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