The Slate 2-28-23

SU and the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918

Shippensburg University hiring policy reveals unintended impact

Chase Slenker Staff Contributor

When a position at Shippensburg University (SU) needs filled, a search committee is formed under the SU Search Process Guide. Section I of the guide states the committee “must be approved by the Human Resources Office and should include race and gender diversity.”

According to Aaron Dobbs, Association of Pennsylvania State Colleges and University Faculties (APSCUF) chapter president, the search committee process “can be an onerous, months-long process.”

ski, “If nobody in your department meets the search committee diversity requirement, you must find a diverse member outside of your department to serve on the committee.” Laskowski also added that certain faculty are “serving on one search committee after another or multiple at a time, often outside of their discipline for a long period of time.”

Megan Silverstrim, director of Communications and Marketing at SU, said, “The university has not been made aware of any negative implications to current faculty or staff who have agreed to serve on search committees.”

Although COVID-19 was the most recent pandemic to hit the campus of Shippensburg University, it was not the first. In fact, in October of 1918, a completely different virus descended upon the campus of what was then the Cumberland Valley State Normal School (CVSNS) — the Spanish flu.

The worldwide pandemic of Spanish flu began in late spring 1918, according to archives.gov. The first phase, which lasted until the fall of that year, was not as severe as what was to come. Starting in the fall of 1918, the Spanish flu pandemic increased in severity, leading to much more illness and death, according to archives.gov.

The Spanish flu began its scourge among the students and faculty of CVSNS in early October 1918. At first, it looked as if CVSNS would be spared from the virus that had seemingly wrecked through Pennsylvania — one of the hardest hit states of the pandemic — but on Oct. 6, three cases of flu were detected on CVSNS’s campus, according to The Normal School Herald.

Within just days of the first cases, over 40 teachers and students had caught the flu, according to The Normal School Herald.

During this time period, the campus of CVSNS was much smaller than modern-day Shippensburg University. Even so, the school infirmary had become crowded with sick students, and the fourth floor of Old Main had to be converted into a hospital to house even more who had fallen ill.

Although it was hoped that classes could still continue on campus amid the outbreak, it was determined that due to the high number of individuals who had become sick, which, including day

students, was near 100, school had to be cancelled for two weeks, according to The Normal School Herald and the 1919 Cumberland yearbook.

During this cancellation period, those who could move back to their homes did, and faculty members who were not sick acted as nurses to those students left on campus who were infected. They specifically formed nursing squads to help out, according to The Normal School Herald.

According to Shippensburg University archives technician Melanie Reed, CVSNS had a “Girl’s League” that helped to make facemasks for those on campus to help with the outbreak of flu. However, there is no indication that the facemasks were required to be worn.

Most of the cases of Spanish flu were mild for those affected at CVSNS, according to The Normal School Herald, and near the end of October 1918, most of those affected had recovered or improved.

However, the Spanish flu was not done with CVSNS, as it would return again that December and cause yet another outbreak. That time, the first floor of the girls’ dormitory (Horton Hall) was turned into an infirmary, according to the 1919 Cumberland yearbook.

In all, the Spanish flu caused the deaths of around 675,000 Americans and over 50 million people worldwide, according to cdc.gov. The impact was so severe in the U.S. that it was estimated that the life expectance for the average American was lowered by more than 12 years.

In regard to CVSNS, there were a few alumni who had died from influenza-related complications in early 1919, including a graduate of the class of 1918 and a graduate of the class of 1913, according to The Normal School Herald.

Looking for More?

“When we talk about diversity, we need to include representatives and proponents for diversity that we want to see in our institution, our faculty and our search committees,” Dobbs said. SU has demonstrated due care, ensuring that search committees for new positions include racial and gender diversity; however, faculty and staff have reported that this requirement is regularly filled by the same small group of racial minority faculty and staff. Faculty and staff of color wishing to stay anonymous shared with The Slate that they are asked to serve on search committees at a disproportionate level when compared to their white counterparts.

According to former APSCUF Chapter President Kara Laskow-

Serving on a search committee is optional, and faculty and staff may decline to serve on a search committee; however, tenure-tracked faculty looking for promotion or staff concerned about maintaining their job amidst staffing reductions rarely turn down the request.

