The Slate 10-3-17

Is anthem outrage really about disrespect? B1

‘Jersey Boys’ tells The Four Season’s story, C1

Field hockey is #HartStrong, D2

Students learn about graduate admissions process, E1

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Tuesday October 3, 2017

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Volume 61 No. 5

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Rally promotes campus unity Shannon Long Asst. News Editor

Kayla Brown/The Slate

The Rev. Sharon Risher shares her personal connection to the 2015 Charleston church shooting during a rally sponsored by ACT on Thursday.

Shippensburg University students and faculty rallied together to promote peace and equality at the United We Stand rally Thursday evening.

The rally was put together by the ACT group, which stands for The Ask. Communicate. Teach Tolerance. They seek to address racial injustices on SU’s campus and create conversation about race.

At the rally, the Rev. Sharon Risher shared her story about why and how she considers herself to be an accidental activist.

“An accidental activist is someone who finds themselves in a life altering experience and springs into action for specific causes or issues,” Risher said.

Risher’s mother, two cousins and a childhood friend, along with five others, were killed in the Charleston, South Carolina, church shooting. She shared with the audience the story of the night of June 17, 2015.

“I understand the story is horrific, but I know that the story

has to be told because you see it’s more than just a story,” Risher said. “It’s about humanity and how we begin the journey of understanding each other.”

With a shaking voice, Risher read out the names of the victims. Risher said she continues to say the victims’ names because she wants others to know that hate will not win, and they sacrificed their lives for a greater purpose. After hearing the names, she hoped the audience felt empowered to evoke change.

Risher described one of the most defining moments of her life as when her mother called her when she was about 8 or 9 years old. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking in Charleston and her mother wanted her to hear him speak.

Risher compared hearing his voice to hearing the voice of God. After that day, she aspired to speak to people like he did to help others. Now, she believes she was chosen to speak and tell her story.

“Our life experiences, everything that you experience shapes who you are. Not just for today,

not just while you’re on this campus, but for the rest of your life,” Risher said.

Forgiveness, Risher said, has been difficult. Through tears, she said she forgave the shooter, and said this was the first time she had voiced her forgiveness aloud.

Despite the world being full of chaos, Risher believes that college students across the U.S. are learning to be productive and live among each other. She said ACT is doing a good job on campus, and they have the courage to talk about the things that nobody wants to talk about.

The goal of her speech was to have the audience hear one thing that they did not know before, and specifically something that would encourage them to do something to better themselves and others.

“Don’t let anything get in your way of being the person that you are, because you are somebody,” Risher said. “You are worthy of every good thing that there is in this world and I want you to go out there and grab it. Don’t let anything stop you.”

Clarion University retracts letter of retrenchment, avoids faculty layoffs Jenna Wise News Editor

Clarion University withdrew a letter of retrenchment Sept. 22, eliminating the possibility of faculty cuts at the end of the academic school year and leaving Cheyney University letter as the last remaining after five letters were submitted during the spring of 2017.

Last spring, five letters of intent to retrench were issued throughout the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). All of these letters have been withdrawn except for Cheyney’s, leaving an air of uncertainty over the university’s future.

“Although we believe there should never have been a letter on the table, we are glad the Clarion University administration took this step,” said Kenneth Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) in an APSCUF press release. “We now turn our full attention to Cheyney University.”

Ray Feroz, president of the Clarion chapter of APSCUF, said the university is prepared to devote itself to

INDEX

producing a higher quality of education for its students.

“I am absolutely convinced that collaboration and cooperation is the way to make Clarion University a great place for students to learn and faculty to work,” Feroz said.

Since the letters were issued, APSCUF held numerous meet-and-discuss sessions at the state and local level that voiced concerns about the possibility of faculty layoffs, according to the press release. During these sessions, APSCUF representatives worked with administrators to determine the solutions that would be most beneficial for PASSHE students.

In August, the Board of Governors approved a plan that forgave more than $30

million in loans that Cheyney University had accrued, depending on the university’s ability to meet several benchmark requirements.

“By holding Cheyney accountable for achieving these goals, we are making an important shift toward awarding good performance and away from enabling the kinds of decisions that have fostered Cheyney’s problems for decades,” said former PASSHE Chancellor Frank Brogan.

According to a PASSHE enrollment chart published last year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, enrollment rates at PASSHE’s 14 universities dropped in every university except for Slippery Rock, West Chester and Cheyney, which saw increases in enrollment during the

2015–16 academic school year. During the same year, East Stroudsburg remained consistent in its enrollment rate.

Despite an increase in enrollment two years ago, Cheyney has not escaped a myriad of financial issues.

Since 2010, Cheyney has seen its enrollment rate drop by more than half, according to another Post-Gazette article.

In response, the university cut $7.5 million from its $35 million budget, and eliminated about two dozen staff and administrative positions in recent weeks. On Sept. 1, Cheyney submitted an organization plan in an effort to maintain its accreditation and prevent the university’s closure.

“Our No. 1 goal is to serve students, and we cannot do that if we lose accreditation,” Cheyney Interim President Aaron Walton said in a PASSHE press release.

“Now, we can focus our available resources on students in academic programs where there is the greatest demand and that meet Pennsylvania’s needs.”

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia user Smallbones

Cheyney University faces the possibility of faculty layoffs at the end of the 2017–18 academic year.

A&E

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News

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Sports

Opinion

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Ship Life E1

Weather Forecast

Tuesday

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Troy Okum/The Slate

Smoke billows over South Mountain on Wednesday as a prescribed fire burns in Michaux State Forest.

Fire blazes over South Mountain Yvonne Wagner Copy Editor On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Shippensburg community turned toward South Mountain as a great eruption of smoke boiled high into the sky and left a blanket trail draped across the mountain for miles.

The smoke plume came from a prescribed burn conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Recreation in the Michaux State Forest near Dead Woman’s Hollow. Ridge Road was closed Wednesday to all traffic, and signs rerouted hikers on the Appalachian Trail around the area.

The area was also closed Thursday as the ashes had not yet cooled to a safe level, according to the Michaux State Forest District Office.

Prescribed burns are man-made fires deliberately set to clear dead brush, leaves and branches. These small, controlled fires destroy the fuel for wildfires and clear the area for new plant growth.

Fire is a natural part of a forest’s life cycle and many tree species, like those that dominate the Dead Woman’s Hollow area, are actually dependent on periodic fires to remain healthy.

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October 3, 2017

Pennsylvania targeted by hackers during last November’s presidential election Marc Levy Associated Press HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s top elections official said Monday that he thinks Russian hackers who tried unsuccessfully to penetrate the state’s election systems had hoped to alter voter registration records to sow confusion and frustration right before last year’s presidential election.

Secretary of State Pedro Cortes, however, said he otherwise has been given very little information by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about the supposed attempts by Russian hackers, including how the hackers were connected to Russia, their method and the timing of their attempts.

“I think it’s more of a matter of perhaps creating con-

fusion and frustration, being able to maybe change records at the very last minute, when pollbooks already have been printed and people believe that they’re going to a certain polling place, and then they show up at that polling place but their names don’t either appear at all on the pollbooks or now they appear that you are registered across the town or across the state,’’ Cortes said.

Cortes said that all evidence points to the hackers’ attempts being unsuccessful.

The Department of State’s cybersecurity defenses are “robust’’ and benefit from the state government’s larger information protection systems, he said.

A Homeland Security official first informed the Pennsylvania Department of State in a minutes-long call Friday

that Pennsylvania was one of 21 states said to have been targeted by Russian hackers, Cortes said.

The official seemed to read from a script and did not answer follow-up questions about the matter, he said.

Federal officials have said that, in most of the 21 states, the targeting was preparatory activity such as scanning computer systems.

The targets included voter registration systems but not vote tallying software.

Officials said there were some attempts to compromise networks but most were unsuccessful.

Only Illinois reported that hackers had succeeded in breaching its voter systems.

Cortes said Pennsylvania will seek more information about the matter, including why it took so long for the

Diller Center, Enactus further growth on campus Jenna Wise News Editor

Shippensburg University’s Charles H. Diller Jr. Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation hosts its Career and Innovation Hour tonight, allowing students to explore future job opportunities and network with local businesses.

In 2015, retired businessman Charles Diller Jr. donated money to SU’s entrepreneurship program, leading to the creation of the Diller Center.

It was not until 2016 that the program began to host student events and increasingly promote itself, according to Diller Center Director Otso Massala.

Last semester, the Diller Center partnered with SU’s chapter of Enactus, a student-run group that works within the university and the community to make the world a better place through entrepreneurial action, according to the national Enactus website.

“Enactus looks into the community and tries to see where we can use our skills to help,” Enactus President Garret Lee said.

Following the Career and Innovation Hour,

File Photo/The Slate

Officials confirmed on Friday that Pennsylvania was the target of hackers during November’s election. Illinois was the only state to be hacked successfully.

Enactus will continue its partnership with the entrepreneurship program by promoting “3 Day Startup,” or 3DS, which offers a three-day entrepreneurship training for students and places them directly in the business field. Lee said a common misconception is that 3DS is just for business students. “[3DS] is a résumé builder, and it shows you take initiative,” Lee said. “It helps you think about opportunities you may not have thought of before.”

This year’s 3DS will be held from Nov. 17– 19, a semester earlier than last year’s event. Enactus hopes that moving up the date will help the event attract more students, Lee said.

Later this year, Enactus hopes to bring a TED talk on entrepreneurship to SU, and is working with entrepreneurship professor Robert Stephens to lower the cost of entrepreneurship textbooks, with the hope of eventually lowering the cost of textbooks at SU. Students interested in learning more about SU’s entrepreneurship program should attend the Career and Innovation Hour at 6 p.m. in the Shippensburg University Foundation’s Conference Center.

federal government to notify the states.

“It’s disheartening that it took this long, because it should not have been a big secret,’’ Cortes said.

However, should Pennsylvania learn more from the Department of Homeland Security, it may not reveal that information publicly be-

cause of security concerns, Cortes said.

In August, Pennsylvania largely denied The Associated Press’ open-records request for documentation on any attempts to hack elections systems in the state, citing exemptions related to public safety, trade secrets and attorney-client privilege,

among others.

Cortes said Pennsylvania wants President Donald Trump’s administration to provide help and money to states to protect election systems.

“This is one problem that is not going to go away,’’ Cortes said.

