Friday December 8, 2017 • Volume 101, Issue Number 5 • An Independent, Student-Run Newspaper
www.theonlinerocket.com
Rock football mourns the loss of Officer Brian Shaw By Justin Kraus Sports Editor
When a hero dies, it is never easy to take; The Slippery Rock football team is currently mourning the loss of a hero who was a member of the program, police officer Brian Shaw. "[It's] just crushing," George Mihalik said, who was the head coach for SRU in Shaw's four years playing. "It's hard to believe, when I first heard it late Friday night, I kept saying 'Are you sure? Maybe it's not our Brian,' but unfortunately it was." Shaw was murdered on Friday, November 17th after he tried to chase down Rahmael Sol Holt, who ran away from an SUV that Shaw had pulled over. Holt was found after a police manhunt that lasted almost four days, and has since been charged with first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, and four other charges. Shaw was only 25 years old. "It's unbelievable that we lost such a significant guy," Slippery Rock head football coach Shawn Lutz said. "They got [Holt] and everything like that, but it still doesn't bring back Brian Shaw." Shaw was a member of The Rock football team from 2010-2013. Shaw was the kickoff PHOTO COURTESY OF ROCK ATHLETICS
SEE ROCK PAGE C-1
Officer Brian Shaw played for Rock football from 2010-2013. Shaw graduated from SRU in 2014 with a degree in criminology, and lost his life serving in the New Kensington police force in November of this year.
Way reflects on first semester as interim president
PARIS MALONE/ THE ROCKET
Interim President Way celebrates the football team's win over rival Clarion this season. Way made it a point to attend campus events and be as visible as possible.
By Daniel DiFabio News Editor
Philip Way has been serving as SRU's interim president since July 21, with the search currently underway for former president Cheryl Norton's successor. With almost a semester under his belt, Way said changes he implemented during his first few months as interim president have been successful. One change, the introduction of fireside chats, where members of the campus community can meet with Way, offered valuable conversation pieces. "It's pretty intense sometimes," Way said. "They come up with some wonderful ideas and in some cases, bring things to my attention that I really didn't know about that we should be working on as priorities for the institution. The fireside chats are useful in spite of maybe the volume of students not being considerable at those." Fireside chats are not the only chance for students to talk to Way, with the interim president meeting
with different clubs and campus groups at the presidential house. "Having the students over at the house is probably the most common thing I've done," Way said. "I've had literally hundreds and hundreds of students of representing different groups on campus. It's a chance for me to get to know everybody and to hear what's on their minds and try to do something to make the campus and the university truly the best in the system." Way also meets with students inside Boozel Dining Hall, and he said it's a great way to meet with students and he hopes to do more in the spring semester. "It's a good opportunity for me to get to know them over the meal and to combine meeting and eating; I think it works pretty well, and they get a free meal too," Way said. Formerly serving as provost and vice president for academic and student affairs since Feb. 2013, Way said the biggest lesson he's learned since becoming interim president is time management.
"I kind of expected that, but the reality is much more significant than I imagined because you've internal stakeholder groups who are trying to meet you, the students, the faculty and the staff," Way said. "There's just not enough time in the week so you have to pick and choose. Some people may not like that, but at the same time you're trying to support students on campus." Despite the high volume of people Way meets with, he said he ultimately enjoys it. "Having a job where I'm 50 percent in the office, having meetings and trying to advance the institutions progress towards its strategic goals is great, and I've got the other 50 percent where I'm outside the office talking with these various stakeholder groups," Way said. "I think the variety of the job is something that I enjoy considerably." Way said a lot of his goals as interim president revolve around making the culture throughout SRU a great place to study and a great place to work. Way said that hosting activities that make employees feel respected and show that the administration is friendly is something he'll share with Norton's successor. "I've been fortunate in that people have responded to those kinds of things," Way said. "I get countless emails and tweets and oral feedback from people saying they do appreciate that approach." The changing of the university's Equal Employment Opportunity's statements to include gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation were another thing Way said he was proud of. "I think that was a really positive signal to people on campus," Way said. "We do embrace all forms of diversity and that's certainly a point of pride and was well-received on campus." This semester also saw the biggest freshmen class ever for SRU, another feat Way was proud of. Way also said the introduction of an extended presidential cabinet is another change being tried out, with about 23 senior level employees now involved in discussions of critical issues. "I want to extend that shared governance much more," Way said. "I'm meeting the employees and make sure I'm listening and that's the bottom line. I want to listen and to improve things if I can."
Campus Services Should Corporations Football Senior Plan Ahead for Snow Offer Contraceptives Recognized SRU's Dallas Cott describes the university's snow removal process.
Page A-4
SRU health center workers discuss the benefits and potential drawbacks. Page B-2
Marcus Martin continues to recieve national attention and awards for his play and demeanor. Page C-1
First Women Enter Combat Roles Two ROTC students will be the first ever SRU women to be assigned to combat service. Page D-1
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NEWS
December 8, 2017
INSIDE NEWS
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GRAPHIC BY CODY NESPOR/ THE ROCKET
SGA Executive Board deems 2017 fall semester a success By Adam Zook Assistant News Editor
INDEX Blotter.................A-3 Opinion................B-1 Sports...................C-1 CampusLife.............D-1
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Slippery Rock Student Government Association (SRSGA) President Rachael Lawler and VP of Finance Riley Keffer are winding down the fall semester of their senior year. After being elected last spring, both are pleased with the progress they have made this fall towards reaching some of their overarching goals. "I'm really proud of what we've achieved so far with the Social Justice Committee. Our relationship we have built with them means a lot to me," Lawler said. "The fact that they have a seat at the table and engage in e-board meetings is wonderful. They have been a great asset to us this semester." "I'm pretty happy with the progress made with the Social Justice Committee, but I'm even happier to hear more critical thought from senators at our meetings," Keffer said. "The engagement from our senators particularly with the presidential search trying to address what's best for students. That's been really encouraging." The Social Justice Committee is set to be promoted from an ad-hoc committee to standing in February of 2018, with the effects taking place the following academic year. Filling the VP of Internal Affairs position previously held by Lexi Foster will also be a top priority for next year. Both Lawler and Keffer outlined what they're looking for in a replacement in the spring. "We really want someone who's experienced with this organization since they'll be coming in mid-semester. Internal Affairs is all about being approachable and personable. Whoever gets the job will constantly be in touch with senate and organize all fundraising aspects of SGA," Lawler said. "People will knowledge of how things work with SGA will certainly have preference. There's a number of candidates who are qualified for the position who will have to be ready to hit the ground running once they get sworn in. I'm looking
forward to the new ideas of whoever we select to fill the position," Keffer said. The executive board hopes to have the position filled by their next formal meeting on January 29. Anyone who has attended two formal meetings and a finance meeting can apply. Applicants must also be classified as a Sophomore 1 and have been enrolled at least two semesters at SRU. The board is hoping to continue what they considered a successful first semester into 2018. Lawler and Keffer are looking to meet some of their final goals before they graduate this spring. "I really want senators and my fellow e-board members to continue to be as engaged as we have been. Using our critical thinking skills as a cohesive unit is the best way to make sure we adequately address what students care about," Keffer said. "I would like to continue to foster our positive relationships with student organizations. We've made baby steps towards being more inclusive, reaching out to multicultural students and having productive dialogue. I think the more we engage, the more progress we'll make moving forward," Lawler said. This has been a busy semester for SGA, who allocated a total of $1,757,346.70 this semester, $51,818.16 of which was new initiative requests. Five new clubs were recognized and they recently finished up conducting their annual student life survey. Of the students who responded, 18 percent said that they feel as though they have been discriminated against for their sexual orientation, race, or gender. This statistic did not fall on deaf ears however, and will be addressed by the board moving forward. The SGA's first formal meeting of the 2018 spring semester will take place on January 29 in the Student Center Theater at 8:45 pm. Both Lawler and Keffer will graduate this coming spring. Elections for the 2018-19 executive board will also take place next semester in April. Students can visit SGA's website at srsga.org
NEWS
December 8, 2017
A-3
POLICE BLOTTER CAMPUS
December 2- Police received a call from Building D that a December 1- Police received a individual was unresponsive. EMS fire alarm from Rhoades Hall and was contacted and transported the the building was evacuated. Upon person to the hospital. checking the room, the cause of the smoke was determined that December 2- Police observed the cause of the smoke was likely two 16 year old juveniles passed because of vaping. The incident out in a vehicle in the Alumni was then referred to housing. Commuter lot. Both were taken for suspicion of DUI and cited with December 1- Officers discovered alcohol violations. a vehicle in the ditch outside Rock Pride Drive that caused property December 2- An odor of damage. Charges are pending. marijuana was detected by a community assistant in Building December 1- An individual called B. The case is currently under police from Swope Music Hall to investigation by police. report an incident that happened earlier in the day. The case is December 2- Police received a presently under investigation. call from North Hall for a person that was passed out in the rest December 1- Police approached room. Casey Snyder, 18, was a vehicle on Campus Drive that was escorted to the Health Center facing the wrong direction. While by police and was cited with an speaking with the occupants, alcohol violation. Matthew Walter, 20, was cited for disorderly conduct.