This is particularly true in racial minority faculty and staff, who have expressed under the condition of anonymity that not accepting such requests could result in other negative consequences.

The largest problem with this unintended side effect is that it takes a substantial amount of time and effort from individual members that they no longer can put toward scholarship or other promotion-building activities.

“When you are asked to spend time on service to a committee

because of your skin color or sex (gender), which reduces your time for scholarship, and yet still are not recognized for that work, how does that feel,” Laskowski said. “Not coincidentally, this work is disproportionately performed by women and [people of color].”

From interviewing other faculty members, they have repeated the general message that their issue does not lie as much in serving on committees more frequently to fulfil this requirement, but that their contributions impact their ability to research, serve students or conduct other promotion-generating scholarship.

One potential solution identified by racial minority faculty and staff is to broaden the policy to specify other types of diversity, reflecting the broader emphasis on intersectionalities that Manuel Ruiz, assistant vice president for Inclusion and Belonging, has emphasized regarding the Campus Climate Survey results.

This is an area that Laskowski mentioned is worthy of further exploration, saying, “Specificity is important but by limiting it to two factors, there arises the risk of limiting other potent and salient types of diversity.”

Those interviewed reinforced Dobbs’ comments regarding the importance of diversity in search committees but expressed these concerns as a prevalent unintended consequence on faculty and staff of color.

Matthew Unger Asst. News Editor

Photo courtesy of Flickr

The fourth floor of Old Main was converted into a hospital to house sick students who had fallen ill with the flu in 1918.

Photo courtesy of Picryl

Deaths from the Spanish flu increased dramatically in the United States and Europe in October 1918, when the flu first arrived on the campus of Cumberland Valley State Normal School, now Shippensburg University

SGA Budget and Finance Committee faces 65% turnover

Piper Kull Editor-in-Chief

In November 2022, the Student Government Association Budget and Finance Committee lost a majority of members following the departure of SGA Vice President of Finance Chase Slenker on Nov. 11. The Budget and Finance Committee allocates student activity fees to all student activities including intercollegiate athletics, student media, club sports, APB and more.

The Slate reached out to former members for comment. Katie Fischetti provided her resignation letter to the Slate, writing, “The hostility and politics have run rampant through the committee and SGA as a whole and is evident to students across the campus.”

The committee had all its seats filled with

an average tenure of just under two years of experience. Following Slenker’s resignation, 13 of the 20 members have resigned from the committee, including multiple members with over three years of experience on the committee. The members include Fischetti, Nathan Augustin, Alexander Boeckel, Austin Correll, Ian Davis, Khalilh Jackson, Chris Jeune, Matthew Leonard, Jordan Miller, Steven Matheson, Christina Pinto, Caleb Owens and committee chair Slenker. According to public record, the Budget and Finance committee did not meet at all between Slenker’s resignation and Jan. 31.

Members expressed that their resignations were based either primarily or in part due to a “hostile” work environment and stated that they did not feel “respected” for the role in the organization — which members noted felt

more akin to a job. Leonard said there were “persistent unfair and inaccurate criticisms of other members of the committee and SGA in general.”

“A lot of unnecessary hostility could have been avoided if people kept their personal feelings separate,” Pinto said.

Not only was there a large turnover in the Budget and Finance committee, but senators Jackson, Cassidy Vangas, Matheson and Darien Ressler resigned from the SGA Senate.

“I wasn’t proud of the way members were being treated by SGA and other entities. The student body would lash out to things they didn’t like or want to hear yet they refused to come to public meetings to ask questions,” Ressler said.

SGA swore in a new vice president of Finance, Ethan Rosenberry, on Thursday,

Local family and Shippensburg University strive for sustainability

With issues of environmental sustainability continuing to arise at local, national and international levels, a local family is making efforts to draw attention to environmental concerns and provide incentive for people to assess their use of natural resources and reduce their carbon footprint.

Former Denver, Colorado, residents Micah and Dez Kane are making strides to create a family sustaining homestead on their family farm located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. After facing years of sustainability challenges in Denver, the Kanes moved to the Cumberland Valley during the pandemic in 2020 in search of a more climatefriendly environment.