Now Accepting Donations The Shippensburg University Women’s Center is hosting the second annual Bras Across Campus on Oct. 9 from 5–6:30 p.m. in the academic quad.

Gently used bras can be donated to the Women’s Center in Horton Hall, or in donation boxes located around campus.

Proceeds will be donated to the Feel Your Boobies organization.

NEWS

October 3, 2017

Day of Understanding, homecoming among upcoming activities at SU Jenna Wise News Editor Day of Understanding Shippensburg University will kick off its annual Day of Understanding on Oct. 4 and will include a lecture by author Gish Jen. In addition to her latest nonfiction book, “The Girl at the Baggage Claim: Explaining the East-West Culture Gap,” Jen’s works include “Typical American” and “Mona in the Promised Land.” She previously received the Lannan Literary Award for fiction, and a $250,000 Strauss Living Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters.

Jen also serves as a fellow of the Guggenheim, Ameri-

can Academy of Arts and Sciences and Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study.

Jen’s lecture will begin at 7 p.m. at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center, and is open to the public.

Amelia Gapin Lecture Shippensburg University will be hosting a lecture on Oct. 10 that features Amelia Gapin, the first transgender woman to be featured on the cover of Women’s Running magazine.

Gapin’s lecture, “I Am Entirely Me,” focuses on her transition from male to female and will educate the Shippensburg community on the complexities of living as a transgender individual.

Her lecture begins at 7 p.m.

in the Ceddia Union Building’s multipurpose room.

Homecoming Shippensburg University’s 2017 homecoming celebration will begin Oct. 21 with the theme of “Ship Is It.” The event will begin with a concert by Heart

By Heart on Thursday at 8 p.m. at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center.

Other homecoming activities include a spirit rally, community service projects and the homecoming football game.

For a full list of homecoming weekend activities, visit the homecoming page on ship.edu.

Police Briefs Non-student visitors charged with underage drinking Ray M. Ortiz, 20, and a 16-year-old juvenile visitor, both of Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, were charged with underage drinking in connection with an incident that occurred on Sept.

22.

SU police officers detained both individuals in the G-1 parking lot, where they were found to have consumed alcohol and had alcohol in their possession.

Both individuals were transported to the university police department and detained until Ortiz’s father arrived to take custody of the juvenile.

Both individuals were later released and citations were filed charging them with underage drinking.

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Your World Today

Helping hands needed to resolve damage in Puerto Rico Commentary

Troy Okum Editor-in-Chief

With Puerto Rico in ruin after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on the U.S. province, it is questionable if the island will ever be the same again.

A U.S. Defense Department’s military liaison with FEMA, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, told PBS that conditions in Puerto Rico are the worst he has ever seen.

Thousands of people need food, water and medical supplies, but many roads need to be cleared first, Buchanan said.

The New York Times (NYT) published photos of the destruction that its journalists captured in a single day. The images show hundreds of cars backed up on roadways waiting for gas; houses imploded and reduced to rubble; people wading through flooded streets; power outages; and a ravaged countryside.

Federal aid and assistance is coming, but when San Juan Mayor Carmen

Yulin Cruz questioned the government’s response, President Donald Trump met her with criticism via Twitter. Trump slammed Cruz with accusations of poor leadership and said the people of Puerto Rico should do more to help themselves. Trump probably would have sent more attacks via Twitter if he was not already busy patting his own back for his impeccable leadership.

“They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort,” Trump wrote, according to NYT. “10,000 federal workers now on island doing a fantastic job. The military and first responders, despite no electric, roads, phones etc., have done an amazing job. Puerto Rico was totally destroyed.”

Puerto Rico was destroyed. But it is the Puerto Ricans who need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and work harder? You cannot rebuild a country when you are struggling to survive from day to day. As power grids are still out of commission, hospitals are relying on scarce fuel for generators to help hordes of injured people, The Washington Post and Newsweek reported.

While Puerto Rico is an American territory, it hard-

ly resembles any other place in the country. The median household income in 2010 was $19,518, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This is in stark contrast to Pennsylvania’s median household income for the same year, which comes in at $53,599. The hurricane hit states of Texas and Florida come in at $53,207 and $47,507, respectively.

What do these numbers really mean in relevance to Puerto Rico? Simply, the wealth and financial means of Americans in Puerto Rico is less than half of that of Americans who endured similar circumstances.

That’s less money for food, fuel and fleeing disaster areas. Yet when Cruz asks for more help, she is backhandedly given moral support and little else.

There is no question that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the military are working hard to help Puerto Rico.

But is it enough? How quickly will the rest of the country forget about Puerto Rico’s suffering and move on?

Never forget that Puerto Ricans are Americans and they need to be helped just as much as any Texan or Floridian who underwent the same hell.

Bicycle stolen near Robb Sports Complex Emily Barnard came to the SU police department on Friday to report that her purple and white mountain bicycle with a black seat was stolen from the multipurpose athletic field.

Barnard rode her bike to the field for an athletic team practice the day before at approximately 6 p.m. When she returned to the field on Friday at approximately 4 p.m., the bicycle was missing.

The bicycle has a black lock hanging from its frame.

The missing bicycle is valued at approximately $50.

Hit-and-run in the C-7 parking lot Bryce Mentzer, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, came to the SU police department on Saturday to report damage to his silver 2006 Kia Spectra.

Mentzer’s vehicle was parked in the C-7 commuter parking lot on Friday when it was struck by an unknown vehicle, leaving a dent and white paint transfer on the vehicle’s right rear fender.

No damage estimate has been received at this time, and the incident remains under investigation.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense

A member of Puerto Rico’s National Guard packs boxes of ration meals to be sent to Puerto Rican families that were affected by Hurricane Maria.

State court revives school funding suit Mark Scolford Associated Press

Pennsylvania’s highest court on Thursday revived a lawsuit that claims the state is failing in its obligation to students, a case that could eventually have a dramatic effect on the shape of public education in the state.

The Supreme Court’s 5-2 ruling reversed a decision by a lower court that in 2015 had thrown out the challenge to how schools are funded.

The case now returns to Commonwealth Court, which had dismissed it unanimously on grounds the litigation raised political questions that were not appropriate for the judiciary to settle.

The majority opinion by Justice David Wecht said courts should not duck their responsibility to monitor the General Assembly’s decisions, both concerning the state constitution’s requirement of a through and efficient education and the lawsuit’s allegations that poorer districts are being discriminated against.

It remains for (the) petitioners to substantiate and elucidate the classification at issue and to establish the na-

ture of the right to education, if any, to determine what standard of review the lower court must employ to evaluate their challenge,’’ Wecht wrote. “But (the) petitioners are entitled to do so.’’

The case was brought by school districts, parents, students and others against the Board of Education, the Education Department and education secretary, the governor, the House speaker and the Senate president pro tempore.

In a dissent, Chief Justice Thomas Saylor said legislation enacted by the General Assembly such as the funding system of public school is presumed to be valid and should only be overturned if it clearly violates the state constitution.

He said Pennsylvania courts have historically been reluctant to side with complaints that the General Assembly has failed to fulfill its educational obligations, and noted that school standards involve a range of considerations.

“Because the General Assembly is institutionally better suited to understand and respond to those concerns than the judiciary, academic

standards, which necessarily must change over time, do not provide a judicially manageable mechanism for oversight,’’ Saylor wrote.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, cheered the decision as a way to ensure access to a fair education system.

“While we have made progress to invest hundreds of millions more in our schools and enact a fair funding formula that takes into account the needs of students in their districts, we know more must be done,’’ Wolf said. “This ruling validates my long-held position that the commonwealth must further examine the equity and adequacy of public school funding.’’

The decision overturns more than 150 years of court decisions, said Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, a defendant.

“You have a court that is not just trying to interpret the law, but they’re trying to legislate,’’ Miskin said.

Jennifer Clarke, executive director of the Public Interest Law Center, part of the legal team that represents the plaintiffs, said the decision could result in better public

education in Pennsylvania.

“It gives the children a chance to have their day in court and present evidence,’’ Clarke said. “And what this is saying is, this is a constitutional right, this is a constitutional mandate it’s not a political question.’’

The non-federal share of money for Pennsylvania schools comes from a combination of property taxes set by local school districts and the state’s support, negotiated between the Legislature and governor. The total funding, and the amount available for particular districts, can fluctuate from year to year.

“Even low-wealth districts that impose substantially higher tax rates on their property cannot generate close to as much tax revenue per student as districts with substantially higher property values,’’ Wecht wrote.

The lawsuit claims there are wide disparities among districts in the ability to provide individualized instruction for those who need it, teacher-student ratios, availability of programs such as art and foreign languages, the range of learning materials and the quality and main-

tenance of facilities, Wecht wrote.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said that in recent decades, similar lawsuits in other states have produced greater funding for poorer districts and improved student achievement. They said the gap in Pennsylvania between the poorest and richest districts poor districts spend about one-third less per stu-

dent is the highest in the nation.

The plaintiffs include the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, the NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference and six school districts: William Penn, Panther Valley, Lancaster, Greater Johnstown, Wilkes-Barre Area and Shenandoah Valley.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia user Niagara

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules in favor of providing adequate funding to all school districts.

NEWS

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October 3, 2017

CCEC to host the year’s Is it OK to spend your largest career fair this week Financial Aid refund?

Financial Aid Office Shippensburg University

File Photo/The Slate

The CCEC hosts numerous fairs and workshops throughout the year to assist students with building portfolios and preparing to meet future employers.

Jenna Wise News Editor Shippensburg University’s Career and Community Engagement Center (CCEC) is gearing up to host its largest career fair of the year on Thursday.

Located on the first floor of the Ceddia Union Building, the CCEC hosts numerous events throughout the year in an effort to expose students to everything the Shippensburg area has to offer.

In addition to hosting career fairs, the CCEC assists students with writing resumes, cover letters and graduate school

admission essays on a daily basis.

More than 130 employers will be featured at the CCEC’s fair on Thursday, and will allow students to network for part-time, fulltime and internship opportunities, according to the CCEC’s webpage. The fair will be held in ShipRec from 12:30–4 p.m.

Students who are interested in learning more about the upcoming career fair can visit the Ship Career Connection page on ship.edu. In addition to a full list of the employers visiting the fair, students can learn more about the positions available at each organization.

