The Slate 9-19-23

were called to McLean Hall on

Suspect in McLean fight appears in court

Elizabeth Peters Editor-in-Chief

A suspect in the fight outside of McLean Hall on Sept. 3 waived his preliminary hearing last Wednesday in Cumberland County Court. The suspect, Veron Tamir Henson, 20, of Shippensburg faces charges of simple assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. A felony count of aggravated assault was withdrawn by authorities, according to court documents.

Henson was released from Cumberland County Prison on Sept. 13 on $30,000 bail. His arraignment has been set for Nov. 6. According to police reports, Henson was involved in a fight involving

about 20 to 30 people on Sept. 3 around 8:30 p.m. outside of McLean Hall. Pennsylvania State Police troopers from the Carlisle barracks were called to assist Shippensburg University police officers to handle the situation. When Pennsylvania State Police troopers attempted to break up the fight, one trooper tried to detain Henson and remove him from the scene. Henson began struggling with the officer. Both fell to the ground with Henson landing on the trooper’s leg, breaking it. The trooper was taken to Carlisle Hospital for treatment.

Henson was held in Cumberland County prison from the day of his arrest until his release on Sept. 13.

Security threat causes 2 campus-wide emails, confuses students

Connor Niszczak Managing Editor

Shippensburg University officials sent two campus-wide emails in the early hours of Sept. 13, in response to an alleged threat made to campus on social media.

At 12:38 a.m., an email from SU News was sent that said in part, “Expect an increased police presence as SUPD works to investigate and provides for the safety and security of campus.”

An updated email sent at 7:15 a.m. said: “SUPD continues to investigate the perceived threat posted to social media last evening but has found no credible threat to the health and safety of our campus. There may be a continued increased police presence throughout the day out of an abundance of caution. Classes will proceed as scheduled.”

University officials were made aware of two threatening posts made on social media app YikYak, which allows users to post anonymously. At 10:20 p.m., one user posted, “i’m sorry but tomorrow harley will be gone forever,” presumably in reference to Harley Hall. At 10:29, another post was made

saying “I AN GOING TO SHIOT UP HSRLEY.”

A group of residents in McCune Hall reported the threat to a resident assistant and were told that it would be reported to university police. The Slate cannot independently confirm that this group of residents was the impetus for the mass emails or if the threat was also reported by other members of the campus community.

Many in the student body voiced their concerns and frustrations with the lack of information provided to them regarding the ongoing situation on YikYak.

“I’m uncomfortable with the lack of info and the fact that the investigation is still ongoing cuz they haven’t even figured out who or what or why the threat was made but expect my trust,” one said.

One student questioned why online classes were not made an option for the day and asked, “We have proven that Zoom works. Why not just have professors send that out as the option for tomorrow’s class?”

When asked by The Slate to provide additional information, SUPD directed us to the office of SU Communications.

SU announces change to 9/11 ceremony

Sidewalks in the academic quad were lined with hundreds of American flags last Monday in remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001, the deadliest terrorist attack in history.

Monday was the 22nd anniversary of Sept. 11, in which four coordinated airline hijackings and suicide terrorist attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda, a militant Islamist organization. AlQaeda’s goal was to unite the Muslim world under a supra-national Islamic state, and the attacks killed 2,977 people and injured 6,000 more across New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which is about 90 miles west of Shippensburg.

For over the past two decades, Shippensburg University’s Military Science Department has supported the university’s Sept. 11 memorial ceremonies. This has included the tradition of placing American flags on the quad, according to U.S. Army Lt. Col. and military science department Chair Nicole Jepsen.

This year, cadets of SU’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) maintained the flags on the quad while additionally setting up a table in the Ceddia Union Building (CUB) to recognize alumni who gave their lives in the global war on terror, which was instigated

by the 9/11 attacks.

One thing missing this year, however, was the annual Sept. 11 ceremony hosted outside the library.

In previous years, Shippensburg University hosted an annual 9/11 ceremony outside Ezra Lehman Memorial Library at around 9:45 a.m., according to posts on SU’s Instagram account, the oldest post from Sept. 6, 2016. These events would feature guest speakers such as Jepsen and Maria Maresca, cadet battalion commander, in 2022.

Concerns about the missing ceremony were brought to staff members of The Slate by students who showed up at the library expecting another yearly ceremony but were met with nothing.

Hannah Culp, SU ROTC battalion commander, said they could not do the ceremony this year but wanted to do something for remembrance of the tragic event. Culp assisted with the flags in the academic quad and the table in the CUB, which was received well according to Culp.

Culp spoke on the lack of memorial ceremony, explaining that the university wants to do a ceremony every five years now.

When asked questions from The Slate, Jepsen initially forwarded inquiries to the SU Office of Communications and Marketing. Megan

academic quad.

Silverstrim, director of the office, said, “After much consideration and a decline in participation in recent years, a collaborative decision was made to continue the annual flag display in the quad to mark the anniversary of Sept. 11 but discontinue the yearly ceremony.”

SU will now host a ceremony on larger anniversaries, the next taking place in 2026 for the 25th anniversary of 9/11, according to Silverstrim.

Jepsen responded two hours after Silverstrim, specifying that the Department of Military Science has not been in charge of planning and running events but has “welcomed the opportunity to participate.” “It is good we still get to have something because there is less awareness around it. I think we are forgetting,” Culp said about this year’s participation.

SGA welcomes new police chief

them to be able to come and address one of the supervisors at the police department.”

held to the same campaigning guidelines but do not appear on the ballot and their names must be entered manually.

The two candidates who submitted petitions will be giving speeches in McFeely’s Coffeehouse (CUB Ground Floor) Thursday, Sept. 21. Students are encouraged to attend and ask questions. Voting will occur September 25–29.

In his opening remarks, SGA President Harun Pacavar kicked off what he hopes to be a productive year: “We are very much looking forward to starting things fresh and making sure we as a student organization are hearing the voices of you all and doing everything in our power to make sure we can address any issues that are brought before us,” Pacavar said.

The Student Government Association (SGA) welcomed SUPD Chief Patrick Taylor at its first public meeting of the semester last Thursday. Taylor took over the reins as chief of the university’s police department on Sept. 5.

Shippensburg is not unfamiliar to Taylor, who had previously worked for SUPD from 2002 to 2020. For the past three and a half years he was employed by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s office.

Speaking about his approach as chief, Taylor said, “I want to have an opendoor policy. I want people to be able to come if they have issues, if they have questions, if they have concerns. I want

Taylor spoke about developing a “call before you park” campaign, asking visitors and those unfamiliar with campus to call and ask any questions before risking a ticket. He said the department is also looking at reformatting signs and making parking rules clearer.

Members of SGA and the audience spoke with Taylor, who responded to various questions about transparency, accessibility, diversity and safety.

Elections for the 11 vacant SGA positions are underway. Only two petitions were received by the Tuesday, Sept. 12 deadline, which means write-in candidates have good chances of filling the open seats. Write-in candidates are

Members of the Executive Leadership Committee hoped committees would be operational by the end of September. Committees are bodies within SGA designed to turn student concerns and ideas into actionable policies and events. Responding to a question about the removal of the self-checkout kiosk in the CUB convenience store, SGA Advisor Lorie Davis indicated the removal was due to retail theft becoming an issue in the store.

According to Pacavar, the ELC has worked over the summer to revise the SGA constitution. These changes were approved unanimously during the meeting and will be released to the student body at least a week prior to approval.

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate Students walk past American flags lining the

Allyson Ritchey Multimedia Director

See “9/11,” A2

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate Police

Sept. 3.

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate

SUPD police chief Patrick Taylor speaks at the Sept.14 SGA meeting. Ian Thompson Staff Contributor

SGA encourages students to join

SGA

First and foremost, the Student Government Association (SGA) would like to express its appreciation of the collaboration between our organization and The Slate. We are always eager to give updates and news on what kinds of things are going on, what SGA has done as a whole and what things we have planned for the future.

To start off, I would like to thank the executive leadership team and everyone else for helping set up and execute a very successful ice cream social we

hosted on Aug. 27, as well as tabling during the activities fair. We were able to gauge much interest from the student body and encourage students to play a role in SGA as well.

Over the past three weeks, we met with both our senators and executive leadership committee together for two caucus meetings where we talked about the future goals for SGA and what we are looking to do this academic year. Collaborations with different organizations on campus, interactive activities and establishing connections between students and faculty are few of the many things we want to achieve this semester.

