9/13/19 Digital Edition

the rocket

Friday September 13, 2019 • Volume 103, Issue Number 1 • An Independent, Student-Run Newspaper

www.theonlinerocket.com

Prioritizing student mental health

Student mental health services are expanding beyond campus

By Haley Potter Senior Rocket Contributor

Slippery Rock University (SRU) is making its counseling services a top priority after 655 different students were seen at the heath center last fall for anxiety, making it the leading mental health concern in America in 2018, and 58 of those cases at SRU were related to suicide. In the midst of Suicide Prevention Week, it has been top of mind for Student Health Services and the counselors to make sure students know there are resources if they need them.

“One of our main missions is to help students work through any mental health issues they may have,” Kenneth Messina, the director for the Student Counseling Center said. “We like to see students before it becomes a big problem.”

SEE RESOURCES PAGE A-5

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET A student passes by the flags displayed in the quad. The flags signify the number of college students who die by suicide every year. Three green and white flags were placed in the quad in honor of three SRU students who passed this past year.

Fall semester brings fresh start for The Rocket

By Hope Hoehler Campus Life Editor

As the 2019-2020 school year begins, The Rocket welcomes 10 new staff members after finalizing interviews Thursday, Sept.

5. With the goal of filling 10 open positions on staff, four returning members from the 2018-2019 staff will complete the full staff of 14.

Dr. Brittany Fleming will be entering her third year as The Rocket’s adviser and knew that this year was going to be a big transition.

“Every year is brand new,” Fleming said. “The Rocket always produces fantastic content so it’s getting the new staff into the routine of living up to the standards that The Rocket expects.”

This year The Rocket had four full sections to fill after 10 members graduated in the spring of 2019. The news section, copy/web section, photo section and multimedia section each comprise of entirely new staff members eager to take on their new role.

SEE STAFF PAGE A-5

A focus on collaboration APSCUF and PASSHE take new approach to negotiations

By Allison Downs News Editor

Leadership from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and the Association of Pennsylvania State College & University

Faculties (APSCUF) have met several times since May to discuss a new faculty contract, which expired June 30.

The first interest-based bargaining (IBB) session was held May 13 at the APSCUF office in Harrisburg.

According to PASSHE,

the IBB strategy focuses on collaboration rather than traditional exchange of contract proposals. State System Chancellor Dan Greenstein said the system redesign has led them to “take a fresh look” at how they approach contract negotiations.

“The new chancellor is more astute about collaboration instead of division,” Dr. Ben Shaevitz, the local APSCUF chapter’s president, said.

Both Greenstein and APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth Mash have emphasized the focus on

student success during these negotiations. In the May 14 press release, Mash said they “will continue to keep students in mind” while working on the new contract.

“Tensions between the sides would not be helpful for anybody, including the students,” Shaevitz said.

“It’s not a good way to live your life, knowing that there are disagreements that could impact somebody’s graduation because there could possibly be a strike a year from now. Anything could happen.”

SEE APSCUF PAGE A-2

GRAPHIC BY ALLISON DOWNS

News

It's on us, SRU

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Opinion

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Students on suicide prevention

Sports

Heading to Tempe

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Campus Life

Stay calm... and relax

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Watch WSRU-TV's story about a new mental health service for students

NEWS

It's on us, SRU Governor Wolf speaks about It's On Us PA Grant and campus sexual violence

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Governor Tom Wolf spoke to students, faculty and community members in attendance at a press conference held at Robert Smith Student Center on Sept. 4. He announced that SRU has received the It's On Us PA Grant in the amount of $19,800 to fund programming to raise awareness of and combat against sexual assault and sexual violence on campus.

By Allison Downs News Editor

Governor Tom Wolf visited SRU on Wednesday, Sept.

4 for a press conference to discuss the It’s On Us PA Grant, the problem of sexual assault on college campuses and the work SRU has done in combatting sexual violence on campus.

Wolf announced that SRU will be receiving about 20 thousand dollars from the It’s On Us PA Grant Program. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education website, the program began in September 2016. The program allows eligible PA state colleges and universities to apply for up to 30 thousand dollars in funding from the grant program to address sexual assault on campus.

“We have a lot of work to do, but places like Slippery

Rock are doing some really great things to make progress,” Wolf said.

The grant funds various on campus programs, including campus wide training for students and staff and campaigns to raise awareness of the reporting process and resources available to sexual violence survivors.

Corinne Gibson, director of the Office for Inclusive Excellence, said the grant is being utilized to target specific populations, find effective ways to assess our campus and raise awareness about resources and processes related to sexual violence and assault.

“We recognize that there is a need for more awareness,” Gibson said. "So creating more widespread knowledge of sexual violence is where we will utilize most of our resources.”

Erin O’Connor, a graduate assistant, said

the grant has also allowed consent and bystander intervention education to reach new populations on college campuses. She added that utilizing this grant and showing the work and progress to the public shows that the SRU community is unified in the fight against sexual violence and assault.

“This is not something we’re just going to push under the rug,” O’Connor said. “We as a college community care about this important topic, and we’re going to continue to combat it in any way we can.”

Gibson said the grant’s funding this year will focus on athletics, educational programs and workshops, trainings and surveys to assess progress throughout this year. She added that the grant previously funded posters, mirror clings, and social media posts with the hashtag #SRUSpeaksUp; these campaigns focused on

educating the community and encouraging students to take the pledge to speak up when they witness sexual violence.

“Without the support of this grant, these efforts would be very difficult,” Gibson said.

“It takes a village to continue to make change.”

According to Jodi Solito, the former director of the Women’s Center at SRU, the Department of Athletics will be specifically involved because “coaches, studentathletes, and athletic trainers are familiar with NCAAconducted sexual assault prevention and awareness campaigns and are campus leaders.”

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with athletics and see how we can really shape our programming to meet them where they are,” O’Connor said.

Wolf ’s visit to SRU overlapped with what is

known as the “Red Zone,” which is the period of time when college campuses experience the most sexual violence crimes. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), more than 50 percent of college sexual assaults occur in either August, September, or October, and students are at an increased risk during the first few months of their first and second semesters in college.

“This is a very important time to discuss sexual violence. The risk of sexual assaults increases at the start of the fall semester,” Wolf said.

“It’s On Us is encouraging these conversations and is increasing awareness, education, and resources to combat sexual assault.”

Wolf emphasized that consent and boundaries are of utmost importance in this initiative. Consent is very important, he said, in

building relationships on campus, in the workplace, in personal lives and beyond.

“We need to make sure that no one is being pressured to do something they don’t want to do, and we need to make sure that boundaries are respected,” Wolf said.

“Consent is important not only here, but in every aspect of life.”

“Slippery Rock University is committed to providing a safe, welcoming environment free from all forms of coercion and harassment for students, employees and guests,” William Behre, President of SRU, said.

Wolf said schools across the Commonwealth are all working to make campus culture and schools safer, and he commended SRU for being a “pioneer in this endeavor” to reframe the conversation around sexual violence.

New faculty contract negotiations APSCUF negotiations are ongoing in Harrisburg CONTINUED FROM PAGE A-1 “so I have a lot of trust in the

Shaevitz said that he doesn’t know any specific details about the contract negotiations because the information that’s been shared publicly is very sparse, but he added that this isn’t cause for concern because “the limited information that’s being shared is not negative.”

“I’ve been chapter president for a while now, and I’ve been a union member for my whole career,” Shaevitz said,

union’s leadership.”

One side-letter that was ratified in May is the Voluntary Phased Retirement program. According to the PASSHE website, the aim of the program is to help faculty members who want to gradually transition into full retirement, which will allow the faculty member and the university to effectively plan ahead.

“If this program continues in the future, I’m personally likely to do this because

it’s a good opportunity for me as a faculty member,” Shaevitz said. “It’s also good for my department because they can plan for a smooth transition.”

In a press release published on May 15, Mash praised the Board of Governors of PASSHE upon the ratification of the retirement program, saying, “This agreement will afford our students more time with these talented experts, allow departments more time to succession plan, and give

"I have a lot of trust in the union's leadership."

- Dr. Ben Shaevitz, SRU APSCUF chapter president

professors more time to acclimate to the next phase of their career.”

Shaevitz hopes an agreement is reached sooner rather than later, and he hopes that it’s economically fair – more specifically, he’s hoping that benefits won’t be “eroded” and for a reasonable raise. What either side defines as “fair” though could be very different, Shaevitz added.

“We generally hope to get what [the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees]

got, in terms of percentage increases,” Shaevitz said. "But because the two unions are so different, we realize that there might need to be compromise downwards.”

According to the PASSHE website, the most recent contract will remain in effect until a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified. Both negotiation teams will convene again Sept. 14-18 to discuss the new faculty contract during a four-day marathon IBB session.

September 13, 2019

NEWS

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SRU rocks new curriculum New liberal studies curriculum pilots this semester

By Hannah Shumsky Editor-In-Chief

Starting this fall, SRU students across all majors will experience a new type of liberal studies curriculum.

SRU's class of 2023 will be the first class required to complete the Rock Integrated Studies Program.

Derrick Pitard, director of general education and chair of the liberal studies revision committee, said the university's reaccreditation process through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education prompted the change to the liberal studies program. "[Middle States] told us we needed to change the program in several key ways," Pitard said.

Rock Studies encompasses 42 required credits between three areas: "The Rock," Integrated Inquiry and thematic threads.

"The Rock" includes Critical Writing, Critical Reading and Quantitative Reasoning. Students must

also take Civil Discourse through the communications department, but PHIL 110 and POLS 235 can fulfill this requirement.

Students must also enroll in a university seminar course. In fall 2019, 36 different university seminar courses were offered to freshmen.

Integrated Inquiry requires students to take a total of 15 credits across five inquiry categories: creative and aesthetic, humanities, natural science, physical science and social science. Students are required to take Science of Life and Understanding the Physical World to fulfill the natural science and physical science categories.

Pitard said that the courses in Integrated Inquiry are not limited to one subject. For example, Macroeconomics will fulfill the the social science requirement by addressing the topic through understanding mathematics and society function.

"All of them are integrated," Pitard said. "None of them are just one discipline."

GRAPHIC BY HANNAH SHUMSKY

In the third part of Rock Studies, thematic threads allow students to explore a concept in more depth. Threads combine courses from multiple departments to address the overall idea of the thread.

As of press time, two threads are available: The Future and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. More threads will become available as the liberal studies program continues to approve threads.

According to Pitard, the threads will allow courses in Rock Studies to relate within one theme, which was not possible under the "shopping market" model of the previous liberal studies program.

"That was the worry in the old program, that people were merely picking courses because it fit a block and they didn't care about what was in there, they just needed to fill the block," Pitard said.

Getting to know PACT Council of Trustees strives for more student engagement

By Allison Downs News Editor

By Nina Cipriani Assistant News Editor

The Pe n n s y l v a n i a Association of Councils of Trustees (PACT) held a regional meeting at SRU on Tuesday to discuss student trustee recruitment.

One concern of PACT is students’ awareness of who they are and what they do – or lack thereof.

Jeff Smith, Slippery Rock trustee and PACT p re s i d e n t , e x p l a i n e d that one of his hopes is to develop a working relationship with student

media, The Rocket in particular, to expand the Council of Trustees’ reach and engage with the student body, along with “enticing” students to become a student trustee.

