The Slate 4-30-24

Cumberland Valley reverses decision to cancel anti-bullying assembly

the community, which felt that the decision would harm LGBTQIA+ and Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students in the district.

MECHANICSBURG — The Cumberland Valley School Board voted 5-4 Wednesday night to reverse its decision to cancel a guest speaker assembly at Mountain View Middle School after a nearly sixhour special meeting.

The assembly was set to highlight actor and author Maulik Pancholy, best known for his work on series like “Phineas and Ferb” and “30 Rock.” Pancholy is also an openly gay author who has written several children’s books about anti-bullying. The assembly was scheduled for May 22 before a unanimous vote during an April 15 board meeting canceled the event, citing concerns over Pancholy’s “lifestyle.”

The decision quickly garnered national attention and outcry from

“My heart goes out to the entire Mountain View Middle School community, and particularly to the students,” Pancholy wrote on Instagram following the board’s vote.

Wednesday’s special meeting held inside the Cumberland Valley High School Performing Arts Center was filled with hundreds of outraged students, parents and community members, many of whom donned rainbow and Pridethemed attire.

The large crowd was vocal immediately and booed several portions of the board’s opening remarks. Board member Matthew Barrick attempted to read sections of the “Racism is a Virus Toolkit” available on the website of Act to

Change, an anti-bullying nonprofit Pancholy co-founded. Dozens of attendees upset with Barrick’s remarks turned their backs to the stage in protest while others shouted over him.

Barrick expressed his concerns about language in the toolkit that states “bullying stems from White supremacy” and lists tips for protesting.

“Why would we invite someone who considers themselves a political activist into our schools?” Barrick said.

Board President Greg Rausch warned the crowd several times that repeated disruptions would force the meeting to enter a recess period or adjourn to a later date. However, that would not be the last time attendees voiced their disdain.

One of the night’s most heated moments came during the public comments portion of the meeting, which lasted more than four hours

Darrell Newton named Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

Darrell Newton was selected as the university’s next Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), starting July 1, 2024. A search committee narrowed the list from 80 candidates to 12 semi-finalists. Newton was then selected among three finalists, with the announcement coming from Shippensburg University President Charles Patterson on April 26, 10 days after finalist interviews ended.

Patterson said Newton’s experience “will continue the scholarly and strategic leadership required as we continue to deliver high-quality academic programs” in an email to the campus community.

Newton completed a two-day itinerary and meeting process with university stakeholders on April 8 and 9.

Newton first met with human resources and received a campus tour with Executive Associate to the President Scott Brown on April 8. He also attended a Zoom open forum for faculty and dinner with Patterson and the executive management team at the Martin House.

On April 9, he met with academic

deans for breakfast and hosted open forums with faculty, staff and students. He had meetings with Patterson, the Office of the Provost Direct Reports, the executive management team and the search committee. He also had lunch with student ambassadors.

Newton earned his doctorate in Communication Arts from the University of WisconsinMadison. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and earned his master’s at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee. He is currently the provost at Winona State University in Minnesota.

Newton cited past career accomplishments in his cover letter. He was an associate vice chancellor of Academic Affairs and dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Wisconsin Eu Claire. While there, he improved the general education program by opening online classes. This gained net revenue by 3% from 2011 to 2022.

When he was an associate dean at Salisbury University, he “worked to incorporate global perspectives as part of the University’s mission.”

Fourteen members comprised the search committee. Sue Morin and Manny Ruiz co-chaired the committee, and Patterson thanked the group for its “dedication to this work and the institution made

Darrell Newton, recently named Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

this smooth and successful search possible.”

Nicole Hill served as the interim provost before Newton’s selection. Patterson said she will return to dean of the College of Education and Human Services when Newton begins his position on July 1.

“Dr. Hill’s leadership has been invaluable to me, the Division of Academic Affairs and the entire university,” Patterson said.

Patterson said to close his message, “I look forward to collaborating with Dr. Newton as he leads the Division of Academic Affairs and welcoming him to the Ship family.”

Gaza and abortion on the ballot in PA Primary

The presidential race came closer to home this week as the Pennsylvania 2024 primary election kicked off on Tuesday, April 23. The campaigns running in Pennsylvania included both the Democratic and Republican primaries, as well as the primaries for attorney general, auditor general and treasurer. There were also several primaries for Congressional positions.

Starting with the campaigns for President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, both ran largely uncontested. According to counted votes, Joe Biden ran an 87% vote victory over contender Dean Phillips.

On the GOP side, although candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the race almost two months ago, she was still able to gather 16% of the Republican vote in Pennsylvania. Despite this, most votes went toward former President Trump, although this may prove an issue for Trump when Pennsylvania’s moderate conservatives cast their ballots this fall.

In the campaigns for attorney general, Eugene DePasquale won a tight race against four competitors, taking 35% of the vote. He will next run as the Democratic candidate

against Dave Sunday, who won with 70% of the vote in the Republican primary.

One thing of note for the Democratic primary was the 5% of write-in votes that went against President Biden. The president’s response to the conflict in Gaza has proved polarizing for numerous progressive Democrats, including many progressive candidates running in Pennsylvania’s primary elections.

One such candidate is Summer Lee, who represents Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District in Pittsburgh. Her stance on opposing the Israel-Hamas conflict and calling for a ceasefire has gained traction with uncommitted Democratic voters.

This has become a pressing issue for moderate candidate Bhavini Patel, who is running against Lee. According to Patel, calling for write-in votes threatens President Biden’s chances for reelection in the fall. Despite Patel’s challenge, Lee won with 60% of the vote.

While the coalition of uncommitted voters did not stop Biden’s victory in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, how the president handles the conflict in Gaza going forward may be pivotal for his election success this fall.

— 105 community members had signed up to speak by the 5 p.m. deadline Wednesday, and each was allotted three minutes. One of those speakers was a

Cumberland Valley Ninth Grade Academy student named Annalea who attempted to speak past the three-minute limit.

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate Students and community members protested the board’s decision inside and outside the high school’s auditorium.

Evan Dillow Asst. News Editor

Photo Courtesey of SHIP NOW

Luke Rainey Head Copy Editor

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate

Hundreds of Cumberland Valley community members packed the high school’s performing arts center to speak out against the Board’s decision to cancel an assembly with author Malik Pancholy. The school board originally voted to cancel the assembly because of Pancholy’s “lifestyle.”

Your World Today

Commentary: The end comes anyways

Elizabeth Peters Editor-in-Chief

I sobbed so hard I almost threw up when I lost my pencil case last semester. My small, yellow, Choonshik the Kakao friend pencil case disappeared at the end of last November, and I tore apart campus trying to find it.

Inside was a lead pencil, small pen, eraser and sticky notes, but the reason a part of me died in The Slate office when I realized it was lost forever was not because of the contents. I was inconsolable because the case itself had been a gift from Siwon, my Korean roommate from Soonchunhyang University in South Korea.

As I frequently talk about, studying abroad was the best decision of my college career. It was also my first time making friends who did not live in Pennsylvania with me, and therefore my first true experience saying final goodbyes.

I remember seeing my friend Bella off at the bus station and sobbing as she waved from the window. In the back of a taxi, I cried hard because my language exchange partner Uihyeon hugged me for the first and last time when I left campus. I broke down at the airport, hugging my friend Maya before she rushed through customs.

However, my friends from abroad swore that we would see each other again, so through my many tears, I was not inconsolable. We have kept our oath well, and this past semester alone I saw three of my friends in Nashville, Maya came and visited SU and I will be seeing Bella again this coming weekend in Washington, D.C. Our goodbyes in South Korea were not forever, but losing my pencil case was. Every day I used that case, I had a happy little reminder of my wonderful roommate. I miss “My Siwon” so much and losing my pencil case felt like I lost a part of her. When I finally embraced that I had lost my case, the one thought that kept me from spiraling is that I hope someone else found it and uses it daily.

Writing my last article for The Slate feels akin to losing my pencil case. Nothing will be able to replace the time I have spent in this office, going from copy editor to opinion

to management. The amount of head space this organization takes up for me is insane, and it is going to leave a massive hole in me after May 11.

With that said, graduation itself is more of a soft goodbye. I can always return to this university, see my friends again and remember all the memories I have made in the past four years at SU. I am not nearly as upset about leaving Shippensburg as I am The Slate, but the cool thing about academic calendars is that I have seen this coming for years.

Knowing does not always make it easier, but I have been able to at least plan for my postSlate life. My goal is to enter the publishing industry, and if things work out right, I’ll be in the bylines of a global magazine in the coming years.

For now, while I might be leaving group chats and cannot return (as a member) to a Sunday meeting ever again, I know The Slate will thrive long after I am gone. The staff is about 20 people stronger (and sillier) than when I joined in spring 2021, pages are more creative and our content is better with every edition. From now on, I get to join the ranks of previous editor-inchiefs in peace and watch from the sidelines as my recruits carry on.

Your World Tomorrow

Commentary: A full-circle life moment

Connor Niszczak Managing Editor

I do not usually believe in things being “meant to be.”

I do not believe in love at first sight. I do not buy into astrology and what I should allegedly be like as a Cancer. I do not believe there

I know, however, that Elizabeth Peters and I were meant to meet. I began at Shippensburg University in August of 2021, and since we were still in the midst of the pandemic, I came to campus for my orientation four months prior on April 30. That is where Elizabeth and I first met.

Exactly three years to the day later, on April 30, 2024, our final Slate has been published.

When I came for orientation, I could instantly tell that Elizabeth was the type of woman who commands any space she is in. As we went through icebreakers on the academic quad, she got an anxious group to open up and become chatty. We share the same major, so that instantly attracted me to her as well.

attend all of the Fall Welcome Week events — so I did.

As you can see to the left of this column, we have grown quite close since then. She pushed me to join The Slate sometime in 2022 as a copy editor, and now this is my life. Although I can lay out the chronological timeline of how Elizabeth and I have interacted over the last three years, it is much harder to quantify the emotional impact. I’ll try my best.

I would not have stepped into the position of managing editor if anyone other than Elizabeth was our editor-in-chief. Full stop. It was not a position I had initially planned to apply for, and it was her encouragement — let’s call it loving threats — that made me accept the offer from then-EIC Piper Kull.

I would not be the journalist that I am today if not for Elizabeth’s leadership. One of our many inside jokes this year has been that she does the pictures and I do the words. Elizabeth is highly skilled in InDesign, the software we use to design our pages, and I was very concerned about having to learn page layout on the fly.

Knowing that she will happily add borders to all our images or spend 10 minutes drawing a tennis ball while I could focus on covering the many breaking news stories this year was a blessing. But the hardest thing to say goodbye to on May 11 will simply be our friendship. The Slate’s reputation among some of our student body has been rocky — to say the least — this year, and Elizabeth was always there to stress about the latest thing in our Gmail, staff conflicts, SGA meetings and so many off-the-record gossip sessions. We have had more 11 p.m. phone calls than either of us would care to admit.

I am forever grateful for my time here, I will miss it dearly, I am crying as I write this, but the end comes anyway.

Later that summer, I reached out to Elizabeth over GroupMe and would later learn I was her only orientation kid that year to reach out. I met her again on movein day, where she lovingly threatened me to

She is my mentor. My partner-in-crime. My Slate mother and wife — it’s complicated. We have spent a combined total of more than a thousand hours in The Slate office together since August, and yet if I could, I would ask her to stay for a thousand more. Maybe even ten thousand.

