9-4-2020 Digital Edition

the rocket

Friday September 4, 2020 • Volume 104, Issue Number 1 • An Independent, Student-Run Newspaper

www.theonlinerocket.com

March for racial equality

Students organize third Black Lives Matter movement protest on campus

By Nina Cipriani News Editor

In continuation of the Black Lives Matter movement protests on campus, Slippery Rock students and community members peacefully protested Thursday evening.

Protesters met at the SRU Old Thompson Field at 5:45 p.m. They marched toward the university police station and down Main Street at 6:15 p.m.

Participants marched to the Slippery Rock Memorial Park across from Dunkin’, where State Representative Candidate Kolbe Cole gave a speech. Cole spoke about racial injustices in the United States and the importance of affirmative action.

Frantzi Exantus, a senior early childhood education major and one of the students who organized the protest, said racism is still a serious problem in this country, which is why he decided to hold a third protest in Slippery Rock.

Exantus said for a while he stayed quiet on social media about instances of police brutality. The death of George Floyd changed that.

People often say it is not a problem unless you make it a problem, which is very false, said Exantus. He said just because it is not a problem to the average person does not mean it is not a problem at all.

“We can’t be called the land of the free if we aren’t all free,” Exantus said. “We don’t all get treated equally.”

Exantus emphasized that the Black Lives Matter movement is not a trend that just goes away. He said we need to stay committed and do better as a country.

Exantus said he wants others to realize that this is not a matter of politics, but rather a global issue that needs to be addressed.

“I want people to truly understand the value of someone’s life,” Exantus said.

“Just because someone didn’t comply or resisted arrest isn’t a reason to be murdered.”

Exantus said although the number of people attending the protests keeps getting smaller, the passion keeps getting bigger.

Exantus and protesters recounted the victims of police brutality throughout the protest, like Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain.

“Your life matters,” Exantus and protesters said.

“My life matters. Black lives matter. All lives need to matter. All lives can’t matter until Black lives matter.”

Protesters marched with signs that displayed different messages about their thoughts on the movement.

Signs that protesters held include messages such as “all lives can’t matter until Black lives matter,” “skin color is not a crime” and “register and vote.”

Jaeda Sasse has attended every protest in Slippery Rock since June. She carried the same sign during every protest.

“Imagine a country so racist, the people are forced to protest during a pandemic,” her sign said.

Sasse said the message stressed that Black people risk their lives every day. Now that there is a pandemic going on, everyone must risk their lives to create change, she said.

Even though she does not attend SRU anymore, Sasse said she still feels connected

JOE WELLS / THE ROCKET

Frantzi Exantus and protesters march down Main Street for racial equality during Slippery Rock's third Black Lives Matter movement protest.

to the community and wants to fight for others.

Ally O’Donnell, a sophomore park and resource management major, said she wanted to march because she believed in what the movement wanted to accomplish. She was invited by her roommate, Lauren Montgomery, who is also a sophomore at SRU. Montgomery, a political science major, learned about the protest through a Facebook group called Black Lives Matter – Slippery Rock. The group has over 600 members and posts details of upcoming protests.

It also features information to educate its members, like videos and articles about racial injustice and police brutality.

Protesters marched down Main Street and then stopped in Memorial Park for prayer and a moment of silence for lives lost to police brutality.

Cole gave a speech afterward.

Exantus said Cole attended the last protest in Slippery Rock. He liked what she had to say in support of the movement, so he invited her back to speak to the protesters.

Cole said she decided to speak at the protest because it is important to encourage young leaders to express themselves.

Cole said although she is running for state representative of District 10, that was not the purpose of her being at the protest.

“I’m here with you today

not as a candidate or potential representative, but as a sister to you all in this battle for justice and peace,” Cole said during her speech. “This doesn’t have anything to do with political party or agenda and has everything to do with a matter of our hearts.”

The Black Lives Matter movement is shaping who we are becoming, and it is important to be a part of it in any way you can, said Cole.

Cole said communication is key, especially at this time.

We need to see each other as humans and respect each other’s perspectives, she said.

To further racial equality, Cole said she wants some laws to be reformed. They leave

too much room for error and make it difficult for justice to come about, she said. She did not name any specific laws that she wanted reformed.

“How are you going to represent [the community] if you don’t know what you’re representing?” Cole said.

Cole said this reaches much farther than just Slippery Rock.

“We must combat this consistently with life, love and wisdom,” Cole said.

Cole advised protesters to continue to protest and be an active member in the community.

“This is not just a fight only for institutional reform,” Cole said. “This is a fight for the soul of America.”

Creating a new 'normal' SRU plans for classes, campus life amidst COVID-19

By Hannah Shumsky Editor-In-Chief

As SRU students prepared to resume classes, SRU administration worked to create guidelines and structures to navigate our “new normal” this fall semester.

SRU administration released its initial plans on July 15 for students to return to campus for the fall semester. While the reopening plans have been continuously opened, the guidelines outline strategies for campus life, mitigation, monitoring campus and communications.

Self-reporting and contact tracing When someone who is reporting to campus starts to experience symptoms or has a confirmed case of COVID-19, students are to contact the Student Health Center and faculty and staff members are to contact Human Resources. Those resources will instruct callers on the next steps to take, which may include testing.

When an SRU community member tests positive for COVID-19, the university performs an initial case investigation, initiating the contact tracing process. The

News

SRU's New Provost

community member would be asked questions about where they were on campus.

The university then shares this data with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

After the initial case investigation, the Pennsylvania Department of Health takes over the investigation, which includes contacting any people who were associated with the positive case.

Contact tracers will contact any close contacts and instruct those people on what next steps to take based on the specific circumstances of the association, according to Paul Novak, executive director of planning and environmental health and safety.

“They would simply follow the health department guidelines, and we would be ready to assist them in whatever way that we possibly can,” Novak said.

Trends over numbers An emergency COVID response team, comprised of Novak, Windy Stafford (director of emergency management), Provost Abbey Zink and representatives from university communications and public affairs, facilities, the President’s office, human resources and student affairs, meets daily to discuss the ongoing emergency.

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HANNAH SHUMSKY / THE ROCKET

Novak said that SRU’s mitigation strategy largely relies on trends rather than the exact number of SRU community cases. Other factors that influence the university’s plan include campus resources, employee call-off rates and absenteeism.

“All our plans, guidance, protocols, should be considered a ‘framework’ to assist the campus in mitigating the ongoing public health emergency,” Novak said in a follow-up email statement. “And as much as we would all like to, the reality is you cannot ‘script’ an emergency response. There are no protocols to follow in any given order; do step #1, go to step #2, step #3 and so on. We have to be ready to respond to the circumstances

Opinion

We're still here

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and conditions as they present themselves.”

Novak identifies this need as the reason for SRU’s partnership with Allegheny Health Network, which assists with identifying these trends.

“It’s about the trends, it’s about incident rates and infection rates or mortality rates,” Novak said. “That’s partially why we engaged the Allegheny Health Network, because to have them help us monitor these data metrics and identify trends.

We would have to look at what the incident rates are on campus in comparison to Butler County as a whole.”

Novak added that it is more likely for the campus to gradually close select buildings or services compared to a

Sports

Stuck in Rio

sudden shutdown of campus, such as what happened during March.

Isolation and quarantine procedures On SRU’s COVID case tracker website, all student, faculty and staff positive cases are listed. This number only counts cases in which the person reported to campus within the past 14 days. As of Sept. 3 at 2 p.m., 20 students have tested positive.

While SRU notified the community when the university was notified of the first positive case, they are using this website to update the number of cases.

When a student who is exhibiting symptoms and/or tests positive for COVID-19 contacts the health center, they would be asked to isolate.

However, if a student is not exhibiting symptoms but was in contact with someone who may have had COVID-19, they would be asked to quarantine. Both isolation and quarantine are a 14-day period unless a negative test result reverses the need to social distance.

Because there are fewer residents on campus, Novak says that on-campus residents are able to be isolated or quarantined in their own C-2

room since students are assigned to their own bedroom.

“If the numbers would increase to an unmanageable point, there might be a decision made to relocate all of these people to a certain point in time forward into a particular building simply for ease of management and all of that,” Novak said.

Building F, as well as North Hall and Rhoads Hall, the two traditional dorms on campus, are not housing students this semester.

For on-campus residents, food delivery will be arranged, but the Student Health Center will arrange phone calls to check on students daily. While the university does not hold as much jurisdiction for offcampus residents, telehealth is still available, but off-campus students would be responsible for their own meals and for isolating or quarantining.

Citing privacy concerns, Novak declined to state how many of the student positive cases are on-campus or offcampus residents.

SEE COVID PAGE A-2

Campus Life

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Local artist hopes to inspire

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Learn more about the Slippery Rock Concern Center

NEWS

Pandemic alters on campus living Housing, dining adapt to COVID-19 environment

By Nina Cipriani News Editor

Just like how the community has changed because of the coronavirus pandemic, SRU has undergone changes that have altered the way students live on campus.

SRU altered on-campus housing and dining for the fall 2020 semester to ensure the safety of students and faculty and to maintain social distancing.

Residents of North and Rhoads Halls were relocated to the residential suites of Building A, Building B, Watson Hall, Building D and Building E, said Director of Housing Daniel Brown in an email sent to North and Rhoads Hall residents.

SRU President William Behre made this decision to limit contact between students, as North and Rhoads Halls feature traditional halls that require students to share a bathroom with multiple other residents while the residential halls require no more than two students to share a bathroom.

Students that were moved to the residential halls received a COVID-19 Social Distance Housing Waiver to provide additional funding in order to reduce the housing price to students’ original housing rate.

The university created a residential model to put one resident in each room, rather than the residents having roommates like previous semesters.

In further efforts to maintain social distancing, students who live close enough to campus were encouraged to commute to SRU to limit the amount of on-campus housing residents.

Guests, defined as anyone that does not live in the same building or hall, are not permitted in residential halls this semester.

Every student has their own part in mitigating this virus, and it starts with wearing a mask, said Patrick Beswick, director of residence life.

“We are our siblings keeper,” he said. “If we do our part, and they do their part, we will get through this together.”

The office of residence life is hosting virtual office hours via Zoom with professional staff members to answer any questions that residents may have. These virtual office hours are available from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Monday through Friday.

As part of SRU’s reopening plan, dining options have been limited to Boozel Dining Hall, Starbucks and Umami. Boozel Express is closed this semester, but Umami is operating in the Boozel Express space.

There is a designated entrance and exit in Boozel Dining Hall, and a different entrance for Umami.

All dining options are takeout only. For Umami, students are able to order ahead or order there and eat outside or in their own residence.

Ordering ahead through the GET app has been in place for T&B Naturally, located inside the Bailey Library, and Quaker Steak and Lube for a few years now, said Christopher Cole, director of auxiliary operations and student services.

Although those venues aren’t open this semester, students are now able to order ahead for Umami at Boozel Express.

Cole said setting up a new venue for GET ordering

NINA CIPRIANI / THE ROCKET

Boozel Dining Hall has designated entrance and exit signs to further the efforts of social distancing. This allowed students to easily access dining while maintaining a distance from each other.

required them to purchase additional hardware and build the menu on the app. They are in the process of setting up the order ahead option in the GET app and are hoping to launch the feature by next week, he said.

Boozel Dining Hall food options are similar to that of previous semesters, with exceptions including some of the previous food stations

being combined. Boozel still has dining options available for students who are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-sensitive or allergic to certain foods.

To adhere to university safety precautions, all utensils and containers will be disposable, and hand sanitizers will be available to students when entering buildings.

As for the other dining locations, T&B Naturally,

Patterson Hall classes moved online SRU moves 34 classes online after potential coronavirus exposure

By Joe Wells Assistant News Editor

Slippery Rock University has moved 34 classes to online instructions Tuesday night due to a campus community member being exposed to the coronavirus.

The classes will be held online through Sept. 15 “out of an abundance of caution,” said Executive Director of Planning and Environmental Health Safety Paul Novak in an email.

Academic leadership were notified early Tuesday evening by the SRU COVID-19 Response Team.

Faculty were instructed to inform their students immediately, Novak said.

Novak clarified it was at least one community member in Patterson but could not say more due to privacy concerns. SRU defines a campus community member as either a student, faculty or staff member.

Student Health Services was contacting students who may have been exposed to the student in accordance with SRU’s Quarantine and Isolation Plan. The plan is based on Pennsylvania Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, according to Novak.