December 3- A three car accident occurred along Kiester Road. One individual suffered injuries that required them to be transported to the hospital. An accident report was filed by the police. December 4- An individual wished to report that an unknown individual had walked on their car, denting it in the process. It was determined that this incident occurred off campus and the person was advised to contact the Pennsylvania State Police. December 4- A female student wanted to report that a person called her and said that he was going to enter her residence. The incident occurred on I-79 and Pennsylvania State Police told people to contact Campus Police because they live in the area. Police advised the individual on what to do, no other action was taken.
December 5- An individual was reported an unauthorized use of their credit card on campus. This case is currently under investigation. D e cemb er 6- Police were dispatched to Central Receiving for a theft report. This case is currently under investigation. D e cemb er 6- Police were dispatched to Bailey Library for an individual having a seizure. The individual was transported by police to the Health Center. December 6- An individual in Building A reported being harassed by a roommate. This case is currently under investigation. December 7- Police responded to a fire alarm that was set off in Building F. The alarm was set off by individuals who were vaping. The alarm was reset.
Grant to help place veterans in student teacher positions By Morgan McDonald Rocket Contributor
SRU received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to prepare military veterans for teaching positions in school districts and subjects that are needed for certified teachers. Monique Alexander, SRU assistant professor of elementary education and early childhood education, is serving as grant director and said that the grant was given on November 2017 and is worth over $272,000. West Chester University will use the grant to offer faster training toward teaching certification for veterans with bachelor’s degrees. Alexander also said that the program benefits the community because there are teacher shortages in high content areas such as AP Calculus or AP Physics.
ROCK NOTES
“We are hoping essentially that we will acquire veterans who have completed their education background or who have relevant experience that equates to a degree in that area and they will be able to take those skills and get into the classroom," Alexander said. "We are really in need to provide the community with highly qualified teachers in those upper level areas.” SRU will place veteran student teachers in one-year residencies in Pittsburgh Public Schools and West Chester will assist residencies in the Chester Upland School District. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, veterans will learn to teach subjects such as mathematics and the sciences in grades 7-12. “We were all very excited when the secretary of education announced a few weeks ago that we were awarded the $300,000.” Keith Dils, dean of SRU’s college of education, said. Dils and West Chester University's dean of the college
of education David Bell authored the grant proposal and assembled the grant team. Dils said the lack of teachers in Pennsylvania inspired him to get involved with the program. “There is a teacher shortage in Pennsylvania. We have a terrific teacher education program and a great relationship with the Pittsburgh Public Schools," Dils said. "I also knew West Chester would be an excellent University to collaborate with. Therefore, it just made sense to design a program and to submit the proposal to see if we might qualify for the funding.” When the program launches in June, SRU and West Chester will take on a combined 25-40 veterans who will first take summer online courses taught by faculty at both institutions.
BASSOON DEPARTMENT RECITAL The SRU Bassoon Choir will perform "A Concert of All Things Bassoon" along with guest artist Linda Morton Fisher on Monday, Dec. 11th at 7:30 p.m. in the Swope Music Building Recital Hall. The concert will feature compositions by Satie and Weissenborn, among others. PLANETARIUM
Join us for an end of semester video game night! It's a night of fun and games! Vincent Science Hall on Dec. 12 from 8-9 p.m.
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* 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! Living room furniture at South Rock! 9 Not all units are furnished at Main Street location** 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
NEWS How SRU combats winter weather A-4
December 8, 2017
By Daniel DiFabio News Editor
While there hasn't been a major snowfall yet this semester, preparation for the snow is something always occurring behind the scenes at SRU. Dallas Cott, assistant director of campus services, has been in that role since 2011, and oversees a lot of the planning for combating the winter weather. "My job is to make sure that my guys have the resources that they need," Cott said. Cott said resources include purchasing equipment, supplies like salt or ice melt and hiring new staff along with budgeting. Cott said that there were major improvements that needed to be made when he started six years ago, with the university only having one dump truck and salt spreader to cover the entire campus. Now the university has four spreaders. Cott also works closely with Ed Grossman, campus ground supervisor, who oversees the front line snow removal operations. "In the past it was kind of different," Cott said. "When people were called out it was only one or two who were called out, but [Ed] changed that and brings pretty much the entire crew in because it's such a big campus." A big improvement was deciding how many total miles the campus consists of, so each piece of equipment and worker knew their respective route. Having the numbers allowed for Cott to also
add a new utility vehicle with a snow plow and spreader, which is mainly used in the quad and has helped improve response time. "Without knowing the miles that we do it would have been hard for me to justify another piece of equipment to the powers that be," Cott said. "When you have numbers it really helps." Cott said there are 40 acres of parking lots and 13 miles of sidewalks on campus, with most sidewalks 6 ft. wide meaning they have to be plowed twice, totally 26 miles. There are also 5 miles of roads throughout campus and 1,135 steps. With the size of the steps, workers have to remove the snow without the user of heavy equipment. "Everybody is assigned a route that they're familiar with and they can go and scout it out ahead of time to know what they need to do," Cott said. "If they feel they need to tweak something, they'll come and say this area may need changed, there's more traffic here." SRU's custodial department also helps with snow removal, having to shovel and spread an ice melt 25 ft from each building entrance. While the true shift of the snow removal team may be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., most of the time the process starts at 5 a.m., and sometimes workers are trying to keep the campus clear all day. "They've worked 21 out of 24 hours before because when they get here it's snowing and it doesn't really let up," Cott said. "At some point we have to send them home to get some sleep so they're rested and safe. It's a lot of work for these guys. Overall most of our guys do a job and they take a lot of pride in presenting a safe
DANIEL DIFABIO/THE ROCKET
DANIEL DIFABIO/THE ROCKET
A lot of the university's snow removal equipment, such as this Ventrac tractor, can be used year-round with interchangeable parts depending on the need.
clean campus for everybody that's here." Different types of weather are a large issue for the team, with freezing rain being the most difficult to clear. "No matter what we do in a freezing rain storm we're going to lose," Cott said. "We could be out there salting but if it's a true freezing rainstorm it'll melt and then instantly refreeze. It's one of those things where you think you're good and then suddenly everything turns to ice and people are slipping." With the parking issue on campus also on the rise, Cott said that will add another aspect to adapt to, since the team would often push snow to a few spots in parking lots. "We'll push snow to a certain area, pile it up as much as we can, then on a weekend we'll lift that snow and push it further into the grass or even haul it different places," Cott said. "We'll try to clean that up so we're not taking up parking spots with pile of snow." The addition of new equipment, including trucks with plows and four spreaders that can also salt routes. Cott's department as 15 full time employees, four temporary employees and some students that help with shoveling. Even with the supplies and the amount of workers, the job can still be 24/7. Cott and Grossman are always looking at forecasts and trying to plan ahead. "A couple of years ago you guys [Ed's team] were in here 20 days in a row," Cott said. "At some point you have to clean up the snow. It's a lot of work and every snow is different." With the snow removal team constantly having to adapt, Cott said the main goal is to get better every year. "It'll never be perfect but if we can get better every year; that's the goal," Cott said. "Something with mother nature can never be perfect, it doesn't work like that. We try to be as clean as possible here and as safe as possible."
The university currently has about 100 tons of salt in its loading bay.
