4-9-2021 Digital Edition

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Friday April 9, 2021 • Volume 104, Issue Number 9 • An Independent, Student-Run Newspaper

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PASSHE COVID-19 cases surpass 900

Nina Cipriani News Editor

Editor's note: All data regarding Coronavirus case numbers was collected on April 8 at 10:30 a.m.

For the most up-to-date case numbers, visit SRU's COVID-19 dashboard or access a university's dashboard using its website.

As it nears the end of the spring 2021 semester, the 14 universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) have totaled nearly 1,000 positive COVID-19 cases so far this semester as schools begin to announce their plans for the fall.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, PASSHE universities have kept track of positive student and faculty COVID-19 cases and testing regulations on their respective COVID-19 dashboards. The cumulative case numbers across the state system have been cut in half, compared to last semester's 2,031 cases in November 2020.

In contrast with the total COVID-19 cases in the state of Pennsylvania, the 990 cases represented throughout the PASSHE system are only 0.09% of the over 1 million statewide cases reported over the last year. Additionally, Butler County case numbers are on a decline, with roughly 415 new cases within the past week.

Fall 2021 semester plans The state system universities are preparing for the upcoming semester with differing regulations, ranging from fully in-person classes and events to 80% of courses being in-person. But, the sister universities agree that the fall plans are subject to change and will make adjustments to protocols as needed.

Nine of the 14 PASSHE universities are planning to be fully in-person in the fall, with safety measures still in place. The schools going with a more inperson approach include Bloomsburg, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock

Haven, Mansfield and West Chester Universities.

Bloomsburg will return in the fall with the traditional form of instruction because of the anticipated vaccine rates, the current projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the easing of restrictions in the Commonwealth, according to its fall 2021 announcement to its community.

With some health and wellness protocols remaining in place, Kutztown University will offer classes in a primarily face-to-face environment for the fall. KU hopes to reflect a more traditional on-campus environment with its course offerings and residential experience. The PASSHE university strongly encourages members of the campus community to get vaccinated prior to return, according to its press release from March 8.

California University plans to "level-up" and return to full on-campus operations in the upcoming semester, Interim President Robert Thorn said in the university's announcement of their fall 2021 plans. The PASSHE school operates on a multilevel plan, with its goal being returning to level one in the fall. However, the university will continue operating at level three until then.

Millersville and Slippery Rock Universities will offer more face-to-face courses with roughly 80% in-person instruction. Slippery Rock projects having more than 2,300 residents living on campus next semester, with in-person dining and inperson co-curricular activities resuming.

Cheyney and Shippensburg Universities have not released plans for next semester as of press time.

Case numbers As of Thursday morning, there were a total of 990 cases reported between all 14 PASSHE universities. The state system has accumulated less than half the cases than around this time last semester, with a total of 2,031 cases in November 2020.

Bloomsburg University has the highest number of cases in the state system with

a total of 120, with student and faculty case numbers combined, or about 12.1% of all cases.

With 118 cases reported (or about 11.9% of the state system's total cases), Shippensburg has the second-highest case number in the system as of Thursday morning.

Ed i n b o ro Un i ve r s i t y has reported 116 cases (11.7%), Millersville reported 109 cases (11%), and Slippery Rock has 108 (10.9%).

Kutztown has reported 102 cases, accounting for 10.3% of the total. KU specifies whether student case numbers are on- or off-campus, with 27 positive cases coming from on-campus residents and 50 positive cases coming from off-campus students.

The remaining 25 are employee cases.

These six universities totaled 673, accounting for 68% of the cases represented throughout PASSHE. Indiana's numbers are less than the larger six, with 90 cases and accounting for 9.1% of the total. While California has 79 (8%) reported cases, Clarion (57), East Stroudsburg (56) and Mansfield (20) have each reported less than 60 cases and collectively contribute to about 13.4% of all state system cases.

Lock Haven University h a s re p o r t e d e i g h t (0.8%) active cases on its COVID-19 dashboard as of March 26. With a total of 1,993 asymptomatic and symptomatic tests performed on campus since Feb. 4, the university maintains a 0.4% active positivity rate and a 1.4% total positivity rate.

While its website is updated once a week on Tuesdays, West Chester University has reported five new confirmed cases from March 29 to April 4. The COVID-19 dashboard doesn't record cumulative case numbers for the semester.

With one employee and one student case reported this semester, Cheyney University accounts for only 0.2% of the state system's total case numbers.

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Case numbers since August 2020 As it surpasses a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, some PASSHE universities keep a record of case numbers on campus since August 2020.

Nine of the 14 PASSHE schools have a cumulative count of case numbers on their COVID-19 dashboards. This includes Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, Edinboro, Kutztown, Mansfield, Millersville and West Chester Universities. Six of the nine sister universities show reported case numbers over winter break from December 2020 to January 2021. Edinboro, Kutztown and West Chester have no reported cases during those months.

Based on the case numbers visible on its dashboard, Kutztown University has the highest accumulated case numbers in the state system with 542 student and faculty

cases. The PASSHE school also differentiates between on- and off-campus cases, with 188 on-campus positive student cases and 300 offcampus. The remaining 54 are reported employee cases.

Bloomsburg is the secondhighest at 505 total cases, combining student and faculty numbers. BU's dashboard is updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, according to its webpage.

Following the two largest numbers is Millersville University. MU stands at 259 total cases since August 2020. On its COVID-19 dashboard, the university explains that there were 150 cases from Aug. 12, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020 and 109 cumulative cases this semester so far.

Edinboro University has reported 158 since August 2020, while Clarion (141) and California (107) Universities have slightly fewer cases numbers.

Edinboro is the only one of the three that don't display case numbers for December 2020 to the beginning of January 2021. EU case numbers resume on the week of Jan. 11, according to its dashboard.

West Chester (89), Mansfield (64) and Cheyney (11) Universities have reported the least number of cases compared to the other five PASSHE universities since August 2020. While Cheyney's COVID-19 dashboard specifies winter break case numbers, West Chester University only displays its cases since Aug. 17.

With the totals shown on the PASSHE universities’ respective COVID-19 dashboards, there was a total of 1,876 cases system-wide since August 2020. This number does not include the case numbers that aren’t posted to COVID-19 dashboards.

Harjo on poetry, art and healing

By Hannah Shumsky Editor-in-Chief

Upon logging into Zoom Tuesday evening, students, faculty members and administration across the country heard the sounds of spoken word poetry and musical accompaniment, m a k i n g a m e d i t a t i ve musical piece that aims for a greater meaning within troubling times.

This music was from the album I Pray For My Enemies, the most recent musical release f ro m t h re e - t e r m U . S .

News

It's the Safety Crawl

Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.

The album explores "the shared languages of music to sing, speak and play a stunningly original musical meditation that seeks healing for a troubled world."

Slippery Rock University hosted Harjo on Tuesday at 5 p.m. for a virtual audience of over 340 people.

The recording of the event currently has over 80 views on YouTube.

A member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Harjo is the first Native American to be appointed U.S. poet laureate.

She is the author of nine books of poetry, two memoirs A-2

and two children's books, and she has seven music and spoken word albums.

As participants logged into Zoom Tuesday evening, they immediately heard Harjo's newest album, I Pray For My Enemies. According to Harjo's website, the album "digs deep into the indigenous red earth and the shared languages of music to sing, speak and play a stunningly original musical meditation that seeks healing for a troubled world."

This event was the second virtual event sponsored

by We Stand Together, a consortium of 19 presidents and chancellors from public

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Earth Day at The Rock

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universities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Hispanic and Native American serving institutions. SRU President William Behre is a member of this consortium.

The first event from We Stand Together, a Zoom discussion with former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, was hosted by California State University, Fullerton in the fall 2020 semester.

Students, faculty and administration from all universities represented in We Stand Together were able to attend Tuesday's event, with Zoom locations ranging from California to

Sports

Tennis heats up

Maryland. Harjo herself spoke from her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Mark O'Connor, associate professor of English, and Julie Naviaux, assistant professor of English, were co-moderators of the event.

In some of their classes, including their sections of Critical Reading, students read Harjo's work, including her first memoir: Crazy Brave and select poems.

Naviaux said that students in her sections of Critical Reading are typically hesitant of poems, as many of those students are not English majors. But they enjoyed the accessible C-3

nature and language of Harjo's work.

"Students are always really scared of poetry in that class because it's a lot of non-majors and early college students," Naviaux said. "But they found that they like her tone and her approach and kind of her breaking down of a lot of poetry form. They found it really accessible." Naviaux added that students could distinguish the different voices in these poems, which Harjo called the voices of people from her past.

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Campus Life

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Column: Changes in college

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INTERACTIVE: PASSHE COVID-19 cases horse race

NEWS

Breaking the echo chamber

By Joe Wells Assistant News Editor

Slippery Rock University resumed its speaker series Wednesday morning with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey to engage in civil discourse with the SRU community and upend misinformation in the wake of the Capitol riots earlier this year.

Before diving into the Q&A, Casey said he wanted participants to walk away energized to seek out public service roles.

“I've found that when you serve, you are enriched in one kind or in one way or another,” Casey said. “Not enriched financially, necessarily, but you're enriched in terms of your sense that you have contributed something to the world.”

SRU President William Behre, the moderator, presented questions to the three-term senator submitted by the campus community. Behre, who in a previous email to SRU staff said he was "shaken to [his] core" after witnessing the riots on Jan. 6, asked for the senator's thoughts on creating compromise among different groups.

The current divisions in the nation appear to be more evident than at any other point in history, caused by an intertwining of ideology and party, according to Casey. The intolerance from that ideology is seen more on the Republican side, the Democratic senator said.

“They don't like me saying that, but this is meant to be an honest discussion, not a warm and fuzzy fantasy because we have divisions,” Casey said. “And we have to

express our views about how those have played out.”

Casey added that he did not “absolve” himself of any responsibility, and that he would continue to do more to work with Republicans to get bipartisan support on at least one bill.

Continuing discussion on the current political divide, the senator was asked what SRU could do to combat the narrative from conservative voices discouraging young Americans from attending college because of their presumed liberal bias. For Casey, that argument from conservatives is misleading.

“On every campus, there's going to be at some point in time, a point of view of one kind or another,” Casey said. “But I would say to someone who is maybe more conservative than I am… the main reason you're there, at that institution… is to get a good education.”

Casey added that attending a university that may not hold a person’s same leanings will only make the student a better debater. Discussing those positions with faculty or other students who may disagree can provide training in “political combat” for those who will want to pursue a career in politics in the future.

The senator was also asked how a young student who is interested in running for local office under a political banner that is not the majority in the district can be successful.

While running for a local office was not something the former Auditor General of Pennsylvania had experience with, he advised that truly wanting to serve in the position and knowing everything about it can make

JOE WELLS / THE ROCKET

Invited to campus in light of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, Sen. Bob Casey talked with community members about bridging the political divide.

No matter where they fall on the political spectrum, Casey encouraged everyone to seek a role in public service.

the uphill battle much easier.

Other tips offered to new candidates were setting a budget and fundraising.

While local elections usually do not see high dollar amounts raised compared to state and federal races, fundraising helps candidates receive funding while also getting community members to promote them, Casey said. He added that while he would rather be out knocking on doors and talking to people, fundraising is one of the necessary things a candidate must do if they want to win, but luckily it is much easier now than when he first ran for office in the late ‘90s.

“In fact, your generation h a s a d va n t a g e s o n fundraising that frankly, I didn't have, because in the

old days, meaning 1990s … you couldn't raise money online, through the internet, or through the connection you make to people through social media,” Casey said.

Casey, who worked to get the Campus SaVE Act passed in 2013, talked about what more can be done at universities to protect students from sexual violence.

While the senator recognized that sexual violence affects everyone regardless of gender, combating the problem on campus is a responsibility of both the university and male students, he said.

“I'm talking to the guys, now, this is a guy problem, and guys have to be part of the solution,” Casey said.

“You have an obligation to do what you can to try to stop sexual assault.

“And part of that is if your friend is talking about engaging in this kind of conduct… if your friends are making statements about it, or hinting at it, or telling you stories about it, you have an obligation to intervene.”

While the senator wants to see universities doing more, including bystander education so students have the skills necessary to intervene when they see something wrong, Casey doesn’t think the federal government should step in with unified definitions regarding sexual assault and should leave it to the states to define those crimes.

After his visit, Behre said he was thrilled to

have Casey visit because it provides the senator and students to share their perspectives. After having high-profile speakers like Casey and U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, Behre said many are inspired to continue inviting others to Slippery Rock. His office has already reached out to Pennsylvania’s other senator, Sen. Pat Toomey for a visit. “ Sp e a k e r s l i k e Se n .

C a s e y a n d Joy Ha r j o elevate the quality of our dialogue and help us to think about important issues in new ways,” Behre said. “This strong conversation is key to making sure that the university remains a forum for civilly sharing ideas.”

Safety crawl pinpoints hazards

By Joe Wells Assistant News Editor

Armed with maps and clipboards, around 15 students and community members canvassed the Slippery Rock University campus on a hunt Wednesday evening.