“Outreach to any student organization, especially those that have the ability to gain somewhat private information, is an excellent way to get stories out to the general public,” Tree Zuzzio, the Clarion University student trustee, said.

Zuzzio recommended working closely with the Student Government Association (SGA) and University Program Board (UPB) because they

generally have a large social media following and could be another route to get available information to students.

According to Zuzzio, there is a "disconnect" between what student trustees do and the governance of universities, but he has been actively searching for a way to remedy this disconnect.

One way to raise student awareness, Zuzzio said, is to engage with them and show them that student leadership is something they should be involved in.

“Students who recognize and discuss these issues have the potential to

become great student leaders,” Zuzzio said. “The student trustee position in particular provides an excellent opportunity for these students to take the next step in resolving the problems they see.”

J.D. Dunbar, Clarion’s trustee chairperson, explained that in order to better understand why there is such disconnect between students and PACT, they must identify the problem and study student culture.

“We need to use the voices of our student trustees,” Dunbar said, “to better inform us of practices that will mitigate this lack of information about

ALLISON DOWNS / THE ROCKET

Clarion University student trustee Tree Zuzzio discussed student engagement and recriutment with Council of Trustees members from Slippery Rock, Clarion, Indiana, Edinboro and California universities.

trusteeship and student service.”

Zuzzio defined himself as an advocate and ambassador for both the Council of Trustees and the student body. He added that students have come to him with a variety of issues including parking, food quality, housing costs, minority student service and student engagement, among many others.

Zuzzio is a senior double-major in business management and political science, both of which play an important part in his role as student trustee.

He said his position within the Council of Trustees has influenced how he pictures his future, adding that he is personally concerned with environmental issues, poverty and social justice.

“This has really helped hone in my leadership skills,” Zuzzio said. “I've developed my ability to effectively communicate with people and work with others and find solutions to problems presented to me by a variety of individuals.

“Administratively, it’s very important to have student input in all decisions being made on campus,” Zuzzio said.

The Trustees said they are hopeful for the future of this position. Zuzzio said that the entire Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is on the right trajectory and added that he sees enthusiasm and involvement consistently

"Don't be afraid to speak up, but remember that you have to come from a point of understanding as well. You have to be willing to have a conversation."

- Tree Zuzzio, Clarion student trustee across the council and student body.

Zuzzio and Slippery Rock Student Trustee Dylan Colcombe – along with other trustees from Slippery Rock, Clarion, Indiana, Edinboro and California universities – encourage all students to take part in student leadership and learn more about their university’s student trustee position.

Zuzzio said student trustees are considered with the same regard as other trustees, which has allowed him to develop into a better student leader.

“Don’t be afraid to speak up,” Zuzzio said, “but remember that you have to come from a point of understanding as well. You have to be willing to have a conversation.”

NEWS

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September 13, 2019

POLICE BLOTTER September 4 - Police received a fire alarm activation.

Alarm was set off by steam from shower in Watson Hall.

September 4 - Police responded for a fire alarm activation in Building B. Upon officer's arrival, the building was evacuated.

Officer determined that custodian was spraying material for cleaning and that most likely activated the smoke detector.

September 4 - Police received a fire alarm activation in Building E. Alarm was set off by individual vaping in their room.

September 4 - University police received a call from a concerned parent that hasn't been able to contact their child since September 3. Officer contacted individual who was to be out of town. Person was advised to call their parents.

September 8 - Pennsylvania State Police requested Slippery Rock University Police Department (SRUPD) assistance on serving a warrant. Person was taken without incident.

September 9 - Police received a call from desk attendant in Building D for an alarm. Police responded.

September 9 - Police responded for a Metis alarm activation around Patterson Hall. Responding officer checked area, and no one was around the alarm panel or area.

September 4 - Police received a fire alarm activation in ROCK Apartments. Alarm was set off by burnt food.

September 9 - Police received a call of an individual, stating they have a Protection From Abuse (PFA) order around Old Thompson Field, and actor was observed on campus. Officers checked all of campus, and actor was gone on arrival. Person was escorted to their vehicle.

September 5 - Police responded for a fire alarm activation in Rhoads Hall. Upon officer's arrival, the building was evacuated. Alarm was activated by burnt mac n' cheese.

September 9 - Police responding to a panic alarm activation in Building D. Responding officers spoke to desk attendant. Everything was OK. Alarm appears to be a malfunction.

September 6 - Ryan Brennfleck, 18, Teagan Cruz, 19, and Parker Dalton, 19, were cited with an alcohol violation.

September 9 - Around Building E, borough police requested university police to assist in locating an individual that was involved in an incident in the Borough. Contact was made.

September 6 - Police responded for a fire alarm activation in Building F. Upon officer's arrival, the building was evacuating. Alarm was caused by faulty belt which burned up in washing machine.

September 6 - Police responded to an intruder alarm in Ski Lodge. Person set off alarm.

September 6 - A Community Assistant (CA) in Building B called university police for alcohol violation. Citations were issued.

September 7 - Police responded for a fire alarm activation in Building D. Burnt food was the cause.

September 7 - Police responded for a Metis activation near Carruth Rizza Hall. No one was around. The reason for activation is unknown.

September 8 - A traffic stop on North Road resulted in an alcohol violation. Brandon Berdik, 18, Lauren Krebs, 18, and Erin McKay, 18, were cited with alcohol violations.

September 8 - Police responded for a fight along with Pennsylvania State Police (PSP). One person was taken into custody by PSP.

September 9 - Police responding to a fire alarm activation in Building E. Officer spoke to residence, and it was unknown why alarm was activated. Alarm appeared to be a malfunction.

September 10 - Individual came to university police station to file a report of threatening messages received on their cell phone. Appears to be a scam. Case is still under investigation.

September 10 - Health Center requested an ambulance for an individual that was having an asthma attack.

Medics arrived and transported the person to Grove City Medical Center.

September 10 - Police were notified by maintenance personnel of a traffic accident on Kiester Road involving two vehicles. Officer on scene reported no injuries. One person issued citation for a traffic violation. Case is still under investigation.

September 10 - University police received a call of equipment being missing from the ROTC storage shed via Snapchat post. Upon further investigation, it was determined that posting was to be a hoax. Case is still under investigation.

9 No security deposits!

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

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

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

September 11 - Police received a Metis alarm activation around Swope Music Building. Dispatcher advised responding officer that individual was heard saying "I'm sorry." Officer checked area. It was an accidental activation.

September 11 - Police received a panic alarm activation in the Counseling Center. Responding officer checked area, and there was no one around. This is an ongoing problem with alarm system.

September 11 - Borough police requesting assistance with removing a bat that was in an individual's residence on Elm Street. Bat was removed.

September 11 - Police received a call for an alarm that was sounding near Spotts World Culture building, and caller does not know where it was coming from. No alarm activation was shown at dispatch. Responding officer found no alarm activation. It appears that the system malfunctioned.

September 11 - Police received a call for alarm that was to be disrupting classes in the Spotts World Culture building. It appeared to be a malfunction.

September 11 - Police responding to a fire alarm activation at Equestrian Center. Safety was dispatched.

The cause may be due to new add-on section. Updated by simplex. Safety confirms Simplex at location was working on system.

September 11 - Police received a call from Health Center nurse stating that they received a call for an individual that needed medical attention from Swope Music Center. Responding officer located person. They were transported by ambulance to Grove City Medical Center.

September 11 - Police received a call of a possible PFA violation near Old Thompson Field. Officers contacted individual. Call was made to Butler County Domestic Relations, and information was obtained that person was not in violation.

September 11 - Police responded to a fire alarm activation. No alarms were present upon officers' arrival. It was a malfunctioning alarm, and safety was notified.

COMPILED BY NINA CIPRIANI

NEWS Mental health resources expand

September 13, 2019

A-5

Counseling availability becomes top of mind at SRU CONTINUED FROM PAGE A-1 Benkeser said. “It’s as simple

as telling your friend who is struggling to ‘put your shoes on, we are going to the health center.’”

Aside from on-campus counseling and the Student Health Center, the counseling center is now partnering with the Christian Counselors Collaborative at Gateway Church. This counseling center, located on 307 Center Street, is open to students and community members. Chris White, the Pastor at Gateway Church, said the church was thankful to find good counselors to work there.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for students that wasn’t based solely for Christians,” White said. “We want anybody to be able to access it, and we are pretty grateful for our place here in town.”

One of the licensed counselors at Gateway Church, Carol Frey, said she

“At the end of the day, we don’t want it to be a student safety concern,” Messina said. “We have had a history of that on campus recently, and that’s a huge concern for us because we want our students to be safe, healthy, and happy.”

Messina said that there is no shame in getting help and mentioned that the counseling center’s hours are Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.. The counseling center is located in Rhoads Hall, and walk-ins are welcome.

Kristine Benkeser, the director of Health Services, said that there are nighttime nurses at the health center that work to supply care for students 24/7.

“It is important for students to use the health center as a resource if they need it,”

understands the stressors that come with being a college student.

“The counseling center on campus does a great job, so we want to be a support to them,” Frey said.

“Sometimes there are issues where someone might need some off-campus additional support, and also there are times where students feel more comfortable just leaving campus.”

The counseling sessions at Gateway Church work on a cost structure, and there is also a scholarship fund available, according to White.

“The cost structure works with a student’s ability to pay,” White said.

Stephen Friebe, a licensed counselor at Gateway Church, said that students should not be scared away by the cost because that is dealt with after the session. He also said, even though this is a Christian collaborative, none of the counselors will

HALEY POTTER / WSRU-TV

Carol Frey, a licensed counselor, sat down with WSRU-TV reporter and senior contributor Haley Potter to discuss the mental health service being offered at Gateway Church.

“force” their religious views on their clients.

“We are Christians, and that does inform the way that we operate, but if we never talk about spirituality, that’s okay because it is your hour,” Friebe said.

Friebe also mentioned that it’s important for

anyone to seek counseling, especially while in college and with the rising epidemic and college stressors.

“How often do you get to just sit and talk to someone for an hour and have them fully listen to your problems?” Friebe asked.

“I have had counseling

during some of the lowest and also the best times in my life.”

The number for the counselors at Gateway Church is (855) 222-2575, and they are open year-round for students to seek help during winter and summer breaks as well.

The Rocket staff embraces change New staff begins academic year with enthusiasm CONTINUED FROM PAGE A-1

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Sports Editor Karl Ludwig and Assistant Sports Editor Zack Bonnette sit at their desk during a meeting with the Rocket staff. Ludwig moved up into the sports editor position, and Bonnette is new to the staff.

Taking over as editor-inchief is junior secondary education major and communication minor Hannah S h u m s k y.

Shumsky will be entering her second year on staff and wants The Rocket to tell as many stories about people on campus who may not have a voice as possible.

Shumsky fills the roll unexpectedly following the loss of EIC-elect Adam Zook.

“We need to support one another,” Shumsky said.

“I have everyone’s backs on the staff and I know everyone has my back. We will keep moving forward and keep doing what we’re doing.”

With Shumsky taking the position as the EIC, it left the positions of both news editor and assistant news editor open.

Joining the News section are senior converged journalism major Allison Downs, who will serve as the

News Editor, and freshman converged journalism major Nina Cipriani, who will serve as the assistant news editor.