Alternative overnight study areas available during finals week
PARIS MALONE/THE ROCKET
Due to construction, Bailey Library will not be open 24/7 during finals week.
during finals week. According to Mary Ann King, Rocket Contributor director of academic resources, Bailey will not be open overnight For the first in recent history, during finals week due to student Bailey Library will not be open safety while renovations continue. 24/7 during finals week; however, “There’s some areas where the Spotts World Cultures building construction is happening that we has been designated as an alternate don’t want people to access, and location, and the ARC will hold if it’s open 24/7, it’s really hard to overnight hours for select days monitor that,” King said. “This
By Hannah Shumsky
was a decision by the library staff to do this, and it was all about safety for the students.” Construction is currently on schedule for Bailey to fully open at the beginning of the spring 2018 semester. During finals week, Bailey will be open 10 a.m. to midnight on Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to midnight on Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday. According to Jennifer Bartek, library building manager, students will be able to study in Bailey until midnight, then relocate to Spotts for the rest of the night. These classrooms are 100, 101, 102, 103, 105, 113, 115, 117, 118 and 120. Rooms 116, 209, 213, 216, 307 and 315 are students study spaces that will be available for overnight use as well. A police officer will be stationed in Spotts during this time. The designated classrooms in Spotts will be available from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Because custodians will need to clean rooms before finals start at 8 a.m., the classrooms will close at 6 a.m. Each designated room will have a sign outside that lists the hours for overnight study. The ARC will also be open from 6 a.m. on Monday to 11
p.m. on Wednesday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday and 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday. The ARC was open overnight for part of finals week in the spring 2017 semester, but there was a small turnout of students studying due to lack of publicity on the event. The ARC will also host several group fitness activities Monday evening through Wednesday, including Pilates, BOGA Fit, ROCKSpin, Glow Yoga, BOGA Yoga, Hip Hop & Abs and SpinSANITY. Study tables will be located in the lobby, television/vending area, kitchen and, depending on turnout, Gym B. Healthy snacks will also be provided. The ARC is working alongside the HOPE Peer Educators to provide more activities for stress relief. “There’s just so much else going on that, to me, relieving their stresses is paramount to some of their studying,” Karen Perry, director of campus recreation, said. All other academic buildings will lock at each respective building’s closing time. Each building’s closing time can be found by contacting campus police.
SRU DANCE THEATRE
FALL CONCERTS Dec. 9 and 10, 2017 2 and 5 p.m. ADMISSION: $10 (students, senior citizens, children - all same price) Swope Music Hall 101 Central Loop Slippery Rock, PA 16057
Experience the Difference www.SRU.edu A member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education 11311 10-2017
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OPINION
Our View
Rape and sexual assault are real problems that need real solutions
OPINION Volume 101, 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 Cody Nespor
Editor-in-Chief
Daniel DiFabio
News Editor
Justin Kraus
Sports Editor
Megan Bush
Campus Life Editor
Victoria Davis
Copy/ Web Editor
Paris Malone
Photo Editor
Eric Davies
Multimedia Editor
Adam Zook
Assistant News Editor
Stephen Cukovich
Assistant Sports Editor
Megan Majercak
Assist. Campus Life Editor
Heather Donat
Assist. Copy/Web Editor
Hunter Casilio
Assistant Photo Editor
Dr. Brittany Fleming
Faculty Adviser
ADVERTISING STAFF Miranda Morgan
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.
GRAPHIC BY HUNTER CASILIO/ THE ROCKET
Discussion over sexual assault on campus has ramped up recently following a tweet about a conversation overheard at the student center last week. The tweet in question described a conversation between a few male students, with one student commenting on a women’s looks and saying how he would like to get her drunk, but not too drunk, over the weekend. C onve rs at i ons l i ke t h i s probably happen all the time, and we have all probably heard talk like this. Talk like this, however commonplace it may be, is describing rape and sexual assault. Any scenario where an individual is unable to give clear consent to sexual activity, is assault. Consent can only be given if the individual is sober, conscious, of age and asked directly without being under duress. When people think of rape, they usually think of a stranger assaulting a women in back alley or something, but rape is much
more commonly committed by friends, acquaintances or significant others. A lot of people would probably shrug off the above conversation; in students’ minds that is just what happens in college, people get drunk and have sex. The Rocket staff believes that we, as a campus community need to stop normalizing this type of behavior. Rape is rape, no matter if it happens in a back alley, at a party or in a dorm room. The emergency call boxes around campus are great when someone feels unsafe while walking around at night, but there are no call boxes for when someone feels uncomfortable at a party, or when someone has passed out and is at the mercy of their attacker. Students need to be those emergency call boxes. We need to call out unacceptable b e h av i o r w h e n w e s e e it. No matter if you feel uncomfortable doing so or if you do not think it is your
In the Quad
place to step in or even if it is your friend taking advantage of someone. Nothing will change without action. It is our duty as a community to let it be known that this is unacceptable and that it will not be tolerated. The Rocket staff believes that it is our responsibility as members of this community to educate ourselves on what is and is not sexual assault and how we can take action to end it. If you think that Slippery Rock is different and that this could not possibly be a problem here, just think about how many women you know that have ever been taken advantage of at a party or think about any guys you know that have talked about getting a girl drunk or wanting to get a girl drunk. Sexual assault is a problem everywhere and here is no exception. It is our duty to make a stand and make sure that talk like this and this behavior is not welcome at The Rock.
This week’s question: Do you think sexual assault is a problem on our campus?
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.
Khalil Harper Dallas Kline Sophomore Junior Computing and Information Sport Management Major Technology Major Spring Grove, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania “I do believe sexual assault is a problem on our campus and I don’t think we provide an environment to address it It’s an issue we kind of throw under the blanket and unless we create a world where we can address sexual assault directly it will still be a problem for our campus.”
“Yes, obviously I do. And I think a lot of it isn’t reported and we need to make sure the resources like the Women’s Center are used. They do a lot of programming that if we promote more would do the campus a lot of good.“
Rachel Lawler Senior Exercise Science Major Bothwyn, Pennsylvania “Yes, I do believe that sexual assault is a problem on our campus. It’s a problem everywhere. Those who experience sexual assault or know someone who has, should be aware of the resources provided on campus, such as the Pride Center, Women’s Center and the counceling center.”
OPINION
B-2
December 8, 2017
QUESTION OF
THE WEEK
@SRURocket
Should employers be required to provide free contraception?
Oscar Matous Rocket Contributor Oscar Matous is a junior journalism major. He has written for The Rocket for three years. The debate over whether employers should be required to provide contraceptives to employees, without patient co-payment, has been a topic of discussion for years. It dates back to at least the 1970s, when the U.S. Senate began to debate the safety of the pill, according to a 2010 article published by PBS.org. With the recent mandate from President Trump, allowing companies and other institutions to deny contraceptives to their employees on the basis of the employer’s moral and/or religious beliefs, millions of people across the United States, particularly women, have the potential to lose free and easy access to contraceptives, said Vanessa Vought, adviser to the HOPE Peer Educators at Slippery Rock University (SRU). Prior to Trump’s mandate, under the “Affordable Care Act” (ACA), companies were required to pay for their employees’ access to 18 different types of contraceptives. The ACA, also known as “Obamacare,” enforced this ruling because, prior to it, insurers were allowed to charge high and unregulated premiums, Vought said. “What Obama did with the Affordable Care Act is he basically set a standard,” Vought explained. “He told insurers, through law, that there are 10 essential health services that
all health insurance has to cover. Preventive care was one of them, which birth control falls under.” Vought, said that in addition to women paying premiums for health coverage, it doesn’t make sense for them to have to pay extra for birth control. Some birth control, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs), can cost upwards of $1,000, which can be difficult for some women to pay for, especially those in low-income families, Vought, who’s in her first year as a health educator at SRU, said. The Trump Administration said the decision to overrule the mandate from the Obama administration was made because it did not want to require employers, who may have certain moral and/or religious objections, to “go against their conscious behavior.” The mandate from Trump says employers can deny this access to contraception, but that they need to provide a genuine moral or religious belief. Vought said the issue with that is that there is no exact definition of what a religious “entity” is. The company doesn’t necessarily need to be a religious one to deny access to contraception, she said. “They can just claim a religious conviction,” Vought said. “And they don’t even need to claim a religious conviction, they can just claim a moral conviction. If they are going by the rules they are putting out now, then it could basically be adopted by any company that wants to claim this conviction to essentially save them money.” As a result of this mandate, Vought said, she predicts there will be a large gap in health coverage. The United States provides contraception through a variety of means, such as government-subsidized programs, like Title IX, which says that “No person in the United States will be denied participation or benefits or will be subject to discrimination under any educational program/activity receiving financial assistance from the Federal Government”, state funding (Medicaid), and a variety of other programs. Vought said that
this is an issue because, in order to be eligible for these programs, a person has to fall under a specific government poverty, such as being on welfare. “Basically, if you make anything above that, you don’t qualify for those programs,” she said. “So if you are a person who has a job, who has insurance, you don’t qualify for those programs. Basically, you just get caught in this sort of gap and have nowhere to turn to help you get birth control.” Birth control pills, alone, can cost up to $100 a month, Vought explained. Vought said she believes there’s no reason for a person, especially one who has insurance, to have to pay for these costs with their own money. Senior public health major and HOPE Peer Mentor, Amy Kayser, said it’s important for people to realize women who need access to the pill are not always trying to prevent a pregnancy. “Birth control also helps regulate a woman’s period, and can even help treat acne breakouts,” Kayser, 20, explained. “There are other health benefits to it besides just preventing pregnancy.” For institutions like the Catholic Church, where contraceptive use goes against its teachings, Kayser, who’s a Catholic, said she believes free access to the pill should be provided, because of the numerous other health benefits it provides. “I was raised Catholic, so I understand the church’s argument,” Kayser said. “I think these institutions who have these religious and moral beliefs need to accept that there are other benefits to taking the pill other than just having sex without wanting to get pregnant. I just think these sort of companies need to meet their female employees halfway.” Vought, a graduate from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, where she majored in health education, said she recognizes the church’s argument about contraceptives.