Director of Student Health and Wellness Kristina Benkeser said she

did not know how many people were contacted with regard to the Patterson Hall exposure but said Health Services had tested about 50 people since the start of the semester.

The testing done on campus is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nasal swab. Individuals experiencing symptoms are provided with the swab and a nurse observes the test via telehealth service, Benkeser said.

Some students have gone outside the university for testing, Benkeser said. She asked that students who do get tested elsewhere should still notify the SRU Health Services as they are able to provide guidance to individuals about how to best protect themselves and others.

Based on data from SRU’s Dynamic Schedule, Patterson Hall held 34 multi-modal classes which accounted for 9% of all multimodal classes this semester.

Courses held in Patterson ranged in disciplines from art to exercise rehabilitation science and recreational therapy.

The Rocket reached out to SRU chairpersons in the affected departments for further comment but have not heard back.

Speaking on behalf of SRU’s Student Government Association, Vice President of Outreach Amanda

Reilly said they had no additional comment on the COVID-19 mitigation efforts for Patterson Hall.

Reilly added, “however, we would like to remind all students that this is a result of the choices that you make while on campus and in the Slippery Rock community.”

The SRSGA urges students to continue wearing masks and avoid large campus gatherings.

Last week, the university sent out an email to students addressing off-campus events happening, along with photos and videos showing students not following social distancing guidelines or wearing masks. At the time of the email, SRU reported only three confirmed cases of COVID-19.

From Aug. 20 to Sept.

3, SRU has reported 25 confirmed student cases, according to SRU’s Campus COVID-19 Cases webpage.

No faculty or staff are listed as having tested positive.

During that same time period, Butler County has reported 60 cases, according to data from state DOH. How many of those cases are SRU students is unclear.

While cases are normally tracked by residency, college students are tracked by where they spend most of their time during the year.

Normally, this would be where the student attends college but with a majority of students taking classes

remotely this semester, they may be counted in SRU's numbers and another county's.

The Rocket has asked for a breakdown of positive cases by on and off-campus residency but was denied by the university, citing privacy concerns.

– Visit the SRU COVID-19 cases webpage for an updated number of cases

Flatz Express, located in Watson Hall; Campus Drive Grill, located outside of North Hall; Quaker Steak and Lube and Rocky’s, located in the Smith Student Center will all be closed this semester.

Other on-campus living requirements include students having to wear a face mask or covering when inside all buildings, unless in their residence hall room. SRU

provided students with SRUbranded cloth masks when they checked in during movein week.

Students should maintain at least 6 feet between them and others in hallways, common areas and all other public spaces.

Elevators and laundry rooms in residence halls should only have one person in them at any given time.

COVID response underway

CONTINUED FROM PAGE A-1 Campus life and in-person events In-person events, which are defined as events on or off campus with 11 or more people, are permitted this semester, but with restrictions.

This semester, up to 25 people are permitted for an indoor event, and up to 40 people can attend an outdoor event. Outdoor events are encouraged when possible.

According to Lauren Moran, director of the office for student engagement and leadership, said that these restrictions apply on campus and off campus when a university group is organizing the event.

“If somebody hosted an event, a student organization or department, off campus, the guidelines still apply because they’re still representing the university and we wanted to keep that mitigation effort consistent both on or off campus,” Moran said.

Moran said that there were conversations to consider allowing in-person events at all.

However, guidelines were created to allow in-person events the opportunity for people to engage in person if they wish.

“We know people are going to want to engage in person, we know that people are going to do it anyway, and so instead of putting this blanket statement of virtual, we wanted to develop ways for people to safety [meet],” Moran said. “We wanted to create opportunity for people to still engage together in person.”

Moran and Deb Schell, director of the student center

and conference services, oversee the COVID-19 In-Person Events Training events, which is required of any organization that anticipates hosting inperson events this semester. The trainings go over the guidelines for events and demonstrate how to track attendance on CORE, a requirement for in-person events this semester.

As part of the other restrictions on in-person events, face covers are required, no external guests outside the university are permitted and no food is permitted unless ordered through AVI Dining.

Some examples of in-person events so far this semester are an outdoor movie series on the quad hosted by the Student Government Association, a graba-go lunch pick-up for Honors College students and an outdoor scavenger hunt organized by the Women’s and Pride Centers.

Performing arts groups and club sports are not permitted to host any in-person activities due to the vocal projection and heavy breathing affiliated with these activities.

Groups that earn academic credit, such as the Marching Pride or similar music groups, are required to follow the guidance of the academic department.

Moran encourages groups in these categories to do virtual events if possible and offered to meet with these groups to discuss virtual alternatives, but she understands that some are disappointed by this decision.

Students can view all in-person and virtual events on CORE and can RSVP accordingly.

September 4, 2020

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Mitchell appointed to lead strategic planning effort Edinboro CDIO named special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion

By Hannah Shumsky Editor-In-Chief

Terrence Mitchell, chief diversity and inclusion officer of Edinboro University, was named a special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion effective Aug. 10.

During the early days of his appointment, he is meeting with groups across campus, including the diversity and inclusion strategic planning committee and the President’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Diversity.

Mitchell’s appointment is an example of one of the first services to be shared between Slippery Rock and Edinboro. Diversity, purchasing and grants are the pilot services in the initial collaboration with the two universities.

While Mitchell believes the shared services are practical in times of financial strain, he felt that he could help President Behre accomplish his goals in the role as his special assistant.

"I don't take jobs from using something. I want, I need to be of use, and when the president talked to me about what he wanted me to do at Slippery Rock, I felt like I could help."

– Terrence Mitchell, special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion

“I don’t take jobs from using something,” Mitchell said. “I want, I need to be of use, and when the president talked to me about what he wanted me to do at Slippery Rock, I felt like I could help.”

Mitchell will spend 65% of his time working for Edinboro and the remaining 35% working for Slippery Rock.

Mitchell considers himself a practical chief diversity officer, as his experience in various leadership positions in higher education helped him become resource oriented.

This was especially useful in his conversation with Edinboro’s president, Guiyou Huang, about the potential to work at Slippery Rock.

“We had a very short conversation, he said, ‘Terrence, we want to do this,’ and after he explained it, he said, ‘Well, I want you to talk to me about it,'” Mitchell said. “I said, ‘well, I can just do it.”

In addition to completing his Ph.D. in Administration and Leadership Studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Mitchell also served in various roles at Allegheny College for 12 years, including assistant to the president for institutional diversity. SRU will be his fourth place of higher education in western Pennsylvania.

Mitchell believes that western Pennsylvania is more diverse than people believe because of different intersections of identity.

“I think, just like any other school though, we need to appoint people to help guide the discussion and help make sure that the discussion continues,” Mitchell said.

“The diversity efforts we come up with won’t be my ideas, they’ll be the ideas of the campus and its campus community, and we’ll meet the needs of the campus community.”

Mitchell is also considering the possibility of a collaboration of students from Slippery Rock and Edinboro. For example, a discussion or other event held at Edinboro would be free for students from both universities.

“We have students who are very passionate about diversity at Slippery Rock, we have students who are very passionate about diversity at Edinboro,” Mitchell said. “Well then

Order ahead, carry out

SRU launches GET app feature for contactless pickup

By Nina Cipriani News Editor

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Terrence Mitchell is the new special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion.

let’s listen sometimes gather together to share them, to share those ideas.”

As part of his introductions to the university, Mitchell has met with groups across campus, including the diversity and inclusion strategic planning committee. Cindy LaCom, director of the gender studies program, and Lyosha Gorshkov, assistant director of the pride and women’s centers, were two people who originally met with Mitchell as part of this group.

After meeting with President Behre’s new special assistant, Lyosha sees Mitchell as a direct connection between diversity and inclusion issues and the University Cabinet.

“I think that Dr. Mitchell’s appointment would benefit the campus as he will be, by default, performing the duties of the Chief Diversity Officer that campus had lacked for the last year or more,” Gorshkov said. “It means a more systematic and institutional vision of diversity and inclusion. In my eyes Dr. Mitchell is a direct bridge between the Cabinet and the outside world – the world of students, staff and faculty who have been

working hard to combat the injustices on the campus and raise multiple issues that sometimes are dismissed or overlooked or gone unnoticed. I sincerely hope that Dr. Mitchell would be able to acknowledge all of these efforts and make sure that the Cabinet sees it as well.”

LaCom acknowledged that while they wish SRU has a chief diversity officer, they appreciate the appointment of Clitha Mason as SRU’s first Frederick Douglass Fellow. They also see an opportunity to find room for improvement by the end of the year.

“I’m also grateful to the work that the President’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Diversity has done and is continuing to do to provide resources to our campus community and to collect data,” LaCom said.

“We’ll have a clearer sense of room for improvement by year’s end, I think. The changes to SRU need to be deep, structural and ongoing.”

Editor’s note: Cindy LaCom’s and Lyosha Gorshkov’s statements were received via email due to an unforeseen illness on the reporter’s part.

SRU launched the order ahead feature on the GET app so students can carry out orders in a contactless manner.

Although students have three dining locations accessible to them this semester, this option will only be available for Umami, located in Boozel Express’s location.

Setting up a new venue for GET ordering required them to purchase additional hardware and build the menu on the app, said Christopher Cole, director of auxiliary operations and student services. He said this is why there was a delay in the launch of the feature.

Cole said they did a practice run of the feature before it was officially launched to prevent any problems from happening.

He said the soft launch was successful and the feature was ready.

To begin an order, students must login to the GET app with their SRU login. The home page features an “explore” window that lists the dining locations that are nearby.

After selecting Umami, there is a button that says “start an order.” The app will then ask when the student wants to pick up their order.

Students can then choose from Umami’s full menu.

The menu includes the prices for each item.

Students can customize their menu item’s base and sauce. Base options include steamed white rice, fried rice and lo mein. Sauce options include general tso, teriyaki and yum yum. Students also have the option to add mixed vegetables to their menu item.

There is a place at the bottom of the page where students can leave notes for the kitchen, like a possible allergy or a special instruction.

The next page displays the pickup time, the pickup address, the menu item(s), the order total and the payment method. Students have the option of paying with their student flex fund or with a credit card.

There is a designated entrance for Umami on the left side of the Boozel Dining Hall building. Students can pick up their orders through these doors.

Ordering ahead through the GET app has been in place for a few years now for T&B Naturally and Quaker Steak and Lube, said Cole.

Although these locations are not open this semester, students can now order ahead for Umami.

Boozel Dining Hall, Starbucks and Umami are the dining locations that are open this semester. T&B Naturally, Flatz Express, Campus Drive Grill, Quaker Steak and Lube and Rocky’s are closed.

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

Zink joins The Rock

SRU's new provost reflects on job transition during pandemic

By Hannah Shumsky Editor-In-Chief

When Abbey Zink and her husband John visited Slippery Rock in March during spring break, they found a house to move into when she would transition into her new job as SRU’s provost, a find that Dr. Zink considers lucky. Then colleges nationwide began to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

While visiting Pennsylvania, she was informed that she and

"We're all piloting the fall semester, and I mean that across the country."

– Abbey Zink, SRU provost and vice president for academic affairs

her husband would need to self-quarantine for 14 days once they returned to their home in Houston.

After completing her former job in Houston virtually, she then moved into her next role as SRU’s provost and vice president for academic affairs in June.

“It’s been an interesting experience to finish that job that I absolutely loved via Zoom and to start a new job that I absolutely love,” Zink said.

The former dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Sam Houston State University was ready for the next step. After serving as a dean between three colleges since August 2010 at West Connecticut State University, Texas A&M University-Kingsville and most recently Sam Houston State University, she applied for one of the highest-ranked administrative positions at SRU. As a West Virginia native who spent the last eight years in Texas, Zink said that SRU’s location and size were factors in her application to the position, which opened when Philip Way left the university last year to become president of Athens State University in Georgia.

As part of her interview

process, she presented at SRU about non-traditional students at college campuses.

Zink, whose brother attended a degree completion program himself, said that nontraditional students may be looking for different types of course offerings and course delivery methods, such as online classes.

“I think there are a lot of people out there who have 30 to 60, maybe more credits who want to finish their degrees, and how can we help them as an institution?” Zink said. “Our region needs more college-educated citizens for economic growth and for civic growth.”

Zink added that diversity and inclusion efforts were another passion of hers, as she oversaw the implementation of a “Diversity Read” program and the creation of a diversity and inclusion committee within her college at Sam Houston.