Because if you are lucky enough to get to know, work with and love Elizabeth Peters, you will not want to let her go.

She continued to speak into the muted microphone as audience members chanted “let her speak,” while subsequent speakers attempted to yield their time so she could continue her speech.

Additional heated moments came from several other Cumberland Valley students and alumni.

“For the first time in my life, I was embarrassed to wear CV’s colors,” said one alumnus who has had ties to the district for more than 40 years. One current senior demanded the board “do the right thing and get my school out of the headlines.”

The sharpest criticism throughout the night was aimed at board members Kelly Potteiger and Bud Shaffner. Shaffner originally made the “lifestyle” comments related to Pancholy’s cancellation, and many called on him to resign from his position, including fellow board member Brian Drapp.

“I will accept the blame because of the insensitive word I used on April 15,” Shaffner said. “That is not what I meant.”

Pottegier was called on to resign due to her position as the vice chair of the Cumberland County chapter of Moms for Liberty, an organization that claims to be “fighting for the survival of America,” per its website.

Potteiger said her initial comments were based on Pancholy’s political activism. Many speakers decried Pottegier’s hypocrisy as she is a member of a political activism group.

“Not all activism is political — but you are activists,” one parent said.

Even though the majority of those in attendance were against the board’s original decision, there were a handful of community members who agreed that Pancholy’s assembly did not belong in their district’s classrooms.

One woman described it as an example of a “radical, racial, anti-American, anti-science agenda.” She was heckled and booed throughout her speech, and at least one audience member was heard calling her a “Nazi.”

“Children are to be taught academics,” one man said. “Politics and sexual orientation have no place in our schools.” He was also heavily booed and told, “It’s not 1955 anymore.”

Public comment ended about 10:30 p.m. and Shaffner called a motion to reverse the initial vote and approve Pancholy’s assembly.

Shaffner, Rausch, Jevon Ford, Michael Gossert and Michelle Nestor voted yes. Barrick, Drapp, Potteiger and Andrew Clancy voted no.

Pancholy’s anti-bullying assembly will go on as originally planned on May 22 at Mountain View Middle School. Superintendent Mark Blanchard clarified that as per standard procedure, there will be an opportunity for students to opt-out of the assembly.

Pancholy responded to the Board’s decision in an Instagram post Thursday afternoon.

“I’m deeply grateful to the hundreds of people who showed up and for the outpouring of support from the Superintendent, administrators, parents, caregivers, teachers, and community members,” Pancholy said. “I cannot wait to meet all of you in person.”

SGA Corner: An Introduction to your next SGA Leadership

A new semester will begin in the fall, and so will our new executive leadership committee. I could not be more honored and excited to begin serving our hardworking students at this university as SGA president.

I am looking forward to making students excited to lead and join our amazing student groups, organizations and committees. I’m so excited to have a wonderful team in my corner here to support not only our own projects but to reach out and collaborate with other organizations and clubs. We are hoping to help support so much amazing student programming in this upcoming semester and urge students to reach out to us if you have a group that would want our additional organizing support.

Along with our incoming Vice President of External Affairs Natalie Nichols, we

are hoping to bring our accessibility concerns to the administrative level and make our campus more equitable for disabled students. Nichols also expressed wanting to keep students engaged and motivated in the Student Government Association and beyond. They have expressed the importance of communication.

Keeping students informed with the happenings of our university at both the student, academic and administrative level can help them become more engaged campus citizens. Students deserve to know about and be decision makers in their own academic future, which includes the affairs of our institution.

As for our incredible Vice President-Elect of Finance, Nathan Garber, he is ready to assist student groups in understanding their financial options when it comes to their operating and fundraising budgets. Personally, working alongside Nathan in the budget and finance committee has shown me that he is a team player who cares deeply about the university. He has an extensive background in finance for only being a sophomore and has emphasized financial responsibility and stability, as well as helping our student groups thrive.

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 500 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.

Disclaimer

• 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.

An Open Letter to the Class of 2024

As we enter into the final weeks of the semester, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the Class of 2024. Many of you arrived at Shippensburg University in August 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic. As faculty members who were there with you, and as the faculty co-coordinators of the First Year Experience Program, we know what you experienced when you started your college careers.

The school stayed open, but most classes went virtual. For those classes meeting in person, you were in gigantic, “socially distanced” classrooms with 6 feet between you and your nearest classmates. Your professors taught classes using OWL cameras and standing behind plexiglass walls. Via Zoom, we were all disembodied black boxes on computer screens.

So many of the things we take for granted — sitting together for a meal, attending a football game,

listening to a concert, chatting together in the hallway or before class, or just hanging out with friends — did not happen, or occurred in strange, awkward ways. It was surreal. You could walk from one end of campus to the other and not see anyone. Many students and faculty never set foot on campus during your entire first year.

Remarkably, you persevered through those challenging times and continued on with your education. So many students who started in fall 2020 did not return the following fall. But you did. You had the resilience, determination, focus and drive to keep going even when there were so many reasons to give up. You kept going,

semester after semester, and now graduation is almost here. No one else in American history has experienced college quite the way you have. It was an extraordinary, scary, challenging time — and you overcame the obstacles and made it to the finish line. We are so proud of you.

Congratulations to the Amazing Class of 2024! See you at graduation!

With love and admiration,

Dr. Steven Burg, Professor of History & Dr. Laurie Cella, Professor of English

Faculty Co-Coordinators, Shippensburg University First Year Experience Program

‘That is Resistance’: Lecturer on Palestinian endurance

As briefly mentioned in my candidate speech when I ran for the Class of 2026 senator position, I would like to promote open communication between SGA and members of the campus community.

I would especially like to promote open lines of communication between myself and the Student Groups here on campus. I want to hear all of the good things that are happening within our Student Groups. If there are any problems/issues that I can help solve, I want to hear about those as well.

Katie Huston SGA 2024-2025 Vice PresidentElect of Internal Affairs

In continuing my journey with SGA, I want to persist in challenging administration and holding Shippensburg University responsible. I would like to continue to promote the thoughtful programming that the student groups on campus put together.

I am proud to continue to serve and support the students on this campus in making sure that their best interests are the top priority of the Shippensburg University administration.

Evan Dillow Asst. News Editor

“Like the cactus, they can demolish the stones, but the roots stay and will come back up.”

This was one of many thought-provoking statements said by James Zogby, chair of the DNC Ethnic Council, in Stewart Hall on Monday, April 22.

Zogby’s speech, which was part of the International Studies department’s annual lecture program, focused on the Palestinian culture of resistance both before and after the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza.

Through statements like the one above, Zogby was able to impactfully educate students and members of the community on the Arab-Palestinian concept of sumud, which is a word that Zogby frequently used during the beginning of his speech.

Translated from Arabic, sumud represents perseverance and resilience in the face of decades of oppression and forced removal.

The lecture began with Jonathan Skaff, director of International Studies, who

introduced the crowd to James Zogby. Zogby was a religious studies professor at Shippensburg from 1972-1978 before making a very successful career out of political activism. His many credits include co-founding the Arab American Institute in 1985, for which he continues to serve as president. Zogby also held positions in the presidential campaigns for Jesse Jackson, Al Gore, Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders. Furthermore, he received a presidential appointment to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom by President Obama in 2013.

Zogby started his lecture by reminiscing on his past experiences meeting Palestinian people both in refugee camps outside of Israel and those still living within Israeli borders. According to Zogby, the camps were organized much like the villages the people had left behind in Israel.

“The camp became an alternate Palestine reality for them — that is resistance,” Zogby said.

Weather Forecast

Wednesday 80/59 Thursday 80/58

82/61 Saturday 75/57 Sunday 74/56 Tuesday 85/62

Steven Burg & Laurie Cella First Year Experience Faculty Co-Coordinators

Lillian Sellers

Opinion

The Seniors Speak:

Advice from one Slater to another

“My two biggest pieces of advice are to get over-involved and then find your priorities. I joined lots of clubs freshman year and made a point to attend as many on-campus events as possible. Everything from paint nights to BINGO to dance lessons, my friend group went to it all. This helped me get a wide range of experiences quickly so I could figure out exactly what I liked and I did not like. Join a club and quit two weeks later, it is not that deep. For me, Student Ambassadors and The Slate are what felt like home because I love talking to people and writing. You’ll figure it all out in time, but you need to get out and experience life.”

-Elizabeth Peters Editor-in-Chief 2023-24

“When you graduate high school, everyone says that college will be the fastest four years of your life. I hate that they’re right. It seems just like yesterday I was alone in my dorm room, scared to leave because of COVID-19 with no friends. Now here I am. I just celebrated my 22nd birthday with friends at HersheyPark. I won Homecoming Royalty last fall. I studied abroad, won awards and got accepted to graduate school. I quite literally have done everything. This response to Slate Speaks will be a letter to my 18-year-old self and anyone else who may benefit from reading what my 22-year-old self has to say. You do not have to be like everybody else in college. You do not have to be the most outgoing. You do not have to go to parties every Thursday to Saturday night of the semester. Enjoy college the way you want to enjoy college. I know FOMO is real, but if you don’t enjoy the college scene like it’s often depicted in movies and social media, you do not have to partake. There are friends and fun to be found staying in and doing what is comfortable for you. Even if you aren’t as outgoing as everybody else, don’t let that stop you from going after your goals. You are more than capable of achieving whatever you set your mind to. Best of luck with your time in college, and enjoy every moment. It goes by fast. (Also, buy a hammock.)”

-Allyson Ritchey Multimedia Editor

“Get involved. I don’t expect anyone to take on the workload I gave myself in my four years I was here at Shippensburg University, but at the same time I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the groups I got involved with. From my first year on-campus I got rooted in The Slate, SUTV and WSYC. By sophomore year I added the Residence Hall Association on top of every

thing else. While times got tricky balancing everything, I wouldn’t change a single thing. Not only did I gain valuable knowledge that helped me get to the place where I am today, but the friendships I made along the way are ones that I hope to keep with me for a long time. Some of the people I’ve met in my Shippensburg experience are some of the best people I’ve ever known and I don’t think I would have been as successful as I was without them.”

-Adam Beam Opinion Editor

“Do yourself a favor and get yourself a planner, a desk calendar or just set a million reminders on your phone. Keep track of things, everything, so you know exactly when you can have time for the fun things. And there are a LOT of fun things; don’t ever miss out on anything you want to do, even if your friends say it’s lame or boring. Make sure to take chances, but not with your health or safety. And never ever sell yourself short. You are more capable than you could ever know.”

-Piper Kull Editor-in-Chief 2022-23

“Trust the process and step outside of your comfort zone. College is meant to be a formative time of your life but it can be easy to fall into self doubt and negativity. I can’t say enough how important it is to find professors who support you both academically and in your well being. If I could tell my 18 year old self what I’ve done, she wouldn’t believe me, but that is a good thing. Standing up and doing things that I never thought I would (like joining The Slate) has changed my life for the better. Believing that what is meant for me in life will find me has been a hard lesson to learn at times, but trusting that everything will come together has made a difference in my mindset, and I would say the same to anyone else in college.”