Currently, the SGA is reviewing our constitution and proposing amendments. The constitution was originally created in 1962 and has not had a major overhaul in many years.

Many components of the current constitution no longer suit the current students and their involvement.

The SGA took a unanimous vote at the Sept. 14 public meeting to accept the proposed adjustments. On Monday, an email was sent out to the campus community notifying students about the changes with a copy of the amended

constitution.

New members of SGA are always needed and welcome. Due to the work we did with tabling in the Ceddia Union Building, students are picking up petitions asking to join committees. We encourage students who want to learn more about us and act as voices and leaders on this campus. We always want students to be involved and learn new things. Through the goals we have set for the future, we have students from all sorts of backgrounds to be involved on campus.

Voting for the fall election will be between Sept. 25 and Sept. 29. Students will be able to vote for senators and executive leadership committee positions, as well as voting on the constitutional amendments.

The vote for SGA positions and constitution amendments will be on the same electronic ballot. No other vote will be conducted by the SGA since we have already conducted one at the last public meeting.

Our SGA is starting new but bold and we are excited for everyone to be a part of it. Please join us at our next public meeting on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 4 p.m.

Creekside Grille aims for SU engagement

Elizabeth Peters Editor-in-Chief

Creekside Grille opened its doors for the first time last Thursday. The building was formerly Hotpoint Inn, but the ownership changed in early September.

Bob and Wanda Whitmer sold the property to the Hotels Shippensburg LLC earlier this year. The last day of business for Hotpoint Inn was Sept. 2 with the ownership officially changing over to Nishant Paul on Sept. 5. With new ownership came quite a few updates. Tables were moved out of the way to make room for arcade and gambling machines and to allow for better flow throughout the venue. Paul also noted they added 25 new TVs and that Creekside Grille intends to host a lot of sports watch parties.

The biggest change is that Creekside Grille is a smokefree venue.

“We used to allow smoking inside, but now it’s just on the patio,” Cassie Newcomer, social media coordinator, said. The new menu features a spread of food and drinks options. Creekside Grille has small bites, like popcorn, fries and onion rings, as

9/11

Countinued from A1

Culp attributed the lack of awareness to the fact that traditional collegeaged students were very young or not even born yet when the event happened. Culp added the new tabling event this year, saying a lot of students stopped by to remember 9/11 and “never forget,” a slogan universally associated with the 22-yearold terrorist attack.

I hope we never forget; you know what I mean? And not just the bad things, but the way America really rallied behind something. It was really beautiful,” Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Lissner said as he and Culp helped put flags away on Tuesday.

Similar concerns about remembering 9/11 are echoed by civilian students.

“Personally, I think that 9/11 has been desensitized over the last two decades. It seems as though more and more people tend to bring less awareness to the event as time goes on,” Patricia Gaydar, a junior history major, said when asked about her thoughts on remembering the event.

Gaydar was born in September 2002, and has vivid memories of time in kindergarten spent

well as options like burgers, chicken strips and hot dogs. They have everyday beers, like Bud Light and Blue Moon, and a rotation of craft beers on tap.

While “Rocket Fuel” is no longer available, the bartenders said they are working on a new signature cocktail. Additionally, Creekside Grille offers daily specials for discounted food, pitchers and cocktails depending on the day.

“We offer good food — cheap prices,” Paul said. For entertainment, there will be live entertainment every week, karaoke monthly and a mechanical bull occasionally. There is not a set schedule for these events yet, but more is to come, according to David Newcomer, the director of operations.

Paul also expressed a want for local talent to feature at the Creekside Grille stage. From comedy nights, open mics and local musicians, Paul is interested in giving people an opportunity to perform.

“I wanted to create a place that has something for everybody,” Paul said.

For more information, visit Creekside Grille on Facebook.

learning about Sept. 11 with coloring pages. Even as she approached middle school, her teachers would dedicate time to teaching full lessons on the attack. Since coming to college, Gaydar feels as if 9/11 “hasn’t been acknowledged at all.”

“As a studying historian, I feel as though that 9/11 should always be in remembrance as a big turning point in history. It’s certainly going to be in the history books as time goes on, and instead of teachers or professors just setting aside their day to talk about it, it may be something that they’ll actually incorporate within their curriculum,” Gaydar said of Sept. 11’s historical significance. JJ Miller, another history student, said, “Having been born after 9/11, I’ve always been drawn to the aftermath and the legacy of what happened that day. Especially as a history and sociology student, I’m fascinated by how 9/11 has changed from a traumatic national event to a political talking point in just over two decades.”

Despite the recent changes to how SU celebrates Sept. 11, Silverstrim asserts that “[Shippensburg University] value[s] the importance of honoring those lost and the heroes that served on Sept. 11, but also understand[s]

the work that our many campus organizations put into planning such an event.”

The new plan will allow SU to support organizations including ROTC and student veterans and continue to honor the many sacrifices made that day, according to Silverstrim.

As another year post-9/11 goes by, Jepsen urges readers of The Slate to remember SU’s fallen alumni:

Private First Class Nathaniel DeTample was a criminal justice major at Shippensburg University who joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He died in Bayji, Iraq, on Aug. 9, 2005, when a mine exploded and enemy forces attacked using small arms fire.

Staff Sgt. Sean Flannery was a 2003 graduate of Shippensburg University, who served tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He died in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 10, 2010, after being hit by an improvised explosive device. Maj. Wesley Hinkley was a 2001 graduate of Shippensburg University, who served as an Army Finance Officer. He died of noncombat-related causes in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 4, 2011, during his second deployment to the region.

Your World Today

Connor Niszczak Managing Editor

“Why do you always look like you’re in a rush?”

One of my residents asked me this as I was hustling into Seavers Hall last week. My response is simple — “Because I am.” Coming into this semester, I knew that I had a lot of responsibility on my plate. In addition to my five classes, I am a resident assistant for 42 students in Seavers Hall, I tutor 10 hours a week in the Learning Center, I work as a student ambassador and I spend many hours in The Slate office as managing editor. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have class from 9:30-3:15 and work from 3:30-6:30, so I am booked for at least nine hours straight. Thursdays are my duty night, so I go right into another six hours of active responsibility. These Your World Today columns are usually meant to allow Slate management to get something off our chest and give advice to our readers. This week, I feel like I need to be asking

for advice. We are barely a month into the semester, and I feel drained. I am fairly confident that my current schedule is not sustainable for the rest of the academic year. I feel guilty that I am not currently able to spend more time in my residence hall and build the connections that I both want and am required to make. I believe something in my schedule needs to change, but I cannot find anything to cut loose. I almost wish I was involved in things I didn’t enjoy doing. I love being an RA and wish I could focus on that so much more. I love working with communications/ journalism students through tutoring and helping them understand grammar on a deeper level. I love working with the student ambassadors and helping out with events as I can. And I have loved my first few weeks as managing editor here at The Slate. As I have told many of my comrades over the past week, we really are “student-journalisting” so hard these days. So, this is my open call to my especially busy Raiders out there who may have some advice on how to keep it all together. Because I am spreading myself too thin, and I am not that flexible.

Weather Forecast

Share your opinions about Cumberland County

Ian Thompson Staff Contributor

Whether you are here for school, lived here your whole life or have decided to make Shippensburg your home, you undoubtedly have some opinions about our quaint college town and the surrounding area. Luckily, there is someone waiting for you to share those opinions. Last month, the Cumberland County Planning Commission released a survey to those who live, work and attend school in the county. The survey’s purpose is to gather input to help construct the county’s comprehensive plan.

The Cumberland County Comprehensive Plan is a document, last updated in 2017, that establishes long-term goals and objectives for the county, covering topics such as economic development, conservation and transportation.

The survey asks about familiarity with local government processes, favorite and least favorite parts about the county and asks respondents to list things they would like to see change. The answers to these questions will help county staff develop a comprehensive plan that represents the diverse and growing population of

Cumberland County.

“Residents and people who work in the county have the opportunity to tell us what they want the future of Cumberland County to look like,” said Cumberland County Planning Director Kirk Stoner.

[Editor’s Note: Ian Thompson serves as a non-voting member of the Cumberland County Planning Commission, representing college students.]

