game at Shepard University and approved a new shuttle contract for the Happy Bus system.

SRU President Cheryl J. Norton attended Monday's meeting and congratulated SGA on their achievements this semester.

"I have never witnessed an SGA that has worked so hard and accomplished so much," she said.

Monday's meeting was the final SGA meeting of the fall 2015 semester. The next SGA meeting will be on January 25 at 8:45 p.m. in the Smith Student Center Theater.

Project helps students develop new skills Continued from Page A-1

Hertel has been accepted to do a solo exhibition in the center’s venue.

Hertel’s project would be shown in the Tall Ships Festival in Erie which is coming back to Erie after five years in September and brings 57,000 people to Erie. Hertel hopes that her project will be able to attract people from the Niagara, Erie’s tall ship, to the Baytime Maritime Center next door.

Hertel has had about seven sails donated to her and they’re all about 40 feet high and are all contemporary racing sails that are clear.

“The size of the sails in of itself almost beckons for a collaborative project,” Hertel said.

Sports...................C-1 Hertel asked students to work on the project with her and experiment with how to paint the Campus Life.............D-1 sails and what kind of paint will stick.

Jared Robison, one of the students collaborating with Hertel, said the project is great for professional development and also getting to work with other students and faculty and explore new opportunities for art.

Bernard Stote, another student working on the project with Hertel, has had grants for his own

INDEX Blotter.................A-4 Opinion................B-1 Comics...................D-4

CONTACT US Newsroom: (724) 738-4438 Advertising: (724) 738-2643 Fax: (724) 738-4896 Email: rocket.letters@sru.edu

220 Eisenberg Building Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock, PA 16057

Nationally recognized as one of the top 10 four-year weekly broadsheet newspapers by the Associated Collegiate Press.

ROCK NOTES To submit a Rock Note please send your announcement by 6 p.m.

Wednesday to Haley Barnes at hmb1006@sru.edu or to rocket. news@sru.edu. The Rocket does not guarantee that all requests will be published in the paper.

projects in the past, but thought that helping Hertel to realize her vision was interesting.

Hertel’s project also involves collaboration with the physics department in making structures that can display the sails. Physics professor Ben Shaevitz is helping with the project, with Hertel and Shaevitz having worked on a project before when Shaevitz came into one of her classes and gave students some knowledge on creating realistic shadows on paintings. Shaevitz also donated five sails to the project and will be selecting the physics students that help with the project.

The physics students will use the machine shop to make structures to help display the sails.

“I think it’s good for them to be involved with the project because it gives them some skills too,” Shaevitz said.

Hertel hopes that the art exhibition will travel to different ports around the country, with a five-year goal of displaying the sail project at international ports in Aorta, Mexico and Mallorca, Spain.

“We’re bringing cultures together, we’re bringing the art community, the science community and the sailing community together,” Hertel said. “It’s another way to bring art into the public venue.”

FALL DANCE SHOWCASE The SRU Department of Dance presents its annual fall showcase at Swope Recital Hall. Performances take place at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6. Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for general admission and can be purchased at the Smith Student Center Information Desk or by calling 724-738-4926.

For more information, contact the Department of Dance at 724-738-2036.

LAST ISSUE OF THE SEMESTER This will be the last print issue of The Rocket for the fall semester. The Rocket will resume print publication on Jan. 29, 2016.

December, 4 2015

NEWS

A-3

POLICE BLOTTER State Police. The suspects had their vehicle was keyed in the Pennsylvania State Police for a fled, but were taken into custody Union Commuter Lot. The case report of gun fire at The Heights. at the stadium. is under investigation.

The complex was searched, but No v e mb e r 1 9 - Wi l l i a m nothing was found.

Chesleigh, 19, was charged with November 20 - An ambulance November 23 - A person an alcohol violation. was called to to transport a person reported that their bag was stolen November 29 - An ambulance having a seizure in Boozel to the in Bailey Library. The case is was called to the Health Center November 20 - Police responded hospital. under investigation. to transport a person having a to an armed robbery at The Grove seizure to the hospital. at the request of Pennsylvania November 21 - A person reported November 25 - Police assisted Compiled by Chris Gordon

Campus

BAS shows their support for Mizzou students Company provides

By Amber Cannon Campus LIfe Editor

Members of the Black Action Society (BAS), including some faculty and staff members, gathered in the Robert M. Smith Student Center lobby to take pictures to show their support for the University of Missouri students who have recently been facing racism on their campus.

According to USAToday.com, on Sept. 12, President of the Missouri Students Association, Payton Head, posted on Facebook about being called the "N-word" repeatedly on campus. The post was shared by several people on and off Mizzou's campus.

On Sept. 16, the chancellor of the university, R. Bowen Loftin, published a tweet saying, "Let me be very clear about where I stand as Mizzou's chancellor: one bias incident is too many. The incidents that I have heard about - both blatant and subtle - are totally unacceptable." When Loftin tried to hold an online diversity training program, students were upset.

Following the chancellor's tweet, a group of 11 black leaders protested during their Homecoming parade, which blocked Mizzou's president, Tim Wolfe. Several football players also said they refused to play in any football games until Wolf resigned or was terminated.

The head coach of Missouri Gary Pinkel stood with the football team to show his support of the players, according to usatoday.com.

According to USAToday.com, Wolfe resigned on Nov. 9.

President of Black Action Society (BAS), Yonshalae Powell said BAS decided to hold this event because there have been a lot of racial injustices happening at Mizzou.

"We're taking a picture with students who support Mizzou and show that we're standing there with

them and it's to show that Slippery Rock has a great community and that we would never let what happened at Mizzou happen at Slippery Rock University," Powell said. "Anyone can throw an event and talk about people and about what happened in Mizzou and inform them, but at the end of the day, what are we actually doing about it, except talking about it?"

Powell said taking pictures at the event is a great way to get support for Mizzou and to get students active.

Powell said she hopes students and faculty use this event as an opportunity to show that SRU can come together in times of need for other universities. Powell also said that by SRU coming together, it makes the university a better campus because since SRU is standing with Mizzou, the campus stands against racism.

Everyone who was included in the pictures was told to wear black.

Treasurer of BAS, Odell Richardson, said this event is important to him and should be important to other students because incidents like this could happen at Slippery Rock University.

"So many things have gone on in this world and we need to start paying attention to them," Richardson said.

President Cheryl J. Norton sent out an email to students stating that she stands in support of BAS and the entire SRU family who wish to make the university an open experience where each person is respected and treated with dignity.

"Education cannot occur if there is not a safe, supportive and tolerant environment on campus," Norton said. "This must be an environment that respects not only individual difference, but also a community that protects, indeed defends, these differences."

Norton said it is equally important to have the courage to confront and discuss difficult issues that divide us as a society. She stated that intolerance towards any person, or group of people will not be tolerated on this campus.

students with safer alternatives

Continued from Page A-1

He said the easiness and convenience of the company explains why it is growing at such a rapid rate.

In order to request a ride from Uber, Scott said all that is required is the Uber app and a credit/debit card.

"You simply download the app, punch in a few things about yourself and your credit/debit card information and you are ready to go," Scott explained. "Most new riders can receive a code from another rider who already has Uber and each get $20 off their next ride. With Uber having your credit/debit card on file, there is no need for cash."

Scott said that students who are looking for extra money and a flexible schedule can work for Uber. He said all the student would have to do is register their car on Uber.com.

"If you have car insurance and a car that is a 2005 or newer, you will be good to go," he said. "It took me no longer than a week to be a registered driver with Uber."

He said one of the major advantages of working for Uber is that drivers have the ability to set their own schedule.