This wasn't your typical scavenger hunt or a search for Easter eggs, but rather a group hosted by the Student and Academic Affairs Committee's Campus Crawl. The Crawl is the big event of Student Safety Week where potential hazards a re i d e n t i f i e d f o r t h e university to fix.

As the sun started to set, the group split into eight small units to cover as much of the 660 acres as possible. Maps of the assigned area and checklists allowed the teams to specify hazards like cracks in the sidewalk or broken equipment.

Vice President of Student and Academic A f f a i r s L e i f L i n d g re n , a l o n g w i t h Se n . L e a h Bracken, organized the event, which also included SRU administration officials.

The walk around allowed the students to reevaluate campus safety and hold the university accountable in getting problems corrected, according to Lindgren.

JOE WELLS / THE ROCKET

Walking through the quad, Executive Director of Planning Paul Novak highlights a common trip hazard. The Campus Crawl, held April 7, addressed these issues and others like a broken railing and uncovered building vents.

With most of campus covered, Lindgren, Sen. Caleb Covey, SRU Po l i c e C h i e f K e v i n Sharkey and Executive Director of Planning and En v i ro n m e n t a l He a l t h and Safety Paul Novak walked a lap around the quad. Most of the deficiencies found were the cracks and broken cement of the sidewalks.

Along the route, Novak and Sharkey identified areas where the campus

had invested in building improvements and safety equipment.

Looking at one of exterior cameras, Sharkey recalled when the university received a grant for nine outdoor cameras back in 1999. Today, the c a m p u s h a s ove r 3 0 0 cameras throughout campus that provide high quality video. In the future, Sharkey envisions the campus could be watched over with facial

recognition cameras allowing the university to locate a specific individual not only by their face but what they are wearing as well.

While highlighting improvements and maintenance the university has done over the past year, Novak said, despite a pandemic, the university works nonstop to fix glaring issues and make plans to get bigger projects accomplished.

“We’ve been fortunate to still be doing jobs with funding how it is,” Novak said.

Even with most students remote this year, many who are on campus contact his office and inform him of safety hazards. That ongoing dialogue is what allows the university to correct problems quickly, Novak said.

As the group gathered back near the waterfall at

the Smith Student Center, notes were compared and b i g g e r p ro b l e m s we re highlighted.

M a d e l i n e Na c e y, a sophomore criminology major, and her roommate Zoe Clark were responsible for checking some of the older building on campus.

During their search, the most glaring problem found was a broken railing near Weisenfluh Dining Hall.

Others issues the group felt posed an immediate threat to student safety were the lack of screens on external dyer vents, which allowed birds to get in, and thin metal sticking out from the clamps that keep wastebaskets attached to light poles.

Now, Lindgren will sort through the paperwork and present his findings to Novak and the Slipper y Rock Student Government Association (SRSGA). The SRSGA presentation will take place during the body’s next formal meeting on April 12.

Gathering up e v e r y o n e’s c l i p b o a rd s , Lindgren was excited to see what everyone found. “ Do i n g t h e s e w a l k s identifies problems and makes the campus safer for years to come,” Lindgren said.

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Striving for a seat at the table

Nina Cipriani News Editor

As it surpasses two months since President Joseph R. Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, an LGBTQ+ rights bill heads to the Senate after being approved by the House of Representatives.

The Equality Act, a federal civil rights bill that would extend protections for the LG BTQ + c o m m u n i t y, passed with a 224-206 vote on Feb. 25. While there is no date yet for the beginning of the Senate hearings, the bill will need 60 votes to pass. No Senate Republicans have endorsed the bill so far.

At Slippery Rock University, effor ts to further equity, diversity and inclusion continue with the creation of the diversity and inclusion strategic plan and Campus Inclusion Response Team, among other inclusive policies.

Cindy LaCom, the gender studies director at SRU, and who prefers a genderneutral pronoun, said the diversity and inclusion strategic plan committee spent a lot of time coming up with its definition of diversity. Comprised of students, faculty, staff and administrators, the committee decided that the term includes race, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious diversity, linguistic diversity and people with disabilities.

“I certainly think that at a predominantly white institution, racism is a massive issue on our campus and in our country,” they said in a Zoom call. “But I feel like one of my roles is to continue to put gender, sexual identity, expression and orientation and issues of ability and disability back in the center of the plan as well.”

SRU President William Behre said the community can’t address issues of inclusion unless white people change their behavior. He believes it’s important to give voice to minority communities.

“Whatever group has privilege has to be willing to engage and invite their peers who don’t have that privilege to the table,” Behre said. “That could be based on sexuality, ethnicity, religion… There’s a group that needs allyship from the group that has greater privilege.”

The strategic plan committee projects that the first draft will be ready during April. Lyosha Gorshkov, the assistant director of the Pride Center and the Women’s Center, and who prefers a gender-neutral pronoun, said the plan will be implemented in September of the fall 2021 semester.

The committee also wants to appoint a chief diversity and inclusion officer. Terrence Mitchell, special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion, currently serves in this position, until July. Behre said that after July the university will use a professional search firm to fill the position.

Although some of the initiatives are not yet “written in stone,” according to LaCom, the university’s intentions for the plan include recruitment and retention of students, recruitment of a diverse faculty and staff, and implementation of standards for equity on campus.

Once the strategic plan is ready, LaCom said, the campus community must hold itself accountable to its policies for it to be effective.

Having clear messaging to stakeholders, primarily students, is essential, they said. Rather than email being the primary source of communication, LaCom suggests TikTok, Twitter and Instagram for different ways to reach students.

LaCom added that the Social Justice Committee passed an initiative through the Association o f Pe n n s y l va n i a St a t e C o l l e g e & Un i ve r s i t y Fa c u l t i e s ( A P S C U F )

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about bias training.

They said the Slippery Rock University Student Government Association (SRSGA) may require executive board members of SGA-funded student organizations to conduct implicit bias training.

The Slipper y Rock University President’s Commission for Gender Identity and Expression and Sexual Orientation (GIESO) serves as a connecting role between the student body and the administration.

The commission informs the administration about

"Whatever group has privilege has to be willing to engage and invite their peers who don't have that privilege to the table.

That could be based on sexuality, ethnicity, religion."

– William Behre, SRU president the needs of the campus community, advocates for particular issues, and implements educational programming. It also serves as a support for the Pride Center. GIESO is a main part of the development of the strategic plan.

GIESO spreads awareness of LGBTQ+ issues with campaigns on campus.

Vanessa Vought, a co-chair of GIESO, said before COVID-19, the commission would put out yard signs a n d b a n n e r s a ro u n d campus, especially during Pride month and LGBTQ+ History Month. Vought

admits these campaigns and programming are more difficult now because of COVID-19. But she hopes that in the fall the commission can start carrying out more of these “wider-campus efforts.”

“As a commission, while specifically focused on LGBTQ, we want to show solidarity to other communities on campus,” Vought said in a Zoom call.

“That was something that we did last year, and now, because of COVID, it’s been a little bit more difficult. I think we’re focusing a bit more internally on things.”

In developing the strategic plan, the university created the Campus Inclusion Response Team (CIRT). The CIRT was designed to act when incidents of bigotry, harassment or intimidation by or toward people of the community occur, according to an email from SRU Communication.

The response team is comprised of nine members, including a student and a faculty representative.

The CIRT is called upon when a reported incident is identified. The response team serves as an advisory role to Behre in shaping the university’s response to the situation. Gorshkov said the main goal is to implement and develop best practices in terms of response to the campus community. “[The CIRT] was created as a response to the lack of response or missing points of the administration of the campus,” Gorshkov said in a Zoom call. “[The team makes sure the president] includes topics he sometimes may [forget], not purposefully, though. He cannot live the experience of groups that he’s never been a part of. So, that’s why the group consists of different people from different walks of life.”

In 2018, the university implemented the Chosen Name Policy that allows students to choose a first name instead of using their legal name. The policy lets students use the selected name on a diploma, email and class rosters, LaCom said. The chosen name would also appear in the university’s system.

LaCom said this policy helps with the ongoing issue of deadnaming— defined as intentionally or unintentionally referring to a transgender or genderexpansive individual with

their birth name, according to the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). LaCom hopes to see a zero-tolerance policy implemented for instances when someone is purposefully deadnaming or misgendering another person.

Gorshkov added that although the Chosen Name Policy is important and a great first step, it’s “still not ideal,” and there are issues with the policy that should be worked on.

Among inclusive policies on campus, single-occupancy restrooms were converted to over 70 all-gendered restrooms in 35 buildings in 2016. Gorshkov said the university is still working on putting these genderinclusive restrooms in certain buildings on campus.

Vought said the pride index is another beneficial resource for LGBTQ+ students to “get an idea of just how inclusive a campus is.” According to its website, the online tool allows students, families and those interested in higher education to search a database for LGBTQfriendly campuses that prioritize the community’s academic experience and quality of life on campus.

Vought said that it’s a good way to hold schools accountable for their inclusive efforts.

The university has increased its score on the pride index by implementing the Chosen Name Policy, making restrooms genderinclusive and by creating trans-inclusive housing policies, according to LaCom. The Pride Center at SRU is a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies. Its goal is to support and affirm the identities and lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people by offering programming and education to the community, according to Gorshkov, the assistant director of the Pride Center.

“We try to deliver to the [LGBTQ+] community,” they said. “We’re here for you so you don’t have to be on your own.”

The Pride Center has recently been working with the Student Counseling Center to start an LGBTQ+ support group. Gorshkov said some LGBTQ+ alumni are interested in being involved with the change of the campus

climate, so they’re developing an alumni group for students who have graduated.

T h e Pr i d e C e n t e r also advocates for the importance of RockOUT, the student LGBTQ+ and ally organization at SRU. Members of the organization educate the campus and the community about LGBTQ+ issues.

All information shared at their meetings is “held in confidence,” according to the RockOUT Facebook page. First-time attendees are required to sign a confidentiality form stating

"I know that [Biden] is a centrist. . . so we won't see that radical change in [LGBTQ+] issues that have been [issues] for years. But at least he's getting back to the Obama-era of LGBTQIA protection."

– Lyosha Gorshkov, the assistant director of The Pride Center that they won’t disclose personal information that was shared at meetings.

As the Assistant Director of the Pride Center, Gorshkov said the difference b e t w e e n t h e Tr u m p administration and the Biden administration is Biden’s devotion to LGBTQ+ rights.

Although optimistic, they are “cautiously positive” in Biden’s capabilities.

“I know that [Biden] is a centrist… so we won’t see that radical change in [LGBTQ+] issues that have

been [issues] for years,” Gorshkov said. “But at least he’s getting back to the Obama-era of LGBTQIA protection.”

President Biden pledged in his presidential campaign to pass LGBTQ+ rights legislation in the first 100 days of his administration.

He stated that he will “reverse the discriminatory a c t s o f t h e Tr u m p Pence administration” and make efforts to end discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.

On his first day in office, Biden signed an executive order preventing and combating discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. In a statement on Feb. 19, he urged Congress to “swiftly pass this historic legislation” and secure the protections of LGBTQ+ people with the Equality Act. “[N]o one should ever face discrimination or live in fear because of who they are or whom they love,” Biden said in the statement.

LaCom identifies the Equality Act as a “key piece of federal legislation if and when it passes.”

Although the House and Senate are Democratcontrolled, the bill may be difficult to pass mainly because of conservative religious leaders.

As The Rocket previously reported, the Senate voted to confirm Amy Coney Barrett— an “originalist” or “textualist” in her proceedings—to the Supreme Court in October 2020 after the passing of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Some believe Barrett could steer the court in a more conservative direction on issues like same-sex marriages and LGBTQ+ rights, including the Equality Act. Gorshkov believes there “could be trouble” with the passage of the Equality Act in the Senate because of the filibuster, or the delaying of a bill or other issue by prolonged talking.

“I guess they are going to postpone the voting of [the Equality Act],” Gorshkov said, “because they have more, for them, pressing issues, which is ridiculous.

Every single issue with discrimination is pressing.”

Gorshkov added that it’s “hard to judge” what President Biden will do for LGBTQ+ rights during his presidency, but they’re glad that he overturned the transgender military ban and continues to push for the Equality Act to be passed.

Five days after his inauguration on Jan. 25, the Biden administration overturned the ban on transgender military service. In a National LGBTQ Task Force press release, Executive Director Rea Carey said Biden signed an executive order that reversed the “discriminatory ban on transgender people” serving in the United States military.

“Once again, qualified, dedicated transgender servicemembers and trans people who have waited to serve our country with honor and respect may bring their talents to every branch of the service,” Carey said in the statement.

LaCom said the conversations of people opposed to the Equality Act are “sexist, condescending and disingenuous at best.” They reiterated that “commitment to diversity is habitual,” and cultural and institutional changes don’t happen overnight.

This goes for the SRU campus and in the country, they said.

“How do you change a culture?” they said.

“That’s really the question we’re asking. In western Pennsylvania, in a racist, homophobic, transphobic country, how do we create a small oasis of diversity and inclusion? Diversity is the what, and inclusion is the how; they are not the same thing. We can come up with all these policies and procedures, but if we don’t have the inclusion part—which is the ‘How do you do it?’—then we’re not going to do it.”