“I emphasize abstinence, but you can’t force people to partake in it,” Vought said. “Our motto here in HOPE is, ‘Abstinence is best, but protection is next.” Some of Kayser’s coworkers in HOPE don’t feel as strongly about forcing companies to provide free birth control. Fellow HOPE Peer Mentor Carlyn Becker said she doesn’t believe institutions should be required to provide access to free birth control. Although it shouldn’t be mandatory, companies should be strongly encouraged and educated on the risks of not providing these services, said Becker. “It’s a very sticky situation,” Becker said. “On one end, you don’t want companies to be forced to do something that goes against their personal beliefs, but on the other end birth control can help maintain the overall health of a woman.” Becker, a public health major as well, said that while she doesn’t think contraception should be a requirement for companies to provide, she believes a lack of contraception increases the number of abortions. A Time Magazine article published online, on Oct. 12, noted a 2014 study in St. Louis that said that when provided with proper information and free birth control, the number of abortions and other unwanted pregnancies in the area dropped significantly. There needs to be proper education and information made available to people, and there should be a decrease in the number of abortions, Becker said. Victoria Kolarik, a HOPE peer mentor and public health—pre-physician’s assistant major, said she doesn’t believe men, like current U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, should have a say in the issue. “I understand men make up roughly 70 percent of the government, but Jeff Sessions should not have a say in how I take care of my body,” Kolarik said. “Men do not take the pill for any reason, so why should they decide if I get access to it?”
SRU student recalls favorite family holiday tradition
Megan Anderson The story “Twas the Night Before Christmas” has turned into a wonderful game that my family has been playing since I was seven years old. The year was 1998 or 1999, on Christmas Eve. My dad’s side of the family had come over for the third year in the row to celebrate Christmas with us. My grandparents on my mom’s side have come over to celebrate with all the grandchildren and introduce this new game. My grandma gets everyone into our living to explain the game and how to
play. I would say there was about 15 of us in the room, but sadly I would not be playing the game because there were too many of us under the age of seven so I was the odd man out. While I watch from the sidelines I saw my aunts and uncles pass all these presents out to each other in a circle. My grandma asked if everyone had a present and started to explain how the game works. Every time she read the word “Thee or the” you have to pass the present to your right to the person next to you. While my cousins waited with great anticipation to watch the game come forth, my aunts, uncles, sister and parents where all laughing at each other making fun of who would get what gift. Finally the game began I can tell you all hell broke lose with everyone trying to keep up my grandma reading the story. I thought presents where going to get broken with how violent and competitive my family was with pass them around. I laughed so hard that I was almost crying because how ridicules my family look at playing this game. After the book wast read my family members had the opportunity to swap presents with other members of the family to get the one that looked appealing. My sister, Kelsey, refused to give her present because it had a cool shape to it and she thought that she was getting the jackpot of all presents. So my grandma told my family to go around the room one at a time and open their presents. What was so surprising about these presents was that they where gag gifts that my grandma found at the dollar general.
My family was dying of laughter at the funny gag gifts my grandma got for all them, but are all time favorite was my sister Kelsey’s gift. The gift she was hoarding from everyone was a roll of toilet paper. My whole family lost it after that and for many more years because for almost 10 years that we have played this game Kelsey got the roll of toilet paper. For many of you out there who read The Rocket can relate my story of great family Christmas memories, games and toys that have lived through out your stories on this earth. Others may had have memories of people helping their family in need. They helped you with Christmas that year for your family and those memories have lived on through you. That’s why I am fond of the tradition my family has played this game for more than 20 years and how still recall all the times Kelsey got the toilet paper or how pappy read the book one year and put in some extra thee’s and the’s just to make the game go longer. Many of us may have started some new traditions with our family that will live on through our memories and for some of us through our children. So enjoy the times we spend with our families and enjoy the traditions you’ve created with them. We don’t know how long the ones we love will be with us. So let’s remember all the traditions we had with our families and lets be open to new traditions that live on with our family members. I hope all my fellow students and faculty have a wonderful Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus for the rest of us and a Happy New Year.
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December 8, 2017
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INSIDE SPORTS
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Women's soccer leads President's Cup race
Track freshman breaks SRU record
Slippery Rock's Student AthleteAdvisory Committee promotes student-athlete involvement with President's Cup.
Freshman runner Raegan Hess broke the SRU 60-meter dash record in her first ever collegiate meet.
See Page C-2
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Awards and honors continue to pile up for football's Marcus Martin By Stephen Cukovich Assistant Sports Editor
Since The Rock's football season came to a close about a month ago, redshirt senior defensive end Marcus Martin has been able to add many more honors and awards to his already stacked resume. As he leaves The Rock, Martin sits atop the NCAA record books with his 56 career sacks, which is number one in all of college football, while ranking number one on the Division II list for tackles for loss with 92.5. “You always start with one goal to start,” Martin said. “It’s the team’s records first. Then I started thinking about PSAC and that started being surreal and then national records is just incredible, you know I’d never thought I’d be here.” The Green and White lost their final regular season game in a 42-34 loss to Kutztown University (8-3) to exclude them from the playoffs and finish with an 8-3 record. Just four days later, Martin and nine other Rock players were named All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western division team, while Martin earned PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year award for the third straight season. “You don’t really ever see these types of moments, I mean this is history,” SRU football head coach Shawn Lutz said following Martin's Division II recordsetting performance against Lock Haven University. “And the kid is
PARIS MALONE/ THE ROCKET
Senior defensive end Marcus Martin rushes the quarterback during the team's upset victory over no. 5 California (Pa.). Martin has received numerous award nominations this year.
so modest, it doesn’t seem like it means a lot to him because he is such a team player.” To follow, the next day Martin was then awarded his third straight Academic All-District honor by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Being just one of four defensive
linemen from Super Region One to be named All-District, Martin now will advance to the ballot for the Academic All-American team, which he has won the past two years. Possibly one of Martin's biggest off-season accomplishments was the honor of being nominated and
winning the Gene Upshaw Award for the Division II Lineman of the Year which was announced last week by the Manheim Touchdown Club. Last season Martin was also nominated for the award, making him SEE MARTIN, PAGE C-3
Rock football alumnus remembered for personality Continued from Page A 1
COURTESY OF ROCK ATHLETICS
Slippery Rock alumnus Brian Shaw before kicking off during his Rock football career. Shaw served as the team's kickoff specialist during his four years with the team, before becoming a law enforcement officer.