Downs is a transfer student from Lock Haven and hopes that taking on this roll will improve her portfolio while allowing her to get to know the staff members more. “[Being on staff] makes me feel like I’m doing something right,” Downs said. “It makes me feel like I’m headed in the right direction. Before I started here, I had struggled with that, I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. This is a huge step for me.”

Completing the copy/web section are senior English major Lesa Bressanelli, who will serve as the copy/web ditor, and junior English major Sam Shiel, who will begin her position as the assistant copy/ web editor.

Bressanelli said that she looks forward to developing her editing skills in the form of writing that is found in media today.

“I feel like this shows how far I’ve come as a writer and developing my writing thus far,” Bressanelli said.

Comprising the photo section are senior integrated marketing and communications (IMC) major Keegan Beard and freshman public relations major, Hannah Slope will join the section as assistant photo editor.

Beard aspires to be a professional photographer upon graduation and wants to make sure that the position of photo editor for the upcoming staff next year is easily transitional.

“Having applied a few other times for The Rocket, it’s a good feeling to finally be able to work with the staff,” Beard said. “There are a lot of great people to know and work with, and it’s an awesome opportunity.”

Finalizing the new sections is junior converged journalism major Aaron Marrie, serving as multimedia editor, who

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Copy/Web Editor Lesa Bressanelli listens intently during a Rocket staff meeting with her assistant Sam Shiel beside her. Both Bressanelli and Shiel are new to the staff.

has had prior work through WSRU-TV hopes to step up to the challenge of creating the first Blast Off With the Rocket video.

"I have everyone's backs on the staff, and I know everyone has my back."

- Hannah Shumsky, Editor-In-Chief

"Being on staff is really awesome," Marrie said. "I would still be on The Rocket staff even if I wasn't getting paid. It's another family."

Although there are four sections filled with entirely new staff members,

new hires also include senior digital media production major Zack Bonnette, entering his first year on staff as the assistant sports editor.

Joining the campus life section is junior converged journalism major Brendan Howe beginning his first year as the assistant campus life editor, and completing the advertising section is senior IMC major Emily Heyn beginning her first semester on staff as assistant advertising manager.

“I’ve been writing since I was a sophomore at Slippery Rock,” Bonnette said. “I really didn’t know if I was ever going to get on staff. It was an ultimate goal of mine.

When I got the news that I was hired, it was validation of all the hard work I’ve put in to the paper.”

Completing the staff are three returning members from the 2018-2019 staff.

Moving up in the section to sports editor is senior sport management major and

communications minor Karl Ludwig. Stepping up to campus life editor is junior converged journalism Hope Hoehler. Finishing the returning staff members is senior psychology major and coaching minor Nicole Tolliver, who holds her position as the advertising manager.

“There is always going to be a transition,” Fleming, The Rocket's adviser, said. “I had no doubt in my mind that the staff members stepping up this year were going to do an amazing job.”

Shumsky said that aside from WSRU-TV and the radio station, there are no other news station that specifically covers Slippery Rock and the university.

“I’m just a small part of an amazing group of people who are willing to go out there and tell the stories that people may not be able to hear on campus without us working as a forum for them,” Shumsky said.

O

OPINION

Our View

10,000 Steps Forward We all must be active, present supporters in preventing suicide

OPINION

Volume 103, 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

Allison Downs

News Editor

Karl Ludwig

Sports Editor

Hope Hoehler

Campus Life Editor GRAPHIC BY: KEEGAN BEARD

Lesa Bressanelli

Copy/Web Editor

Keegan Beard

Photo Editor

Aaron Marrie

Multimedia Editor

Nina Cipriani

Assistant News Editor

Zack Bonnette

Assistant Sports Editor

Brendan Howe

Assistant Campus Life Editor

Samantha Shiel

Assistant Copy/Web Editor

Hannah Slope

Assistant Photo Editor

Dr. Brittany Fleming

Faculty Adviser

ADVERTISING STAFF Nicole Tolliver Emily Heyn

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 2,000. 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) 738-2643 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 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.

DISCLAIMER: This staff editorial contains mentions of death and suicide and may be triggering to some readers. Use caution before reading.

One step forward can pave a path towards continuing the conversation and ending the stigma surrounding mental health.

Each year, 1,100 college students nationwide die by suicide, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. In our community, we lost three of our own SRU classmates to suicide within the past year.

This Suicide Prevention Week, which takes place Sept.

8-14, we want to remember the lives of the students we lost this year while also recognizing that we can take back control over the stigmas enforced upon society by unfair expectations and a lack of mental health awareness.

We recognize that, in Pennsylvania, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people between 15-34 years old, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's 2019 state facts.

We recognize that 39 percent of college students experience a significant mental health issue, yet two-thirds of students who experience anxiety and depression don't seek treatment, according to Active Minds.

We recognize that, as part of one of the populations most impacted by mental

health and suicidal ideation, we need to do something about this crisis, starting with our neighbors and classmates and expanding outward to a greater audience from there.

After all, everyone's mental health and overall well-being matters.

This means that we must keep the conversation about mental health and suicide going long after Suicide Prevention Week. We need to normalize these conversations and make it more comfortable to ask a friend "How is your mental health?" or "I notice you haven't been yourself, is everything OK?" This includes the recognition that certain groups of students, including people of color and people in the LGBTQ+ community, are at a higher risk for attempting suicide and must be at the forefront of the conversation concerning suicide prevention.

As for The Rocket, we are committed to serving as a public forum for students, professors and administrators to continue the conversation about suicide prevention and mental health awareness to reduce the stigmas related to those conversations. We are dedicated to ensuring that anyone on campus or in the Slippery Rock community, regardless of their identity or circumstances, has a voice and feels they are represented on this campus.

However, our role as news media reporting and mourning during this mental health crisis will soon go beyond our role at Slippery Rock and even Pennsylvania.

This semester, SRU's chapter of the Society of Collegiate Journalists (SCJ), which is led by the staff of The Rocket, will organize a T-shirt fundraiser to raise money for grants. These grants will be available to SCJ chapters nationwide to help student journalists across the country investigate the mental health crisis in their own colleges.

While the fundraiser is in the early planning stages, our mission is to provide opportunities for other student journalists to help normalize the conversations surrounding suicide and mental health at campuses across the United States.

However, our words and our vows to create an open forum for all students and community members to join in are only a seemingly small part of our fight to prevent suicide.

We need to be active advocates. We are regaining control of not only the conversation about mental health but also the power to do something to enact change.

"After all, there is not one single solution to prevent suicide, but one step forward is still progress in the right direction."

In the fight to prevent suicide, a single step might be just that "something" someone needs.

That step may be walking with someone to the counseling center or even asking someone for support if you decide to seek help.

That one step might be reading more about mental health on college campuses or even joining a club or activist group.

You could go a step further by exploring mental health or suicide prevention for a class assignment or travel to Harrisburg to advocate for legislative reform.

Maybe you decide to become mental health first aid certified or you help set up the flag display in the quad in memoriam of those we lost to suicide.

If we all do one thing to better educate and advocate for ourselves in the chance we can ever have a conversation about mental health or suicide, all of those single steps we have taken create a ripple effect that just might save a life in our own community.

The number of possible first steps may seem overwhelming, but committing to one step to prevent suicide gives us the chance to take control over a devastating epidemic. After all, there is not one single solution to prevent suicide, but one step forward is still progress in the right direction.

And if every student, professor, administrator and faculty member at Slippery Rock University commits to that one extra step, that's nearly 10,000 more steps forward than we were ever before.

Don't wait to make a change. The time for action is now, and it starts right here with each and every single one of us.

You never know the impact you might have on someone; you might just save a life.

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW NEEDS HELP, CONTACT:

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.

CAMPUS POLICE:

COUNSELING CENTER:

HEALTH CENTER:

724-738-3333

724-738-2034

724-738-2052

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE:

CRISIS TEXTLINE:

SUBMIT A CARE REPORT:

1-800-273-TALK

TEXT "HOME" TO 741741

#NATIONALSUICIDEPREVENTIONWEEK

September 13, 2019

OPINION

The importance of individuality in suicide prevention

Joshua Cendrowski Joshua is a junior psychology major and is the president of SRU's chapter of Active Minds DISCLAIMER: This opinion piece contains mentions of death and suicide and may be triggering to some readers. Use caution before reading.

As both a member of Active Minds and a psychology student, mental illness and suicide has always intrigued me.

Growing up, I had multiple friends that struggled with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. I began struggling with depression myself shortly after starting college. In that time, the most important lesson I have learned in suicide prevention is not something most people consider.

Many believe depression is caused by one specific reason or that treatment is universal. However, one person’s story is often much different compared to another’s. Thus, how an individual experiences depression is crucial to understanding how to best help them.

Before going on, I must note there are undeniable similarities between groups

at risk. In general, the mental illness most tied to suicide is depression along with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and substance abuse disorder. Depression itself is often diagnosed with multiple other mental illnesses such as anxiety.

Additionally, in the U.S.A, suicide is typically gendered; men complete suicide 3.75 times more than women despite women attempting suicide more than men. The most effective treatments tend to involve therapy, medication or both.

That being said, there are a myriad of reasons someone individually may have suicidal ideation. My own counselor has taught me there are two ways people come to consider suicide: those that see no reason to live and those that feel pain too great to go on. From there, differences from case to case deepen even further.

Regarding how someone can develop depression, there often are multiple factors to consider including genetics, brain chemistry, environment, personal life changes and drug use. For example, while one person may develop depression after the death of a loved one, another may develop depression despite nothing seemingly wrong. This contributes to the individual reason someone may turn to suicide, their likelihood to attempt or complete suicide and the most effective remedy to counter such thoughts.

And this is where individuality comes most into play: finding c o p i n g s k i l l s a n d treatment that works for you.

First, it is important to know that what you or someone else feels is valid; although

JOSHUA'S RECOMMENDED ON-CAMPUS RESOURCES: Student Counseling Center: Rhoads Hall 724-738-2034 BOOST Peer Coaching: 001 Patterson Hall 724-738-4206 elizabeth.wigton@sru.edu Student Success Coaches: Smith Student Center (The Suite) Career Center: Bailey Library 724-738-2028 career.education@sru.edu

it may seem your story is "nothing in comparison to what others have dealt with," that does not mean you shouldn't seek help any less. Reaching out is the first and most essential part of finding help.

Secondly, remember to be patient with yourself, know that things will get better and to be open to various types of treatment.

Now, take it from me, this is much easier said than done.

Many people try counseling or medication and find it does not work for them.

And that’s okay. Counseling can depend solely on the counselor and it is okay to try finding another that can better connect with you. Medications such as antidepressants can often take weeks to have any effect, if any. There will always be instances where one person’s experience with treatment is vastly different from

another’s. It is also helpful to seek doing things you enjoy and find meaning.

Other coping skills that have affected millions include meditation, deep breathing, journaling, etc.

Lastly, it is important to know the resources and support available to you (see graphic). Support groups people use most include friends and family. You can also reach out to a CA or trusted professor. For students here at Slippery Rock, the Student Counseling Center is likely the best choice for professional help.

Additionally, some rumors were spread where some students were forced to wait up to three weeks to see anyone; do not believe any myths you hear about unavailability. They are always open to students and typically have openings within a week of scheduling an appointment. If you feel intimidated by seeing a counselor, an organization called BOOST can get students in contact with other students to talk about any issues you may have.