Harun Pacavar

President of

Elizabeth Peters / The Slate

The ribbon cutting ceremony at Creekside Grille (left to right: Brooke Basehare, Marcie Taylor, Nishant Paul, Bob Whitmer, Pooja Paul, Lesley Johnson, Wanda Whitmer, Dave Johnson, Cody McGee, Jodi Etter, Christa Stains, David Newcomer, Krissy Cressler and Vicky Simmel).

Elizabeth Peters / The Slate Pool tables and gambling machines at Creekside Grille.

Elizabeth Peters / The Slate Burger and beverage from Creekside Grille.

The Slate Speaks: Is the university transparent enough?

With a recent incident occurring on campus at McLean Hall, many students begin to wonder about safety. While this incident seems self-contained, it appears to be part of a much larger issue. Whenever something like this occurs on campus, an email is sent out, students are told that “it’s an active investigation,” and it is lost in history.

For more information regarding the incident in question, see Page A1.

The only information that was given to students was an email that read, “Earlier this evening a group of individuals not affiliated with the university were involved in an incident near McLean Hall,” with some other brief but vague information.

Does the university have a transparency problem? Naturally, in this age of internet connectivity, students text one another, and photos were sent of the massive gathering of police on campus. On top of that, Yik Yak has made it far easier for anyone to spread misinformation and rumors. Without the university sending any kind of update or genuine facts to inform students, the rumors can spiral into something far worse, and many will treat it as gospel.

Speaking of Yik Yak, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, a threat was made against campus. Students who saw the original post were of course concerned, but it was only exacerbated by the Shippensbur University Police Department sending an incredibly vague email that provided nothing to really help students. See page A1 for additional information on this incident.

Perhaps the administration could provide some follow-up about if the threat mentioned specific buildings, how students could remain safe in the event the threat was genuine. The university still has not clarified if the person who made the threat was found and if the person is facing any kind of repercussion.

Even the notion of what the university deems a threat is vague. SUPD will often refer to a threat as active and perceived. For many students a threat is all they need to make them worried, and not having any kind of defined guideline for knowing which threats are more dangerous than others will just lead students to assume all threats are of equal danger to them.

Cars are being stolen from university property, and the university is not even telling students it has happened. An email was sent out by the campus informing students on how to keep their vehicles safe. What the email did not mention was that a car was stolen, and subsequently damaged on Wednesday, Sept. 13, ac-

cording to a source familiar with the incident. However, if you were to ask any student who also stores their car on campus, they would probably have no idea that this even happened.

It should go without saying, but just because people do not know about things that are happening does not mean those things are not happening, and they’ll keep happening if no one is informed about it.

There is not even adequate transparency for students in regard to less serious topics. For example, how long did it take many of us to figure out we had guest swipes included in our meal plan?

Many feel as if there is not really any transparency in general. At most, there is very little of it. Most of the time, we rely on people who were nearby or pictures and videos posted online to just get even the slightest idea on what may have happened. This is applicable to any incident that happens on campus.

Adding to that, when it comes to safety, specifically with the incident outside of McLean Hall, we get very little information on what happened. The email we received told us very little as to what happened, which on one hand makes sense as it is an ongoing investigation; however, the email mentioned nothing about if anyone was hurt and the two stretchers that came out of the building. There is little-to-no transparency given, especially when it comes to safety concerns, which is highly worrying.

The email that was sent out regarding the most recent incident was insultingly vague. The campus community should be notified of safety issues as soon as they happen so they can avoid the area and any danger. When the emails only make students more confused or anxious about campus safety, are they even worth sending?

It took over an hour between the first messages in the Slate Discord server and the university’s email when the incident in McLean Hall was happening. During that time, rumors and hearsay ran wild, and nobody was sure what was happening. Even now, we still have very little information on what happened.

The university, SUPD and Housing need to be more open and responsive. The fact that RAs are instructed not to say anything to the media is troubling. We as student media rely on our peers as sources, and that policy makes it harder for us to report on what is happening on our campus. We demand better communication.

Where’s your voice?

Shippensburg University students, staff, faculty, administrators and affiliated people are welcome to submit letters to the editor for publication.

• Letters must be no more than 300 words and may not contain derogatory language or messages of hate or discrimination.

The Slate may reject letters for any reason.

• Letters become property of The Slate. Letters without a name and title (affiliation to SU) will not be accepted.

• Letters should be sent to The Slate one week prior to the day of publication. Late letters may be accepted but published the next week.

• The views and opinions expressed in this section are those of the writer and not of The Slate or University.

• The unsigned staff editorial, “The Slate Speaks,” represents the views and opinions of The Slate as an organization. Participating editors help shape the staff editorial.

Going to counseling is OK

Allyson Ritchey Multimedia Director

This week I went to counseling for the first time since 2021. Prior to that, I had been going on a pretty consistent basis since I was 9. For as long as I can remember, I have always dealt with pretty intense anxiety. You know the kind — incessant stomachache, racing thoughts of doom, constant nervousness (for seemingly no reason). With the onset of my senior year of college, these feelings made their way back.

I made the difficult decision of going back to counseling after two years, and it was more difficult than one would think. I had to make a scary phone call to set up the appointment; then I had to make the terrifying trek to the University Counseling Center (UCC) which is on a side of campus I have not been to since I lived in Seavers my freshmen year. Once I made it there, I sat anxiously in the waiting room to meet my new counselor since my other one left Shippensburg. Turns out, I ended up being OK. The hardest part was tak-

ing the leap to get help. Going to counseling is OK, and here are in-depth steps on how to do so if taking that first step is difficult for you, too:

1. To schedule an appointment, call the Counseling Center directly at 717-477-1481. You will be asked simple questions such as your name and your availability. If you are anything like me and get anxious making phone calls, write down a script on a piece of paper for reference once you call. I promise that the person taking your call will be super nice. This paper will also come in handy because then you can write down the date and time of your upcoming appointment. This will help quell any fears that you misremembered the day. 2. Next, you will wait for your appointment to arrive, often worrying about it, like I did. Something that helped me not freak out as I counted the days to my appointment was talking with my friends about it. My friends have visited the UCC.

See ‘Counseling’ Page B2

Adam Beam/ The Slate

Adam Beam/ The Slate

They reassured me that it was not as scary as I thought. Here I am doing the same thing for you.

3. The day of your appointment, plan to arrive a little early to the Counseling Center so you can fill out some forms. I listened to my favorite playlist as I walked to Etter Health Center, which took my mind off of my anxiety about the appointment.

If you do not know how to get to the Counseling Center, it is in the bottom floor of Naugle Hall which is on the east side of campus.

Head behind Reisner Dining Hall. Naugle is the dorm building on the right behind the water tower. You’ll want to walk down the stairs outside between Naugle and Seavers Halls.

At the bottom of the stairs, you will be greeted with a red awning. The doors to the health center are under this first, larger awning. Enter, and enter the second set of doors. You can check in at the waiting room to your left. Again, the individual helping you will be really nice. They will instruct you to a separate waiting room where there will be computers on which you can fill out forms.

If you want, they can even walk you there, like I asked them to. You can sit at any computer and fill out the form. It is a simply questionnaire to help your counselor know a little more about you to have an effective session.

4. Now, you wait. You might feel a little bit of dread in your stomach as you wait

to meet your counselor for the first time, but you will be OK. There are infographics on the bulletin board in the waiting room to look at if you need a distraction during the wait.

5. When your counselor comes to the waiting room, they will call your name. A simple “Hi” is the perfect response. You will then follow them back to their office where you will start your session. There is not really a right or wrong way to do your session; just go with the flow of your counselor. They are there to help you with whatever you need.

6. Once you get to the end of your session, your counselor will likely ask about scheduling another appointment if you need. You will head back out to the receptionist where you will coordinate schedules. Once you make another appointment, you will be given a tiny card with the upcoming appointment’s information on it.

I immediately added it to my calendar so I would not forget. After that, you are done. You can leave the counseling center the same way you entered and go about the rest of your day. Counseling is a totally normal activity that many people do. I find that it is extremely useful. For more information, feel free to call the University Counseling Center at 717-477-1481. The center’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, contact campus police at 717-477-1444 or call 911.

Tuesday, September 19,

Dining: Is it worth the wait?