September weather report

Image courtesy of the SU Department of Geography/Earth Sciences

For many college students, a possibly large refund check could be received a few days or weeks into the semester. This money is to be used for educationally related expenses (books, supplies, personal care expenses, transportation, etc.).

However, the majority of these refund checks are coming from a student loan that will have to be paid back after graduation.

If a student uses the refund check in full, this could increase the amount of overall debt they will have upon completion of their program.

This could increase the amount of time a student will be required to pay the loans back due to the in-

creased amount of debt.

By creating a budget and making sure to only use what is needed, students can be responsible borrowers and reduce their overall loan debt upon graduation.

Any money that is not needed for a student’s educational expenses should be returned to Shippensburg University so a refund can be made to the student loan, which will reduce the overall loan debt upon graduation.

Developing a budget will keep you aware of your expenses and help you reach the ultimate goal of graduating with as little debt as possible.

Little changes, like packing your own lunch, borrowing movies and books from the library, carpooling and participating in free campus activities can make a big change in the amount

of money you save. Start building a budget by using any of the free online services. To find out more information, Google “making a budget.”

It is important to remember how much you borrow from year to year. You don’t want to be shocked at your total loan balance when it’s time to graduate! You can keep track of your loan information online with the National Student Loan Database System (NSLDS).

This great website will show you how much you have borrowed in federal loans as well as your loan servicer’s contact information.

More information regarding financial literacy can be found on our website at www.ship.edu under the Financial Aid Office’s financial literacy tab.

Club fine, budget approved at Student Government meeting Jenna Wise News Editor Shippensburg University’s ice hockey club was fined $250 Sept. 21 by Student Government after it was discovered that the team had been hosting a FootballMania fundraiser.

To participate in the fundraiser, students could buy sweepstakes game cards that contained the names of three random NFL teams.

At the end of each week, each participant adds up the points scored by their teams, and may be eligible for prizes if the final score is high or low enough.

Any student organization’s participation in an event such as FootballMania constitutes gambling under SU’s Swataney student handbook guidelines, and is subject to fines

by Student Government.

The motion to fine the ice hockey club $250 was approved by Treasurer Raven Francis at Thursday’s meeting. The club has two weeks to pay the fine, and is allowed to take the money from its budget if necessary.

As of press time, the club had not responded to requests for comment.

At the same meeting, PRSSA was grant-

ed a $500 budget for the 2017–18 academic school year when the organization submitted its budget 30 weeks after the original Feb.17 deadline.

Although PRSSA originally requested $1,450 for the entire year, the group was granted $500 because of a 2 percent reduction rate that is put into action each week that an organization’s proposal is late.

Also at the meeting, Student Government swore in Class of 2021 representatives Meredith Scarr and Jonathan Benner. Student Government is looking for a Class of 2020 representative, but all other positions are filled at this time.

At Thursday’s Student Government meeting, Student Government will discuss a motion to formally change its name from “Student Senate” to “Student Government Association.”

The meeting will be held at 4 p.m. in CUB Room 119. In an email sent to all SU students, Student Government President Madison Scarr encouraged everyone who has an opinion about the name change or would like to hear further discussion on the topic to attend Thursday’s meeting.

President Carter shares glimpse of campus vision The following is a message Shippensburg University President Laurie Carter sent to campus community members on Monday.

A portion of the letter is omitted because of a lack of room. Read the full letter at theslateonline.com.

Dear Campus Colleagues,

I want to thank you all for your warm and enthusiastic welcome of me in my first two months on the job. I hope that we have had the chance to meet. If not, I so look forward to the opportunity to meet and hear from each of you in the coming days. I am very pleased that many of you have taken advantage of time to chat with me in “Convo with Carter” sessions. I am impressed that you care so much about our great school that you took the time to meet with me. I am humbled that

Laurie Carter SU President

the fall sessions booked up in the first two hours of their announcement. I promise to offer additional sessions in the spring.

If we haven’t had a chance to talk personally, I hope you have attended one of the many campus events during which I have had the opportunity to share my early vision and mission. The vision is still formulating as I learn more about the challenges we face and the unique opportunities that lie hidden among the talented people and special programs already in place at our university, but my mission is clear. As I have said repeatedly, students come first. So, I make every decision from that perspective.

The last couple of years, particularly AY 2016-2017, have seen significant shuffling of personnel and responsibilities. I feel the sense of urgency to return stability and order to leadership at the university to support the good work of all of you. I have been working with the executive management team, since my arrival, to develop the most strategic and efficient leadership structure to carry our student-first mission forward. As such, I am pleased to announce today a reorganization of some of the university’s leadership structure.

The reorganization includes a reconfiguration of current positions as well as the anticipation of a few new faces and responsibilities. I am highly sensitive to the lean finan-

cial condition we operate under so this step in reorganization avoids increasing the number of managers at the university. The reorganization creates some new positions, but only by reallocating current positions or filling vacant ones. The reallocation includes shifts in several offices and personnel. Transparency and communication are important for us all to work together so I want to share an overview of the new organizational structure.

The new organizational chart, including the employees holding the positions, is on the university website. (Without the link, you can find the chart by clicking the tab on my web page at Ship.edu.)

Some of the functions in the Student Affairs division shifted to Student Success. In addition, the newly created Executive Director of Campus Life will oversee some of the functions now led by the dean of students. This shift enhances programming for all new students, and in particular, first generation and transfer students, and will broaden our family programs.

The Provost and Executive Vice President will continue to oversee the Academic Affairs division, where we also give new focus to graduate student recruitment. We give more attention to graduate programs with the new Associate Provost for Planning and Dean of Graduate Studies, a position restructured from the vacancy creat-

ed with the departure of Dr. Chris Sax. The Associate Provost for Academic Programs, Assessment and Accreditation (formerly Associate Provost) continues to report to the Provost and Institutional Research and Planning will report directly to the Provost. The search is ongoing for a new Dean of the Dr. Elnetta G. Jones School of Academic and Exploratory Programs as Dr. Sarah Stokely’s admirable service to the university ends at her retirement in December.

“Students come first.

I make every decision from that perspective.”

Laurie Carter SU President The newly realigned Technology and Library Services division shifts personnel with the retirement of Dr. Dennis Mathes. The Executive Director of Web Technologies, Campus Media Support and Instructional Design will assume a portion of Dr. Mathes’ duties. The Associate Dean of Libraries will move to Dean of Libraries. The associate dean will not be replaced.

The Director of Technology Support Services will report to the Vice President.

As part of the reorganization, the Division of Communications and Marketing will be renamed

External Relations and led by the Associate Vice President for External Relations. That division will support Communications and Marketing, Alumni Relations and Luhrs Performing Arts Center.

Camps and Conferences and the Conference Center will move to be supported by the Vice President for Student Affairs.

And lastly, precipitated by the need to meet Middle States Accreditation standards, and our upcoming accreditation review, the university will fill the vacant Vice President for Administration and Finance position.

I ask for your support in implementing a smooth transition to these institutional and personnel changes. The transitions will take place as positions are filled. We have much work to do, but I am inspired to charge ahead to support the good work you do. I believe these changes will ensure that your work can continue. This is just the beginning of the transition necessary to achieve our shared goal of turning the challenges we face into triumphs. We will have to do this work together, but know that I am wholly committed and am eager to work with all of you.

Sincerely,

Laurie A. Carter, J.D. President

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

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Opinion The Slate Speaks

National anthem protests:

Does the outrage stem from the method or the merit?

Pregame national anthem ceremonies have sparked a sustained level of controversy not typically seen by today’s standards ever since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided he would use it as a platform to protest police brutality last August.

But, the issue reached new heights when the president of the U.S., Donald Trump, decided to weigh in on the matter at a rally in Alabama on Sept. 22.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired,” said Trump, according to USA Today.

First of all, we do not understand why the president feels compelled to comment — let alone take sides — on such a divisive issue. Especially at a time where there is so much more for him to focus on, like diffusing tensions with North Korea, tax code overhaul or the devastation in Puerto Rico.

Second, we are troubled by the inconsistencies between his strong condemnation of NFL players kneeling and his rather lackluster condemnation of white supremacists following the death of an anti-racism protester at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month. He did not even formally condemn white supremacy until Congress sent him a resolution on the matter, which he commented on and signed on Sept.

14.

Finally, we feel President Trump is missing an opportunity to get to the root of why these protests are occurring in the first place. He has expressed, on multiple occasions, that he feels the protests are disrespectful to the American flag, National Anthem and the U.S. in general.

And this is true, if we are adhering to U.S. Flag Code, which suggests those present should stand at attention with their hand over their heart during the National Anthem.

In many cases, though, this code would also make many who share his opinion hypocrites.

It also frowns upon things such as, disposable flag products, using the flag for advertising purposes, wearing American flag clothing or carrying the flag flat, according to Huffington Post. The latter is standard practice during many NFL national anthem ceremonies.

“The issue reached new heights when the president decided to weigh in on the matter.”

The Slate staff Not once has President Trump commented on what players are protesting, though, and many have made it very clear. It’s about police brutality and other inequities faced

by African-Americans in today’s society.

The fact of the matter is, it is just much simpler to boil it down to a problem with the means of communicating the message, rather than focusing on the message itself.

Trump has tweeted that his issue with kneeling is not about race, and it may very well not be. But, a poll conducted by Reuters last year suggests those who share his sentiments are clearly divided by race.

According to the poll, 63 percent of white Americans disapprove of the anthem protests, while just 17 percent of black Americans felt that way.

Historically, this is how white people have responded to demonstrations by African Americans.

Polls from the Civil Rights-era of the 1960s show that white Americans largely felt demonstrations

by African-Americans hurt their cause.

A 1966 Harris Survey showed that 85 percent of white people felt this way, while a 1964 Gallup poll put the number at 74 percent, according to thinkprogress.org.

Yet today, we hold those pro-

tests and their nonviolent nature in high regard. So, while we feel it is the right of everyone to disapprove of the method these players are employing, it is also important to be conscious of why it is upsetting in the first place. Fox Sports 1 host Nick Wright presented a thought-provoking hypothetical on “First Things First” so individuals could answer that very question to themselves.

“If Colin Kaepernick, who started this whole thing, when he was asked why are you not standing for the anthem, he had said, ‘I’ll be honest with you, I think no one protects that flag more than our soldiers, and I do not think our soldiers are treated fairly when they come back to this country — they do not have adequate health care, they do not have adequate benefits, they do not have adequate job opportunities — and until they get that, I’m not standing for the anthem,’ would you still be mad? Because he’d be disrespecting the flag just the same way.”