Student Success Coaches and the Career Center can answer any questions students have regarding their major, finding a career path, class stressors and management. Students can also rely on clubs and organizations to find new hobbies or make new friends.

The first steps to fight suicidal thoughts tend to fall in the hands of the person suffering. It is up to you specifically to make the steps to find treatment. And what that treatment is depends on yourself, too. To anyone struggling or that knows anyone struggling, my best piece of advice is to urge you to find what personally helps you.

B-2

What's your challenge?

Nicole Dunlop Nicole is a junior corporate security major and is the president of the Student Government Association Choosing whether or not to run for president of the Student Government Association as a junior was not a decision I made lightly. I knew that if I ended up running for president I would be 100 percent in and dedicated to the position. I took several days to consider if it would be right for me and I asked myself several questions.

Would I be able to balance SGA with classes and still be able to spend time with friends? Can I handle the duties of president, public speaking specifically? Am I ready for the challenge?

Obviously you know I chose to run for president and it was one of the best decisions of my life. In my short time of being president I have already learned so much that will help me for the rest of my life. I’ve even learned what I am passionate about and it may effect what I pursue after college.

While my challenge during my time here at SRU has been centered on SGA, it will be different for everyone. College is a time to challenge yourself in whatever way you want to grow and learn what

you are passionate about.

It could be anywhere from declaring the major that you are eager to study but may be difficult, running for your club’s executive board or putting yourself in a position to build new relationships. And it is important to remember that something that may seem easy to you may be daunting to another and vice versa. It is all in the eye of the beholder and relative to that specific person.

With that being said, challenging yourself comes with stress. It is important to remember that first and foremost, we need to take care of ourselves. So challenge yourself, make mistakes, learn from them, but remember to look after yourself. At what point are you challenging yourself to a healthy extent? When are you pushing yourself too hard and need to take a step back? The only person that can answer these questions are you and you alone.

"It is important to remember that first and foremost, we need to take care of ourselves.

So challenge yourself, make mistakes, learn from them, but remember to look after yourself."

With all that being said, I challenge each of you to reflect on what you want to improve on or how you want to grow as a person during your time here at Slippery Rock University. But I also challenge everyone to know their limits, and know that taking care of yourself is the first priority.

Editor's column: Choose to live

Karl Ludwig Karl is a senior sport management major and is the sports editor of The Rocket DISCLAIMER: This editor's column contains mentions of death and suicide and may be triggering to some readers. Use caution before reading.

You never think it’s going to be you; I know I didn’t.

You see it on the news and you hear about it from your friends and family, but you still think you’re immune.

Foolishly, you think you have nothing to worry about.

Please don’t be like me.

Don’t wait until it’s your best friend and you’re left broken and empty inside.

As many know by now, Adam Zook died by suicide on July 28. Few things make me prouder than the fact that he considered me his best friend, but nothing upsets me more than the fact that I was unable to save him from himself.

Foolish? Definitely. Naïve?

Of course. Heartbroken?

More than anything.

Dwelling on the “what ifs” is dumb, I know that.

Thinking that I would have been able to do anything differently than I had done to save you is silly, but sometimes that’s all I’m able to think about late at night when I can't get your face out of my head.

Adam felt as though he had never met anyone who understood him as well as I did. What is the point of friendship if when life gets harder than anything imaginable, you're unable to ask them for help?

It truly is a foolish question to ask myself, but I’m not supposed to have to ask myself these questions. I’m supposed to have my best friend still.

At least one time during the countless times we’d stay up until 3:30 a.m., the poetic injustice of it all, and talk about everything under the sun and moon, why couldn’t he have told me how he felt? I will never understand how such a brilliant person could do something so selfish. While it's not a traditional sense of selfishness, like a brother witholding his toy from a sibling, it's a heart wrenching kind of pain that has no name.

It's longing and regret.

In his unfillable absence, all of the memories, hopes, dreams, plans and ideas we ever talked, laughed and cried about will always be there, but it is a drop in the ocean.

Nothing will ever replace my best friend.

Coming into my college experience at Slippery Rock, like any naïve and hopeful freshman, I had hoped to find “that” friend. You know, the kind of friend that people go to college to find. When I met Adam on our first day in North Hall, I knew he was the guy I had been hoping to meet.

If someone had told me that the next three years would see our instant bond turn into the greatest friendship I could’ve ever hoped to have, I would have considered sitting next to Adam at our freshman orientation the greatest decision of my life.

If someone would have told me it ended this way, well, I don’t think I would have believed them.

While I do not regret the way I loved Adam, I rue the way I was never able to say goodbye.

I will never get the chance to tell Adam how every day I aspire to be even half the man he was. I will never get the chance to tell him just how much I loved and respected him. But worst of all, I will never be able to thank him for making a naïve freshman boy’s wish come true. Thank you for being the best friend I ever could have asked for.

Like almost everything else, Adam was the first one to know that Nicole and I would end up together. Despite all of our ups and downs, he was our first believer. The constant third, and welcomed, wheel of our relationship. “I called it,” he would have gloated, his enormous grin flashing from beside us at our wedding. “I said it back in the day when neither of you believed it.

Look at us all now.”

Thank you for believing in us, Adam. I just wish you could have stayed to see it one day.

his latest experiences with the Titusville Herald while we drank a Rolling Rock or two.

How I wish now that I would have stayed up every single night just to make a few more memories together.

To me, a good sign of measuring the strength and bond of friendship lies in how well you’re able to use silence. In my opinion, great friends are able to maintain a comfortable silence while still enjoying each other’s company. In the case of Adam and me, we truly maximized our silence. We would spend hours in silence, sitting in the living room, my room or wherever as we worked on various things, watched TV or just hung out, but it was never uncomfortable.

It felt nice; the silence was comfortable.

But there is going to be a lot of silence now. And I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with it.

" If by some miracle stroke of luck you're reading this and have thoughts or urges to take your own life, there is no way for me to express how deeply I believe you should seek help. If you read this and think that nothing will ever get better, you're wrong. Life will get better, please believe me."

A true and constant companion, Adam always believed in me. When he encouraged me to start writing for The Rocket, he was always right there.

Especially when I would come to him with problems that seem so irrelevant now.

Our companionship over the past three years, truly, we did not leave each other’s side much in college, is something I will always treasure. Just this summer alone, when we spent the summer in Slippery Rock together—something I will always be so thankful I was able to do—we made so many more lasting memories.

After a day of work, I would always try to stay up until he got home from work, so he could tell me all about

I will never understand how Adam thought taking his own life would make anything better for anyone.

All it has done is made everything worse for everyone who knew him. Not a single person who knew him has felt his loss the same way, but we are all still feeling the aftershock.

For more than a month, ever since I saw his goodbye letter, I have struggled to understand how I have felt.

Anger, sadness, pain, regret, relief, emptiness, grief. Some mixture of it all? Through it all, I’ve worn a mask. I thought that if I appeared strong and unphased, other people would see me as someone to lean on in their own time of need. I've

realized now how wrong of me that was.

My idiotic hypocrisy is exactly what I beg everyone who reads this to avoid. In my stupidity, I've bottled up my feelings of grief and misery.

I've ignored those who love and care about me just to give off the facade of being OK. Do not hide your emotions nor feelings. If you take one thing from me, please make it that you know you are never alone.

Unlike Adam, I have never struggled with mental illness or the idealization of suicide.

While I cannot stand in Adam’s shoes nor speak for him, I feel as though I knew him well enough to guess that he felt like his burden was his and his alone to shoulder.

I cannot believe the smartest person I knew would feel like he had to suppress his feelings and hide the demons in his head from the people who loved him.

And I cannot believe that I allowed myself to shoulder the burden of my sadness alone despite knowing how deeply wrong it was.

If you are struggling with anything, no matter how trivial you might think it is, there is nothing stronger you can do than seeking help and talking about it.

The time for blindly offering the numbers of self-help organizations and tweeting about "checking up on your friends" is over. In order to make a difference, we must actually make a difference in people's lives.

Love and support your friends and family, and when you've done that, love some more.

I wish in the worst way that I knew the solution. It breaks my heart that all I'm able to do is offer empty platitudes.

But I don't know what to do.

All I can do is use my voice to raise awareness and beg and plead for people to speak out.

In the end, it falls on all of us. Sometimes it might

be easier to say, "I'm only one person, I'm just a drop in the ocean," but that's so irresponsible. As one, we are very little, but together, we can change the world. I truly mean that.

As Albus Dumbledore said in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, "Help will always be given to those at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

That sentiment could not ring truer. Help will always be given in The Rocket office to those who ask for it.

If you're struggling and need someone to talk to, I beg you with every ounce of my being to ask for help.

And if you cannot find help, come to The Rocket office. You will never be alone. While I may not be a therapist, I know what it's like to suffer through this sort of tragedy, and I will do anything in my power to help.

If by some miracle stroke of luck you're reading this and have thoughts or urges to take your own life, there is no way for me to express how deeply I believe you should seek help.

If you read this and think that nothing will ever get better, you're wrong. Life will get better, please believe me.

Live for yourself and if you cannot do that then live for your friends, your family, that TV show or YouTuber that you love to watch, your future self and your future family.

And if you cannot do that, live for me. I know I can't ask that, but I'm selfish. Live to see all the love this world has to offer. Believe me, please, it's out there.

Live for me even if it's just to spite me. Live for me to show me how much better your life will get. Please, just live.

Life is so fleeting and unpredictable. Where you are one day can and will be so different from where you are the next day. Live for love, happiness and new experiences.

And, please, don't make someone who loves you feel this type of pain.

OPINION

B-3

September 13, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Conservative Fraud

Madison V. King Madison is a junior political science major, the news director of WSRU-FM and a transgender woman.

She can be found on Twitter @madisonvking.

DISCLAIMER: This opinion piece contains quotes from Sen. Sanders about sexual assault. Use caution before reading.

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, there has been a consistent buzz over who would be best suited to run against Donald Trump the next time around. Several names have been consistently floated: Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Vice President Biden were all mentioned frequently. But the name mentioned most often was that of independent Vermont senator and 2016 primary runner-up Bernie Sanders. By now, I’m sure all of us know who he is – a candidate who has positioned himself to be the most progressive candidate in the race.

Or is he?

Sen. Sanders’ history – both in his legislative career and before that – has been marred by a number of votes and words that are questionable at best – and outright deplorable

at worst. One point his detractors like to focus on is a 1972 essay by Sanders, where he writes: “A man goes home and masturbates to his typical fantasy. A woman on her knees, a woman tied up, a woman abused. A woman enjoys intercourse with her man – as she fantasizes about being raped by three men simultaneously.”

In my time discussing politics with random folks on the street, almost none of them knew about this piece, which should be disqualifying in its own right. While it has been mentioned in a few miscellaneous articles, it has never achieved enough relevance to become well known unlike quotes of a similar manner from Donald Trump.

Amazingly, this is only one excerpt from several of his writings from the same era, which contain similarly questionable statements. Even after his career began, he has consistently had an issue saying objectionable statements with no reservations. A 2018 report from BuzzFeed News recounts that in August 2015, during a meeting with criminal justice reform activists, Sanders was asked why, in his opinion, people of color were imprisoned at much higher rates for nonviolent drug offenses, to which he answered: “Aren’t most of the people who sell drugs African American?”

