4/1/16 Digital Edition by SRU Rocket

the rocket

Friday April 1, 2016 • Volume 99, Issue Number 21 • An Independent, Student-Run Newspaper

www.theonlinerocket.com

'Chainge' and 'RTP' restore competition to SGA elections

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET

From left to right in the front row, Logan Girton, commuter senator candidate, Abby Fugh, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs candidate and Logan Steigerwalt, current SGA president and president candidate for the Chainge Party dance in the quad on Thursday during common hour.

between students and the SRU administration and implement the change students want to see. Assistant News Editor Having already served as president for one Campaigning for student government year, Steigerwalt said he'll be able to "hit the elections is underway, with two tickets restoring ground running" once reelected, adding that competition to the race to represent Slippery learning the "in's and out's" of the position can Rock University's student body. take two to three months. SGA President Logan Steigerwalt is running Chainge's 20 candidates promote a three plank for reelection under the Chainge Party, which he platform, including passion, professionalism said combines the words "chain" and "change" to and teamwork, described in a party press reflect his ticket's desire to strengthen the chain release.

By Chris Gordon

SRU joins campaign to end sexual assualt

By Haley Barnes News Editor

Rocket Contributor

Butler County Community College (BC3) officials reopened campus on Thursday after a confirmed case of Community Aquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA MRSA) in BC3's field house closed the campus for two days. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), MRSA is a skin infection that appears to look like a spider bite that is red, swollen, painful, warm to the touch and full of pus. Director of the Health Center, Kristina Benkeser, explained that MRSA can only be spread through skin to skin contact. Benkeser explained that two percent of the population carries CA MRSA in their nose and when those who carry the infection touch the inside of their nose and then touch a non-human surface, the infection can spread to a non-carrier. She said that MRSA is most commonly found on athletic gear and workout equipment. The MRSA case at BC3 was found in the field house on the main campus. Benkeser explained that the problem with MRSA is that it affects the skin and MRSA is known to be resistant to several antibiotics. "The skin is the most vital organ because it keeps all of our organs safe," she said. If a student comes to the Health Center, Benkeser

SEE VOICE PAGE A-2

SEE 'RTP' PAGE A-3

BC3 MRSA outbreak, closing spurs conversation on how to avoid the infection

By Daniel DiFabio Slippery Rock University is one of many organizations participating in the It’s On Us campaign, which was created by the Obama dministration to combat sexual assault. Jodi Solito, director of the Women’s Center and Pride Center, said the campaign is social media driven and is trying to get the number of pledges across the nation to increase. “The campaign is saying that it’s up to each and every one of us to challenge some of the myths that are out there about sexual violence and step up,” Solito said. Students go online to sign the pledge and the campaign is done twice a year at Slippery Rock University and has a lot to do with student involvement. “It’s sort of a grassrootsy kind of thing,” Solito said. “You may sign the pledge and then the people that follow you would see that.” Various organizations were involved with the campaign on campus in the past and so far it has accumulated around 450 pledges, Solito said.

Key points of "passion" include continuing existing conversations between students and administrators, adopting a campus-wide social cause, donating a gift to the university such as the SGA Pavilion or the waterfall, creating "commuter safe houses" in unoccupied residence halls and fostering a more inclusive climate with direct connections to SGA.

said the student would often describe their symptoms as wound that looks like a spider bite and it would most likely be on the arms or legs, as those are areas on the body that are exposed during a workout. The nurse would then perform a skin culture to determine if the wound is MRSA or not. "Often we will begin treatment with CDCrecommended drugs and we will wait for the culture to come back," Benkeser explained. Benkeser said that MRSA prevention is very easy, but that outbreaks are most likely to happen in prisons, daycares and on college campuses. The most effective practices to avoid the infection are routine hand washing and to not share personal items. "They are called personal items for a reason," she said. As MRSA is only spread through skin to skin contact, Benkeser said that an infected student would still be able to attend classes, but that the student would have all wounds bandaged. "If you have a gooey, seeping wound, you don't leave it open to the air," she said. She said MRSA can be spread through sexual activity, so she recommends that students with open wounds use bandages and protect all wounds before engaging in sexual activity.

Trump is Popular For A Reason

Women Who Rock: Part Two

A Rocket contributor analyzes how Trump rose to popularity with Republicans. Page B-1

Ciara Patterson rocks on the court for her team and oﬀ the court with her daughter. Page C-3

SEE HEALTH PAGE A-2

GISO Creates LGBT 101 Workshop A new interactive workshop educates students on LGBT+ people. Page D-1

NEWS

A-2 7-DAY FORECAST FOR SLIPPERY ROCK FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

A couple of showers

Becoming windier and cooler

Mostly cloudy and cold

Mostly cloudy, a little rain

Clearing and cold

Cloudy, a t-storm; warmer

Cloudy, a little rain; cooler

60°

38°

45°

26°

35°

REAL FEAL TEMPERATURE

Fri.

Sat.

Sun. Mon.

Tue.

Wed. Thu.

Fri.

The patented AccuWeather.com RealFeel Temperature is an exclusive index of effective temperature based on eight weather factors. Shown are the highest and lowest values for each day.

REGIONAL CITIES CITY Akron Allentown Altoona Cleveland Erie Harrisburg Indiana Johnstown Philadelphia Pittsburgh Scranton State College Wheeling Williamsport Youngstown

Friday HI LO W 56 35 pc 74 49 t 68 42 r 53 36 sh 51 38 pc 75 50 t 66 39 sh 63 41 sh 75 54 t 64 43 sh 70 45 r 67 43 r 64 41 pc 71 44 r 58 38 pc

Saturday HI LO W 46 25 sh 59 33 sh 53 26 c 47 28 sh 45 26 c 62 34 c 51 25 sh 49 23 c 62 37 sh 52 27 sh 56 27 sh 52 27 c 51 29 pc 57 29 c 46 25 sh

30°

45°

22°

Sat.

Monday HI LO W 50 23 r 54 29 r 59 25 r 46 25 r 43 22 r 54 31 r 53 23 r 53 22 r 63 33 r 55 26 r 48 24 r 54 26 r 56 27 r 52 26 r 48 23 r

Sun

Sun. Mon.

Tuesday HI LO W 38 26 pc 42 24 pc 38 22 pc 36 28 pc 32 23 pc 43 26 pc 38 23 pc 34 23 pc 46 29 pc 41 27 pc 36 18 pc 38 23 pc 42 29 pc 39 21 pc 37 25 pc

51°

37°

50°

Tue.

Wed. Thu.

Wednesday HI LO W 53 40 t 52 34 pc 49 34 sh 51 38 sh 47 38 r 51 37 pc 52 36 sh 48 35 sh 51 39 pc 55 39 t 47 33 pc 48 35 c 57 40 t 49 35 pc 51 36 t

Thursday HI LO W 48 29 r 55 34 r 52 31 r 47 30 r 46 29 r 56 37 r 52 31 r 49 30 r 57 40 r 52 32 r 53 33 r 51 32 r 54 33 r 54 32 r 48 30 r

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!

INDEX Sports...................C-1 Campus Life.............D-1

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

TEMPERATURES

Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Moon

Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Rise 7:03 a.m. 7:01 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 6:58 a.m. 6:57 a.m. 6:55 a.m. 6:53 a.m. Rise 3:07 a.m. 3:52 a.m. 4:35 a.m. 5:15 a.m. 5:53 a.m. 6:31 a.m. 7:10 a.m.

MOON PHASES

PRECIPITATION

28° Set 7:46 p.m. 7:47 p.m. 7:48 p.m. 7:49 p.m. 7:50 p.m. 7:51 p.m. 7:52 p.m. Set 1:24 p.m. 2:26 p.m. 3:32 p.m. 4:42 p.m. 5:54 p.m. 7:08 p.m. 8:22 p.m.

New

First

Full

Last

4/7

4/13

4/22

4/29

National Summary: A vigorous cold front will swing through the Great Lakes Saturday. This front will and bring a few heavy snow showers, windy conditions and much cooler air. The East Coast will have a chilly rain as the cold front ﬁnally begins to move off the coast. For Sunday, temperatures will rise across the central Plains as a warm front lifts northward across the Corn Belt region. Colder weather will hold on in New England. The Desert Southwest will remain dry. For Monday, another reinforcing shot of cold weather will move through the Great Lakes with some steady snow expected to fall across much of upstate New York. The Paciﬁc Northwest will have another storm that will produce heavy rainfall.