While Zink began her transition to SRU in March and started to build working relationships, one of her goals this semester is to continue working with deans and administration to work through this unprecedented semester.

“In many ways, we’re all piloting the fall semester,

and I mean that across the country,” Zink said. “We never had a semester like this. We’re going to do some things really well and there are other things we’re going to see that we need to tweak, but I’ve been so impressed so far with our faculty and with our students and the resilience of the students.”

With a bachelor’s in journalism from Marshall University and a master’s and a doctorate in English f r o m Ma r s h a l l a n d Northern Illinois University, respectively, Zink’s humanities background contributed to her former leadership roles.

However, she argues her experience in the humanities is especially important during the COVID-19 crisis.

“When I’m looking at an educational situation… I think about it from the perspective of the student, what it’s like to be a student, what it’s like to be a faculty member in that situation, what it’s like quite honestly to send your kids to university in COVID-19 [and] what it’s like to be a support staff member on campus,” Zink said. “[I] think about all those people and how we can help them support what they do, interact together in good ways that continue that sense of community.”

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Dr. Abbey Zink poses with her husband, John, and their Austrailian Shepherd, Sadie, at a Bark in the Park event in the Houston area.

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NEWS

September 4, 2020

POLICE BLOTTER August 10 – While returning from an area check on Harmony Road, a university police officer swerved to miss a deer that ran in front of the vehicle. Officer struck a rock on the side of the road causing damage to the front passenger door. Officer reported no injuries.

August 10 – Police received a complaint regarding a large hornet’s nest behind Rock Apartments. Maintenance was notified.

August 12 – Police received a call about an opossum that was still alive in a rodent trap.

Maintenance was notified.

August 13 – University police responded to ROCK Apartments for a fire alarm. Police discovered HVAC personnel accidentally set off alarm. Alarm system was reset.

August 13 – Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources arrived at the university police station to utilize Datamaster for a possible DUI. August 14 – Police received numerous panic alarm activation at various locations throughout Old Main starting around 9:24 p.m. and continuing into the following morning. Each time, officers found no one in the building and alarm system was reset. Safety was also notified.

August 16 – Officers arriving at Rock Pride Drive for parking detail discovered that traffic cones had been knocked over and one was thrown into a tree near Watson Hall. Case is under investigation.

August 16 – An officer entering University Union to secure a gate twisted his ankle on the steps at the main entrance. A medical report was taken.

stop. University police stood by while traffic stop was completed.

August 21 – Police responded to a fire alarm activation at Building E. Alarm was set off by person vaping in their room. Alarm system was reset.

August 21 – Police responded to Building E for a fire alarm. Alarm was set off by burnt food.

Alarm system was reset.

August 22 – University police received a call from the CA at Building B about an odor of marijuana coming from a dorm room. Officer on scene did not detect the odor and no one answered the door room. Case was referred to Student Standards.

August 23 – PSP requested assistance with a large gathering at University Village that was becoming unruly. A bottle struck a PSP patrol unit. University police on scene assisted with dispersing the crowd. No further action was taken by university police.

August 23 – Police received a call from an individual that their vehicle was damaged while parked on Rock Pride Drive, in front of Building A. Case is under investigation.

August 24 – Slippery Rock Borough police requested backup for a domestic dispute on West Water Street. University police arrived and stood by while individuals were interviewed. No further action was taken by university police.

August 25 – University police received a call from an individual that their friend was talking about harming themselves. Police located the friend. Person contacted Counseling Center.

August 17 – Police responded to a fire alarm activation in Building E. Alarm was set off by burnt food in toaster oven. Alarm system was reset.

August 25 – PSP requested backup with a traffic stop on Storm Harbor Road. University police assisted with watching the occupants while PSP searched the vehicle. No further action was taken by university police.

August 19 – Police responded to an intruder alarm at the Ski Lodge. Officer found no one around or inside the building. Alarm system was reset. Alarm was activated twice again approximately an hour later. No one was found around or inside the building. Alarm system was reset.

August 26 – University police received a call from the Health Center advising them an ambulance had been dispatched to Building B for a person with severe stomach pains and trouble breathing. Police arrived on scene and the individual was transported to Grove City Medical Center.

August 20 – University police received a call from an individual at the South Rock Apartments that said they were assaulted by their boyfriend. Individual was referred to Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).

August 26 – Police arrived on scene to a fire alarm at Building F. Officers on scene came upon a dorm room filled with smoke. Slippery Rock Fire Department was dispatched and determined the heating and air conditioning unit to be the cause. Maintenance was notified and responded to the scene.

August 21 – Police were dispatched to a fire alarm activation at ROCK Apartments. Officer spoke to the residents and determined alarm was set off by individual’s humidifier.

August 21 – Slippery Rock Borough police requested university police assist with a traffic

August 26 – Police were dispatched to the Fowler Building. Cleaning staff inside said the alarm was going off when they arrived. Alarm system was reset.

August 27 – University police responded to a fire alarm activation in Carruth Rizza Hall.

Alarm was set off by a custodian. Alarm system reset.

August 27 – University police assisted Slippery Rock Borough police with the Black Lives Matter protest at Memorial Park. No incidents occurred.

August 27 – Police responded to the Smith Student Center for a beam detector alarm.

Officers on scene found all windows and doors open and fire curtains deployed. Officers were able to reset the system and close all doors and windows. Reason for alarm was unknown, police notified safety.

August 28 – During patrol, a university police officer noticed all of the doors and windows open at the Smith Student Center. Alarm was activated but dispatched never received an alert. Officer reset alarm and notified safety.

Unknown reason for activation.

August 28 – Police responded to a fire alarm at the Advanced Technology building. Officer on scene found a room with smoke and maintenance personnel attempting to find the source. Cause was determined to be a hot water pump failure. Alarm system was reset.

August 28 – Police received a call from the CA for Building A for an alcohol violation in a dorm room. Officers on scene found alcohol.

Jacob Bryant, 18 was cited for underage possession of alcohol.

August 29 – Slippery Rock Borough police requested assistance with an individual breaking things outside their apartment near Back to the Vape. Officers made no contact with the individual who went back inside their apartment when officers arrived on scene.

August 29 - Police received a call from the CA for Building A for an alcohol violation in a dorm room. Officers on scene found alcohol.

Amber Demko, 19, Gina Iannozzi, 18, and Mya Stockunas, 19, were cited for underage possession of alcohol.

August 30 – Pennsylvania State Police requested assistance with a fight at The Grove.

Police checked the area but did not find anyone.

COMPILED BY JOE WELLS

NEWS

September 4, 2020

A-5

Senate elections begin next week SRSGA elections will be first for new senate structure

By Joe Wells Assistant News Editor

After postponing senate elections in March, the Slippery Rock Student Government Association (SRSGA) is set to hold elections next week.

Voting, taking place online through CORE, will begin Sept. 9 at 8 a.m. and end Sept. 11 at noon.

This will be the first elections implementing the

"Not all students are comfortable speaking up but if you are, do it. You can speak for hundreds of students."

– Amanda Reilly, SRSGA vice president of outreach

new senate structure since it was implemented in February. The new structure adds 13 senator positions and shifts focus away from the residence halls and toward the four academic colleges at SRU. Elections for two executive board positions, Speaker of the Senate and Parliamentarian, will be held at the same time.

Amanda Reilly, SRSGA vice president of outreach, said it is important that voices are heard on campus and student government is the best way to do that.

“Not all students are comfortable speaking up but if you are, do it,” Reilly said.

“You can speak for hundreds of students.”

Reilly, who previously served as a freshman senator, said the position can appear intimidating with the responsibility and time commitment involved, but those who are open and try their best will have success.

“We will make it work for you if you put your best foot forward,” Reilly said.

Compared to her time in student government in high school, Reilly said members of SRSGA are more than just a title. Members have the power and responsibility to make positive changes for the campus community and members past and present have “put their heart and soul into the campus.”

Along with weekly meetings, senators are required to sit on one of six committees.

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

With the pandemic still affecting much of the country, the SRSGA will meet virtually through Zoom this semester.

Reilly said incoming senators and their committees will be the ones to set agendas and goals for what they want to accomplish but expects in the current climate, human rights issues will be a big focus this semester.

She added that one of SRSGA’s responsibilities is understanding the best way

to format the campus for everyone. Reilly said having the senators coming from the different colleges, along with differing perspectives from freshman, graduate, veteran and international students will give the body a diverse lens to view issues in.

With most students not on campus, Reilly expects that much of the campaigning will happen through social media. While candidates are still allowed to campaign

on campus, following all university guidelines, there is no expectation they do so, Reilly said.

Elected senators will be sworn in Sept. 14 and SRSGA will have an informal meeting afterward for members to get to know one another.

Reilly said some years there is a lot of competition for positions and at other times there is only one candidate per position.

During last semester’s executive board elections, only the president position saw more than one candidate run. As of Monday, SRSGA had received three senator applications and two for Parliamentarian.

SRSGA members must be full-time students and have a GPA greater than 2.5.

Applications close at noon on Sept. 4, and students can submit their applications through CORE.

Support from a Rock Learning Now webpage launches distance SRU concern center helps students wherever they are

By Joe Wells Assistant News Editor

Whether near or far from campus this semester, students facing difficulties in their life can access a virtual support center and find the right resource.

Launched in late July, the SRU Concern Center website lets students with any problem easily find the right campus resource contact and reach out directly, said Karla Fonner, director of student support.

The Concern Center allows students to search for concerns by what they need. The website also lists alphabetically over 80 concerns students may have, from food insecurity and stress to relationship difficulties and adjusting to school.

Selecting a concern takes the student to a list of services they can contact to help resolve the matter. They may also reach out through a care referral, which is linked at the bottom of each page, Fonner said.

Once the Student Support Office receives a report, either from the student themselves or a concerned party, they reach out to the student through their SRU email and see what they can do for them.

Fonner said that choosing

– Visit the Slippery Rock Concern Center website

New resource aims to prepare students for semester

By Joe Wells Assistant News Editor

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

to seek help through the office is completely optional.

Should a student choose to engage, the office looks at all their needs to form a plan that best fits the student.

Students can meet in person at the Student Support Office in Patterson Hall, but those who cannot make it to campus are not left out.

“I can talk to you no matter where you are,” Fonner said.

In addition to email, staff can also talk with students through telephone and Zoom calls. Fonner said they are also able to communicate via text for students who may not want their roommate or parent overhearing their conversation.

The Concern Center website lists 25 SRU support services to assist students, but the Student Support Office can refer students to local services that can help as well – something students taking courses from home this semester may need.

After getting the student in touch with the resources they need, the office will follow up to make sure the student’s concerns were addressed. If something did not work, they will come up with a new plan to help, Fonner said.

The Concern Center is only a month old and getting the word out about it has been priority, Fonner said.

Despite regularly advertising the Concern Center in the SRU Campus Update email, many students are not aware of the virtual resource.

“That does not sound familiar,” said Caleb Novak, a sophomore music education and performance major when asked if he had heard of it.

Fonner said they are taking steps to inform not just the students but also those students who regularly interact with and traditionally reach out to faculty and resident life staff.

This approach may prove to be an effective step.

Olivia Black, a senior information systems major, said she was unaware of the Concern Center but whenever she faced problems and had questions, her resident advisor proved to be immensely helpful.

The Student Support Office has also incorporated the Concern Center into its Step UP! Bystander training.

Fonner said one of biggest hurdles is getting over the anxiety of reaching out to some of these services for help and that is where working with staff through the Concern Center can help.

It is important that those seeking help, Fonner said, “don’t feel like they are in it on their own.”

Editor’s note: One staff member of The Rocket is hired as a Peer2Peer support partner featured on the Rock Learning Now page. This staff member did not review this article prior to publication.

SRU’s newest resource aims to better prepare students for an unconventional semester by utilizing online resources from video streaming to live chat rooms.

Born out of a committee set up over the summer, Rock Learning Now covers what students can expect whether their courses are in-person, fully remote or somewhere in between.

While preparing faculty for online teaching they realized there were not many resources for students taking courses online, said Bradley Wilson, associate provost of academic affairs and integrated learning. What resources the university had were spread out everywhere and not easily accessible, he said.

It was important that Rock Learning Now not only provides students with the information they need day one but throughout the semester as well, Wilson said.

He added that typically students have time to figure the ins and outs of D2L and MySRU but with most courses fully remote this semester, students do not have that luxury.

Wilson said input from the student-members of the

committee was that students, when they have a question, usually reach out to their peers first. Addressing how students could do this while away from campus was a top priority.