This quote, which has still not been formally addressed by the Sanders campaign, is emblematic of what Sanders thinks about himself and his politics: that he alone can solve everything, and he can say whatever he wants to make that happen. A recent controversy involving his gratuitous use of a racial slur in his 1998 political memoir is equally as emblematic of his mindset – that he alone is the one with all the answers and anyone who suggests he’s not perfect be damned.

"Sanders has positioned himself to be optically progressive, which goes in direct conflict to his past and present politics."

These controversies also don’t touch his conservative voting record over the years.

Vermont as a state is politically quirky – while it regularly sends Democrats to the Senate and House, it also regularly votes in conservatives for state government positions, including governor and lieutenant governor. Despite Vermont being one of the goto examples of a liberal utopia, the state is actually fairly conservative in a number of ways, largely thanks to being the smallest state in the US. The state’s low population leads to strange rural politics, even if combined with some liberalism.

Sanders is especially guilty of this – having been elected to the House in 1990 thanks to an endorsement from the National Rifle Association and the state’s police unions. In fact, this NRA endorsement still has echoes in his modern politics, with Sanders’ record being unusually pro-gun for the Democrats, including a vote to allow Amtrak passengers to carry guns, a vote in favor of the Minutemen militia that has been patrolling the southern border armed since 2004 (several members of which were convicted of murdering a 9-year old immigrant in 2009) and a refusal to join his Democratic colleagues’ filibuster in favor of gun restrictions after the Pulse nightclub massacre in 2016.

On the topic of the southern border, this is another topic where Sanders’ positions are moderate at best.

In 2007, he voted against an

immigration reform package that would have provided undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship due to concerns that immigrants would “flood the American job market” and just earlier this summer Sanders had two cases of espousing antiimmigrant views, first in Iowa where he said: “If you open the borders, there’s a lot of poverty in the world, and you’re going to have people from all over the world. And I don’t think that’s something we can do at this point. Can’t do it.”

This statement was followed by a comment before the first Democratic debate where he spoke in support of not closing detention facilities at the border, but instead building new facilities “right on the border.” This is in contrast to the immigration policy of every other major Democratic campaign, all

of whom call for a return to the pre-Trump policy of simply housing migrants in hotels or by letting them stay with family in the United States.

Sanders has also come under fire from activists for questionable support of LGBTQ+ rights. In 2006, he reaffirmed his opposition t o t h e g ove r n m e n t legalizing marriage equality during a US Senate debate, more than two years after prominent Democratic figures had argued in favor of it (including 2004 presidential nominee John Kerry).

More recently, Sanders has come under fire for using rapper Cardi B as a surrogate after numerous transphobic remarks, as well as a tweet from his national campaign press secretary making a joke at the expense of folks who identify outside of the gender binary.

To round this out: Sanders has positioned himself to be optically progressive, which goes in direct conflict to his past and present politics.

His campaign and the press in general have successfully defrauded American liberals and progressives into thinking he is an icon within their respective movements – while in reality he is nothing of the sort. He is a moderate-toconservative Democrat who has some moderate-to-severe racism and xenophobia in his past that he needs to answer for.

While his 2020 campaign is already burning up in the stratosphere (polling in 3rd place nationally and below 10 percent in New Hampshire, a state he won by 33 percent in 2016), it is important Democratic voters hear the truth about his background. He is unfit to lead the Democratic Party and especially the United States.

S

Getting to know Charles Snorweah At theonlinerocket.com

SPORTS

ROCKIN' N'' ROLAND

PHOTO COURTESY OF SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY

Rock quarterback Roland Rivers III throws a pass against Wayne State University on Sept. 5 in Detroit, Michigan. Rivers completed 23 passes against the Warriors for 405 yards and six touchdowns.

FB: Game 2 preview

Rolling on the Rivers

By Karl Ludwig Sports Editor

Sitting in a quiet football office in the Morrow Field House, holding a bag of sour gummy worms snagged off of linebacker coach/special teams coordinator Marc Hulls’ desk, Slippery Rock quarterback Roland Rivers III tossed a few brightly colored worms into his mouth.

“Let me finish chewing really quick,” he said, grinning, as he leaned back into his chair.

Not unlike his hunger for the sour candy, the senior from Ellenwood, Georgia has craved the chance to get back to the NCAA quarterfinals after last season's one possession loss to Notre Dame College. Rivers expressed his hunger to prove he can dominate Division II football.

If week one against Wayne State University was

By Zack Bonnette

any indication for just how hungry Rivers is, Hull is going to need to buy a few more bags of gummy worms this season.

Playing on the road Sept. 5 to start the season in Detroit, Michigan, Rivers orchestrated seven first half touchdowns in as many possessions on the way to a night of prolific passing against Wayne State University.

Despite being pulled midway through the third quarter, when leading by 42 points and missing two offensive series, Rivers completed 23 of 30 passes, good for a 76.6 percent completion percentage, for 405 passing yards and six touchdowns. He also led SRU with 67 rushing yards on nine carries, good for 7.4 yards per carry, and a touchdown on the ground.

SEE RIVERS PAGE C-3

Asst. Sports Editor

GRAPHIC BY HANNAH SHUMSKY

Coming off a 62-37 victory over Wayne State, the No. 11 Slippery Rock University football team will return to MihalikThompson Stadium for the first home game of the season against Shippensburg University this Saturday.

The two teams met just over a year ago where SRU lost to the Warriors in a game that featured a slew of SRU mishaps, namely a last minute fumble that was recovered in the end zone to give Shippensburg its first lead of the game with under a minute to play. After driving back downfield in hopes to recapture the lead, The Rock turned the ball over once again, cementing a 25-21 loss.

The Rock will attempt to avenge the heartbreaking loss

in the confines of MihalikThompson stadium. Head coach Shawn Lutz emphasized what it means to him and his team as they prepare for SRU’s first home game of 2019.

“We take a lot of pride when we play at home, I can count out with my fingers how many home games we have lost in the past 10 years,” Lutz said. “It's a night game, so hopefully we get those Rock Rowdies out to support the team. It’s just a special feeling at home.”

Despite The Rock's impressive home record, Lutz emphasized that his team has been immensely successful over the years and the record books back it up.

For reference, SRU has been 48-9 (.842) at home since 2008 and has only suffered three of losses under Lutz.

SEE ROCK PAGE C-2

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PSAC WEST STANDINGS Football 1.

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

1-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 0-0 (0-0) 0-1 (0-0)

Men's Soccer 1.

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Gannon Pitt-Johnstown Seton HIll mercyhurst Slippery Rock california (pa.)

2-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 2-0 (0-0) 1-0-1 (0-0) 0-1-1 (0-0) 0-2 (0-0)

Women's Soccer 1.

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California (Pa.) clarion gannon indiana (Pa.) Mercyhurst Slippery Rock Pitt-Johnstown edinboro Seton hill

1-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 1-0 (0-0) 0-0-1 (0-0) 1-1 (0-0) 0-1 (0-0) 0-2 (0-0) 0-2 (0-0)

e. stroudsburg Indiana (Pa.) mansfield millersville shippensburg west chester kutztown slippery Rock seton hill bloosmburg mercyhurst

September 13, 2019

Rock football prepared for Ship.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE C-1

Despite The Rock's impressive home record, Shippensburg will come to Slippery Rock hungry for their first win of the season after losing to Clarion 49-28 last week. Lutz emphasized that his team cannot underestimate The Warriors, and that his defense’s top responsibility is to contain The Warrior’s passing attack, following a disappointing performance against Wayne State last week.

“Shippensburg can really throw the ball with their returning quarterback [Brycen] Mussina,” Lutz said.

“He’s got a quick release and he can throw the ball deep so we need to be able to take away their big plays and get pressure on them early.”

Mussina is the son of Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Famer Mike Mussina, who spent 18 combined seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, winning seven Gold Gloves and being named to five AllStar teams.

Aside from trying to suppress the arm of Shippensburg’s quarterback, Lutz touched on other key points to combat The Warriors' attack.

“We want to try and wear Shippensburg down,” Lutz said. “We are a fast-paced offense and our defense is used to it, so we want to get a good start and play a clean, 60 minute football game.”

Establishing a rhythm on offense and playing solid fundamental football will go a long way in helping the Green and White pull away from Shippensburg early, something that The Rock was unable to do last year.

After last week’s tremendous performance by quarterback Roland Rivers III, which resulted in Rivers claiming the Division II lead in passing yards, passing touchdowns,

and points responsible for, Lutz said he would like to see a more complete team effort this week, namely from his backfield and defense.

“The biggest improvement I want to see is our ability to run the football,” Lutz said.

The backfield combined for only 40 yards on the ground, despite toting the ball 16 times. Rivers was able to outpace the backfield’s production, rushing for 67 yards while taking seven less carries (9).

With Rivers putting on a show in last week's game, it can be argued that there was not a dire need for production from the backfield. However,

a balanced rushing attack to compliment The Rock's deadly passing game will make the Green and White offense nearly unstoppable.

"We take a lot of pride when we play at home, I can count out with my fingers how many home games we have lost in the past 10 years," -Coach Shawn Lutz

The Rock backfield will look to exploit a poor Shippensburg’s run defense that allowed over 350 yards a week ago.

With one game under The Rock's belt, there is substantial room for improvement across the board as the season wears on. This Saturday serves as a prime opportunity for the Green and White to show once again why they were picked to capture another PSAC championship.

Kickoff for Saturday's game is slated for 6 p.m. where Slippery Rock will look to improve to 2-0 on the season and capture its 14th consecutive home opener victory.

PARIS MALONE / THE ROCKET

Rock junior receiver Henry Litwin goes up for a catch during a game against Edinboro University last season. Litwin caught seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns against Wayne State on Sept 5.

Triathalon Club ready for nationals

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SPORTS

8 members earn trip to Tempe, Arizona

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGAN MAJERCAK

Five members of the SRU Triathalon Club pictured after finishing the Mighty Moraine Man triathalon on Sunday.

By Brendan Howe Asst. Campus Life Editor

The Slippery Rock University Triathlon Club had eight members qualify for nationals this past weekend by competing in the Mighty Moraine Man Triathlon.

Five members met the requirements by completing the sprint triathlon. With a 750-meter swim, a 12.4-mile biking course and a 5K run, the sprint triathlon totals half the distance of an Olympic event. The other three Slippery Rock competitors participated in the super sprint which is a quarter of Olympic length.

Two SRU students will race in the SavageMan Triathlon in Swanton, Maryland this weekend and two others will take part in the Ironman 70.3 in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Sunday.

The Triathlon Club is an intramural sports club that has been on campus since 2013. It has a roster of roughly 15 members, a dozen of which plan to

reach the national event in Tempe, Arizona next spring.

However, club president Nathan Shultz says he leads a club with members who have different strengths and weaknesses.

Shultz worked at a bike shop over the summer, swam in high school and began his time at Slippery Rock running for the cross country team. He stresses that not everybody who joins the club needs experience in all of these areas. The club can serve as a way to provide comradery for the many students that long for their time in high school sports or simply want to stay fit.

“The [members of the club] have varying skill levels from even needing to learn how to swim and not having a bike,” Shultz said. “The variety is kind of the spice of the club.

It honestly makes it more fun because it’s more relaxed. It’s as serious as you make it.”

As club president, Shultz enjoys working with members, such as teaching them correct swimming form. He encourages only one thing, a personal rule of sorts.