specialist for two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conferece (PSAC)- West titles in 2011 and 2013. "As a football player, he had a tremendous leg," Lutz said. "He helped us with field positions all the time when I was defensive coordinator, he kicked it into the end zone. He was instrumental in that." "A lot of times the kicker position is a little bit more in the background, important don't get me wrong, but maybe not as interactive," Mihalik said. "He was as true leader among the team." While he was an important member of The Rock football team, the thing that people most re memb er ab out Shaw was his intoxicating personality. "He had the ability to light up a room with his smile alone," Mihalik said, whose sentiment was echoed by Lutz. "Brian had no enemies, he was just [a] well-liked individual," Lutz said. "As a person, Brian was always a great teammate, he was as positive person. Brian knew how to talk to the guys, get them to stay upbeat. He was calm cool and collected." A common theme talking to anyone who knew Shaw was that he had wanted to become part of law enforcement for
a long time, long before he graduated with a criminology degree in 2015 from SRU. "He always wanted to help people. During his time as a player, his goal was to become a part of law enforcement. He followed his dream," Mihalik said. "He was serving his community, that was his whole purpose in life, to help others." Shaw was the kind of person who made always made the perfect first impression. Mikalik, who had recruited hundreds of football players in his career, stated that his home visit with Shaw is one that always sticks out to him. "The very first time I met him
"He was a true leader among the team" - Dr. George Mihalik, former SRU football coach
you could just see first of all the personality, the smile," Mihalik said. "And the fact that people would gravitate to him and follow him." Mourning the loss of someone beloved is always a complex scenario, but Lutz took time out to have a couple laughs and point out the positive changes that Shaw went through after leaving SRU. "Seeing pictures of him as a police officer, he really got into strength training, he put on 25
pounds of muscle," Lutz said, chuckling. "He was always a tall, good-looking, slim guy." Another thing about Shaw that exemplified how he effected those around him was the sheer number of people who were in attendance to honor him. When his body was transported to his place of residence in Lower Burrell, Pa., the streets were packed with individuals holding American flags to salute the fallen officer. "There’s no better example than Officer Brian Shaw who gave his life serving this community," New Kensington Police Chief James Klein said in an interview with the Washington Post. The streets were lined again for Shaw's viewing, which was attended by hundreds of former Rock football players, and thousands of people. "It took us four to five hours to even get through the line.," Lutz said. The Slippery Rock football team will honor shaw by having a decal with his initials 'BS' on the back of their helmets for the duration of the 2018 season. Lutz also said that the PSAC commissioner will attend one of the team's first home games for a tribute to Shaw. According to his obituary, Shaw leaves behind his parents, a grandmother, a brother and his girlfriend.
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December 8, 2017
Women's soccer leads race in SAAC President's Cup By Stephen Cukovich Rocket Contributor
Men's basketball 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Edinboro Indiana (pa.) Slippery Rock California (pa.) Mercyhurst UPJ Gannon Seton hill Clarion
5-2 (3-1) 6-4 (3-1) 6-2 (2-2) 5-3 (2-2) 4-3 (2-2) 4-4 (2-2) 4-5 (1-3) 3-5 (1-3) 2-7 (0-4)
Upcoming Games at Sat. Dec. 9, Pucillo Gymnasium, 3:00 p.m.
vs Sun. Dec. 10, Morrow Field House, 3:00 p.m.
vs Tue. Dec. 19, Morrow Field House, 7:00 p.m.
With winter break rapidly approaching, the women's soccer team sits in a comfortable lead in this year's Student- Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President's Cup as of last week's update. Women's soccer has totaled 7,185 points so far this academic year, and they lead by just over 3,000 points to last year's Cup winner the women's field hockey team who sits in second place, ahead of third place softball with 2,535 points. "They (field hockey) were outstanding, they were at everything," SAAC President Mallory Heinle said. "Always taking pictures, doing extra events, extra community service, volunteering; things like that. But this year has been super exciting to see people get even more excited about it and more teams get more competitive because at the end of the day we are all athletes." SAAC is NCAA wide is established so student athletes to have a bigger voice on their campuses and within the community. Each team on campus has two representatives and they can be coach selected or team selected. Every school has their own role with SAAC and how active it is, Heinle explained. Heinle, a senior early childhood and special education major, is currently in her second year as SAAC president, along with being in her final season on the women's basketball team, as one of the team's top forwards. Heinle said last year she was still learning and was trying to figure out her position in SAAC. "As president I kind of gear things," Heinle said. "I was really learning last year and just trying to figure out what I needed my role to be. What personally did Slippery Rock SAAC need out of their president and in the past we were trying things, but we weren't very successful for numerous reasons, but we just needed more life." That new life was sparked when Heinle attended the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) SAAC convention in the spring of her sophomore year, being one of the two SRU representatives that each school sent. At the convention, Heinle learned a lot of information and tips that would help her as she became President the following semester. "I really just tried to up our engagement, from our athletes, from the community, from the campus community. Just wanted more participation, more
GRAPHIC BY STEPHEN CUKOVICH/THE ROCKET
Current SRU SAAC President's Cup standings.
buy-in, and just have a better voice from SAAC moving forward," Heinle said. At the convention, Heinle was able to see how other schools from the PSAC ran SAAC, and one thing that caught her attention was the idea of the President's Cup which she launched last year. Along with the President's Cup, Heinle learned that Rock SAAC needed to put more energy towards one thing and that was fundraising because up until recently, SRU would only have one big fundraiser, with only a few small ones on the side, Heinle explained. "When I went to that conference and saw what other schools were doing, I knew we needed to put a bigger emphasis on our fundraising," Heinle said. "But to get to more fundraising we had to encourage more buy-in from the bottom, so not right away with our fundraisers, but just getting people more excited about SAAC." The President's Cup runs the entire school year and will conclude in the summer which means there is plenty of time for teams to make so moves on women's soccer such as fourth place football with 2,420 points and fifth place women's basketball with 2,240. Academic and athletic honors earn team points such as Athlete of the Week, or even a team winning their PSAC Championship can count towards the award. Updates on the presidents cup and other SAAC events or news can be found on their Instagram and Twitter pages.
Men’s hockey to play in charity game By Brendan Howe
Women's basketball 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
edinboro indiana (pa.) california (pa.) upj Gannon Slippery Rock Mercyhurst Seton hill clarion
7-0 (4-0) 7-0 (4-0) 7-1 (4-0) 6-2 (3-1) 5-4 (3-1) 4-4 (3-1) 4-5 (3-1) 4-3 (2-2) 5-4 (1-3)
at Sat. Dec. 9, Pucillo Gymnasium, 1:00 p.m.
vs Tue. Dec. 19, Morrow Field House, 5:00 p.m.
at Sat. Dec. 30, McKenna Center, 1:00 p.m.
Standings as of Thurs. Dec. 7th at 12:15 p.m.
Rocket Contributor
The Slippery Rock Pride men’s hockey team will give back to the community with its annual benefit game this weekend against the University of Pittsburgh. The game, in which the proceeds will go towards the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, will feature the College Hockey Mid-America’s top two teams. In the previous two years, the team has aided causes with their Pink the Rink game in support of breast cancer awareness and partnered with the "It’s About the Warrior" Foundation for a Veteran’s Night. This season, the team decided through a coach who works in the medical field to support the Free Care Fund. The players took the initiative to plan the charitable event and feel very strongly for the cause. “Anytime you can be a part of an event that benefits such a good cause like Children’s Hospital units, it’s an honor,” head coach Dave Grimm said. “You have high hopes for the event because you want to be able to give as much as you can for the kids there.” Prior to the game, there will be a ceremonial puck drop and an appearance by a youth hockey player who is also a cancer survivor. “It’ll be pretty awesome [to play for such a good cause]. We do it every year and it’ll be great to do it for the kids,” junior forward Stephen Reu said. The contest itself will be an important one for both teams. Slippery Rock currently sits two points behind the first-place Panthers in the College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA) standings. Pitt’s recent success includes last year’s regular season CHMA crown and a conference playoff championship in 2015-2016.
PARIS MALONE/THE ROCKET
Junior forward Josh Scott comes down the ice in a game earlier this year. The team will take part in a charity game that will benefit the Free Care Fund on Saturday, Dec. 9th.
“Every conference game is a challenge, but the game Saturday night against Pitt has a little bit more meaning,” stated Grimm. “We’re so close in the conference standings that whoever wins this game goes into the semester break with a lot of confidence standings and momentum to start the second half.” The Panthers swept the Pride in the season series last year, but the team feels improvement over last year’s squad. “We feel like we played them tight both games last year and our team has come a long way since then. We’ve been a much more structured and disciplined team,” Grimm said. He feels the team sports comfortable goaltending and a penalty kill that has been outstanding thus far. “If we continue to move forward with
the hard work and the mindset that you give your teammates everything you’ve got every practice and every game, we’re going to continue to have a lot of success as a team, this year and beyond.” The players are looking forward to the challenge that a solid Pitt team presents. “It’s the first time we’ll have played a team that above us in the conference and they’re a pretty good team,” commented Reu. “It’ll be a big test for us and, if we can win both games this weekend, we can go into break at the top [of our conference].” The team expects a few hundred in attendance for the event, which will be played at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry on Saturday night at 10:00 pm.