Is the problem with the method or the merit?

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Kneeling during the national anthem or other protests at football games have not happened at Shippensburg University.

The protests largely remain on the national level.

File Photo/The Slate

President Donald Trump criticized NFL players who protest at his Alabama rally and on twitter.

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Opinion

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October 3, 2017

Trump’s response to Puerto Rican disaster leaves much to be desired Erica Mckinnon Columnist There’s a humanitarian crisis going on in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands.

Due to the Category 4 storm, Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico’s residents are without electricity, fresh drinking water, adequate access to food or a means of communication with family members. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz expressed in an interview that since Puerto Rico is an island, “it depends on everything from the outside.”

Students, celebrities, and family members from all over are lending a hand to help the residents of Puerto Rico during their crisis.

Streets are flooded with feces, gasoline and debris that residents have to walk in to get around. Puerto Rico’s infrastructure is in ruins and even its hospitals are damaged to the point where they are unable to treat patients.

The island could easily get relief from the U.S. However, since President Trump feels as though the damage is the island’s fault — whatever that means — Puerto Ricans were forced to sit and wait. It is a slap in the face because he is blatantly showing the world that the residents of Puerto Rico don’t matter even though they are American citizens.

Florida and Texas received immediate relief when they were hit with catastrophic hurricanes, but why has Puerto Rico been denied that kind of timely response?

Since it is always about money when dealing with Trump, he has said Puerto Rico is expected to pay back billions and billions of dollars in debt to Wall Street in order to get the help they need. People are suffering and the president — who is supposed to take everyone’s best interests into consideration — chooses to play petty games and point fingers. This may be one of the most spiteful ges-

tures I’ve ever witnessed a president commit during a crisis. Talk about a lack of character.

The rest of the Caribbean has suffered a great deal because of Hurricane Maria, too.

Like Puerto Rico, the hospitals throughout the Caribbean are destroyed and running out of supplies to the point the military had to step in and build tents so doctors can perform surgeries on patients. Many residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands are still searching for family members, while schools and churches are damaged on the island of St. John.

Since the hurricane, there has been plen-

ty of instances of looting across Puerto Rico.

Yulín Cruz has said, “You see the best in people and you see the worst in people,” regarding how people act during a crisis. She could not be anymore correct. Throughout this tragedy, there have been many people who have sent supplies to Puerto Rico, which exemplifies the best you see in people. Some of the worst you see in people comes from those who do not care at all, which includes — unfortunately, yet not surprisingly — President Trump.

It is an unfortunate situation for people

whose paradise is now in shambles because of Hurricane Maria. What makes it worse is that residents of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean are being forced to shoulder much of the load picking up the pieces of their lives while simply trying to survive.

Even though the residents of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean are being overlooked, they are showing resilience to the world despite their setbacks. Hurricane Maria may have destroyed their infrastructure and may have wiped away their electricity and water supply, but one thing it didn’t break was their spirit.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense

The scene in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. The category 4 storm has left Puerto Ricans without access to healthcare, electricity or basic necessities like food and water. Hospitals are struggling to accommodate everyone.

The Slate condemns violence, asks Americans to avoid fear A gunman killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds more in a shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas Sunday night. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the thousands of people who are affected by this event. We implore the country to not allow fear of such events to control our lives.

Free expression should not be limited, controlled Jon Bergmueller Columnist Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made several statements about the policies surrounding free speech on some college campuses. Citing examples of campuses like Georgia Gwinnett College — where students are limited to expressing themselves in specific “free speech zones” — Sessions rightly said that there is an issue with the suppression of free speech on college campuses.

This is reprehensible, if not outright authoritarian, and needs to be halted.

Cordoning off specific areas of public places where individuals are free to speak impairs the ability of individuals to express themselves. Free speech is not a commodity to be regulated or kept in check; it is an inherent right to human beings, as laid out by Article 19 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Free speech is not only a right, it is a responsibility. All of us in present culture need to speak up when we see something that is wrong. Yet, at the same time, it is just as important to listen and to pay attention to what others say.

It is raw hubris that some think their opinion is infallible and unable to be bested by any other. We are all human, and are easily mislead or incorrect, after all. It is thus important to have an open and free “marketplace of ideas,” as described by John Milton.

By giving everyone a voice, and by listening to these voices, we have a significant potential to improve society by delineating between the ideas that are good and humane, and the ideas that are evil or ineffective. Instead of silencing groups like the Alt-Right, we must use peaceful means of disproving and de-meriting some of their less-than-savory beliefs. As Sessions mentioned during his speech, “The university is about the search for truth — not the imposition of truth by a government censor.”

If we do not have discourse, we have nothing. Shutting down speakers from opposing political ideologies, or prohibiting the expression of any ideas at all, is a waste of the potential we have. Labeling opposing ideas as “offensive” or “hate speech” is too easy in this day in age. Yet again, Sessions hit the nail on the head by saying, “… who decides what is offensive and what is acceptable?” Offense is a subjective concept. There is no universal truth as to what offends one person, or another.

Freedom of expression should not be regulated or controlled. To do so is to abandon the liberty our forefathers strove to create. In the words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall, in her biography of Voltaire, “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

C1

A&E

D1

Fans call Don McLean for encore

Arianna Logan/The Slate

Molly Foster A&E Editor

With witty humor and a voice that could reach out and touch the soul, Don McLean captivated the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center audience this weekend — so much so that fans craved an encore.

“I’ve never been here before and I probably won’t be back,” McLean teased the audience. “So I’m going to play every song I can for you guys tonight.”

McLean dug up what he called, “records in the attic” with songs from his 1970s album “American Pie,” and contrasted the old with covers and new tracks from his latest album “Botanical Gardens.”

The set list began with upbeat songs “The Lucky Guy” and “Got Me Singing the Blues,” then McLean put the brakes on for slower selec-

tion “Crossroads.” lively and supportive group.

Tony Migliore, who ac- The crowd’s high energy companied McLean on the drove McLean to turn over piano during “Crossroads,” an equal amount of excitemolded the tranquil essence ment, if not more, during his of the song with his gen- performance. tle control and fluidity over Giving the audience a taste the progression of keys and of some of his hits, McLean chords. played, “And I Love You So,” McLean denied a lasting “Castles in the Air” and “Vinmellow sencent (Starsation in the ry, Starry “My job is to make N i g h t ) , ” audience by you happy and sing but accelerating left these songs as the tempo with t h e m best as I can.” a cover of Ray hanging Charles’ “Hide with anticDon McLean nor Hair.” ipation for Singer “I’ve never “American really stuck Pie.” to a formula,” McLean said.

McLean said people often “I was always into writing ask him how he never gets a bunch of songs and ideas. tired of playing the same hits Some worked and some from the ’70s, but they are a didn’t, but I liked them all.” critical part of his journey as McLean performed for au- a singer and songwriter. diences in the past that were “My job is to make you much larger than Luhrs’, but happy and sing these songs he steadily thanked those in as best as I can,” McLean attendance for being such a said.

‘Mother’ impacts viewers Denice Lovett Guest Writer The new psychological thriller movie “Mother!” is unlike any other psychological film released this year. Mastermind Darren Aronofsky, who is known for his films “Black Swan” and “Requiem for a Dream,” invites viewers into his mold-breaking thriller through the seemingly average relationship between the poet, played by Javier Bardem, and Jennifer Lawrence as Mother.

Aronofsky’s film made it hard to avoid pondering life’s bigger questions by the time the screen went black, such as asking why are we all here? And what is my purpose?

The film pokes at existence and how each individual decides to live it, whether the choice is striving to become as well admired as the poet, as settled and selfaware as Mother, or choosing to live a typical life.

In the film the subservi-

ent and agoraphobic mother would always support the career of the poet, who was experiencing severe writer’s block after the success of his first book of poems. Mother tells him that he should find peace and inspiration in the house they are living, but this ultimately falters.

Aronofsky seamlessly input heavy allegorical elements of the Bible in his film. The imagery seen in the climax of the film is representative to the seven plagues and the plight of humanity.

In his references to the Bible, Aronofsky simultaneously made a comment about the direction humanity is going. Sometimes people do as they please and do not mind who or what they hurt in the process.

The merriment of anarchy involved in such destruction makes audiences’ stomachs turn from both fear and anger, something Aronofsky skillfully does to create a film of absolute wonder.

Finally delivering with the anticipated performance of “American Pie,” McLean drew the song out to give the audience a chance to sing along to the catchy chorus multiple times. Following “American Pie,” the audience took to their feet and gave McLean and his band a lengthy standing ovation.

McLean bowed for the audience and pulled the plug from his acoustic guitar before he abandoned the stage to mark the conclusion of the show. However, the audience was not finished with McLean just yet, and with cheers and applause, they called him back for an encore.

After a few moments of nonstop applause, McLean and his band paraded back on stage to greet the “chirping birds” with one final song, “Crying” from his 1978 album, “Chain Lightening.”

Don McLean sings hits from his 1970 albums “American Pie” and “Tapestry,” and newer selections from his most recent album “Botanical Gardens.”

‘Jersey Boys’ rejuvenate The Four Season’s fight for fame Molly Foster A&E Editor Stage lights dimmed to a Belleville, New Jersey, streetlight as jukebox musical “Jersey Boys” revived the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons for the sold out H. Ric Luhrs Performing

Arts Center on Wednesday.

The underlying chain of events leading up to a moment of success is too often overlooked in the allure of the payoff. “Jersey Boys” pays homage to the dream that Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons was built on and the rough home-life that

Photo courtesy of Luhrs

“Jersey Boys” breathes new life into the story of Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons. The jukebox musical lets the audience witness the highs and lows of each band member on their journey to fame.

shadowed the group in its mutual determined effort to beat the system.

“If you’re from my neighborhood you have three ways out,” said Tommy DeVito, played by Corey Greenan.

“You could join the army, you could get mobbed up, or you could become a star.”

The band grew from the ground through trial and error, talent and a partnership-binding handshake between lead singer Valli and keyboardist, composer Bob Gaudio.

Fame struck in the form of three consecutive No. 1 hits for The Four Seasons, but in many ways the band’s deep roots were tugging members away from their achievements and back to the troubles of Jersey.