"You drive when you want," Scott said. "Obviously in Pittsburgh, this is 100% true because Pittsburgh is always busy with people needing rides to work, with sporting events going on, with all the colleges in Pittsburgh and South Side, Pittsburgh is perfect for Uber," he said. "On the other hand, I would say to be most effective at Slippery Rock would be during drinking hours, so that means Tuesday, Thursday and weekend nights."

He said that Uber will help make the town of Slippery Rock safer and that it will help bring a sense of peace for students who drink and need a ride home.

No security deposits!

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

2, 3 or 4 bedroom floor-plans Over 180 apartments to choose from Cable, internet, water, & trash included Stove, microwave, dishwasher, disposal, fridge, washer & dyer included* BRAND NEW! On-site laundry facilities at Main St. location Sofa, love seat, coffee & end tables, TV stand, twin or full size beds, dresser, desk, & night stand included* BRAND NEW! Living room furniture at South Rock!

Not all units furnished at Main St. location 24-hour emergency maintenance Professional on-site management Close proximity to SRU campus Direct-wired smoke detectors Fire extinguishers in each unit Access to Clubhouse Handicap apartments available On-site parking Close to SGA bus stop

O

OPINION

Our View

Uber gives students more options

OPINION rocket.letters@sru.edu Volume 99, Number 12

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

(724) 738-4438 (724) 738-4896 rocket.letters@sru.edu

EDITORIAL BOARD Janelle Wilson

Editor-in-Chief

Haley Barnes

News Editor

Amber Cannon

Campus Life Editor

Ryan Barlow

Sports Editor

Rebecca Dietrich Shelby Stearns

Photo Editor Copy/ Web Editor

Chris Gordon

Assistant News Editor

Emma Pfeifer

Assist. Campus Life Editor

Cody Nespor

Assistant Sports Editor

Kendall Scott

Assistant Photo Editor

Victoria Davis

Assist. Copy/Web Editor

Emily Brown

Multimedia Reporter

Mark Zeltner

Faculty Adviser

ADVERTISING STAFF Karleigh Santry

Advertising Manager

ABOUT US The Rocket is published by the students of Slippery Rock University every Friday during the academic semester with the exception of holidays, exam periods and vacations. Total weekly circulation is 3,000. No material appearing in The Rocket may be reprinted without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief.

The Rocket receives approximately 5 percent of its 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) 7382643 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.

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.

GRAPHIC BY KENDALL SCOTT / THE ROCKET

Uber is a similar to a taxi service, except independent drivers pick up passengers in their own vehicles that they register online. We at The Rocket think this is an excellent service that will provide a much-needed service to people in our town.

Slippery Rock is by no means a large school, and we are not close enough to a city to justify having a cab service. Many students rely on the bus to take them where they need to go. This wouldn’t be an issue, but the bus does not run at key times that students need transportation.

The bus does not run after 4:30 on weekdays and students who aren’t in walking distance of campus and don’t have a car might have to skip events that they may want or need to go to.

Uber will fill that void.

It is also an important option to give to students who go to the bar or parties at night, drink and consequently are unable to drive. The latenight bus, which only runs Friday and Saturday nights, is supposed to come around in 20-minute cycles.

But, if someone has ever utilized this service, then they know the bus has a tendency to be late, and if it is carrying too many passengers, the driver

must leave some students who can’t fit on the bus behind.

Students then either have to wait an undetermined amount of time until the next bus comes around, or if the bus isn’t running, then they would have to find another way to get home.

This is especially important to consider with the recent burst of crime, including two shootings, that have occurred within several miles of our campus. It isn’t fair to leave students to fend for themselves and walk home if they miss the bus, especially if doing so makes them afraid and uncomfortable.

Some members of our staff have felt unsafe walking home at night, and students even expressed this concern in our prior issue’s “In the Quad” segment. With the lighting and sidewalk issue still unresolved, it’s important to provide a quick fix, which is what Uber offers.

Uber also will provide students with another option if the person who is the designated driver for the night ends up drinking.

Some of our staff have voiced concern with the cost of Uber’s services. But if someone takes an uber with three of their friends, then the cost will be

In the Quad

divided and it will be more affordable for passengers.

There are also situations where someone would call an Uber if they felt unsafe or unable to walk or drive home.

Someone could also potentially use Uber to get a ride to the health center.

In these types of situations, the value of the ser vice outweighs the cost of the ride, and the cost wouldn’t be that steep unless the passenger asks the Uber driver to take them somewhere out of town.

This is also an excellent opp or tunity for students who don’t go out during the weekends to make some extra money. Registering with Uber is easy, and drivers can become registered within one week of applying, so becoming an Uber driver would be an easy way for someone to quickly start making money. Drivers also have the opportunity to earn tips if passengers think the service is good.

Drivers are also able to set their own schedules, so students will not be bogged down with responsibility.

Uber coming to SRU fills a necessity, and provides students with an opportunity to make extra money, and we at The Rocket feel that this is a great service.

This week’s question: What holidays do you celebrate and what are some of your family traditions?

In the Quad is a segment in which random students, faculty and staff are asked for their opinions on a specific topic.

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.

Musu Kiawu Senior Finance and Marketing Major Sierra Leone, Africa “We have one called African trials day. It’s a Memorial Day for the kids who were killed in Soweto. We take the day off and cook African food and have a festival for kids. “

Samantha Rivet Senior Business Management Major Twinsburg, OH “I celebrate Hanukkah, some traditions would be we make Hanakkah cookies every year and we decorate them, my sister and I like to make them.”

Saheed Rizwan Senior Psychology Major Sri Lanka “Wesak, it’s a Buddhist cultural festival celebrated in Buddhist countries that depicts Gautama Buddha’s stages of attaining enlightenment .”

OPINION

B-2

December 4, 2015

QUESTION OF

THE WEEK @SRURocket

The Rocket copy/web editor reflects on Gun control is not beginnings, and newspaper experience a political issue

Shelby Stearns Commentary Shelby Stearns is a senior middle level education major and the copy/ web editor of The Rocket.

A week before I started college, way back in fall of 2011, my cousin Jonny sent me a text with lyrics from the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic.

A simple sentence, but a powerful one nonetheless: “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” I packed those words into boxes and carried them with me into my dorm in Building E, to lecture halls, to poetry slams and job inter views.

I saw college as a series of b eginnings and endings, yet still appreciating all the wonderful moments that came in between.

In April 2014, I applied on a whim to be the copy editor for The Rocket. Being an education major rather than a communication major, I thought my chances were slim, but I decided to give it a shot. Much to my surprise, after a very uncomfortable panel interview where I said, “usually I shake the person’s hand after an interview, but since there are so many of

you I’m just going to leave” and left awkwardly, I received a call from Kevin Squires (#itsrocketscience) that evening telling me I’d been chosen as copy editor. I was excited, but had no idea what to expect.

It proved to be one of my favorite beginnings of my college career. After extensive training from the very lovely Mary Leach, I was even more excited for my future as a member of the Rocket family.

Throughout my year and a half at The Rocket I’ve laughed.

I’ve cried. I’ve learned so much about the world of journalism and media. I’ve made the kind of memories you hope you make in college before you get there. I’ve gained a sense of community and camaraderie from some incredible humans who were once strangers to me.

For this semester, fall of 2015, the social media/web editor position was integrated with the copy editor position.

I received a whole new level of experience with web stuff that I’d never done before. With this change, I also gained an assistant, Victoria Davis, a powerful vegan and feminist who never ever complained about webbing the sports section and has been a great addition to our staff. I have some really great memories of my late nights in The Rocket office with my fellow “vikings” this semester.

And now, we are here. At this beginning’s end. I am about to graduate and start a million new beginnings. As I red pen my last issue, I am nostalgic and grateful for all the people who helped me along my college journey. Here’s where

I get all acceptance speechy, so bear with me. Thank you to my parents and sister for constantly reminding me that everything’s going to be okay.