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December 8, 2017
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Sophomore guard wins Athlete of the Month By Justin Kraus Rocket Contributor
All in the span of three months, sophomore guard Madison Johnson of the Slippery Rock University women's basketball team started her SRU career, secured a starting role and won the Rocket's Athlete of the Month poll for November. "I think it's pretty awesome. I feel pretty honored to be Athlete of the Month out of all the athletes on campus," Johnson said. "I was up against other great athletes, it's pretty rewarding." Johnson has started all but one game for the Rock this year after transferring from St. Francis (Pa.) and becoming a starting shooting guard for The Rock. "At first [the transition] was definitely very different, I had to get used to a whole new school and a whole new team," Johnson said. "I knew some of the girls beforehand, I just really worked hard. Coach McGraw was really great at adapting me into their style of play, and I felt at home." Johnson was tabbed by Slippery Rock head coach Bobby McGraw as someone who would make the biggest impact among new players, and done that she has. Johnson ranks in the top three on the team in points, minutes played, offensive rebounds, assists, free-throw percentage and three-point percentage. "For the most part I've been an all-around player, [but] more of a guard. I've definitely learned to try to do it all." Something that Johnson has excelled at particularly is her three-point shooting. She is currently shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, which would put her at fifth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), but she barely does not have enough attempts to qualify.
PARIS MALONE/ THE ROCKET
Sophomore guard Madison Johnson shoots a three-pointer versus Shippensburg. Johnson leads the team in three-point percentage (.381), which also places her fifth in the PSAC.
"For the most part, I've always been a decent [three-point] shooter. I've always worked hard on my outside shooting," Johnson said. "I was a little surprised at how good my percentage is, that's something that I've always been able to do well. They needed me to do it well this year on the team." Johnson's best three-point performance was against Shippensburg, when she went 4-6 from deep, along the way to her 27 points on the day, the second-most for any Rock player this year.
As part of a team that is currently 3-1 in conference play and outperforming expectations, Johnson has high expectations for her team, who has two more conference games before taking two weeks off for winter break. "I really hope to get a win this weekend. Our team is doing very well so far this year, I just hope to keep playing together and enjoying our time, eventually making it to playoffs." Johnson said.
Freshman breaks SRU record Martin travels to NYC for ceremony in first ever indoor track meet Continued from Page C 1
COURTASY OF ROCK ATHLETICS
Rock freshman runner Reagan Hess sprints in the 60-meter dash in the Youngstown University Icebraker. In her first ever college meet, Hess broke the SRU record in the event.
By Karl Ludwig Rocket Contributor
Imagine coming into the very first event of your very first meet of your collegiate track career for a second. Most college freshman in this situation only dare to hope to not finish dead last in their heat… not Reagan Hess. Freshman sprinter/jumper Reagan Hess only set the new Slippery Rock record in the 60-meter dash… in the very first event of her collegiate career. A decorated high school athlete out of Annville Cleona High School, Hess came into her first competition with high hopes but even she wasn’t even expecting to set any kind of records. Entering the race with sophomore Emily Horstman and fellow freshman Amanda Oliver, Hess put up a time of 7.70 seconds which eclipsed the old record by 0.04 seconds. Former record-holders Jasmine Bailey and Janiece Rash held the old school record at 7.74 seconds, a record Hess did not know she had broken until much later. “It hasn’t really set in yet. Coming into the event I had no clue what the school record was,” Hess said, “I had no clue I had
even broke it, coming off… it just hasn’t really set in yet.” Hess achieved three PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) qualification marks during the YSU Icebreaker, finishing 0.01 second off the NCAA marker in the 60-meter dash while easily reaching the PSAC qualification. Hess, Horstman, senior sprinter Aerial Dukes and freshman sprinter Vanessa Shedlock also reached a PSAC qualification in the 4 by 400-meter relay. Individually, Hess qualified for the 200-meter dash and in the long jump. The third place 4 by 400-meter team finished with a time of 3:57.76 while Hess individually placed seventh in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.68 seconds and second in the long jump with a height of 5.54 meters. On Tuesday, Hess was rewarded for her impressive efforts by being named the PSAC female track athlete of the week. The selection is only the beginning for Hess who has high expectations for the rest of the season… she is only scratching the surface with the sprints and, her focus, the long jump. “For right now, I’m focusing
on long jump,” Hess said, “because that’s more technique, more, like, harder technique to understand and getting that under my belt.” With the school record in the 60-meter sprint already under her belt, and a pack of competitive ladies gunning for her, Hess only figures to improve and grow as an athlete from here. “I’d actually say we have so much competition within our squad with practice and stuff like that I kind of already got a sense of what it’s going to be like, I have girls that are right there behind me.” Hess said with a laugh. Hess and the women on the indoor track team have a long break for the holidays now and will be back in action on the 19th of January back in Youngstown, Oh. The holiday season will not be able to distract Hess though as she looks forward to building upon a picture-perfect beginning to her collegiate athletics career. “I would love to meet the national qualifying for the long jump,” Hess said, “I’m really focusing on that event but other than that I kind of just take it meet by meet.”
the only junior in the country to be named one of the eight finalists. With the honor of the Gene Upshaw Award, Martin will receive a trophy and will be honored at the Manheim Club's annual banquet in May and he will receive an invitation to the East/West Shrine Game to add to his invitation to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Martin was able to win the award in record fashion as he received 73 percent of the first place ballots, setting a record for the most first place votes in the 14-year history of the award. “You always start with one goal to start,” Martin said. “It’s the team’s records first. Then I started thinking about PSAC and that started being surreal and then national records is just incredible, you know I’d never thought I’d be here.” In addition, Martin was just announced last week to be one of ten finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which is presented to the Division II College Football Player of the Year with the winner being announced Dec. 15. Following that announcement, Martin was then named Division II Super Region One Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season. Lastly, Martin has been spending this week in New York City as he is a finalist for the Campbell Trophy which is given to the college football player with the best combination of academics, community service and on-field performance. The winner was announced Tuesday night at the National Football Foundation's Awards Dinner and the honor went Virginia linebacker Micah Kiser with Martin the runner-up. Though Martin didn't win the honor, he was able to be graced by the company of football greats such as Peyton Manning and Brian Urlacher as they were inducted into the college football hall of fame. Martin did walk away with $18,000 in postgraduate scholarship presented by Fidelity Investments as he was named a member of the 2017 National Football Foundation's National Scholar Athlete Class. Then last week's honors were capped off when Martin was named one of five national finalists for the Ted Hendricks Award, which is presented annually to the best defensive end in college football. Martin joins elite competition for the award with other finalists from Ohio State, Clemson and North Carolina State. Martin again finished runner-up for the honor behind Bradley Chubb of North Carolina State with the announcement Wednesday morning. With Martin's college career over, but still winding down, Martin has his sites on the NFL, but he will never forget his time at Slippery Rock and why he came to The Rock in the first place. “It's the brotherhood mainly,” Martin said regarding why he came to SRU. “It wasn’t all about wins and losses it was about more than that. You get more joy out of things when you’re a family or a brotherhood.”
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December 8, 2017
Height not an overwhelming factor for PSAC basketball By Justin Kraus Sports Editor
Height is one of the main athletic components that gets associated with basketball, and rightfully so. A taller player will be able to see over shorter players, have an advantage in rebounding, and be able to get closer to the basket. While height is a contributing factor to success in basketball, it may be overvalued. "Like most schools, when we recruit two guys, it's whoever says yes first," Slippery Rock head coach Kevin Reynolds said. "I think at Duke, North Carolina and Indiana, places like that, height is probably a deciding factor." While the four tallest schools in the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference)West ,based on an average of all roster player's heights, are the teams that sit in the top four spots, it may also have to deal with the fact that the conference is very close in terms of total team height. Besides one player standing 6'10" in Edinboro's Kameron Thurmond, every team's tallest player measures between 6'8" and 6'9". Between the tallest team (IUP) and the shortest (Seton Hill), there is only a difference of 0.7 inches. Slippery Rock averages out to be the secondtallest team in the PSAC-West, which makes sense, as Reynolds has built a program that holds a titanic lead in rebounding margin (+10.3, second-best is +6.7) and always has one of the best scoring defenses in the country "Not only the height of the player but the length of the player, the wingspan, because that's a big part of what everyone is looking for: tall, athletic players that have length." Reynolds said. Height, however, is not all-important to Reynolds, who pointed out that some of the PSAC's best players fall below the six foot mark. "One of the better players in our league, [Ethan] Ridgeway from Kutztown is 5'10, he was all conference last year and he is one of the better players in Division II," Reynolds said. "There is still a good spot on the floor for a good small player." Ridgeway isn't even the only good allconference player who is under six feet either.