-Brooke Curran Copy Editor

“To new students coming into the CJM department at Ship, a good peice of advice is to always stay involved and to always push your limits and comfort zone. If you have a passion for news, sports, entertainment and you want to report it on air and do not feel comfortable, do not sell yourself short. Going out and trying new things is always key.”

-Jeremy Perna Staff Contributor

A special thank you from Dr. Michael Drager

In the 21 years I have served as adviser of The Slate, the student-run newspaper at Shippensburg University, I have never requested space in the publication for any reason. My role is, always has been and will continue to be in the background as adviser, mentor and cheerleader for the students who dedicate long hours to producing award-winning journalism. I requested the opportunity to address the campus community after an event earlier this month, and The Slate staff graciously granted it. On April 10, the Communication, Journalism and Media Department held its annual awards ceremony to honor the accomplishments of our students this year. I was told the morning of the event that I was going to be recognized for my 20 years of service as The Slate adviser, and that some former Slate staff members would be there for the

Election Pessimism

Ian Thompson News Editor

ceremony.

That was not the entire story. When our department chair, Dr. Carrie Sipes, announced after the student awards were presented that there was one more award to hand out, I expected a plaque or framed certificate. She then announced that two alumni had created a scholarship in my honor that will provide support each year to the editor-in-chief of The Slate.

To say that I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. It has been my longtime goal to find some way to financially support the management team of The Slate who put in countless hours each week guiding coverage of the campus and providing a voice for students. To have alumni step up and provide this financial lifeline to future Slate staff literally took my breath away.

I asked for this space to thank them for their generosity and thoughtfulness. I especially want to thank Robert and Martha LeGrand, who created the scholarship and generously provided the seed money, and who continue to support our department and student media in countless ways. I first met Bob and Marty in their role as members of the department’s alumni board. It was there that I witnessed their dedication to not only our department, but the entire SU community. We became friends during preparations for the 50th anniversary celebration of The Slate and WSYC, the student-run radio station, in 2007. Little did I know then that the friendship would culminate in their incredible donation to The Slate. Words cannot express how much I appreciate their efforts. It is deeply humbling.

I would also like to thank the Shippensburg University Foundation for helping make this scholarship a reality. In addition, I want to thank Dr. Sipes and my colleagues for their dedication to our students and student media.

Lastly, to all those wonderful students (who are too numerous to mention) who have worked at The Slate through the years, came to the awards dinner and made gifts to the scholarship fund, you have enriched my life in so many ways — more than you could know. Thank you for making this journey so much fun.

Let’s make a paper.

With the 2024 presidential election quickly approaching, I have been reflecting on American democracy. There was once a time in my life where I was optimistic about the direction of our country and its politics. Now, that optimism is gone.

From the get-go, both primaries were foregone conclusions. Joe Biden, after promising to be a one-time president on the 2020 campaign trail, would not throw away his incumbency bonus.

Donald Trump has remained the idol of the Republican Party, and his nomination was just as secure.

We have just spent the last year and a half putting on a faux primary cycle.

Every time the Republicans took to the debate stage, Trump did not bother — he was going to win regardless.

When the parties hold their conventions in late summer, the outcome will mirror that of four years ago — a Trump versus Biden race. That in and of itself is a travesty.

I have made my views on Trump expressly clear — he is a wannabe-fascist who does not care for the rule of law, political institutions, or anybody but himself. He is a power-hungry aspiring tyrant.

Biden, on the other hand, is boring. He does not inspire political fervor. He has shown himself to be more progressive in some areas, but has failed his base in many ways.

The Biden administration has shown a weak hand in its dealings with Israel’s abuse of the Palestinian people, with student loan forgiveness, marijuana decriminalization and more.

Neither candidate represents my interests, so I am once again forced to decide between a fascist bumbling fool and a neoliberal bumbling fool. Not an inspiring contest to say the least.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that has the poten-

tial to grant Trump immunity for any and all acts committed during his time in office.

While I sat listening to the oral arguments on the radio in my car, I kept being reminded of Julius Caesar.

In the Roman Republic, officials had “imperium,” a political authority that made them immune from legal suits against them while in office.

When someone left office, and thus lost their imperium, they could be taken to court for any illegal actions. In the case of Caesar, the proximate cause of his march across the Rubicon was a disagreement on when his legal immunity ended.

I don’t think we have to worry about Trump donning a frilled helmet and marching a legion on Rome (or D.C. for that matter). Nor do I think we will end up in a civil war this decade. But, the similarity struck me.

I am not very optimistic about peace though. If Trump wins in November, we will likely see the erosion of democratic institutions and political retribution as Trump has signaled toward.

If Biden wins, I have little doubt we will see political violence on a scale that makes Jan. 6 look like a tussle.

As we near six months out from the November election, my dominant emotion is anxiety. I am anxious to see what happens to our country. I would like to be optimistic and think we will uphold our democratic values and have a peaceful transition of power. But my pessimistic side tells me that is naive.

Dr. Michael Drager The Slate Adviser

Australians are afraid of what lives in North America, too

in North America. The closest thing in Australia would probably be dingos, which very rarely attack people — just keep babies away from them.

The best of both worlds

the harder it is to switch.

During my childhood, I had always felt drawn to the Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana.” One of my biggest inspirations is Miley Cyrus, but I never knew the genuine reason I cared so much. Of course I knew that she was talented, individualistic and, to some, a role model. Nevertheless, I had other people I felt this way about, but none of them influenced me quite the way that Miley Cyrus did. So why was I so fascinated?

Within the show, the introduction song is “The Best of the Both Worlds.” The song uses lyrics like “it’s really you, but no one ever discovers” / “you get the best of both worlds” / “the best part is that you get to be whoever you want to be” / “living two lives is a little weird.” Since we have heard it so many times, we know the lyrics, but we have never understood them.

This is very similar to everyday life. When we are around different friends, we change our personalities to what we and the present friend have in common. All friendships are different, and this can be hard because we lose sight of who we truly are in the process. Additionally, we act differently around parents, family, professors, employees and bosses. When we are children, we are innocent and exactly who we should be. When we grow up, we realize that we have to conform. Due to the fact that we conform, we do not know how to remain true to that inner child. It is inevitable, but it is also important to realize. For example, if you join a fraternity or a sorority, there is a chance that you will change who you are to fit a crowd. If you begin working at a law firm, you will change your personality to become more professional.

Before embarking on my journey halfway across the world to Australia, I was repeatedly warned of the dangerous creatures that lurk down under.

Seriously, I lost count of the number of times I heard “aren’t you scared about the poisonous snakes and spiders” or “I just saw this video of a kangaroo beating someone up.”

Now I know most of these warnings were well intentioned, but they had me checking my bed for spiders every night, worried that there might be a snake in my toilet and running away from kangaroos that came anywhere near me. I quickly realized how foolish this was.

During the two months I have been in Australia, I have not seen a single spider in my apartment and have only seen one snake in the wild — knock on wood. Plus, the kangaroos in my area are not very large and rarely attack people.

When I first arrived in the country and expressed concerns about Australia’s fauna to native Australians, many found it hilarious. I remember specifically talking to an Australian girl on my flight from Los Angeles to Sydney. I was explaining how worried I was about all the dangerous creatures, to which she replied, “Yeah, but you guys literally have bears.”

She then went on to explain that there are not any large predators in Australia that compare to the grizzly bears, cougars and wolves that reside

Although I still have my reservations about Australia’s wildlife, her perspective made me realize that North America has some deadly creatures, too. Be honest, if you were walking down a path in the forest, would you rather see a snake or a bear? Personally, I know which one I can outrun.

My fears were also lessened upon visiting the Australia Zoo in my first week here. During the Wildlife Warrior’s Show, they play an educational video featuring none other than Steve Irwin and his wife Terri, where they explain what to do if you are bitten by a snake.

It is crucial that you remain calm and still while someone wraps a compression bandage around the area of the bite. This keeps the venom from entering your lymphatic system, giving you time to go to the hospital.

You better believe the first thing I did when I left the zoo was buy a compression bandage. The Eastern Brown snake, rated one of the most venomous snakes in the world, is located in my area. Though most bites from these snakes are caused by humans trying to catch them, I would rather be safe than dead.

Despite all of the dangers, Australia is a really beautiful place. If you can get past what lurks in the bush, the 19 hours it takes to get here is more than worth it.

To understand lyrics is important because of the intellect behind them. This goes with every song, but in the case of “Hannah Montana,” it relates to several areas of real life that many people do not realize. The introductory song and the premise of the show is all about masking your identity for different audiences. This is something that we do every day.

At any point of your life, you will transform yourself around different people or groups. It is instinctual for humans to change themselves based on their surroundings so they can seem likable or able to fit in. In “Hannah Montana,” Miley Stewart switches between Miley and Hannah. Miley Stewart is the small-town, normal girl, and Hannah Montana is a larger-than-life popstar.

Throughout the four-season series, Miley undergoes trials and tribulations with her sense of identity. She dreamt of being a star that could switch between glamor and normality, but as she grew older, it became more difficult.

In an episode about her senior prom, she offered to go with a boy named Aaron because he was rejected by another girl. After they agreed to go, she got a phone call from David Archuleta about recording a song together. Miley made plans to go to prom, but Hannah had plans to record with David. Her identity became difficult to deal with because the two people she was could no longer coexist. The older you get and the more obligations you have

Who are we at our core? It gets easier to tell once you take advice from who you were while young. There are meanings within everything; nothing is ever useless. The TV shows we watched when we were growing up were teaching us things for our older selves to look back on.

Nostalgia is the feeling of missing the past. It happens when we sense something that we once experienced, and we crave it. I began to realize that this feeling is the root of all complications. As we grow old, we want what we used to have. We do not necessarily want the things that we were going through, but we want the innocence we used to be made of.

As I sit here at 20 years old, I understand what I love so much about Miley Cyrus and “Hannah Montana.” It, and they, taught me how to come together as one after camouflaging for years. At the end of “Hannah Montana,” Miley Stewart tells her audience that she is both Miley and Hannah. Some people were happy and others were not. Nonetheless, she was happy. She did not have to pretend anymore.

Your inspirations should make you feel as though you have a place. They teach you things subliminally that you may have to look deeply into but will ultimately understand at one point or another. Regardless of the drastic comparison, there is a similarity within everything. You get the best of both worlds. Which world do you want forever?

THIS WEEK IN COMICS

Saying goodbye or something stupid

It is kind of insane that in just over a week I will be (hopefully) walking across the field of Seth Grove Stadium to receive my diploma and officially be a college graduate. I say hopefully because I do not want graduation indoors; my grades are… fine. When the adults in your life tell you that these four years fly by, they are not wrong. Maybe COVID-19 keeping much of campus closed for the first full year of my college career played a part in the passage of time being a nonexistent concept to me. Anyway, I am not going to waste any time “reminiscing” about the pandemic, as I think we have all done enough of that for one lifetime. I also do not want to play into those people who try to complain about the Class of 2020 complaining about COVID (even though we are completely justified for your information).

I do not really have a specific goal I want to accomplish with this article. If you know me, I am the rambling type, and the following piece will reflect that greatly. I have served as the proud editor of this section for two years and wanted to make sure I contributed to it one last time before all was said and done. Where to begin honestly? My past four years at Shippensburg University have been a rollercoaster, with many highs but also a lot of lows (shoutout to you junior year; you were a real one). It is kind of insane to me,

the person I am today leaving Shippensburg versus the person I was when I arrived. When I was in high school, I was a rather below-average student. I got by being the class clown but thought little of the prospects of life after my four years. I know you are gagging at the thought of me being one of those people who say “high school is the best four years of your life,” and you are right to do so.