The solution was Peer2Peer, an online chat room, where students could jump in and ask current students for advice.

If students need further help, the academic support partners can move the discussion to services like Zoom where they can screen share and walk the, through any complicated steps.

Most of the partners have experience mentoring students, Wilson said. Peer2Peer partners have assisted roughly 30 students so far.

Currently, two partners are always available six days a week. Wilson said the service will be running for the rest of the month and then they will evaluate if this is something students are using and decide to keep it running.

Knowing what they wanted the website and peer support to achieve was only half of the project – making it engaging for students, the other. That is where the student members of the committee stepped up again, Wilson said.

The six student members suggested short videos students could choose to watch based on what they were looking for. The committee produced videos introducing students to different sections of the website and searched through Google and YouTube for specific videos on topics like understanding a syllabus and note taking.

The website will evolve over

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

– Visit the Rock Learning Now webpage

time as feedback comes in from students using the resources and better information becomes available. Wilson said he would like to see more things on the page be produced by the university.

“Hopefully, we get Rocky involved and our students,” Wilson said.

While the university has been getting the word out about Rock Learning Now through email and social media blasts, some returning students have heard about it but don’t think it applies to them as they are familiar with the different portals SRU employs.

Daniel Young, a junior communications major, recalled getting an email about the website but has not checked it out yet. He said that while he is familiar with applications used in his courses, he still struggles with time management now that his classes are online.

Wilson said it is also important for students to understand that the website and Peer2Peer are not just for new students. While part of the website is about getting started, Wilson said it is also about “doing your best.”

For students who may be nervous about starting the semester, or feeling overwhelmed, Rock Learning now is a great place to find all the resources you need in one place, Wilson said.

O

OPINION

Our View

We're back, and here's why

OPINION

Volume 104, Issue Number 1

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

(724) 738-4438 (724) 738-4896 therocketnewspapersru@gmail.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Hannah Shumsky

Editor-in-Chief

Nina Cipriani

News Editor

Karl Ludwig

Sports Editor

Hope Hoehler

Campus Life Editor

Lesa Bressanelli

Copy/ Web Editor

Keegan Beard

Photo Editor

Aaron Marrie

Multimedia Editor

Joe Wells

Assistant News Editor

Brendan Howe

Assistant Sports Editor

Jack Konesky

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Sam Shiel

Assistant Copy/Web Editor

Hannah Slope

Assistant Photo Editor

Dr. Brittany Fleming

Faculty Adviser

ADVERTISING STAFF Elisabeth Hale Rayni Shiring

Advertising Manager 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

GRAPHIC BY: HANNAH SLOPE

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

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States during spring break, while most students were at home watching and waiting, The Rocket staff went into overdrive. Once in a lifetime cancellations, unparalleled local and national reactions and the opportunity to break it all to the Slippery Rock community and around the state.

We are living history in the making.

This week marks the first week that staff members of The Rocket are actively working to produce our first print issue since our campus was shut down suddenly in March.

Since March, we have published over 85 articles, videos and podcasts related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Until a few staff members moved back to the Slippery Rock area in August, all of this work was done entirely remotely.

Now, we face another set of challenges. During print weeks, we are operating with only four people allowed in our office at a time, when normally we expect closer to 10 or 11 people each night.

We chose to reduce our print circulation from 2,000 copies to 1,000 this semester, and we understand that there may be a point this semester

when we temporarily halt printing.

We had to work around different operating procedures on campus, mainly around personnel and resource availability, but we will strive to do the absolute best with what are given.

We are trying every possible way to produce these print editions because these stories are so important to our community not only today, but well into the future when these stories tell the history of SRU during the COVID-19 crisis.

At this moment in time, we don't know what this semester will hold for us. As of Sept. 3 at 4:45 p.m., 25 students have tested positive for coronavirus since Aug. 20. We have little idea how the pandemic will change between now and the end of November, and we have little idea how SRU will respond.

However, each story we publish (in our print editions and on our website) are snapshots into what SRU's story was at one point in time.

We do know that whatever happens this semester, we will cover it. Even if we can no longer access our office, we will still remotely cover SRU's stories just like The Rocket has done since 1934.

And we cannot forget more of the historical events unraveling in this given movement. The Black Lives Matter movement, SRU's gradual partnership with

Edinboro University and the 2020 election are all defining moments of this year, and it's our duty to tell SRU's stories with this historical context.

When future SRU community members find us through the SRU archives, they will see the stories of students and administration who reacted to these major local, state and national events.

And we don't take that job lightly.

Student journalists are also in positions to hold the administration and other students accountable for their actions and decisions this semester.

As the number of positive cases continues to increase and the administration announces more updates concerning SRU's response to the pandemic, we have to continue making that information known.

Per the Clery Act, SRU notified students of the first positive case on Aug. 20. Since then, the number of students and staff who tested positive have been updated on a dashboard website. There are stories to be told behind these numbers, and we look forward to telling the stories of this semester.

At the same time, as the reader of this paper, remember your own role in this pandemic. Within the first three weeks of the semester, pictures of large off-campus gatherings have surfaced on social media.

In the Quarantine

We all have a role in getting back to a "normal" life one day, but do you really want to look back at SRU's history and see yourself not being part of the solution?

"When future SRU community members find us through the SRU archives, they will see the stories of students and administration who reacted to these major local, state and national events. And we don't take that job lightly."

As Philip L. Graham, former president and publisher of The Washington Post, said, "Journalism is the first rough draft of history."

In a society in which multiple historical events are occurring simultaneously, student journalists nationwide must prevail.

And regardless of what happens this semester and beyond, we'll be here.

Question: What is your dream quarantine destination?

By: Aaron Marrie

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.

Karl Ludwig Senior Sports Editor Wexford, Pennsylvania

Hope Hoehler Senior Campus Life Editor Allison Park, Pennsylvania

Keegan Beard Senior Photo Editor Troy, Pennsylvania

“University Studios: Harry Potter Land because I'd have the whole place to myself, plus workers so I can have maximum fun.”

"A cozy cabin at the top of the mountains.”

“On the shore of a lake in the Canadian Rockies.”

September 4, 2020

OPINION

B-2

We need change The Rocket is back for fall as digital-first injustice and blatant police brutality in this country, nothing is going to change.

We, as white people, must acknowledge the privilege that we have possessed since the day we were born.

Our white skin does not mean we are exempt from struggle or hardship, but it does mean that when we are pulled over by police, we do not need to fear Karl Ludwig for our lives. Our lives are not harder than should be of the color of our Karl Ludwig is a senior because skin. sport management major With that privilege comes a platform to create change. with a communication It starts with your friends minor. He is the sports and families, holding honest discussion and asking hard editor of The Rocket questions. Having those and has served on staff conversations might not be but imagine if you for two years. You can easy, had to live your life always follow him on Twitter @ looking over your shoulder, fearing for your life. ludwigkarl8.

I don't know what to say.

I, a white 20-something who has spent his whole life living comfortably without a care in the world, cannot speak as to how Black men and women have lived their lives in fear of a corrupt system that targets and tears down individuals simply because their skin is darker than others.

This isn't about me; this really has nothing to do with me. George Floyd was murdered in cold blood, and Jacob Blake would have shared the same fate if the officer who fired seven shots into his back had achieved his goal. Countless men and women, Black men and women, have been murdered by police officers in the past few years—and beyond—to the point where Black men and women are forced to wonder if they're next. It's sick and tiring, and the fact that they're having to deal with this needs to be sick and tiring to all white people, too.

Until white people care as much about the racial

"Black Lives Matter. I hear you. I see you.

And while I might not know how or what you're feeling, I stand with you."

There are many things that people can disagree over. A healthy disagreement can even lead to productive discourse, but if there is one thing that we cannot tolerate, it's disagreements over human rights. There is absolutely zero room to disagree over the rights, freedoms and lives of Black people.

Ultimately, it falls to the younger generations—the Millenials and the Gen Zs— to enact the change that we

hope to see in the world. It falls on our shoulders, all of us, to be the change we hope to see in the world.

I hate to even bring up politics because this is not political. This is about the lives of Black men and women—sometimes even children—that have been forever silenced. However, our voices will make the greatest impact at the polls, at protests—in which we all stand together—and in our communities. So, use your voice, go out and vote and make yourself heard.

We are not born with hate in our hearts. It is a learned behavior that still, unfortunately, rears its ugly head too often in our society.

Racism is alive and well in the United States, and that too is a learned behavior.

I cannot speak as to how to feel when dealing with racism or racial profiling or police brutality, and it's not my place to presume I should tell anyone how to feel, but I will fight against the evils and horrors that racism has inflicted upon Black people in this country.

Many people, perpetuated by the national government all too often, have set this country back by emboldening the racist masses with hateful and racist rhetoric and another four years will do immeasurable damage.

We need a President who stands up for Black lives. We need change. All lives cannot and will not matter until Black lives do.

We are often told to "not see color" but that's not it. We are all different, we grow up in different places and experience different things, and that's OK. What should make America a great place, should because we are most definitely not, is how we celebrate our differences and respect and honor those differences.

Black Lives Matter. I hear you. I see you. And while I might not know how or what you're feeling, I stand with you.

further updates and changes to share.

In the short term, we are planning to print five print editions this semester. These dates are as follows:

Hannah Shumsky Hannah is a senior secondary English education major with a communication minor.

She is the editor-inchief of The Rocket.

This is her third year on staff and second year as editor-in-chief. She previously served as The Rocket's assistant news editor/SGA liaison.

Dear SRU community, My name is Hannah Shumsky, and I'm the editorin-chief of The Rocket, SRU's independent, student-run newspaper and digital news organization.

First of all, if you are new to The Rock, I want to welcome you to our campus and community. The Rocket covers the stories of Slippery Rock and its community members in our news, sports and campus life sections. No matter where you are this semester, whether you are in Slippery Rock or at your home, we are committed to informing you of SRU's happenings.

The last time I wrote to you, we were at the end of the spring semester and I provided updates on our publication plan for the fall. Now that the fall semester is here, I have

* Sept. 4 * Sept. 25 * Oct. 9 (Ode to Sports Edition) * Oct. 30 (Election Edition) * Nov. 20 These dates changed from my previous letter because of the changes to the academic calendar over the summer. The Ode to Sports edition will include historic lookbacks at sports at The Rock, and we will cover the presidential and local elections in our special edition prior to the Nov. 3 election.

Of course, we understand that our ability to print relies on student and faculty access to campus and the safety of our staff. Thus, for as long as we are able, we will continue to produce print editions.

If you will not be on campus this semester, you can view our print editions online.

The Rocket's digital editions can be found here. We will also promote these editions on our social media, so make sure to follow @SRURocket on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

No matter what happens this semester, we will maintain our status as a digital-first news organization through our website, theonlinerocket. com, and our social media accounts.

The majority of our 14 staff members are living in Slippery Rock or are commuting to campus, but a few staff members will be covering SRU happenings remotely. While this semester brings new challenges to our staff, we look forward to covering some of our

most important topics yet, including Black Lives Matter, student mental health, the coronavirus pandemic, the election and the redesign of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

"No matter what happens this semester, we will maintain our status as a digitalfirst news organization through our website, theonlinerocket. com, and our social media accounts. " And finally, if you are interested in joining our team as a contributor, email me at hms1015@sru. edu. Even if you will not physically be on campus this semester, we want to have as many different perspectives and reporters on our team as possible.

Until my next letter, I wish you all the best of luck this semester. Remember to social distance, wear your mask and check in with yourself.

We will get through this semester, regardless of the circumstances.

Best, Hannah Shumsky (@hshumsky_ed)

September 4, 2020

THE ROCKET

B-3

S

Follow along with Rocket sports At theonlinerocket.com

SPORTS

No games, no problem for SRU How Slippery Rock plans to weather a semester without fall sports

PHOTO COURTESY OF SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY / EDITED BY KARL LUDWIG

The Slippery Rock women's soccer team celebrates their 2019 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship... with the added effect of a COVID-19 masking. The SRU women's soccer team will be unable to defend their title this fall.

By Karl Ludwig Sports Editor

While many Division I athletic conferences are currently resigned to trudge through a season full of uncertainty, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, a prominent Division II athletic conference, was one of the first conferences to postpone fall sports back in July. However, with the difficult decision came the opportunity to plan for a way that those affected by the postponement would have the ability to compete for PSAC titles, national titles -- even just one last hurrah as a college athlete.