Thank you to my boyfriend, Zach, for endless support in calming me down when I get myself all worked up and emotional about nothing.

Thank you to my outstanding adviser, Dr. Jason Hilton for always answering my frantic emails and giving me wisdom and encouragement (there’s a chance I would have dropped out of college otherwise).

Thank you to my floor friends from freshman year for all of the hilarious memories and for taking care of me. Thank you to the alumni of AM Slam Poetry Club for your inspirational words and introducing me to spoken word. Thank you to Dr. White, Dr. Permenter, Dr. O’Connor, Dr. McCarren and Dr. Oldakowski in the English department for fueling my love of language, literature and writing.

Lastly, thank you to Dr. Zeltner (Fetty) and the other beautiful human beings at The Rocket. I know it seems like the end of your time here is far away, but it will be here so soon, so enjoy it while you have the chance. Remember to never take your position for granted, and continue to laugh and make incredible memories with the Rocket team. I leave my duties in the very capable hands of Victoria and our new addition to the staff, Amanda Salvia, excited to see all that they will accomplish from their beginnings to their ends.

Peace out, Slippery Rock.

Thanks for all of the memories and opportunities. Love you like a sis.

Victoria Davis Commentary

Victoria Davis is a sophomore English secondary education major and is the asst. copy/ web editor of the Rocket.

There have been more mass shootings than days so far in this year, and some of you still want fewer regulations on guns. I don’t get it. Most of the time I can put my political affiliations aside and at least understand from where people with whom I disagree are coming, but I’m sick of trying to justify why you are okay with people dying because you can’t bear the thought of not taking your gun into a Walmart. The recent shooting in San Bernardino is the deadliest shooting since 20 children and six faculty members were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I do have to wonder why 20 dead children weren’t enough to settle the debate concerning gun regulations.

Believe it or not, I used to be a staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but I don’t understand how anyone can still argue for less gun control, or even keeping the current regulations in place for that matter is a good idea. I know there are a multitude of valid arguments for less gun control, but they become invalid when the Gun Violence Archive reports that over 24,000 people have been injured in mass shootings this year. They become invalid when the Washington Post reports that there are more mass shootings than there have been days in the year. They become invalid when over 12,000 people have been killed with firearms in 2015 alone. I know despite all these numbers many people still have a million reasons to ward off gun control legislation, the one I hear the most often being that criminals rarely obtain guns legally anyway, right? Well, there is a lot of evidence pointing to the contrary: according to the New York Times, every single shooter of the last 15 mass shootings obtained their gun(s) legally. So how many of those could have been prevented by stronger gun control?

This is not a liberal or conservative issue, this is a life or death issue. Despite what a bevy of politicians and presidential candidates seem to believe, prayers aren’t going to fix this.

Praying after a tragedy isn’t going to undo the damage, but supporting legislation that prevents firearms from being so readily available might.

B-3

December 4, 2015

classifieds For Rent

NEED A PLACE THAT IS COST FRIENDLY? Slippery Rock Rentals is the answer.

Slippery Rock Rentals is a family owned business with houses in New Castle, Plain Grove, Slippery Rock, and a mile and a half outside Slippery Rock University. Call today for a showing or check out our website.

CALL: 724-794-4314 VISIT: WWW.SLIPPERYROCKRENTALS.COM

Success Starts Here..

Premiere Student Housing The Heights at slippery rock Now accepting applications for the 2016-2017 school year.

pet friendly

$475 for a

limited time

gym

100 Woodbridge Drive | Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania 16057 P: 724.421.8366 | heightsatslipperyrock.com

C

COMICS Sharing Stalls

By Molly Huey

COMICS

Today's Birthday (12/04/15). Persistence for personal goals reaps abundant harvest this year. After 3/8, a new home phase begins. A team effort changes direction after 3/23. Evolve into social expansion after 9/9. Your crew needs you but so does family, especially after 9/16. Express your love.

To get the advantage, check the day's rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Look closely at the numbers. Find sweet deals, with Venus in Scorpio for the next month. Increase your assets.

Budget for holiday expenditures, and get creative to keep it. Travel could get complicated. Can you connect virtually?

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is a 9 -- There's more work than one person can handle alone. Get creative today and tomorrow to manage it ... there's no time for fussing. Collaboration is key this next month, with Venus in Scorpio. Love grows with shared commitment.

Molly Huey is a freshman dance and communication major from Warren, Pennsylvania

Best in Show

By Phil Juliano

Brewster Rockit: Space Guy

By Tim Rickard

Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Play music to maintain harmony and embrace the rhythm. An intense professional phase begins, with more fun (and profits) over the next month, with Venus in Scorpio. Practice your game, especially today and tomorrow. Find the romance.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Get busy at home today and tomorrow. Decorate and beautify.

Create delicious aromas. Keep secrets and whip up surprises. This month reveals sensual pleasures, with Venus in Scorpio. Love and recreation combine for sizzle. Savor each other.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Make your home into a cozy love nest this month. Domestic pleasures especially satisfy, with Venus in Scorpio.

Try new recipes. Research, network and share over the next two days. Create works of beauty and exquisite flavor.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Learn voraciously for about four weeks, with Venus in Scorpio. Study with passion. Research, write and share your discoveries. The next two days can get especially lucrative. Keep deadlines, and provide satisfying results. Tap new revenues.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Take charge. You have extra energy and confidence today and tomorrow. With Venus in Scorpio over the next month, enjoy an especially lucrative phase. Track cash flow to increase it. Make bold promises and keep them.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is a 6 -- Savor peace and quiet today and tomorrow. Productivity behind closed doors completes a project. With Venus entering your sign for the next month, your personal charms flower. Refine your image or style. Beautify your brand. Pamper yourself.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 6 -Enjoy parties and gatherings today and tomorrow.

Teamwork goes far. Pass along what you're learning.

Expect inner growth over the next month, with Venus in Scorpio. Nurture your spirit with comforting rituals and peaceful reverie.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Focus on professional priorities today and tomorrow. Do your best, and a status rise is possible. For the next month, with Venus in Scorpio, you play especially well with others. Your popularity is growing. Create beautiful works together.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 6 -- New career opportunities appear over the next month, with Venus in Scorpio. Take on more responsibility.

Personal effort gets results. Travels and research have your attention today and tomorrow. Investigate further before investing heavily. Plan your itinerary carefully.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 7 -- Expand your territory. Balance travels with career developments over the next month with Venus in Scorpio. Extra focus on financial management today and tomorrow supports your professional plans. Chart your course for increased fun and profits.

(Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Black's legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @lindablack.

For more astrological interpretations visit Linda Black Horoscopes and www.nancyblack.com) (c)2015 bY NANCY BLACK. DISTRIBUTED

BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Bliss

By Harry Bliss

B-5

December 4 , 2015

Where will your science degree take you?

Whether you’re finishing undergraduate studies in science, health sciences or engineering, a graduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences can improve your marketability and career prospects.

Duquesne University can prepare you for a successful career in research or management in health care institutions, academia, industry and government.

M.S. and Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry Pharmaceutics Pharmacology M.S. Pharmacy Administration

Find out how to launch a promising career in the pharmaceutical sciences by visiting: duq.edu/graduate-pharmacy

S SPORTS

INSIDE SPORTS

Athlete of the Month

Junior women's basketball player Lexi Carpenter was voted as November's Athlete of the Month in a poll on theonlinerocket.com.

See Page C-2

All-Region honors Five soccer players were named to All-Region post season teams, including two players making a bid for All-American honors.

See Page C-3

Double trouble

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET

Senior center Cornelius Brown (left) and junior forward Chaquille Pratt (right) play under the rim Tuesday against Daemen College. Brown is averaging 16.3 points per game with 11.1 rebounds, while Pratt averages 10.1 point and 8.0 rebounds. Brown and Pratt are the best rebounding duo in the conference.