“If you’re wearing the same jersey, or singlet, or tri-suit as me, you’re not allowed to quit,” Shultz said. “You have to at least finish the race [you’re competing in].”

Students can join the growing club by signing up on CORE and IMLeagues and paying $20, which buys a membership and t-shirt.

Finish a race though, and those registration fees and the way to the race is refunded.

“If you finish a race, you basically have a threeday vacation in Tempe, Arizona waiting for you in early April,” Shultz said of the trip to Collegiate Club and High School National Championships, which is paid for by Student Government Association.

Shultz reasons that college may be the best opportunity for most to compete in a triathlon.

"You may never have the financial opportunities or the resources we have now to try a triathlon, so why not do one now?” Shultz said. “If you graduate and never do another one again, oh well. I just don’t want anyone to go ‘What if?’

“Just because you’re older now doesn’t mean bikes are any less fun than they were when you were seven,” Shultz added. “And it’s really cool knowing, yeah, I could swim across this lake if I absolutely had to.”

Shultz also feels as if running races are beginning to be watered down in prestige, saying that contestants who run the 26.2 miles of a marathon in six hours have the same accomplishment at the finish line as those who finish in three hours.

“I think a triathlon, in my completely biased opinion, has a little more recognition to it,” Shultz said. “Because you’ve got to be at least competent in three things.”

Overall, he hopes people join to stray out of their comfort zone and do something many believe they cannot.

“You get to try and challenge yourself in a different way,” Shultz said. “I’d rather have people who don’t know how to [do something such as] swim than just a bunch of elitists. I wouldn’t want an elitist club.”

SPORTS

September 13, 2019

C-3

Back on her feet again Sophomore goalkeeper returns to the field after ACL injury

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROCK ATHLETICS

Sophomore goalkeeper Emma Yoder monitors the game in a match last season. Yoder did not allow a goal in three games last year.

By Tyler Howe Junior Rocket Contributor

Last season, sophomore Emma Yoder suffered one of the most serious injuries that an athlete can suffer: a torn ACL in a game. Before Yoder’s injury, she started in four games and didn’t allow a goal in any of them, posting a 2-0-1 record.

Now, Yoder’s role has changed as she’s back just a little less than a year after her injury, but this time, she's taking over as the full time starting goalkeeper.

Yoder comes into this year leading a Slippery Rock University women’s soccer

team that is favored to win the PSAC-West title. Yoder was finally able to get back in net against Walsh University on Sept. 5, in a game that would end in a 1-0 loss.

“It was so awesome [being able to be back in net], I liked being on the bench and supporting my teammates, but there is a whole other aspect when you’re on the field and being a part of something bigger,” Yoder said.

Yoder would earn her first victory of the season against No. 16 West Virginia Wesleyan during a 2-1 win.

Yoder came from Ada, Michigan and knew from

the time she met coach Mark Sappington during her sophomore year of high school that she'd love SRU. “My sophomore year of high school, I met Mark and I started talking to him and came out and visited Slippery Rock. I loved the team and when I was here we were kind of just joking around the whole time and just having a bunch of fun, and I knew that this was a community I wanted to be a part of,” Yoder said.

While at Forest Hill Central High School, Yoder played basketball as well as soccer and mentioned her love for the

community and the school because of how big a sports community it is.

Just before her freshman year of college, her family moved from Ada, Michigan to Atlanta, Georgia. Now, instead of a six hour drive home, Yoder has an 11 hour drive home. But Yoder said her family streams almost every game to see her play.

Last season, Yoder played under goalkeeper Kylie Downs, but this season Yoder takes on a new role not only as a starter, but as the leader for two freshman goalies.

"Her leadership [is her best quality]. She takes the initiative to bring this team together

and not only the team, but like she mentioned in her high school, she really enjoyed the community she was a part of and that goes a long way.

You see that, you feel that when you’re around Emma.

She invests in the people she’s around and she really engages in the community she’s part of and more specifically the team she’s a part of,” Griggs said.

“That leadership definitely translates all over what she does academically, on the field, within the team, within the community and at Slippery Rock,” she continued.

Yoder wanted to focus on getting back before the season after her season ended early as she went through rehab and worked to get back. She tore her ACL in October of 2018, and at the time was on an impressive run of three games where she hadn’t allowed a goal. And those games were important for her not only to gain experience, but to build confidence.

“I think anytime you come back from an injury, I think the mental side is really important, so my hope for Emma is to instill a ton of confidence in her so she feels confident doing what she’s capable of doing and when you really have that confident feeling in what you’re doing, you gain start to gain a good balance and that puts you in a locked in mindset. I think that would be a hope for Emma, that the confidence builds and as she continues to feel comfortable and think when that sets in she’s gonna really kick some butt,” Griggs said.

Yoder returns playing behind one of the best defenses in the PSAC including AllPSAC second team defender Madison Johnson. Last year, the defense allowed only 17 goals and finished with an opponent's goals per game

average of 0.89. This year though, they want to try to get that to under 0.50 with Yoder taking over as keeper.

“Last year I played in four games and it was really nerveracking, but our defense is so strong. We have three really good defenders so last year just getting comfortable with them in those four games was really nice and just to get a little bit of experience has made this year a little less nerve-racking,” Yoder said.

In Yoder’s time at SRU so far, she has enjoyed the community, but her favorite part of being at SRU is still the soccer team.

“Overall I would say my favorite part about being at Slippery Rock is playing soccer.

I love to play the sport, but I also really like the team here, everybody who’s on this team is so amazing and so much fun and so that’s definitely my favorite part of being at Slippery Rock,” Yoder said.

Yoder committed to SRU early and because of that was able to make the transition from high school soccer to college soccer more smoothly.

“We got to know Emma pretty early on because of her early commitment so you create that relationship early. When she actually came here it felt comfortable and natural for her to be a part of the program. She takes on so much responsibility to help the team and all that translates on the field,” Griggs said.

Yoder and the team now look forward to the rest of the season, playing each PSAC opponent twice, but also have goals set for the year overall.

“Obviously, we want to win PSACs and make it far and possibly win an NCAA tournament, but for me, a success would be knowing that we went out, we played, that we did our best and we put our best foot forward,” Yoder said.

Rivers focused on SRU and his senior season CONTINUED FROM PAGE C-1

Through a week of Division II football, he leads every D-II player in points responsible for (42), passing yards (405), total offense (472), and passing touchdowns (6) while ranking second in passing efficiency (256.1) and fourth in passing yards per attempt (13.5).

Even though the statistics are awarded to Rivers, he said he is just one piece on the offense, and the real credit goes to the offensive players around him.

“Jermaine took a pass 78 yards for a touchdown,” River said. “Having guys make plays like that definitely helps. Guys like Cinque Sweeting, Henry coming back and doing what he does, the offensive line protecting me and coach [Neugebauer] drawing plays up … I’m just one player out of 11 on the offensive side of the ball. I just try to do my job because if we all do our job collectively, no one can stop us.”

While ranked No. 11 in the country with a real shot at making an even deeper run in the national playoffs this season, Rivers' journey to where he is now has not proven easy. And that’s not even accounting for his transfer from Valdosta State University and eventual ascension of the SRU quarterback depth chart.

A tightly contested 2117 loss to Notre Dame last December, for a place in the NCAA semifinals, ultimately led to a long half year away from organized football for Rivers.

That feeling of leaving points out on the field against Notre Dame stuck with Rivers, he said and letting down the defense weighed on his mind all offseason.

“We knew that we had to be better as an offense and guys took that approach this summer with everything we did in the weight room … the team as a whole knew that we left plays out there on that field and that we were a few plays away from competing for the

national championship,” Rivers said.

But while his team was able to train together and work on strenghening those bonds during the offseason, Rivers was unable to be involved with team activities until very recently due to an eligibility issue.

However, during the offseason, Rivers made it a priority to keep up to date with the workouts and activities his teammates were doing each day and work the same routine at the Aebersold Recreation Center (ARC) on his own.

“This offseason, not being able to work out with the team, it was a solo grind,” Rivers said. “Day in and day out, I wanted to stay in shape. I knew what the guys were doing in workouts so I would go to the ARC on my own and do the workout. I was in there every day, seven days a week.”

Unable to build a rapport with new offensive coordinator Adam Neugebauer this summer, Rivers took the opportunity to work with TEST Football Academy, an academy that boasts clients such as Joe Flacco, Brian Hoyer and Mark Sanchez, in order to refine a few areas he felt needed work in order to improve upon last season.

“Over the summer, I was able to train in New Jersey with TEST Football Academy. They’ve trained a lot of top NFL guys and collegiate guys, and I was able to work with a quarterback trainer named Tony Racioppi. He has trained quarterbacks like Davis Webb and other NFL guys, so I was able to work on my mechanics and a lot of the small things I wanted to work on going into the season,” Rivers said.

A tailored approach to reworking his mechanics combined with newfound freedom and responsibility Neugebauer has afforded him in leading the offense has led to a new feeling of comfortability within the

system this year, according to Rivers.

“I wouldn’t say I run the show, but with me being the quarterback and the ball being in my hands, coach [Neugebauer] is giving me the responsibility to know if I see something to go with it. Giving me the ability to do that has given me some confidence and just making sure that I’m prepared every week,” Rivers said.

While SRU head coach Shawn Lutz said the transition from former offensive coordinator Justin Roper’s offense to Neugebauer’s was initially a challenge for Rivers, the relationship between Neugebauer and Rivers has blossomed, and Rivers feels as though his OC has done a good job in preparing him for a season of career-highs.

"This year, I’m just focused on enjoying my senior year with my teammates and taking advantage of the opportunity I have to play the game I love," -QB Roland Rivers III “Coach [Neugebauer] does a great job of making sure that we’re all prepared going into the first game and in every practice, knowing what we’re doing. Coach Roper was a great coach as well, but I think the biggest thing between the two would be our playing speed. We play a lot quicker this year as opposed to last year and that’s beneficial because it gets defenses winded and they’re not able to make their checks and get out of plays.

It allows us to play faster and get the ball out to our athletes quicker,” Rivers said.

Under Neugebauer's scheme, more designed runs can be expected from Rivers. Despite rushing

for nearly 600 yards last season, Rivers said most of his rushing yards stemmed from scrambling out of the pocket.

Neugebauer’s quicker up-tempo offense, and the emergence of designed quarterback runs has allowed Rivers to showcase more of his athleticism as a running quarterback, he said.

In addition, a full offseason of studying and preparing has granted Rivers with more control over the offense during in-game situations, he said.

“I get to make checks at the line of scrimmage and I get to get in and out of plays that put us in certain situations,” Rivers said. “If I see something, I’m able to give my receiver a hot route or something like that.”

Once Rivers was finally able to rejoin team activities, he discovered how differently practices under Neugebauer were compared to Roper. He said the intensity of the practices allowed him to prepare for the season more effectively.

“The way we practice is different; we treat our practices like they’re games,” Rivers said. “Coach [Neugebauer] does a great job of making sure that our practices are intense like we’re in a game.

The game felt like practice since we practice so hard.”

Finally back in rhythm with the offense, Rivers has a goal in store for his final season at SRU: winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title.

Although SRU won the PSAC-West last season with a perfect division record, a lopsided loss to PSACEast winner West Chester University in the PSAC championship game denied The Rock its first unified PSAC title since 2015.