That does not mean that Slippery Rock Athletic Director Paul Lueken and the rest of the PSAC ADs did not feel confident in the plan that they had developed originally to attempt to play sports in the fall.

"We, as athletic directors of the PSAC, have been having meetings all summer," Lueken said. "We worked through a plan to come back, using social distancing and resocialization, and had a model set up with what the NCAA had initially given us."

Lueken acknowledged that Slippery Rock did not have as much time as Division I institutions in terms of a resocialization period for its student-athletes, but he felt confident that a three week period would have been sufficient in returning fall sport student-athletes to campus and getting them ready to compete in already altered seasons.

The plan was to monitor student-athletes every day, with said student-athletes filling out questionnaires and having their temperatures taken before entering any athletic facility on campus.

As a Division II university with limited resources, that was the only option realistically available this season. The opportunities for testing and getting the results back in a timely manner pale in comparison to those opportunities at Power Five universities. With how the NCAA expects schools to report tests and cases, Slippery Rock had no chance to keep up.

"Overall, with what the NCAA required in terms of overall testing, it kind of blew us out of the water," Lueken said. "[It was] disappointing because I think we worked really hard at it."

Lueken said he understands and respects the decision of university presidents to postpone the season, as some campuses more so than others would have too high of a hill to climb.

Despite two Power Five conferences having already called off their respective seasons (Big 10 and Pac-12), the Southeastern Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big-12 remain determined to continue with athletics this season. In the cases of the Big 10 and Pac-12, Lueken felt that Division I in general attempted to come back too soon.

"They had to have total control like they do... some of them feel like they have to," Lueken said. "I was at D-I before, so I get it. That's what really hurt: when D-I couldn't control it how they wanted to control it, and I'm not so sure they're not going to be able to control it, but there's going to be cases. What kind of risks do you want to take, and that's the kind of questions the presidents had to ask."

Ultimately, for the PSAC at least, that risk to studentathletes proved to be too much, along with how difficult it would have been to actively control and monitor the COVID-19 situation at the individual campus level.

"Playing football or any sport, there's a risk," Lueken said. "There's a risk you're gonna get hurt, get a concussion, get a severe injury, those risks are always there. How much more risk were you willing to take with the coronavirus?"

With the decision to postpone all athletics at Slippery Rock until the start of the next calendar year coming in the middle of July, it gave ample time for the PSAC ADs to begin working on a plan for how sports will operate in the spring. It also gave studentathletes time to adjust to a season in which they would not be competing in competition or even organized practices.

With the fall semester ending in November for Slippery Rock this year, Lueken hopes to be able to get practices and team activities for men's and women's basketball sometime in December, COVID willing, of course. That time would also be a good point for SRU to begin implementing its mitigation efforts for teams actually being on campus and competing, Lueken said.

Depending on the decision for when volleyball will

compete, Lueken was optimistic that both basketball teams and the volleyball team would be able to start in December.

The plan for the spring semester is not quite ironed out yet, with a conference-wide call yesterday to actually discuss spring schedules, but Lueken said the spring season will likely go one of two ways.

The first "thought process," as Lueken called them, both of which have been NCAA devised, would have all fall sports play 50% or less of the maximum number of allowed games, so that student-athlete would be able to maintain eligibility going into the fall of 2021.

counted as an NCAA sponsored sport.

The second thought process would, using football as an example, be a seven game schedule where every Western division opponent is played with no non-conference games.

But with a seven game season, without a real playoff for any team, those seniors who want to compete for a national title would likely have to sit out the season in order to preserve eligibility. Lueken said those players would be able to practice but unable to compete in games.

According to Lueken, as of Tuesday before the meeting, the ADs were somewhere in

"I've just finished my 26th year at Slippery Rock, starting my 27th year, and I have to tell you, this is something I never even dreamed of." – Paul Lueken, SRU director of athletics "Let's take the sport of soccer, 14 is the maximum number of games we can play this year, so if we played a seven-game schedule of soccer, all the kids that played in the spring semester wouldn't use a year of eligibility," Lueken said.

"So, if you had some senior who wanted to come back for a championship season, you could. Because there are no NCAA championships put on by the NCAA in the spring."

With the NCAA canceling all fall sport championships, there would be no national playoff hopes for teams like football or women's soccer, but since "playoff" games would not count against the official schedule, the chance for a watered-down PSAC tournament remains on the table.

The only potential drawback with the 50% or less plan would be if a team does not compete in at least 50% of the games, the sport would not be

the middle, with no path really chosen yet.

"We'll have schedules probably determined for the spring in, I think if I remember the timeline, we're going to come up for a recommendation after Wednesday's meeting for the presidents," Lueken said.

"So, by mid-Septemeber, we'll have a good idea of what we're going to try to do."

In the meantime, fall sport student-athletes will need to continue working on their conditioning and training largely without their teammates and coaches. An online semester is not exactly new either, and Lueken praised the spring sport studentathletes for their commitment in the classroom, finishing among the highest overall GPAs in school history.

"A lot of our studentathletes will look at this as a minor bump in the road," Lueken said. "Gotta stay in shape so we can stay ready to play in the spring."

Everything will be voluntary this semester, with coaches having very little 1v1 time with their athletes. However, Slippery Rock will supply its student-athletes with off-season workout programs.

With the lack of students on campus this semester, Slippery Rock has been able to give extended availability for student-athletes to train and workout on campus in some capacity.

"We've set up availability for student-athletes to use -- for example, we've set up two soccer fields already lined and two lacrosse fields already lined," Lueken said.

"So, those two teams can go out and work on their skills on their own."

Bob DiSpirito Field has also been cut in half, figuratively, with football occupying one half and field hockey the other. The track at Mihalik-Thompson Field has also been split into segments to allow studentathletes to socially distance while working out. The number of people allowed on any individual field will be limited to further promote social distancing.

There will be hour blocks at the newly finished Jerry Bejbl Weight Training Center at MihalikThompson with coaches and staff there at all times to monitor for safety purposes.

Lueken expects most student-athletes to come with a teammate or partner.

Student-athletes will sign up online for a time slot in order to be able to work out on any given day, with a coach there -- likely not their own coach -- to monitor.

Lueken said there have been a few temporary weight areas set up to allow more student-athletes to socially distance while working out.

The track team will have benches and squat racks set up near the track.

Lueken said he was very appreciative of SRU President Dr. William Behre and Chief Student Affairs Officer Dr. David Wilmes for even having the opportunity to allow student-athletes to come to campus to work out.

With the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, Lueken said it is unlikely things will go completely according to plan, but he is ready to work toward a successful fall semester.

"We'll learn as we go and make adjustments as we need to," Lueken said. "There might be time blocks throughout the day where there are studentathletes that are available and want to work out. Okay, we'll figure that out in the first couple weeks. We're not starting actual physical workouts until August 31, to let our student-athletes in the area get settled in."

After all, Lueken is fully aware of what is at stake in a few short months.

"We know that if we're going to be playing in the spring that we've got to follow the rules and not contribute to the spread of coronavirus in the Slippery Rock area," Lueken said. "So we can be ready to go in the spring."

If student-athletes, or anyone for that matter, experience symptoms or have a fever, Lueken expects them to stay at home and utilize the health center to treat themselves, whether it is COVID-19 or not.

Despite the lack of games and the uncertainty surrounding its return, life goes on. The Division II is allowing coaches to get back on the recruiting trail in September, meeting with recruits and going to high schools -- if allowed by the high school. Campus visits will be limited, but there will be a select number of students allowed to visit campus.

As has always been the case in a close-knit athletic department, Lueken said this year, more than any other, Slippery Rock is one big team. Everyone is helping in areas not traditionally expected and working hand-in-hand.

"Once we know the rules of the game, which we do, we know the expectations of the president and the university that everybody has for us, then we'll use those rules and play those games," Lueken said.

Lueken has been the AD at Slippery Rock for a long time now, and he has seen his fair share of highs and lows while in charge of the athletic department. Even he did not expect anything like a pandemic to ever impact the school like this.

"I've just finished my 26th year at Slippery Rock, starting my 27th year, and I have to tell you, this is something I never even dreamed of. I know we had pandemic plans in the past, but I didn't ever think that it would be this."

SPORTS

C-2

September 4, 2020

PSAC WEST Waiting for a chance Imaginary STANDINGS

Rock men's soccer hopes to return to the field soon KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Asst. Sports Editor

Out to eventuallyy p prove last yyear’s postseason p berth was no coincidence, rather the showcasingg of a new standard, pp p y Rock Universityy Slippery men’s soccer head coach Kevin q Wilhelm and his squad have been acclimating to unfavorable conditions.

Due to obligations g such as apartments p and the inabilityy to switch flights, g international players p y from as far as Australia and Poland began g returningg to the U.S. as earlyy as Julyy 27. One player y in p particular, Brazilian midfielder Ale Okuma, a would-be senior, is unable to return to the countryy due to a travel ban and will rey enroll in January.

Not unlike most others, j nior defender Dan Schearer, ju junior p did not a team captain, at first think that the repercussions of COVID-19 on schoolingg p and sports would last g long. g “Still, right y g now, everything p in is kind of up y the air because you don’t know how the virus is ggoingg to ggo p p going g g with people back to classes,” said Schearer, a 2019 first-team All-PSAC Western Division honoree who has appeared g in 35 games pp y in his Slippery Rock career. y y “But, everybody involved has been communicatingg to their best y and ability, I think the NCAA’s best interest is the athletes beingg p y able to play safelyy and p to keep y y everybody healthy.”

This PSAC-West standings is completely imaginary and an attempt at humor from the sports editor.

– Karl Ludwig, The Rocket sports editor

Football 1.

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Slippery Rock California (Pa.) Mercyhurst Edinboro Clarion Gannon Seton Hill Indiania (PA.)

10-0 (9-0) 7-3 (6-3) 6-4 (5-4) 6-4 (5-4) 5-5 (5-4) 4-6 (3-6) 3-7 (3-6) 1-9 (0-9)

Men's Soccer 1.

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Slippery Rock Gannon Millersville Shippensburg E. Stroudsburg Seton Hill Mercyhurst West Chester Bloomsburg Lock Haven California (Pa.) Pitt-Johnstown

By Brendan Howe

15-0 (10-0) 10-2-3 (7-1-2) 10-4-1 (7-2-1) 8-3-5 (6-2-2) 9-3-3 (5-2-3) 9-6 (6-4) 7-4-5 (4-2-4) 8-6-2 (4-4-2) 7-9-1 (4-6) 6-7-3 (3-5-2) 3-8-4 (1-8-1) 2-13 (0-10)

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Slippery Rock Bloomsburg Kutztown Seton Hill West Chester Lock Haven E. Stroudsburg Millersville gannon Indiana (Pa.) Mercyhurst Shippensburg edinboro Pitt-Johnstown Clarion Mansfield California (Pa.)

16-0 (11-0) 13-3 (12-3) 12-2-2 (11-2-2) 13-3-1 (11-3-1) 12-4-1 (11-4-1) 11-4-1 (10-4-1) 10-4-1 (10-4-1) 10-5-1 (10-4-1) 8-6-2 (7-6-2) 9-7-1 (7-7-1) 7-9-1 (5-9-1) 7-9-1 (5-9-1) 6-10 (5-10) 5-12 (4-11) 3-13-1 (2-13) 1-14 (1-14) 1-13-2 (0-13-2)

Field Hockey 1.

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Slippery Rock West Chester Shippensburg Mansfield kutztown Millersville bloomsburg mercyhurst Indiana (pa.)

E. Stroudsburg Seton Hill

14-0 (8-0) 12-2 (7-0) 12-2 (6-1) 10-3 (4-2) 8-6 (4-2) 11-4 (4-3) 7-5 (3-3) 8-5 (2-4) 4-10 (2-4) 3-11 (2-5) 0-13 (0-6)

Volleyball 1.

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Slippery Rock Gannon Edinboro mercyhurst

24-0 (14-0) 23-1 (12-1) 13-10 (6-7) 9-17 (4-9)

Players th he summer keeping up spent the

with workout programs that Wilhelm sent. Not much has changed since the players arrived back in Slippery Rock, under the ruling that all workouts and meetings are strictly voluntary “That basically means that, as a coach, you can’t really supervise anything […] or give any instruction,” Wilhelm said.

“We’re also limited, even down on the field, just one-on-one individual training, so there’s nothing we can do as a group that the university’s permitting us to do.”