Two players score double-doubles as Slippery Rock downs Daemen

By Cody Nespor Assistant Sports Editor

Powered by a pair of double-double performances from its big men the Slippery Rock men's basketball team easily dispatched Daemen College on its home court Tuesday night. The Rock won by a 21 point margin, 72-51. This brings SRU's record to 4-3 and drops the Wildcats to 1-3.

Senior center Cornelius Brown and junior forward Chaquille Pratt both posted double digit efforts in points and rebounds. Brown scored 19 on 8-13 (61.5 percent) shooting and grabbed 11 boards. Pratt scored 10, shooting 5-11 (45.5 percent) from the floor, and totaled 10 rebounds.

For Brown this is his fifth straight double-double and his sixth on the year, which ranks first in all of Division-II basketball. Brown is averaging a double-double per game with 16.3 points and 12.3 rebounds while Pratt just misses out, averaging 10.1 and 8.0.

SRU head coach Kevin Reynolds said the focus was to take advantage

of the size advantage Slippery Rock had over Daemen.

"We always try to work inside out, obviously Cornelius and Chaquille both had double-doubles so anytime we have that form our two front court players it's good," Reynolds said. "Plus Erik (Raleigh) did a good job coming off the bench, giving us 16 minutes. We need more of what he did last game. When you look at what our post players were able to do in the game, 35 points and 25 rebounds out of three guys we were in good shape."

Both teams had a rough first half offensively, as Daemen shot 8-32 (25 percent) from the floor while Slippery Rock shot 13-33 (39.4%). The Rock led 35-21 going into the half. Daemen's tough game continued as the team only shot 10-28 (35.7 precent) in the second half, in contrast SRU caught fire after halftime, shooting 15-28 (53.6 percent).

SEE STRONG, PAGE C-4

Rock football advances to round three Continued from Page A 1

Redshirt-sophomore Isiah Neely added 71 yards on 16 carries while quarterback Dante Nania rushed eight times for 41 yards and a score.

When The Rock was up 41-19 heading into the fourth quarter, Mihalik made the decision to rest Greene to keep him fresh for what seemed like a sure win and a guaranteed game the next week.

However, after Assumption's comeback, Mihalik had to make the decision to keep Greene on the bench and play Neely for the rest of the game because he feared Greene could get injured after losing his adrenaline from the rest and becoming cold.

Nania was able to throw for three touchdowns despite making just 10 completions on 28 attempts. Senior receiver Jaimire Dutrieuille caught two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown while redshirt-sophomore Cornelius Raye hauled in four passes for 33 yards and a touchdown.

Redshirt-junior Leroy McClain was able to add another receiving touchdown while catching two passes for 31 yards.

Sophomore tight end Brian McNally also caught one pass for 36 yards during a fake punt on a pass from redshirt-senior running back Brett Crenshaw.

Other than Howard's late interception, The Rock's defensive effort was highlighted by a 52yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown

by junior Joe Phillips.

Mihalik recognizes the challenge of his team remaining healthy and fresh while making a run deep in to the playoffs because his players have not played this late into a season before.

"We are going to make some adjustments in practice to make it a little bit shorter," Mihalik said.

"We will travel Friday and that will be a good day for the guys to rest up. Our guys know what they have to do to keep their bodies fresh and ready to go."The win advances Slippery Rock to the round of eight of the Division II football playoffs where SRU will travel to Shepherd University to face the no. 1 seed in its super region. The undefeated Rams beat SRU's archrival Indiana University (Pa.) 17-13 at home to advance.

SPORTS

C-2

December 4, 2015

After a long journey, junior finally settles in with Rock basketball Men's Basketball 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Clarion Pitt-johnstown Edinboro Mercyhurst Indiana (pa.) slippery rock gannon california (pa.)

Seton Hill

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

Upcoming games at fri. dec. 4, west chester university, 7:30 p.m.

at Sat. dec. 5, cheyney university, 4 p.m.

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET

Junior guard Lexi Carpenter looks to lay the ball in against Chowan University earlier this season. Carpenter averages 17.8 points per game and has 37 assists and 14 steals this year.

Women's Basketball 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

California (PA.) Edinboro Gannon Seton Hill Slippery Rock Indiana (PA.) Pitt-Johnstown Mercyhurst Clarion

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

Upcoming games at fri. dec. 4, west chester university, 5:30 p.m.

at Sat. dec. 5, cheyney university, 2 p.m.

Standings as of Thurs. Dec. 3 at 4:39 p.m.

By Ryan Barlow Sports Editor

It was a long and winding road, but it seems that junior Lexi Carpenter has finally found a home in Slippery Rock as a member of the Rock women's basketball team.

Before finding herself sporting the green and white, Carpenter played for two different universities. After three long years, she finally feels she is at the place she is supposed to be.

"It's been a journey with basketball," Carpenter said.

"There has been a lot of good times and bad times but it is what has brought me here and I am in the moment and I love it."

Carpenter's father, Kevin, coached her older brother in soccer for a number of years and she felt that she was supposed to follow in their footsteps as a soccer player. One day, she found herself dribbling a soccer ball as if it was a basketball and insists something about it felt natural.

At the age of 13, Carpenter found herself at a crossroads where she felt she had to choose between soccer and basketball, both of which she was playing for traveling club teams. For her, it was an easy decision to choose the hardwood.

Carpenter, a communications major, graduated from Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, Va., where she is the school's all-time leader in assists and earned two all-state honors during her junior and senior years.

Following her senior season she was ranked as the No. 11 player out of Virginia , the No. 43 player in her region and the No. 71 guard in the entire nation. ESPN also had

her ranked as a three-star prospect on its website.

After considering all of her collegiate options, Carpenter's heart led her to the University of Dayton in Ohio, an NCAA Division I program. However, her stint with the Flyers lasted just a season as she decided to leave the program.

During her time there, Carpenter she appeared in just four games and averaged 2.5 points per game, 1.0 rebounds and six minutes per game. After returning home, she decided she would continue her collegiate career in Virginia, but this all changed when her former high school coach, Rebecca Tillett, accepted an assistant coaching job at Indiana University, Pa. (IUP).

It didn't take long for Tillett to convince Carpenter to join her and become a Crimson Hawk.

Once again, Carpenter's tenure with a college basketball program was brief. In her first week on campus and during a pickup, her hand got caught in a teammate's jersey and she tore several tendons which required season-ending surgery. At the end of the 20132014 basketball season, Tillett left IUP and Carpenter found herself in a similar position, also leaving the university. After that year, she decided to sit for an entire season in order to commit to another Division II program for the beginning of 2015.

After a visit with Rock head coach Bobby McGraw and assistant coach Ryenn Micaletti in October of 2014, she verbally committed to SRU. In fact, Carpenter credits part of her decision to come to The Rock to her relationship with Micaletti, who served as an assistant to the IUP women's basketball team

during Carpenter's time there.

This season, Carpenter is a proud member of The Green and White. Through her first eight games with SRU, she has averaged 17.8 points per game with a field goal percentage of .432. She has also racked up 37 assists, including her season-high of nine assists during a home match against Mansfield on Nov. 21. Despite her impressive resume' early into the season, Carpenter gives all of the credit to her new teammates.

"Each person on this team, 1-15, brings something so unique in order to be a championship team," Carpenter said. "It's funny watching at the beginning because there is so much talent that we have to learn the chemistry. They make my job easy. I have shooters everywhere, posts who are big that can catch the ball and make post moves, a talented guard in Erica (Aiello) who is quick."

According to Carpenter, the most impressive thing about her team is their intensity and she says it is like a trickling effect starting from the very top with Coach McGraw. With the way her team and the program has improved, she thinks it is possible for SRU to contend for a title.

"If everyone plays their roles and does what we need to do, this will be a championship team," Carpenter said. "I'm confident enough to say that. Player per player, we've got it."