“Jersey Boys” was cast with a clear consideration of authenticity in the forms of talent and character. Johnny Waxler as Valli in particular belted a vocal range that was honorably similar to Valli’s, which helped the production sound less theatrical and more genuine to rock ‘n’ roll.

Each actor who assumed the role of a band member did so with pride and enthusiasm. The actors’ dedication to embody their part made being empathetic of Frankie

Valli and The Four Seasons’ journey of love, loss, triumph and defeat, an effortless task for the audience.

The band’s hit songs “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” among others served as a framework for the progression of the “Jersey Boys’” plot. This was a critical factor in the success of the overall performance since the producers made few modern alterations to the actual story and left the rest untouched to speak for itself.

“They say what was the high point, the hall of fame, selling all those records? It was all great,” Waxler as Valli said as the show was winding down. “When everything dropped away and all there was was the music, that was the best. That’s why I’m still out there singin,’ chasin’ the music, tryna’ get home” “Jersey Boys” received a well-deserved standing ovation from nearly every individual at the show as a thank you to each person who helped piece together the touching musical tribute for letting the audience become a part of the experience, and the original Four Seasons for its lasting impact on rock ‘n’ roll history.

A&E

October 3, 2017

C2 Answers from last week’s King Crossword

Meghan Schiereck/The Slate

Comedian Chris Distefano makes Shippensburg University laugh by making witty jokes about life’s unfortunate moments and using students as joke content.

Students release school woes with Chris Distefano Haley Krause Staff Writer Shippensburg University ‘s Activities Program Board welcomed students and MTV’s “Guy Code” comedian Chris Distefano to Memorial Auditorium for a Thursday night full of laughs.

APB hosted a variety of student events so far this semester, but Distefano was one of its best yet.

A long line of excited students formed outside of the auditorium prior to the show. The show started off without a hitch and Distefano welcomed an opening act comedian to get the show started and the crowd pumped up. Being uncandid about his life, family and experiences, the comedian elicited an uproar of laughter. Throughout his set, he called out people in the audience, bantering back and forth and improvising the entire time without missing a beat.

Distefano claimed the stage in his snazzy black jeans, Marlins baseball shirt and Brooklyn flare.

“I’m from Brooklyn, I don’t do nature!”

Distefano said about Pennsylvania.

Throughout the night Distefano kept the jokes coming like rapid fire. By the time the show was halfway over, a majority of the crowd was nearly in tears from how hilarious

he was. Much like the opening act, Distefano held nothing back. He bared complete honesty about his family, especially his hilarious daughter and her unfortunate event of swallowing a magnet and his previous profession in physical therapy. The show was not for the faint of heart, which gave a refreshing feel to sit back and hear honest and hilarious jokes.

Unlike other stand-up comedians, Distefano did not stick to a boring set list, but engaged the audience by making humorous jabs at them that made everyone else gasp for air from laughing so hard. Switching from topic to topic, Distefano kept the audience on its toes all night and wanting more with his no nonsense mentality and humor.

Halfway through the show, Distefano let the audience ask him questions, which he said he prefers most of the time. The questions ranged from the genuine, “What college advice would you give us?” to peculiar ones such as, “What shoe size do you wear?”

Distefano gave kernels of wisdom in response to the genuine questions, as he said, “Don’t do what your parents want, but do what you want to do.”

Relating to the crowd on many levels, Distefano connected with students not just through humor, but also through logic.

Billboard Top 10 1. Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) - Cardi B

6. Unforgettable - French Montana ft. Swae Lee

2. Rockstar - Post Malone ft. 21 Savage

7. Believer - Imagine Dragons

3. Look What You Made Me Do - Taylor Swift

8. Rake It Up - Yo Gotti ft. Nicki Minaj

4. 1-800-273-8255 - Logic ft. Alessia Cara & Khalid

9. Attention - Charlie Puth

5. Despacito - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin

10. Feel It Still - Portugal. The Man

Bieber

Movie Showtimes Showtimes for Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 3 and 4 at AMC Classic 7 in Chambersburg

Show

Times

1. Kingsman: The Golden Circle

4 p.m. & 7:10 p.m.

2. The LEGO Ninjago Movie

5 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

3. It

4:15 p.m. & 7:15 p.m.

4. Flatliners

4 p.m. & 7 p.m.

5. American Assassin

4:25 p.m. & 7:25 p.m.

6. Home Again

5:10 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

7. Friend Request

7:05 p.m.

8. Anabelle: Creation

4:10 p.m.

Interested in the gaming world?

Go to theslateonline.com and use the search bar to find Emma’s Emmazing Gaming Podcast.

Emma’s first episode features interviews, discussion and reviews of every game featured in Nintendo Direct.

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

D1

Men’s soccer, D3

Sports

Women’s soccer, D5

Red Raiders dominate Bald Eagles, 37-6 William Whisler Sports Editor

David Gray/The Slate

Tyler Emge, (left), returns a Lock Haven fumble for a score in Saturday’s win.

Raiders strong at Paul Short

After three long road trips, the Shippensburg University football team made its return to Seth Grove Stadium a triumphant one, keeping Lock Haven University from getting any momentum in a 37-6 win on Saturday.

The Red Raiders had a dominant defensive performance that included SU’s fourth defensive touchdown of the season as Chavez Cheatham stripped Lock Haven’s Kyeef Williams and SU linebacker Tyler Emge returned the fumble for a 25yard touchdown on the Bald Eagles’ first play from scrimmage.

SU’s win was its second-straight decisive win in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division play.

“If you want to start a game off the right way, that’s the way to do it,” SU head coach Mark Maciejewski said. “We were fortunate to cause the fumble and score.

We take a lot of pride in scoring on defense.”

The touchdown was Emge’s second of the year and it helped set the tone for the game.

“We love when we defer the coin toss to get going on defense and we try to make a statement,” Emge said. “We were mad about last week, even though we got the shutout we didn’t get a defensive touchdown so we wanted to come out and get another one.”

After SU took an early 7-0 lead, the Red Raiders continued to pound the Bald Eagles in the first quarter, as senior quarterback Ryan Zapoticky found redshirt junior wide

receiver Kyle Haines sprinting to the right corner of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown pass to give SU a 14-0 lead.

Kicker Billy Deane added a 24-yard field goal later to spark the rout.

“Give credit to our offensive line, and Zap is having a great season,” Haines said.

“Everyone is doing a great job of running routes and doing everything they’re supposed to do.”

In the second quarter, Lock Haven finally got on the board with a field goal.

Their excitement was short-lived, however, as SU workhorse running back Colin McDermott celebrated his birthday in style, running off-tackle for a 2-yard touchdown just before the half to give SU a 24-3 lead at the break.

See “FOOTBALL“ D2

Field hockey rallies around teammate Raiders growing as a family, supporting Megan Hart in battle against leukemia

Brendan Gates Staff Writer In what has been coined as the key mid-season match, the Shippensburg University cross-country teams traveled to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, this past weekend to compete in the Paul Short Invitational hosted by Lehigh University.

SU ran to another second-place finish on the men’s side, finishing with 106 points while the women continued to impress with 164 points for fifth place.

For the first time in his SU career, Rob Moser led the Raider squad by being the first SU runner to cross the line in 10th place with a time of 24:56.

Right behind Moser was Harrison Schettler, who continued his strong start to the season by finishing 13th with a time of 24:58.

Alex Balla placed 19th overall with a time of 25:04 to round out the three Raiders in the Top 20. Balla came close to breaking his 8K PR but fell short by a second.

With the second-place finish, SU finished as the top Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with Edinboro University coming in fourth.

The SU women had a strong performance as well, as they would finish fifth out of 20 non-Division I schools, with a total of 164 points.

The Raiders finished as the second overall PSAC team as Edinboro went on to win the race.

Bryanna Dissinger and Jackie Kinkead finished sideby-side with a time of 22:23.

Natalee Serwatka finished 33rd overall with a time of 22:43.

Just three seconds behind Serwatka was sophomore Lydia Cagle, with a time of 22:46 coming in 37th.

With the PSAC Championships just three weeks away, SU now heads to Pittsburgh next weekend to compete in the Carnegie Mellon Invitational.

William Whisler/The Slate

The Shippensburg University field hockey team wears orange T-shirts in honor of teammate Megan Hart, who is battling leukemia.

SU will raise money at its remaining home games to support Hart in her recovery. Orange is the universal color for leukemia awareness.

William Whisler Sports Editor Last season, the Shippensburg University field hockey team was shaken to the core when the news of former player and assistant coach Amanda Strous’ death was revealed on a warm June night, but the team persevered and won a national title with her in mind.

The Raiders, came into the season as the pre-season No. 1 team in the country, and a member of the team is now facing a battle much greater than trying to repeat as a national champion. She is fighting for her life.

Junior forward Megan Hart from Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, was fighting through extreme fatigue in the pre-season and was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocyte white blood cells, according to cancer.gov. ALL typically attacks healthy blood cells, making it harder for the patient to fight infection.

With Hart’s diagnosis, the team has taken it upon themselves to support her, wearing orange T-shirts with the phrase “HART STRONG” on them, as well as orange bracelets and bows, while raising money for the Four Diamonds Fund, which

is a foundation that works to provide medical expenses and support to children and their families as they battle childhood cancer, with proceeds going toward Hart’s recovery. Orange is the universal color for leukemia awareness.

“We knew Meg was watching and I get a little emotional talking about it, but she’s been fighting to get through this on the road to recovery and it really inspires each one of us,” SU head coach Tara Zollinger said. “We want to be there to support her, and she’s supporting us so much its incredible what kind of young woman she is, and we’re here with her every step of the way.”

“For the whole team, it was really rough when we found out about it, but we really want to dedicate this entire season to her and win each game, game by game for her,” SU forward Rebecca Bouyea said. “We are wearing orange on our socks and some of us have bows we wanted to do so it’s really bringing us closer together as a team.”

Hart is undergoing intensive inpatient chemotherapy treatments at Penn State’s Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and is struggling to build up her immune system. Hart expects to be in the hospital undergoing her first round of treatments until about mid-October, according to Hart’s mother, Michelle.

In her absence, the team came out against the

No. 2 team in the country — and bitter rival — East Stroudsburg University on Wednesday and had a dominant performance in a 4-1 victory. SU poured in endless shots, using Hart as their motivation, while also hoping to avoid harsh criticism from their biggest supporter.