Shippensburg University was one of the only two schools I visited when searching for a college, and I picked it off the basis of having a nice TV studio, it was close to home, and they accepted me right away. I was much less thorough in my research than I am today. Thankfully, even though times were tough and Shippensburg was not always glamorous, I do not regret my decision in the slightest.

Once I arrived at Ship, I knew that getting involved was the only thing that would keep me sane. Trying to interact with others in my dorm halls and in classes was not cutting it. Might have been the whole 6-feet apart thing, but who knows? Student media thankfully was still pretty active and very welcoming to new members. Before I knew it, I was writing for The Slate, anchoring for SUTV, and hosting my own show on WSYC. Admittedly, I look back on a lot of my earlier stuff and die a little bit on the inside, but that is a sign of growth after all. I still remember my first review was for “The Boys” Season 2, and the note I got from the A&E editor at the time was, “You didn’t need to write 900 words worth.” Reading it nowadays, he was sort of right, but

I stand by my lengthier writing style. If you are still somehow reading this, you know that has not changed too much. I made so many indelible friendships with my experience in student media, not just with the students alongside me, but the professors as well. At any other school, in particular ones of larger size, I doubt I would have the connections I have now with the hardworking educators keeping our department going. Shoutout to Mike Gardner in particular; he taught me so much about TV, even down to the simplest forms of wrapping cords after a broadcast. Now things were not always glamorous in student media. Our budgets were cut (a lot), I butted heads with leadership every now and again, and maybe we were not always the most favorite group on campus. However, the great memories far outweigh the negative ones, and I feel I would not have had the full experience without those tougher days. I needed to learn from bad leadership in order to become a better leader myself. I needed to learn how to work with less money so I could budget more efficiently (I would still like more money if possible), and I needed people to dislike us to remind me that we are doing something right.

As I wrap up my final two weeks of the semester, I start to wonder what my high school self would think of me today. Sure, he would probably comment on the mustache and 50 plus pounds he put on, but then I would tell him about all the amazing stuff we have ac-

complished. We got to host election night coverage, have stories on the front page of the paper, play show tunes on the radio. You got to speak with film directors and people you have looked up to since you were a child for a 12-hour horror livestream you hosted. You are an award-winning student-journalist who is now moving to Texas. Honestly, out of all this, the Texas part might be the hardest thing for him to believe.

Above all the accomplishments and accolades, however, the most important thing I would tell my past self is this: keep being yourself. That’s right, I definitely became a more organized, professional and responsible person, but I still consider myself a bit of a goof. Sometimes it has bitten me in the rear, but I still pride myself on being someone who tries to keep the mood light. Perhaps it is a defense mechanism. I have been cracking jokes for quite some time, but maybe I just enjoy making people laugh.

I am going to miss coming into the Slate office and bugging management before running across campus to cover a gas leak or some other breaking news. On the other hand, I am ready to take that next big step and further my career as a journalist.

And even though I will be over 24 hours away from home and those I love, their support and the lessons they have taught me will be with me forever. I owe any previous or future success to them, and I hope each of them knows just how much they have meant to me.

Adam Beam Opinion Editor

Jayden Pohlman Multimedia Editor

Reagan Gardenhour Managing Editor

Adam Beam/The Slate Student protests Trump Trial

Jayden Pohlman/The Slate

Jayden Pohlman, The Slate’s assistant multimedia editor, falling out of the sky (skydiving).

Ship Life

Colin Arnold appointed new Student Trustee

Sophomore Colin Arnold will be taking over as the student trustee for Shippensburg University this fall, inheriting the position currently held by Rangeline DeJesus, who will be graduating this spring.

Arnold is a history major with minors in political science

and military science and is wrapping up his first year at Shippensburg, having transferred in from Mount St. Mary’s University. He is also a cadet in Shippensburg’s ROTC program as well as a DJ for WSYC 88.7 FM.

An advertisement for the position first got Arnold thinking about applying for the role. “I was walking through the CUB, and on the TVs where they have ads for different positions or events, I saw they had an ad for student trustee,” Arnold said. “I kept it in mind, did a little research and it just seemed like an amazing opportunity.”

From there, Arnold decided to give it a shot and sent in an application, saying “I didn’t expect too much, and when I got to the interview phase, thought I had a really good interview with them and really enjoyed the other trustees, then got the call that they selected me and it was all very exciting.”

The call was from DeJesus, the current student trustee. Arnold mentioned he has gotten a lot of advice from DeJesus since accepting the position, saying, “She has done a fantastic job while she’s been in the position. Just being involved on campus, that was the biggest thing and just interacting with people you maybe don’t run into daily.”

ROTC has taught Arnold a lot about being a leader saying, “Showing humility, being respectful, building trust and just being a well-rounded person in general really makes the best leaders.” He also started his own nonprofit as a passion project in high school, Flags Across Adams County, where he raised over $15,000 for Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors Inc. in just two years.

As he enters the position next fall, Arnold hopes to talk with as many students as he can, mentioning, “I want to get out there and hear from the student body, hear their concerns, what they really enjoy with the campus really looking at the

Shippensburg graduate student funds book fair

Nichols Staff Contributor

A new student sponsorship fund provided eight students with the chance to experience the biannual book fair at Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School. Organized by Shippensburg student Noreaga Goff, the ICare initiative made it possible for families in need to provide their children with the funds needed to take part in this experience.

Goff’s creation of the ICare fund stems from his own background and experiences at the Lincoln Charter School. “While other children shopped for books and supplies, I felt a deep sense of embarrassment knowing that my family couldn’t afford to support me in the same way,” Goff said. Later, Goff learned of the transformative works of LeBron James, whose IPromise organization helped to improve the area of Akron, Ohio. Inspired by the works of James, Goff set out to create a similar improvement in his own area. Thus, the ICare fund was born.

With the goal of improving access to educational resources, Goff recognized the gap in some students’ ability to buy books like their peers. His own experiences of being unable to buy books with his classmates gave him the idea to provide money to families in need to enhance their child’s experience.

The road to improvement was one helped by Principal Holly Garner of GBLUES. By working together, Goff and Garner were able to collaborate with Shippensburg University to create a fund for students in need. Goff also used his own money to supplement the pool of funds, ensuring the availability of funds to families who needed it most. With the money set aside and Garner’s help contacting families, ICare’s first year in action saw eight students receive funding to take part

in the book fair. Students were required to buy at least one book with their money but were otherwise free to roam and purchase what they pleased. Goff added this freedom and wanted to give the students an experience like their peers.

A parent whose child received aid for the book fair was overjoyed by the opportunity. “I usually try to let my kids at least get one book, but I usually don’t let them get any of the fun things,” they said. “So they were super excited to get

some.”

Many parents and faculty involved in the program have confidence and hope that it could spread to a county or even statewide level. The only potential issue Garner could see arising was “maybe streamlining of funds, but even that worked out pretty well.” The roadblocks to providing greater aid with the program seem minimal. With a solid foundation and a passionate mind behind it, the ICare fund is sure to benefit students for years to come.

source of these problems and what’s causing them.” Arnold wants his fellow students to know that “I’m always open, if you ever see me on campus and have a question or concern, don’t be afraid to stop me and ask. I’m just a regular student here on campus as well, don’t feel afraid to talk to me.”

In terms of what he wants to see at the end of his term, Arnold said he intends to embrace the successes of the campus. “There’s so many good things going on here on campus, I think it’s important to focus on the positives,” Arnold said. “I want to make a positive impact being able to interact with people.” He finished by looking at the position’s future. “The next student trustee that takes over can just hit the ground running, like Rangeline and I did,” Arnold said.

Survivors speak out at annual Take Back the Night event

The YWCA offers counseling services and support, free of charge.

Shippensburg University’s Pride and Gender Equity (PAGE) Center hosted the annual Take Back the Night event on Thursday evening in McFeely’s.

Take Back the Night is an international movement that has been happening for over 60 years in an effort to empower survivors of gender-based violence. The event is an opportunity for people to walk, speak, stand and chant until sexual violence is no more.

McFeely’s was adorned with posters, signs and coloring pages with messages like “Believe survivors” and “It was not your fault.” There were also opportunities for attendees to stand against sexual violence anonymously, such as decorating a banner with a painted handprint.

T-shirts with the message “believe survivors” printed on them were also offered at the event, free of charge.

The event began with PAGE Center Director Miller Hoffman welcoming all to the event and explaining the meaning and history behind the movement. Hoffman then welcomed the community partners that were present at the event, such as the YWCA of Carlisle and Cumberland County.

A representative from YWCA, Lily Duarte-Evans, spoke about statistics of sexual assault. “LGBTQ+ members are more likely to be assaulted,” Duarte-Evans said. “But sexual violence is violence, period. You should always know that we believe you, and we are always in your corner.”

Hoffman then opened the event to an open mic portion where attendees could come up and share words of encouragement and support. Several attendees shared their stories, encouraging survivors to believe that they are not alone and that they can find support.

Hoffman concluded the event by encouraging audience members to crumple up a piece of paper to represent how the effects of gender-based violence can leave us feeling crumpled and broken.

Hoffman then encouraged audience members to make the piece of paper beautiful.

“We are transformed when harm is done to us,” Hoffman said. “But we are still beautiful.”

For free counseling services and support, contact the YWCA sexual violence hotline at (717) 727-0787.

Mason Flowers Asst. Sports Editor

Photo courtesy of Colin Arnold Sophomore Colin Arnold, Shippensburg University’s newest student trustee.

Natalie

Photo courtesy of Nore Goff

Noreaga “Nore” Goff, creator of the ICare fund, pictured at the Grace B. Luhrs Scholastic Book Fair.

Madi Shively / The Slate Posters with empowering messages hung at Take Back the Night event.

Madi Shively Ship Life Editor

Photo courtesy of Colin Arnold

Sophomore Colin Arnold pictured with ROTC.

Madi Shively / The Slate

Goff pictured with students of Grace B. Luhrs Elementary and their new books, purchased with the ICare fund.

Elite unveils its top models for Statewide

Elite Modeling Troupe made Memorial Auditorium its runway during the troupe’s Elite’s Next Top Model performance as a part of Shippenburg’s UMOJA Conference, also known as Statewide.

Statewide is a series of events on campus presented by Shippensburg’s Black Student Union (BSU) and Latino Student Organization (LSO) celebrating unity between students on campus.

The event was titled “Elite’s Next Top Model,” similar to the title of the reality show “America’s Next Top Model.”

Much like the setup of the reality show, the event was sectioned off into a series of themed style categories, challenging the models to adhere to each theme.

Upon entering the

auditorium, the audience instantly felt the vibes thanks to heavy beats and impressive transitions from DJ Boogzondabeat. The event hosted performances by Heritage Dance Co. and Beni Models Inc.

The performance began with the models introducing themselves by their model names, including “Miss Piggy,” “Aries” and “Sasha Fierce.” The introduction was then followed by a rap performance by rapper and Shippensburg student $B. $B performed her own original song that got the audience out of its seats as they sang along.