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April 9, 2021

POLICE BLOTTER March 27 – University Police were called back out to Building E 90 minutes later for another possible alcohol violation. Police arrived to find individuals with alcohol. Madison Murtland, 19, Katelyn Plassio, 19, Marie Scarpa, 19, and Gavin Thomas, 19, were charged with underage possession of alcohol.

March 28 – The Student Health Center requested an officer stay with an individual waiting for their parent to pick them up.

University Police took no action.

March 28 – University Police received a report of a sexual assault that occurred last year offcampus. The person did not want to file a police report.

March 28 – University Police assisted Pennsylvania State Police with a traffic stop on Main Street. University Police stood by while PSP conducted their investigation.

March 28 – Pennsylvania State Police requested assistance with a traffic stop on Kiester Road.

University Police stood by while PSP conducted their investigation.

March 28 – University Police were asked to assist Pennsylvania State Police with an unknown disturbance at the Campus Side apartments. The person was leaving the residence and going to stay with a friend.

University Police took no action.

March 28 – University Police and Slippery Rock Borough Police assisted Pennsylvania State Police with searching the area for two Black males that forced their way into an apartment at University Village and held a knife to the victim’s neck. Police were unable to locate anyone. PSP is investigating the incident.

March 29 – University Police received a complaint from an individual that someone

has used their information to obtain a credit card without their consent. The case is under investigation.

March 30 – The Student Health Center called University Police requesting an ambulance be dispatched for a person in need of medical attention. EMS arrived at the location and transported the person to Grove City Medical Center.

March 31 – University Police received a complaint of a possible phishing scam. The case is under investigation.

March 31 – Police received a call of an ATM alarm activation. Loomis personnel were at the location servicing the machine. No further police action was taken.

April 1 – Slippery Rock University Police charged Clayton Wallrich, 18 with two felony charges of criminal trespass stemming from an incident March 27. Police allege Wallrich broke into his ex-girlfriend’s dorm room with a lock pick and took photos of himself in the residence to “get a rise” out of her. According to the affidavit, Wallrich demonstrated how he picked the lock on his own bedroom door for the officer.

April 2 – Police received a call for a male screaming profanity on Green and White Way. Officers checked the area but did not locate anyone matching the description.

April 2 – Slippery Rock Borough Police radioed for assistance with a traffic stop on Centerville Pike.

April 3 – University police responded to the ROCK Apartments for a smoke detector activation. The cause was determined to be burnt food. The alarm system was reset.

April 6 – University Police received a call about a woman heard screaming behind Building B. Police checked the area behind the suites and near the water tower but did not find anyone.

April 6 – Police responded to a vehicle alarm repeatedly going off in the Founders Upper Lot. Police dispatch attempted to contact the vehicle owner so they could reset their alarm.

April 6 – Slippery Rock Borough Police requested backup with a suspected DUI on East Cooper Street. The driver and passengers were brought back to the university station where Borough Police used the Datamaster.

April 6 – University Police were dispatched to Harmony Road for a person who was assaulted by their girlfriend at the Pine Glen Apartments.

EMS transported the individual to Grove City Medical Center. University Police handed off the case to Pennsylvania State Police.

April 6 – University Police were notified by Butler Control that Life Flight would be landing in the stadium parking lot at the request of Slippery Rock Ambulance. University Police blocked off the roadways until Life Flight cleared the area.

April 7 – University Police filed impaired driving and operating a vehicle without a license charges against Jermaine Wynn, Jr., 23. The charges stem from a Feb. 28 traffic stop where SRUPD officers detected an odor of marijuana after stopping the vehicle for swerving.

Wynn failed a field sobriety test, according to the affidavit. He was transported to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood draw where police allege the test results showed Wynn had THC in his system while driving.

COMPILED BY JOE WELLS

To view The Rocket's blotter policy, scan the QR code or visit theonlinerocket.com/editorial-policy

9 No security deposits!

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

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

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

NEWS

April 9, 2021

A-5

Meal plan shake up

By Joe Wells Assistant News Editor

When students return to campus in the fall, they will have fewer choices when selecting a meal plan, but could see a substantial increase in flex dollars with a decrease in plan costs.

The 12 meal plans, currently serviced by AVI Foodsystems, Inc., will be reduced to six when Aramark Educational Services, LLC takes over Slippery Rock University’s (SRU) dining contract on June 1.

The change was part of a seven-year contract put out by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s (PASSHE) joint purchasing. The contract will allow A r a m a rk t o p rov i d e services to SRU, along with Clarion, Edinboro and Indiana Universities.

Aramark secured a similar bid for seven

– Watch Amir Mohammadi's presentation about Aramark's dining options

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY

PASSHE universities in the eastern region of the state. Out of the those universities, Cheyney pulled out of that joint service agreement and is currently entertaining bids for for their dining services.

As part of the bidding process, 35 companies submitted bids for the western universities' business and three companies made it to the final round of deliberation. Along with Aramark and AVI, Chartwells Higher Ed u c a t i o n w a s a l s o considered.

During the Finance Committee meeting f o r S R U Tr u s t e e s ,

Amir Mohammadi, s e n i o r v i c e p re s i d e n t for administration, global engagement and economic development, said Aramark was chosen based on its low bid and high-quality food and service.

Before selecting the vendor, the administration and Slippery Rock Student Government Association (SRSGA) conducted a survey on what students wanted with their meal plans. The overwhelming response, according to Mohammadi, was more flex dollars.

Aramark will keep the 19-, 14-, 10- and 7-mealsper-week (mpw) plans, along with the 75-block

plan. The 19- and 14mpw plans and 75-block plan will increase the flex dollars to the plans - $250 for the 19-mpw, $350 for the 14-mpw and $100 for the 75-block plan – but will not increase the price of the plan.

The 10-mpw plan will add $350 in flex dollars while decreasing the overall price to $1400 per semester.

The two other plans offered in the fall will see a price decrease, but will also decrease either the number of meals or flex dollars provided.

A r a m a r k ’s 7 - m p w plan will reduce flex dollars from $255 to $100 in the fall, but the

plan’s price is reduced to almost half, costing students $840 instead of more than $1,500.

With AVI, students were offered a 220-block plan with $100 flex dollars. This plan will now provide 175 meals for the semester and increase the flex dollars by $250. The 9% reduction in price will save students nearly $150.

The pricing proposed during the committee meeting will need to be approved by the Council of Trustees before taking effect due to the pricing change.

Some trustees asked if the council could increase the proposed pricing to provide the university with an additional

revenue stream. While possible, SRU President William Behre advised against it.

“It would be a lot of pain for a little bit of money,” Behre said.

“And we already have a complaint that our meal plans are what often will price students out of our residence halls because they could live cheaper [off-campus].”

While the contract with Aramark has been approved for all included universities, details have yet to be released.

The council is expected to announce a special meeting to vote on the pricing before their June business meeting.

O OPINION

Volume 104, Issue Number 9

220 220Eisenberg EisenbergClassroom ClassroomBuilding Building Slippery SlipperyRock RockUniversity University Slippery SlipperyRock, Rock,Pennsylvania Pennsylvania16057 16057 Phone: Phone: (724) (724)738-4438 738-4438 Fax: Fax: (724) (724)738-4896 738-4896 E-mail: E-mail: therocketnewspapersru@gmail.com therocketnewspapersru@gmail.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Hannah Shumsky

Editor-in-Chief

Nina Cipriani

News Editor

Brendan Howe

Sports Editor

Sarah Anderson

Campus Life Editor

Lesa Bressanelli

Copy/Web Editor

Hannah Slope

Photo Editor

Aaron Marrie

Multimedia Editor

Joe Wells

Assistant News Editor

Tyler Howe

Assistant Sports Editor

Morgan Miller

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Ryanne Dougherty Rayni Shiring

Assistant Copy/Web Editor Assistant Photo Editor

Dr. Brittany Fleming

Faculty Adviser

ADVERTISING STAFF Elisabeth Hale

Advertising Manager

Brooke Miller

Assistant Advertising Manager

ABOUT US The Rocket is published by the students of Slippery Rock University five times per academic semester. Total weekly circulation is 1,000 (for fall 2020 semester only).

No material appearing in The Rocket may be reprinted without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief.

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

Advertising inquiries may be made by calling (724) 7382643 or by emailing rocket.ads@sru.edu.

CORRECTIONS If we make a substantial error, we want to correct it.

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

SUBSCRIPTIONS

OPINION

Our View

A changing system

Our View is a staff editorial produced collaboratively by The Rocket staff. Any views expressed in the editorial are the opinions of the entire staff.

Education is often referred to as the great equalizer, though, some institutions offer greater accessibility to knowledge and resources than others. That is where state schools come into the picture.

In competition with universities and colleges of public, land-grant and private standing, state schools remained in the thoughts of those looking to further pursue their education through the draw of lower tuition costs and the promise of opportunities comparable to those competitor universities and colleges.

Though, the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) has hit a bump during this race that it is desperately trying to recover from. A decreasing governmental budget that's leaving already financially-strapped universities struggling to swim to slowly decreasing enrollment, PASSHE is looking for ways to navigate through these troubled waters.

While the PASSHE Board of Governors look to the future, universities, such as SRU, attempt to take care of their students in the present, meaning now more than ever it is important for students, especially those who are new, to pay attention.

What is PASSHE? PASSHE consists of 14 state schools in the commonwealth: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities.

While the individual 14 state schoolsthatmakeupthePASSHE system were established before the integration of the system in 1983, PASSHE's goals are focused on the increase of educational opportunities for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels in order to prepare students for success from the community to the national level. These schools can be found across the state of Pennsylvania, and include a historicallyBlackcollege/university (HBCU): Cheyney.

Together these universities serve the largest amount of Pennsylvania residents and enrolls more than 93,000 degreeseeking students altogether, in addition to thousands of others

GRAPHIC BY: RAYNI SHIRING

who are enrolled in other careerdevelopment programs such as certificate programs.

What is the PASSHE redesign?

Much of The Rocket's PASSHE coverage over the past two years has been dedicated to the pandemic and the system redesign. This redesign effort was announced the 2016-17 academic year in an effort to overcome stagnant enrollment and funding from the state.

As explained on the PASSHE website, there are three phases to ensuring a successful redesign of the system: 1). Ensuring student success, 2). Leveraging university strengths, and 3). Transforming the governance/leadership structure.

During phase one, which took place from approximately July 2017 to January 2019, PASSHE's Board of Governors and chancellor completed tasks that would reform universities at the individual level. During phase two, which took place from approximately July 2018 to January 2020, PASSHE outlined the teams required to complete goals that would contribute to the success of the overall implementation plan.

This redesign is currently in phase three, which began in January 2020, and is focused on executing university integrations.

After numerous combinations considered, including SRU at one point, as of March, PASSHE is proposing an integration of California, Clarion and Edinboro Universities in the West and Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield Universities in the Northeast.

Where does PASSHE go from here?

In February, PASSHE Chancellor Daniel Greenstein presented over Zoom an

integrations progress report to the Board of Governors. Both the western and eastern integrations will each have their own single administration, faculty and strategy. While they will share a budget, the individual universities will keep their own identities, campus life and student housing.

At the Board of Governors meeting on April 14 and 15, the full plan will be presented to the board. If approved, the system must hold two public meetings and provide 60 days for public comment.

After the review of comments, the board can finalize approval as early as June. If that is to happen, the first integrated cohorts will be accepted for the fall 2022 semester.

With the state system allocated to receive more than $400 million in funding for the upcoming year, Greenstein expects the system to revise the allocation to universities formula in an effort to soften the hit well-performing universities takedueto theirunderperforming counterparts. With the current allocation formula, universities like SRU receive less money from the system because of its better performance compared to its financially stressed sister universities, like Cheyney and Edinboro Universities.

In March, Greenstein provided testimonyduringthePennsylvania Senate's Appropriations Committee Budget meaning.

While discussing the state system's future redesign, the chancellor offered a stark warning if the plan is not approved.

“Unless we figure this out,” Greenstein said, “I will be recommending to the board that we come back to the Senate next year with a legislative package to dissolve the system because if we continue to go down this path, what you’re gonna see is that that cross-subsidization is going

In the Quarantine By: Aaron Marrie

to drain all of us. Then, what does that mean for public higher education in this state?”

The chancellor's comments set off a firestorm through the systems ranks. The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) SRU Chapter President Jason Hilton called his words "reckless."

When prospective students visit The Rock, they learn about our campus environment, major and course offerings, housing and dining options and more.

SRU's role in a state-wide system is not necessarily what prospective students seek to learn. Yet, as students of SRU, we are also studentsofPASSHE.Aswereturn to a somewhat more normal college experience in the fall 2021 semester, students must continue to watch, listen and respond.

This is even more important for younger students, especially those who have yet to see SRU's campus community in its prime—in person with the opportunities to discuss, work and collaborate together. These students will see the impacts of changes in the state system, even if they didn't foresee these changes and discussions because they simply didn't know where to turn for information. Students must follow news organizations (including and especially the student newspapers from across PASSHE), pay attention to conversations from APSCUF and participate as advocates in higher education.