As a way of getting back to that point, Rivers said he hopes to cut down on his turnovers this season after throwing 12 interceptions last season.

“I was fortunate not to have any turnovers last game.

We need to keep putting up points and outscoring the

PHOTO COURTESY OF SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY

Senior quarterback Roland Rivers III looks to take off down the field against Wayne State. He rushed for 67 yards against WSU.

other team," Rivers said. "We do that every week for 15 weeks; we know what the end result will be.”

However, despite talk earlier this season of having a "championship or bust" narrative surrounding this season, Rivers was quick to dismiss that.

“I know I mentioned that earlier in the year about being championship or bust, but with the talent we have on this team, we know that anything less than a championship, we can’t blame on talent. We can’t say, ‘if we had one more player, if we had this guy.’

That’s not the case this season,” Rivers said.

Instead, Rivers reiterated how Lutz has made accountability and discipline huge teaching points this season.

Opposed to championship or bust, Rivers said it's accountability and discipline or bust with this team.

Having watched Marcus Martin and Wes Hills parlay strong play into NFL shots over the past couple season, Rivers said he doesn't have sights set on the NFL, but that doesn't mean he isn't thinking about it.

“Growing up and playing football since I was nine years old, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the NFL is the highest level of football,” Rivers said.

“This year, I’m just focused on enjoying my senior year with my teammates and taking advantage of the opportunity I have to play the game I love."

Living by the motto, "one play at a time," Rivers said if he keeps doing what he's coached to do, an opportunity will present itself in the future.

In the meantime, Rivers is only worried about doing everything in his power to bring a championship back to The Rock.

And maybe getting another bag of sour gummy worms.

SPORTS

September 13, 2019

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Providing a vision for those who can't Rock tennis helps host visually impaired tennis clinic

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATE SMALLWOOD / THE TRIB LIVE

Senior Viola Lugmayr assists one of the Envision Blind Sports campers at Highland Park on Sept. 5. Lugmayr and her teammates joined coach Matt Meredith at the first ever clinic for children with visual impairments in Pittsburgh.

By Karl Ludwig Sports Editor

The Slippery Rock University tennis team partnered with Envision Blind Sports to host the first tennis clinic designed for children with visual impairments in the Pittsburgh area at Highland Park on Aug. 31.

In an interview with RockAthletics, SRU tennis coach Matt Meredith said, "We were very excited to be a part of the first tennis clinic for the visually impaired in Pittsburgh. Too often, limitations are imposed on the visually impaired when there shouldn't be. Our student-

athletes did an excellent job representing Slippery Rock" Zack Baynham, a summer intern for Envision and a program specialist this fall, worked hand in hand with Meredith in order to successfully bring blind tennis to Pittsburgh.

“Matt Meredith is amazing; he’s really taken our program on," Baynham said. "He runs our blind tennis camp for us every year. He helped me with the training session [at Highland Park]. He brought his entire team down so all the girls travelled down with him.

All of his athletes have worked with our athletes beforewhich is huge because the experience is massive.”

Baynham attributed part of Envision's blind tennis prominence to Meredith's constant support. He said Meredith was invaluable in supplying Envision with a much cheaper way of acquiring the specialty tennis balls used for blind tennis.

According to Baynham, the official international blind tennis ball runs for about $15 dollars on the market.

Meredith wanted to see what he could do about it and created a DIY version of the same ball that costs a little more than $3 dollars to make.

Stemming from the overall success of not only the blind tennis program but the entire organization,

Baynham said Envision is looking to expand.

“We’re definitely trying to get bigger. We’ve been pushing it a lot through all the departments that Wendy [Fagan] teaches in, physical health and education and adapted physical fitness, so we push it through a lot of those students who are our main volunteers. We want to be as big as we can,” Baynham said.

Despite being founded in Slippery Rock by Wendy Fegan, an adapted physical activity program instructor at the university, almost 15 years ago, the organization is still relatively unknown in the area.

Officially known as Envision Blind Sports, it is a

non-profit organization that wants to increase physical activity for children with visual impairments. Baynham said the annual camp at SRU during the summer is the biggest event of the year and last year's camp had 70 campers.

Along with activities at the camp, Envision provides blind hockey and skiing at Peek'n Peak, according to Baynham.

He stressed how Envision wants to show that children with visual impairments can do the activities their peers can do, with one small adaptation, and even take them back to their schools.

“A lot of our athletes may be the only blind person in

their school, it’s a pretty low incidence disability, so they may be the only blind person in their school district. A lot of the times, your PE teacher may not know how to adapt for you. So, we get a lot of athletes that come in and say they haven’t been active all year, and we’re like, 'Aww, we need to get you active at camp then!' I think we packed in 29 or 30 sports in our week-long camp,” Baynham said.

With SRU serving as the location for many of Envision's programs, Baynham said the support from the staff, the Aebersold Recreation Center and the community has meant the world to everyone involved with the organization.

With many of the volunteers and workers coming from SRU, their time with the organization generally extends far longer than just their time on the campus, according to Baynham.

“A lot of our volunteers are university students and then they stay for years," Baynham said. "So, once you’re here, you’re kind of hooked. If you do it once when you’re here, it could be five or ten years later when you’re working your real job, you’ll be like, ‘I need a week off to go work a camp.’”

Aside from tennis and hockey, Baynham said Envision is looking to branch out with more sports teams.

“We’ve used a few other departments," Baynham said. "We hope to bring blind rugby as our next sports so we’re reaching out for that. It hasn’t been played in the US yet so we’re bringing it over from Britain. We’re reaching out to our rugby team and a lot of college rugby teams, and we’re hoping to bring that in the spring. We’re always looking for new sports to add and new activities to do.”

With new ventures coming in 2020, Baynham said the easiest way to get involved is just going to the website.

“Envisionblindsports. org," Baynham said. "That’s probably the easiest way of getting involved.”

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CAMPUS LIFE

Man and man's best friend get "ruff" Participants got down and dirty with friends and furry friends alike through mud filled obstacles

By Hope Hoehler Campus Life Editor

Dogs and their owners flocked to Cooper’s Lake in Slippery Rock, Saturday and Sunday to participate in the Tough Mudder and the Ruff Mudder by Chewy.

The Tough Mudder exists in 19 countries around the globe and has 120 events around the world; however, this is the inaugural year of the partnership between the Tough Mudder and Chewy to form the Ruff Mudder by Chewy.

Lisa-Marie Curti, the brand marketing manager of communications for Chewy, said that the Ruff Mudder in Slippery Rock was the seventh event out of 10 planned this year and about

150 dogs were expected.

When the opportunity to partner with the Tough Mudder arose, Curti said that it made perfect sense to do so.

“My favorite part is talking to all the people and hearing all the amazing stories about people and their dogs, what connects them together, and how dogs and animals make their lives better,” Curti said.

One runner, Christine Stark from upstate New York, ran the Tough Mudder with her son that morning and proceeded to run the Ruff Mudder with her dog Sig, a German Shepard who flunked out of police training. Stark has been a Spartan racer for several years but is running in the Tough Mudder for the first time.

Stark said that she originally heard about the Ruff Mudder form her daughter in law and was excited that her dog Sig could travel with her. Sig and Stark’s husband ran a dog

biathlon two years ago, but this is the first Ruff Mudder they have ran in.

“Sig doesn’t love being on a leash,” Stark said. “He likes being able to run with us.”

Stark said she loved the Tough Mudder and if they keep doing events such as the Ruff Mudder, she’ll keep coming back with Sig. The Ruff Mudder and Tough Mudder alike are both about community and teamwork. Kyle Mclaughlin, CEO of Tough Mudder since January of 2019, has been working in the industry his entire career after previously working with the New York City Marathon for 10 years.

“The best thing is the community,” Mclaughlin said. “We have people here who dedicate their lives to being a part of the Tough Mudder, because for them it’s being part of a family.

It’s being able to come out and do something where they are in a safe space and environment where they get to escape their everyday lives and play like they’re kids.”

The Tough Mudder draws participants both locally and broadly. Slippery Rock students can run for free by volunteering with the Tough Mudder for a day. Although some students may not have volunteered, there were a few

that took on the challenge of the Tough Mudder.

Amir Hill-Davis, a senior homeland security major with minors in writing and Arabic, participated in the Tough Mudder both Saturday and Sunday to challenge himself after falling off an obstacle he said he should have beat.

“There are some obstacles that you need teamwork to get through,” Hill-Dyavis said. “Everyone is helping each other.”

Sharing a common theme of community, one SRU student was a part of a group that ran the Tough Mudder with Envision Sports, an organization that provides sport and physical activity opportunities for individuals who are blind or have visual impairments.

Britany Andrews, a junior school wellness education major with minors in adapted physical activity and aquatics, was introduced to the Tough Mudder in her adaptive disability sport class.

Andrews said that her team ran with three blind individuals and hopes to run next year as a part of Envision Sports again.

“It was great to see how brave and fearless these individuals were,” Andrews said.

Whether participating in

the Tough Mudder, running with man’s best friend in the Rough Mudder or simply going to watch, the event brought the Tough Mudder community together and plans to do the same a t their events in Seattle on Sept.

21, Nashville on Oct. 5 and Central Florida in December.

“We don’t compete [in t h e To u g h Mu d d e r ] ,” Mclaughlin said. "This isn’t a race, it’s a challenge, often a challenge against yourself and your own fear."

To challenge yourself and participate in future Tough Mudders or Rough Mu d d e r s , v i s i t toughmudder.com and follow @Chewy on social media.

Check out the video at theonlinerocket.com.

HANNAH SLOPE / THE ROCKET

Indigo: A Collabortive Fiber Art Creation

Slippery Rock and Poland students collaborate to showcase their collected works for the sixth year in a row

By Jack Konesky Senior Rocket Contributor

For a majority of September, the Student Art Gallery in the Strain Safety building will be home to a cozy collaboration of blue hues. Indigo, the latest exhibition presented by Associate Professor of Fiber Art and Printmaking Barbara Westman, showcases the collected works of students

from both Slippery Rock University as well as the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland.

“This was the sixth year,” Westman explained. “We initiated in the 2013-14 academic year, and every year after wards—over the summer and early fall — we exhibit these two collections of work.”

Students were assigned the task of making fiber art—creations of organic and synthetic

materials such as yarn, fabric or denim—within a relatively simple set of instructions. With the use of four square panels, students were to create works that primarily featured the pigment indigo or similarly blue colors.

“The whole collaboration is based on four small squares which could have been configured in whatever way students wanted to,” Westman

elaborated. “You can see a variety of either four together, or a diamond or just one vertical line.”

As Westman said prior, this is one of many exhibits of fiber art created by the intercultural exchange. Just last semester, the University Union housed a very similar gallery—titled Student to Student—instead based on layers. Despite the difference in specifics, the goal of the project remains the same: to analyze how

peers from across the world create such different —or similar—pieces from the same instructions.

“We can definitely see that there are some differences between how our American students express their artistic vision for indigo, and then also the Polish students will definitely have a different spin on this assignment,” Westman said. “When we put these two collections together we realize that

people interpret things in very different ways!”

These fiber art exhibitions are a yearly tradition for Westman and her students, with the gallery popping up in both Poland and SRU at different times throughout the year. For the time being, however, Indigo shall remain quiet, calm and contemplative within the Student Art Gallery until the Sept. 20 when it shuts its doors in preparation for next year’s creations.