Connor Niszczak Managing Editor

It is 12:13 p.m. All I had eaten was a pack of Belvita before my 9:30 a.m. class, and the pangs of hunger were making themselves known. I had a delicious Bangin’ Berry smoothie from Freshens waiting for me, as I ordered it ahead of time to be ready at 12:10. I only had a 15-minute break between classes, so I was ready to be in and out.

Oh, how wrong I was. At 12:15, my smoothie was not ready. At 12:20, still nothing. At 12:25, and I am full-on hangry. It’s 12:28, and I must pull the plug and head back to Rowland Hall for my 12:30 class. When I got the notification at 12:34 that “Your order is now ready,” I was too irritated to even laugh at the irony. If my 12:30 class had been anywhere

other than Rowland Hall, that smoothie would likely never have been claimed.

The current system of mobile ordering is entirely unsustainable. What is the point of allowing students to order their food ahead of time if it is always a gamble as to whether it will be there? And depending on the customizations they want, they may not even be able to order online.

Students should not be expected to dedicate up to 30 minutes of their packed schedules to waiting for pre-ordered food, let alone the fact mobile ordering has already been “currently unavailable” twice thus far this semester.

This speaks to a larger issue that has plagued dining services in the first weeks of the semester. With one of the largest incoming classes in years, it is painfully accurate that dining was -— and still is -— not prepared to handle the number of customers who are now

reliant on its services.

A practically meaningless 20-cent increase to the value of a meal swipe coupled with raised food costs across campus seems to have driven more students to Reisner Dining Hall. I have never been an opponent to Reisner’s quality, but it simply must improve the quantity. From shortages of cups to instances of not a single fork available in the entire hall, Reisner has not increased necessities.

Dining continues to struggle with transparency. There are no hours posted on their Instagram account for any locations, and changes to The Sub Shop Meal Deal and the elimination of breakfast at Burgers and Fries happened with seemingly no communication.

The lines get harder to stand in, and Ship Dining provides an experience that makes me continue to wonder if it is worth the wait.

The freedom of journalists is under attack

To some outside observers, being a journalist seems like a cozy desk job. From how the media depicts the profession, one would assume all the work is done from the comfort of the newsroom, doing everything via email. However, journalists are some of the first ones out on the front line, and they face dangers not only from the stories they cover, but those who do not want them to publish those stories.

A study conducted by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found that between 2016 and 2020, 400 journalists were killed. Compared to the previous year it’s “a nearly 20 percent decrease”. However, this study also found that “nine out of 10 killings remain unresolved.” UNESCO also looked at the startling rise in journalists being arrested and imprisoned, and this is on top of the threats made to their lives both in-person and online.

These numbers cover the entire scope of the global media sphere. Here at home, however, we have a long and troubled history of undermining journalists. One of the most famous examples is the historic reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. In 1972, The Washington Post was one of several news outlets to report on the break-in at the Democratic National Committee office at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Woodward and Bernstein continued to report on the incident long after the White House downplayed its severity and other newspapers moved on.

The investigation into Watergate eventually exposed the connection between the break-in and President Richard Nixon’s administration. Naturally, the White House denied these claims and attacked the integrity of how these stories were reported. Thankfully though, the story would have a happy ending as more and more reporters would follow the story, and ultimately all guilty parties were identified, including the president. Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974.

However, stories like this do not come around as often as one would think, especially in the modern age in which we live. Since the rise of the 24-hour news cycle and political candidates like Donald Trump, journalism has been under attack. Now, if people do not like news that is being reported, they can just write it off as “fake news.” People are being brainwashed into thinking that the media is the enemy.

No image summarizes what I’ve been talking about more than the image of rioters destroying Associated Press equipment on Jan. 6, 2021, during the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

What is most unfortunate of all is that the national threat toward journalists trickles down to student journalists as well.

Whether at the high school or college level, student journalists face just as much scrutiny, if not more.

In researching this topic, a story that resonated with me came out Santa Ana College in California. In September 2022, students of the El Don, the campus’ media outlet, began reporting on a cash for credit program run by the university.

In the process of trying to write the article, several campus administrators and faculty told the reporters they could not discuss the matter with them, or they were deferred to other individuals. A response was not given until two weeks later.

El Don went on to report on the experience and explained that this is just one of many instances of their university sending student journalists on “a wild goose chase” just to get their homework done. Universities with similar policies and mindsets impede not only the educational development of journalism students, but also block information from the student body as a whole.

Deadlines are everything to a journalist. The news that is being reported is information students need to know in a timely manner. Preventing that information from being given to students in a timely manner is not only counterproductive but dangerous as well. Not only that, but not allowing your staff and faculty to speak with student journalists in any capacity without approval impedes on their First Amendment rights as well.

Chances are if you are reading this, you are in the Shippensburg area, and you probably think this could never happen here. Unfortunately, Shippensburg University has its own history of silencing student journalism.

In May 2019, the editorial staff of this very newspaper wrote an open letter to then President Laurie Carter. The letter mentioned multiple instances of President Carter degrading the paper and treating it as a detriment to the image of Shippensburg. The Slate staff at the time put it best, “some stories are not positive, and it is in these times that it is perhaps even more vital that we fulfill our duty of reporting those stories and the truth to the best of our abilities.” They go on to say, “To ignore the bad and the ugly — to “talk about the negative in positive ways” as you note we should — is to ignore the harsh realities of life.”

Adam Beam Opinion Editor

Adam Beam/The Slate The As Soon As Possible wait times for Freshens, in Kriner Hall, as found on the Mobile Ordering app.

Photo courtesy of Tim Carter/flickr

sign agasint Net Neutrality during a rally in Boston, Massachusettes.

Photo courtesy of

Ship Life

A closer look at Ship Dining

Connor Niszczak & Madi Shively Managing Editor & Ship Life Editor

Students are hungry for answers. And for the time being, Shippensburg University’s Dining Services appears unable to serve any. For the past two weeks, The Slate has attempted to write a story about the multitude of dining changes that were put into effect this semester.

After reaching out on Aug. 31 and receiving no response for several days, we were told by Aramark District Manager Asha Early via email that all responses would be reviewed by the Aramark communications and marketing team. In a second email, we were asked to communicate any future dining questions “a minimum of two weeks in advance.” Dining services did not respond to our questions by the deadline for this publication, and they were made aware that The Slate would still be running this story.

Last week, Madi Shively attempted to write a feature story on a beloved, long-term university employee. The individual seemed excited and open to being interviewed, though on the day of the interview, they were informed they were unable to share any information on record — regardless of whether it was personal or related to their role at the university — without being reviewed and approved by higher-ups within their department.

Dining Services is not unique in its reluctance to speak to our organization, but as a division of campus that every single student relies on, many want answers to the changes that have taken place since last spring.

Logistical changes

The price of a meal swipe has risen from $6.40 to $6.60, but food costs across campus have increased. One of the most expensive items is a 12-inch sub from the Sub Shop, which can cost upwards of $16 in the Transact Mobile Order app.

“The school boasts that tuition is the same again and then makes surviving on campus twice as expensive,” SU sophomore Logan Miscanon said.

There is a meal deal, which includes a 6-inch sub, house chips and a small drink, that is available at the Sub Shop, but it will cost any student who does not have a meal plan $11.87, according to a Sept. 11 post on the @shipdiningservices Instagram.

There are a number of meal deals across campus that make it seem as if dining has intentionally raised the amount of flex a meal would cost to make it seem like the deal is a much better option, students told members of The Slate.

In another Instagram post from the same day, Ship Dining announced that “Salad Mondays are back.” This is not quite accurate, as the previous program was “Soup and Salad Monday,” as noted in an Instagram post on March 20, 2023. Whereas students could previously get a bowl of salad and cup of soup for a meal swipe, they can now get a bowl of salad and either one breadstick and a drink. Based on images in the two posts, the salad appears to be smaller than what was previously offered.

Century Cafe was also reimagined over the summer and no longer serves fan-favorite quesadillas or chicken and waffles, and Freshens replaced the popular peanut butter protein smoothie with a sun butter protein smoothie.

Crunching the numbers

For those students who do not live on campus and wish to have a meal plan, one of the options is the 75-block plan. This plan costs $884, not including an additional $250 in flex, which is $11.79 per swipe when divided by 75. So, anyone who chooses to purchase that plan pays over $5 more than the $6.60 value of the swipe that they are receiving. In other terms, 75 meals multiplied by $6.60 plus $250 in flex is $745. Dining charges nearly $400 more: $1,134.