NATIONAL CITIES

Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday CITY HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W Atlanta 75 54 t 65 47 pc 67 43 s 75 51 s 69 43 s 71 52 pc 71 45 t Boston 62 46 sh 55 35 sh 39 27 sn 40 29 sn 35 23 c 39 31 s 49 39 r Chicago 51 31 sn 45 27 pc 60 32 c 41 26 c 46 37 c 55 36 t 46 28 c Cincinnati 63 39 c 52 30 pc 57 45 pc 62 28 sh 48 35 s 60 42 t 53 33 r Dallas 60 43 sh 70 44 s 77 52 s 82 54 s 81 58 s 80 54 s 73 50 s Denver 47 28 pc 60 35 s 65 36 s 66 41 s 69 36 pc 58 33 sh 58 35 c Detroit 52 34 c 44 26 sn 44 35 c 41 22 r 41 29 pc 51 36 r 46 28 sn Houston 67 48 t 69 42 pc 73 48 s 79 52 s 81 57 s 80 58 pc 76 54 sh Indianapolis 59 35 c 51 29 pc 58 47 s 57 28 c 48 37 s 57 39 t 51 32 r Kansas City 53 35 pc 59 39 s 76 49 s 64 37 s 68 50 pc 66 39 sh 60 38 pc Los Angeles 72 54 pc 75 56 pc 74 56 pc 75 56 pc 76 59 s 73 58 pc 73 60 c Miami 88 77 pc 90 74 t 84 69 t 81 67 pc 82 66 s 79 68 pc 82 67 pc Nashville 70 44 c 62 38 s 65 46 s 75 38 s 59 41 s 71 46 t 61 39 r New Orleans 74 57 r 71 53 pc 73 54 pc 77 58 s 78 60 s 79 62 pc 77 57 sh New York City 73 54 t 59 35 sh 45 32 pc 53 31 r 42 28 pc 48 39 s 54 42 r Orlando 89 70 s 84 59 t 77 56 pc 80 56 s 81 57 s 78 59 s 81 56 sh Phoenix 79 57 s 83 60 s 87 62 s 91 63 s 93 66 s 93 67 pc 88 65 pc San Francisco 63 49 pc 65 49 pc 67 53 pc 65 51 pc 70 54 s 75 57 s 69 54 pc Seattle 69 48 s 64 45 pc 66 50 pc 57 45 r 56 47 r 63 48 pc 68 49 s Washington, DC 79 57 t 64 39 sh 54 40 pc 69 39 pc 47 32 pc 55 46 pc 59 43 r Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow ﬂurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

SGA incorporates Student Success Committee, passes budget By Chris Gordon Assistant News Editor

Slippery Rock's Student Government Association (SGA) incorporated the Student Success Committee (SSC) as an ad hoc committee and approved a $1,933,023 2016-2017 student activity budget at their Monday night meeting. The SSC, which was created in response to the SRU administration's controversial proposal to move underrepresented student groups from the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL) to the University Union once it is remodeled and rebranded the "Student Success Center," will gain legitimacy from the incorporation, Wendy Leitera, SGA's business manager, said. "This will help get the word out for this important cause and help the committee gain more support," she said. An ad hoc committee is a group that is created to address a specific set of issues, Michael Farah, SGA's vice president of finance, said, adding that the SSC will now give reports at SGA meetings. The SSC has encouraged open dialogue with administration officials, notably President Cher yl Norton, and has advocated for transparent governance and a democratic management style, Farah added. SGA's 2016-2017 student activity budget was approved after several weeks of planning by the finance committee, with some members, notably Commuter Senator Sophia Sarver, putting over 100 hours in toward its completion, SGA President Logan Steigerwalt said.

Despite ending next year with fewer reserves, the new budget resembles many past plans, in which 34 percent of funds are devoted to athletics, Farah added. Additionally, SGA awarded $23,252.60 to three student organizations, all of which are headed to competitions. In-Line Hockey was given $11, 183.60 for travel expenses, lodging and entrance fees. The Bass Anglers Fishing Team was given $6,740 to cover transportation costs. Goal Ball Club received $5,329 for similar expenses. A club member added that next year's national competition may be hosted at SRU. SGA also recognized the Association of Information Technology Professionals SRU Student Chapter as a club Monday night. The group, which has around 30 students interested in joining, will aim to network with IT professionals and bring relevant programming to SRU, a club representative said. SGA Parliamentarian Rachel Lawler announced that campaigning for next year's SGA has begun and that the presidential debate will tentatively be held on April 7 during common hour. Voting will tentatively end on April 11 and winners will be announced April 12, she added. Former SRU administrator and historian Robert Watson attended Monday's meeting and said he's proud of what SGA has done. "You're all bright young men and women," he said. "Follow your convictions and always, always communicate well." The next SGA meeting will be held on April 11 at 8:45 p.m. in the Smith Student Center Theater.

VOICe par tnership connects sexual assault victims with resources Continued from Page A-1

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

NATIONAL FORECAST FOR THE WEEK

IN THE SKY

The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. 0-2 Low; 3-5 Moderate; 6-7 High; 8-10 Very High; 11+ Extreme.

Sunday HI LO W 46 39 c 45 27 c 42 29 c 45 39 c 40 30 sf 49 33 pc 42 29 c 38 28 c 47 35 pc 45 35 pc 39 26 pc 42 29 c 49 38 pc 45 29 c 43 35 c

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

24°

34°

UV INDEX

April 1, 2016

The University partnered with Victim Outreach Inter vention Center (VOICe) to have an event on the seventh of April this year, which will consist of an informational session in the quad regarding general sexual violence and the different offices and programs on campus that

can assist students if they’re victims of sexual violence. Solito said that another event was held earlier in the year which consisted of a screening of the m o v i e “ T h e Hu nt i n g Ground," which is about campus sexual violence. The film was screened and then a conversation followed,where the audience was told that they could sign the It’s On Us

pledge. “I think this campaign helps bring the issue to the foreground,” Solito said. “What this does is get people to say let’s talk about it and maybe through talking about it we can break it apart and realize where some of the concerns might be and then address those concerns.”

Health Center staff explains MRSA protocol at SRU Continued from Page A-1

Protocol would call for a deep cleansing of the infected area on campus, collaboration with the department of where the infection If a MRSA outbreak were to happen on was found, treatment of those infected SRU's campus, Benkseser noted that there and collaboration with the office of health would not be a closing of the university, as promotion and public relations to email there are protocols in place to protect the students information about MRSA. students while still allowing daily activities.

NEWS

April 1, 2016

A-3

POLICE BLOTTER Campus March 24- Evan Speis, 19, was charged with harassment related to an incident in Building March 24- George Cameransi, 19, was A. charged with harassment related to an incident in Building A. March 27- Casey Greggs, 21, was charged with public drunkenness after getting into an March 24- Kyle Glatt, 18, was charged with AVI van, yelling and then fleeing from police. harassment related to an incident in Building A.

March 29- Police were called to Building A for the smell of marijuana. The case is under investigation. March 29- Police stopped an individual who failed to stop at a stop sign along Maltby Ave. DUI charges are pending. Compiled by Chris Gordon

'RTP' offers diverse ticket ROCK Continued from Page A-1

T h rou g h " profe s s i on a l i s m , " members of Chainge hopes to host a campus leadership conference, make Student Safety Week an annual event, expand funding to 29 clubs and collaborate with the administration to alleviate parking concerns. Under "teamwork," Chainge plans to strengthen the link between SGA and other campus organizations by requiring SGA senators to attend prominent club meetings, develop a formal plan on how information will be shared between students and the administration and require at least one student to sit on all administration student affairs and building committees. Last year, Steigerwalt won an uncontested election as part of the SRUnited ticket. The opposition party, Revive the Pride (RTP), is a new group of candidates that encourage campuswide participation in SGA and better communication between university groups with the goal of a more unified

campus, a party press release read. RTP plans to increase awareness of diversity across campus with events and training sessions that create a safe atmosphere for all students. Rebecca Sheriff, a junior resort, recreation and hospitality major who is running as RTP's presidential candidate, believes past student governments have made little progress. “All too often we see SGA candidates make great speeches to get elected, but there isn’t any follow up or concrete action,” she said. RTP candidates view campus as a "multi-faceted group of students with dynamic needs and concerns," the press release continued. With a diverse body of candidates from a variety of majors, clubs and organizations, RTP said they aim to engage students who are often overlooked. “We need to make sure all events are adequately advertised and held in convenient locations at convenient times,” Sheriff said. “From the beginning of a student’s career at SRU, SGA should pursue face-to-

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

face communication via freshmen orientation groups, FYRST Seminars and Jump Start sessions.” With transparency in mind, RTP plans to hold regular open forums with students and administrators to provide the student body with adequate opportunities to voice their thoughts on SGA proceedings, the press release read. "What is SGA without input from its student constituents?" Sheriff asked. "The SRU student body needs an efficient party that's going to advance student activities, as well as campus accessibility and sustainability." Other platform items listed on RTP's website, www.SRURevivethePride. weebly.com, include moving toward a 100 percent environmentally friendly campus, making campus more accessible to students with disabilities and creating a diverse climate by working with student groups. RTP currently consists of 13 candidates running for various positions on SGA, the press release read.

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. APSCUF "MEET-N-GREETThe APSCUF, the faculty-coaches union, is sponsoring its semester “Meet-n-Greet,” slated for Tuesday, April 5, 2016, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the SGA Pavilion on the Quad. APSCUF is inviting SRU students to enjoy free pizza, soft drinks and live, jazz music; there is no admission for the event. Jenna Temple, Brian Welsh, DeWayne C. Anderson and other students, as well as SRU faculty, have already agreed to participate in the program as speakers. They will be discussing relevant student topics, including any involvement with the Student Success Center issue.

OPINION

Our View LGBT 101 will educate students on discrimination

OPINION rocket.letters@sru.edu Volume 99, Number 21

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 Victoria Davis

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

Amanda Salvia

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.