“We are really inspired by Megan and we hope that we can make her proud game by game,” Zollinger said. “I visited her last week and she was watching our game against Mansfield and was on us saying we needed to play better in the second half, so we’re listening to her and working hard to make sure we play for her and we make her proud.”

Last season the team was devastated by the news that Strous had been murdered in her Charlotte, North Carolina, apartment, and her death motivated the team to reach new heights under former head coach Bertie Landes.

The excruciating circumstances led SU to a magical run that brought the team closer together.

“Last year we had our 12th man on the field and knowing that her presence was there really helped us, and it helps knowing that every game Meg is watching us and critiquing us from her hospital room,” Bouyea said.

See “HART“ D2

Sports

D2

October 3, 2017

Swimming ready for successful campaign William Whisler Sports Editor

The 2017 Shippensburg University swimming teams were extremely successful last season, but it was the women’s team that exploded onto the scene with a thirdplace finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships behind an incredible meet by Stephanie O’ Toole.

This season, a terrific women’s team and a more experienced men’s team will look to build on last season’s successes.

“Last season was a tremendous accomplishment for us and I felt like we had a pretty talented team,” SU head coach Tim Verge said.

“We’re definitely looking to try and build on it. If we can stay healthy and swim to the level I think we are capable of, it should be another great year.”

With O’Toole, Gabby Johnson and Erin Fife returning for the women and Jeff Beyer, Callum Hamel, Quinton Beck and Nick Bloom among the returnees for the men, SU hopes for a strong year that will close with a strong finish at the 2018 conference meet.

O’Toole won the conference title in the 200-yard individual medley, 400-yard individual medley and seventh in the 100-yard backstroke while Johnson finished second in the 100-yard butterfly and Fife finished fourth in the 200-yard butterfly at the 2017 PSAC meet.

Beyer led the SU men’s

team placing seventh in the 500-yard freestyle while Beck crushed his PR in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:06.76 at the PSAC Championships.

“We have some people who can do a lot of things,” Verge said. “I think we have a lot of different people who will be a part of our success.”

In recent years, the George Mason Invitational has been extremely successful.

The meet has often been a measuring stick for personal-bests before the mid-season break.

“The Mason meet is wonderful for us,” Verge said. “I can’t use enough adjectives for it. We’ve been going there for 18 years now and knock on wood — we’ve always swam well there. It’s a great environment to race in and with a chance to rest in November, it has always helped us build some confidence.”

Verge enters this season as his 19th year as head coach, and this year is his 20th year at SU. “Coaching at your alma mater is just something special,” Verge said. “I think we just have tremendous support from our administration, the student association and faculty. I just think the world of this place and it’s been great for me and my family and I’m lucky to be able to do what I do.”

SU hopes to continue right where it left off last season.

The Raiders open their season on Wednesday with a conference meet against Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 5 p.m.

Bill Smith/SU Sports Info

The Shippensburg University men’s and women’s swimming teams look to build on their success at the PSAC Championship meet. Head coach Tim Verge hopes that SU can stay healthy and excel this season.

“FOOTBALL“ from D1 In the third quarter, Lock Haven kicker Nick Boumerhi added a 34-yard field goal to cut the SU lead to 18, but it was all SU from that point on. Zapoticky found Haines again, this time from 28-yards out and McDermott once again jogged into the end zone to give the Raiders the 37-6 victory.

While the Red Raiders gained 400 yards of total offense, the real strength was in SU’s defense. Lock Haven quarterbacks Jimmy Strickland and Kyle Knight were uncomfortable all game, as the SU defensive line put endless amounts of pressure on the Bald Eagle signal callers, registering seven sacks in the victory.

Defensive end Dakota Thompson was the direct beneficiary of the constant pressure, racking up three sacks while also recovering a fumble. SU’s John Durkin, Tig Spinelli, Christian Brown and Emge each had sacks.

“You don’t normally get three sacks in a game and all Photo by Bill Smith/SU Sports Info

SU’s Dakota Thompson had a career day with three sacks against Lock Haven.

His great performance was one of many by the Raiders on defense in the win.

“HART“ from D1 “In the second half Wednesday Tara pulled us aside and said that Meg was watching our game, so let’s make sure we play hard in the second half so that she doesn’t make a comment next time I go see her. Even though it is hard to know that she is going through this, I think it really gives us determination to go out and do everything for her.”

For the Raiders, the unselfish style of play is what helped elevate the team on its way to a title, and with another source of tremendous motivation, the Raiders are well on their way to a successful season, as they currently sit at 8-1.

“I think last year we played for someone other than ourselves, and I feel like playing like that and with Amanda’s

help, we were able to win nationals,” Bouyea said. “This year, we have an opportunity to play for Meg and know that with every game she is with us watching and cheering us on.”

With the hardship of a teammate fighting a difficult battle it can be extremely challenging for the team, but with a family atmosphere, the team continues to focus and play for something much bigger.

“It’s definitely emotional, and emotions are hard to deal with. Sometimes the emotions can be positive and sometimes they can be negative,” Zollinger said. “Once we step on the field we have Meg in the back of our mind thinking that at practice, if Meg was here she’d be fighting for every single ball and she’d never give up, so that’s

what we’ve been working to try to do for her.”

The Hart family is extremely gracious for all the support it has received from the SU community.

“We have taken such comfort in the support she has received from Shippensburg University,” Michelle Hart said. “Our appreciation is beyond words.”

While Megan continues her battle, her teammates will continue to fight on the field with her as the main source of motivation.

Shippensburg University’s field hockey team will be collecting money at half time of SU’s remaining home games for the Four Diamonds Fund to directly support Hart’s recovery. If you cannot make it to a remaining home game and would like to donate, visit www.fourdiamonds.org.

the hurries so when you do get that opportunity its awesome,” Thompson said. “It’s a great feeling and they were definitely stressing all game.”

The defense’s ability to continue to put together strong games has been SU’s strong point this season, as the Red Raiders have allowed just six points in their last three games and SU has outscored opponents 190-46 this season.

Zapoticky finished the game 12-of-23 for 180 yards and two touchdowns, despite a chilly and breezy day.

With his 42 rushing yards, Zapoticky became just the ninth quarterback in PSAC history and the first in SU history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in his career.

It was also Coaches to Cure MD day nationwide and the football team welcomed back a special guest in 15-year-old Ethan Pyles, who is currently battling muscular dystrophy.

The Red Raiders had 6-yearold Gunnar Downie in attendance to dot the “i” during the SU marching band’s pre-game performance. The

Red Raiders gave Downie the game ball after the game.

“As much as it’s fun to win and we’re here to do that on the field, it’s also about those two men and to help them fight their battles and support them,” Maciejewski said. “That is a true victory right there.”

SU now prepares for its biggest test of the 2017 season as it welcomes West Chester University, fresh off a 27-21 win over Kutztown University. West Chester was the pre-season favorite to win the PSAC Eastern Division, and the Red Raiders will look to avenge a 3115 loss to the Golden Rams from last season.

“They are a very good football team and so are we,” Maciejewski said. “We have to work really hard this week and it’s going to be a battle, but we’re at home so we’re excited about that.”

SU defeated West Chester 27-11 on homecoming in the Golden Rams’ last trip to SU. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium.

October 3, 2017

Sports

D3

Raiders drop two PSAC matches After an undefeated start to the season, SU is 2-5 since its opening three matches Nate Powles Asst. Sports Editor

Kayla Brown/The Slate

Justin Chapuis, (right), puts in a challenge against an East Stroudsburg player in the Raiders’ 4–3 double overtime loss that dropped them to 1–2 in the PSAC.

Fans were treated to an instant classic Wednesday afternoon, but it ended as an overtime heartbreaker.

The Shippensburg University men’s soccer team took on their PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) rival, the East Stroudsburg University Warriors at home on Wednesday, and it was a fast game right from the getgo.

The Raiders scored in the eighth minute through Patrick Luebben and held the lead for more than a half hour.

Isiah Dorsey found Luebben open in the box with a beautiful cross for Luebben’s fifth of the season. The Raiders held strong for 30 minutes before giving the ball away in their own box and goalie Matt Harder had no chance on the shot from the Warriors.

The Raiders took back control of the game with two goals in less than seven minutes, midway through

the second half. Colin Marks found his third of the season after another great assist from Dorsey.

Cole Kropnick followed with a goal directly off a free kick just outside the box. It was Kropnick’s eighth goal so far this season and his third from a free kick.

It all went downhill after that, however, as ESU proceeded to respond six minutes after Kropnick’s goal to make it 3–2 with just less than 20 minutes to play.

SU held on until there was only 90 seconds left in the match when there was a large crowd of players all competing for the ball in SU’s box and it fell to ESU’s Keelby Espinola for the tying goal, forcing overtime.

The Raiders were again less than two minutes away from escaping the Warriors with a draw before committing a foul outside the box.

It was their turn to convert a free kick, scoring the winning goal with just 80 seconds to go in the second half of overtime.

The loss dropped the Raid-

ers to 1–2 in PSAC competition heading into their next match away with the Seton Hill University Griffins on Saturday.

The usual offensive firepower shown by Shippensburg was missing in the fourth game of the team’s string of PSAC matches.

After scoring eight goals in its previous two games, the Raiders only found one against Seton Hill. The squad was outshot 6–18, with the Griffins scoring on four of those opportunities.

Jan Striewe scored the lone goal for the Raiders, making it four on the season for him. The goal came from a penalty kick with only three minutes left in the match.

Harder made four saves in the game, but was unable to hold on forever. The Griffins scored three of their goals in a space of 10 minutes to grab control of the game.

The Raiders will continue their road to the PSAC Championships with a tough match away at Bloomsburg University tomorrow starting at 6:30 p.m.

Red Raiders bring back familiar faces SU football returns Ethan Pyles and Gunnar Downie for the annual “Coach To Cure” event, a program that raises awareness for the fight against muscular dystrophy Blair Garrett Asst. Sports Editor Shippensburg University hosted its third-straight Coach To Cure MD event Saturday, with the surprise return of Ethan Pyles, a 15-year-old boy battling Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Pyles was the star of the show last year, joining the players and coaches in supporting the fight against muscular dystrophy. Pyles receives weekly infusions from an experimental drug program to try to combat the disease.