A photo of “Soup and Salad Mondays” posted on @shipdiningservices March 20, 2023.

For comparison, the 14-meal plan with $250 flex is $1,776 per semester. If you subtract the $250, you have $1,526. Over a 16-week semester, that works out to be $95.38 a week; therefore, that is $6.81 for each of the 14 meal swipes. This appears to show students are paying 21 cents more than they get to spend for each meal swipe, and students with the 75-block plan pay $4.98 more for each swipe.

A larger demand It is not possible to have a conversation about dining concerns without discussing the relationship between a larger student body and the demand that it puts on dining services. During training for resident assistants in August, Housing and Residence Life officials told staff members that this was the largest incoming class in several years. The Slate could not independently confirm enrollment data for the fall 2023 semester, but an October 2022 article by Megan Silverstrim in SU News noted first-year student enrollment had grown by 7.5% since fall 2022.

With more students come a higher demand. Instances of students having to wait for forks or cups to be available in Reisner Dining Hall raise questions as to whether the dining services were prepared for the influx of students this semester.

One student shared their experience of entering the dining hall at approximately 2:15 p.m. on a Sunday and finding no metal trays of food at the serving stations. Knowing that brunch hours are advertised as 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the student asked Reisner staff about this and was told more food would be put out at 3:30 p.m.

“I told the employee that I was unable to wait an entire hour for some food that was listed to be there all morning and afternoon until 3:30 p.m.,” SU sophomore Katelyn Hanft said. “The employee was very kind and offered to make me some chicken nuggets and fries, but I declined due to dietary needs. I then got myself a salad, eating while trying not to cry, as unexpected change without notice is personally hard for me. I left the dining hall still hungry after eating. This experience has made me feel worried that there will not be food available for me at the times that dining services claim.”

An online brochure featured on the Ship Dining website says “Your satisfaction is our highest priority” and Reisner

A photo of the salads now being served on Mondays, posted on @shipdiningservices Sept. 11. Students can also get one breadstick and a small drink with their meal swipe.

Dining Hall “serve[s] only the best in variety and value.”

For many students, that promise of satisfaction is felt the least when it comes to on-campus mobile ordering.

On the Mobile Order app, SU students can remotely pay for and schedule orders from dining options such as Sub Shop, Freshens and Bento Sushi. However, orders are not always completed at the time it is scheduled for.

In the beginning weeks of the semester, many students have waited upward of 20 or 30 minutes to receive their food at Freshens in Kriner Hall. An editorial detailing one experience with mobile ordering can be found in our Opinion section.

Additionally, Starbucks drinks have taken upward of 30 to 40 minutes according to timestamps posted by multiple individuals on the Shippensburg Class of 2027 Snapchat story. One student placed a mobile order at 10:53 a.m. and claimed to receive their drink at 11:34 a.m.

Meeting specialty needs

When it comes to the “variety and value” mentioned in Dining’s online brochure, this is not the case for some students with allergies and dietary restrictions.

One SU student who asked to remain anonymous described their experiences in Reisner as an individual with multiple food allergies. The True Balance station often serves very similar foods almost every day, and they don’t always have options available during breakfast and brunch hours, according to the student.

“People who deal with food sensitivities as well as those who are athletes who need to be eating better food don’t have options the majority of days,” sophomore Caroline Cooper said. “We feel lucky when we get edible food.”

Welcoming a response

As an imperative function on this campus, Shippensburg students deserve transparency.

The Slate welcomes dining services to provide a Letter to the Editor at any point throughout the semester in order to provide a response to the student body regarding issues mentioned in this story.

Madi Shively Ship Life Editor

MSA and LSO hold cookout and Crab Fest

Gabe Rader Staff Contributor

Shippensburg University’s Latino Student Organization (LSO) and office of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) hosted their annual Cookout and Crab Fest this past weekend.

LSO started the party Friday night outside of Seavers and Naugle Hall with a buffet, DJ, great music and even dance competitions.

While LSO and MSA as a whole work to celebrate the diversity of the campus community, the Latino community is one of the smallest minorities within the student body. But for many, that makes the friendships even more significant. LSO is crucial to bringing together people of all cultures and making sure that all Hispanic people feel welcomed on campus. And that is a key mission of LSO: making sure that everyone involved is welcome and feels like they have a place to call home on campus, regardless of whether they have Hispanic heritage.

A participant at LSO’s cookout explained how inclusion

is important and works only when everyone is included and said, “You don’t have to be Latino to come to an LSO event, it’s for everyone as people we should try to immerse ourselves and others in cultures and different experiences.”

The person responsible for immersing the community together is the new president of LSO, junior Brando Aristy. Aristy kicked off the event by welcoming all people to the event and encouraging them to get up, dance and enjoy the food and festivities.

Aristy loves the culture and loves sharing it even more. Having the freedom to be able to act on his visions for Hispanics at Shippensburg University and being a minority at the university makes it only more special to him. Not only did he welcome attendees and introduce his members, but he helped with the buffet line and made sure everyone was taken care of.

Aristy is looking ahead to LSO’s biggest event, Latino Explosion, which will occur in October to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. Details are still to be determined.

AAPIO welcomes new members with fall kickoff

Mara Eberle Staff Contributor

The Asian American Pacific Islander Organization

(AAPIO) hosted a Welcome Back Kickback on Thursday evening to welcome new and returning members.

There was a lot of ground to cover at this event as it was the first event of fall 2023 for AAPIO, and it did not disappoint. Students were able to meet the executive board, learn about the organization and enjoy food with other members.

Jeremy Satyawan Putra, SU senior and one of three AAPIO executives, emphasized that the organization is open to all students on campus whether they are Asian American/ Pacific Islander or not. He

wants everyone to know that it is open to all who are interested in learning more about AAPIO and its culture. Putra and Skylar Walder, another exec and senior at SU, reactivated the organization around 2020 after it dissolved in the early 2000s. At the kickback, they stressed the importance of keeping AAPIO alive.

“This year is all about setting a foundation for this organization,” Walder said. Walder and Satyawan Putra are graduating this year, so gaining new and passionate members is crucial for the organization and its future at Shippensburg.

Theo Campomanes is the only sophomore on the executive board for AAPIO, and he is very aware of the responsibility within

this role. Campomanes reiterates the importance of building the organization’s foundation and following in the footsteps of Satyawan Putra and Walder.

This kickback was about more than simply keeping AAPIO alive. Many new members were able to learn about the organization’s purpose at SU and its values.

First-year student Marjurie Igarta attended the event and discussed why she wants to join AAPIO. “I get to meet new people,” Igarta said. “I want to join this club to make friends and be a part of a community.”

This is only the beginning for AAPIO. To learn more students can follow @shipaapio on Instagram to stay updated on future events.

The party continued on Saturday night with MSA’s annual Crab Fest at the hockey rink.

Crab Fest created a very chill environment where everyone can talk, enjoy good food, and listen to good music that isn’t played at many other campus events. MSA had a wide array of delicious food – including crabs, of course – that attendees could enjoy for just $5.

MSA also used Crab Fest as an opportunity to advertise some of the divisions within the organization and advertise some of the programs it runs, such as the Feed a Friend program, which helps provide Thanksgiving meals to those in need.

MSA’s president, senior Tamara Hightower, said she enjoys doing what her job entails and loves the people she gets to meet. She believes that having the ability to bring people together is a blessing.

“Food is the best way to bring people together,” Hightower said.

Participants pose in front of the DJ booth at the LSO cookout.

Bags of crabs and mallets are presented at tables at the MSA Crab Fest.

Photo courtesy of LSO

Shamere Briggs / SU Slate

Shamere Briggs / SU Slate

Hannah Atkinson / SU Slate

From left: Leadership members Theo Campomanes, Skylar Walder and Jeremy Satyawan Putra pose in front of the AAPIO flag.

Crab Fest attendees help one another break open crabs.

‘Listening to Water’ gallery opening a smashing success

Lydia Elmy Staff Contributor

Have you ever thought about the memories and power that water holds?

Artists aimed to demonstrate these aspects in the “Listening to Water” exhibit, which held its opening night on Friday at the SHAPE Gallery.

Given the name of the exhibit, each piece was centered around water in various forms. From watercolor paintings to photographs of rushing waterfalls, every artist had a message to send.