While we don't know what the final financial outcome of the pandemic and the PASSHE redesign will be, continuing to push for accessible and affordable higher education through knowledge and advocacy will be crucial, if not essential, to a successful future atThe Rock and beyond.

Question: With just a few weeks left, what plans do you have for your organization for the rest for the semester?

Subscriptions to The Rocket are available.

Subscriptions are $20 per academic semester and $35 for the full academic year. Inquiries should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief at the address listed here.

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

by Rocket editorial board members. It reflects the majority opinion of The Rocket Editorial Board.

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

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

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

Anonymous submissions will not be published.

Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Please limit letters to a maximum of 400 words.

Submit all material by noon Wednesday to: The Rocket, 220 ECB, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057. Or send it via e-mail to: rocket.letters@sru.edu.

Jacob Heberle President Kappa Sigma

Alawna Mallory President Alpha Psi Omega

Kaitlyn Baldini President Delta Zeta

“Our main focus as a fraternity is to initiate and welcome our five new pledges into the fraternity!

Our main focus as students is to keep improving our overall GPAs by focusing on academic improvements over previous semesters."

"Alpha Psi Omega is a new theatre honor society building from the ground up! We plan to end our semester doing everything we can to be a helping hand in the community, while making our organization grow by recruiting new members and spreading the word about APO. We plan to have some exciting events for next year, and the years to come!"

"Right now, Delta Zeta is focusing on promoting health and wellness to our entire chapter so we can get back to being in person and seeing each other.

We're also working on teaching our newly initiated members all about in person Greek life so that they will be better prepared for it for the fall semester."

April 9, 2021

OPINION

B-2

Solving existential threats through science-based education

Paul Scanlon Paul Scanlon’s role on campus includes leading the President’s Commission on Sustainability and the current Carbon Neutrality Planning effort, guest lecturing at sustainability-related classes, conducting annual GHG emissions inventories and managing grants that train student interns for a career in providing sustainability consulting services. He also documents all campus sustainability activities using the AASHE STARS Report, which is used by the Princeton Review and the Sierra Club Cool Schools surveys to rank SRU’s national standing as a leader in environmental stewardship and climate change mitigation.

BLM. COVID-19. Climate Crisis. If you think about it, these crises all share a few common characteristics – each represents an existential threat to mankind. Each disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color.

Each demands urgent attention that makes “business as usual” not an option. Each needs education and mutual cooperation to solve complicated issues. So how are we at SRU handling these issues, and what should our next steps be?

First, I’m pleased to see that support of the Black Lives Matter movement has expanded our Diversity & Inclusion programs to more comprehensively address the social justice/racial discrimination issues currently dividing America. Provost Abbey Zink deserves much credit for leading the way by advocating for increasing D&I staffing and programs; requiring all staff and faculty to participate in D&I training; developing a general education graduation requirement for diversity courses; pushing to add diversity components within all SRU departments; and for developing diversity labels for the Banner catalog

of courses that make such courses easy to find. Respect all, and listen before making any assumptions!

Secondly, we’ve been faced with immense challenges arising from the pandemic one (very long) year ago, and SRU has done a great job in addressing this crisis. Kudos to all those involved – from President Behre, to our Facilities and Emergency Management staff, to our faculty – for keeping pace with the science and CDC guidelines, for making our campus safer, and for communicating effectively and transparently with our community. Keep wearing your masks and avoiding crowded indoor events!

But, as Bill Gates says, “Climate change is like the pandemic, except it could be irreversible and won’t be solved by a vaccination shot”.

While SRU has done very well in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions aimed at achieving zero net GHG emissions by or before 2037, NOW is the time to really “up our game” in addressing this imminent threat, by far the biggest physical, health, and economic crisis of our lifetimes.

Unfortunately, the global response to the climate crisis has long suffered from

"Today's students will be the first generation to face these unprecedented, cataclysmic climate challenges. As adults, you'll be the decisionmakers figuring out how to handle climaterelated disasters on a scale we've never seen before... The global community has used education, science and mutual cooperation to solve major challenges before – like closing the atmospheric ozone hole of 40 years ago.

We can do it again as we face the climate crisis." the common misconception that it’s a distant, “future” problem rather than an urgent, immediate one.

No longer. The world’s youth are now faced with a huge threat that must be solved in a very short time span before climate change does, in fact, become irreversible and ruin the quality of life for themselves and future generations. We need an informed citizenry who understands the societal changes that

have to be made, and can work together effectively and collaboratively to address this threat in a timely manner.

The Earth continues to warm up – mostly due to greenhouse gas emissions created by burning fossil fuels and to our industrial agriculture practices that not only contribute to GHG emissions, but are also ruining the very soil upon which we depend to feed ourselves. We’ve been observing increasingly more frequent and violent global warming impacts – extreme heat waves, droughts, raging wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, food and water shortages causing climate refugees, political turmoil, and more. Scientists have been predicting all of this for decades; what’s scary is that they were too conservative in their projections, and we’re now observing, with our own eyes, that the adverse impacts predicted are now happening much faster than anticipated.

We can no longer question the science, and we can no longer kick the can down the road.

The time to act is NOW. According to the President’s Commission on Sustainability, “Slippery Rock University is committed to being at the forefront of preparing the next generation of thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs to help the world meet its profound environmental challenges.” We’ve made great strides in recent years (see www.sru.edu/sustainability for a detailed listing of our accomplishments).

Key milestones in this fight for the planet included the signing of the President’s Climate Commitment (2009); formation of the President’s Commission on Sustainability (2010); the sustainability road map laid out in the global trends-based SRU Strategic Plan 2025 (2011); creation of our Climate Action Plan to achieve carbon neutrality (2012); and the creation of the Office of Sustainability (2012). We’ve been meeting our interim greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, but NOW is the time to make the big push to carry us past the goal line as soon as possible.

Recent activities taking us toward that goal: • Dr. Julie Snow, GGE Department climate scientist, started up and now chairs the PASSHE chancellor’s Sustainable Development Task Force, in which all 14 state schools are now sharing best practices and helping each other boost our sustainability practices to reduce operating costs while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

• SRU has received pro bono Carbon Neutrality Planning services from consulting engineering firm EverGreen Energy, and we also won a West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund grant to cover our matching costs (including paying for three student interns to help collect data for the project). The planning services will include evaluating options to (finally) eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our central heating plant, to obtain all our purchased electricity from 100% renewable energy sources, and much more.

• SRU also received an EPA grant to fund a two-year internship program, teaching our students how to conduct energy and water conservation audits and reduce pollution from food and beverage manufacturers in our region – good-paying internships and real workforce training for those interested in a career providing sustainability

consulting to manufacturers. This grant was also supported by a private grant from Scott Electric Company to cover our matching costs for the EPA grant.

Next steps we should strive for: • Follow the lead provided by the Provost’s diversity actions to quickly ramp up our sustainability education to get students ready to face this uncertain future: • Require that all SRU graduates take at least one introductory course on sustainability and the climate crisis, preferably in their freshman year.

• Add sustainability components to all department courses.

• Add sustainability labels to the Banner catalog of courses to make them easier to find.

• Provide continuity to the Office of Sustainability by creating a succession plan for future leaders and adding staff to promote sustainable life style behavior change, helping develop new sustainability curricular and cocurricular programs, and increasing our student/community outreach programs.

• Add our environmental/climate science expertise to help on D&I initiatives designed to improve air and water quality in underserved communities via integrated community resilience planning efforts.

• Bolster our messaging and marketing of SRU as a LEADER in sustainability to help boost enrollment and create more sustainability influencers and game-changers – according to the 2021 Princeton Review “A majority, 75%, of those surveyed (vs 66% in 2020) said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would contribute to their decision to apply to or attend the school. Among the 75%, 36% indicated such information would contribute “Strongly” or “Very much” to their decision about a college”.

Today’s students will be the first generation to face these unprecedented, cataclysmic climate challenges. As adults, you’ll be the decision-makers figuring out how to handle climate-related disasters on a scale we’ve never seen before. We don’t have all the answers, but we know that educating a group of superior thinkers, innovative problem solvers who understand the science, and we’re hopeful that the tremendous amount of research and development by government agencies and private industry alike will help us, together, solve the problem. The global community has used education, science and mutual cooperation to solve major challenges before – like closing the atmospheric ozone hole of 40 years ago. We can do it again as we face the climate crisis.

Just as we’ve used education, science and strong messaging by SRU’s leaders to fight the spread of Covid–19 on campus, we can do the same to speed up our response to the climate crisis!

April is Earth Month – Check out the Earth Month Master Calendar of Events at www.sru.edu/sustainability and learn how to become part of the solution.

GRAPHIC BY: HANNAH SLOPE

April 9, 2021

THE ROCKET

B-3

S

VIDEO: Rock baseball hosts Gannon

SPORTS

Baseball bounces back, splits series Team gains confidence after facing challenge in Gannon

By Josh Albert Rocket Contributor

Slippery Rock (14-5, 5-3 in the PSAC) was in Erie Monday to take on the Gannon Golden Knights (6-8, 4-4 in the PSAC) in doubleheader action. The Golden Knights would be looking to right their course and move back to .500, while The Rock was looking to stay hot and gain a leg up on their PSAC West competition.

Game one would take place early on the spring afternoon as Slippery Rock’s sophomore Luke Trueman would face off against Gannon’s Eric Sapp, who’d be looking to maintain a winning pitching record.

The home team would kick off the scoring by Brandon Wetherholt's solo shot over the right field wall.

Wetherholt stayed hot and would knock in another run the next time he came to the plate in the third, starting a rally that would see Gannon put up a six spot, taking a commanding 7-0 lead.

The Rock’s bats finally broke through in the top of the 4th as a Connor Hamilton single scored junior Jon Kozarian.

Slippery Rock would go on to add another run in the inning by way of Vince Donato sac fly. Starter Eric Sapp quieted The Green and White as he

would only allow two earned runs and strike out eight over his six innings of work. Sapp’s opposition, Trueman, would go on to take the loss; only two of the runs given up were earned over his three innings.

Slippery Rock would add a run on the error in the sixth putting them in striking distance, but their comeback effort would eventually fizzle out as they lost game one, 7-3.

Junior JT Wolke showed great command in three innings of relief, as he only allowed two hits and surrendered one walk.

Gannon p i t c h e r’s stonewalled Slippery Rock throughout most of the day as Sapp earned his 3rd win and Benjamin Visnesky closed out the game in the 7th.

Kozarian’s double was the only extra-base hit on the day for the Rock, he had a 3-3 performance. Connor Hamilton also had a multihit day.

Wetherholt, Seth Sanders and Luke Callahan led Gannon to victory as they all produced multiple RBIs. The Rock would send sophomore Christian Seelhorst out to the mound to face the Golden Knights’ Trey Thomas as it would look to split the day’s games.

Things got off on the right foot for SRU as it scored a pair of runs in the 3rd and 4th

innings thanks to a Kozarian double and an Eddie Morris moonshot out to right that plated two.

Gannon would come storming back in the home half of the 5th, scoring five runs from a flurry of hits capped off by a Wetherholt double that gave the Golden Knights a slim one-run lead.

The Rock would put a runner on in each of their last two atbats, but they couldn’t bring them home to tie the game, losing by a final score of 5-4.

The Rock posted ten hits on the day, with multi-hit contributions from the top of the lineup including junior Abraham Mow, Kozarian and Hamilton. Freshman Eddie Morris continues to mash at the plate as he hit his 4th home run of the season.

Seelhorst went four innings on the day, not giving up an earned run until the 5th, he struck out seven on the day.

Andy McClymonds came in relief of the starter and gave up one run over his two full innings of work.

Trey Thomas earned his first victory on the year for the Golden Knights thanks to his five innings of four-run work.

Marshall Murray would come in and earn the save.

After a two-game sweep at Gannon the previous day, Slippery Rock was hoping that a trip home would energize

HANNAH SLOPE/THE ROCKET

Senior pitcher Andrew Shivak fires a pitch from the rubber. A native of Naples, Florida, Shivak has pitched 10.1 innings this season, punching out nine batters.

them and allow them to earn the series split in Tuesday’s doubleheader.

The Rock would trot sophomore Ricky Mineo out to the mound to face off against Gannon’s Jacob Visha in game one. Mineo

was carrying an ERA hovering around 2.00 at the start of this game and would look to stay hot.

Gannon’s Kieran Gagnon would kick off what would be a back-and-forth game in the 2nd with an RBI double.

Rock shortstop Anthony Cinicola tied the game in the second and Kozarian would go on to knock him and Nick Reynosa in with a single, putting Slippery Rock up 3-1.

SEE BASEBALL PAGE C-4

Rock softball suffers another setback After losing four straight to Golden Knights, team looks ahead

By Madison Williams Senior Rocket Contributor

Following postponements, the Slippery Rock University softball team (2-12, 2-12 in the PSAC West) continued its nightmarish stretch this week, dropping all four outings of a home-andhome doubleheader series to Gannon (10-8, 9-5 in the PSAC West).

The home field advantage at the SRU Softball Complex on Saturday wasn’t enough to get the team going. In game one, the Golden Knights shut out The Rock, 5-0, before finalizing the sweep with a game two victory with a score of 3-1.