After the 2015-2016 season ends, Carpenter will still have one and a half more years of eligibility.

She intends on using her full year eligibility next season and her half year of eligibility the following year. During that half year, she will join the team at its exact midseason point so she will be eligible for a potential playoff run.

SPORTS

December 4, 2015

C-3

GRAPHIC BY CODY NESPOR - PHOTOS BY KENDALL SCOTT, REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET

Rock athletes earn All-Region honors

By Cody Nespor Assistant Sports Editor

Although the season is over, the Slippery Rock soccer programs continue to receive accolades as Rock athletes were named to several all-region teams.

A trio of players were named to the Conference Commissioner's Association (CCA) AllAtlantic Region Team this past week. The Atlantic Region contains all of the schools in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), the Mountain East Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Senior Ryan Lutke on the men's team and junior Dara Demich on the women's team were both given first team All-Region honors. Junior Sam Thornton on the women's team was one of four defenders named to the second team.

Several more athletes were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region team. Lutke and fellow senior Ryan Boyland earned spots on

the first team while Ryan's twin brother, Peter Boyland, landed on the second team.

Lutke started in all 20 games for The Green and White this season, scoring eight goals and tallying two assists. Lutke also notched three game-winning goals and was a perfect 5-5 on penalty shot attempts. his eight goals and 18 points both ranked second on the team. Lutke also recently received his first all conference honor, being voted onto the first team AllPSAC squad.

Ryan Boyland started 19 games for the Rock and was a key part of a defense that only allowed 20 goals on the season and posted eight shutouts.

Peter Boyland started in 16 games and ranked second in the conference with seven assists. Peter Boyland also scored the gamewinning-goal in the PSAC Championship game against Millersville and was named the PSAC tournament MVP. Lutke and the Boylands add yet another accomplishment to their already decorated

collegiate careers. They made appearances in three PSAC title games, were parts of teams that won two PSAC championships and made one NCAA national tournament appearance.

Demich had a breakout season for the women's team, starting in all 20 games while scoring a team-high 12 goals and 27 points.

Demich ranked second in the conference for goals and third in points in route to earning her first team All-PSAC selection.

Thornton started 19 of 20 games and earned second team All-PSAC honors. Thornton was a part of a Rock defense that allowed only 15 goals on the season, third fewest in the conference.

The CCA All-Region team is nominated and selected by votes from all the sports information directors for each school in the region. Lutke and Demich look to join crosscountry sophomore Jeremy Parsons as SRU All-Americans as they will now be voted on in the CCA All-American ballot. CCA AllAmerican selections will be named on Dec. 9.

Women's basketball tops Ohio Valley in inter-conference matchup

By Ryan Barlow Sports Editor

The Rock women's basketball team's (5-3, 2-1 PSAC) two-game losing streak was snapped Tuesday evening with a 69-50 victory at Ohio Valley (1-5), holding the Fighting Scots to a 28.3 field goal percentage and forcing 18 turnovers.

Junior guards Audrey Stapleton and Lexi Carpenter both scored double-digit figures for The Rock.

Stapleton went 6-9 from the field scoring a team-high 15 points in just 19 minutes of playing time.

Carpenter started the game and made four out of six field goal attempts scoring 12 points while dishing out four assists.

"With our guards that can penetrate like Lexi (Carpenter), shooters like Audrey Stapleton are going to benefit," Rock head coach Bobby McGraw said. "Audrey is arguably the best catch and shoot shooter in the Atlantic region.

When she catches the ball and shoots it, it goes in. Besides her shooting ability, she is also a great defender and we are going to count on her to take us as far as we need to go this year."

Senior guard Erica Aiello and sophomore guard Ciara Patterson each helped SRU's offensive threat by recording four assists each.

Both players also wreaked havoc on defense, applying pressure to the Ohio Valley offense while Aiello stole the ball twice and Patterson stole it once.

The Rock showed its team's depth by scoring 35 points off the bench while holding the Fighting Scots reserves to just four points.

Slippery Rock also held the advantage in a couple of hustle statistics, outscoring OVU 11-10 in second chance opportunities and 20-18 points off of turnovers.

As a unit, The Rock outrebounded OVU 38-35 and outscored them 20-16 in the paint.

Senior forward Megan Hardiman led SRU with seven rebounds while scoring five points and freshman for ward Morgan Henderson pulled in five rebounds with four points. Senior forward Sorriyah Ranger also recorded eight points.

"Ohio Valley's best player is their center," McGraw explained.

"Charday Pitts is a low caliber Division I talented center. We would have liked to bring her here but because of budgetary reasons we couldn't. Sorriyah and Morgan did an unbelievable job guarding her. She only had one point at halftime and was 0-5 from the field. She's the best scorer in their league and we stopped her and that really set the tone for us."

Slippery Rock heads to the eastern side of Pennsylvania to play a pair of inter-division conference rivals. The first game of the weekend is to be played at West Chester (4-3 overall, 2-2 PSAC) on Friday and then the team heads south to Cheyney (0-5 overall. 0-3 PSAC) to take on the Wolves on Saturday.

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET

Junior guard Audrey Stapleton cruises to the basket for an easy two points during a break away against Chowan University earlier this season. Stapleton is averaging 11.1 points per game.

SPORTS

C-4

December 4, 2015

Strong post play key in win Continued from Page C 1

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET

Junior guard Jordan Marrow attempts to cross-up a Daemen defneder during the game Tuesday. Marrow scored three points, all on free throw attempts.

Men's indoor track prepares for Icebreaker at Youngstown State

By Jordyn J. Bennett Rocket Contributor

Runners take your mark. Get set. Go! SRU’s men’s indoor track team will begin its 2015 season this Friday at the YSU Icebreaker in Youngstown, OH. Assistant Coach Bill Jordan said that he feels the team is incredibly strong. Though he primarily focuses on the team’s pole vaulters, javelin throwers, multi-event athletes, and helps with all three jumps, he said that he is confident in the team as a whole.

“We have a large number of returning athletes in all the different events,” Jordan said. “It’s hard to pinpoint one athlete. They are all going to do a wonderful job for us. We expect good things from everybody.”

Last season, the Rock finished 2 n d i n t h e P S AC In d o or Championship. While Jordan credits the experience his team has for the success he thinks will come in the future, there are a lot of big shoes to fill.

The Rock acquired seven 1st place finishes in last years indoor championships, but did not return all of the athletes who won or helped win the events. Hunter Williams (200-meter dash and 4X400-meter relay), Tyler Melius (mile and distance medley relay), and Trevor Miller (shot put) all contributed at least one first place finish for the Rock in the meet, but will not return this year due to graduation.

The team does, however, return a number of athletes who made major contributions to last years high-ranked finish headlined by sophomore multi Noah Bostick.

Bostick won the heptathlon with 4,994 points in the championship meet in his first season at the Rock.

Bostwick said that the win was the highlight of his first season, but he is now shooting for bigger.

“This upcoming season I hope to potentially break the school record and qualify at nationals,” Bostwick said.

Bostwick has the opportunity to break those records this weekend against some high level competition at the YSU Icebreaker.

While many of the distance runners will be resting this weekend after just coming off a long cross country season, Coach Jordan said that all the other athletes are ready to go. He said the high level of competition will help the team recognize where it is and what its athletes need to work on.

“There are a lot of D1 schools that are going to be there and right now we are just trying to hit our conference qualifying marks and national provisional marks,” Jordan said. “There are going to be kids from Youngstown, Robert Morris, and PSAC west schools like Cal and Clarion. Those kids are the kids we are looking to compare ourselves to.”

Jordan, Bostwick, and the rest of the Rock’s athletes have an opportunity to start the season off on a high note this weekend. With a lot of key returning athletes and the confidence that other athletes will step up, Jordan said this is only the first step to what he said is the team's main goal.