GRAPHIC BY KENDALL SCOTT / THE ROCKET

Educating heterosexual students on the struggles LGBT+ students face is the first step in creating a safe and open community where LGBT+ individuals can fully express themselves. This is especially important in college, where students may be encountering LGBT+ individuals for the first time. While faculty and select students have been given the opportunity to attend Safe Zone training, this option is not available for the majority of students on campus. Limiting e du c at i on ab out LG BT + individuals to select people does little to educate the community. With this in mind, the President’s Commission on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation (GISO) recently created an interactive workshop called LGBT 101 for SRU students to learn more about the LGBT+ community. We at The Rocket feel like this is an important step in educating the student body, especially because the co-chairs have

In the Quad

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.

made large strides to educate a wide array of people on the difficulties faced by those who identify as part of the LGBT+ community. Co-chairs of GISO Timothy Oldakowski and Deborah Schell created the program after an AVI director came to them and asked how to educate his staff better on the LGBT+ community. This request alone shows the demand for such training, and that it is necessary since e ver yd ay students aren’t explicitly educated on the str ug g les of t he LGBT+ community. Safe Zone training is only offered annually, and is five hours long, while LGBT+ 101 is offered on request and is two hours long. So if the training doesn’t stick or there are things they don’t get to cover, they can request to undergo the workshop again, something that can’t happen with Safe Zone training. LGBT+ 101’s purpose is to provide students with

information about LGBT+ terminology, and to discuss privileges heterosexuals have that LGBT+ people do not. Codirector Schell also said the workshop it is very interactive, something that may have been lacking in traditional Safe Zone training. LGBT+ 101 also has a list of rules for its workshop, including a ban on cell phones, keeping personal informationconfidential and sharing the floor so that everyone has the opportunity to talk. The workshop participants are encouraged to laugh and ask questions. Participants are also told that it is okay if they change their original stances on the program This kind of environment not only encourages students to relate this education back to their real-life experiences, but also makes talking about LGBT+ issues more commonplace. By making it normal to talk about these issues, SRU will become a more educated and inclusive environment overall.

This week’s question: Regarding and abuse you believe students to happening?

sexual assault on campus, do “It’s on Us” as prevent it from

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.

Nahja Kittrell-Watson Senior Criminology Major Maple Shade, New Jersey

“It’s hard to say. We can point it out there when someone needs help, at the same time they might not want that attention or want others to know about it. ”

Elizabeth Hernandez Freshman Political Science and Spanish Major Grove City, Pennsylvania “Due to the time it takes to do investigations, it is on students and administration to prevent it.”

Abby Fugh Sophomore Business Management Major Butler, Pennsylvania “I think it starts at the top and it trickles down. The awareness is a big part so being more educated about it is what SGA is trying to do to help.”

OPINION

B-2

April 1, 2016

QUESTION OF

THE WEEK @SRURocket

Trump’s popularity reflects followers’ feelings about our country

Dylan Vamosi Commentary Dylan Vamosi is a senior secondary social studies education and anthropology major

When I speak to my peers about their feelings regarding Donald Trump, I am often met with surprise that he has prospered in the primary election -- that his influence on our electorate is random rather than explainable. This is not true. Donald Trump is a carefully-calculated demagogue who is excellent at saying what voters want to hear. Regardless of how “silly” people find many of Trump’s stances, his sentiments resonate with a significant chunk of our population. Trump’s success in this election is not just a reflection of him as a politician, but a reflection of emerging and excited public opinion that is realigning the GOP. Historically, large groups of people who do not express their feelings publicly are called the “silent majority.” This term was made popular with a speech by Richard Nixon in 1969 when he asked for support of the Vietnam War from the silent majority whom he believed was on his side. Trump has since applied this term to his campaign, contending that the current silent majority has

been abused, forgotten or mistreated by the media, our government and general public. Indeed, many supporters at Trump’s rallies tote the “silent majority” sign, though it is somewhat contradictory to the notion of “silence.” Nevertheless, to Trump’s credit, he has made this silent majority louder democratically. Per Michael McDonald of the University of Florida, voter turnout for Republican primaries has increased by about 7.5 million voters since 2012 -- many of whom can be directly or indirectly attributed to Trump. Still, “silent majority” means little in our current political context without definition from its members. One Trump supporters, George Davies of Des Moines, says that the current silent majority represents a distaste for our “culture of political correctness” -- that this majority must remain silent about their true political feelings, or they will be considered bullies by the liberal opposition. However, this silent majority’s distaste for political correctness is not what is important. What is important are the feelings veiled by the cries against political correctness. Trump’s positions need not be overstated. The carefully-calculated demagogue is so certain of his followers’ convictions that he could “shoot somebody and...(not) lose voters.” The following quotes are from from his speeches, interviews or official online platform: “make Mexico pay for (a) wall,” “(put) an end to China’s...lax labor and environmental standards,” “(host) a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” “win the Latino vote because I will create jobs,” “the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese,” “the police are the most mistreated people in this country.” Regardless of the merit of these positions, they nonetheless stand in stark contrast to the stances of other GOP candidates -- most of which are more nuanced and moderate than Trump’s. What is important, however, is

that Trump’s positions do not deter voters. We are to assume, therefore, that his voters implicitly or explicitly agree with his platform to a certain extent, and that they are motivated enough to support him in the polls. These ideas and feelings are bigger than Trump -- even though many would like to believe that he is an isolated phenomenon with isolated feelings. The Trump-led coalition of newly-excited voters indicates an abrupt reorientation rightward for the GOP. Indeed, this shift might be too abrupt for other candidates to adjust. Since about 2010, intense political partisanship and polarization has been relatively fringe, though successful in concerted efforts (i.e. the Tea Party) to obstruct legislation. Now, moderation seems fringe. The GOP’s other candidates, Cruz and Kasich, appear bland and powerless on debate stages that are dominated by Trump-centered questions, answers, and rhetoric -- not to mention that both are trailing heavily in delegates. This is evidenced by the time in which each candidate speaks, where Trump has gotten more speaking time than any other candidate -- upwards of 6-7 minutes per debate (per NPR “On the Clock). He uses this time to communicate and reinforce his provocative positions -- clearly-articulated hostilities toward Mexico, Mexicans, Muslims, China, protesters and any person who opposes the new “silent majority.” Donald Trump could rescind his bid for president today, but it would not change the excitement that he has spurred from his stances on these topics. It is comforting for some to think that Donald Trump is an isolated phenomenon with no real following -- but that could not be further from the truth. Think of Donald Trump not as a person, but as a catalyst for reorientation -- not an aberration, but a reflection of deeper feelings within our country.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” section are those of the writer(s) alone. The Rocket cannot verify all facts presented in a given letter, but if we are aware of an error or omission, we reserve the right to include an editorial note for accuracy’s sake.

‘The Rocket’ ar ticle ignores pornography’s distor tion of intimacy I write this article to discourage the normalization of pornography that society, media and supposed experts continue to promote in our day both at SRU and worldwide. The Rocket article published several weeks ago confirms my personal observation of the normalization of pornography and its attempts to establish an accepted portrayal of sexuality that is fake, destructive and very often cruel and demeaning. This article labels so-called “mainstream porn” and “straight porn” as the primary culprit for sexual violence and “depictions of what constitutes sex”. The main contributor to the comments in the article refers to “mainstream straight porn” but is refusing to recognize the fact that gay porn is still porn. My purpose in writing is to show that pornography, whether gay or straight, distorts the purpose and meaningfulness of sexual intimacy, fuels illegal sexual exploitation and creates patterns of behavior that degrade progress in society that both straight and LGBT peoples want to see. These things show that porn itself is not an effective educational tool and that the more gay and straight porn are normalized, the worse problems related to sex will become. Porn distorts the meaning and purpose of sexual intimacy by portraying sex unrealistically. That is, it portrays sex as a vehicle for personal gratification at the expense of or in tandem with another human being. Pornography unrealistically makes sex a marathon of pleasure and stamina that does not occur in real life relationships. Though one of the purposes of sex is indeed pleasure, that is not all it is. Successful relationships of any kind must be based upon connection.

Sex displayed in pornography is void of connection and presents a lie to the viewer because the people on the screen are paid to act like what is happening is real and what they want. Porn focuses completely on what is on the surface and not on who the people we want to connect to really are. Porn fuels sexual exploitation throughout the world. In The Rocket article were words of encouragement for women to “start directing, producing and writing porn… in order to break mainstream porn”. To the contrary, one of the most well known names in female directed and focused lesbian porn, Madison Young, openly promotes, acts in, directs films and educates about BDSM (Bondage, Dominance and Submission, Sadomasochism—Pain and Humiliation). The promotion of this approach continues to portray real love and sex as being degrading, humiliating, and permitting the dominance of one over another in sexual acts and attitudes contributes to the ever increasing frequency of sexual abuse and violence that takes place among straight as well as gay couples. The type of “education” about sex that Madison Young promotes has frequently been the focus of a “Sex Week” that many Universities are now hosting across the United States. This is a week focused upon spreading ideas of dominance and aggression as well as extreme sexual topics in order to “educate” students on “what is possible.” The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has singled out Sex Week as one of the “Dirty Dozen” main contributors to sexual exploitation in the world. Exposing the effects of Pornography from merely a sexual perspective is just barely

scratching the surface of the effect that pornography has on its “stars” and viewers. I have a dear friend who participated in the filming of gay porn for a period of time. Some of my friends statements can give us the real perspective on the effect of porn, whether “mainstream” or not. My friend told me that porn is an industry. Porn is a business. And my friend continued, “business is not love…Porn is a quick and easy way to seek validation and feel a connection. It fills a hole in people… and there is a lasting effect that caused me to lose sight of actual goals and connection”. My friend continued by saying, “Porn is a psychological way to satisfy a need or anxiety, and it won’t lead to anything substantial… it gets in the way of what we really need.” Despite what popular culture continues to promote in pornography, I will always stand behind my opinion that what we really need is real connection to real people that are free of the trickery and demands industry, false and inaccurate dramatization and lies. Of course sex education will continue to worsen when each and every generation becomes more and more exposed to pornography! If we want ourselves, our children (or others children, if one is of a different sexual orientation,) and our children’s children to be free of sexual baggage fueled by the demands of money and greed, we must begin to teach in every home the value of real sexual relationships. Marshall Tuten Freshman Spanish major, 21

B-3

April 1, 2016

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. Year, 2 semester, and summer leases available. Call today for a showing or check out our website.