Sophomore pitcher Chloe Sharman, currently holding a 3.44 ERA, led the day, allowing two earned runs, striking out seven, and pitching in both games of the series. Freshman hurler Kelsi Anderson, with an ERA of 3.68, pitched for Slippery Rock, giving up four runs and striking out one.

As for Gannon, Kennedy DeMatteis, holding a 3.67 ERA and carrying a no-hitter into the fifth inning, was what ultimately gave way to the lead of 5-0.

Fr e s h m a n c a t c h e r Julianna Hutchinson hit her first double of the season while sophomore outfielder Anna Villies carried the team offensively with two hits and a run scored on the day.

Along with Hutchinson and Villies, sophomore infielder Erin Gardner tallied hits on the board for The Rock in the first game too. Junior Courtney Hoffman and Leah Vith, and sophomore Cami Fisk all made it to the bases off of walks but were left on, unable to be scored home.

Gannon led with an early 1-0 lead, and it remained until Mary Taliani drove in three additional runs in the fourth inning. The visitors

continued, adding another run in the sixth inning.

The game was ended when DeMatteis worked her way out of the circle in a jam with two on base in the bottom of the sixth inning, forcing three groundouts to seal it.

The second game of the doubleheader matchup ended no differently with another loss, this time 3-1.

Again, Sharman came out on the mound, but this time was relieved by freshman Claire Zimmerman. For Zimmerman, her ERA is sitting at 4.48, and the two combined for an allowed one run in game two. The pair struck out nine.

The effort of both pitchers was not enough to compete with DeMatteis who yielded only one run to round out another successful contest.

She added four strikeouts and her team fielded with consistency and effort to complete the second game win.

Villies, Vith, Fisk and Zimmerman all recorded a hit and Hoffman a walk, yet they only tallied one run on the scoreboard.

Sharman suffered the loss with two allowed runs, and one additional unearned run, on five hits and four strikeouts before Zimmerman came to her aid. Her career-high, five batters were struck out.

The Rock led the Golden Knights 1-0 off a throwing error that scored Villies early on. The lone run would be The Rock’s only between both matchups. Slippery Rock left eight runners stranded on bases over the remainder of the other six innings in game two.

Gannon would knot the game up in the second and took control by extending the lead to 3-1 by the sixth frame.

Finally, DeMatteis secured a W by retiring seven of the final eight batters within the Rock lineup.

For Gannon, Lily Gfeller had a great game offensively going 2-for-3 with an RBI double, as well as Lea

Coffman with another RBI double.

A second doubleheader was played Tuesday, as Slippery Rock traveled to the Gannon, where it was again swept.

The outcome was no different at The McConnell Family Stadium in Erie, as The Rock pinned two more losses to their record. Game one was a bit

closer with a final score of 4-2, however, the hosts overcame Slippery Rock, 6-2, in game two to complete the sweep.

Freshman infielder Mackenzie Freeman, sophomore Erin Gardner, Hutchinson and Fisk held The Rock offense together.

Freeman slammed the first home run of her collegiate

career in game one, while Hutchinson and Gardner each went 3-for-5 over the two games. Fisk added a homer, too, in the second game, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Kelsi Anderson pitched a combined 5.1 innings in relief in both doubleheaders, allowing

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL SCHNELLE

Sophomore pitcher Chloe Sharman hurls against Gannon earlier this week. Sharman holds both the team's lowest starting ERA and WHIP.

two earned hits and having six strikeouts.

In game one, Freeman cut the lead to only two runs with her home run, but that wasn’t enough to close the gap. Freeman had each of The Rock’s RBI In her third consecutive complete game, DeMatteis stayed strong for Gannon and put away the final four batters to secure the 4-2 win.

On the opposing side, Slippery Rock’s Sharman added a second loss to her record before Anderson came in to relieve her. Sharman held down the mound in her innings played, allowing 3 earned runs out of four totaled.

For Gannon, Kaity Stocker went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run while Nicole Bush, Megan Dietrick and Lily Gfeller added hits.

The three runs scored from the Golden Knights over the fourth and fifth innings forced the switch between Sharman and Anderson, who ultimately put a stop to the bats of Gannon.

SRU was able to tally two runs, but it wasn’t enough and the Gannon Knights finished out game one, 4-2.

For the second game sweep, Fisk and Gardner led the offense again for The Rock.

Zimmerman pitched for Slippery Rock, allowing six runs on six hits before Anderson came to her relief.

DeMatteis held down the circle again and had a day, going 3-for-3 with a threerun home run.

Rebecca Tatone retired 15 of the final 17 batters she took up to secure a win for the Knights.

Megan Dietrick also added a home run to the board.

Fisk, Hoffman, Gardner and Vith all led the Slippery Rock offense in game two.

The effort was destroyed when seven runners were left on base in scoring positions.

The next matchup will be against the Clarion Golden Eagles.

SPORTS Softball crawls to pedestrian start April 9, 2021

C-2

Nearing halfway mark on schedule, Rice responds to struggles

By Madison Williams Senior Rocket Contributor

The Slippery Rock University softball team has had a slow start to the season so far, with a 3-15 mark within the PSAC West. For the time being, The Rock resides in the division’s cellar, sporting what is tied with Mansfield for the league’s poorest winning percentage (.167).

Head coach Stacey Rice says that hers is a fairly young squad with a lot of talent, but it needs to click.

In the second half of the season, the team needs to “desire the need to compete more”, says Rice. Most of the losses are a combination of not batting well enough and fielding errors needing cleaned up. Other teams have strong pitching and, while Slippery Rock does too, it is still learning to be a cohesive team.

Despite the team having given up the PSAC’s fourth-least amount of hits, and its 3.81 ERA ranking within the top third of the conference, Slippery Rock trudged through a seven-game losing streak in March.

It has also been swept in all but three of its nine doubleheaders.

An obvious reason for the lack of success could be SRU’s .241 batting

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL SCHNELLE

Junior infielder Courtney Hoffman stares down her target and readies to launch the softball. In her first season playing at Slippery Rock, she has posted a .208 batting average.

average, the lowest of the 18 PSAC teams. If not for Mansfield, The Green and White’s 47 runs, 40 RBI, and three homers would also be the least in the conference.

The okay was given to the softball team to begin practicing on Feb. 1, only giving the team a short period of time to prepare

and meet the new members of the squad. The most important rule at this point is to stay the course, Rice says.

Being that the team only has two seniors, the remainder of the team consists of a bunch of mature underclassmen who are getting the chance to play. The roster added eight

new members with no fall practice, which didn’t help their cause. The main focus moving forward is the will to compete.

As for the positive mentality while the team is tallying losses on their record, it certainly isn’t easy, nor is it fun. Rice says she and the players are “staying aware, working hard at

practice, and looking forward to the big picture.”

She added that this young group has the chance to learn from this year as they have the future to look forward to.

Getting this game experience now, although not with the results they desire, is helping them grow in the long run.

“We’re going to control the controllable things,” says Rice. Most of the issues within the team are uncontrollable and fall on the unforeseen circumstances of the last year. One thing Rice is sure of with the student-athletes are the abilities to step up and perform.

“They’re capable and willing to rally around one another during this time,” she said, adding that they all want to see positive results in the scorebooks.

Ultimately, the desire to compete comes down to having grit, tenacity and aggressiveness. Rice said, “The competitive greatness throughout all seven innings and not giving up until the last out is what will set them apart.”

What’s been majorly affecting these players comes down to getting too comfortable with things.

Every cut, rep and play matters and needs to be taken at 100%.

“Once they give all that they’ve got, the game speed and results will differ,” added Rice.

So, the question remains: Who’s going to step up and bring this team together to finish out the season on a high note with more wins than losses?

The Rock will next face off on the road with Clarion, currently thirdto-last in the PSAC West.

Rock splits recent outings Lacrosse falls to Lock Haven, proceeds to stun archrival IUP

By Tyler Howe Assistant Sports Editor

The Rock (4-4, 3-4 in the PSAC) played Lock Haven (2-3, 2-3 in the PSAC) this past Saturday and dropped the contest to snap a twogame winning streak. Lock Haven won, 19-12, in a game where Slippery Rock held the lead twice.

The game looked like it was going to be a blowout, as three minutes in, The Rock went down 3-0 early in the game. The Rock looked as if they didn’t have an answer for Bald Eagles’ offense and those first three goals came in a span of only a little over 90 seconds. The Green and White were able to answer back though with two goals from Molly Buettner and a goal from Emily Benham over the next seven minutes.

The Rock took the lead for the first time after more goals from Benham and Buettner, which gave The

Rock a 5-4 lead. In the game, Slippery Rock didn’t lead by more than one goal in the game. Slippery Rock surrendered the lead after only about two minutes when Lock Haven’s Caitlin Morrow scored back-toback goals.

Slippery Rock took the lead back after goals from Buettner and Charleigh Rondeau. Lock Haven went on a 5-0 run for the final five minutes of action in the first half and that put The Rock behind for what would turn out to be the rest of the game. At the half, Slippery Rock trailed 11-7.

Things turned out to be more of the same in the second half, as Lock Haven scored two quick goals to go up 13-7. Brooke Wisniewski scored for Slippery Rock, but, after her goal, Lock Haven netted two more quickly. The Green and White went on a 3-0 run with a goal from Buettner and two from Rondeau.

However, Lock Haven matched that run with a 3-0 run of their own. The Rock scored one more goal from Camryn Whipple, but at that point the game was decided, and The Rock’s two game streak was snapped.

The Rock returned to play Tuesday at home against IUP (3-3, 3-2 in the PSAC) and the game came down to the very end. Slippery Rock played IUP earlier in the season and they dropped that game 12-8. This time around, though, the game was much different. The Crimson Hawks struck first with a goal from Kayte Zeiler seven minutes into the game. Slippery Rock went on a 3-0 run over the next seven minutes with goals from Jamie DiCarlo, Buettner and Katie Dlugosz.

“It was a really good team effort and a lot people stepped up and made plays, but, as always, there’s stuff to improve upon, but it was great to see them

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL SCHNELLE

Junior attacker Emily Benham toils toward the goal. Benham has 19 goals and 12 assists in eight games this season.

stick together and it was awesome to see them put together 60 minutes,” head coach Kelsey Van Alstyne said.

IUP answered with goals from Emily Elliott and Chantal Jiminez to tie up the game at three apiece.

Buettner, Dlugosz and

DiCarlo then helped The Rock go on another 3-0 run to bring their lead to 6-3.

SEE LACROSSE PAGE C-4

Track and field starts on high note Team opens outdoor competition with a quality performance

By Aaron Marrie Multimedia Editor

The Slippery Rock track and field season made its longawaited return Saturday as the team hosted its first meet since 2019 at the Slippery Rock William Lennox Track.

"We are getting ready to be a significant force in the PSAC Championships," head coach John Papa said.

As Papa alluded, the men and women both faired well, an impressive second meet for both teams. But Papa's staff didn't know what to expect coming into the season.

"We didn't know what we were going to find with our team," Papa said. "We have several athletes that didn't come back this semester. We had some athletes we thought we're going to have, and so did other teams, so it's a kind of a conference-wide thing."

One of the highlights came from newcomer Danielle Collier, who currently holds the best javelin throw in the nation among the women.

Collier is a graduate student who had a year of eligibility left. Collier graduated from Miami University (Ohio) last May but did not get to have

her senior season due to the pandemic.

With the strong start from Collier and the ladies, the reining Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champions are looking to get back to that spot again this season and possibly bring back another blue trophy, Papa said.

"We've pretty much been the dominant team in the conference," Papa said. "Not winning every year, but many of the years. We again, look to go there and compete for one of the top two spots."

Over on the men's side, in each of the throwing events, the men had finishers inside the top five.

In the shot put, sophomore John Eakin placed second with a career-best 15.89 meter throw. Sophomore Dylan Close also finished second in the javelin with a 56.03 meter throw.

Shippensburg University has been dominant on the men's side, winning a PSAC record 11 straight PSAC Championships. In 2019, Slippery Rock won the second day of the championships and led most of the weekend, looking to steal the title away

from Shippensburg. The Raiders ended up coming back and winning by a 31.5 margin, but coach Papa sees the team being in the same situation again this May. "We found that we are kind of right where we typically are," Papa said. "Shippensburg has been [on the men's side] the powerhouse of the conference. They're up there again and we are going to battle them for the title. But there's a really good chance we are in the top two."

Rounding out the scorers for the women, including Collier, five women finished with NCAA provisional marks and five wins.

Finishing behind Collieri in javelin was sophomore Trinity Clark, who placed second with a 44.69 meter toss. In third was freshman Skylar Sherry with a 42.47 meter throw, both good enough for the NCAA provisional mark.

Sticking to throwers, sophomore Jena Reinheimer threw the hammer 48.69 meters for the win.

Reinheimer also finished second in the discus with a 42.77 meter toss. Following Reinherimer in the hammer

was sophomore Rachel Hutchinson, who had a 47.99 meter throw. Closing out the throwers, freshman Sarah Corrie finished third in the shot put with a 12.08 meter throw.