This year, Pyles got to be an honorary captain, participating in the pre-game coin toss and several touchdown celebrations. The Red Raiders presented Pyles with the game ball after the team’s victory over Lock Haven University.

The Coach To Cure MD initiative is an annual event hosted by collegiate programs around the country to raise awareness about muscular dystrophy with the hope that a cure can be found.

The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) created the Coach To Cure program in 2008, marking Saturday’s event as the 10th consecutive season the AFCA has brought awareness to muscular dystrophy through football.

Pyles was also joined by another Red Raider fan, Gunnar Downie, a 6-year-old boy who has been battling brain tumors. Downie was invited to visit with the team earlier this season, signing a contract to be a part of the squad.

“As much as it’s fun to win and we’re here to do that on the field, it’s also about those two men and to help them fight their battles and support them,” SU head coach Mark Maciejewski said.

“That is a true victory right there.”

Photos by Bill Smith/SU Sports Info

The American Football Coaches Association’s Coach To Cure MD has supported the fight against muscular dystrophy for a decade.

Sports

D4

October 3, 2017

Raiders roll No. 1 East Stroudsburg, 4-1 Blair Garrett Asst. Sports Editor Redemption can be so sweet.

The Shippensburg University field hockey team toppled the No. 1 team in the nation, East Stroudsburg University on Wednesday, in convincing fashion while taking the win 4-1.

The Raiders only loss on the season came at the hands of ESU, a team SU has become very familiar with. The Raiders knocked off the Warriors in the NCAA quarterfinals last season, so this game was bound to have a high-octane pace.

Right from the start, Shippensburg was putting on the pressure, forcing defensive mistakes from the ESU defense. The Raiders’ leading scorer, Emily Barnard, got the ball rolling for the Raiders, burying a deceptive feed from senior Madison Scarr on a 2-on-1.

East Stroudsburg put home the equalizer on a corner just minutes later, but Shippensburg goaltender Ally Mooney shut the door, turning away a flurry of ESU chances to keep the game knotted at 1-1.

“She was our player of the game today,” head coach Tara Zollinger said. “A huge congrats goes out to Ally with how she continues to raise her level of play game to game.”

With the Raiders dominating in shots and corners, the team was looking confident heading into the second half, ready to break out and begin to find the net.

Once again, Barnard put SU on top, whacking a crosscrease pass from Mary Spisak. Barnard’s finish was her 11th on the season, three more goals than any other player in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).

It was all downhill for ESU after Barnard cashed in for her second of the game. The

Raiders stomped the Warriors flat, scoring three goals in just six minutes to take a commanding 4-1 lead.

Shippensburg captain Kylie Huffman sent a 25-yard bomb downfield to connect with Rebecca Bouyea, who beat the sprawling ESU goaltender on a sweeping one-timer.

SU’s pressure did not end there, though, forcing East Stroudsburg to defend backto-back corners, ultimately giving Shippensburg a penalty stroke. Freshman Jazmin Petrantonio sent the ball into the top corner of the net to clinch the Raiders’ biggest win of the season.

The Raiders’ defensive play was particularly impressive against a high-scoring East Stroudsburg team. SU allowed only 14 shots and held a distinctive 20-6 advantage in corners.

“We made some tactical adjustments [defensively] leading up to this game, and I was really impressed with how we were able to execute,” Zollinger said.

With Shippensburg’s victory over East Stroudsburg being a PSAC matchup, the Raiders now hold an important tiebreaker over their PSAC rivals. SU now has back-to-back weeks with a victory over a Top 2 team.

“It was a great competition,” Zollinger said. “ESU is the best team we’ve faced by far, and those are the games you want to win, and we came out on top this time.”

Even though ESU was the Raiders’ biggest match of the season, both teams came together to support SU junior Megan Hart, who was recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Players, coaches and fans wore orange to represent awareness for leukemia in support of Megan. The Raiders will wear orange T-shirts for the rest of the season with the team’s new motto, “#HartStrong,” on the front.

William Whisler/The Slate

After another successful week, Shippensburg’s win streak now sits at six games, going 3-0 in PSAC play.

Volleyball stays undefeated in PSAC play Brendan Gates Staff Writer A week after the Shippensburg University volleyball team swept Mercyhurst University out of Heiges Field House, the Raiders kept their brooms out for their weekend road trip in western Pennsylvania by sweeping both Edinboro and Slippery Rock universities, Friday and Saturday.

With the two sweeps over the weekend, SU is the only school in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to sweep the four PSAC Northwest Division schools (Edinboro, Gannon, Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock universities) and also one of three remaining unbeaten schools in the PSAC. The sweep at PSAC rival Edinboro was the first by the Raiders in McComb Fieldhouse since 1989. It was also the first time SU swept the Fighting Scots for the first time since 2004.

With the win against Edinboro on Friday, SU ended a streak of eight straight matches that had been played all the way to five sets against the Fighting Scots.

Despite the sweep in three straight sets, scoring was tight throughout the night as the final scoring total favored SU by two points, 49-47.

The Raiders saw their toughest test of the night in the first set when the scoring was tied 14. SU quickly

Bill Smith/SU Sports Info

The Raiders have rattled off five straight victories, including three straight sweeps against PSAC teams. responded with a 3-0 run capped off by a kill from sophomore Gabriella Johnson. Edinboro, which failed to mount any comeback in the set, ended up trailing by at least two points for the rest of the set, as they surrendered an attack error to fall 25-22.

After falling 6-3 early in the second set, a dominant 16-4 run by SU flipped the script in the set as the Raiders began to pull away from Edinboro. Sophomore Samantha Webber had a kill

off freshman Emily Hangen to extend the Raider lead to 20-13.

Edinboro would again commit an attack error, as the final point of a set, to give SU the set win, 25-19.

In the third and final set of the match, SU held off a high-powered Edinboro attack by scoring 10 of the final 15 points to take the set, 2519.

Coming off her PSAC Central Division Volleyball Athlete of the Week award, junior Morgan DeFloria con-

tributed 10 kills and nine digs with two block assists in the SU victory. The award comes as DeFloria’s first weekly award of her career and became the second consecutive Raider to earn the PSAC weekly award as sophomore Kendall Johnson was honored the week prior.

Webber led all players with 14 kills, hitting an exceptional 0.478, and three block assists. As a whole, the Raiders displayed a 0.260 hitting percentage on the night.

Hangen continued to dis-

play her talent as a freshman, as she was credited with 33 digs and 10 kills. Leading SU in digs was sophomore Megan Forstburg, as she contributed 13 of SU’s 51 digs.

The win against Edinboro, one of the top teams in the conference, came as a bit of revenge for the Raiders after Edinboro ended SU’s season last year. The Fighting Scots beat SU in the NCAA Atlantic Regionals last season in five sets, 3-2.

SU took care of business yet again during its second

match of the weekend when it swept Slippery Rock in three sets, 25-18, 25-18, 2522.

In the first set, the score was 13-13 before SU went on a 16-13 run finished off by a kill by Hangen. SU would follow the set with a 21-15 lead before finishing the set with a service ace.

The Raiders would take the second set with an identical score as the first, 25-18, which saw SU lead or tie the remainder of the set after going down 0-1.

Slippery Rock was unable to find any momentum against the Raiders in the third set as their closest chance at winning the set came when the score was tied 22-22. SU would, however, go on a 3-0 run to finish the set and match of two kills from Webber and one from DeFloria.

Leading the way again for SU was DeFloria, with a team high 18 kills, the team as a whole had 49 kills compared to Slippery Rock’s 30.

Webber joined DeFloria as the only two Raiders with double-digit kills as she had 11 of her own.

Hangen added to her season total with 45 assists during the match.

SU will now look to stay undefeated in the conference when it welcomes East Stroudsburg University on Friday evening at 7 p.m.

Sports

October 3, 2017

D5

Petrantonio excelling on field while experiencing new culture

Photos by William Whisler/The Slate

Shippensburg University’s Jazmin Petrantonio (No. 28) is having a remarkable freshman campaign, in which she has already tallied 10 assists and scored three goals. She leads the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in assists and broke the Division II record for assists in a game this season against Millersville.

William Whisler Sports Editor Traveling to another country where you are unfamiliar with the language can be a terrifying experience. It becomes frightening when you are completely emerged into a new culture.

That is the challenge that Shippensburg University field hockey player Jazmin Petrantonio has taken, leaving home in Buenos Aires — Argentina’s capital city — for Shippensburg.

Petrantonio came to the United States in August for the field hockey team’s pre-season, with little understanding of the English language, and when she first arrived, she had no clue what she was getting herself into. After a 16-hour flight and a five-hour drive from New York, she finally arrived in Shippensburg.

“I had never been here before. I just saw pictures and the first time that I was here I won’t forget. I talked to someone and I spoke such bad English that she didn’t understand me so it was really a bad first experience,” Petrantonio said.

Petrantonio decided to come to SU after being recruited by head coach Tara Zollinger at a tryout, and Zollinger told Petrantonio she wanted to be a Raider and she accepted that.

“Coach Zollinger is part of a company that recruits athletes and I ended up in a tryout

and I don’t know how I ended up there,” Pe- schedule during pre-season. tranotonio said. “The first time I met Tara was “In Argentina, we would eat dinner at 9 in May, and she told me that I really want- p.m. and here I’m sleeping,” she said. “We ed to play in Shippensburg and that’s how it had dinner at 3 p.m. and I was thinking that started. It was pretty crazy because it was one I didn’t want to eat a burger at that time. I of the hardest decisions I’ve made in my life.” just wanted to drink a chocolate milkshake or Now a little over a month later, Petranto- something or eat a salad. It’s not a big deal, nio’s understanding of English has grown, but that first week I was thinking I didn’t and the experience want to eat at the same of being in a diftimes but now I eat dinferent country has ner at 6 p. m. It’s funny “Sometimes I don’t even been remarkable for now, but at the time it think about how I miss my her. wasn’t.” family because I have my “I speak Spanish Petrantonio also benreal family here.” and when I came efits from a roommate here I could speak who is undergoing the Jazmin Petrantonio a little bit of English same experiences she but it was like nothis, as SU freshman miding,” Petrantonio fielder Aerin Kolfoort is said. “I learned a lot in one month and I think from the Netherlands. that really helped me to communicate. When “The first week we were here we were I first came here with my parents I was shy. thinking, what are we doing here, where are I thought that I didn’t want to talk to people we? It’s different here,” Petrantonio said. “We because they are not going to understand me. thought that we wouldn’t practice twice a day What am I going to do? Now I know that I and had thoughts of quitting saying I cannot don’t have my parents so I have to communi- do that, it’s a lot. We eventually said come on, cate with people because there is nobody that we come from different countries and we can can help me.” do this.’