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

Take a Class Home for the Summer R E M WITH SU MURSES ONLINE

d n a d n a s , n u S CO

Great reasons to attend summer school at SRU: • Boost your grade-point average • Lighten your fall course load • Study abroad; earn credits • Summer internships • More than 300 classes • More than 200 classes online

• More than 100 graduate courses • Pay 2015-16 tuition rates • Undergraduate tuition for PA residents: $294/credit + fees

Five Sessions

Registration begins April 4

• Pre-session ........May 11 - May 26 • Session I ...........May 31 - June 27 • Session II ..........June 28 - July 26 • Summer Term ....May 31 - July 26 • Full Summer ......May 11 - July 26

CLASSES AT CLARION UNIVERSITY

EDUCATION MAJORS: Interested in adding a School Library Media Specialist endorsement to your teaching certiﬁcate? Contact LLILLARD@clarion.edu, 814-393-2383.

Credits you can earn: • Pre-session: 6 credits in 12 days • Sessions I, II: 7 credits in 4 weeks • Summer Term: 12 credits in 8 weeks • 18 undergraduate credits in 11 weeks • 15 graduate credits in 11 weeks

erence ce the Diff Experien

Get a complete schedule at WWW.CLARION.EDU/SUMMER FOR MORE INFORMATION:

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

QUESTIONS? Email: summer.school@sru.edu Phone: 724.738.2010

To view information on summer school and the summer class schedule: www.sru.edu/summer

CALL 800-672-7171 OR E-MAIL CLARIONONLINE@CLARION.EDU

www.SRU.edu A member of Pennsylvania‘s State System of Higher Education

Clarion University is an affirmative action equal opportunity employer.

COMICS Sharing Stalls

By Molly Huey

COMICS

Today's Birthday (04/01/16). Explore this year. Your good work pays off (after 5/9). Save and plan for a trip (after 8/13). Begin a two-year partnership phase (after 9/9). The Virgo eclipse (9/1) sparks passion into your work, and the Pisces eclipse (9/16) inspires an inner shift. Pursue 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 a 6 -Forgive miscommunications. Friends are a big help today and tomorrow ... contribute what you can. Love gives you power, especially together. Roll around obstacles. Ignore false rumors and gossip. Wait and rest.

Molly Huey is a freshman dance and communication major

Best in Show

By Phil Juliano

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is an 8 -Expect more responsibility over the next few days. Career opportunities show up. Don't gamble, speculate or slack off. Notice worries, and then release. Maintain a tight budget and an attractive presentation. Pay attention. Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Today is a 6 -- Don't rely on an unstable source of income. The next two days are good for travel. Investigate possibilities. Act on a passionate impulse, as long as you can pay for it. Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Today is an 8 -Work together to tackle financial goals today and tomorrow. Discover new savings and efficiencies. Sort, revise and file documents and payments. Discuss how to increase sales. Get creative.

Brewster Rockit: Space Guy

By Tim Rickard

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 7 -Misunderstandings with a partner could slow the action today and tomorrow. Listen more and talk less. Find other ways to cut costs. Learn from past failures without getting stopped. Try artistic solutions. Compromise. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Get creative at work over the next few days, to handle increased demand. Changes at the top or a partner's frustrations provide new obstacles. Beautify the package. Dress for success. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 5 -Practice your game over the next two days. Talk is cheap ... pay attention to the action. Use hidden resources. Distractions abound. Find humor in an awkward moment. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is a 6 -Home and family demand more attention over the next two days. Clear clutter, and free space for new endeavors. Quiet organizational projects satisfy. Tend your garden with love. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Clarify what you mean in your communications today and tomorrow. Research and investigate the data. Listen to expert considerations. Changes and temporary confusion could rattle. Speak only the truth. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is an 8 -Your morale gets a boost with your income. Rake in the dough today and tomorrow. Shortfused tempers blow with little provocation. Discuss finances later. Earning seems easy, while saving requires concentration. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- Personal matters take priority over the next few days. Don't worry about money (or spend much, either). Ignore criticism for now. Anticipate disagreement and avoid risky business. Enjoy peaceful alone time. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 5 -Listen to your intuition today and tomorrow. Dreams have messages or insight. Assess and make plans. Keep your word or change it. Slow down and look from different angles. (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

April 1 , 2016

S SPORTS

INSIDE SPORTS

Women Who Rock

Athlete of the Month

Sophomore Ciara Patterson balances the stress of being a student-athlete as well as being a mom.

Junior Carly DeRose was named The Rocket Athlete of the Month for March. DeRose received more than 800 votes on the online poll.

See Page C-2

See Page C-3

Softball sweeps Clarion with shutouts By Ben Matos Rocket Contributor

Slippery Rock softball grabbed two shutout victories against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rival Clarion Wednesday due to strong pitching performances from sophomore Brooke Dawson and junior Carly DeRose. "Any time you get a sweep at home, that's a good day regardless of who you're playing," Rock head coach Stacey Rice said. "We kind of knew we should win but that doesn't necessarily mean that it happens that way. We encourage our players not to play down to our competition and we knew that it would have to come down to our pitching staff." In SRUs 6-0 victory in game one, The Rock’s offense scored in the first inning on a single up the middle from senior Ashley Samluk, which scored senior Katie Kaiser. Junior Caitlin Baxter later doubled down the line in left scoring Samluk. Later, The Rock would strike again with two runs in the third and a homer by Kaiser in the fourth inning to left centerfield. SRU would round out its scoring in the sixth inning on a throwing error causing sophomore Amanda Brush to score. Although the offense was potent, The Rock saw a nice performance from sophomore Brooke Dawson. Dawson was dominant striking out ten batters and allowing just one hit. With the win, Dawson improves to 4-6 on the season. SRU won the second game 3-0, and the game’s only runs were scored in the second inning. Sophomore Allie Fischer got The Rock on the board with a single to right centerfield advancing senior Stacey Herzog to second and scoring junior Caitlin Baxter. Senior Megan Maloney then reached on a fielder’s choice allowing Herzog to score. Kaiser then singled to left center scoring Fischer. Three runs would be all The Rock would need as junior Carly DeRose had a strong pitching performance in the circle. DeRose pitched all seven innings allowing just three hits and striking out eight. DeRose grabbed her fifth win on the season improving her record to 5-4 on the year. "I'm an offensive coach and I expect my team to hit the ball," Rice said. "When they're not hitting the ball, regardless of what they

KENDALL SCOTT/THE ROCKET

Freshman infielder Megan Brown fields the ball at second and throws it to first for the out against Clarion Wednesday. Brown is hitting .346 in her first season with Slippery Rock.

produced last year versus what they did last year is a concern." With the two victories Slippery Rock improves to 12-13 on the season. The Rock will continue PSAC-West play with a doubleheader Friday against Mercyhurst University. The games will be hosted at The Rock due to Mercyhurst’s field conditions.

In regards to the pitching matchups, Rice indicated that her team would use the same combination of pitchers against the Lakers. Dawson will likely go in the first game and then Rice likes to reevaluate her options before naming a starter for the second game. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Rock LAX wins third straight game By Connor Himich Rocket Contributor

Slippery Rock women's lacrosse (6-2) took to the road on Tuesday night to face Lake Erie College (3-4). The Rock came out of Jack Britt field with a non-conference victory with the final score at 15-8. This win continues their undefeated streak against Lake Erie College with the overall record at 4-0. "It was a big win to gain momentum for the rest of conference play," Rock head coach Emily Hopkins said. The Rock came out fast and strong by scoring two goals within the first two minutes with goals. With just 5:31 into the game Slippery Rock managed to increase their lead as they found the back of the net two more times. The Rock's momentum kept going and they managed to score three more goals to make it 7-0. Lake Erie put up a fight by putting three goals in to end the first half and opened up the second half by scoring two more goals to finish off their 5-0 run. That brought the game to 7-5 with 24:25 left in the game. Each team scored one more goal to make the game a close score of 8-6, but Slippery Rock ran with the game by having a six-goal run which put the game out of reach. KENDALL SCOTT/THE ROCKET

Junior attacker Chynna Chan brings the ball behind SRU's net against Bloomsburg Saturday. Chan has 29 career goals in her two and a half years with The Rock.