Junior Reagan Hess recorded her career-best

"We've pretty much been the dominant team in the conference.

Not winning every year, but many of the years."

–John Papa, SRU track and field head coach

long jump with a result of 5.95 meters. This won Hess first place Saturday and also put her in fifth place overall on the national lists of long jumps this season.

After Hess was freshman Samantha Gilbert, who recorded a 5.39 meter jump.

In the high jump, sophomore Cecily Greggs won with a 1.64 meter clearance, just shy of the NCAA provisional mark.

Following Greggs in the high jump was fellow sophomore Katie Bonczyk, who finished fourth with a 1.54 meter clearance.

On the track, sophomore Lexie Firment finished second with a time of 19:41.73 in the 5,000-meter run. Freshman Thai-Lin-Perce finished in fourth in the 100-meter dash with a 12.67 time Back to throwers for the men, freshman Eric Schultz placed fifth behind Eakin in the shot put with a 14.44 meter throw. Junior Alec Morris finished with a careerbest throw in the hammer with a 55.13 meter toss, locking up fourth.

In the jumping events, freshman Bryan Dworek finished second with a 7.10

meter long jump. In the triple jump freshman, Zack Duda and junior Daron Cooper finished third and fourth respectively, Duda with 13.39 meters and Cooper with 12.18 meters.

In the pole vault, freshman Dan Hyatt and junior Ryan McQuown finished inside the top five with the clearances. Hyatt placed with a 4.36 meter clearance and McQuown finished fifth with a 3.91 meter clearance.

On the track, SRU finished in second in three events.

First in the 100 meter dash as Dworek finished in 10.82 seconds. Senior Gunner Coleman had a 57.92 second time in second place in the 400-meter hurdles. Freshman Nathan Eadie also finished the 3000 meter steeplechase in 10:36.15 to grab another second place.

Although the season is shortened, SRU still looks to be a dominant force for both the men and women come May. The team will return to action this Sunday at the Indiana University (Pa.) invite in at Indiana, the teams first meet there since April 2017.

SPORTS PSAC WEST Tennis picks up steam C-3

April 9, 2021

STANDINGS Baseball 1.

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Seton Hill Slippery Rock CAlifornia (Pa.) Pitt-Johnstown Mercyhurst Gannon Clarion Indiana (PA.)

12-0 (4-0) 14-5 (5-3) 14-6 (5-3) 9-7 (5-3) 13-7 (4-4) 6-8 (4-4) 3-10 (1-3) 1-15 (0-8)

Softball 1.

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Seton Hill California (Pa.) Gannon indiana (Pa.) Mercyhurst edinboro Clarion Pitt-Johnstown Slippery Rock

15-5 (12-2) 12-4 (12-4) 10-8 (9-5) 10-8 (9-7) 11-9 (11-9) 5-7 (5-7) 7-11 (4-8) 4-14 (4-12) 3-15 (2-14)

Team rebounds from losses against region's finest

By Brendan Howe Sports Editor

The Slipper y Rock University women’s tennis team (4-4, 2-1 in the PSAC West) swung its rackets on consecutive days this past weekend, prevailing over both West Virginia State and Edinboro, and pulling into second in division standings.

First up, on Friday night, the women hosted fellow section contender WVSU (43, 3-0 in the MEC), slotted fourth in the Atlantic Region in the most recent Oracle ITA Division II Women’s Team Rankings. In Wexford, the Yellow Jackets sought their first away victory of the season.

After the teams split the first two doubles matchups, SRU’s first-time pairing of junior Amy Varckette and freshman Gabi del Val del Toro grabbed the third flight, 7-6, and claimed the doubles point.

“It’s not a regular doubles team,” said head coach Matt Meredith, who is in his 23rd year at SRU. “It just happened to be that I had to put Gabi there […] Gabi has a knack for winning […]

She’s going to fight and do what she needs to do to get

points. And that’s what you’re seeing there.”

In solos play, sophomore Lois Page bowed to Abigail Wild in the first flight, 6-4, 6-1. The defeat was Page’s third singles loss in the last four outings. “[Page] is playing the top of the region,” Meredith said.

“Dropping those weren’t bad.

She’s just playing really good competition. She’s playing everyone’s No. 1 player, too, and she’s stepped up in that role very well this year.

The contestants shared the two following matches, as senior and 2018 PSAC Singles Champion Lacey Cohen outlasted Chante Malo prior to Varckette being bested in the sixth flight.

The tallies knotted at two each, The Rock stomped on the gas pedal. Freshman Adriana Gonzalez Sanchez and del Val del Toro pulled out victories, clinching the team victory. Combined, the Spaniard rookies had won eight consecutive singles competitions.

“They’ve been great additions to this,” Meredith said. “They’re kicking butt and taking names. Our Spanish connection is doing very well.”

Junior Olivia Warner, a one-time All-PSAC

honoree, put a bow on the 5-2 triumph with a fifthflight win. “ To s a y [ Fr i d a y’s match] was a big win is an understatement,” Meredith said. “That helped us keep our ranking […] Past history, they’ve had us the last couple of years. To get that win was huge. It helped us kind of legitimize where we were at.”

The next day, Slippery Rock trekked north to Edinboro (2-5, 1-2 in the PSAC West) and continued its roll, decisively conquering the Fighting Scots, 6-1.

“Going up to Edinboro was just icing on the cake,” Meredith said. “We just took care of business.”

Coming off of a league victory against California (Pa.) the previous Tuesday, Edinboro was overpowered from the outset. Slippery Rock’s duos ran away with each of the three doubles contests.

The experienced coupling of Varckette and junior Lauren Fadden opened competition with a firm 6-1 outdoing in the third flight.

The Rock’s top pairing of Page and Gonzalez Sanchez earned the doubles point shortly thereafter, improving to a reputable 6-2 showing for the year

so far. Freshman Lindsey Fadden and Warner, who was accompanied by her third partner in as many bouts, forced out Edinboro’s second flight team, 6-4.

SRU maintained its dominating play, taking five successive singles matchups, three of such in shutout fashion. Both Gonzalez Sanchez and del Val del Toro, on six- and four-match winning streaks, respectively, pushed their season singles marks to 6-2.

Back-to-back, Warner and Lauren Fadden blanked their opponents in the fourth and fifth flights. Varckette downed her challenger, 6-1, 6-0, in the final session of the day. Only Page’s retirement early in the singles section prevented Slippery Rock from a clean sweep.

In the thick of its season, the team has now won three consecutive matches.

“That was a big stretch of matches for us,” Meredith said. “The hardest stretch of the year, basically […] To get through that at .500 and where we should be, I’m very pleased.”

Up next on the schedule are a couple of home tilts with non-conference foes in Saint Francis, on Thursday, and West Liberty, on Saturday.

Lacrosse 1.

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Seton Hill Mercyhurst Indiana (Pa.) Slippery Rock Lock Haven Edinboro Gannon

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Indiana (Pa.) Slippery Rock edinboro Mercyhurst Seton Hill California (Pa.) Clarion

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

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

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL SCHNELLE

Junior Lauren Fadden competes at home. Fadden and doubles partner Amy Varckette have gone 4-3 this year.

Green and White ride win streak In the middle of things, team looks to finish strong

By Brendan Howe Sports Editor

“I don’t worry about record,” said six-time PSAC Coach of the Year Matt Meredith. “I worry about results at the end of the year.”

Even after commencing the season with a pair of losses in February and early March, Meredith was thankful that his team was going to be able to get back to competition.

Although the expectations for tangible hardware haven’t changed, to Meredith the appreciation for competition is visible.

“I was happy we were playing tennis,” Meredith said. “I was thrilled to death that, regardless of what happens, we were actually going to get play.”

Having emerged victorious in its last three matches, the team has climbed to second in the PSAC West standings.

This, Meredith believes, is right where the team needs to be.

After stumbling out of the gate by dropping matches four of its first five matches, Slippery Rock has rallied, putting itself in a favorable position as the season progresses. The team’s 4-4 record is misleading, Meredith says. He knows the level of competition that the team faces and the early non-division challenges pay dividends.

“I’m not looking to go out and play the simplest teams I can,” Meredith said. “That doesn’t get you anywhere.

We want to play the best competition, because it’s going to get us ready later on […] I’m not going to go out and pad my record. That’s not what we do here.”

A pair of Spanish transfers in Adriana Gonzalez Sanchez and Gabi del Val del Toro

have been instrumental, as of late.

All through last March and April, Meredith gave his pitches to prospects, hoping they’d choose to attend Slippery Rock. No easy task, said Meredith. Luckily, longdistance communication wasn’t anything new to him.

“I’m sitting around, not being able to actually go out and recruit, normally,” Meredith said. “I mean, I still do a lot of this because, [with] international kids, it’s not like I’m going across seas to do that.”

If recent play is any indicator, Gonzalez Sanchez and del Val del Toro, both second-year freshmen, have grown comfortable at the Rock. “ T h e y’r e both phenomenal,” Meredith said.

“They’re making impacts for us and they’re fitting in our system really well.”

A physics major, Gonzalez Sanchez landed in Slippery Rock after Meredith sent her a letter, letting her know what a good fit he thought she would

be. She first attended Saint Louis University, competing mainly in its top doubles flight. As a Billiken, she twice earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors.

Conversely, del Val del Toro was the one to get ahold of Meredith, after a friend of hers within the conference told her about SRU. Originally from Barcelona, she went 7-2 in singles at Coker University before the season was halted by the pandemic.

In the middle of a six-game winning streak in singles outings, Gonzalez Sanchez was named as the PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Week earlier this week.

In SRU’s last three matches, Gonzalez Sanchez went a combined 6-0 in singles and doubles bouts. She was the third Rock tennis player to be recognized with the accolade this season, joining del Val del Toro and sophomore Lois Page.

Still around is senior Lacey Cohen, who plays in matches whenever class allows. The most decorated player of the

group, with a conference singles championship and a division athlete of the year award to her name, Cohen has won three of her five singles matches this year.

“We don’t have her all the time, but we use her when we can,” Meredith said.

Fellow fourth-year players Amy Varckette and Olivia Warner have combined for victories in eight doubles bouts.

Day in and day out, Meredith said, he encourages his student-athletes to believe in their abilities.

“When you see a team start believing in [itself ], that makes it a lot of fun,” Meredith said. “That’s still viable. If you believe in your system, you believe in your teammates, and you believe in what we’re doing, you’re going to accomplish great things.”

Recent play has shown glimpses.

“That […] match against West Virginia State, that proves what we are,” Meredith said. “I hope the other teams take [our record] for granted.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL SCHNELLE

Junior Olivia Warner prepares to smack the tennis ball. Warner has 77 career wins at SRU.

SPORTS

C-4

April 9, 2021

Baseball takes two Lacrosse gets win CONTINUED FROM PAGE C-1

The Golden Knights inched closer in the 3rd as an Ian Hess double left the game at 3-2. Continuing the trend, Slippery Rock’s Mow took matters into his own hand and skied a ball over the left field wall. Gannon’s Wetherholt responded in the next half inning with a home run of his own, plating two and knotting the game up at four.

The home half of the 5th would see Kozarian single to right and bring in what would go on to be the game’s winning run as the Rock’s McClymonds remained stout in relief. Slippery Rock was halfway to their goal on the day, taking game one 5-4 over Gannon.

McClymonds earned the win for the Rock thanks to his 3 innings of shutout relief work. Mineo scattered four runs over four innings and struck out five on the day.

The bats stayed hot for Slippery Rock as they posted another double digit hit performance. Kozarian led the way again posting two

hits and three RBIs. Mow hit his third homer of the season.

Wetherhold had a 3-3 effort for Gannon that included a home run. Kieran Gagnon and Ian Hess also posted multi-hit performances.

Slippery Rock would look to sweep the day’s action as senior Andrew Shivak would take on Gannon’s Kevin Schott.

The Golden Knights would put The Rock down quickly with a pair of RBI singles in the first inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Kozarian would continue to tear the cover off the baseball by knocking a home run over the left field wall. The Rock would add a pair of runs in the 2nd inning with RBI hits from junior Joel Spishock and Kozarian.

A solo shot in the top half of the third would bring the game back to a tie at three.

After a quiet 4th inning, Kozarian would step to the plate and crush another home run, again over the left field wall. Slippery Rock’s narrow one-run lead would prove to be enough as Wolke kept the Golden Knights off of

the board over the last two innings.

The player of the game was Kozarian, as each of his three hits produced an RBI, including his two homers.

Sophmore Alex Robenolt would also go on to produce three hits for the Rock.

After a quick exit in the first from starter Andrew Shivak, Wolke came in and quieted the game down with his command, going 6.2 innings, surrendering no walks, striking out six and only allowing one earned run.

He earned his second win on the season.

Gannon’s Ian Hess provided two RBIs on his two hits, he was the only Golden Knight to have multiple hits.

Slippery Rock completed the four-game split with Gannon with each team winning their home games.

The Rock’s upcoming four-game weekend series against Seton Hill has been postponed. The team will be in action at home next Friday as they take on Clarion in a two home, two away series.