The team’s first lifting session in months took place on Monday, Schearer said. He estimated that only 15 players are permitted in a group, as long as everyone is wearing masks and equipment remains sanitized.

“We do a morning checkin to see how we’re feeling and get our temperature checked,” Schearer said. “I appreciate the effort that the athletic trainers and the athletic director and the president are putting in to keep us safe, because that’s what is mostly important, obviously.

Everybody wants to get on the field and kick a ball around and be competitive, but right now we need to focus on keeping each other safe and just being patient.”

Loss of a preseason, a time in which Wilhelm said a lot of the work is done for the current year and a great deal of evaluation is done as well, has set back planning for future seasons. With nine additions to the roster, he and his staff are unable to judge how the fledgling players mesh with the returners.

“Since May […], when the NCAA put the kibosh on recruiting [by coming out] and saying this is going to be a quiet period,” Wilhelm said. “They extended that until September, so we haven’t been able to go to any events, travel to any tournaments, anything like that, to go see kids perform live.”

Also not permitted are the school’s summer and fall ID clinics, which allow Wilhelm to bring in prospective studentathletes and evaluate their skills firsthand.

Though he admits he can not be overconfident, Wilhelm said that, on paper, this year’s class of rookie players appears to be even better than the last. Schearer, having had the experience of playing alongside scorers like Alejandro Fernandez and Ramses Minaya, agrees.

“The recruiting class he brought in [last season] was just stellar,” Schearer said. “From what I’ve seen kicking the ball around with a couple of guys or seeing film, he did it again.”

As far as an office standpoint, Wilhelm said, a ton of time was spent on doing things that never came to fruition. After the PSAC tentatively whittled teams’ schedules down to 14 games for the season, Wilhelm scoured for four non-conference opponents to fill the calendar. When it was announced that playing fields would be barren this fall, he passed the time composing a team training program that was deemed useless in the first week of August.

“Each time one of these big changes happen,” Wilhelm said. “The domino effect is hours upon hours of recalculating.”

If the season is to take place this year, Wilhelm said he has heard from the NCAA that, as long as a team does not play more than 50% of its normal schedule, players will not lose a season of eligibility. As such a decision would not count scrimmages or postseason play, there has also been talk of expanding the conference’s playoff tournament to sneak some extra games.

“It probably helps the [underclassmen] out significantly,” Wilhelm said.

“For the guys that are set to graduate here coming up in May, it’s probably too late for them to change anything and it probably doesn’t make much economic sense for them either to be a full-pace student just to stay around one more semester to play a sport.”

As for what players do in their free time, the head coach will not meddle.

However, the team has been told that the university’s COVID-19 policies have become part of team rules.

“If it’s against the university policy, then it’s against our team rules and will be enforced as a team rule,” Wilhelm said.

“We reinforce the ideas that putting yourself in situations like that can be dangerous not only to you, but to the person standing next to you.”

From a player standpoint, Schearer made it known that he and other team leaders discourage anything that could end up further pushing back the season.

“Ultimately, we want to play,” Schearer said.

“You don’t want to be the one contributing to reasons why we have to wait longer and longer and longer […] The self-discipline that goes into this fall is going to determine who wins the PSAC next spring.”

Stuck in Brazil

Okuma unable to return to SRU due to COVID

By Brendan Howe Asst. Sports Editor

A competent reserve midfielder last fall, Ale Okuma would appear to have gone from a helpful newcomer to Slippery Rock University’s men’s soccer team a year ago to not even being slotted on the squad’s roster. For the time being, anyways, Okuma is not even enrolled as a student at the school.

Due to a travel ban amid COVID-19 concerns, Okuma is, at the moment, not permitted to return to the United States.

Rather, he remains at home in Brazil’s most populated city, Sao Paulo, unable to work out at the gym or dine at the steakhouses he misses while nearly 5,000 miles away in rural Pennsylvania.

After playing at Louisiana College for two years, Okuma grew unhappy with his previous school’s academics and soccer team in general. He set his sights northeast, away from the bayou’s heat and humidity. After sending a tape and receiving interest from head coach Kevin Wilhelm and assistant Steven Rerick, Okuma arrived in Slippery Rock as a transfer. “[Rerick] called me one day to talk to me about how the program was and about how they were [transitioning] from another coach,” Okuma said. “That they were starting the program again, I was kind of excited to see how it was building up a program.”

mittedly, y he was anxious Admittedly, ot having teammates of about not n origin. g Brazilian “At myy other school, I mmates had teammates

f r o m Br a z i l ,” y Okumaa said. “So whenever you ecure about stuff, yyou feel insecure ur friends from a same have your countryy and yyou can talk about en I found out nobodyy it. When m Brazil and none of was from hman were from Brazil, the freshman eryy nervous.”

I was very On the field, at least, he becamee comfortable not er. In his first season far after. sportingg a ggreen and white kit, p y in 13 games, g Okumaa played g He notched startingg eight. ists within his first three two assists ances for The Rock. appearances p g break Fast forward to spring rip p to Florida, Okuma and a trip g about started to hear rumblings ious the ramifications of how serious us could be. Soon after, the virus g beginning g g to be with flights ed, he grabbed g cancelled, the first cket possible. p plane ticket hought] g it’s better to be “[I thought] at homee and safe than here [in Slipperyy Rock], because I didn’t p to stay know iff I’d have a place pus,” Okuma said. p on campus,” he school yyear neared, As the Okumaa read up on the rumor vel ban. of a travel aid that Brazilians and “It said ners that have been foreigners zil 14 days y prior p to in Brazil arrivingg in the U.S., that theyy g g to be allowed weren’t going ter America],” said [to enter

Okuma. “I didn’t really know what to do, to be

honest.”

When it became a p y he even real possibility, considered travelingg to y such another country, as Mexico, and enteringg the U.S. from there. He g it after decided against g g the risks of ggoing weighing g immigration. g through g Livingg through a shut-down in Sao Paulo, Okuma said, is full of risks, such p as takingg public p transportation like the subwayy or bus g somewhere in to go y To pass p the the city. time, he has focused p g his on improving p g p y skills, a photography hobbyy he discovered near the start of the p With pandemic. gy open, p no gyms he has g set built his own weight gg with cement and jjogged p on a treadmill to keep p He aims to in shape. p y q and build his physique g g to keep p gain weight up with the physical PSAC. y g ggoes to If everything p p plan, Okuma plans on y in re-enrollingg in January, g time to join j enough his teammates for the spring season.

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

September 4, 2020

SPORTS

C-3

Rock football tackles COVID The defending PSAC champs are sticking together during time off

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Last season's Rock football senior class links arms and marches across the field during a Senior Day event against California University (Pa.). Rock football has their 2020 season postponed until at least the end of the calendar year.

By Karl Ludwig Sports Editor

Ring ring, ring ring, ring ring. "Hey, it's coach Lutz!

How are you doing today?"

What follows might be a little bit of small talk, maybe a bit of motivation. But above all else, just keeping in touch, sticking together even when it is not physically possible.

There are nearly 100 young men on the Slippery Rock football team, and head coach Shawn Lutz loves them all.

Lutz said it's been countless chatting hours on the phone or video calling through Zoom to keep in touch with his team since live meetings still are not allowed. Even though roughly 75% of the team remains reasonably close to Slippery Rock, all workouts are voluntary and strictly socially distanced.

It is an unfortunate twist in a cruel year of absolute uncertainty -- being unable to compete on the gridiron this semester and foster those bonds between teammates that have been strengthened by back-to-back national playoff runs.

Despite being unable to be together as a team, the mantra remains the same: be relentless or be forgotten.

"Our motto right now is we're going to have that relentless attitude," Lutz said through a phone call Friday.

"We're going to control what we can control and be positive. It's a stressful time, something got taken away from us, everybody, but all we can do is really do a good job of being there for our guys with anxiety, depression and really our main emphasis is staying with them, contacting them all the time."

While Slippery Rock is unable to defend its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title in 2020, and cherished rivalry games against Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.) will not be played, there are a couple of opponents to tackle this semester: complacency and hard work in and out of the classroom.

After an excellent spring semester in which Rock football produced 22 PSAC Scholar-Athletes, Lutz said the biggest focus this semester

will be keeping the nose to the grindstone in the classroom.

"It's a different type of learning, most of our guys are online, not much face-to-face right now," Lutz said. "We're just going to have a lot of Zoom, individual meetings and team meetings."

So, aside from hitting the books and working for a new program record for team GPA, Rock football will be tasked with working out on its own this year. Well, maybe not entirely alone. Voluntary workouts start on Monday after all.

"Some strength and conditioning to get those guys going in the right direction that way," Lutz said. "We're just going to control what we can control. We're going to be ready to defend that title like you've never seen before."

It might not be a team-led practice, but it allows for the familiarity of training in the same location as prior seasons while also allowing teammates to workout together -- in small numbers while maintaining social distancing.

According to Lutz, the foundation is set. Now Rock

football needs to not let the negativity around the situation -- not having a season mainly -- affect its hunger and drive for excellence.

"You can be disappointed and upset, but don't let COVID beat you," Lutz said.

"Don't let the circumstances right now bring you down.

Everybody faces adversity in their lives and we're facing something big, but let's build on this and make us even stronger."

Lutz said the time to control the controllable is now. Rock football understands why the season is not happening, with other major conferences dropping, the writing has been on the wall for some time.

The ones may appear to be on the student-athletes to get better during this time away from the game, but Lutz stressed that this a time where the coaches, himself included, can use this time to better themselves.

"Let the opponent be down in the dumps," Lutz said.

"Maybe not train as hard. [We can still win] right now, you can win in the classroom, you

can win with your mentality and you can win getting bigger, faster, stronger on your own."

While Lutz and Rock football did not have much say on whether athletics took place in the fall, none at all, in fact, that has not changed Lutz's hopes for this semester.

As is the case for most Division II football players, football is but a continuation of a childhood dream. It is not the platform that many would hope, however, playing Division II football usually leads to a degree.

"As much as they love that game of football, it's going to end someday," Lutz said. "But your degree, your graduation, your career path does not."

Regardless of how this semester, in terms of studentathletes continuing on the field, Lutz hopes and will give the opportunity to all his current players to return to the team. He knows that each student-athlete has a different path, a different set of circumstances -- whether that's finances, jobs, etc. -but he hopes to welcome his current team back.

"If they do all come back, I won't have much of a freshman recruiting class, but that's okay," Lutz laughed.

"If Jermaine Wynn, Henry Litwin, Chad Kuhn and some of those guys come back, definitely we'll take them over incoming freshmen."

Continuing a trend of positivity, Lutz emphasized how building the team culture has provided success and continuity. According to Lutz, that culture is built so strongly because of the trust that has been fostered. None of that would be possible without constant positivity.

That is not being stopped

by COVID. If games against IUP, Kutztown and Notre Dame (Oh.) last season are any indication, Slippery Rock is going to fight until the end.

"It will eventually be over," Lutz said. "Don't let it be a completely bad memory where it got the best out of you. Get the best out of it, learn from this, learn how to be mentally tough and disciplined, make it a positive instead of a negative."

Learning to deal with distance How Rock tennis plans to attack the fall season with so many overseas

By Tyler Howe Senior Rocket Contributor

Friday, March 13, also known as “The Day the Sports World Stopped”, Slippery Rock's women's tennis team had its last match for the foreseeable future.

Since that fateful day, there have been no Slippery Rock athletic teams or Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) athletic teams to take the field or the court. And as COVID-19 crept its way into the fall, it became apparent that fall sports would be postponed or cancelled altogether.

Now while the world is in the midst of one of the oddest times in the past century, Rock women’s tennis team and coach Matt Meredith are looking towards the future. The team will surely feel the losses of Viola Lugmayr and Pia Bruckmayer, but some good news is Lacey Cohen may still return. The team will also add two transfers and one freshman.

“My incoming freshman is from England; she is the first one we signed last year in February before the virus made everything go crazy," Meredith said. "She’s currently in England still doing her classes, and she is a very nice player to say the least."

That incoming freshman is Regi Ristic-North, and she will be the second player on The Rock tennis team from England, joining sophomore standout Lois Page.The transfers coming in are also from Europe, as both come from Spain. Gabi del Val del Toro comes from Barcelona, Spain and transferred from Coker University, and Adriana Gonzalez Sanchez comes from Moralzarzal, Spain and transferred from Division I Saint Louis University. “[del Val del Toro] played [as the] three [seed] and probably should’ve played higher on her school lineup," Meredith said.