From owning the runway to exotic dance numbers, Elite modeling troupe made the event their opportunity to express themselves while strutting their stuff in six-inch pumps. Before a 15-minute intermission, Heritage Dance Company

showed off a fun and energetic dance number that got everyone on their feet.

After the intermission, there was a “Wild West”themed portion of the program. For this category, the models donned rhinestone-studded cowgirl hats and served country realness in stylish western gear. This was followed by another synchronized dance number.

The show then moved on to a Goth category, with all models dressed in latex and black miniskirts with black fingerless gloves. The Elite models then did another synchronized dance to Beyonce’s “6 Inch” while in 6-inch heels.

Rapper $B came out once again to perform another original song. For the final segment of the performance, the models scoured the audience to model for the last category — “Femme queen

realness.” This gave the audience a chance to flaunt their self-expression while they showed off their moves together, aligning perfectly with Statewide’s mission to bring unity to campus.

Rapper $B was thrilled to see a great turnout after an anxiety-inducing preparation for her first ever performance.

“It was really nervewracking,” she said. “The only other time I’ve done something like this was at a talent show. I’m not really a performer, but I did it.”

“I think the event was great for people to get together,” $B said. “But since they invited me here to do it, I was so excited to be invited and to be included.”

To stay updated on future events by the Elite Modeling Troupe, follow Elite on Instagram at @Elite_modelingtroupe.

Starting with a Splash: BSU and LSO Kick Off Statewide

Shippensburg University’s BSU and LSO kicked off the 30th UMOJA Conference on April 18 with a fish fry and a pool party.

The UMOJA Conference is designed to celebrate unity between students on campus. The registration form for the conference read, “A conference designed by students for students. It’s not just a conference… it’s an experience!”

To kick off the conference weekend, SU’s BSU hosted

a fish fry at the campus hockey rink. At the event, students ate delicious food and enjoyed music, which was DJ’d by student Mikah Hudson-Walker. Dishes served included tilapia, fried chicken, barbecue chicken, fries, mac and cheese and pasta salad.

“[This weekend] is all around 30 years of the UMOJA conference, which is unity,” said student Kenny Horne. “Everyone coming together, it’s all important to get people outside and to connect and have fun.”

The evening continued in Heiges Field House, where

SU’s LSO hosted a pool party for students. Those in attendance were invited to swim, connect and have fun.

“The pool party is really just a kickoff, to get people out here and invested in Statewide activities,” said LSO Treasurer Marlon Artisty. “This is LSO’s last event of the year and it normally has a big turnout. It’s just a lot of fun.”

“All [of] these different events and organizations, it’s all about unity and liberation,” Horne said.

For more information on events like these, visit @ship_msa on Instagram.

Minds@Work: A Slate Perspective

“At Minds@Work, I participated in the play ‘Honeymoon’ by Maggie McGuire. It was truly a unique experience, not only because I got to be in an entirely original production, but also getting to do more dramatic work. It was also a great experience to see the play be worked and tooled around the actors, with Maggie being an incredibly accomodating and thoughtful director.”

- Senior Adam Beam, Opinion Editor

“This year at Minds@Work, I presented both my honors capstone project and my research project for my Sociology Senior Seminar. For my honors capstone, I created a full-length documentary about misinformation and disinformation in post-truth America. For my senior seminar, I presented my research about social positionality of women of color and their trust in news media.”

- Senior Allyson Ritchey, Multimedia Edtior

“I presented my research for my Diversity and Media class at the Minds@Work poster presentation. During this event, I educated my peers and other attendants on the toxic representation of women’s bodies in the media. Both the creation and presentation of my poster helped me understand how women are portrayed in the media and they can be affected as a result.”

- Freshman Mara Eberle, Asst. Ship Life Editor

“During Minds@Work, I was part of Maggie McGuire’s short play. The process took place over a matter of weeks. During rehearsals, Maggie and her co-director, Dr. Tom Crochunis, would have us improvise scenes based on how we believed our characters would act in those situations. Maggie would use those scenes to develop a script for the next rehearsal. It was a very exciting and engaging experience, and certainly a performance I enjoyed being part of.”

- Junior Madi Shively, Ship Life Editor

“I presented my Wood Honors College capstone project on studying abroad. My project was to create print and online resources for Shippensburg students to learn more about the Soonchunhyang University exchange program. This included research and a white paper addressing the four main limitations for studying abroad (cost, curriculum, culture and circumstance), creating three brochures with more detailed information and a webpage to host my work digitally.”

- Senior Elizabeth Peters, 2023-24 Editor-in-Chief

“I presented my research on Colleen Hoover’s work as a part of my Wood Honors College senior capstone at Minds@ Work. I dissected why women read romance, the prevalence of new adult fiction and ultimately unpacked instances of abuse in Hoover’s work to understand its influence and impact on the young audiences she engages with.”

- Senior Piper Kull, 2022-23 Editor-in-Chief

“During Minds@Work, I participated in two panels. I participated in a short play written by senior English major, Maggie McGuire. Her play, “Honeymoon” was written in her independent study with English professor Tom Crochunis. Directly following her play, I participated in a panel hosted by the English department’s Writing Fellows. We discussed how working with ENG113 and ENG114 students have prepared us for our future in teaching, publishing and graduate schools.”

- Junior Katie Hutson, Business Director

“At Minds@Work, I presented a panel on racial diversity in children’s media. The reason I wanted to discuss this is because as a mixed child growing up with mixed media, both from America and Japan, I was never exposed to characters that were “like me.” This often creates a false sense of self as a biracial child. Other biracial children also struggle to understand themselves because they weren’t exposed to that representation.”

- Freshman Elisa Reitman, Web Director

Megan Sawka Ship Life Editor

Madi Shively Ship Life Editor

Jashton Best / The Slate

Students at the Black Student Union Fish Fry wait in line to get a plate.

Jashton Best / The Slate

Students enjoy their food at Black Student Union fish fry.

Jashton Best / The Slate Students toss a beach ball at Latino Student Organization pool party.

Madi Shively / The Slate Anaya Stukes, Elite modeling troupe.

Madi Shively / The Slate Ciara Sliva, Elite modeling troupe.

‘Don’t forget the arts’: Orchestra

director retires after 16 years

Allyson Ritchey Multimedia Editor

On Sunday, April 21, Mark Hartman took his final bow on the Luhrs Performing Arts Center stage after 16 years of teaching, conducting and serving at Shippensburg University.

Hartman has been a professor of music and the director of the University-Community Orchestra at Shippensburg University since 2008. Hartman has been no stranger to classical music, having taught at three different colleges and even a public school before his 16-year stint at Shippensburg University. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance and a Master of Music degree in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Violin in hand, Hartman has taught hundreds of students, performed many orchestral pieces and conducted countless concerts — but do not let this experience fool you. He only began learning violin when he was 17, “very late in life,” according to Hartman.

Prior to that, he had been a rock and roll guitar player. “I was already a guitarist who everybody thought was pretty impressive,” he said. “All my friends in high school, you know, they saw me as a guitarist, and the only thing I thought was ‘What am I going to do? Am I going to play in bar bands?’’’

Despite protests from everyone he knew, he started learning violin at 17 years old.

There were very few college programs with guitar majors when he graduated from high school in 1974. He began studying at Goshen College in Indiana, flipping back and forth between wanting to study violin or guitar.

When he went to talk to the guitar teacher about this decision, thinking he should switch to guitar, the teacher said, “No, what you do now is a different instrument from classical guitar, so just keep doing violin.” And so he did.

He kept at it, graduated from college, and married his wife before they both moved to North Carolina to study at the North Carolina School of the Arts, which is a conservatory. There, they met some incredible people, one of whom was a private teacher Hartman began studying with.

“[She] was such an amazing person that she put me together and I sort of started to play in local orchestras and things,” Hartman explained. His teacher opened up his eyes to what kind of life he might lead. This, combined with a stint teaching in public schools, led Hartman to pursuing higher education.

After several different opportunities in New York and Iowa, Hartman stumbled across a position close to where he grew up in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and he

took it. That’s how he ended up at Shippensburg University.

Fast forward 16 years. The Shippensburg UniversityCommunity Orchestra presented its spring concert — Natural Wonders, including music inspired by nature by Grieg, Mozart and Strauss.

“It’s a little surreal. It’s always been said that students do our music for the right reasons, too. They’re not doing it just to get to a career,” Hartman said of performing his last concert with Shippensburg University. “And so, I mean, this, this orchestra on Sunday, I mean, I had students who were standing, you know, sitting up there, right there with professionals holding their own, and I am so proud of them.”

While this concert marks the final appearance of Mark Hartman as the director of Shippensburg University-Community Orchestra, this does not end his passion for music. Hartman will continue to perform as a violinist and guitarist while also assuming the position of conductor of the Mercersburg Community Choir and Orchestra.

As for the future of the SU Community Orchestra, Hartman said that he understands administration intends to hire a half-time person. “Nevertheless, at least in this current sort of shrinking environment,” Hartman continued, “the idea that they’re not going to can it is encouraging, although nothing is sure until it’s official.”

Rooks welcome: The Chess Club community

of it, but there’s [also] this competitive aspect.”

The chess club, which consistently hosts 1520 players, serves as a community for its members, embracing the fun and competition of the game.

“A big part of [chess club] is trying to bring people together to have fun and travel and get better at the game,” chess club president Nathan Ziegler said. Ziegler was recognized at SU’s Annual Student Life Awards as President of the Year for his work in the chess club. However, chess club is not all fun. Competitiveness is a big part of the club, challenging its members to improve every week.

“I think the perfect hobby is something you can try to improve at but also have a sense of community as well,” Ziegler said.

“There’s the social aspect

Another aspect of the chess club is participation in tournaments. In January, 13 chess club members traveled to Texas to compete in the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, which is hosted by the United States Chess Federation. They competed against schools from across the nation and one of their members, Nash Kemble, won biggest upset in the U1800 section. The chess club also competes in more local tournaments, from Harrisburg to Syracuse, New York. In March, they competed in the PA State and PA Collegiate Championship, outperforming Penn State University to win their sixth PA State Champion title.

A goal for the upcoming year is for the club to host

more tournaments on the Shippensburg campus. Out of 27 players competing in their most recent tournament, only eight were members of the chess club. Through tournaments like these, Ziegler said, the club can continue serving the chess community on and off campus.

“I came to my first meeting last fall, and Nathan invited me to the Syracuse tournament that was happening the next month,” chess club treasurer Nash Kemble said. “I thought everyone was nice and it was a cool environment, so I just kept coming and now I’m here every week.”

Chess club hosts its weekly meeting in the DHC Fishbowl at 3:30 p.m. every Friday during the semester. For more information and news, you can follow them on Instagram @shipchess.

Hartman is waiting for the approval from administration to go ahead with a search to fill the position. “I really want my students to continue to play, and they’ve asked me, ‘Will it be here?’ I hope so. That’s all I can say.”

For Hartman, the arts are important to a university. “Not just the performing arts, the gallery up there, we’ve got some great visual artists, but we have to make a priority to keep the arts going,” Hartman said.

“Don’t forget the arts.”

Theo Campomanes: Be the reason why someone smiles today

Niszczak 2024-25 Editor-in-Chief

If Theo Campomanes sees you, he will say “hi.” It’s as simple as that. Where he might see you, however, is much less certain.