COURTESY OF PROFESSOR BARBARA WESETMAN

Indigo, a collaborative fiber art creation between SRU and Polish students, is on display in the SGA Art Gallery. This exhibition is in its sixth year at Slippery Rock and uses organic and synthetic matherial to create fiber works of art following a set of simple instructions.

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CAMPUS LIFE

September 13, 2019

National Suicide Prevention Week #NeedYouHere Active Minds placed 1,100 flags around the quad in honor of over 1,100 college students who die by suicide each year. Suicide Awaremess Week is Sept 8-14. Active Minds is dedicated to changing the conversation about mental health and eliminating the stigma attatched to it.

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Students take a break from the books and meditate Peaceful room helps students explore their spiritual wellness with meditation and prayer

By Brendan Howe Asst. Campus Life Editor

With the busy and oftentimes stressful daily schedule and workload that is demanded in college, it is easy for students to forget to reserve time for themselves. Both the Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga Club and a relatively new prayer and meditation room on campus are looking to help remind students to do such.

The club, led by senior Haley Hartenstine, a geography major with a concentration in environmental studies and sustainability, has been on campus for almost three years now. It focuses on any mindful practice and

incorporatedsdancing, music and art. Any member of the club can lead its meetings, which usually consist of a yoga flow and/or a guided meditation.

“Everyone should know how to free themselves from their thoughts and their stress and stretch their body,” Hartenstine said.

At the involvement fair last week, Hartenstine noticed the faction between students exploring the opportunities that clubs offered them. By the end of the event, the club had over 100 new signees.

“You could just look around and see the different types of people grouping together and I felt like we were the unity within that,” Hartenstine said. “It’s not

like you have to be a certain kind of person to come and practice this. Everyone should be.”

The club’s mailing list now includes over 200 students, and although not each of them attend every meeting, Hartenstine says her job is done even if they read an email and are reminded to meditate. She likes hearing when students take time for themselves to relax throughout their daily lives, getting away from their own stressful thoughts and responsibilities, even if only for a brief period of time.

“This suicide awareness [project] is speaking to the mental illness issue here,” Hartenstine said, referring to the purple flags stuck in the grass in the quad, an idea from Active Minds.

“There is one, at every

KEEGAN BEARD / THE ROCKET

Sydney Rossman, a junior physical activity and fitness management major with minors in adapted physical activity and communication, relaxes with some yoga in the Prayer and Meditation Room.

KEEGAN BEARD/ THE ROCKET

The prayer and meditation room is freestanding, allowing students of every religion to practice in a quiet and private place during all hours of the day.

college though. If you’re so busy and stressed, you need this. It’s one hour every other week where you can chill. People here convince themselves that they’re too busy to meditate.”

The university also offers a mindfulness course that Hartenstine believes would be beneficial in teaching selfcare as a part of a liberal studies.

“There’s a zen saying that goes, ‘You should sit and meditate for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy and you should sit for an hour,’” Hartenstine said.

The club is seeking more funding to bring speakers in for lectures or to go on yoga hikes.

If looking for a private and peaceful setting to get

away, students can go to a prayer and meditation room, located on the third floor of the Smith Student Center (SSC.) The room is available to students whenever the SSC is open.

“The We l l n e s s Commission looks at all dimensions of wellness, and historically, spiritual wellness hasn’t received e n o u g h a t t e n t i o n ,” Barbara Billek-Sawhney, a professor in the graduate school of physical therapy, said.

It has become a growing trend to address personal and spiritual wellness on campuses across the country. Last November, Billek-Sawhney helped further that theme, asking President William Behre to find space to dedicate

to a room that would allow students a space to practice mindfulness and pass through to pray. It was done within a day.

“It would be unfair of the university not to support the beliefs of others. We’re allowing students to address their own spiritual and religious needs,” Billek-Sawhney said.

Other places on campus that students can get away and be to themselves are rooms such as those in the library, or even by the ponds or in the woods.

“Everyone has to find a place that meets their own personal needs,” Billek-Sawhney said.

“And I think that this room is pretty much nondenominational."

September 13, 2019

By Kayla Kuppertz Lambda Pi Eta President

Plato once said, “the beginning is the most important part of the work.”

We are all familiar with beginnings. In fact, we are in the midst of one right now. For many students, there are many beginnings to face as we dive into another fall semester at Slippery Rock University. This article is a beginning itself, launching a n e w c o l l a b o r a t i ve series between Lambda

CAMPUS LIFE

Pi Eta, Th e Rocket and WSRU-TV. Each week, you will see a new “Letter from Lambda” here in the campus life section and adapted for TV, written to provide insight on healthy habits for success at school from the successful students in the communication department’s honor society.

This week, the topic is getting organized at the start of the semester. With movein, classes and club meetings filling to do lists and planners, it is important to stay on track to set yourself up for success.

First, if you have it, give yourself the time to settle

in and unpack. Setting up your dorm room or apartment the way that you like and that functions best for you can help create a space that is organized and conducive to studying and completing work.

Try hanging a whiteboard calendar and getting multicolored markers to make note of important events and deadlines.

Settling in also includes getting to know your way around campus. Visit classroom buildings, the ARC, the health center, the student center, campus dining and any other buildings you will need to find

later. Find out where to pick up care packages and which offices to contact for questions about financial aid or your living space. This will not only save you time, but also help you feel more comfortable.

Next, create a support network. It is important to build and maintain friendships and work relationships with those around you. Ask for help whenever you are unsure or having trouble.

Ignoring others and overloading oneself with responsibilities can make the semester unnecessarily stressful. Check your

professors’ office hours and make time for your friends to ensure you have support.

Preparedness is key for succeeding in class. Make sure you have all necessary materials, most of which are available at Dollar Tree, within the first week. Putting off getting something for class will only set you back.

If there are issues getting the required textbook, talk to your professor and see what you can do in the meantime.

The all-important planner is one of these essential materials. Take it to every class and meeting and write down everything you have to do outside of that meeting time. Keep it organized and your notes clear to avoid confusion later. As soon as you know of a meeting or event, write it down. Having a small notepad or sticky notes is also beneficial if you like to write down your lists and reminders.

Using the calendar, list and memo functions that are available on most phones is also a good habit to develop if that is what you prefer. Set reminders and due dates with alarms early enough to give you ample time to do your work. Simply putting a reminder for the due date at 11:59 p.m. might be cutting it too close.

While on your phone, check your email. This

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Check your email in the morning, after class and in the evening. Check it while you eat breakfast, l u n c h a n d d i n n e r.

Download the Outlook app or set up your default email app and turn on notifications. Utilize this tool to communicate with professors, classmates and club colleagues. If you are not staying connected and communicating, you are more likely to miss events, opportunities, updates and deadlines. Seriously, please check your email.

Finally, commit yourself to a budget. Map out expenses like textbooks, rent, groceries, school supplies and subscriptions and determine what you can afford to spend.

Whether you want to work during the semester can be determined by answering two questions: Can you afford to go without working and can you handle the additional workload in your schedule? If you do anticipate needing work, then apply as soon as you have the chance.

These are just a few small habits to prepare yourself for success this semester. Similar topics will be further explained in the letters to come.

Until then, Lambda welcomes you to another exciting fall semester at SRU and wishes you a successful start to the school year.

Big Shot Bob's open to the Slippery Rock community The House of Wings gives students and community members another dining location right on Main Street

RON MCNERNERY/ WSRU-TV

Big Shot Bob's, located at the corner of Maltby and South Main Street, opened in the middle of August for dine in, take out and delivery. Big Shot Bob's is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

By Hope Hoehler Campus Life Editor

Welcoming the Slippery Rock community and students alike, Big Shot Bob’s replaced Nico’s, opening at the corner of Maltby and South Main Street.

The “Home of the soldier and the best wings in Pittsburgh” opened on Aug. 12 before students crowded Slippery Rock’s campus for take out, delivery and dine in.

By Mallory Angelucci Senior Rocket Contributor

When the sun rose on Slippery Rock University this fall, the campus was

Although specialty items may vary by location, the menu consists of a large variety of boneless and bone-in wings, burgers and sandwiches, hoagies, pizza and a variety of sides.

The restaurant started in 2007 and Kyle Pawuk, one of the owners of Slippery Rock’s Big Shot Bob’s, was one of the first employees to work for them.

The establishment has grown since 2007 and now has about 30 other

filled with all kinds of things that kept the energy high. Fun and exciting events across campus, new and returning members of the SRU community, and plenty of music to keep it

locations combined in Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Ohio, with plans to move to Florida and Las Vegas.

Pawuk also owns the Butler location with his brother and partner after previously owning a location in Sharpsburg.

Big Shot Bob’s has a location on West Virginia Un i v e r s i t y’s c a m p u s and believed that the college atmosphere was a good location factor.

“College and wings g o t o g e t h e r p re t t y well,” Pawuk said.

The Slippery Rock community extended a warm welcome to the new restaurant and filed in to eat before school started, according to Pawuk.

“Everyone has been supportive,” Pawuk said.

“The community is the staple point. When the kids go home, the community will still be here.”

With locations surrounding Slippery Rock

in New Castle, Ellwood City and one coming to Shenango, Pawuk said that right nowthey are focusing on running the business.

“Every time you open a new business you have to work out logistics, especially with a bigger dining area than we usually have,” Pawuk said.

In the Butler location that Pawuk owns there is no seating.

If students or community members don’t want to eat in, they can take out as well. Big Shot Bob’s delivers all around

town, from 11 a.m to 11 p.m.

Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

“A lot of kids on campus don’t even know about us yet,” Pawuk said. “We do deliver on campus to every dorm and to apartments such as the Grove and Ivy.” Pawuk said that himself along with the Big Shot Bob’s establishment is happy with the welcome they have received in Slippery Rock and are happy to be a part of the community.

all going throughout the year.

As all students familiarize themselves with campus, they also hear the sounds that emit from different parts of its hilly, flower filled grounds.

When you walk through the quad after syllabus week, the upbeat, bass heavy tunes from “The Boombox Kid” and his famous boombox fill the quad. As you walk to the persistent beat, the weight of all of the new homework and due dates is a little lighter and much more do-able. The days are never boring with songs like these driving the day forward and they keep spirits high after a long day in classes.

Music is almost as important as caffeine is during the start of a new semester at SRU. Ordering your coffee at Starbucks is a relaxing way to start the day. With songs like “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers and

“Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood filling the room, preparing for the day will be as easy as spending your Flex dollars on coffee every day.

On Saturdays, after the week is over, it’s time to unwind after a week of working hard and putting in the extra hours of studying.

Home football games are a great environment to get together with other students and cheer on SRU as we compete against other schools.

While you catch hot dogs in the stands, the SRU Marching Pride plays their halftime show. “Smile,” floats through the air and catches the attention of the

audience with its uplifting chords and inspiring, bold melody. It reminds students to smile, “and maybe tomorrow, you'll see the sun come shining through for you.”

You end the night with Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts.” Not only for empowering women, but all students, this song encourages self love across everybody with a strong and steady beat to keep the vibes up. Lizzo preaches the values of knowing your worth and loving yourself first as this is the foundation for great things. Put one foot in front of the other, remember to smile and remember that “we just keep it pushing.” Rock on!

September 13, 2019

THE ROCKET

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