PHOTO BY PARIS MALONE/THE ROCKET GRAPHIC BY JUSTIN KRAUS/THE ROCKET
The average height of every PSAC-West men's basketball roster. Slippery Rock senior guard Bruce Spruell is shown for reference, who is listed at 6'4".
"[Dante] Lombardi from IUP is 5'11 as well. You can add Darren Clancy from UPJ, those are three really good players, just off the top of my head." Reynolds said. Slippery Rock only has one player on the roster listed under six feet tall, junior guard Gabe Mack. Despite being regularly being the shortest guy on the floor, a feeling which Mack said he is used to in a preseason interview, he has appeared in every game for The Rock with one start, averaging 13 minutes per game. Mack had two points, two assits, and two rebounds versus Pittsburgh on November fourth, a team whose average height is 6'5". The situation for PSAC schools is different than it would be for many Division I schools, who may have many good players to choose from, and some of those may be taller than others. But for Division II schools, pure size is rarely the focus. "At our level, smaller Division I and Division II, we take the player that is the most excited about coming to your school and ready to do it. " Reynolds said.
Tallest players in the PSAC-West 1. Kameron Thurmond -Edinboro 2. Richard Bivens -Slippery Rock 3. Jacobo Diaz -Indiana (Pa.) 4. Christal Malalu -Slippery Rock 5. Naseem Hadrab -Gannon 6. Brandon Simmons -Slippery Rock 7. Willem Brandwijk - Indiana (Pa.)
6'10" Fr. 6'9" Sr. 6'9" Jr. 6'9" Sr. 6'9" Jr. 6'9" Sr. 6'9" Jr.
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CAMPUS LIFE
INSIDE CAMPUS LIFE Sexual assault talks sweep campus A comment overheard by an SRU junior sparked a conversation about sexual assault and harassent that spread through the SRU campus.
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OIE and UPB celebrate holidays with SRU The Office for Inclusive Excellence and the University Program Board help SRU community celebrate holidays from all over.
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Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration BAS shares seven principles of Kwanzaa with SRU By Megan Majercak Asst. Campus Life Editor
Wednesday night in the Smith Student Center Ballroom, Black Action Society (BAS) put together their annual Pre-Kwanzaa event. The evening consisted of the history of Kwanzaa, a reading of the seven principles, a candle lighting ceremony, a performance by the Balafon Dance Company and a soul food dinner. Nate Endres welcomed the audience with some history of Kwanzaa. “The name Kwanzaa derives from Ya Kw a n z a a m Matunda which ich means ‘f i rst f r u it s’ in Swahili,” Endres said. “Each celebrates ch family Kwanzaa anzaa in their own w ayy but each
celebration ebration often usess songs and dances, nces, African d r u ms , s tor y telling, ing, poetry reading ding and a large ge traditional meal.” al.” O n e a c h of the seven nights spanning from December cember 26 to January uary 1, families
gather and light a candle. Each candle represented one of the seven principles. “Kwanzaa has seven basic symbols which represent values and concepts reflective of African culture. They area a set of ideas created by Dr. Mualana Karenga,” Endres said. The seven principles include Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani which translate to unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966. “The 1960s brought forth h a new-found awareness of self self-strength and empowerment powerment for African Americans. Abandoningg negative self-images Ameri and embracing our African em an past were one of the first st steps in this new way ay of people looking at themselves,” Endres said. themse “Its concept is neither religious c eligious nor political, but it is roo rooted strongly in cultural tural awareness,” Endres said. Karenga meant for Kwanzaa to be a time to K inherent inheren spiritual quality, so Africans of all faiths can celebrate the holidayy along with those that ce go alone with other faiths, al iths, such as Christmas. “This “Th is not a substitute tute for Christmas but gifts may be exchanged. gi nged. Gifts are given to reinforce personal growth re rowth and achievements that benefit the collective th ective community.” The first reader was Brittany Terry, a T graduate gradua student studying ng student affairs and higher education, who spoke oke about Umoja. “The principle speaks ks to develop develo and sustain a sense nse of oneness,” Terry said. The onen principle involves mutual princip tual respect, respec justice, care and concern. concern “It calls ca on us to stand in solidarity,” Terry said. She solidar he then read re “A Poem of Unity,” ty,” which iis traditionally read on the firs first night of Kwanzaa.. The second principle is Kajichagulia, which was Kajich created to represent selfelfdetermination for all those determ ose part of the African diaspora. ora. Kajichagulia stands for Kajich
PARIS MALONE/THE ROCKET Junior Dayne Fields dances with fellow BAS members and encourages audience members to come dance on stage.
defining, creating and speaking for ourselves. Following the speakers, Balafon West African Dance Ensemble performed traditional high energy music and choreography. Balafon is a dance ensemble started in 1997 in Washington D.C. directed by Kadiatou Conte, a native of the Republic of Guinea. “We are blessed to be here and come together with music, dress and food,” a performer said. The night concluded with dinner and a chance for the audience to come up to the stage and dance to the African music.
PARIS MALONE/THE ROCKET One of seven children part of Balafon West African Dance Company drums to West African music on stage.
First ever SRU women assigned to combat roles By Cody Nespor Editor-In-Chief
For many college students, the question of what they will be doing after graduation seems either impossible to answer or too frightening to think about. For two Army ROTC seniors that question is not only already answered, but they will be doing something no other Slippery Rock student in their position has done. Seniors Isti Istrefi and Rachel Brobeck recently received the news that, upon graduation, they will be commissioned into the Field Artillery. Istrefi and Brobeck will be the first two women from SRU to serve in a combat speciality since the ban on women in combat roles was lifted in January of 2016. ROTC cadets across the country are ranked based on their GPA, extracurricular activities and physical fitness scores, and based on their ranking are chosen to go into active duty or not. Those
chosen for active duty are able to make a list ranking where they would like to go in the Army. Both Istrefi and Brobeck ranked high enough to be chosen for active duty, and both had field artillery as their number one choice. Brobeck, a criminal justice major and leadership minor, is something of a legacy cadet at SRU as her father, Michael Brobeck, was a part of the first ever SRU ROTC class, commissioning as an engineer in 1984 and graduating in 1986. A native of Burkke, Va., Brobeck said her father was a big influence as to why she came to Slippery Rock and why she decided to join the ROTC program. "I followed exactly in [my dad's] footsteps and he's very enthusiastic about that," Brobeck said. "Originally I had planned to do the exact same branch as him, but last second I switched and decided to go combat arms. He was happy, but he was also hesitant." SEE ROTC SENIORS, PAGE D-2
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIANNA QUINONES Senior ROTC cadet Rachel Brobeck stands in her dress blues with her father Michael.