He may be sitting behind the front desk of Harley Hall. He may be taking prospective students and families on a campus tour. He may be headed to his University 101 class. He might even be lifting at the ShipRec — and is quick to tell you he can bench press 245 pounds.

“Being a presence and known off campus really fills me with delight knowing that people feel positively about me enough. They want to approach me, say ‘hi,’ and I love that interaction,” Campomanes said. “It really is a filling feeling knowing that there are people [who] finally want to talk to me.”

Less than two years ago, when Campomanes came to Shippensburg University in the fall of 2022, he would have gone out of his way to avoid saying “hi.”

“After every class, it was either just go to the gym or just go straight to my room,” Campomanes said.

With the end of his sophomore year just days away, Campomanes is now a well-respected student leader in the world of Student Ambassadors, Residence Life and First-Year Experience, and he was recently inducted as a member of Kappa Sigma. Earlier this month, he was presented with the Peer Anchor of the Year Award at the Student Life Awards.

and as he said, “Oh my gosh. I could talk about these kids forever.”

“There's a lot of things that motivate me. I think just the wellness of other students drives me,” Campomanes said. “Seeing how much I can make an impact on whether or not a student really commits their decision to attend their four years here or follow in my footsteps and want to become, whether it be a Student Ambassador, RA, Peer Anchor. I've had students say they also want to take on all three.”

And several of his students do not just want to take on the roles Campomanes has — they’re doing it. Beck has joined student ambassadors and will be a peer anchor in the fall. Schlegel applied to be an RA and will be supporting students in Harley Hall this fall. “Theo impacted life in such a positive way,” Zoe Barahona, one of Campomanes’ University 101 students, said in her submission for his Student Life Award nomination. “He's extremely passionate about what he does and went miles to help us in any type of way. He has since then been a great friend and a great person to rely on.”

When I ask Campomanes about his University 101 class, he lights up. He starts running through the class list and sharing anecdotes for several of his students, including their alphabetical food names given during a class icebreaker — he’s Toast Theo, by the way.

Connor Beck is “an extension of the extroverted side of me.”

Aidan Schlegel is “another extension of me in terms that he is a bit more on the quieter side, but he is very bright.”

He and professor John Bloom “like to describe ourselves as a dynamic duo.”

Zoe Barahona “stood out amongst all of them as well in the sense that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind.”

Campomanes continued for at least five minutes, mentioning several other students,

Throughout his first year at SU, Campomanes saw himself in several of his peers who held student leadership roles across campus, and he aimed to emulate them. Victoria Glatt, peer anchor; Skylar Walder, student ambassador and Asian American Pacific Islander Organization (AAPIO) officer; and Jeremy Satyawan Putra, also a student ambassador and AAPIO officer.

“Theo's leadership has flourished like a flower. When he came in as a first year, he was this eager little freshman who just wanted to explore what being in student leadership meant,” Walder said. “Theo has taken advantage of every opportunity that has been presented to him and he continues to learn about himself and what he wants to be involved in on campus.”

There have been moments when Campomanes’ passion for supporting other students have gotten in the way of his own success.

“{I} really couldn’t find that in between of student, worker and just human – even to the point of thinking about transferring. But just allowing myself to hit that restart button and really plan out how I want to go about my future definitely helped me,” Campomanes said.

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate Mark Hartman performing during his final appearance at the Shippensburg University Community Orchestra concert.

Megan Sawka Ship Life Editor

Photo courtesy of @shipchess

Shippensburg Chess Club at the Pan American Championship in McAllen, TX.

Photo courtesy of ship.edu

Chess club president Nathan Ziegler shaking hands with his opponent.

Connor

Students compete at 46th Juried Art Exhibit

The 46th Annual SU Juried Student Art Exhibition was held on April 27 in the Kauffman Gallery. Pictured are all of the student artists who participated.

Shippensburg University’s Art and Design Department hosted its 46th Annual SU Juried Student Art Exhibition at the Kauffman Gallery on Saturday April 27. The awards were presented at 1:30 p.m. The event showcased 29 students and 50 pieces.

The items in the exhibit were selected and juried by two judges outside of the SU community. This year, the judges were B.A. Harrington and Beth Wheeler from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Harrington is an associate professor of art and director of the Wood Center at IUP. Wheeler is a founding member of the Fox Clark gallery in Indiana, Pennslvania. She earned a master of fine arts degree in painting from IUP. Harrington and Wheeler both expressed their delight to jury the exhibit this year in their judge’s statements. “It was an honor to be asked to judge the 2024 SU Annual Student Art Exhibition,” Harrington said. “I was especially impressed with the care students showed in the display of their artwork.”

SU undergraduate students were allowed to submit up to five pieces of their work for the competition. There was an exceptional number of submissions, but the judges only chose 50 pieces for the exhibit and 11 award winners.

The awards included Honorable Mention, Mixed Media Merit, 3D Media Merit, 2D Media Merit, the William D. Davis Memorial Drawing Award, Third place, Second place and Best of the Exhibit. The cash prizes were sponsored by the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, Minds@Work, Mrs. Shirley Sturtz-Davis and the SU President Charles Patterson.

Professor Michael Campbell, director of the Kauffman Gallery, announced the winners alongside fellow professors, William Whitely and Steve Dolbin.

The first awards presented were Honorable Mention. The winners included Naomi Bard for “Untitled,” Dylan Hiestand for “Skull Snail,” Kelsey Krainaker for “Metal Beam” and The Slate’s very-own Elizabeth Peters for her ceramic duo “Beauty Standards” and “Perfectionist.”

Following the Honorable Mention awards were the Merit awards. The winners were Kia O’Quinn for “Domesticat-

Artist Spotlight: Sharon Green-Coons

Sharon Green-Coons is a senior art major who loves focusing on intricate detail in her work to enhance a new perspective for her viewers. She often uses ink and pencil as her medium to achieve such fine elements.

Green-Coons currently has an exhibit in the Brindle Gallery called “It’s the Little Things” that features 11 pieces. The exhibit is open for viewing until May 8. She is closely connected with nature and draws inspiration from taking photos while hiking and gardening. She uses multiple photos to only capture the realistic texture of plants or insects she wants to draw and uses her creativity for everything else. Green-Coons uses color very minimally in her work, but when she does, her goal is to add a layer of emphasis on a characteristic to the subject.

Green-Coons had a career as a forest

health specialist that focused on educating the public regarding the impact of insects and diseases in the forests. Being surrounded by nature, the beauty and inspiration she found through her job was heavily influenced in her putting different insects, plants and flowers as her subject in her artwork.

When Green-Coons was little, she was inspired by her uncle, who was a professional artist, and her aunt, who went to college for art. She recalls that art has always been something that would “light a fire” within her.

She stepped away from art shortly after high school, and several years ago she got back into her artistic roots by taking classes at a local art council. She then wanted to proceed with a formal education to see how far she could take this passion. Green-Coons ended up at Shippensburg and fell in love with the classes.

“Rose of Sharon” is the most special piece in the exhibit to Green-Coons be-

cause it is one of her favorite flowers.

“There is a lot of love that went into this one,” Green-Coons said.

She was most pleased with the way she executed the work of art because of the difficult texture she had to accomplish from the flower.

Green-Coons has won multiple awards — The William Davis Memorial Drawing Award and placed second at the Tuscarora Wildlife Art Show in 2022 and 2023.

After graduation, Green-Coons is planning to build upon her work that she had in the senior art exhibit titled, “Into the Woods.” The three-panel masterpiece is featured in the 46th Annual Juried Student Art exhibit and will be the centerpiece of her work for the next few years.

“Into the Woods” is available to view in the Kauffman Gallery until May 8. Visit Green-Coons’ artist website at sharonelizabeth.art

ed,” Jessica Silverman for “Untitled” and Caitlin Weller for “Blush.”

The next award presented was the William D. Davis Memorial Drawing Award, which is in honor of former assistant professor of art at Shippensburg University, William Davis. The winner was Hailey Yeater’s “Still Life,” a pastels and charcoal drawing.

The third and second place awards were announced next. Jalen Brownson won third place for his graphic illustration titled “If You’re Willing to Take the Time.” Sharon Coons won second place for her ink and colored pencil drawing, “Into the Woods.”

The Best of the Exhibit award was delivered and sponsored by Patterson. It was awarded to Colby Page for his steel sculpture, “Pharmaceutical.” Page was one of six artists to display more than three of their submissions to the judges.

The semester’s exhibits at the Kauffman Gallery have now come to an end. To visit this final exhibit and admire over 29 students’ artworks, visit the Huber Art Center till May 8. It will also be available online starting May 13.

Grace’s Weekly Record: ‘TTPD: The Anthology’

builds up in the chorus as Swift shouts, “Old habits die screaming.”

Taylor Swift’s album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was released at midnight on April 19. Two hours later, Swift surprised her fans with a double album called “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.”

“The Anthology” includes 15 extra songs — making “TTPD” a 31-track, two-hour album.

At midnight on April 19, a two-hour countdown was displayed on Swift’s website. Fans suspected that she would do a surprise release, like she did with “Midnights (3am Edition).”

However, after listening to the standard “TTPD,” I went to bed a little disappointed. I woke up to “The Anthology,” and soon discovered that the new songs were more folky. I am a sucker for some melancholic piano songs, so I was excited. The same situation occurred after the release of “Midnights,” I was disappointed by the first half, but the second half saved the album for me.

“The Black Dog” is the first track of “The Anthology,” and also one of my favorites. Swift reminisces about an ex-partner who did her wrong. “The Black Dog” is the name of a bar that her ex-partner went into, but it is also a metaphor for depression. My favorite part of the song is when the production

In “imgonnagetyouback,” Swift goes back and forth between wanting an ex-partner back or wanting to get revenge on them, “Whether I’m gonna be your wife or/Gonna smash up your bike, I haven’t decided yet/But I’m gonna get you back.”

The shoegaze-like track

“So High School” feels like I am being transported into an early 2000s romantic comedy. Swift talks about a new relationship that makes her feel like she is back in high school, “‘Cause I feel so high school everytime I look at you/But look at you.”

“I Hate It Here” is reminiscent of something from her album “Folklore.” Like Swift does in “Folklore,” she imagines herself in a different world to escape reality, “I hate it here so I will go to/Secret gardens in my mind.”

In “The Prophecy,” Swift wonders if her misfortunes with love are her fault, “Change the prophecy/ Don’t want money/Just someone who wants my company.”

After listening to “TTPD: The Anthology” for the past week, I hoped that it would resonate with me more, but I think I need more time with it. I do not think Swift’s work is meant to be understood right away, I think it is meant to marinate with you for a while.

Photo courtesy of Kelsey Krainaker

Savannah Silvestre Staff Contributor

Grace Harbour A&E Editor

Abbygale Hockenberry A&E Editor

Abbygale Hockenberry / The Slate

Senior art major Sharon Green-Coons pictured with her artworks “Metamorphosis” and “Rose of Sharon.”

Once Upon a Mattress: A review

Reagan Gardenhour

Shippensburg University’s Acting Group presented the musical “Once Upon a Mattress” in the Memorial Auditorium this weekend.

The cast of about a dozen actors took to the stage to perform the show, which originally ran on Broadway in 1959 and again in 1996, and the commitment to their roles was evident.

“Once Upon a Mattress” is a story set in a fairytale setting during medieval times. While watching the musical, it is evident that the king and queen of their kingdom have undergone multiple struggles.