SEE LACROSSE, PAGE C-3

SPORTS Sophomore balances motherhood and basketball

C-2

April 1, 2016

Baseball 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Gannon California (PA.) seton hill mercyhurst indiana (pa.) pitt-johnstown slippery rock

20-5 (8-0) 13-11 (6-2) 19-8 (5-3) 16-8 (5-3) 10-15 (5-3) 10-15 (5-3) 6-21 (1-7)

Clarion

4-15 (1-7)

Softball 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

California (pa.) seton hill gannon edinboro slippery rock mercyhurst

17-1 (4-0) 10-16 (3-1) 10-10 (2-2) 7-9 (2-2) 12-13 (1-3) 7-9 (0-4)

REBECCA DIEtRICH/THE ROCKET

Sophomore Ciara Patterson drives to the hoop during a game against Chowan University in November. Patterson averaged 12.6 points per game in her first season with SRU since transferring from Wright State.

By Ryan Barlow

Division I school meant that she would have to sit out for an entire season. Remembering her junior year of basketball and being forced to watch from the sidelines, the idea of Attending college as a an athlete can be exhausting and missing an entire of year of basketball did not bode well with taxing for any average collegiate athlete. Balancing school Patterson. Instead, she decided to seek out Division II schools work, practices, games and long bus trips on the road are in the area, and that's when Rock head coach Bobby McGraw enough to break any young athlete, but not for Rock women's came in contact with her and convinced her to join his basketball guard Ciara Patterson. She's learned how to find reclamation project of the SRU women's basketball program. the perfect balance with a little bit of extra responsibility. She's "I just had to take some time to really think about my a mother. daughter and my family," Patterson said. "I didn't want to sit Patterson thrived as a point guard at West Mifflin High out that year, I just wanted to play for my final three years and School, drawing attention get those three years out of the from a number of Division I way so I could then focus on my colleges such as Drexel, N.C. family and figure out the next State and St. Francis College. thing in my life." Just before her junior year, According to Patterson, Patterson signed her letter of McGraw, along with assistant intent to play at Memphis, coach Ryenn Micaletti, made and she was ready to become her feel extremely welcomed a Tiger. Shortly after signing when she made her visit to SRU. her letter of intent, Patterson learned of her pregnancy, Also, they were extremely understanding and supportive of temporarily sidelining her plans of playing basketball during Patterson's responsibilities as a mother which is something her junior year at Memphis. that was extremely important to her. After learning of her pregnancy, Patterson was forced to "The support I get from the coaches and players here are sit out for the majority of her junior season at West Mifflin. awesome," Patterson said. "They all welcome her and it's just As stressful as it was, she remained an active member on home. They accepted my daughter and that was a big plus. the Titan bench, providing input during team huddles and They told me she could be up here with me whenever and if motivating them from the sidelines. we ever had to work around something then we could work it On Jan. 1, 2013, Patterson gave birth to her 5-pound, 9-ounce out. They were so comforting and made me feel comfortable baby girl, Camryn. Just with being here." 14 days after her labor, Patterson's first year Patterson returned to the at SRU came with some basketball court for the growing pains, having final five games of the to learn how to mesh regular season for West with a whole new set of Mifflin. The team would players and other girls make it the semi-finals who transferred in to the of the playoffs that year, program from Division making Patterson's total I universities, but game count for her junior overall could have been year seven. considered a personal "No one expected me to success. She averaged 12.6 be back," Patterson said. points per game in 2015Patterson returned for 2016, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 her senior and led her team assists and led the team in to the playoffs once again steals with a 1.7 average. and was named to the "We had a lot of talent Pittsburgh-Post Gazette's but we just had to get in Fabulous Five for the to the gym during the PHOTO COURTESY CIARA PATTERSON Western Pennsylvania off season and build Interscholactic Atletic Patterson and her daughter, Camryn, celebrate Camryn's third chemistry," Patterson birthday at her birthday party. League (WPIAL) Class said. "It's just about being AAA section. Following high school, Patterson made the able to play together and everybody clicking. Knowing who difficult choice to attend Division I Wright State University you can make passes to. Chemistry played a big role for us for basketball, moving her four hours away from her daughter this season and it's starting to flow." and family. Along with being closer to her family while being at SRU, Patterson appeared in 28 games for Wright State, averaging Patterson thanks her mother, grandmother and brother who 4.3 points in 12.7 minutes per game. help take care of Camryn so she can focus on her studies and Eventually, the stress of being so far away from her family basketball. caught up to her and she made the decision to transfer to a Patterson insists she would not be able to do what she's school closer to home. doing without them, and loves being able to see them at a When looking to make the transfer, Patterson was still majority of home games. Her family can be found at games looking to play at the Division I level, and local D-I school's sitting behind the Slippery Rock bench, and Patterson loves such as Duquesne came knocking. However, due to NCAA being able to look up from the court and seeing her biggest restrictions, transferring from a Division I school to another fan, Camryn, cheering on her mom. Sports Editor

Women's Lacrosse 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

mercyhurst indiana (pa.) east stroudsburg lock haven West Chester slippery rock millersville gannon edinboro kutztown bloomsburg seton hill shippensburg

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

Women's Tennis 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

indiana (pa.) california (pa.) Seton Hill mercyhurst edinboro Slippery rock clarion

10-0 (2-0) 10-2 (2-0) 7-5 (1-0) 6-3 (2-1) 10-5 (0-0) 7-7 (0-2) 2-6 (0-2)

Outdoor track APRIL 2 Dave Labor Invite at SRU's MihalikThompson Stadium.

Standings as of Thurs.Mar. 30 at 4:05 p.m.

SPORTS

April 1, 2016

C-3

Junior pitcher appreciates fan support

KENDALL SCOTT/THE ROCKET

Junior pitcher Carly DeRose pitches against a Clarion batter in SRU's matchup with the Golden Eagles Wednesday. DeRose has a 5-4 record this season with a 1.35 earned run average.

By Cody Nespor Assistant Sports Editor

Junior softball pitcher Carly DeRose is currently in the middle of her most successful collegiate season. DeRose is 5-4 with a 1.35 ERA and pitched a complete game three-hit shutout her last time out against Clarion University. DeRose received 893 votes on theonlinerocket.com poll, the most of any nominee in the history of Athlete of the Month. DeRose expressed her appreciation for everyone that voted for her. "I really have to credit my family, friends and my teammates. I texted them, emailed a few people and they just spread the word for me. It makes me feel good that that many people support me and care," DeRose said. "(Senior teammate) Megan Maloney got over 800 votes as well, so it just goes to show that Rock softball has a lot of supporters." This year, DeRose has become a leader on The Rock softball team and over her career she has developed into the workhorse of the pitching staff. DeRose has totaled over 100

innings in each of her first two years on the team and is on a good pace this year, having pitched 62 innings already. SRU head Stacey Rice believes that DeRose has embraced her role as a leader for the rest of the pitching staff. "Carly's definitely one of our leaders, she's one of our upperclassmen on the pitching-catching staff. So as far as the battery (pitcher and catchers) goes, she's the leader. She sets the tone: the tone of the work ethic, the tone of what it looks like to be a pitcher for Slippery Rock softball," Rice said. "She definitely is our most consistent pitcher. For the most part she's been lights out. She's a consistent arm that we know we can put out there at any time, whether it be in a starting role or a relief role." DeRose attended South Range high school in Ohio where she was overlooked by a lot of colleges due to her size. DeRose is listed at 5-3 and is the shortest

pitcher on the Slippery Rock roster. Despite this, DeRose had always planned on coming to SRU even if she could not make the softball team. Rice thought that regardless of her height DeRose was a good pitcher that had a good understanding of the game. "She had some control issues, but she was extremely aggressive. Sometimes you don't see a lot of pitchers actually field their positions. You kind of miss that athleticism on the mound anymore and that's something Carly possessed," Rice said. "We knew the whole package could be there, it was just one of those developmental things." Rice thinks that DeRose has worked hard on developing the mental part of the game, becoming "more of a pitcher and less of a thrower." DeRose has set high expectations for herself, not even being content with her subtwo ERA.