The biggest change for Petrantonio was “We just don’t have our families here and dinner time. Back home, she often ate late that’s the reality. Now Aerin is like my sister at night. Petrantonio recalled an experience and we have a great relationship. It’s pretty of struggling to adjust to an American eating great to have someone that is living the same

thing that you are living by being away from your family,” Petrantonio continued.

While Jazmin needed some time adjusting culturally, it took no time at all for her play on the field to translate from Argentina. Growing up playing for club teams, Petrantonio exploded onto the scene with an NCAA Division II field hockey record with six assists in a game, breaking a record that stood since 1994.

“I think it was a completely different game.

It was crazy. I ended the game and I didn’t realize I had six assists,” Petrantonio said. “I think that everything I do in this game, not just against Millersville but against every team, I owe to my teammates. I didn’t score six goals, I just had the six passes. If I don’t have a teammate to score the goal there is no assist.”

Petrantonio has shown a terrific passing ability early this season, and she is currently second in all of Division II with 10 assists.

She may miss home from time to time, but she feels like she has a new home at SU. “I am part of this huge family and have the support of all my teammates. Sometimes, I don’t even think about how I miss my family because I have my real family here,” she said.

Jazmin’s start to her career has been extremely successful on and off the field and with her determination, she has all the tools she needs to succeed.

Women’s soccer hits tough skid

Photos by Meghan Schiereck/The Slate

Shippensburg looks to hit its stride in the upcoming week, taking on Bloomsburg University before heading home to face the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.

Dan Norton Staff Writer The Shippensburg University women’s soccer team lost a pair of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference games (PSAC) games over the week to East Stroudsburg and Seton Hill universities.

Shippensburg (2-7-1) started the week with a loss at home on Wednesday against East Stroudsburg (7-2-1) 4-0. Shippensburg was outshot 24 to 7 by East Stroudsburg, with only being able to get two of those shots on goal. Both shots came in the second half.

All four of East Stroudsburg’s goals came in the first half between the 14th minute and the 25th minute. Freshman Delaney Shifflett and senior Kayla Kennedy both combined to make 10 saves for the Raiders.

Shippensburg’s second game of the week was anoth-

er PSAC contest Saturday afternoon at Seton Hill (7-3-1) at Dick’s Field. The Raiders fell again, losing 4-1.

The Raiders were trailing 3-0 at halftime, but were able to get a goal back when sophomore Izzy Weigel scored on a penalty kick at the 62nd minute, her third of the sea-

son, which leads the team.

However, Shippensburg’s hopes of getting anything out of the match ended at the 72nd minute when Seton Hill scored its fourth goal.

Kennedy started in goal for the Raiders, and matched her career-high with 10 saves. Senior Mallory Patter-

son led the team with three shots during the game.

The Shippensburg women’s soccer team returns to action on Oct. 4 at Bloomsburg University.

The Raiders will return home Oct.7 against the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

E1

Ship Life

Career center helps students prepare

for graduate school of a school and its faculty, you should stick with it.

Eric Dinsmore, senior associStudents gathered in the ate director of the financial aid Ceddia Union Building multioffice, went on to explain the difpurpose room Tuesday to learn ference between financial aid at about the graduate school adthe undergraduate and graduate missions process from reprelevel. sentatives of the Shippensburg “At the graduate level you are University Career and Comlooking at loan eligibility at a munity Engagement Center federal standpoint.” Dinsmore (CCEC), Graduate Admissions said, “There are no federal or and the Financial Aid Office. state grant programs that are Associate director of the available to help out at CCEC, Sarah McDowell graduate school.”

“I think the CCEC really Shupp, kicked off the event Depending on the proby outlining the applicagram, students can take did its job getting students tion process necessary for advantage of graduate asmore informed graduate admissions. sistantships, which allow about their resources.”

“Every application prostudents to take a supportcess is very different,” ing role in the program in Roneka Jones Shupp said. “Every school exchange for a reduced or SU senior does it differently and even clearing of tuition costs, within the school dependaccording to Dinsmore. ing on the type of program, each “Start researching, asking Students who attended the program is different.” friends and resources for infor- event found it answered many Shupp advised students to mation they may have.” of their questions surrounding keep their resume short, one Luft also shed light on the is- graduate school admissions. to two pages, and to organize sue, which surrounds the idea of “There was some stuff preinformation from most to least attending one school for multi- sented that I did not think about important. ple degrees. regarding financial aid,” senior She said the information “There is no more stigma that Hayden Fulton said. should not mirror a business you cannot get all of your de“It was very informative,” seresume, but rather a scholar- grees from one university,” Luft nior Roneka Jones said. “I really ly one with information con- said. “I have students that are loved it. I think the CCEC really cerning courses, research and actually applying for our doc- did its job getting students more GPA. torate who did their undergrad informed about their resourc“If you are going into a pro- and their graduate degree here.” es.” gram where they want to see She advises that if you are fond Maddie Walsh Ship Life Editor

years of experience, you want to put that up at the top,” Shupp said.

Shupp also advises studying the program’s “About Us” page to learn about the values you should reflect in your resume.

If you have only just begun thinking about attending graduate school, you should turn to those around you, said Megan Luft, SU’s Assistant Dean of Graduate Admissions.

Maddie Walsh/The Slate

SU Career and Community Engagement Center staff members tell students how they can apply for graduate school. Processes vary from school to school, as do deadlines.

A Raider’s View A Raider’s Muse Staff Columnist Growing up, our parents, teachers and babysitters all taught us about the buddy system.

From a young age, we all knew to use a buddy when crossing the street, walking through the halls of our elementary schools or the infamous mile run in gym class. That buddy system never ceases to exist ­— especially in college.

College is a time for academics and working toward your goal of being a graduate of Shippensburg University, but sometimes if you are over the age of 21, it is nice to go out and have some fun in moderation.

Although, when out and about, the

Photo courtesy of MSA

MSA members dish out Maryland-style crabs in the hockey rink.

Annual Crab Fest first of many cultural events Phillip Young Guest Writer A crowd of students, alumni, faculty, and friends of Shippensburg University enjoyed Maryland-style crabs in the hockey rink earlier this month in celebration of Crab Fest, an annual event hosted by the African American Organization (Afro-Am).

Afro-Am is run by the Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) office and celebrates the culture of the African-American community on campus.

Although people come for the food, Crab Fest is about more than good crab, dozens of students come to the event to celebrate diversity with friends as they fill their plates.

MSA Director Diane Jefferson lays out the framework for the event each year. For Jefferson, the joy of the yearly event is the togetherness and sense of unity it creates on campus.

“This event is always about unity,” Jefferson said. “It is one of the biggest diversity events we host all school year.”

Last year’s Crab Fest saw a celebration of the life of Aaron Laird, a graduate student and friend of MSA who passed away last August. This year’s fest highlighted diversity and love among the students of the university. It was also used as a way to get first year and transfer students to mingle with the campus community.

“The Crab Fest is a great way to kick off the semester,” said Jiyana Wright, representative of the Student Government and member of the 2017 homecoming court. “It’s a way of relaxing before things pick up in classes.”

Crab Fest is also a way to showcase the different groups that MSA has to offer. Student members from various groups under the MSA umbrella including ELITE Modeling Troupe, Latino Student Organiza-

tion, D.I.V.A.S, and B.R.O.T.H.E.R.S worked offering an array of food “It is a way to bring people together and to show what resources MSA has to offer,” said Roneka Jones, representative of the College of Arts and Sciences in the Student Government Association. “It is a way to reach out to the community of Shippensburg and indulge them in culture, food and entertainment.”

An event known for its music and dancing, the DJ this year played various songs such as “Unforgettable” by French Montana and throwback jam “U.N.I.T.Y” by Queen Latifah. The DJ booth lost power halfway through the event, but the party-resilient students bounced back, taking hold of the event by speaking on the importance of diversity and what it means to them.

Besides the crabs there were other food options, such as fried chicken, BBQ ribs, fried fish, corn on the cob, pasta salad, seafood salad, potato salad, sausages, hamburgers and hot dogs giving people plenty of options to choose from. For desserts there was ice cream, cotton candy, cookies and cakes.

“It’s a lot of work that goes into the Crab Fest,” said Jileah Leake, an MSA student worker. “You don’t realize how much work and effort goes into setting up events like the Crab Fest until you partake in it.”

Leake was one of the many student volunteers who helped set up the Crab Fest.

“It was all worth it in the end seeing everyone together,” Leake said.

The Crab Fest is just one of the many events presented by MSA organizations. MSA’s main mission is to spread awareness and cultural understanding for diverse groups of students on campus. If you are interested in getting involved with MSA, come by its office in 100 Gilbert Hall.

The buddy system

buddy system is the way to actively heighten your chances of being safe at a bar, a party on Richard Avenue or simply walking alone at night.

Being a buddy is an important job.

For instance, a girl is being targeted by guys, all of whom are intoxicated, and the woman’s body language is clear that she is not interested. Knowledge of the buddy system could protect her from unwanted sexual advances in the long run.

Some things you could do to be a buddy is going up and starting a conversation with her.

Pretend you two are the best of friends, which will distract any attention away from her and focus on the two of you.

The same goes with men, receiving

unwanted attention from either the same or opposite sex, having a buddy could ensure everyone is having a fun night without fear of being in an uncomfortable situation without a clear exit route.

The buddy system is essential when traveling to big cities as well, especially where the crime rate is substantially higher than in the little town of Shippensburg.

According to Cosmopolitan, “’The person at greatest risk to become a victim is someone who is alone late at night and is also under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” said Karen J. Terry, author of “Sexual Offenses and Offenders,” according to Cosmopolitan.

Some tips on how to stay safe at night, at parties or out with friends are: • Never walk with headphones on • Be aware of your surroundings • Avoid dimly lit areas and alleyways • Walk on sidewalks and in areas with street lamps • If you feel threatened or unsafe, call 911 or use SU’s campus emergency stations • We are all here to build community, so watch out for your friends and loved ones — there is not only power in numbers, but also safety