"She has first year experience and is looking for a bigger

school which we can offer her.

I’m expecting her to make a big impact."

Before her season was cancelled, del Val del Toro had a record of 7-2 in singles (6-2 in the third flight) and also played for Coker’s number one double team. Gonzalez Sanchez also put up impressive numbers, compiling a 10-7 record competing out of Saint Louis’ first flight for doubles and went 7-11 in singles competing out of the fourth and fifth flight.

Gonzalez Sanchez was also named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice before the season was called off.

"We stay in touch using Zoom and WhatsApp and we make sure that everyone is staying on pace with school and their training."

– Matt Meredith, SRU tennis coach “Adriana has some D1 experience and she was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week multiple times last season, so we’re looking for her to come in and make a big impact also,” Meredith said. “All these women are good students too, so I’m very pleased at the direction we’re going in.”

The incoming freshman and transfers are still in their countries

and have not been able to come to Slippery Rock yet, but Meredith makes sure to keep in touch with all the players.

“We have a weekly Zoom meeting with the team, and that’s the normal for now," Meredith said. "We stay in touch using Zoom and WhatsApp and we make sure that everyone is staying on pace with school and their training. The only other normal is [that] things change and I’ve learned that, so we’ve learned to adapt, and we’ll do that until we can have everyone back."

Along with those coming in, the team will return five players, and Coach Meredith expects big things from all of them. Of the five, three of them are juniors. Olivia Warner returns and has records of 32-30 in singles and 39-24 in doubles, Lauren Fadden returns with a 46-25 record in singles and 36-33 in doubles and Amy Varckette returns with a 27-9 record in singles and 24-18 record in doubles.

Page will also be back and is arguably the most decorated of any player returning. Page has 72 wins her career and was named an ITA All-American in the 2019-2020 season after winning the 20192020 ITA Atlantic Region doubles and PSAC doubles with Lugmayr. Finally, Lindsey Fadden will also return and look to continue developing after her first season was cut short, and at the time the season was cancelled, Fadden had won four straight singles matches.

“I can’t wait [to be back]; I’m looking so forward to building another winning team and I think I’ve recruited some solid kids and with what we have returning, we could another good season,” Meredith said. “We’re looking to compete.

PARIS MALONE / THE ROCKET

Junior Olivia Warner serves a ball during the fall 2018-19 semester. Warner is one of five returners on Rock tennis.

SPORTS

September 4, 2020

C-4

Heistand introduced as coach Rock field hockey names 13th coach in team history

By Karl Ludwig Sports Editor

In a time in which faceto-face interaction has been virtually eliminated, for the time being, Slippery Rock University has used Zoom to iron out a rather important decision.

Slippery Rock has hired former Miami (Oh.) University assistant Rayell Heistand as the 13th field hockey head coach in program history.

"Everyone knows you get the best feelings for the best interpretations when you're face-to-face," Heistand said.

"So having a big meeting like that over Zoom is not ideal, but I think it went really well."

Heistand, a former AllAmerican at the University of Connecticut and a member of the United States national field hockey team, will take over for incumbent Julie Swiney on June 1.

"We're really excited about having her," Slippery Rock Director of Athletics Paul Lueken said. "We've heard some really great things from her, and I know she's excited about being here."

After serving the past five seasons as an assistant coach at Miami (Oh.), earning a Masters in Sport Leadership in 2019 from Miami (Oh.), Heistand will come to Slippery Rock with the expectation of simply being ready for the fall semester in 2020. "[I hope we can] be ready to go for the first day of preseason, mentally and physically, to hit the ground running," Heistand said. "But also know that there are things that we cannot control. Take this time to prepare yourself for preseason."

Heistand spent four seasons playing at UCONN, from 2008-11, and was named to two All-American teams after totaling 30 points (12 goals, six assists) as a defenseman during her 87 starts with the Huskies.

With four NCAA tournament appearances and three Big East tournament victories, He i s t a n d h a s s e e n collegiate success, but with nine national team appearances for the United States Women's National Field Hockey Team between 2013-15, she is also experienced the

highest level of field hockey possible.

"I've been to a number of places, and I think that there's a lot that I've learned from each place," Heistand said. "I think each place has definitely shaped me into the person and coach that I am now. There are definitely different aspects that you can bring. You can learn what you like and don't like."

After her time at UCONN, Heistand helped lead Lafayette College to an NCAA tournament berth before returning to the field as a player for the USWNT from 2013-15. Following her stint with the national team, Heistand returned to coaching as an assistant at Miami (Oh.) and spent the past five years there.

Miami (Oh.) dominated the Mid-American Conference during Heistand's tenure with the RedHawks, winning three consecutive regular-season and conference titles from 2017-19. In 2017, she helped lead Miami (Oh.) to its first-ever NCAA tournament victory.

Having played and coached at the Division I and the national team level, Lueken said he valued

Heistand's ability to know and find the players that can help Slippery Rock win more games.

"She obviously knows the game," Lueken said.

"She was a great player -- she played on the world national team, AllAmerican at UCONN. She certainly understands the level of players we need to recruit to get better on the field."

With those connections built from her time with the USWNT and her stints in Division I, Heistand said she will look to expand her search for potential student-athletes.

"Definitely looking at the east coast because that's the hotbed if you want to call it," Heistand said. "Also, I've created relationships with people in Lousiville, and I have great contacts with people there."

Having been in Ohio the past five years, Heistand has built connections in the area, pointing to the Midwest as a place to emphasize recruiting as well. "Our situation is in a great place for getting both sides," Heistand said.

If the situation and fit are right for bringing in international student-

athletes, Heistand said she would love to bring one or two students in.

"It gives the students kind of a different cultural aspect to it because field hockey is played differently in each individual country," Heistand said. "You can see the different playing styles."

Lueken joked that while the international opportunities may be limited to Canadians right now, it is a solid start.

Since interaction with the team in a face-to-face capacity is impossible, the suspension of the spring athletic season has been a challenge for everyone.

"I would say it's interesting because everybody is experiencing new things right now, and this is just another new thing to pile on top of that," Heistand said. "They knew Julie was leaving, but they also just found the whole spring semester was changed. And on top of that, it was like, 'hey, here's your new coach!'"

While Heistand does not want to overwhelm her new team with a bombardment of emails, texts, calls, etc., she has made it a priority to start to get to know everyone -- returners and incoming freshmen.

"We were able to get one full Zoom meeting in, per NCAA rules," Heistand said. "I was also able to meet with each player individually and the incoming class as well. I've talked to some people on the phone about things but there's only so much you can do. Because of when the announcement was, I only had a week with the team."

For now, Heistand said she has stressed to the team to follow the summer training packets but to not put themselves into harm's way as gyms and facilities are still closed.

Assistant coach Missy Revesz will be returning to the staff in the fall, Lueken said.

And having already moved into a new home together, Heistand's boyfriend Collin will be along for support, too.

"He's pretty important to me," Heistand laughed. "It's pretty exciting that I'm so well supported at home. Not just from him but from both of our families."

The field hockey season is scheduled to begin on Sept. 3 against Seton Hill, but that is subject to change as Slippery Rock has not announced whether students will return to campus in the fall yet.

C

PSA Supports Mental Health At theonlinerocket.com

CAMPUS LIFE

Development and Opportunity The Black Male Initiative, a program in its second year, allows Black students to flourish

GRAPHIC BY: HANNAH SLOPE

By Sarah Anderson Junior Rocket Contributor

On Sept. 1, the Office for Inclusive Excellence (OIE) held the first Black Male Initiative meeting of the year.

The Black Male Initiative Program allows students to have networking opportunities, faculty and staff mentorship, peer to peer connections, and learning life skills from professors.

The program has been running for two years,

with a gradual increase in participation each year. Kemoni Farmer, the multicultural development graduate assisstant, Corrine Gibson, the director of the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and Keisha Booker, the assistant director of the Office for Inclusive Excellence, all worked hard to orchestrate the event.

The program's message, according to Booker, is to “encourage holistic development for our students, where they can excel and flourish with people who are their own.”

Through the fall "For our black semester, the Black Male Initiative program will host students, we an etiquette dinner, game nights and a masterclass need more black series that occurs every two weeks. During this professors." class, a different professor will choose important life lessons that are applicable – Dr. Franklyn to life as young Black men.

Alexander Ufelle, a Charles, professor in the public health and social work communication department, said during professor the opening event for the program that Slippery Rock has been opening Ufelle told an anecdote up opportunities for Black of when he came to the students to go far. states from Nigeria to get

his PhD about having little to no support until he found Black mentors that were able to drive him to his success. He is hoping through this program that the same can happen for SRU’s Black students.

Fr a n k l y n C h a r l e s , a p ro f e s s o r i n t h e communication department, made a point of saying, “for our black students, we need more black professors. . . If you need someone to vibe with, after COVID my doors are always open.

Until then, I will always

be open for meeting over Zoom.”

There is a crucial need for Black students to feel supported and able to connect with professors who are able to relate to them.

This is one of the main focal points of the Black Male Initiative program offered by the Office for Inclusive Excellence.

For questions on how to get involved with the Black Male Initiative program, contact the Office for Inclusive Excellence (oie@sru.edu) or contact Booker (keisha. booker@sru.edu).

A climate change conversation Panelists and the Slippery Rock community gathers to discuss solutions and change

HOPE HOEHLER / THE ROCKET

Panelists and members of the Slippery Rock commuinity engage in a monthly climate conversation over Zoom. The conversation consisted of various topics surrounding carbon emissions, agriculture and more.

By Hope Hoehler Campus Life Editor

Climate Conversations, sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, held their first meeting to engage the campus community in a conversation related to global climate change.

Included in this conversation were ways to bring about change for a more sustainable society, including presubmitted and live questions.

The Climate Conversations, hosted by Paul Scanlon, the director of sustainability, and Julie Snow, a professor or geography, geology and

environment, were on a panel with other noteworthy panelists.

"The idea came to me that this pandemic has really changed behaviors, not just for the university but for the whole world," Scanlon said.

Also included in the discussion were Larry Schweiger, the former president and CEO of the National Wildlife Fe d e r a t i o n ; Becky Lubold, a retired Jennings Environmental Education Center environmental educator; Shawn Davis, an assistant professor of parks, conservation and recreational therapy; and Christine Glenn,

a 2004 graduate of SRU with a master's in sustainable systems.

The first discussion would host 16 participants and the first topic was based on carbon emissions.

Scanlon said that there were many potential solutions, however, it is hard to understand how one is better than the next. An example Scanlon gave was the En-ROADS Climate Interactive Simulation to focus on changes in energy, economic, and public policy.

Schweiger also believes that there are a set of things the community can do to set carbon emissions. However, he believes there is a political aspect.

"The challenge is that we need to find solutions that politicians will support," Scweiger said. "Clearly it is a matter of politics as much as it is a matter of technology, the technology is there."

Seconding the political aspect of the climate conversation, Snow said that the most important action anyone can take is to become politically active and involved.

"Equity is important, and getting leaders that are going to be approaching the changes and making sure they are looking at the equitable aspects that work for everyone," Snow said.

Although agriculture is PA's largest economic factor, the second question of the night, asked by Frances Amatucci was based on "how potentially harmful are the rollback on environmental protection policy during this Administration, and can these harmful effects be reversed?

Schweiger recognized that the notion of reversing some of the damage, is an important one.

"The marketplace is driving the change that some politicians have failed to do," Schweiger said.

"Can we reverse it? I am hopeful that we can. It is important for us to come and address some of these issues in a more aggressive way. Time in not on our side."

On the opposing end of change, Darla Sterling, a dietician by profession, said that "it is in my understanding that a lot of pushback for nonchange is from corporations who receive significant federal and government 'subsidies.'"

Scanlon believes that the lobbyists are the ones working to see that the old policies are examined and adjusted.

Schweiger said that it is tough and that one of the tools in FarmVille today is the insurance program. He said that farmers get subsidized insurance, and the best way to get at the entire issue of subsidy is to concentrate on the insurance program.

However, there are those who do not believe in science.

John Golden asked "if much of the country doesn't believe in science, ie, epidemiology, why do you think they will believe climate science?"

Golden said that for years, he believed that [society] was moving towards a point

to where they would all understand climate science.

Schweiger said that this belief is a long-term fight, and the idea that science is under attack has been a strategy for the industry for a long time.

"It is important that we get our media to understand how dire this is," Schweiger said. "Every now and then we get a spur. Science matter and science is pointing in ways that are really alarming. it's a serious matter that people don't believe in science."