King Sextimus, played by Emmett O’Bell, was put under a spell of muteness. Due to the fact that he cannot speak, it causes issues between his marriage with his wife, Queen Aggravain, played by Emma Barrow. Queen Aggravain projects these struggles onto her son, Prince Dauntless, played by Stephen Good.

Prince Dauntless wishes for nothing more than to have a wife. However, Queen Aggravain does not believe that there is anybody good enough for her son, and she believes that he needs a true princess. He believes Queen Aggravain does not want him to be married because of the consistent excuses she makes.

During a conversation Prince Dauntless has with his mother about when he will get his princess, his mother says, “There’s only

one person who really cares about you and really worries about your health and your happiness and your future, and that is what I’m talking about right now. Your future, let me be absolutely clear, I want you to get married, but I don’t want you to marry just anybody, after all, marriage is a lifetime commitment, and I wouldn’t want you to make the same mistakes like I did and wind up miserable the way I did.”

Over the course of the show, a princess comes along named Princess “Fred” Winnifred, played by Caniah Mayo and famously originated by Carol Burnett. Queen Aggravain believes that she needs to put Princess Winnifred through a test to be sure that she is a true princess, and she does just that. The queen requires the princess to pass a sensitivity test — sleeping on a stack of 20 mattresses with a single pea underneath — and when Princess Winnifred passes, Queen Aggravain becomes furious.

The queen refuses their marriage and tries to keep them apart. Nevertheless, Prince Dauntless persists. He told his mother to be quiet, which broke the curse against his father. The curse was said to be broken when the proverbial “mouse devours the hawk.” In this case, Prince Dauntless was the mouse, and Queen Aggravain was the hawk. Due to this, King Sextimus rose to full power and insisted that Prince Dauntless and Princess Winnifred be married.

“Once Upon a Mattress” included other

‘Dinosaur World’ takes Ship to the Mesozoic era

Ian Thompson / The Slate Titus the Tyrannosaurus rex keeping a close eye on the ball.

Ian Thompson News Editor

Luhrs Performing Arts Center welcomed Dino World: Live to its stage on April 28. The Grove Theater was filled with families excited to catch a glimpse at the prehistoric show.

The performance, written and directed by Derek Bond, was filled with a total of eight dinosaurs and plenty of humor. Despite having a cast of just one performer and five puppeteers, the show captivated the audience.

Selin Balcioglu stars as Miranda, a paleontologist who, along with her family, was shipwrecked on an island filled with all kinds of mesozoic wildlife. She helped guide the program, giving information about each of the dinosaurs and ensuring no children were eaten by the creatures.

The first dinosaur to make its mark was Juliet.

A Segnosaurus, “Jules” walked around the stage cawing and swinging her fearsome claws around. Luckily for the crowd, she’s an herbivore.

Volunteers were invited to come on stage and help Miranda wrangle most of the dinosaurs on display. A young girl bravely stood on a box and played the part of a tree to get picky-eater Juliet to eat.

Juliet made way for Orlando, a Microraptor who flew on to stage before pecking Miranda for treats. “He loves to put on a

display for the ladies,” Miranda said as a volunteer brushed him.

Beatrice and Brutus the Triceratops were a hit. Beatrice, who according to Miranda was only a few days old, was a bit sleepy, and had to be woken up by the crowd. Her adult counterpart Brutus, on the other hand, had no problem stomping around. Both enjoyed their fair share of tickles.

Another duo was even more popular. Tamora the T-Rex stood about chest-height, dwarfed by her older brother Titus, a full-grown Tyrannosaurus. Tamora was operated by a lone puppeteer (disguised as a wrangler), but Titus required four puppeteers to move around. The show was rounded out with a new dinosaur emerging. Throughout the show, an egg would rock back and forth, threatening to hatch. The audience was quick to alert Miranda, who would check on it periodically. After a bit of a fakeout, the egg finally hatched to reveal a baby Giraffititan. Its cries quickly summoned its mother, Gertrude.

While those who know way too much about dinosaurs could find a few nitpicks (e.g. T-Rex’s vision being based on movement), the show was a very fun and lighthearted adventure. If anyone in attendance was not already a fan of “terrible lizards,” they sure are now.

actors who were very prominent to the story in terms of friendship, acceptance and love. There is plenty of gratitude to Charlotte McAleer as Lady Larken, Robbie Ansley as Sir Harry, Seamus Landis as The Minstrel, Pieridae Barbach as The Jester, Hailey Yeater as The Wizard, Tommy Kane as Sir Studley/Knight, Alexsander Jasper as Sir Luce/ Knight, Alyssa Sheriff as Lady Rowena/

Pantomime Princess, Mallory Smith as Lady Merrill/Mabelle and Shae as Emily the Maid/ Wench/Lady. No talent was left unnoticed. The musical was captivating for the Shippensburg University crowd. A mixture of lighting, production, song and excitement led to a world of love, which was once upon a… mattress.

A&E 23-24 recap word search

Menopause The Musical On Your Feet Senior Art Exhibit

Barbie and Oppenheimer playlists

For our last edition of the 23-24 school year, we have decided to split our Spotify playlist into two: “In a Barbie World” for our Managing Editor Connor Niszczak, and “I Am Become Death” for our Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Peters.

Reagan Gardenhour / The Slate

SUAG held productions of “Once Upon a Mattress” April 25 through April 28.

Siwa Drum Tao

Baseball honors seniors, clinches PSAC tournament bid

Shippensburg University’s baseball team won three of four games against Kutztown this weekend, moving its record to 26-18 overall, including 19-13 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play.

The win clinched the fourth seed in the PSAC East division, ensuring a spot in the conference tournament.

The series began at Kutztown with a pair of games on Friday, with the Raiders winning 4-1 in Game

1. Junior Jaxon Dalena continued his recent dominance, allowing one unearned run over seven innings and striking out eight. He has only allowed one earned run over his last three starts, stretching 20 innings.

SU picked up nine hits in the game, led by junior Carter Hinds going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs

scored. Sophomore Mike Heckman and freshman Brady Harbach each had two hits as well.

Game 2 on Friday went to Kutztown, taking a 3-2 win. The Bears came back from down 2-0 in the fourth inning, scoring three runs off freshman Conner Barto. Barto took the loss, falling to 3-2 on the year, giving up two earned in 4.2 innings.

Saturday’s games at Fairchild Field began with a 6-3 win for the Raiders in a rainy first game. The Raiders struck for three runs in the first inning, before Hinds drove in three more across his next two at bats. Senior Brock Piper starred at the plate, going 3-for-3 with an RBI.

Graduate Ryan Gleason had arguably his best start of the season on the bump. He allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings, striking out a career-high nine and moving to 5-2 with the win. Senior

Ethan Miller picked up his fourth save of the year in relief.

Between games, the team’s nine seniors were honored in a senior day ceremony, with all nine making appearances in at least one game of the doubleheader. Head coach Matt Jones discussed the seniors and said they were “awesome guys on and off the field.”

“They’ve won a lot of games,” he said. “We’re just happy to get them to the postseason.”

The final game saw Shippensburg grab a 3-2 triumph. They scored all three in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run homer from senior Austin Baal, who totaled four RBIs for the series. The Raiders used four pitchers in the game, none going more than two innings. Senior Gabe Stotler got the win, moving to 4-4, while Miller navigated a sketchy last inning for his second save of the day.

Track and field shines at home in Paul Kaiser Classic

Mason Flowers

Asst. Sports Editor

Shippensburg University’s track-and-field teams powered through rainy conditions to pick up 11 event wins and four meet records in the 19th annual Paul Kaiser Classic this Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium.

The highlight of the meet came from senior Josh Herbster, breaking the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) record in the hammer throw for the third time this season. His mark of 213 feet, 7 inches was a new personal record by eight inches and is also a new SU record and meet record. He won the event by just under 40 feet.

Junior Ian Sherlock also provided a meet record in the 1,500 meters, clocking in for the event win at 3:48.01. It was a new personal best for Sherlock by just under two seconds, and now ranks fifth in Shippensburg history.

The final meet record on the men’s side went to freshman Tommy Crum Jr., taking the 3K title at 8:26.11, leading an all-Shippensburg Top 5 in the event.

Three more Raiders on the men’s team earned event wins, including junior Kenny Rhyne taking the high jump at 6 feet, 4 inches. The other two winners came in hurdle events, with junior Jeovaughni Daniel winning the 110m hurdles at 14.79 seconds, along with junior Robbie Hrabosky II claiming the

400-meter hurdles at 53.45 seconds.

In the women’s, junior Leah Graybill picked up a meet record in the 200-meter, winning the event at 24.32 seconds, leading home junior Aliyah Serrano for a Shippensburg 1-2.

Another track winner on the women’s team was sophomore Melanie Barger, taking the 400-meter hurdles at 1:04.58 and beating freshman teammate Madison Malcolm by just 0.13 seconds.

The final track win for the women’s team came in the 4x100 relay, with the group of Graybill, junior Kayla Dalhouse, Serrano and junior Sara McKean combining for 46.72 seconds, more than two seconds clear of the runners-up.

Two more Raiders won field events, highlighted by junior Abby Reasoner in javelin at 143 feet, 11 inches, over 15 feet ahead of second place. Freshman Ashley Laukus set a new personal record in the high jump of 5 feet, 5 inches to win the event.

Next on the schedule for SU track and field is the PSAC championships, taking place next weekend at Seth Grove Stadium. It begins at 11 a.m. Friday, with events taking place Saturday and Sunday as well. The men’s team will be seeking its 15th straight PSAC title, while the women are eying their first since 2021.

SU baseball’s regular season ends with a home game against Frostburg State at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Coach Jones was optimistic about the teams chances in the PSAC tournament, saying, “We

Wednesday.”

Lacrosse celebrates Senior Day

Emma Adams Staff Contributor

Shippensburg University lacrosse fell short to No. 11 East Stroudsburg 11-3 on Senior Day in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game on Saturday at Robb Sports Complex.

Despite the steady rain for the duration of the game, the lacrosse team honored seniors Emily Fenwick, Leah Hueber, Payton Margerum and Carly Switala.

Shippensburg took the first shot on goal just over one minute into the first quarter. With a cut to the goal, East Stroudsburg was the first to score.

Following the East Stroudsburg goal, the Raiders drove the ball down the field to put a point on the board, tying the game with

8:46 left in the first quarter. The goal was scored by junior Sara Vosburg, making that her 100th career goal. Vosburg is the 17th player in school history to score 100 career goals.

Shortly into the second quarter, East Stroudsburg broke the 1-1 tie. The Raiders retied the game with Emily Fenwick scoring at 9:17. East Stroudsburg scored two more times before the end of the second quarter. At halftime, Shippensburg was down 4-2.

Shippensburg did not post any points in the third quarter. East Stroudsburg boosted its lead over the Raiders by four more points in the third quarter, making the score 8-2.

Down by six heading into the fourth quarter, senior Payton Margerum found the goal with under a minute left on the clock to give Shippensburg another point. The goal was assisted by sophomore Ali Pioli. The game ended 113, giving East Stroudsburg the win.

Goaltender junior Kayla Vosburg saved 16 shots on goal from the East Stroudsburg Warriors despite the rainy weather. The Raiders will finish off their season at

next Saturday at 2 p.m.

