Oversexualization harms all, B1
Sororities promote sisterhood, C1
Rent comes to Luhrs, D1
Volleyball heading to playoffs, E1(2)
@ShipUSlate Tuesday
Wednesday
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The Slate @ShipUSlate
Please recycle
Volume 63 No. 12
SU retention rate increases 3% Hannah Pollock Managing Editor
Shippensburg University officials have reported an increase in student retention for 2019. During the Council of Trustees meeting on Nov. 8, Donta Truss, senior vice president of enrollment management, student affairs and student success, shared SU’s recent retention numbers. Retention is the number of first-time students who start in the fall and return the following fall, according to Truss. This method is a success metric used across the country in most universities and systems. “Retention, similarly, to recruitment, varies across the system. Across the state for four-year, public institutions, retention averaged 75.88% for the 2018-2019 academic year (www.collegetuitioncompare.com). As we continue to be intentional about retention, which is a campus-wide responsibility, our rates will increase,” Truss said in an email. Truss stressed the importance of retention as the number of high school students in Pennsylvania is de-
clining. “The new first time in college number is still strong in comparison to what other universities in the system are experiencing,” Truss said. “This is a very difficult climate for growing enrollment.” According to Truss, the retention rate at SU for 2019 is 75%, an increase from 72% in 2018. He credits the increase to various changes implemented across campus. He said this includes efforts which focused on categories including first-time in college, readmitted, graduate, transfer, African-American, Hispanic, non-traditional, LGTBQ, first-generation, veterans and military, international students and students who receive accessibility accommodations. The campus-wide collaborative First-Year Experience program is paying off with student success, according to Truss. In the three-credit course, students are given a “well-rounded experience” which helps them better prepare for the future. Read the full story at theslateonline.com.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Reporting truth. Serving our community.
Photo courtesy of Joe Carothers
The brothers — past and present — of the Shippensburg University Zeta Omicron chapter of Theta Chi fraternity hold their flag following the chapter’s reinstallation on Nov. 17.
Theta Chi reinstalled at SU following 30-year absence
Hannah Pollock Managing Editor
Following a 30-year absence, the brothers of Theta Chi will return to Shippensburg University’s campus. The Zeta Omicron chapter of Theta Chi fraternity was reinstalled at SU on Nov. 17, according to SU alumnus and brother Joe Carothers. The fraternity, which was absent since 1989, was recolonized in Feb. 2017, Carothers said. During a ceremony led by Colony President Bryce Marquard, 24 undergraduates officially became brothers of the
chapter. Carothers said officials from Theta Chi national headquarters officiated a three-hour ceremony. He added that brothers from seven other chapters attended to show their support of Zeta Omicron. Carothers (‘76) and Bob McCurdy (’89), both alumni brothers, led the group through its recolonization and reinstallation processes. Carothers was unsure of the reasoning behind the group’s removal from campus, but said a few in the group were very destructive. A banquet and reception was held at the SU Conference Center for members, family and friends.
ENACTUS sends love overseas for troops University moves Tyler Rock
Guest Contributor
With the holiday season quickly approaching, those fighting overseas might not make it home in time to be with their friends and family. A local group on campus, ENACTUS, (Entrepreneurial, Action, Us) recognizes the sacrifices that America’s troops make every day for the country and have taken the initiative to give back where they can to those men and women. TJ Dooley, senior and president of ENACTUS said ENACTUS is a social entrepreneurship club, where social issues are identified and projects are developed to combat those issues. ENACTUS encourages students to bring projects to the club that they want to see active on campus. There are currently five active projects including SHIP Sends. In regard to working with our troops,
Dooley said that is when SHIP Sends was born. SHIP Sends encompasses various fundraisers and events around campus to send letters and care packages to those fighting overseas. The project is managed by juniors Courtney Thomson and Syerra Freeman, and overseen by Dooley. Throughout the week leading up to Thanksgiving break, the group was set up in the Ceddia Union Building (CUB) tabling for items for the troops. “The event was simple,” Dooley said. “We used the CUB as a central dropoff place for care package items, which allowed people to even send items to a specific troop if they wanted.” “The event was overall very successful. We got a late-start but were able to receive a lot of food donations, and even received monetary donations,” Dooley said. Thomson agreed, saying, “We got a big turnout in donations and were able
to send two boxes to both locations. In the end, we need more hygiene products but we got A LOT of candy.” The group hopes to host a similar event for the troops again during the 2019-20 school year, according to Dooley. Dooley also wants to better publicize and market ENACTUS’s future events as the new semester approaches. Dooley is hopeful that the group will continue to host easily accessible events and continue to spread the word around topics which sometimes go overlooked. ENACTUS is looking into partnering with local veteran groups in the future to connect with the community. ENACTUS holds meetings every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in Grove Hall in Room 203. Prospective members are encouraged to stop by the general meetings. For more information about ENACTUS, visit enactus.org
centers downtown Abby Lee
Guest Contributor
Shippensburg University has decided to lease a space in downtown Shippensburg to strengthen its ties with the local community. The space, located at 29 E. King St., will serve as the home for the Charles H. Diller Jr. Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation and the Center for Land Use and Sustainability (CLUS). SU President Laurie Carter said upon her arrival at SU, she heard from many people that strengthening ties with the local and regional community was critical and a presence in downtown Shippensburg is one of the ways that the university can support the surrounding community and students. Carter also said the university is working on several other initiatives and with other partners to strengthen ties with the community. Megan Silverstrim, SU media relations and social media manager, said the centers are moving downtown to increase the university’s visibility and involvement. “The decision was made to relocate these two centers, that both have an impact on the community at large to the new downtown location,” she said. Silverstrim said the move will provide additional opportunities for students. “This will be an additional opportunity for students to engage with the community, potential future employers, service learning and much more,” Silverstrim said. There are other initiatives the university is doing to gain more community involvement, according to Silverstrim. “The university is working with the community on a variety of projects including the new Story Slam Series, which will be sponsored by the [Luhrs Performing Arts Center] moving forward,” she said. The CLUS is a resource for collaborative research with projects throughout Pennsylvania and the northeast region including West Virginia, Maryland, and parts of New Jersey and New York. The center also provides support for sustainable solutions and professional development, according to the SU website.
Photo courtesy of ENACTUS
ENACTUS collected supplies to send to U.S. troops during the week before Thanksgiving break in the Ceddia Union Building. The club works to identify social issues and develops projects to combat those issues.
See “DOWNTOWN,” A2