“I think we really have a shot to move up to the first place position and knock-off Shippensburg,” Jordan said.

Daemen came into the game shooting 28-66 (42.4 percent) from three point range through its first three games, averaging over 18 points in three-pointers each game. Slippery Rock did a good job defending the perimeter, holding the Wildcats to only 4-23 (17.4 percent) shooting from beyond the arch.

Reynolds was careful not to underestimate Daemen, despite their poor early season record. " O bv i o u s l y t h e y ' re averaging 80-plus points a game and people don't realize Daemen had won over 20 games in sixstraight years. I thought it would be a good test for us against a team, out of league, that has traditionally been a 20win program," Reynolds said. "Our guys did a good job with the defensive game plan. I think one of our biggest strengths of the game was putting the scouting report into the game. We were able to chase the shooters off the three and contest them."

Senior guard Malcolm Richardson led all scorers with 20 points on 8-15 (53.3 percent) shooting from the field to go along with five assists and grabbed five rebounds.

R i c h ard s on h a s l e d The Green and White in scoring this season,

averaging 18.1 points a game.

Other strong performers were senior guard Jamal Gatali and junior guard Juwan Strothers, and Raleigh, a senior forward. Gatali filled up the stat sheet; scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, having three assists, blocking two shots and racking up one steal.

Strothers came in off the bench and scored eight points, hitting two three pointers. Raleigh scored six off the bench with four rebounds and three blocks.

The Rock led Daemen in second chance points 5-1 on nine offensive rebounds, bench points 17-16, points in the paint 38-22 and in fastbreak points 10-2. Daemen however took advantage of 15 Rock turnovers and led in points off turnovers 16-12.

The Wildcats were led by junior Arif Mehmataj who scored 13 points in the loss.

Thursday will act as a get-away-day when the Slipper y Rock men's basketball team travels east to take on the undefeated 6-0 West Chester University Rams on the road Friday night.

The team will then take the short trip to Cheyney University to take on the 1-4 Wolves Saturday.

C

CAMPUS LIFE

INSIDE CAMPUS LIFE

"Mockingjay, Part 2" Ends Series

SRU Dance Instuctor Houses And Breaks

"The Film Buff" says goodbye to "The Hunger Games" as she reviews the last installment of the series and comments on whether the movie relates closely to the book.

SRU Dance Instructor, Teena Custer, shares her experience with Hip-Hop dance and how she became familiar with all the different styles, such as house, waacking and breaking.

See Page D-2

See Page D-3

"Have you met Ted?" Josh Radnor discusses HIMYM and his love for acting

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET Josh Radnor points out to the audience and interacts with students during his appearance on Monday at the Robert M. Smith Student Center Ballroom. Radnor performed for over 100 students.

By Ryan Barlow Sports Editor

It's been a year and a half since How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) fans had to say goodbye to their favorite group of friends, but students at Slippery Rock University had the opportunity to say hello to the show's leading actor Josh Radnor Monday evening at the Robert M. Smith Student Center.

Radnor, who played the show's central character Ted Mosby in the CBS Emmy award-winning sitcom, took advantage of the opportunity to speak to college students by expressing his love

for scriptwriting, acting and directing. He also allowed students to ask him questions about HIMYM and his character, along with other questions regarding his new PBS drama series Mercy Street which premieres this upcoming January.

The HIMYM season finale has become victim to a lot of scrutiny since it first aired in late March 2014, but Radnor took a moment to defend it. He told the crowd that there is probably just as many people who enjoyed the ending but they're just not as vocal as those who did not like it. He thinks that fans will accept the ending as time passes, acknowledging that the entire show's plot and ending is pretty much revealed in the its pilot episode.

"If you watch the pilot episode, you can see the entire DNA for the series right there," Radnor said.

"The whole episode you think he's talking about the mother and then he says 'Oh no, that's how I met your Aunt Robin.' The show is really about his infatuation with her, the mother is more of a side plot."

The University Program Board (UPB) hosted the event and decided to pursue Radnor as a guest speaker due to the overwhelming amount of votes he received on a survey sent out by UPB during the summer.

SEE RADNOR, PAGE D-2

SRU student takes aerial photography to the real estate business

By Emma Pfeifer Asst. Campus Life Editor

Junior Early Childhood and Special Education major, Jacob Paterline turned one of his hobbies, taking aerial photographs, into a new business, JP Innovations, LLC, this past July.

Over the summer Paterline purchased a drone to record video and take pictures for personal projects. It wasn’t until his dad asked him certain questions like, “What will you use it for?” and “How will you use it?” that spurred the idea of taking Paterline’s skill set to the real estate business.

Paterline emailed a few realestate agents in early July about potentially having a drone take videos of houses to get a better feel of the dimensions of the house and how it really looks.

Howard-Hanna in Cranberry emailed him back and set up a meeting with him in late July. After he did some work, his business soon got passed by word of mouth to other companies. Paterline has now had 10 different business dealings with

different companies.

Paterline has a Facebook page named “JP Innovations LLC” that shows his work and what he does as a videographer/photographer. He also has a link to his website on his Facebook page as well.

Growing up, Paterline said as annoyed as he was with his mother’s picture taking, she definitely rubbed off on him. He got his first GoPro camera for Christmas his freshman year of college, which he took skiing and on personal trips. Then he bought his drone in the summer of 2015. It took him about 2-3 weeks to initially learn how to control the drone.

“It’s almost like holding a video game controller,” Paterline said.

He said that the smoothness of controlling it came along with practicing every day.

Paterline explained that his drone has about 25 minutes of battery life.

When he would do work, videoing and photographing houses, he would put the drone up and take the videos, then he would do about an hour and a half of photographing. He then edits the videos and pictures for about two and a half hours. He puts music in the

background of the videos, which can be quite difficult, he explained. The drone gives the user a direct live feed so whatever the drone is seeing, the user sees as well.

Drones are controlled by a GPS system.

“If you let go of the controller, it hovers there," Paterline said. "It is very user friendly.”

If something were to happen and the user were to let go of the controllers, the drone would not come diving down from up in the air.

Paterline did a video for the university in the beginning of November. He took a video of different aspects of the campus that would promote the university. He has also done a lot of personal projects for himself and his friends such as going to Kennedy Mills to film his friends jumping off rocks.

Paterline sells his work from anywhere between $100-$200 based on the size of the house. The price ranges depending on how big the property is and what angles they want or if the company only wants one angle. He based his prices off of other companies that do similar

work to his business. He didn’t want to make his work over-priced but he also wanted to make enough money to make a profit off of what he was doing.

For the future, Paterline wants to have a consistent customer business in the summer for a summer job.

“I want to broaden my skill set,” Paterline said.

He also said he wants to incorporate more photography into his business and also take his skills into the education part of his future as well.

“I love every process of this work, I love every part of it," Paterline said.

"Seeing people’s reactions is great too."

Paterline’s work became a business in October of 2015. His cousin is a lawyer and helped him with the legality part of his job. His cousin sent him the paperwork and then sent it into the state.

“The process took about a month or so," Paterline said "As much as fun as it is to do, and the money is great, finding personal projects is what keeps me going. Seeing something I made and thinking it looks good is what keeps me going."

CAMPUS LIFE "Mockingjay, Part 2" ends the movie series with a bang

December 4, 2015

D-2

Ask Andi

Andi is a senior at SRU giving advice to those who seek it and occassionally to those who don't.

Harmony Kasper "The Film Buff"

4.5 Stars Question: Dear Andi,

I'm currently Christmas shopping and I'm having trouble selecting who I should buy presents for. Should I buy a present for my friend, even though she doesn't really act like a friend to me? I think she's buying me a present though, so I would kind of feel bad if I didn't buy her anything. What should I do?