One of these messages was about the pollution of the world’s oceans. Two sculptures depicted this message hauntingly well. One demonstrated marine life trapped in a type of net, while the other showed what seemed to be a lobster living in a bucket.

The piece that had been ranked as “the best in the show” was a sculpture titled “Cubus” by David Harvey. It was a metal cube with a large open crack. Inside, there was running

water. Artists from Washington state to here in Pennsylvania had their work in the exhibit, and each had a story to tell — whether it is a warning about humanity’s impact on the world’s oceans or simply a pretty view over a lake.

The atmosphere of the event was warm and lively. Contemporary music played as people engaged with each other and admired the art. Others had a look at the SHAPE Shoppe, where several pieces, from photographs to sculptures, are available for purchase.

The “Listening to Water” exhibit will be open until Oct. 20.

Anyone who is interested in submitting their art into a show is able to do so for free.

Outside of this time, the fee to enter a piece is $5.

The next exhibit to be held at the gallery, “Fall Film Festival”, begins on Friday, Nov. 3.

SHAPE Gallery is a volunteer organization and is located at 19 E. King St. Admission to the gallery is free.

Student Artist Spotlight: Aidan Swank

Grace Harbour A&E Editor

Aidan Swank is a senior art major at Shippensburg University with a certification in graphic design. Swank’s preferred artistic medium is watercolor and acrylic paintings. He enjoys doing graphic design, but does that more professionally. He does a lot of abstract art, but he goes off of what he is feeling as a form of self-expression, rather than inspirations.

Swank had his watercolor paintings on display in the Brindle Gallery in early September, along with artwork by students Sharon Coons, Jessica Silverman and Addison Zimmerman. For his watercolor work, Swank wanted to try new techniques, which included using gesso as a base layer, flinging paint for organic

texture and incorporating other types of media like oil pastels.

He spent last semester experimenting with watercolors in an independent study. After spending several months on a 7-foot long painting, he decided he needed to work smaller. That led him to create the paintings that are now in the Brindle Gallery. As for the meaning behind his paintings, “It’s really about letting myself be free from any meaning,” Swank said. “It’s about having some fun between paintings that might actually have objective content or a meaning that I’m thinking of.

“I like to switch a lot between the world of complete abstraction, and the world of identifiable subjects,” Swank said. “It’s most fun when they meet in the middle and you get a

little bit of both.”

Swank got his start in art due to his grandmother who is also an artist. She doesn’t paint professionally, but she paints murals for her local pizzeria and mailboxes for friends.

Swank recalls going to her house with his cousins when he was younger and painting SpongeBob characters, which are still on display today.

Along with art, Swank also likes to produce music. He likes to connect his paintings to his music and create album covers.

In the future, Swank hopes to put his graphic design skills to use. He has worked in graphic design before at a sign shop and at Cumberland County Historical Society where he worked on social media and posters. He hopes to continue similar work after graduation.

Grace’s Weekly Record: Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Guts’

Olivia Rodrigo released her sophomore album “Guts” on Friday, Sept. 8, more than two years after the release of her debut album “Sour.”

“Guts” is the more mature, grown-up sibling of “Sour,” in a way. In “Sour,” Rodrigo describes her life and relationships at the age of 17. “I’m so sick of 17, where’s my teenage dream,” Rodrigo sings in the song “Brutal.”

“Guts” focuses on the same themes of “Sour” but with a more angsty, punk-rock feeling. While it still has some of Rodrigo’s signature ballads, “Guts” delves deeper into her knack for rock music.

Rodrigo told The New York Times she’s “always loved rock music, and always wanted to find a way that I could make it feel like me, and make it feel feminine and still telling a story and having something to say that’s vulnerable and intimate.”

In “Guts,” Rodrigo reflects on her life while she was 19 — which is arguably the most pivotal age for an adolescent. Rodrigo talks about the toxic relationships she had and growing up in the spotlight.

“I had such a desire to live and experience things and make mistakes and grow after ‘Sour’ came out. I kind of felt this pressure to be this girl that I thought everyone expected me to be,” Rodrigo told The Guardian.

Rodrigo said because of that pressure, she made mistakes and dated people she should not have. Therefore, “Guts” is about Rodrigo coming to terms with all of the pressure and realizing who she is and who she wants to spend her time with.

The album opens with the song “all american bitch,” which sets the punk-rock feel of the record. It sounds reminiscent of something off of an early 2000’s movie soundtrack. Rodrigo talks about the pressure to be the “perfect” American woman in American culture.

Rodrigo told The Guardian that she has faced feelings of “rage and dissatisfaction” that she felt like she could not express, especially in the spotlight. “I’ve always felt like: you can never admit it, be so grateful all the time…I’ve always struggled with wanting to be this perfect American girl and the reality of not feeling like that all the time.”

“Bad idea right?” was the second single released from “Guts.” It is a fun, playful confession of Rodrigo getting back with her ex — “Yes I know that he’s my ex/But can’t two people reconnect?/I only see him as a friend/The biggest lie I ever said.”

“Vampire” was the first single Rodrigo released from “Guts,” her comeback to the music scene after two years. The song starts as a slow ballad, then quickly transitions into an upbeat rock tune. Rodrigo talks about her relationship with someone who took advantage of and used her — “Bloodsucker, fame lover/Bleeding me dry like a vampire.”

“Lacy” is a soft, folky song where Rodrigo describes a girl she is envious of. It delves into the theme of envying someone

so much to the point of admiration — “And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you/I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you.”

“Ballad of a homeschooled girl” is an angsty garage rock song, in which Rodrigo describes her social faux pas at a party: — “I broke a glass, tripped and fell/Told secrets I shouldn’t tell/Stumbled over all my words/Made it weird, then made it worse.”

“Making the bed” is a melancholic ballad in which Rodrigo blames herself for feeling dissatisfied with her life — “And I’m playing the victim so well in my head/But it’s me who’s been making the bed.”

“Logical” is about the difficulty of making sensible decisions when caught up in strong feelings for someone. With strong vocals and a soft piano, Rodrigo describes the naivety she had in this relationship — “And now you got me thinkin’/Two plus two equals five/And I’m the love of your life.”

“Get him back!” is a revenge song that plays with the double entendre of getting someone back — “I wanna get him back/I wanna make him really jealous, wanna make him feel bad.”

“Love is embarrassing” captures the embarrassment that comes with navigating love at a young age. Rodrigo told Rolling Stone how she got the inspiration for the song. “I think I was just having one of those days, where you think of one embarrassing thing that you’ve done and just, suddenly, it snowballs into every cringey thing that you’ve ever done in your entire life.”

“The grudge” is another one of Rodrigo’s classic piano-led ballads. Rodrigo talks about a relationship that was full of manipulation and deceit, but how hard it was for her to let go — “It takes strength to forgive but I don’t feel strong.”

“Pretty isn’t pretty” is a dreamy pop song about living up to society’s expectations. Rodrigo expresses that no matter how much she tries, it will never seem enough — “I could change up my body and change up my face/I could try every lipstick in every shade/But I’d always feel the same/’Cause pretty isn’t enough anyway.”

Rodrigo concludes the album with the moving “teenage dream,” in which she is vulnerable about her fear of growing up and getting “old” to the public eye. She reflects on her life as she bids her teenage years goodbye.

Rodrigo alludes to the idea of the teenage dream from “Brutal,” saying, “But I fear that they already got all the best parts of me/And I’m sorry that I couldn’t always be your teenage dream.”

In the bridge, Rodrigo repeats the words — “They all say that it gets better/It gets better the more you grow,” then asks “It gets better, but what if I dont?” It builds up into an emotional conclusion of the record, like “hope ur ok” was for “Sour.” “Guts” was made for the “20-something teenage girls,” also known as the young adults who feel they may have grown up too quickly. It captures the essence of adolescence — messy relationships, embarrassing social situations, self-discovery and all.

Grace Harbour A&E Editor

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate Aidan Swank pictured with his watercolor artwork in the Brindle Gallery.

Mavis Anderson / The Slate

The “Listening to Water” exhibit opened at the SHAPE Gallery on Sept. 15.

Kim van Alkemade introduces new novel: ‘Counting Lost Stars’

‘Stranger Things’ releases Scoops Ahoy ice cream

If you watch “Stranger Things,” then you are probably familiar with Scoops Ahoy that was featured in Season 3. Scoops Ahoy ice cream is now sold by the pint in Walmart stores. The line of ice cream launched Wednesday, Sept. 13, with seven new flavors.