HANNAH SLOPE/THE ROCKET

Infielder Jon Kozarian celebrates with catcher Connor Hamilton. The team was hoping to prove itself against Seton Hill this weekend, but the series has been postponed.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL SCHNELLE

The team huddles together to rejoice. Four of Van Alstyne's team's last six regular season games will be at home.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE C-2

The three of them along with Benham have been lethal this season and helped The Rock offense become very dangerous. In the final three minutes of the half though, The Rock allowed two goals to make the score 6-5 at the half.

IUP opened the half with a goal to tie the game up but Rondeau swiftly gave the lead back to the green and white 19 seconds later. Buettner scored again to put the Rock up by two, but the score wouldn’t hold very long. And, before Slippery Rock knew it, the Crimson Hawks put up four unanswered and looked as if they had control of the game.

Benham scored two goals for Slippery Rock to put them in the position to win the game and the Rock delivered.

“We did such a good job in the first half stopping them defensively and they’re a very good team, so it’s okay to give up a few goals,” Van Alstyne said. “They responded really well to the timeouts and everything, and it’s a game of momentum and

runs and we just kept battling.”

With 90 seconds, The Rock had possession and

"They responded really well to the timeouts and everything [...] it's a game of momentum and runs and we just kept battling."

– Kelsey Van Alstyne, head coach, SRU women's lacrosse

went on attack, but a turnover meant that they had to make one final stop and Slippery Rock came through in crunch time and gave themselves an opportunity to win the game.

With only 13.7 seconds left, Rondeau scored the go-ahead goal and in dramatic fashion The Rock earned a walkoff win. The goal was Rondeau’s tenth of the season and she has been a key part of The Rock offense this season. With the win, The Rock got back to .500 and are now 3-4 in conference p l a y. T h e t e a m w a s down four players due to COVID-19 protocols and Van Alstyne feels that this showed what her team is made of.

“It was so much fun, it was incredible to have the ball with a minute and a half left and not be able to capitalize and then have to make another stop, but not only did we make that stop, we were able to transition and score the goal to win the game,” Van Alstyne said. “That’s what sports are all about, moments like that.”

C

VIDEO: MTS gathers virtually

At theonlinerocket.com

CAMPUS LIFE

April: Sex education and challenging bias % $ & # # ' ( # )

By Sarah Anderson Campus Life Editor

The Women's and Pride Centers are using the month of April to educate students and faculty on sex education. A very wide-ranged topic, there is a focus on anatomy, gender, masturbation and more topics that may be difficult to talk about.

Events through the month cover a wide range of topics for SRU members to get involved in, including sex education displays, religion and sexuality, environmental injustice and even more.

Kendra Claypool, a graduate assistant who works at the Women's and Pride Centers, spoke about their want for diverse conversations.

"We think it's important to showcase diverse panels and educate our students on different topics," Claypool said.

"We've just been able to see how powerful they can be on educating and opening their eyes to diversity, and we think that's really important for our students."

Discussion revolving around sex can be very uncomfortable for most people as people have different exposures to the discussion. Claypool gives advice for how to get over the hurdle of discomfort.

"You have to get uncomfortable to get comfortable," said Claypool.

This discomfort comes from people of different backgrounds and lack of exposure to diversity. Lyosha Gorshkov, assistant director of the Pride

and Women's Centers, spoke about this separation in culture.

"The problem is that people who come to campus, they don't have that background and we are trying to move towards diversity and inclusion," Gorshkov said. "Without basic education on sex and sexuality, you cannot be inclusive because you deny and suppress the very identities of others."

"Nobody's trying to provoke, we're just trying to bring more resources to everything."

– Lyosha Gorshkov, assistant director of Pride and Women's center Educating those at the level of higher education has proved to be a a challenge because of lack of education up to this point in many people's lives.

That, combining with many social issues of the time, makes sex a challenge to talk about.

Difficult doesn't mean impossible and that is why these conversations will continue at SRU. Desolina Valenti, a student worker at the Pride and Women's Centers, spoke about challenging people's mindsets towards these topics.

"If people already have a set of ideas that they believe, that can definitely be hard to change their minds and get them to even want to look into [learning] more," Valenti said. "But if you can, I think if we can even get these people to just . . . have that 'Oh!' moment, they may think 'Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I need to look at this more.'"

No one can be blamed for the way they were raised, we all have been heavily influenced by patriarchal culture. It is our own duty to challenge our beliefs and educate ourselves on these topics. SRU faculty and students have these resources to educate themselves, they just need to make that leap to learn.

Learning doesn't mean destroying the core beliefs you were raised on, but challenging those beliefs. Gorshkov touched on this by saying, "We're not trying to deconstruct and destroy. . . We're trying to balance, and we definitely respect every single person in that regard.

"Nobody's trying to provoke, we're just trying to bring more resources of everything."

Challenging your views is difficult, but not impossible.

Valenti gives a piece of advice to anyone who may want to take those steps, but doesn't know where to start.

"If people are willing to change, just go to an event you don't know what it's about.

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF KENDRA CLAYPOOL

Go to it and learn about it," Valenti said. "Go to events, expand your knowledge, and do your own research if you want to change. You have to put in the effort."

Faculty and students need to challenge how they think as the culture is very deeply rooted and it is everyone's duty to take these steps.

More education on the Pride and Women's sex education program this month can be found on CORE or their Instagrams (@sruwomenscenter and @srupridecenter).

Spring 2021 Greek Week goes on

! " # ! $ !

By Brandon Pierce Senior Rocket Contributor

Slippery Rock University's Interfraternity Council is hosting its annual Greek Week that started April 5 and ends April 10. Greek Week is a collection of different events hosted by Greek Life that aims to bring fun and also raise money for philanthropy.

This year, the theme of Greek Week was “Greekelodeon”, which is a reference to the famous television station Nickelodeon, a popular

television channel for many current SRU students when they were growing up.

Greek Week offered different events for students throughout the week. Due to the pandemic, many of these events that would normally be hosted in person had to be modified to follow COVID restrictions, or have the event hosted virtually.

Josiah Sloan, who serves as the Vice President of Recruitment and the Vice President of Special Events for the Interfraternity Council of SRU, spoke of the challenges that arose from planning all the Greek Week events.

“We had to go through a list of events that have been a part of Greek Week in previous years,” said Sloan.

“From there, we had to take out some events because of COVID. We also had to adjust some events in accordance to the student protocol that SRU put in place.”

Despite the difficulties that are present while organizing events during the pandemic, events for Greek Week were still able to be planned.

Additionally, events were organized with the help of different on-campus organizations and clubs, such as the Esports Club, PHOTO COURTESY OF KAITLYN BALDINI

Sisters in Delta Zeta gatthered together safely following COVID-19 and Slippery Rock University guidelines.

DZ, along with other members of Greek Life, have been safely participating in this week's events.

GRAPHIC BY: HANNAH SLOPE

the Intramural Team, and the faculty of the ARC. Together all the different events were organized to prioritize safety while also maintaining principles of fun and enjoyment.

Some of the events that are featured during Greek Week are the Esports tournament, a cornhole tournament, pickleball, volleyball games and swimming through the ARC. These events gave students opportunities to interact virtually and in-person.

Even though Greek Week provides opportunities for fun, the main focus of the week is to give back to the community. Just like all of the fraternities and sororities that make up the Greek Life at SRU, Greek Week is dedicated to promote philanthropy

and donating to the community.

Some of the events of Greek Week were created with those ideals in mind.

For example, one event hosted is “Canstruction.”

At this event, the different Greek chapters compete to create decorative towers made out of canned goods.

The winner will be decided by which chapter creates the biggest tower while also making it decorative. At the end, all the cans will then be donated to FeedMySheep, which is a food collection cupboard in Slippery Rock.

In addition to giving back to the community, Greek Week also provides the perfect opportunities for students to better themselves as well.

“Participating in Greek Week and in philanthropy

helps build character and develop leadership skills,” said Sloan. “It allows us to connect to oneself and molds ourselves to prepare for the real world. It can be a challenge, but it is also very fun.”

Greek Week is also an opportunity for students to build connections with members of other chapters of Greek Life, students, alumni, and different members of the community.

“This allows the campus to thrive while still giving back to the community,” said Sloan. “Greek Life is all about building connections and giving back to the community.”

Anyone who is interested in giving back to the community or philanthropy is encouraged to check out Greek Life at SRU.

CAMPUS LIFE

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April 9, 2021

Musical Theater Society hosts virtual show !

By Morgan Miller Asst. Campus Life Editor

The Music Theatre Society (MTS) is putting on a musical song cycle titled The Theory of Relativity. The cycle is written for and about college aged students and performers.

The Theory of Relativity is unique because it consists of a series of songs that are connected by themes, as compared to following a group of characters through a plot, which is normally how musicals are structured.

The general theme of the show follows what it means to be connected to other people, how they adjust and adapt to g and challenges, g change

how they evolve through relationships and different life stages.

Director of the production and president of the Music Theatre Society Laura Shope spoke on why she chose The Theory of Relativity.

“I thought when I was looking for a show to pick, I thought it was really timely with all the COVID stuff and just being in college who are handling change and connections with a big shift in our lives,” said Shope. “I saw it was written for college aged students and that it was available for online performances so that is what kind of drew me in.”

Planning the musical virtually is different than anything the music

department has done before. The cast members are currently having remote rehearsals on Zoom from their individual homes, apartments and dorms.

The cast members play the music from their end and perform to the screen and then collaborate and get feedback as they would in a normal scenario. The cast members record their performances through their phone, and then a professional editor puts all the clips together into one big show.

“I am amazed at how well we have all adapted to it because it seems like something that's so crazy,” said Shope. “It’s a lot of leadership and teaching things that we would do in person and

are easily transferable.

It’s a lot of working technology so I expected it to be more challenging, but it has actually gone smoothly so far.”

Music and production director Jermey Magnetti spoke about adapting to virtual rehearsals.

“I made a OneDrive and recorded the entire show on my piano and linked it to the rehearsal tracks so the cast could practice,” said Magnetti. “That was a real cool way for the cast to be able to practice outside of rehearsals and have ever ything there accessible to them.

Because teaching over Zoom is not easy."

Magnetti taught the music in rehearsals and gave the cast members

notes. For solo numbers he had the cast members sing to him via Zoom and provides feedback, although it is more time consuming to do it that way for the ensemble.

The Music Theatre Society accepts students of all majors and year at SRU. Students who have a passion for musical theater or are looking to get involved are welcome to join the Music Theatre Society. Senior Emily Powell spoke on her perspective since being a member of the Music Th eatre Society the past four years.

“I would say just go for it,” said Powell. “It can be really scary going into this new environment.

I know when I was a

freshman I was horrified.

It was the best decision I could have made. It’s a very tight knit group of family and you’ll make some of the best memories.”

The Theory of Relativity will be streamed at 8 p.m. on April 15, 16 and 17.

Anyone interested in the performance can purchase a ticket online.

For those who are seeking to get involved with the Musical Theatre Society, you can request to join their page on CORE and can reach out to the board members listed. At the beginning of every semester, the MTA participates in the Involvement Fair where students can learn more about the club.

GRAPHIC COURTESY OF BRANDON PIERCE

Advice I wish I knew about . . . Change

By Morgan Miller Asst. Campus Life Editor

Finding yourself through the process of college is exciting. SRU offers many resources including Success Coaches, the Office of Career and Education Development, Student Counseling Center and more that can help you

"Although change brings these unwanted feelings, it can end up being something that opens your eyes to aspects of yourself you have not thought about."

– Morgan Miller, assistant campus life editor for The Rocket

work through those changes in life.

Making the transition from high school to college can be nerve-wracking.

Change is different, and different can be scary. Pushing through the anxious feelings and understanding that change can open doors to new opportunities and personal growth is predominant.

I decided to move five hours away from home a n d a t t e n d Sl i p p e r y Rock University in 2018.

Moving five hours away and living away from my parents and family was a tough pill to swallow, but I knew deep down I needed to branch out of my comfort zone.

I initially found SRU because of the Women’s L a c ro s s e p ro g r a m . I committed to the team in 2018 and decided to study i n t e g r a t e d m a rk e t i n g communication. This was exactly how I thought my college career was going to play out and I was excited for the new opportunities.

In t h e s p r i n g o f 2019, I tore my ACL and continued to work hard post-surgery, but in February of 2020, I decided it was time to let go of lacrosse. I pushed through the next few months until COVID-19 hit and our season ended.

In March of 2020, I decided I was going to graduate a semester early, and in June of 2020, I quit the lacrosse team, and in December of 2020, I joined The Rocket.

To say 2020 was a year of changes for me is an understatement. The year of 2020 was a lifestyle change, a mindset change, a motivation change.

2020 was the year of me

deciding to choose me.

Deciding to leave lacrosse and the athlete life I had known forever was scary, but it was the best change I could have made for myself.

Now in 2021, I can say whole heartly you can never plan how your life is going to go, and that starts with college. I went into my college career thinking I knew exactly how it was going to play out. But here, three years later, it has not happened as I expected.

As you are transitioning into college, embrace the change. Although change brings these unwanted feelings, it can end up being something that opens your eyes to aspects of yourself you have not thought about.