Sincerely, Secret Santa

Answer:

Dear Secret Santa,

Christmas gifts are the true defining moments of friendship. If you get one, you're friends. If you don't, you're maybe just acquaintances. But really, Christmas is a time of giving and it truly is the thought that counts. Christmas gifts for friends never have to be anything big, bright and beautiful. It can be just a little something that reminds them that they are important to you and that you value their friendship.

As for friends who don't really act like friends, I would say just get the minimal. If you think she's going to get you something for you just give her something small just to say you did. Then, next year, you won't have to worry about it as much. Regardless, we're all broke college kids who all can't afford gifts for each other. This year, give the gift of friendship.

Best Wishes!

Andi

Harmony Kasper is a senior journalism and creative writing major and film and media studies minor and a regular contributor to The Rocket.

The last installment of the "Hunger Games" films, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2," has hit theaters with the lowest opening weekend of any movie in the franchise.

According to CNN, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2" brought in only $101 million in the U.S. Despite mixed reviews, it is the end of the popular, dystopian trilogy. The fourth film concludes the storyline of Katniss Everdeen, the victor from District 12.

Fans of the books will be happy with how close the film is to the book. Fans of just the movies will be on the edge of their seat, wondering who will make it out alive in the end. The film begins exactly where "Mockingjay, Part 1" left off, with Katniss shaken from her scary encounter with her "hijacked" friend/sort of lover, Peeta. Hijacking is explained as a form of torture where you train someone to think the opposite about someone or something. Basically, Peeta blames Katniss for everything and wants her dead.

Peeta's struggle with regaining himself is a constant theme throughout the film, resulting in both crazy and tender moments with Katniss.

Katniss is focused on taking out her enemy - President Snow. But she can't just walk out of District 13 and head to the Capitol because she is the Mockingjay and the face of the rebellion. Katniss is recommended by President Coin, the leader of the rebellion and District 13, to continue to shoot promos and rally the other districts to fight against President Snow. Katniss is not one to follow orders and usually does what she wants. This type of attitude makes her stubborn and forces people away, but also shows her bravery to the ones who lack it themselves.

Despite the heavy war and military presence in the film, there are some light-hearted scenes that take back from the seriousness of the situation. Finnick and Annie, who were previous victors of the games and were separated when President Snow kidnapped Annie (along with Peeta and Johanna), get married in a beautiful ceremony held in District 13. Even though Peeta is extremely brainwashed to hate Katniss when he is rescued, over time, he begins to remember who he was and what his true feelings for Katniss were. After a heart-wrenching moment showing the fate of one of the beloved characters, Katniss and Peeta share a tender moment that will make any viewer believe that no matter what has happened in the past, everything will work out in the end.

For someone who is a fan of both the books and films, I thought that "Mockingjay, Part 1" was a pointless movie. In my opinion, nothing worthwhile happened and they could have just made one, final movie, instead of two parts. But on the other hand, this last film had enough content to be its own film of almost two and a half hours long. So much happened that I didn't even remember because it felt like years since I read the books. I was exchanging comments with my friends about everything that was happening, from people dying that we didn't remember, to characters from other movies/TV series that had cameos in the final film (Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones), and guessing what was going to happen with the epilogue at the end.

Personally, I am a little disappointed in some of the reviews I have read for "Mockingjay, Part 2." Despite Katniss being standoffish and slightly ungrateful, I thought Jennifer Lawrence gave one of her best performances of the character in this film. Moviepilot's review of the film writes that most critics are missing the "real world value" of the film in regards to the political power struggles in Panem.

The real life situations that can be pulled from this fictional story are astonishing. Unfortunately, I do have one negative about the movie. The epilogue was a little cheesy, even though it's exactly the scene I had hoped for. A different way of approaching the very end could have been done, preventing my friends from cracking up during the whole ending. I won't spoil anything, but I would be curious as to how people react to that immensely built up part of the film.

"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2" is worth seeing, even if it was a bad movie, because it's the final time we will see Katniss, Peeta, Gale and the others on screen. The film is almost exact to the books and shouldn't disappoint fans.

"Mockingjay, Part 2" proves that there can be a balance between seriousness and humor, even if they didn't mean for parts to be humorous (the epilogue, for example). I hope that the film ends up doing better in the box office and more positive reviews come because this is one series that deserves praise.

Despite the media's negative reviews, I give the film 4.5/5 stars.

Radnor attracts HIMYM super fans

Question: Dear Andi,

I always say I'm going to stick with my New Year's resolution, but it never goes as planned. What are some tips that you could give me for staying on track with my resolutions for this upcoming year.

Sincerely, Failed Resolution King

Answer:

Dear Failed Resolution King,

New Years is always the time of year when we rid ourselves of the old and bring in the bigger and better things. However, we all know that going to the gym every day turns into going to the gym never within the first 2 months. But, I think with some serious determination and dedication you can keep your resolution for at least a whole year.

Remember that once the new year begins and you start your new resolution, it will eventually seem normal, almost becoming a habit. So, if you dedicate yourself to going to the gym every day, it will become a part of your daily routine and seem like nothing new anymore. Just keep reminding yourself that you wanted to make a change for a reason, and whatever that reason is was important enough to make into a resolution. Persistence and perseverance is key.

Don’t give up!

Andi

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET Radnor brought soda to share with the audience as he talked about HIMYM on Monday.

Continued from Page D-1

"The whole process went ver y smoothly when we were trying to get him," UPB Director of Speakers, Ryan Logue said. "There were a couple of other dates we were trying to book, but some things came up and we couldn't. Finally we were able to get him for Monday."

At the beginning of the event, Radnor told the student body that his favorite thing

about speaking to college students was interacting with them and answering their questions. He even acknowledged a few students in the crowd who had brought some HIMYM memorabilia, including a woman in the front row holding the show's iconic yellow umbrella and a man in the second row with a bottle of the fictional soda titled 'Tantrum'.

"The whole night was very surreal for me," Logue said.

"I've been a Josh Radnor

fan for a while. I was really [nervous] to talk to him at first, but everyone is just a normal person. Once I got the nerves out of the way it was easier to talk to him."

Radnor was the final guest speaker UPB brought in for the fall semester, but Logue indicated that UPB intends to send out another student survey for suggestions and that the organization is already working on bringing in its first spring semester speaker in February.

CAMPUS LIFE SRU dance instuctor shares life experiences December 4, 2015

By Amber Cannon Campus Life Editor

Slippery Rock University Dance Instructor Teena Custer, uster, 37, has had her share of dancingg experience, from going to college for or dance, dancing modern, contemporary orary and hip-hop dance styles and being on MTVs "Made."

Custer said she has been dancing since before she can n remember. Custer got her interest in dance ance when she was 12 years old from watching television shows pertaining about bout dance and by attending school dances. ances. By going to her school dances, Custer said she got immersed into what at is now called the hip-hop culture style le of dance.

“At that time, it was just what everyone was doing,” ng,” Custer said. “I didn’t know that this his style of dance would be my profession ssion later on down the line.”

Custer said one off the first television shows that made herr realize she wanted to be a professional dancer was a show titled “In Living Color, lor,” a multicultural sketch comedy television vision show, which was on the air during ng the early 1990’s.

One of the femalee dance groups on the show, The Fly Girls, really inspired Custer to become the dancer she is today, she said.

When Custer was as young and first started dancing, she he said that it was hard for her becausee contemporary and modern dance wasn’t n’t really something that was popular at the time. Custer has won many awards, rds, which not only increased her credibility ibility as a dancer, but, she said, also so increased her confidence as a dancer. cer. Custer said she hopes to teach students dents that they can do anything they put ut their mind to.

Custer said that when she decided to go to college for dance nce at Slippery Rock University in 1997,, she said she had no idea what that type ype of dancing that entailed, because shee had never had any formal training.