Men's track sends athletes to Raleigh and Cal U over weekend By Justin Kraus Rocket Contributor

The Slippery Rock University men's track team was split between two locations over the weekend, the first being at the Cal U Early Bird Invite in California, (Pa.) and the second being Adidas Raleigh Relays in at N.C. State University. Rock coach John Papa said there are advantages to splitting the squad up for a weekend. "Rather than everyone else sitting at home doing nothing, we have another meet," Papa said. "Plus we had some other people that were good enough to go to Raleigh, but they had to get out of class Thursday and Friday, to some students it's a big deal to miss two days." Down south in North Carolina, two first-place Division II finishes and eight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying marks led the way for a very solid day of competition. Senior Ryan Thompson and junior Jacob VanHouten were the top two Division II runners in an event laden with Division I talent. Thompson ran the 1500 meter in 3:52.13 seconds, finishing one second shy of an NCAA provisional qualifying time and two seconds behind an SRU record. Thompson finished 17th overall, but beat out runners from host NC State, Harvard and Michigan State among others. VanHouten placed 10th in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.51, missing the NCAA mark by 0.03 seconds. VanHouten also bested a plethora of Division I runners, such as student-athletes from institutions such as Dartmouth, North Carolina and Duke. Sophomore Noah Bostick added two PSAC qualifying times on Saturday. Bostick ran the 110 meter hurdles in

15.15 seconds, and then placed 15th in the long jump. Three additional Rock runners qualified for PSACs over the weekend. Graduate student Monte Chapman and sophomore James Chandler qualified in the 400-meter dash, and sophomore Jeremy Parsons qua;ified in the 5000-meter run. Only 10 track team members went to North Carolina. The vast majority of the team was in California over the weekend and won three events while they were there. Senior Savon Salter was the star of the meet. Salter finished the 110-meter hurdles in 15.89 seconds while also topping the field in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.82 seconds. Salter was joined in the 400-meter by senior Andrew Schroder, who finished fourth. Junior JJ Ollio was The Rock's other event win for the day, throwing the discus 44.28 meters. Ollio also added another impressive finish to his resume, placing second in the shot put. Junior Jerrod Galloway also finished second as a thrower, this time in the javelin with a 50.51 meter throw. Two more runners had top-five finishes on the day. Freshman Colin Darby placed fourth in the 200-meter dash, and junior Tyler Palenchak was the runner-up in the 800-meter run. To round out the day, two Rock jumpers placed second in their events, sophomore Andrew Koksol in the pole vault with a 4.41-meter effort, and freshman Lance Thornton who leaped 1.95 meters in the high jump. "I think Tyler Palenchak did a really good job in the 8oo meters and got second. I would have to look at the results to see, but looking at everybody competing and doing well, I think that a lot of our guys are heading in the right direction," Papa said. "Some of our guys certainly have a long way to go. It's early in the season but it's a quick season, because the second weekend of May we are done."

"I feel pretty good, I just want to make this the best year for everyone on the field. I have a really close relationship with some of the seniors and it's very important to me to make sure this year is amazing for them," DeRose said. "I just want to keep throwing how I'm throwing. I think I'm doing pretty well. My ERA is under two, which is very important to me, but I want to get it lower, it can always be lower." With 16 games left in the regular season, DeRose and the rest of the Green and White are looking for a return to the playoffs and to win an elusive first SRU Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship.

Scan this code to watch a video of DeRose on theonlinerocket.com

Lacrosse wins big over Lake Erie College Continued from Page C 1

Slippery Rock was led by seniors Kaytlin Callaghan and Erin Wilcox who had four goals each. Sophomore Danni Wilson put two goals in the back of the net and juniors Ally Culhane and Chynna Chen each had one goal and one assist to finish up the multi-point scorers on the day. Senior Anna-Marie Warrington, junior Caitlynn Palladino and sophomore Tia Torchia all scored one goal each to finish out the scorers. Senior Jordan Wagner played the first 53:22 in net for The Rock and brought her overall record up to 6-2 for the year. Senior Taylor Balbierz took over for Wagner in net, only allowing one goal and had one save. The Rock had the advantage in shots having 24 compared to Lake Erie's 21 shots and also managed to lead 18-7 in draw controls. Slippery Rock will play their next game and try and keep their winning streak alive on the road Friday against No. 9 West Chester Friday at 3 p.m. "We will need to break down a lot of film and have some hard practices over the next few days to prepare," Hopkins said.

SPORTS

C-4

April 1, 2016

Lakers sink Rock tennis By Oscar Matous Rocket Contributor

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET

Freshman Allie Welch returns the ball against undefeated Indiana University (IUP) earlier this season. Welch has a 9-7 individual record in her rookie year with The Rock.

Slippery Rock Un ive rs it y ’s wom e n’s tennis team fell to the Mercyhurst Lakers on Tuesday with a score of 8-1. It was the second loss in a row for The Rock in the Pennsylvania State At h l e t i c C o n f e r e n c e (PSAC) leaving the ladies right at .500 (7-7) for the season and 0-2 in PSAC. To begin the day, the ladies were unable to take away a win in doubles play. In the first set of doubles, Adrianna Jeffress and Kayla Frost overcame SRU’s sophomore Carla C orro chano Moracho with a final score of 8-0. Junior Stephanie Fortier and freshman Amanda Bruscemi were unable to overcome a series of tough matches just losing to the Lakers’ Annie Baich and Saioa Gomez de Segura with a score of 8-4. The Rock’s sole win of the evening belonged to sophomore Nina Barbano. Barbano was able to gain the victory after losing in the first set and then overcoming the Lakers’ Adrianna Jeffress in the next two sets with scores of 0-6, 6-2, 6-2. The Rock sophomore improved her overall season record to 11-9. D ur ing t he s e cond flight of doubles, junior Ti f f a ny Ko l l a h a n d freshman Allie Welch were narrowly defeated

by Mercyhurst’s Adina Spahalic and Carmen Mantecon Duro with a close score of 8-6. "We have to st ar t playing stronger doubles. I say this almost every week but it has been one of the main problems we have had this year,” Coach Meredith said. “Although we lost all but one match in singles, we played very competitively throughout and that is all I can ask.” The Rock added to their woes in singles play. Gomez de Segura took down Corrochano with scores of 6-0, 6-1 in first singles. Freshman Allie Welch was bested by Adina Spahalic 6-0, 6-1. Bruscemi lost to Baich 6-4, 6-0 while Duro overwhelmed Kollah 6-4, 6-1 at number three singles and Fortier barely lost to Frost with scores of 2-6, 6-0, 10-8. “Playing consecutive nationally ranked teams has certainly been tough,” Meredith said, “And Saturday will be no different. West Virginia State is a strong team with some very talented athletes. We need to focus up and do our best to beat them.” The Rock will seek its first PSAC win when going up against the Yellow Jackets. The match is set for this Saturday at the Slippery Rock Tennis Courts. The match is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.

Baseball struggles against Mercyhurst

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET

Redshirt-junior Logan Brown connects with a pitch during SRU's matchup against Mercyhurst last Wednesday. Brown has a career .330 batting average and 10 home runs.

By Logan Campbell Sports Editor

Rock baseball (6-21) was unable to get anything going on Saturday, as it dropped the final two games of a four-game series against Mercyhurst University by scores of 10-0 and 11-4. "It doesn't matter what level of competition you go up against, especially if you don't play up to your potential," Rock head coach Jeff Messer said. "The only way you're going to beat that Mercyhurst team is to play at their

level. We haven't played at our level no matter who we have played against. We didn't put everything together and we got beat by a better team." The Lakers got out to a commanding lead early, scoring eight runs over the third and fourth innings. The Rock was never able to recover from the early eight-run deficit and was out-hit by Mercyhurst 14-5. The Lakers would add another two runs in the fifth and sixth innings en route to a 10-0 shutout win in game one of two.

Missed opportunities with runners on base would prevent SRU from getting on the board in both the first and third innings of play. Lakers starter Joe Gnaciski (3-1) was able to keep The Rock off the board in both of its offensive chances. Junior James Divosevic would lead The Rock offense in game one, going 2-for-4 with a double. Sophomores Tyler Walters, Matt Mandes and Mitchell Wood would round out The Rock offense, adding one base hit each. Sophomore Matt Gordan (3-2) would get the start for SRU in game one, allowing eight

runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts over four innings of work. Freshman Wyatt Daugherty would come on in relief of Gordon, and give up two runs on four hits over the final two innings. Daugherty would also record a season-high three strikeouts in the game. The offense of SRU would improve in game two, but Mercyhurst would get out to a quick five-run lead in the first inning which proved too much for SRU to overcome. The Rock would get back into the game in the second inning off a solo home run by sophomore Christian Porterfield. Sophomore Kyle Wise would trim another run off the Mercyhurst lead with an RBI groundout in the fourth inning, in which Walters would cross the plate. The Lakers would expand the lead in the bottom half of the fourth with another run, and add four more runs in the fifth to go ahead 10-2. SRU would then add two more runs in the sixth inning off a back-to-back solo home runs from senior Alex Bell and Walters. The hope of a comeback by SRU would be cut short as Mercyhurst added another run in the seventh and go on to lose 11-4 in game two. Sophomore Shawn Holman (0-3) got the nod for game two for The Rock. Holman gave up six runs, only two earned, while striking out four batters in four innings. Sophomore Stephen McKee pitched the final two innings in relief of Holman, and allowed five runs along with four strikeouts. SRU baseball will look to get back on track against Indiana University of Pennsylvania in a four-game series on Friday and Saturday. Messer indicated that he would keep the same four guys in the starting rotation against the Crimson Hawks despite some of their struggles over the weekend, but with senior John Anderson pitching the first game of the four game set, sophomore Alex Pantuso second, Gordon third and Holman fourth. "We are just thinking one game at a time and just trying to get better every game," Messer said. "We have the potential to do it, but we have to go out on to the field and actually do it." First pitch of the double-header at IUP is set for 1 p.m. on Friday.

CAMPUS LIFE GISO constructs workshop to educate students on LGBT

INSIDE CAMPUS LIFE

"How Rude!"

Balloon Makers Share Their Skills

A Rocket staffer reviews "Fuller House," the hit sitcom spin-off of "Full House," including whether the show is a hit or a miss, and whether Netflix needs to "cut it out."

Two Slippery Rock University students discuss their interests in balloon making, as well as how they got started and what animals and objects they can make.