Whether you are dealing with a change of major or field of study, struggling to find the club or organization that best suits you, or playing a sport or working a job that you truly do not feel happy in, remember that the change is happening in everyone’s lives around you.

These situations make us think of what could be, or what could have been. From experience, embrace those thoughts.

Talk about them out loud and turn those thoughts into conversations.

The support and conversations with those around you can make a huge difference. When yo u a d m i t t h a t t h e situation you are in is not best for you, and make that change, then you are opening the doors to many opportunities for you to grow.

GRAPHIC BY: RAYNI SHIRING

April 9, 2021

CAMPUS LIFE

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Harjo opens up about poetry CONTINUED FROM PAGE A-1

For the first part of the event, Harjo read her poetry and spoke on the background of the works.

She spoke of the close relationship she had with her grandfather, Henry Marcy Harjo, before reading a piece from Poet Warrior, her upcoming memoir that will be released in September 2021.

"He'll help me with words or phrases," Harjo said. "I wanted to read a little about him because I feel like I need him right now."

Harjo also read excepts from American Sunrise, a collection of poems

"One thing I love about writing poetry, I don't know where I'm going."

– Joy Harjo, U.S. Poet Laureate

published in 2019, the same year she was first appointed poet laureate.

In describing her thoughts on writing poetry, Harjo said that she doesn't know where her poems will go next.

"One thing I love about writing poetry, I don't know where I'm going," Harjo said. "I don't want to know because that's part of the journey."

O'Connor and Naviaux precedented to ask Harjo questions submitted by audience members prior to the event.

Students from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, a Historically Black College/University located in Princesse Anne, asked Harjo about how she reconciles violent histories with a sense of familiarity with her hometown of Tulsa.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre when a mob of white people killed up to 300 people in the Black community of Greenwood and left hundreds injured and/or homeless.

In response, Harjo read her poem "Somewhere," which was just published

by World Literature Today.

The poem opens with a description of "brutal winds," which was inspired by one of Harjo's memories.

"I was walking down the street, [and] it was really windy like today when it was just flowing and everything, and this woman stopped me on the

HANNAH SHUMSKY / THE ROCKET

Joy Harjo, three-term U.S. poet laureate, speaks to over 300 virtual attendees over Zoom on Tuesday evening. Zooming from her home of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harjo shared her poetry with students across the country in the virtual event sponsored by We Stand Together and hosted by Slippery Rock University.

corner," Harjo said. "She was beautiful. When I go back in my memory, she was beautiful like an African queen but she was homeless and had made her own little universe at the corner."

Another question raised was concerning the responsibility higher education and college students have in contributing to social justice. To Harjo, training everyone for leadership is key.

"I think it's important to train everyone for leadership," Harjo said.

Performing arts and people of color

By Morgan Miller Asst. Campus Life Editor

The Black Action Society and the Office of Inclusive Excellence held a panel titled “The Black Aesthetic: Performance Through a Different Lens” focused about the contributions of people of color to the performing arts.

This event was a part of the Black Action Society’s Black Arts festival. Three separate events will be held to give the SRU community an opportunity to get involved in conversations and learn about Black art.

The three panelists that spoke during the event included Cat Burton, Corey Cook and Carla Hughes. During the event, the panelists spoke on topics such as defining art, representation and the meaning behind African American art, funding related to arts, the panelists greatest successes and proudest moments, advice for upcoming artists, opportunities and forms of expression in terms of art.

Each of the panelists have a focused area of art and work with the public on expressing art in different ways.

Carla Hughes is currently the director of dance at Collegiate Academy High School in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Hughes performs for traditional theatrical plays and musicals but her primary mode of expressing art is through dance.

Cat Burton is a SRU alumni and collegiate academy. Burton was previously the facilities manager at August Wilson Art and American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh but has recently chosen to attend graduate school.

Her primary modes of art are creative direction and fashion, although she was a dancer in the past.

Corey Cook founded a non-profit music and mentoring program called Life Through Music where he teaches intercity youth how to play instruments and music production.

His preferred mode of

art is music, although he is photographer and videographer as well.

Art can be expressed through a variety of forms.

This includes visual art such as photography, videography, drawings, paintings or other types of design. Musical art includes dancing, singing, playing instruments, song writing and more. Hughes spoke on her definition of art.

“Art is a way for people to express what they are feeling, to share some of the things that motivate them that could potentially move us,” said Hughes. “I think typically art is what anyone feels defines beauty, expresses emotion and provokes thought.”

Artists face challenges when it comes to expressing their work. One way that the panelists spoke on immensely was the lack of funding as being a roadblock at times.

The panelists discussed the difficulties they have had finding and receiving grants to advance black arts.

Although there are grants that exist, it is difficult to find them. Burton created her own organization called Create Art Together (CAT), where she helps represent and uplift artists and their voices.

She helps artists with ideas, the next steps to take and funding opportunities.

She uses her organization to uplift artists and connect them with other organizations.

For those students at SRU who are up and coming in the arts, the panelists shared some advice on consistency, confidence and surrounding yourself with others who have similar goals. Cook spoke on what advice he would share to up and coming artists.

“Consistency is extremely important,” said Cook.

“Staying consistent and focused on doing the work, proving that I can do the work, showing that I could do the work and that I can do the work. As a musician or an up-andcoming musician, I would tell them to not only focus

on learning the musical part of it or whatever it is that your craft involves, but also learn the business side of it and what can help you take it to the next level.”

Burton also gave her perspective as an SRU alumni.

“When I was at Slippery Rock, I was a part of a lot of organizations and within those I was able to express myself and was able to find like-minded individuals to support me,” said Burton.

“I would just say that getting involved on campus is actually a very important part of the experience.”

Provided are websites to connect with any of the panelists or their organizations.

Corey Cook: Instagram @Mistalamont, Facebook: @ C o re y C o o k , w w w. cook-media.com, www. lightoflifepa.com Cat Burton: Instagram @Create.art.together and @cat_burton, www. createarttogether.com Carla Hughes: Facebook: @CarlaHughes, @ Lifethrudance, SheWork Dance Theatre

"I think typically art is what anyone feels defines beauty, expresses emotion and provokes thought."

– Carla Hughes. director of dance at Collegiate Academy High School

"I've come to that because I remember I would hear about leadership training, and I never thought that it pertained to me. But what would happen if everyone was trained to be a leader?"

As one of the comoderators, O'Connor said the time Harjo to consider each question struck him the most about her visit. Both O'Connor and Naviaux spoke about her reading of "Somewhere," which was unplanned prior to hearing the question about the Tulsa Massacre.

"She clearly thought about each question and took a long time to give genuine, deeply thought-out answers," O'Connor said.

"A lot of writers will give you an answer immediately, and you know, they've answered that question 50 times. In response to one of the questions that came from a student at another university, she read a new poem."

Reflecting on Harjo's visit and his own role on the We Stand Together consortium, SRU President Behre said

that events like these show the power of working across college campuses.

"By being part of this consortium, we have students who come to things from different perspectives," Behre said. "What's really nice is we get to learn from each other."

While there has been no announcement of upcoming speakers at this time, Behre said SRU and We Stand Together are both in the process of planning upcoming events for the upcoming school year.

April 9, 2021

CAMPUS LIFE Who are they: Sofaygo

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By Owen Myers Review Columnist

Sofaygo is a rapper on the rise based out of Atlanta, GA. Sofaygo i s o n e o f t h e m o re captivating of ar tists out of the new crowd

"As a growing artist, the person learns that their privacy declines at the same rate their exposure grows. So, the artist may choose to start a private Instagram account. " – Owen Myers, review columnist

that has been seen to be nearing mainstream status.

He is 19 yyears yyoungg with a p plethora of music to choose from within g p y He his discography. re c e n t l y d r o p p e d a p j project titled “After Me” that contains two gg of his biggest hits g now: “Off the right p and “Everyday”. y y Map” Both of the songs g are accompanied byy two ggreat music videos, which have p 3 million racked up views combined.

He not only has graced his e n t i c i n g f l ow s to the likes of me, but also larger artists within the same realm as h i m .

Some o f

these artists include the notorious 1 4 0 0 g a n g r a p p e r, Tr i p p i e Re d d , a n d also the pioneer of rage a u t o t u n e d music, Tr a v i s S c o t t . y Re c e n t l y, Sofaygo w a s seen on Instagram live with pp p Redd.

Trippie Before this p u b l i c

conversation, which was puppete p pp puppeteered by the well-known streaming ser vice, So SoundCloud, Trippie p pp Red had went Redd to his Instag g Instagram stories to show love lo to the youngg artist artist.

He had eeven played S o f a y g o’s m u s i c f o r his fans to hear on a different Instagram live video. In the public interview Tr i p p i e R e d d h e l d , he said tha that the fans could, if n not should, expect p a co collaboration between the two Atlanta nat natives.

Tr a v i s S c o t t , o n e o f t he bi gg gges t a r t i s t s of our generation right now w, h a s p u t Sofaygo yg on as well. At a party held by the Kardashian Kardashians, Kourtney Kardashian took to her Instagra g Instagram stor y to film a chariot next to a pool. Whose music video can be heard and seen in the backgro g background of the video you ask?

Sofa Sofaygo’s.

Who has a connection to the Kardashian family?

Tr a v i s Scott. By

these GRAPHIC BY: HANNAH SLOPE

assumption we can assume that if they have heard it, Travis Scoot has as well.

This assumption was proven to be right when later Travis Scott took to his Instagram story where he is filming his Pitbull dog, a n d e v e r - s o - s l i g h t l y, the viewer can hear Sofaygo’s music in the background.

As a growing artist, the person learns that their privacy declines at the same rate as their exposure grows. So, the ar tist may choose to start a private Instagram account.

On his private Instagram account, @ inlovewitit, Sofaygo previewed a snippet where the listener can hear a few seconds of Tr a v i s S c o t t’s v o c a l s .

The song might go on S c o t t ’s l o n g - a w a i t e d album, “Utopia,” or it might go on Sofaygo’s next project. Nobody knows.

Go check out So f a y g o n ow, b e c a u s e he has a lot of big artists giving him a push with his work.

He is bound to be something big, so be o n e o f t h e o n e s t o s a y, “ I k n e w h i m b e f o re h e w a s m a i n s t re a m ! ” Song Recommendations: “Off the Map,” “Everyday,” and “Knock Knock.”

Movie Review: Minari

By Dereck Majors Review Columnist

Every year it seems as if there is always one film that feels so small and delicate yet actually delivers a big and bold message that can change its audience’s lives.

"Minari" off ers the very best of what a fi lm can be in a world filled with blockbusters releasing every other week with huge box office returns.

Instead, Lee Isaac Chung’s film focuses on a Korean family as they attempt to make it in 1980s’ rural America.

Jacob (The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun in a career defining role) purchases a large plot of farmland and a deteriorating mobile home in Arkansas with the intent of growing and selling Korean produce.

Despite his ambition and pride, the family barely scraps by with little income beside their side job sexing chicks at a local hatchery. Before reaching her breaking point from living in isolation from the rest of the world, Jacob’s wife recruits the help of her mother, Soonja (Youn Yuh-jung in the one of the year’s best performance), who has never met her grandchildren prior to coming to America.

The story is told primarily through the eyes of the family’s youngest child, David (newcomer Alan Kim in his film debut), which helps to showcase the minute details of an immigrant family’s life in America. This is masterfully showcased in the character of Soonja, who introduces the children to many Korean customs they were not aware of as they attempt to live a “typical” American life. Yet that’s

the beauty of "Minari": There is no playbook for the “American Dream”.

And that, in a way, is where the film gets its title which is named after an edible weed primarily found and ate in Korea that dies and grows back stronger during its second season. Soonja brings this plant with her to grow on Jacob’s farm. It’s poetic in the way the audience watches the Yi family struggle to find success in their new lives, hoping to see them find their own “American Dream” eventually in their own second season.

". . . 'Minari' allows us to reflect on the simple aspects of life and appreciate all those small moments and details we typically glance over."

– Dereck Majors, review columnist for The Rocket

These successes and failures vary between family members, making each character have a unique voice. Each emotion is felt and understood because they are so naturally written by Chung.

His screenplay features various themes, such as family, faith and perseverance, that could independently be their ow n s u c c e s s f u l a n d brilliant films. And even though these various themes are vast in their subject matter, each eventually comes to a fitting climax.

The direction is partnered with some of the most gorgeous cinematography of the year. Full of wide shots that showcase the extensive farmland the family lives on and color that makes every scene pop, blinking during the film feels almost like a crime.

To top it all off, Emile Mosseri’s score provides subtle, yet moving piano ballads, violins and angelic vocals that add to the emotion of each scene.

Each track feels almost like it could be played before a church service, welcoming viewers in to be in awe of the message they are about to receive.

It’s no surprise that "Minari" managed to earn six Academy Award nominations, and it would be disappointing to see such a personal, grounded film like it walk away empty handed. In the end, awards don’t matter, but it is a gift to be able to see companies like A24 distributing films like "Minari" to a general audience. A year after the world practically paused, "Minari" allows us to reflect on the simple aspects of life and appreciate all those small moments and details we typically glance over.