CAMPUS LIFE
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December 8, 2017
Student tweet sparks conversation about sexual assault on campus By Cody Nespor Editor-In-Chief
“Isn’t she hot, dude? I’m trying to smash. This weekend I gotta get her drunk, but not too drunk.” This was a conversation between a few male students that was overheard by SRU junior Marisa Ferrara on Nov. 29 inside the Smith Student Center here on SRU's campus. Ferrara said she immediately froze up and became incredibly uncomfortable upon hearing this. The situation implied by this conversation is that this individual wanted to get this girl drunk so that she would have sex with him, which would be rape. Ferrara said that she wanted to confront the student that said this, but she felt like he would either be mad at her for eavesdropping or just generally ignore her comments. Ferrara instead took to Twitter, tweeting the quote along with her own thoughts,
"Absolutely disgusted I overheard a student say this in the Student Center today." She explained that she thought putting this out online would help to start a larger conversation on campus about what is and is not sexual assault. "[Hearing this] made me so uncomfortable," Ferrara said. "I was eavesdropping on their conversation so my thought process was if I said anything to him, he might brush it off, it might not make an impact. So instead I went to Twitter and tweeted about it in the hopes that he would see it as well as other people to spark up a conversation." In one week since its posting, the tweet has over 700 favorites and about one dozen replies. SRU's Associate Provost for Student Success, Dr. David Wilmes, replied to the tweet saying, "The number one date rape drug is alcohol. Drink if you want but don’t let a guy give you drinks." Wilmes said that students need to be more conscious of what they are saying
and the implications that their words can have. He also said that students need to call each other out on this kind of unacceptable behavior. "I think it's great that [Marisa] raised the issue," Wilmes said. "I think that that kind of talk probably happens everyday and I think often we don't think about what we're saying, and it has meaning. I think it's great that she posted about it and raised the issue and said 'this is not right'." Wilmes said that the university needs to do more to educate students on what is and is not sexual assault. He said that there are plans in the works for information campaigns, both on social media and through on campus posters, during the Spring semester. "A lot of us think about rape as this thing where a stranger jumps out of the bushes and attacks a woman," Wilmes said. "But in fact, most of it happens where person who is assaulted knows
there person who assaults them. It's either an acquaintance or someone they 're dating." SRU Title IX Coordinator, Holly McCoy, said that students generally have a better sense of what is happening on campus than administrators, so it is better for students to raise awareness about these types of issues. McCoy also said that incoming students are generally becoming more and more savvy about what sexual assault is and how to combat it. Students are encouraged to download the Just In Case app, which gives students guidelines about how to talk about or deal with sexual assault that either happens to them or how to help a victim of sexual assault. In the event of sexual assault, students are also encouraged to contact campus police (724.738.3333), the counseling center (724.738.2034), the Women's Center (724.738.2992) or Victim Outreach Intervention Center in Bulter, Pa.(724.283.8700).
Construction setbacks are worth the hassle By Megan Bush Campus Life Editor
When finals week rears its head at the SRU community, students take solace in the 24-hour schedule at Bailey Library, commonly referred to as Club Bailey. This fall semester, however, that 24hour schedule is nonexistent due to the semester-long construction still taking place on the library. While some campus buildings are providing the more open schedule during finals week, students are still affected by the construction due to the noise, as well as the slight inconvenience of the back door entrance. As an information systems major, Zack Wigand spends much of his time on campus working on the computers in Bailey because the environment helps him focus more than spending time in his room. This is especially true rolling up to finals, Wigand said. Many students have taken to visiting Bailey in the evenings, after the construction workers have ended PARIS MALONE/THE ROCKET their day and the noise has ceased, and Students work on computers available in Bailey Library. The stairs at the back of the building Wigand said he’s seen a lot of students on the quieter first and second floors, anyway. are frequently used to get to the bathrooms on the second floor due to the construction.
“During the day, I find it more challenging because of all the noise of the construction going on no matter where I am at in the library” Wigand said. “I listen to music more when it comes to studying to drown out the noise.” Wigand also said not having the café in the library right now is difficult, especially if he’s in need of coffee to keep studying. He said he’s started bringing in his own food and drinks as a solution. While the construction has brought about some minor inconveniences, Wigand said the distractions will be worth it, and the finished additions will have positive effects on the SRU community. He said during the semester of spring 2017, he visited Bailey and the cafe multiple times on his way to classes, and it was always difficult getting in and out of the library due to the long lines at the cafe. He also said the library would get packed, and when it got packed, it got loud, making for a distracting environment. “I think this construction in the end is all worth the frustration,” Wigand said. “We just have to deal with the consequences of the construction workers during the day so they can get their job done.”
ROTC seniors challenge stereotypes with assignments CONTINUED FROM PAGE D-1
After being able to job shadow a field artillery unit over the summer, Brobeck decided to change her desired assignment from engineer. "I felt like this is what I want to be doing, I want to be fast-paced," Brobeck said. "I guess I would just feel like I wasn't living to my full potential if I settled for engineer because that was just what I knew." Brobeck said that her father has his reservations about her entering a 'man's world' and having to face the challenges that will come with that, but that he is also very proud and always enthusiastic. While also being assigned to field artillery, Istrefi said she eventually hopes to transition into military intelligence. A self-proclaimed "military brat" Istrefi's father was also a member of the military and she moved between various military bases her entire life. Istrefi said that her father initially pushed for her to join ROTC in college and join the military, but when she was nearing the end of high school he eventually backed off. "Once my senior year [of high school] hit, I don't know if [my father] got scared or something, but he really did not want me to join the Army. He was like 'don't do this because of me, do this because you want to do it'," Istrefi said. A fellow criminal justice major, leadership minor, Istrefi attended the same summer program as Brobeck, however she shadowed a transportation unit. She said that she did not feel passionate enough about the company she was with, which is why she eventually gravitated towards field artillery. "I wanted to do more, and that's when I went and I spoke to a female field artillery officer and she just had really great things about it," Istrefi said. "She said it would be challenging and that my best option, if I was on the fence, would be to put in for a branch detail. With a branch detail, Istrefi's main branch will be
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSHUA PATISHNOCK Senior Rachel Brobeck stands among her fellow ROTC cadets during a training session.
military intelligence, but she will commission into a field artillery detail. As a lieutenant she will serve as a field artillery officer, then when she makes captain she will be able to either go into military intelligence or stay in field artillery. Istrefi and Brobeck both said that they plan on making the military their full careers and hope to be able to look back with no regrets about the choices they have made. Captain Joseph Barrow, an assistant professor of military science, said that it was a brave choice for each of them to want to go into field artillery.
"They are going into branches that are traditionally male," Barrow said. "They might report to units where they are the first females. They are going to be groundbreaking. They're going to be breaking the glass ceiling, destroying stereotypes." "It's exciting and relieving to know what we're going to be doing after we graduate, but it is really exciting also to know that we are the first to be out there and make a name for women and our school," Brobeck said. "It was exciting (finding out their assignment) but also kind of shocking at the same time. I wasn't really expecting it."
CAMPUS LIFE SRU celebrates Holidays Around the World during the 'season of giving' December 8, 2017
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PARIS MALONE/THE ROCKET Sophomore Homeland Security major Jake Beretta writes a letter to Santa at UPB's Seasons of Giving event Thursday afternoon.
By Megan Bush Campus Life Editor
On Thursday afternoon, the Office for Inclusive Excellence (OIE) celebrated their ninth annual Holidays Around the World event.  Each organization involved in the event is given a holiday to represent, and the groups educate members of the SRU community with fun facts, food and activities. “It’s an opportunity to embrace different cultures, traditions and celebrations,� said Assistant Director of Multicultural Development Keshia Booker.  “It gives a snapshot of what people celebrate and different areas of the world.� Booker said the planning for this year’s event was difficult as usual, but after nine years, the OIE has developed a routine based around emails, conversations with AVI, marketing and advertising.  She said this year, the Office extended the opportunity to include even more organizations
on campus.  They also offer the possibility for groups to represent new holidays that may not be on the OIE’s list, which includes a brief description of each holiday as well as a list of food associated. “We have about 14 organizations participating this year, and it is a lot of moving parts,� Booker said.  “Our graduate assistants help immensely in this process.� This year, Holidays Around the World celebrated everything from Christmas and Hanukkah to Ramadan and Chinese New Year, and the event was in collaboration with Seasons of Giving, hosted by the University Program Board (UPB). President of UPB and senior public relations major Mallory Milberger said this year’s Seasons of Giving featured holiday-themed novelty items and activities, as well as a photobooth. “We had a lot of cool collaborations with a bunch of different organizations here on campus,� Milberger added.  “We’re also giving back to the community in multiple
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ways, which is pretty awesome.� While the OIE’s Holidays Around the World event was held in the Commuter Lounge as opposed to in the ballroom with Seasons of Giving, it was still very much in collaboration with UPB.  Milberger said that it was like having an event within an event because Holidays Around the World had so much by itself.  They supplemented OIE’s event by adding Holidays Around the World to the punch card required to enter a raffle for a gift card. Booker said this event is a great way to kick off the holiday season, and she has always enjoyed the way students can come together while participating. “I hope that students take a few minutes to reflect on their own traditions, as well as take some time to learn about a tradition or holiday different from theirs,� Booker added. The OIE is preparing for Black History Month and Women’s History Month events coming up next semester, and UPB is gearing up for big things, as well.  Keep up with both organizations on Twitter @SRUOIE and @SRUPB.
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December 8, 2017