Bloomsburg

Jashton Best / The Slate

Seniors Leah Heuber, Carly Switala, Payton Maregerum and Emily Fenwick were honored before Saturday’s game against East Stroudsburg.

Jashton Best / The Slate

Juniors Aliyah Serrano (left) and Leah Graybill start the 200 meters. They would finish Top 2 in the event, with Graybill winning at 24.32 seconds.

Chloe Prettyman / SU Sports Info

Senior Austin Baal celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run in Game 2, part of a 3-2 victory.

Dustin Terry / SU Sports Info

SU baseball honored its nine seniors between games during Saturday’s doubleheader with Kutztown. All seniors appeared in at least one of the day’s games.

Chloe Prettyman / SU Sports Info

Graduate student Ryan Gleason pitches in the rain against Kutztown. He went six scoreless innings in his start, racking up a season-high nine strikeouts.

What a catch: Morgan Lindsay’s successful time at SU comes to an end

The starting catcher and one of the most successful offensive players in Shippensburg University’s softball history is saying goodbye to Shippensburg — and softball — after this season.

Shippensburg University might not have been a match at first sight, as senior Morgan Lindsay already looked at Shippensburg during high school but chose Colgate University, yet it has been a match made at second sight.

The reasons for her transfer were that the Hereford native wanted to move closer to home and besides that, Colgate did not allow her the opportunity to start in games. Shippensburg’s coaching staff, however, was a big factor in her decision to pick SU.

In her sophomore year, Lindsay transferred from Colgate to Shippensburg before the spring semester in 2022 and immediately made an impact for the Raiders.

Lindsay came up as the regular catcher in her debut season as a Raider and started in all 52 games of the season, according to Ship-

pensburg University’s sports information’s website. Ever since, Lindsay has caught every inning in all 54 games in 2023. In 2024, she caught every inning in every game, except for one game.

Building up the stamina needed for playing 50 games or more per season, Lindsay said she is used to the stamina and squatting. To her, it is “just routine” and a part of her life to be able to play so many games.

Very important in her job as catcher, Lindsay says is her good relationships with her pitching staff and the trust between them.

“I feel like, they rely on me for a lot, which I totally take that responsibility for,” Lindsay said. “I just want the best for them, and I think they do rely on me to tell them straight and what is going on.”

Lindsay is not only Shippensburg’s starting catcher, but also a reliable player in the middle of the batting lineup, who cracked the Top 5 in Shippensburg’s school history in multiple categories.

After her last regular season game on Saturday, Lindsay is third all-time in home

runs, and only five homers off of sneaking into second place. In career-walks and career-RBIs, she is ranked third with 73 and 143, respectively. If Lindsay scores eight more RBIs in the postseason, she will tie for third place in school history.

Lindsay rarely strikes out when she is at bat and often gets walked. Her secret to that is just looking for her pitch. Opponent teams know her as a power-hitter in the lineup and do not want to give her pitches that she wants to hit, according to Lindsay.

“Some of the teams knew I

was one of the power hitters in the lineup, so I knew they were going to give me not a pitch that I wanted to hit, but I just had to wait for them to make a mistake and me to capitalize on it,” Lindsay said.

Softball has always been a family affair for Lindsay. She started playing softball at the age of 4 or 5, Lindsay said.

Her older sister, an alumna and former softball player for York College, was the reason she started with softball, and her dad often worked with her extra so she could catch up to older girls who Lindsay was usually with on a team.

Her sister is also the reason behind Lindsay’s nickname Ducky, which her teammates at SU like to call her.

When Lindsay transferred to Shippensburg, there were already two Morgans on the team (Morgan DeFeo and Morgan Brumbaugh), who were called Morgan and Mo, Lindsay’s usual nickname.

The team asked for an alternative nickname, and she only had Ducky, which her sister had been calling her as the only person in reference to Ducky Momo. Against Lindsay´s hopes, the name Ducky stuck, and she em-

braced it.

Reflecting upon her time at Shippensburg, Lindsay’s favorite memory is winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship in the 2023 season. The excitement of winning and that they were undefeated in the PSAC tournament were “Just crazy,” Lindsay said.

Looking ahead, the criminal justice major said that she is going to go into juvenile probation for a career after graduation. It has always been her goal to work with juveniles, so the criminal justice major was a big part of her decision for Shippensburg, Lindsay said.

Overall, Lindsay is very grateful for her time at Shippensburg University and for the team that embraced her when she arrived.

“I came in my sophomore year, halfway through,” Lindsay said. “So, I didn’t even come for the fall season, I only started in spring. So, I have only had 2 1/2 years here, really. I just want to thank them for embracing me coming in mid-season and working with me. I just feel grateful for that.”

Women’s tennis ends with losses to Millersville and Bloomsburg

Shippensburg University’s women’s tennis team closed out its 2023-24 season with consecutive defeats in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matches.

In their home finale on Wednesday, the Raiders suffered a 7-0 loss against Millersville at the Robb Sports Complex. The Raiders (3-16, 1-5 PSAC East) managed to secure victories in singles matches at the No. 1, No. 5 and No. 6 flights, but Millersville (13-7, 4-0) claimed the overall victory, including sweeping the doubles point.

On Saturday, Shippensburg faced Bloomsburg at the

Burt Reese Tennis Center, where they concluded their season with a 5-2 defeat against the Huskies. Despite strong performances from Juniors Brooklynn Rupert and Kendall Winters, who secured victories in their respective singles matches, the Raiders (3-17, 1-6 PSAC) were unable to overcome Bloomsburg’s dominance in both doubles and singles play.

Rupert, competing in the No. 5 singles spot, battled to a tiebreaker against Bloomsburg’s Alese Rinker, ultimately emerging victorious with a score of 10-5. Winters, playing at No. 6 singles, displayed resilience, securing a decisive 6-2 victory in the third set against Juliana Kim.

Despite the losses, several Raiders showcased strong individual performances throughout the season. Senior

Brighid Cantwell, who played at No. 4 singles, concluded her Raider career with a noteworthy five victories in the match against Bloomsburg.

Freshman Rachel Gallagher also demonstrated promise, finishing the season with four victories against PSAC East opponents, including three wins at No. 2 singles.

With the conclusion of their season, individual achievements shine brightly for the Raiders. Cantwell leaves behind a legacy of perseverance, concluding her Raider career with a remarkable performance, while Gallagher shows promise for the future with notable victories against tough conference opponents.

Softball qualifies for PSAC berth despite a tough week of play

Contributor

Shippensburg University’s softball team, despite qualifying for PSAC berth, had a tough week against conference opponents going 1-5. On Tuesday and Saturday, the Raiders were swept in doubleheaders by the West Chester Golden Rams (43; 8-2) and the Kutztown Golden Bears (12-7; 11-6). The Raiders split their series on Friday against the Mansfield Mountaineers (8-0; 6-4).

In Game 1 on Tuesday, SU had to fight from a 2-0 deficit early on. In the top of fifth inning, freshman Sarah Sabocsik came up with a big hit on the first pitch of her at-bat to earn a three-run double.

West Chester was able to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh and earned a bases-loaded walk and a walk-off single to take the win.

Moving to the nightcap, Shippensburg looked for a hot start. Senior Morgan Lindsay delivered with an RBI-single in the top of the first. The Rams answered back with their own

heat, earning three runs in the bottom of the inning to shut down the Raiders.

On Friday, Shippensburg faced Mansfield away for another doubleheader.

In Game 1, SU put in great efforts on the offensive and defensive sides of the plate to take away the shutout win.

Junior Alicia Ball pitched her fourth shutout of the season, tossing around six walks and four hits over seven frames. She recorded 12 outs on groundballs, eight strikeouts, and one fly out. Lindsay blasted a solo home run and finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Martell went 2-for-2 at the plate with three runs scored and one driven in.

In Game 2, the Raiders could not find their way out of an early deficit set by the Mountaineers.

On Saturday, the Raiders hosted their Senior Day against Kutztown among the rainy conditions. The four seniors that were honored before the doubleheader were Maelynn Leber, Morgan Lindsay, Alyssa Nehlen and Taylor Myers.

After a 90-minute delay, the Raiders and the Bears faced

off in an offensive battle. Both teams combined for 51 hits and 10 of 14 innings played resulted in at least one run for either team.

Senior Morgan Lindsay was a standout player for the Raiders in Game 1. She hit three home runs (two two-run shots and a solo shot), which is the first time a Raider has done that since Lindsay, herself, did it against Seton Hill at last year’s PSAC tournament. In both matchups, the Raiders could not hold leads against the Bears. In Game 1, SU led 4-3 after four innings and KU unleashed a six-run fifth inning. In Game 2, SU led 3-2 until KU came in with a seven-run inning. Leber, Myers, and Nehlen also performed for their team on their Senior Day. Leber pitched 2.2 innings in Game 1, Myers had two hits including a two-run single, and Nehlen had two hits and an RBI.

The Raiders will return to action against IUP for their first PSAC playoff in Quakertown on Wednesday, May 1 at 10 a.m.

Gwen Elsey/SU Sports Info

Left to right: Seniors Maelynn Leber, Morgan Lindsay, Taylor Myers and Alyssa Nehlen, with their families, were honored for Senior Day.

Savannah Silvestre

Staff

Alexa Michielsen

Staff Contributor

Nicola Puggé Sports Editor

Gwen Elsey/SU Sports Info

Left: Morgan Lindsay and her family and Coach Alison Van Scyoc on Senior Day.

Right: Morgan Lindsay throwing the ball against Bloomsburg on April 14.

Our Year in Review

The Slate staff was able to cover some amazing things this year. As this academic year quickly comes to an end, enjoy this look back with some of The Slate’s best photos from each section from the fall and spring semesters.

News

Our news section broke news on campus, covered national political events and sat down for an exclusive with the governor of Pennsylvania, among other coverage. Pictured top to bottom is a photo of Gov. Josh Shapiro from a The Slate exclusive interview, a photo of former president Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference and a photo of Adams Drive on campus when a water main broke last semester.

Ship Life

Ship Life has shown us what life was like on campus this year. Pictured top to bottom is a student at MSA’s Crabfest last fall, this year’s production of Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Black Experience Tribute, and the annual tree lighting at Old Main.

Photos courtesy of Jashton Best, Jayden Pohlman and Ian Thompson

Photos courtesy of Adam Beam and Allyson Ritchey

Arts and Entertainment

The Arts and Entertainment section kept readers entertained this year with reviews of new movies, albums and even live performances.

Pictured top to bottom are photos from Hairspray at Luhrs Performing Arts Center, jazz ensemble, The Concert: A Tribute from ABBA and Betty Whitecastle’s educational drag show.

Photos courtesy of Adam Beam, Grace Harbour, Jayden Pohlman and Cyrus Simmons

Sports

Rain or shine, Sports covered it all. They were there for the recordbreaking wins and the tough lossses of the Shippensburg Raiders athletics.

Pictured top to bottom is field hockey, football, men’s basketball, men’s soccer and track and field.

Special thanks to these members of the multimedia staff of The Slate:

Hanna Atkinson Jashton Best

Shamere Briggs

Adam Beam

Quehanna Coble

Grace Harbour

Jayden Pohlman

Allyson Ritchey

Cyrus Simmons

Photos courtesy of Hanna Atkinson, Jashton Best, Shamere Briggs, and Quehanna Coble