After conducting extensive research, Micah and Dez discovered that south-central Pennsylvania was projected to be one of the most climate stable areas in the next 50 years. The couple and their children made their way across the country and settled on their new property.

For both Micah and Dez, the interest in sustainable food systems piqued at a young age. Growing up, both their mothers tended gardens that sustained their families. When the couple purchased their first home together in Denver, they began to implement sustainable practices in their own household. Not only did this reduce costs for the family, but also gave them more control over what they were eating.

The Kanes are continuing to implement these sustainable practices at their Pennsylvania residence. Various livestock are raised on the property and play an essential role in their

sustainable food system. Rabbits are high-quality protein animals, and produce a large amount of manure, providing soil fertilizer or as Micah says, “garden gold.” Goats are raised for their meat, milk and also their hair. They utilize their goats to clear land by allowing them to graze and clear brush, which is an excellent method of controlling vegetation without herbicides.

The farm runs solely off solar power. Solar panels are a source of clean electrical energy and were installed in the backyard to eliminate the use of fossil fuels for electricity.

Upon arrival to the area, the pair developed a partnership with Shippensburg University to provide educational support to students. The Kanes currently rent out a few goats to the university to help clean up brush and invasive species on campus. They are also working to provide an independent living space in their home where graduate students can stay during their research.

Dez stresses the importance of sustainability, and that society needs to preserve natural resources for future generations. “We are stewards of the planet and we must take care of her,” she said.

According to Micah, education has always been a part of their lives. Their mission is to share information and educate others on sustainable practices they can implement into their daily routine. Micah said, it is important that we do what we can where we are, and begin to repair some of the damage to the earth. Implementing sustainable practices into our everyday lives will help maintain our quality of life and is simply our key to a better future.

Seavers Hall hosts Representation in Leadership forum

Daniel Reiley

Staff Contributor

The Residence Life staff of Seavers Hall held a Representation in Leadership event at McFeely’s in the CUB on Wednesday, Feb. 22, to discuss the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in leadership roles.

The event had six panelists for the discussion: Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) Director Diane Jefferson, MSA

Assistant Director Kapri Brown, SU Student Trustee Rangeline DeJesus, Chief Michael Lee of the Shippensburg University Police Department, PAGE Center coordinator Sahara McGrath and Manuel Ruiz, Assistant Vice President for the Office of Inclusion and Belonging. The panelists discussed the importance of representation in school and the workplace, and why it matters to them.

“I’m the first Latino in the executive management at the university, and it’s the year 2023,” Ruiz said. “But that’s sad. It shouldn’t have taken the university this long to do this.”

“I like to see people who have similar looks

and personalities as me,” McGrath said. “I am bisexual, and my gender is very fluid, but I like being able to see queer people who are out and proud and it makes me feel more comfortable. It makes me feel like there’s a safe environment, to have that representation and being supportive of that. So, to me, representation is about having a safe place.”

“I was the second lieutenant in my previous job with my first police department,” Lee said. “But for me, that meant just because I was the second didn’t mean I want to be the last. So, my job was to make sure that I helped those officers who are rising to management positions. So, it’s very important to help bring those who ultimately want to get to that same level of success.”

“One of the hardships that I’ve experienced in all leadership positions that I’ve held in student government is that imposter syndrome is very real,” DeJesus said. “And so, you have to remind yourself that when you are given an opportunity and you are selected by your peers, you deserve it, and don’t ever tell yourself otherwise.”

Feb. 2 and is actively looking for new members to join the committee. The committee has 13 open seats and, according to Rosenberry, is already in the process of finding replacements.

President’s hour held in Harley

Monika B. Lewis Asst. Opinion Editor

On Feb. 20, the campus was invited to President’s Hour in the Harley Hall MPR. An hour was dedicated to all members of campus to ask the questions they want answers to. The questions were directed toward SU President Charles Patterson and members of his administration, including Manuel Ruiz, Dean of Students Lorie Davis and many other staff members who serve the Shippensburg University campus.