See Page D-3

See Page D-2

SRU celebrates Native Culture

By Amber Cannon Campus Life Editor

The President’s Commission on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation (GISO) recently created an interactive workshop for SRU students to learn more about the LGBT community. The workshop, LGBT 101, began running in January. Co-chairs of GISO, Timothy Oldakowski and Deborah Schell both said the workshop was created and sponsored by GISO. Oldakowski said the idea for the workshop came when an AVI director came to GISO with a conflict. Schell said the director wanted to educate his staff a little better on the LGBT+ community. “Since they (AVI) ser ve the whole community, we thought, ‘what do we do,’” Oldakowski said. "We also know that Safe Zone Training is typically only offered once a year. We thought what could we do to educate and inform. It started with staff, but we thought, ‘what can we do for students?’” Oldakowski said LGBT 101 provides students with information about LGBT+ terminology, as well as scenarios for people to discuss privileges that heterosexuals have that LGBT+ persons don’t. He said students also receive statistics at LGBT 101, as well as the opportunity to ask questions and share sources on campus that other students might benefit from. The workshop also talks about what being an LGBT+ ally really means. Schell said GISO has now done the workshop with three different groups and received great feedback. She also said although the workshop is only two hours, compared to Safe Zone training being five hours, it is very interactive.

EMILY BROWN/THE ROCKET A Native American dancer and two children dance in honor of SRU's Native American Celebration Day on Thursday. The event was presented by the Native Studies Series & Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center and lasted from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Smith Student Center Ballroom. The day consisted of singing, dancing, drumming, story-telling and making dream-catchers.

SEE LGBT, PAGE D-3

SRU AST sorority supports the fight against cystic fibrosis

KENDALL SCOTT/THE ROCKET Will Davis, fraternity brother of Kappa Sigma poses as a body-builder in the swimwear section portion of the Mr. AST competition.

KENDALL SCOTT/THE ROCKET Ira Ritter, of Alpha Phi Alpha pretends to shoot a basketball as a part of him showing off his sportswear attire.

By Emma Pfeifer

Yoney was diagnosed with a few years ago. Yoney received a double lung and liver transplant in January of 2010. After her transplant, she was able to live a normal life and decided to go to college. Senior psychology and dance major Amber Simmons, roomed with Yoney freshman year and presented a slideshow talking about Morgan’s Army. Yoney came to Slippery Rock and joined Alpha Sigma Tau her spring semester of her freshman year,

Asst. Campus Life Editor

Slippery Rock sorority members from Alpha Sigma Tau hosted their annual event Mr. AST in the Student Smith Center Ballroom on Wednesday night. The event was held to support the fight against cystic fibrosis that one of their sorority members, Morgan

Simmons said. Shortly after this, her body went into chronic rejection of her lungs, leaving her to need a double lung transplant. She left at the end of her spring semester. Morgan is at UPMC Presbyterian awaiting the transplant while having several breathing treatments and different tests every day, Simmons said. Leader of philanthropy for Alpha Sigma Tau and senior business management major Rachel Burns said the Mr. AST event started about three years ago and members are continuing to make it an annual event. Seven male contestants from different fraternities participated in the event, being judged by seven different sorority representatives to potentially be crowned Mr. Alpha Sigma Tau. The seven male participants included: Jonathan Simmons, Ira Ritter, Scott Boley, Pat Rooney, Terry Terry, Will Davis and Blake Sounders. The event had four different categories and questions that the contestants were judged in. In the first category, contestants wore whatever they wanted to. The majority of the guys came out on the stage, walked the runway, spun around and said hello to the crowd. Once the participants were done showing themselves off, they answered the question, "Who is the most influential person in your life and why?” Competitors' answers ranged from their parents to grandparents and more. Davis, from Kappa Sigma, said that his sister was the most influential person in his life because she is “killer at everything she does.” The next category was the swimwear section and the guys were asked, "What is your ideal date?” Ritter, from Alpha Phi Alpha, said his ideal date would be going to Sky Zone in Pittsburgh, having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory after and then ending the night by going to Mount Washington. SEE BROTHER, PAGE D-3

CAMPUS LIFE SRU students turn balloon twisting into a job April 1, 2016

D-2

REBECCA DIETRICH/THE ROCKET Quintan McLaughlin makes a fish on a fishing pole balloon for Samantha Rivet at SRU's 127th Birthday Party.

By Samantha Figard Rocket Contributor

Balloon artists may seem like rare commodities, but Slippery Rock University has two living in Building F. Secondary education social studies major Sarah Kanar and business major Quintan McLaughlin are both freshmen on campus who twist balloons in their spare time for pleasure and as part-time jobs. McLaughlin began his balloon-making career five years ago. While on Christmas vacation, McLaughlin was introduced to the art of balloon animal making by his uncle. “My uncle bought this balloon kit that you would see at the dollar store, or Barnes & Noble, and it was a guide to making 10 balloon animals, and I started making dogs like crazy and giving them away until I was told to make something else, so I did,” McLaughlin said. Kanar had an early start to the art of balloon twisting because of her mother, who is a professional balloon artist.

am getting paid $80 to $160, so I’ve come a long way.” Kanar said on the weekdays she makes balloons for fun, but on the weekends, she works different events and birthday parties. “The most I’ve ever been paid for an event was around $600, which may seem like a lot, but I’ve twisted balloons for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers, which were high paying jobs,” Kanar said. McLaughlin was taught his techniques via different people, balloon making companies, books and YouTube videos. “I got together with one of the guys who was giving me business, and he taught me how to do 20 to 30 different balloon designs in just one afternoon, but my girlfriend has given me balloon twisting books, and watching videos is an easy way to pick up a new design technique,” McLaughlin said. Kanar has traveled to many states, like New York for Balloon Manor, Missouri for the ‘Twist and Shot’ competition in St. Louis, Ariz. for ‘Diamond Jam' and Florida for ‘Super Jam’ to test out her techniques that she has gained from going to conventions that experienced balloon artists hold at hotels and resorts. “I attend balloon making conventions, where people from all over the world, like Italy and Spain, come to teach workshops,” Kanar said. “There are only so many of us in this world, so when one balloon artist hosts an event, we all come together to support each other and learn new methods for balloon designs. The conventions are where I learn a majority of my techniques.” McLaughlin has an affinity for making animal balloons, and has had five years of experience to pick up a wide variety PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMANTHA FIGARD of designs. Sarah Kanar showing her balloon twisting abilities in her “A chicken is probably the craziest balloon I’ve ever made,” room in Building F. McLaughlin said. “It is made of eight (balloons,) but when it is done, it looks over the top and really good.” “I’ve been making balloons ever since I was little,” Kanar Kanar enters her creations into competitions, like the said. “My mom showed me my first balloon when I was TJAM on the Road tour hosted by Don Caldwell, where she around five years old. She’s been making balloons for 19 years has won, so she has to expand her designs to be versatile. so she showed me the ropes, and I’ve been doing it ever since.” “The craziest balloon I’ve made was Jean Simmons from McLaughlin started his own balloon making business, KISS,” Kanar said. where he would do random parties for family friends once McLaughlin has been able to network while balloon or twice a month, putting his earnings at $50 a month. twisting at events. Eventually, McLaughlin branched out and was able to pick up “I’ve made a lot of contacts through balloon-making,” gigs from a family friend, who happened to do professional McLaughlin said. “My boss does the Penguins' holiday party balloon making, and was paid around $75 a job, plus tips. every year, so I’ve gotten to meet a lot of cool people because McLaughlin once turned down a job as a clown twisting of him. I got my foot in the door with Deloitte Accounting balloons due to his dislike of clowns and lack of interest in Firm, and have an opportunity to interview and gain an scaring little kids with his costume. internship with them.” “By word of mouth, a family friend would hire me to do McLaughlin encourages others to learn balloon twisting a party and I would get paid like $20, which was awesome, as a hobby. so I had to keep going,” McLaughlin said. “My dad told me “It’s not as hard as it looks, it really isn’t," McLaughlin said. to invest the money I was making back into my business, "If you put enough time into it, it’s really easy." so I made my first batch of business cards, which made me Read the full story at www.theonlinerocket.com realize that this was legit. Now, I get to work events, where I

Chatham University Director encourages women to take risks By Megan Bush Rocket Contributor

“Sometimes, when it feels right, you just gotta go for it,” said Rebecca Harris, director of Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at her presentation “Assessing Women and Risk” in the ATS Auditorium on March 28. The event began at 5 p.m. with a reception in the lobby outside the auditorium. AVI Foodsystems catered the affair, and the tables were set with a buffet-style selection of appetizers, including chicken tenders, various vegetables, hummus dip and small finger sandwiches. Those in attendance included the president of Slippery Rock University, Cheryl Norton, assistant to the provost and co-chair of the President’s Commission for Women, Mary Hennessey and associate professor and assistant chair of the school of business, Dr. Frances Amatucci, as well as a number of students. When deciding to invite Harris to come to Slippery Rock to speak, both Hennessey and Amatucci agreed that having someone from the western Pennsylvania region would be more likely to inspire the talent on campus. It’s also very likely, Hennessey and Amatucci said, that Chatham University and Slippery Rock University will be collaborating in the future. “Chatham University has been named a women’s business center, which is funded through the Small Business Administration, which is great news for women entrepreneurs,” Amatucci said. “Moreover, there will be ample opportunities for collaboration between Slippery Rock University and Chatham thanks to the formation of the Women’s Solar Business Center.” Harris and Hennessey both mentioned that a big part of success is to be willing to risk being wrong, and women tend to be afraid of failing more than men are, especially concerning finances. This leads to a significant lack of female-owned businesses and therefore a significant lack of female voices in the executive world. Women make up half of the world’s population but only about 36 percent of all business executives. Hennessey said that it just doesn’t make sense to not be hearing the voice of half the world. Harris said when women are willing to take risks, great things happen. For example, Harris started her own newspaper for parents and made a profit from it. Katelin McCallan and Cheyanne Crevar, both graduate students in