Chocolate Pudding is a chocolate ice cream with chocolate fudge swirls and vanilla wafers.

U.S.S. Butterscotch is a butterscotch ice cream with caramel ribbons and caramel chocolate — inspired by Erica (Priah Ferguson), “You can’t spell ‘America’ without ‘Erica’.”

Triple Decker Extravaganza is a vanilla and butter ice cream with maple ribbons, chocolate peanut butter candy and waffle bites — inspired by Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) waffles.

Cinnamon Bun Bytes is a cinnamon ice cream with cinnamon cream cheese

swirl and cinnamon roll dough — inspired by the nickname “Dusty bun” by Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo).

Pineapple Upside Down is a pineapple ice cream with salted caramel swirls and pound cake chunks— inspired by Argyle’s (Eduardo Franco) love for Hawaiian pizza.

The Void is a black vanilla bean ice cream with strawberry ribbons and vanilla cream cookie pieces; — inspired by when Eleven channels her power in the black void.

Lastly, Mint Flare is a mint ice cream with chocolate chunks and rainbow confetti — inspired by the evil Mind Flayer.

The announcement came during fans waiting for the final season of the hit series. Seeing as production for the fifth season has come to a halt due to the Writer’s Guild of America strike, the ice cream can hold fans over for what is going to be a much longer wait.

Abbygale Hockenberry Asst. A&E Editor

Kim van Alkemade is a New York Times bestselling author of “Orphan #8.” She talked about her newest book, “Counting Lost Stars,” which was released in July 18, at Stewart Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 13. The event began at 7 p.m. and people were glued to their seats until the very end.

“Counting Lost Stars” takes place in 1960s New York City. A college student, Rita Klein has given up her baby for adoption when she meets Jacob Nassy, a Dutch holocaust survivor who is looking for his mother. Rita is learning computer programming in school and learns she might be of help

to Jacob in the search for his mother.

Alkemade used to be an English professor here at Shippensburg, but now is a full-time historical fiction author. Alkemade shared with the audience that this story is special to her because she used to read her drafted work to her classes.

The story is heavily inspired by her parents. Alkemade’s father was an immigrant from the Netherlands and met her mother in the Empire State Building. In the book, Rita and Jacob meet at the same location and Jacob is from the Netherlands. The characters are also described to have the same appearances.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Alkemade used

that time to research all she could about the Holocaust, World War II and more history from that era. She came up with the idea for “Counting Lost Stars” by putting herself into her parents’ history. She wanted to dramatize and add what she wanted to it.

Alkemade said, “I love historical fiction because you can trust what is happening, but at the same time I can take you to a place that only exists in my imagination.” Refreshments were offered to everyone who attended. The event went on for the duration of an hour. Copies of “Counting Lost Stars” were made available but sold out before Alkemade even began speaking.

Broadway’s ‘Some Like it Hot’ is frustratingly lukewarm

Managing Editor

As I make my way into the Shubert Theatre, I am preparing for a knockout musical.

As Daphne says in her 11th-hour number, “You Coulda Knocked Me Over With A Feather.” For me, “Some Like it Hot” struggled to knock me over. I doubt a hundred feathers would have been able to.

I continue to be frustrated with how disappointed I was with almost all the substance of this production. I have been anxious to get to the show since it opened nearly a year ago, and I am glad to have finally checked it off my list, but I will not be back.

If you are unfamiliar with the plot, “Some Like it Hot” is based on a 1959 film of the same name. Joe and Jerry, two Chicago musicians, witness a mafia murder and escape by dressing as women and joining an all-female jazz band heading west to California. Christian Borle plays Joe/Josephine and J. Harrison Ghee plays Jerry/Daphne.

The Tony-winning star of the show, J. Harrison Ghee, is in the middle of a temporary leave of absence due to a recent surgery. Their understudy, DeMarius Copes, and Kevin Del Aguila, who plays hotel owner Osgood, were by far

It’s not summer without ‘The Summer

I Turned Pretty’

As summer slips away, it is easy to escape into the crunching leaves and cozy sweaters of autumn without remembering the souvenirs this summer has given us. An important keepsake from summer 2023 is the second season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” a book trilogy now adapted into an Amazon Prime original series that encapsulates the freedom and fear of formative years. So before we curl up under our blankets with pumpkin spice lattes, let’s reminisce on the series that had us all rooting either against the main character or for one of two very attractive brothers. The series picks up at the end of the school year, revealing that Susannah has died and Belly and the Fisher boys aren’t in contact. When Belly receives a call from Jeremiah confessing that Conrad is missing, the two find him at Cousins Beach, where their late mother’s beach house is for sale. Alongside new characters and fan-favorites from Season 1, Belly and the boys fight to save the beach house, resurfacing old memories and feelings on the way.

The second season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is notably less adolescent than the first. Of course, there is an addicting combination of drama and teenage angst; however, the actors have grown, and the show has matured with them. Each episode weaves together stories of grief, family and love — falling both in and out of it. Dual timelines depict the pitfalls of Conrad and Belly’s relationship as Belly reconnects with Jeremiah, highlighting the advantages and flaws of each brother and leaving audiences arguing over which relationship is better.

Truly one of the main successes of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is its ability to give viewers something to fight over. Many love triangles are born from conflicts curated solely to separate a show’s main couple. This show, however, introduces two valid love interests for Belly, and choosing sides is a genuine competition. Even Belly’s brother and her best friend have differing opinions on who Belly should choose.

Ultimately, the show works because of its ability to capture viewers’ attention. The short seasons mean each episode is filled with excitement, and audiences are left on the edge of their seats. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” checks all the boxes for a young adult drama yet feels uniquely compelling and emotional. Considering the quick confirmation of a third season, the series will surely be a summer classic for years to come.

the highlights of the production.

I was surprised to see Aguila’s name when this year’s Tony nominees were announced, but he absolutely deserved the recognition. His rendition of “Fly, Mariposa, Fly,” which is essentially the number in which Osgood and Daphne fall in love, was the only moment of the show when I was emotionally invested.

I enjoyed their performances enough to overlook, just as the show does, the

fact that a genderfluid person of color in 1930s America would not have had as easy a life of Daphne appears to.

Christian Borle, whom I adored as the original Emmett Forrest in “Legally Blonde” and Orin Scrivello in off-Broadway’s “Little Shop of Horrors,” did very little for me. I struggled to buy into his chemistry with the gorgeous Adrianna Hicks, who plays Sugar, the band’s lead singer.

I must give props to the show’s incredible choreography, which was conceived by Broadway veteran Casey Nicholaw. The show is very tap-heavy, and the minutes long gangster chase in the final minutes of the show is likely to be all I remember.

My biggest issue with the production is that it feels frozen in an old-school Broadway format. This is to be expected as it is a flashy, two-and-a-half-hour, big-budget musical based on a hit film from the 1950s. But for me, a frequent Broadway patron who is becoming fonder of intermission free shows, I felt the show dragging on.

I never know how to fully process feeling let down by a show I really wanted to love. The production won four Tony Awards, so clearly many agree that the show is hot. But I feel like a more appropriate name would have been “Some Like it Lukewarm.”

Dining Word Search

Abbygale Hockenberry / The Slate

Kim van Alkemade reading ‘Counting Lost Stars’ at Stewart Hall on Sept. 13.

Rosalyn Truax Staff Contributor

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Connor Niszczak / The Slate

Connor Niszczak

Abbygale Hockenberry

Asst. A&E Editor

Winning streak breaks

Men’s soccer falls to Millersville, ties Slippery Rock

standing in the defensive wall.

Shippensburg University’s men’s soccer team lost its winning streak as the Raiders fell to Millersville in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup on Wednesday at David See Field 3-1.

On Saturday, the team tied 1-1 with Slippery Rock in its first road game of the season.

On Wednesday, Millersville started out strong and Shippensburg struggled to keep up. Five minutes into the game, the Marauders had the first free kick but did not score.

Shippensburg had its first chance after eight minutes, but the shot by junior Victor Vottero went directly to the goalkeeper. A minute later, Shippensburg’s goalkeeper, freshman Ryan Krumenacker, caught a cross ball from Millersville, with a Marauders player waiting to put the ball into the net.