Starting education of climate science at a young age is something that Snow believes will help with awareness. She would be pushing to get climate education as a requirement across all school curriculums in the K-12 program and even across colleges in order to graduate.

"Our current platform of education that I see my daughter going through, we aren't meeting the needs of science education, and we certainly aren't teaching anything about climate science," Snow said.

Scanlon said that they are hoping to reach out to more students, staff and faculty through these conversations.

"We have ten years to turn this climate change thing around, to reduce our carbon emissions to a point that the global temperature won't hit a tipping point," Scanlon said.

"What we do today is a lot more important than what we plan to do next year."

With continued interest, Climate Conversations will occur on the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom. The next conversation will take place on Oct. 7.

CAMPUS LIFE Mental Health PSA wins BEA Award September 4, 2020

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'Save Someone You Love' campaign focused on empathy and understanding

PHOTO CURTOSY: ELISE FORRY

Elise Forry, one of the three students to receive the Broadcast Education Association award for the PSA "Save Somone You Love."

By Jack Konesky Asst. Campus Life Editor

Three Slippery Rock Un i v e r s i t y s t u d e n t s were given an Award of Excellence by the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) in August for their PSA titled “Save Someone You Love” Elise Forry, a senior Integrated Marketing Communication Major, was one of the three students recognized by the BEA with the award.

The PSA, Forry said, was

part of a semester long campaign developed for an Advertising Production class.

“The organization that we were assigned was a mental health organization called ChangeDirection. org,” Forry said. “The Save Someone You Love campaign is mainly focused on identifying ways that people could be suffering from mental health issues.”

Forry said that raising awareness of such issues is beneficial both to those experiencing issues and to those who are not. The

PHOTO CURTOSY: ELISE FORRY

PHOTO CURTOSY: ELISE FORRY

Zach Bender, also a part of the group, took part in the making the PSA, focused on empathy and understanding.

Cedric Askerneese, the third student in the group also took part in raising awareness towards mental health issues.

message, Forry explained, was one of empathy and understanding.

“Even in times where you maybe don’t understand directly what someone is going through, there are ways that you can help and there are signs that you and other people could pick up on,” Forry said. “By pointing out certain specific elements and changes in behavior, it’s possible to help people who may be suffering to identify things themselves or to have a friend or loved one take notice.”

grace and sensitivity it deserved. Mental health was a serious concern for Forry and her peers, and for more reason than just the campaign itself.

“One of our classmates unfortunately had passed away and had taken his own life this past summer, and he was supposed to be in that class,” Forry said.

“It was already heavy on our hearts going into that class, and then we found out our project was going to be centered on mental health - it was a lot to take in.”

Forry and her group explored a variety of mediums to transmit their message, from print ads, radio, television, surveys, and many others across the audio-visual spectrum.

Forry was responsible for both the web design and graphic design content, and explained that it was her job to bring all of the team’s research and information into a cohesive, visuallypleasing whole.

The most challenging aspect, Forry said, was handling the topic of mental health with the

As for the BEA’s Award of Excellence, Forry and her team were both overjoyed and surprised at their success. Forry said that while she knew little about the actual selection process, it was more than a welcome surprise to see how things turned out.

“It was just a huge honor for us, we didn’t have any idea that it would go to these limits,” Forry said.

“It’s great to have the recognition, but also to see how we had grown and where we still had the potential to grow.”

The blazing fire of music Music department stays connected to the community through live streams and dedication

GRAPHIC BY: KEEGAN BEARD

By Brandon Pierce Junior Rocket Contributor

Through preparation and perseverance, the music department of Slippery Rock University is back and eager to start making music for all to enjoy again.

Fortunately, the faculty of the music department have been preparing to make this fall semester as meaningful and educational as possible, while still following all precautions and safety measurements put in place.

The multi-modal and online preparations in the music department cover features that a normal semester would. Of course, not everything can be the way a normal semester would operate, but the department is providing as close of a normal experience as possible.

David Glover, a professor in the music department, shared his experiences and how he is conducting his classes so far this semester.

According to Glover, he has had success transitioning

his classes and private lessons to either multi-modal or online delivery. All his private lessons are still being offered in a multi-modal format while his lecture classes are being taught online.

Students and staff members of the music department have been working tenaciously to follow all the necessary safety precautions, such as always wearing masks when possible, rehearsing outside, socially distancing, and meeting completely online as needed.

The department also plans on presenting recorded concerts online so that students can still perform while audiences are still able to view and appreciate music.

“One of the biggest difficulties this semester is dealing with the repercussions left over from the spring," Glover said.

"We have spent a lot of time collecting all the necessary materials and equipment from the spring and resetting everything for this semester.”

Glover also reported

that everything the music department is doing this semester would not be possible without the willingness to learn and the sacrifices of the students involved, but the department of music is making this semester as meaningful as possible for the music students on and off campus.

Another major aspect of the music department that has faced the impact of the pandemic, is the community outreach possibilities that are offered through the department. Typically, the music department engages with the community through different concerts, workshops, classes, and different programs offered to community members of all ages. Now in the music department, student and faculty can present these opportunities online through different modes of communication as well as a surplus of creativity.

Cassandra Eisenreich is a professor in the music department as well as the driving force behind the outstanding community

engagement programs such as The Slippery Rock University Early Childhood and Elementary Music Community Engagement Initiative.

According to Eisenreich, her students and her first started transitioning the usual in person community engagement online starting in the spring. Since then, they have been presenting most of the usual events and programs online and reaping many positive results.

Specifically, Eisenreich and her students have been reaching out to kids who cannot always get the typical interaction with music, especially during the pandemic. This is accomplished by pairing participating children with Slippery Rock students in the Early Childhood and Elementary Music Community Engagement Initiative.

These Slippery Rock students along with Eisenreich engage the children with music by creating new songs, teaching lessons, and providing positive feedback.

Interactivity between the Slippery Rock students and the children is vital and creating these online video sessions. These different events and programs are live streamed through Facebook and YouTube so that children can partake in the events with their families.

Additionally, the Slippery Rock students find these programs and events very useful and educational.

“Being involved in the early childhood engagement initiative has changed my perspective on music education and my life for the better", said senior music education and flute double major Kalista Heidkamp.

“Though we can’t interact with the students in person, it is still a blast getting to see their answers and comments pop up on a live stream," junior music education major Jake Aufman The students are also thankful for the work Eisenreich put in to organizing these online live streams.

“Dr. Eisenreich literally does everything for us to ensure that we’re given as many

opportunities as possible to learn and grow,” said Isaiah Geenawalt, a sophomore music education major and member of the Slippery Rock University Early Childhood and Elementary Music Community Engagement Initiative.

Eisenreich is also satisfied with the results of the online community engagement events as well as being pleased with the whole music department.

“The music department is still running and providing culture for students and the community,” said Eisenreich. “The fire of music is still blazing.”

Even though this is not the semester the music department at Slippery Rock University planned on, they are still making sure to create the most value for their students through both the multi-modal and online classes as well as the community engagement offered. Together, they have proved that music is a major part of the community and that in troubling times like this, music is often needed the most.

September 4, 2020

CAMPUS LIFE 'Tenet' Review

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A thrilling, yet confusing Nolan spectacle

By Dereck Majors Movie Review Columnist

Time can simply be described as the present progressively moving toward the future thus creating the past. Christopher Nolan has shown audiences that he loves to mess with the idea of time and existence.

In “Dunkirk,” Nolan showcases three separate storylines occurring at various points of time, all eventually coming to a climax at the same moment.

“Interstellar” deals with events in one timeline creating changes in another.

With “Tenet,” Nolan once again one-ups himself with creating a thrilling, yet confusing spectacle that will leave audiences discussing ideas and theories about the film for years to come. Focusing on a world that could end at any moment, both the present and the future occur simultaneously and characters race against the clock to save humanity. For a film with a concept that scientists’ study for their entire careers crammed into a 150-minute run time, it never overstays its welcome.

The film’s characters must deal with the present and the future at the same time, and nothing can be changed no matter how hard they try. This is shown best when a number of scenes are played out twice: once following a character from the present, and later a

character from the future.

These sequences, which occur often in the film, help connect critical plot points together to realize the larger scope of the film and never feel repetitive as new information is added each time. Masterfully, the colors red and blue are used to decipher the present and future, respectively, to help follow along, as well.

While the film is grand in its ideas, the execution fails occasionally and shows how convoluted the concept of time truly is. Dealing with the present and the future simultaneously is extremely ambitious and experimental visuals that have become a staple in Nolan’s filmography are expected.

We see the film’s concept and visual capability finally realized in the final scenes where a culmination of past plot points intersect with those from the present. This however seems too little, too late. If the film was solely an elongated version of the second half, this may be considered Nolan’s best film to date.

With a film so heavy on plot, Nolan leaves a great cast with little character development to work with.

John David Washington plays the calm, cool and collected Protagonist, (yes, that’s his character’s name) a CIA agent working to save the world from annihilation.

Robert Pattinson is the sophisticated and underwritten Neil who works as the Protagonist’s handler. At the heart

of the film is Kat, played by the criminally underappreciated Elizabeth Debicki, who is Nolan’s first strong female character.

Sadly, if something happens to a character on screen, the audience feels no emotions or connection.

To add to the confusion of the plot and under-cooked characters, it does not help that the sound mixing for the film is at times horrendous. The sound effects and score (which is marvelously crafted by “Black Panther” composer Ludwig Göransson) often are given more emphasis than the critical dialogue.

These moments contain crucial plot points that explain the purpose of a scene or a moment that will be realized later in the film. This heavy handed, booming sound mixing is something Nolan has done with his recent films (Bane’s voice in “The Dark Knight Rises”) and, for some reason, is most likely intended to be released this way.

For all the film’s faults, seeing an original blockbuster in theaters in a world full of sequels and remakes is quite remarkable. Consistently Nolan provides his audience with ambitious, thought provoking and challenging classics that will be discussed and interpreted for years to come. The best way to experience “Tenet” is to follow its own advice: “Don’t try to understand it.

Feel it.”

'Body Talk' displays Pittsburgh artist's portraits Paige Tibbe, finds emotion through hands, faces, and body language

HANNAH SLOPE/ THE ROCKET

The Martha Gault Art Gallery, located in Maltby, reopened its doors to a young artist based from Pittsburgh. Paige Tibbe focuses on portraits and detailed hands and faces.

By Hope Hoehler Campus Life Editor

PARIS MALONE / THE ROCKET

Paige Tibbe, a graduate from Seton Hill University with a BFA in studio arts, currently works from a costudio space in Homewood.

The Martha Gault Art Gallery reopens Aug. 30, with artist Paige Tibbe's "Body Talk".

The show will run until Oct. 1st with the gallery open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Tibbe is an artist based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

She graduated from Seton Hill University with a BFA in studio arts. Tibbe focuses on portraits and figurative paintings.

"I really wanted to focus on hands and the language of your body while you're talking," Tibbe said "Sometimes when people are saying something, their body is saying something else. You can say so much by not even speaking."

With a focus on hands and faces in her portraits, Tibbe wanted to focus on how the portraits and the body language existed together.

Tibbe approached her paintings from a technical and inspirational point of view. She was always told that hands were difficult to draw and paint, so she began to find enjoyment in technically hard aspects, giving her the ability to focus on them.

"It's fun to watch what the colors do against each other," Tibbe said.

An inspirational and emotional aspect is also involved in Tibbe's portraits and paintings.

Stating that people are amazing, Tibbe likes to connect with those she paints through her portraits.

"People are really emotional and I feel like people connect with other people," Tibbe said.

"By painting portraits, hopefully you can connect with someone without being in front of them."

"Body Talk," Tibbe's exhibit, portrays storytelling in a different way than she would usually focus on, but hopes that

those who view her art will find it visually pleasing and interesting.

"I'm painting to tell a story to them," Tibbe said. "[I hope] that they go on this journey through portraits."

Tibbe hopes that her artworks allows those who view it to think about what their body is doing when they're talking and to focus on what it means.

To Tibbe, her artwork means dedication and acts as a way for her to clear her mind.

"I really value things that are time consuming," Tibbe said. "I'm only thinking about lines and colors, instead of focusing on everything else. It's a break from everyday thoughts."

Hoping to branch out to the community in the future, Tibbe wants to find a way to integrate her own art practice with the community "[I'm] trying to bridge art, people, and understanding," Tibbe said.

September 4, 2020

THE ROCKET

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