KENDALL SCOTT/THE ROCKET Rebecca Harris speaks to students about her life journey and urges women to force themselves to step out of their comfort zone and take risks.

the MBA program here at Slippery Rock University, recently formed the Women’s Solar Business Center to encourage more women to take more calculated risks and to succeed in a business setting. Hennessey said women’s college years are the best times for them to take chances and have new experiences, notably here at Slippery Rock; there are a wealth of opportunities for risk-taking and chances to expand their resumes and make connections. Students can study abroad and join commissions and clubs that open up possibilities to associate with many different people, both students and faculty. “Think about what your resume is going to look like,” Hennessey said. “And take risks, because you’ll always regret what you didn’t do.” While discussing women and risks in business, Amatucci mentioned a saying: “You can only go to the well once.” In saying this, she sees that women tend to undervalue themselves, and their ventures can suffer serious consequences in the future when they find they didn’t ask

for enough. “My recommendation to female students today is to force yourself to step out of your comfort zone to enjoy and learn from new experiences,” Amatucci said. “Travel the world and never stop learning.” Harris, Hennessey and Amatucci all agreed that womens' absence in business is a men’s issue as well. According to Forbes Magazine, women drive more than 70 percent of all consumer purchasing, and women’s impact on the economy is growing every year. Without women in the higher-up positions in the executive world, businesses are losing out on important perspectives, therefore losing out on consumers. “Diversity in business is so important,” Amatucci said. “And it’s really an issue for everyone.” Rebecca Harris’s presentation was sponsored by Slippery Rock’s College of Business, the President’s Commission for Women, Alpha Kappa Psi and the Women’s Solar Business Center.

April 1, 2016

CAMPUS LIFE

D-3

'Fuller House' disconnects LGBT 101 demand from the original hit sitcom rules confidentiality Continued from Page D-1

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE The Tanner and Fuller family gather around the table to have breakfast and discuss their future travel plans in the first episode, "Our Very First Show, Again."

Amber Cannon "Ambie's Rock Reviews" Amber Cannon is a senior communication major and the Campus Life Editor of The Rocket "Fuller House," the spin-off of the hit family sitcom, "Full House," premiered on Netflix Friday, Feb. 26. The show was highly anticipated by "Full House" lovers and people who just wanted a new show to watch on the streaming service. The show follows DJ Tanner-Fuller raising her three sons with the help of her little sister, Stephanie Tanner and best friend, Kimmy Gibbler, after DJ's husband died in a firefighting accident. The original cast also makes cameos in the spin-off, including Steve, Danny Tanner, Joey Gladstone, Uncle Jesse, Aunt Becky and their children, Nicky and Alex. Being a "Full House" fan, it was so refreshing to see a spin-off of the sitcom. I was a little unsure about the show at first, because let's be real, nothing can beat "Full House." While the spin-off still couldn't compare to the original, I thought it was overall well done. One thing that I really liked and appreciated about "Fuller House" is the fact that the creator of the spin-off, Jeff Franklin, incorporated those nostalgic moments that everyone loves from "Full House." In the very first episode titled "Our Very First Show, Again," the throwback sayings from "Full House" such as "have mercy," "how rude" and "cut it out," made an appearance. The final scene in the

first episode showed a side-by-side of Danny, Uncle Jesse, Joey, DJ and Stephanie singing the Flintstones theme song to Michelle Tanner to put her to sleep in "Full House," to the same scene with Danny, Uncle Jesse, Joey, DJ and Stephanie singing the same song to DJ's infant, Tommy. I loved that the producers put these nostalgic moments from "Full House" in "Fuller House" because it made me feel like "Full House" will never be forgotten. The acting, although it was very corny, was strangely funny as well. It's evident that Candace Cameron-Bure (DJ), Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie) and Andrea Baker, (Kimmy) haven't acted in a while. The same thing can be said for Bob Saget (Danny), Scott Weinger (Steve) and Dave Coulier (Joey). Instead of acting out their words and monologues, it sounded like all of them were reading their lines off of a teleprompter, which was distracting. Maybe the cast should've retaken some acting classes before the show aired on Netflix. The child actors on the show, Elias Harger (Max Fuller), Michael Campion (Jackson Fuller) and Soni Nichole Bringas (Ramona Gibbler) weren't really superb actors either, but one can't really expect a lot out of child actors. Even though the child acting was corny as well, it was also really cute. The only people who seemed to have an ounce of acting skills in them were John Stamos (Uncle Jesse) and Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky). Also the new cast members, John Brotherton (DJ's new love interest Matt) and Juan Pablo Di Pace (Kimmy's husband,Fernando) acted better than the original cast, which was disappointing to watch. Another thing that I found disappointing while watching "Fuller House" is that it seemed like someone can watch this spin-off without watching "Full House." Although it was a spin-off, the show in no way connected to "Full House." If the show didn't have the nostalgic moments, and if I never watched "Full House," I wouldn't even recognize the show as a spin-off. The original cast members, Danny, Joey, Aunt Becky and Uncle Jesse, should have been in more episodes to make this show more successful. It was recently announced that "Fuller House" was renewed for another season. I just hope the next season does a better job at tying the show back to the original.

Safe Zone training is a workshop for faculty and staff seeking to support LGBT+ persons. The workshop is only open to a select number of students. At the end of Safe Zone training, all who participated receive a placard to put on their door, backpack or window to indicate that that person or office is LGBT+ friendly. Some of the rules of the LGBT 101 workshop include no cell phones, keeping personal information confidential and sharing the floor so that everyone can talk. The rules also encourage participants to laugh, ask questions and reassure participants that it’s okay to change your mind about a statement. Oldakowski said anyone can be trained to do the workshop and that the workshop is open to the university. Schell said GISO is going to start looking for more commission members to step up and participate in the workshop as well. “We’re hoping to promote it a little bit better for next fall,” Schell said. “We don’t want to take away from our Coming Out Stars.” Coming Out Stars is a simulation that GISO presents at FYRST Seminars for students to participate in that teaches them what LGBT + persons can potentially lose when they come out. During the simulation, every students is asked to choose a colored star. The students decorate the star, and on each point, they write someone or something of significance. “We have a script, and we (ask) if (they) have a red star to close their eyes and listen and stand up in a circle,” Oldakowski said. “We tell them, you have just come out as an LGBT person and if you have a certain colored star, that person from your life doesn’t want to talk to you more, so tear that part off from your star.” Oldakowski said they do that five times for each point, and at the end, people’s stars are either completely intact or turned into nubs. “We ask how the students who have lost some (stars) or those of (them) who haven’t lost anything, how it feels,” Oldakowski said. “We’re not trying to say you will feel this way, but trying to show what can be lost. We dialogue after about how it felt and what it might be like to lose someone or a dream or a career.” Schell said Coming Out Stars has been amazing to participate in. She recalled a time when one student had to tear their grandmother’s part of their star off, but put the piece in his pocket because he didn’t want to throw it on the floor. “It’s very impactful, and it’s a great activity,” she said. Oldakowski said students wanting to learn more about LGBT+ can always go to the Pride Center and RockOUT meetings. He said also students can talk to Health Promotion Coordinator Renee Batemen as well as contacting GISO or anyone with a Safe Zone training placard on their door or backpack.

Brother from Theta Xi takes home the crown for Mr. AST Continued from Page D-1

Another contestant, Boley, from Kappa Delta Ro, said that he would like to pick the girl up, take her to the city, go to a nice restaurant and enjoy the company the rest of the night. After the guys showed off their swimwear, they competed in the third category, sportswear. The guys came out in different sports attire and were asked, “What is your favorite thing about Alpha Sigma Tau?” Rooney, from Theta Xi, said that the women of AST represent what a sisterhood is and they are all wonderful people. Mr. Simmons said that the sisters of AST are "all strong, independent women that don’t need no man.” The final category judged was the talent portion and the last question of the night was, "What makes you an ideal choice for being Mr. AST?” Sounders, from Pike, read his own version of the lyrics from Justin Bieber’s song “One Less

Lonely Girl.” Rooney, from Theta Xi, juggling with one hand while answering the question. Rooney said that he was on the phone with his grandmother earlier and she said that he was a perfect candidate to be the next Mr. AST and to not let his grandma down. After the contestants were done being judged and as the judges were adding the scores up, Ms. Simmons presented about Morgan’s Army. Ms. Simmons informed the audience about Morgan’s condition and shared pictures of her. The sorority has raised around $7,600 and are looking to raise at least $2,300 more. After Ms. Simmons was done presenting, members from the sorority announced Rooney as the winner of Mr. AST. Each contestant received a bag for participating and the winner received a $25 Sheetz gift card and a paddle designed by the sorority. All of the proceeds raised at the event are going towards the fundraising for Morgan’s Army.

Scan this QR code to watch an exclusive video of the Mr. AST pageant, or go to www. theonlinerocket.com

D-4

April 1, 2016