Sophomore forward Ethan Paulukow chased behind the ball and forced the Millersville goalkeeper to run out of his goal to pick up the ball 17 minutes into the game. When the goalkeeper picked the ball up, it was still outside the box, so the Raiders earned a free kick right outside the box line in a central position. The free kick then hit the Millersville players

Just one minute later, Millersville’s Connor Fiadino benefited from a miscommunication in Shippensburg´s defense. Fiadino raced onto the ball, played it around Krumenacker with one touch and scored into the empty net.

Within the next moments, the Raiders scored an offsides goal, and Millersville had another good chance, but the cross-laid ball did not reach any Millersville players.

In the following, Millersville’s goal scorer Fiadino almost benefited from another miscommunication in the Raiders’ defense, but this time, Krumenacker reached the ball first.

Junior midfielder Spencer Siverling received a yellow card in the 22nd minute of the game for pulling the jersey of a Millersville player. The following free kick was in the Marauders’ offensive half, but the ball did not end up in the net.

In the last 10 minutes of the first half, Shippensburg showed some improvements and had a few good actions in front of the goal. The score at half time was 1-0 for Millersville.

Two minutes into the second half, freshman forward Cam Henry won the ball of a Millersville defender, but his shot from right outside the box got deflected.

Junior midfielder Mason Stokes fouled a Millersville player at the corner of the box, so the referee

called a penalty kick for Millersville with 37 minutes to go in the game. Millersville’s Jake Altimore notched the penalty, while Krumenacker dove to the opposite side of the goal, to give Millersville a 2-0 lead.

Just two minutes later, Millersville scored to make it 3-0, as the Marauders ran through Shippensburg’s box without being vigorously attacked by the SU defense. Bob Hennessey made the shot with an assist from Mike Kreider.

In the following minutes, Krumenacker made a few saves and Shippensburg’s defense had a few good tackles, before the Raiders also got on the scoreboard.

Senior midfielder Graham George played a long cross ball that was touched by a Millersville player so that Millersville’s goalkeeper could not reach it.

After 3-1 loss, Shippensburg’s head coach Jeremy Spering said his team is still growing and lost to a very complete team in Millersville, but his team will be fine if the players clean some things up.

“We got to tidy some stuff up and we are going to be more successful if we do it,” Spering said. “We´ll be fine.”

When asked about the miscommunication between goalkeeper and defense before the first goal and at other points in the game, Spering defended

Krumenacker. Krumenacker is still a freshman, and it still is a learning experience for him, Spering said.

For the future, Spering wanted to clean up how the team moves as a group and to get the lines more connected.

On Saturday, SU travelled to take on Slippery Rock in an away game. The Raiders fought back to get a 1-1 draw after trailing for most of the game and playing with only 10 men since the 32nd minute.

Slippery Rock took the lead early in the game, with a goal by Arturo Pla Hernandis’ in the 11th minute.

With 13 minutes to go in the first half, Henry received a red card and left Shippensburg with only 10 men on the field.

Junior Asthon Davies scored the 1-1 in the 69th minute with an Olimpico, a goal scored directly from a corner. Davies put the ball in right behind the near post, and Slippery Rock’s goalkeeper did not react quick enough to keep the ball out of the net.

Junior Cody Willoughby made his comeback to the field and had six saves. SU had 10 shots throughout the game, five of which were on target.

The Raiders will now travel to take on West Chester and Bloomsburg on the road in PSAC Eastern Division matchups on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Football’s strong start does not last in loss to IUP

Shippensburg University’s football team got out to a 7-0 lead on its first drive on the road against IUP on Saturday but did not score again until the fourth quarter in a 49-14 loss.

The Raiders’ defense was strong early in the contest, only trailing 14-7 at the half, but a 21-point third quarter from the Crimson Hawks put the game out of reach. After graduate defensive back Mike Brewer intercepted an IUP pass to end IUP’s first drive, the Raiders capitalized on the great field position with junior Jake DeLuccia reaching the endzone on a 28-yard touchdown pass from redshirt sophomore Sam Johnson III to give

Shippensburg a 7-0 lead. After IUP scored on the very next drive, the score remained at 7-7 deep into the second quarter. Both teams had scoring chances they were unable to convert in the quarter, with IUP failing to convert a fourth down in the redzone and Shippensburg missing a 27-yard field goal attempt. The momentum changed right before the half when Johnson was sacked and lost the football — the first of four fumbles lost on the day. It was recovered by IUP defender Jay Holmes who ran it in for a scoop and score, giving the Crimson Hawks a 14-7 lead with 58 seconds left in the half. The Raiders’ offense struggled in the second half, with their first three drives

of the half resulting in a lost fumble, a three-and-out, and a lost fumble. IUP scored touchdowns after all three drives, giving them a 35-7 lead less than six minutes into the third quarter. Johnson was replaced by freshman Sam Stoner late in the third quarter, and Stoner led the team in passing with 122 yards, along with a late touchdown pass to junior Tykey Reinberry. Redshirt sophomore Tanner Hess led the ground game with 39 rushing yards, and junior Redd Douglas led receivers with 54 yards on three catches. Douglas also earned 143 kick return yards.

Football returns to Seth Grove Stadium for Family Day this week to face Bloomsburg in the PSAC East conference opener. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

Men’s cross country wins Kutztown’s DII/DIII Challenge, women place 2nd

Aiden

tournament.

SU’s women’s volleyball lost twice on Friday, being swept by Fairmont State and losing in four sets to Wheeling, the host team of the tournament. On Saturday, the team first lost to West Liberty in five sets before coming back to win over Notre Dame (Ohio) in four sets. Sophomore setter Kearstin Davis amassed 145 assists over the four matches of the weekend. Junior Emily Gardner led the team with 40 kills over the weekend, tying her season-best effort of 14 kills in the match against West Liberty. SU will host Jefferson on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Tennis falls to Jefferson 7-0 and Clarion 4-3

Against Jefferson, the women’s tennis team only won four games in the singles’ matches and won two games in the doubles. Corinne Markovich won two games in her singles match, as well as two games in the doubles match with her partner Brighid Cantwell. Against Clarion, Brooklynn Rupert, Brinley Orris and Kendall Winters all won their singles decisions. All other SU players won at least three games in their singles matches.

Women’s tennis will host Messiah College on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Women’s soccer goes 1-1 for the week

SU’s women’s soccer team picked up its first win of the season against Lock Haven on Wednesday. Kaitlyn DiCandilo and Olivia Stephen scored the goals for the Raiders in the 2-1 win over Lock Haven. On Saturday, the women fell to nationally-ranked Kutztown, 2-1. Kutztown scored the 1-0 lead early in the second half, but the Raiders answered with a goal in the last 10 minutes of the match to tie the game. Graduate Skylar Lambert put the ball into the net for SU. Just one minute later, Kutztown responded with the game-winning goal.

The women will travel to Shepherd on Wednesday before hosting Mansfield on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Field hockey splits the week

The women’s field hockey team fell on the road to Mansfield on Wednesday, 2-0. The Raiders finished the game with an advantage in shots and penalty corners but were unable to score goals. On Sunday, they won over Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) 3-0 in a rainy home contest. Junior Yasmin De Meyer scored the first and the last goal of the contest, and redshirt-freshman Alexa Michielsen scored the second goal, which was also her first collegiate goal.

Volleyball drops 3 games at PSAC/MEC crossover

Nicola Pugge Sports Editor

Mason Flowers Asst. Sports Editor

Nicola Pugge Sports Editor

Shamere Briggs/The Slate Chisom Ifeanyi makes a tackle in the game against Newberry on Sept. 2. On Saturday, SU’s football team lost to Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Hanna Atkinson/The Slate

Shippensburg University’s men’s soccer team during the team introductions in its match against Jefferson on Sept. 9. This week, the team lost to Millersville 3-1 and tied with Slippery Rock 1-1.

Memorials and Remembrance

This year, cadets of Shippensburg University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) maintained the flags on the quad while additionally setting up a table in the Ceddia Union Building (CUB) to recognize alumni who gave their lives in the global war on terror, which was instigated by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

One thing missing this year, however, was the annual Sept. 11 ceremony hosted outside the library. Read more on A1.

Photos featured are from this year’s campus flag display, Gettysburg National Military Park and the Happy Valley Rodeo.

Photos courtesy of Bryce Arnold, Elizabeth Peters, Jayden Pohlman and Allyson Ritchey.