Now, Custer said, she’s fully immersed in all dance ance cultures. cultures She said she started teaching at Slippery Rock University in 2004, shortly after she graduated from the university in

D-3

2000, as a sabbatical replacement and has been teaching here on and off ever since as an instructor.

“I always knew that I would teach because I really enjoy it and I taught gymnastics when I was younger, but I wanted to perform more than anything, which I still do, but you have to pay the bills,” Custer said.

Custer’s work has been shown at the Sadler’s Wells Theater in London, the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles and at the American Dance Festival at Duke University.

She was also featured in Dance Magazine’s “Top 24 to Watch” in 2007, and was featured on MTV’s “Made.

“Made.””

“Doing “Made” was really fun,” Custer said.

“I wasn’t actually the coach for the B-girl that wanted to be made into a dancer, but during the last day of filming for the show, they brought her to this club and they told her she was just going to come watch the battlee and then she he ended up p having to battlee me, so it wass this big dramatic, ‘oh, you’re going to b battle attle Teena Marie.’ It was fun. I was nice to her, though.”

Although Custer said she has her MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Contemporary Dance Performance from The Ohio State University, Uni ersit she

mostly associates with the breaking dance style. Breaking, also called breakdancing, is a type of dance that originated from African American youth.

“I’m a dance junkie,” Custer said. “I trained a lot in modern and ballet for my degree, aand n d then also my time here a t

Slippery Rock was mostly mo der n dance b as e d. At t he same time of doing all that, I started ttraining raining in breaking.

SSo, o, that would be myy evenings and m weekends, w eekends, or whenever I had time. After I ttrained r ained in that for a while, I started picking up other street dancing styles like house, and waacking and locking.”

House dancing is a social dance that includes dance moves such aass footwork, lofting and jacking.

Waacking W a acking dance styles involve moving m oving the arms to the beat of the music, m usic, and locking is the dance style that is most associated with the HipHop style of dancing, which includes freezing and locking the body from fast movements into a certain position.

Custer said that her all female-street dance crew, Venus Fly, incorporates a lot of house, waacking and locking into their routines. Venus Fly just celebrated its ten-year anniversary, Custer said.

She said she doesn’t have a

PHOTO COURTESY JOEY KENNEDY PHOTOGRAPHY Custer performs a dance move that involves flipping upside down while holding her foot.

certain favorite dance move, but if she did, it would be something upside down and on the ground.

“That’s where I live,” she said.

Ursula Payne, chair and professor Ursu of Slip Slippery Rock University’s dance department, 46, said she thinks Custer departm great asset to the dance program is a gre and to the students as well. Payne said Custer possesses something that that Cu most SSlippery Rock dance professors don’t.

“I thi think Teena has been a great asset to our pro program, not only for her expertise, but she brings an approach to dance, with her h knowledge in street dance styles, styles that is really cutting edge, and it’s m material that our students need to know,” Payne said. “There’s not ttoo many people like her that have training as a modern dance h aartist and that have the kind of street dance credibility that she str brings.” times, Custer said she doubts her At tim abilities as a dancer, because in the abilitie hip-hop dance world dancers are very honest when they think other dancers aren’t ggood. think that in hip-hop, the battle “I th scene is really raw and people will tell you very blatantly if they think you’re wack, whereas I feel in that yo contemporary dance or concert dance, contem they’ll just say it behind your back,” Custer said. “Either way, there’s always going to t be haters or people that don’t like what wh you’re doing, and you have to keep moving forward.” just kee If she wasn’t a dancer, Custer said she has no clue what she would be doing.

She said sa that she couldn’t imagine else, but that if she had doing anything a to choose choo another profession, it would probably be a job in fitness, or hair and probab fashion design.

The most enjoyable thing about dancing for Custer is the feeling and the high that th she gets when she’s dancing, especially if it’s her favorite kind of especia music. She said that for her, dancing primarily therapy. She also said the primar hardest thing about dancing is staying up on tthe training.

“Just working on your craft “J constantly takes up a lot of time,” Custer said. “Sometimes life gets in the way, but I try to work around it to do the thing I love."

MTS gives back to Toys for Tots through their "Holiday Cabaret"

By Samantha Figard Rocket Contributor

Benefitting Toys for Tots, Slippery Rock University’s Musical Theatre Society staged a production titled “Holiday Cabaret” in the Advanced Technology and Science Hall’s auditorium on Wednesday at 8pm for students, staff, and the general public.

The “Holiday Cabaret” was produced by student director Sarah Sobota and Assistant student Director Hopi Myers.

“The executive board has had this idea for a while now and every year we do two Broadway shows and two theme shows," Sobota said. "We haven't done a Christmas show in a few years so we all decided this would be a good year for the show. The ideas for how the show will be put on come from my assistant director Hopi Myers and me, other than that the executive board comes up with a lot of the ideas together.”

All ticket proceeds went to the Toys for Tots charity, which benefits families in need of Christmas presents. General admission tickets were $7 and students with their IDs paid $5 for a ticket. MTS raised a total of $930.42 for Toys for Tots.

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET Auditions were held on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and The Grinch, played by John Bollenbacher, holds Christmas lights while the ensemble sings "The 12 Pains of Christmas."

Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in room 135 in the Swope Musical Hall. Sign-ups were not necessary for the second audition date.

Wednesday. Preparation for the production differed for each the next week. They have to provide a costume and if they “What Sarah and I were looking for was not only talent but student involved due to the many parts that were cast and the cannot, then we will gladly help. There are also semester dues enthusiasm and effort." Myers said. "We wanted to find which various tasks that needed completed by the directors. of $10 all members have to pay. We simply ask for dedication, voices would blend well together for duets and trios as well “The directors prepare by reserving spaces for the show, effort, and a good attitude.” as how well the voice would fit for certain parts of the song. gathering props and set pieces as well as making sure For recurring audience members, a change in the way of We told everyone to sing a part of a Christmas song. We just everything is ready for show night," Sobota said. "The cast performance can be expected, as well as to get involved. wanted a good idea of what the individual's voice was like.” prepares by learning their music, learning their blocking/ “This show is very audience interactive," Sobota said. "We With a wide range of Christmas songs available, Sobota choreography, and getting their costumes together for the will be having a few sing-a-longs with the audience and and Myers narrowed down the selections to classics such as show. We all help to get the show ready on opening night and singing and acting directly to them. Another big difference ‘Snow Miser/Heat Miser Duet’ and ‘Little Saint Nick.’ it is really a big group effort. The show would not happen is normally the cast is backstage waiting to go on for their “When picking the songs I have to think about who might unless we had every single person in the cast helping one next number. In this show the cast is going to be on stage be auditioning for the show and what they are capable of another in any way possible.” the entire show, watching, reacting and interacting with their singing," Sobota said. "I have been listening to Christmas For those cast in the “Holiday Cabaret,” outside obligations fellow cast members while they are on stage.” music since the second week of September thinking of ideas were necessary to perfect their performances.

Soboda said she hopes the production of the cabaret for this show. In the end, I see how auditions go and narrow “What is required of the cast is to sign a simple contract will gain an array of emotions and reactions from those in down my song list from there. I also run the list by Hopi to stating that they would uphold certain standards that MTS attendance. see if she has any suggestions. The song list can be changed at has set, including showing up for rehearsals, behavior during “The audience can expect to laugh, to cry, and of course, any time, but once the cast list is set the song list is set as well.” rehearsals, etc.,” Myers said. “Once we have a rehearsal the to sing." Sobota said. "They can expect to see lots of ugly With just a month to prepare for the big night, the cast is required to go over their part and blocking outside of Christmas sweaters, as well as reindeer, elves and even the completely student-run production was presented this rehearsal to further learn and solidify their part for rehearsal Grinch."

D-4

December 4, 2015