Hateful incident on campus should not be tolerated, B1
Tulips planted for domestic violence awareness month, C1
Faculty, students present work during English conference, D1
Football drops tight contest to LIU Post, E1
Please recycle
@ShipUSlate
Tuesday October 9, 2018
TheSlate @ShipUSlate 61 years strong
Volume 62 No. 6
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Reporting truth. Serving our community.
Greeks tell SGA about alleged mistreatment Hannah Pollock Asst. News Editor
Thursday’s Student Government Association (SGA) meeting started out like any other meeting would. SGA President Logan Wein called the meeting to order, followed by the roll call of the senators and opening remarks. What came next was unexpected. The Ceddia Union Building Room 119 was overflowing with administrators, student senators and, most notably, more than 50 members of the Greek life community. During the time of open floor discussion, Cheyenne Creciun, president of the SU Panhellenic Council and Alpha Sigma Tau member, stood up and spoke of her experience as an SU Greek life community member. “Greek life is misunderstood and we are here today to speak about the mistreatment on campus,” Creciun said. “We are tired of the rumors and threats of investigations and being shut down.” One of the rumors Creciun referred to was that the SGA was hiring “spies” to bust parties associated with “frat row” on Richard Avenue.
As for the rumors, they are 100 percent false. SGA has not and will not hire “spies” to go and bust parties, Wein said. Creciun also referred to how members of Greek life are treated on campus, citing cyberbullying, name-calling and hostility against members of Greek life wearing their letters to classes by fellow students and professors. Wein responded to Creciun’s concerns by commending her for taking the opportunity to speak at the meeting. “No student should have to face the issues that you and the other members of the Greek life community have been facing,” he said. Various members of Greek life present at the meeting continued to discuss how they have gone for help before, but have never been able to get the help that they truly need. “SGA plans to act immediately on the concerns addressed at Thursday’s meeting. We have already reached out and met with [the] administration and we are in the process of setting up more meetings,” Wein said in an email. See “GREEK LIFE,” A2
Program connects faculty, students in residence halls Shannon Long News Editor A new program called Faculty in Residence (FIR) is allowing faculty to engage with students living on campus in residence halls. Faculty members host office hours and attend evening programs. Funding has recently been approved for faculty to host their own programs, according to Alex Karlheim, coordinator for academic initiatives. There are currently eight faculty members participating in the program, with at least one assigned to every residence hall. They sign up on a volunteer basis, and some faculty were also recommended by residence assistants. Karlheim creates academic initiatives for housing, and she works with faculty frequently. The FIR program is a creative way to bring faculty into housing. “This was just one more way for us to get faculty involved,” Karlheim said. In the future, she would like the program to branch out beyond programs and office hours, and would like to incorporate field trips and tutoring. See “FIR,” A2
INDEX
Ship Life C1
News
A1-3
A&E
D1-2
Opinion
B1
Sports
E1-3
Arianna Logan/The Slate
Jamie Bérubé (left) and Michael Bérubé talk to the audience Tuesday evening about struggles Jamie and other people with disabilities face, including trying to find a job and gaining work experience.
Father, son address challenges of disabled Arianna Logan Asst. Multimedia Editor Michael Bérubé and his son, Jamie, are a dynamic duo. They have a typical father-son relationship full of jokes and secrets. Michael Bérubé is a professor of literature at Penn State University who has written many books, including “Life as We Know it: A Father, a Family, and an Exceptional Child,” which tells the story
of Jamie’s first four years of life as he grew up with Down Syndrome. Twenty years later he published “Life As Jamie Knows It: An Exceptional Child Grows Up,” since Jamie, now 27, has his own story to tell, which Bérubé shared with Shippensburg University last Tuesday in the Old Main Chapel. Jamie had a hard time being independent, but with advice and simple accommodations, he was able to
gain that independence with tasks such as showering, microwaving food and being left alone, Bérubé said. However, he does not do laundry, to which Michael joked that Jamie is not the only 27-yearold of which this is true. Jamie’s high school tried to allow him to gain as much work experience as possible. He also took some courses at Penn State. Most of the jobs he had were volunteer work in undesirable positions,
such as landscaping, janitorial work and checking expiration dates at the food bank. He did well in an intellectual and office setting, but he was always put in positions where he had to do physical labor. People with disabilities are exempt from the minimum wage, so even when Jamie was paid, he was not making very much. See “BÉRUBÉ,” A2
Writer uses poetry to discuss difficult topics Jessica Knapp Staff Writer Award-winning author Patricia Smith shared poetry and a handful of personal literary experiences during her keynote address at this year’s English Association of Pennsylvania State Universities Conference on Friday afternoon in the Tuscarora Room. Having learned the art of storytelling from her parents, she first began writing poetry in her teen years. “Writing is my chosen way of moving through the world,” Smith said. Since then, she was amazed by the power that language has to move someone from place to place. Smith is the author of eight books of poetry, and her newest book, “Incendiary Art,” addresses racial issues through a unique perspective — a mother’s eyes. This mostly unseen perspective adds a distinct twist to each poem. Smith is known for cre-
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ating poetry that does not shy away from discussing hard-hitting topics. Her book “Blood Dazzler” is dedicated to poetry that recreates Hurricane Katrina as a “fullblown mistress of destruction.” Her use of personification dares to make such devastating qualities human. Along with sharing her work with attendees, Smith gave specific tips to those interested in following in her footsteps. “When you look at anything, look all around it,” Smith said. “You have to be intensely curious about whatever it is.” Smith said being able to cover a topic in a way that can stand apart from similar works is vital. The desire to learn more about the world is a crucial aspect of thriving as a creator. “I’m out-of-the-world excited to be a writer. Every day when you wake up it’s a blank canvas,” she said.
Tuesday
80/67 Wednesday
78/70
Dave Krovich/The Slate
Patricia Smith speaks about her poetry during the keynote address of the English Association of Pennsylvania State Universities Conference. Smith has written and published eight books of poetry.
Thursday
Saturday
75/50
56/42
Friday
Sunday
64/46
60/37