the rocket
Friday September 18, 2015 • Volume 99, Issue Number 4 • An Independent, Student-Run Newspaper
www.theonlinerocket.com
Slippery Rock ranks as 11th safest college town By Haley Barnes News Editor
Slipper y Rock was recently named the 11th safest college town in the United States by SafeWise. According to Elli Bishop, head of the company's outreach, SafeWise is a Utah based community-focused security organization committed to increasing safety education, awareness and preparedness. "We help our users compare security options in an informative and pressure-free environment, so they can make the choice that’s right for their family," Bishop said. The list was comprised of 50 different college towns from all over the United States. Bishop explained that in order to comprise the list, the company looked at a list of all accredited four-year universities and colleges along with the towns and cities that correlate with each of those schools. "Then we paired up each town with the most recent crime data as released by the FBI," she said. "The crime data includes both violent crimes and property crimes." Violent crimes included murder, rape, robber y and aggravated assault. Property crimes included burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson. "We also gathered population data for each town and we filtered out all towns below 10,000 residents," she explained. "From there, we also used the population data to calculate the average crimes per 1,000 residents in order to level the playing field between cities with varying population sizes. Finally, we sorted each city according to their crime rates from lowest to highest and ranked them accordingly." The list explains that The Women's Center at SRU partners with VOICe, the Victim Outreach
This graphic illustrates the safety rankings of three PASCHE schools in addition to SRU. The data was complied by SafeWise.
Inter vention Center of Butler County, in order to train student advocates to work with victims of sexual assualt. This partnership helps promote student safety on campus and around the town of Slippery Rock. SRU SGA President Logan Steigerwalt explained that the Happy Bus has helped the Slippery Rock community immensely with safety. He said it is a safer option
for students who are traveling at night to use. "As the SGA, we like to advocate for the best interest of the students," he said. "Safety is a huge concern and we want to make sure that we help provide the safest environment. SGA advocates at the Slippery Rock Borough and Township meetings on behalf of the SRU student body. "Recently, the lack of lighting and
GRAPHIC BY KARLIEGH SANTRY
sidewalks from Kiester to the Grove has been brought to our attention and we are currently making a big push for something to be done," he said. "As it stands now, it is very dangerous for pedestrians and drivers at night due to the very low visibility."
SEE CELL PHONES, PAGE A-2
SGA approves new senators and clubs By Chris Gordon Assistant News Editor
Slipp er y Ro ck's Student G overnment Association elected six new representatives Monday night, nearing a complete senate. "I'm excited that the senate is finally filling out," said Brad Kovaleski, the executive director of student development at SRU and an adviser to SGA. "The election process takes away time that could be used for debate." Three open positions for commuter senators saw three applicants. Morgan Popowski, a junior early childhood and special education major, Abby Fugh, a sophomore healthcare administration and management major, and Jordan Kapser, a sophomore business management major, were all unanimously elected.
One graduate senator position was open and one applicant applied. William Dzuriscko, who studies student affairs in higher education, was elected near-unanimously, minus one abstention. Two applicants each applied for single open positions in Building B and Watson Hall. Allison Sedon, a sophomore public health major, was elected to represent B and Victoria Pasquale, a freshman biology major, will represent Watson. The various applicants expressed concerns for student safety and an interest in finding ways to keep students from going home on the weekends. There were no applicants for the Buildings D, E, F and Rhoads Hall positions, which remain open. There are also four open spots for freshmen senators. The final round of elections will be held on Sept. 28.
All six senators were sworn in following their elections. Additionally, SGA unanimously approved two new clubs, the Pre-Vet and Animal Lover's Society (PALS) and the Student Affairs Graduate Association (SAGA). PALS said they want to create events where students are invited to bring their pets. SAGA said they hope to support graduate students and educate the student body on graduate programs. SGA President Logan Steigerwalt discussed recent talks he had with the Butler Eagle and the Slippery Rock Borough, concerning "mega parties" and poor lighting surrounding SRU. SGA plans to have proposals to address these issues in coming weeks, Steigerwalt said. The next SGA meeting will be on Sept. 28 at 8:45 p.m. in the Smith Student Center Theater.
Printing in Bailey Library Changes
Polyamory Needs To Be Accepted
Volleyball Begins Season 7-1
Bailey Library staff explains the rationale behind the new printing desk. Page A-2
A commentator weighs in on a modern relationship style.
Rock volleyball continues its surprising start at the Davis & Elkins Tournament. Page C-1
Page B-2
SRU Student Crawls In Caves Jessica Schottanes crawls through a tight cave during her internship.
Page D-2