Some of the questions focused on transportation for students and how to expand the current services of transportation to ensure students feel safer. The administration said they would be “looking into the safeness of transportation as well as expanding transportation to operate more conveniently for students.”

There were also questions about enrollment and retention for students and the plan to make Shippensburg look more appealing to potential students, as well as expanding online courses. The administration’s response revolved around looking through the curriculum process as well as analyzing which programs can have certificates attached to them and what that would look like. The whole process is being worked on extensively and carefully.

Other questions were raised about elevator services, which were described as “death boxes.” Some students brought up the slowness of the elevators as well as concerns with the elevators’ inconsistencies and getting stuck. Administration responded that all elevators are up to date and the slowness is an issue that cannot be fixed.

Though there were many questions about campus concerns like customer service and response time for student accounts, the audience was able to give graces to the administration in regard to the positive changes to the dining hall. There has been a wider variety of food as well as an improvement in taste that students appreciate.

As for the feeling of the students who asked questions, many felt as though this President’s Hour was successful, and the response to those concerns showed the administration’s readiness to enact positive changes.

“I find President’s Hour to be fun and a great opportunity to get the answers that normally would not be given,” senior Chase Slenker said.

Overall, President’s Hour was a success and students are looking forward to seeing the administration act on the concerns it heard.

Officer candidates address SGA’s negative perception at election speeches

Ian Thompson Staff Contributor

Election season has once again come to Shippensburg University. Speaking from the podium in McFeely’s on Thursday, two candidates sought students’ votes for the 2023-2024 Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Leadership Committee (ELC). Of the five positions open for the election, petitions were filed only by a single candidate for the positions of president and vice president of Internal Affairs. No petitions were received for the positions of VP of Finance, VP of External Affairs or VP of Student Groups.

Kennedy Holt — the current SGA president — is running for the position of vice president of Internal Affairs. Holt vowed to “provide and cultivate an environment of unity, acceptance and advocacy.”

Continuing, Holt said they aim to “promote equality, diversity and inclusivity, and eliminate the presence of racial, social, educational and economic barriers and inequality as experienced on our campus.”

Explaining their choice to run for the lower office, Holt commented “As president, sometimes we

can become a bit too concerned with how we look as a person with that title.

Continuing, Holt said “It’s not merely about the title, but what we do with that title or with that position. So how can I be more effective? How can I be a serving leader to my campus community? So, I feel like the position of internal affairs will allow me to do that.”

Current VP of External Affairs Harun Pacavar was next to speak, having thrown their hat in the ring for the position of SGA president. Pacavar referenced their involvement in four honor societies and various other organizations. Describing their commitment to advocacy, Pacavar continued, “Since I can remember, I have been involved in so much, and provided so much without seeking any compensation for it. I have put others before me in order to fulfill their needs before I fulfill mine. As SGA president, I am here to do the same.”

The evening was a quiet affair due to low attendance. There was just a single student in the audience, who is currently a member of SGA. That became a topic of discussion during the Q&A portion, in which the two candidates addressed the lack of student buy-in

into SGA.

“Before, until we got the students we have now, perhaps there wasn’t a lot of trust or transparency within SGA,” Holt said in their response. Holt also assumed some responsibility, saying “I also think we need to keep the peace here within SGA and I can take accountability for that, because maybe I should be doing things differently in my position right now.”

Pacavar suggested a lack of presentable work — caused especially by committees either not meeting or having very few members — as one of the chief causes of the downturn.

“I want SGA to be that anchor on campus where people eventually can say ‘I can rely on them’ or ‘Hey, SGA is having this — why don’t we go show some support because they’ve done so much for us,’” Pacavar explained. They continued, “The past few years, SGA has not been able to do that.”

Voting for this election is taking place from Monday, Feb. 27 through Thursday, March 2 at 4 p.m. Students received an email from SGA Administrative Secretary Lisa Laughlin Monday morning with a link to vote.

Sophia Wall

Guest

Contributor

Micah (left) and Dez (right) Kane are working to bring sustainable living to the Cumberland Valley by partnering with Shippensburg University to enhance ways to have less impact on the environment.

Photos courtesy of Sophia Wall

The Slate Speaks: Is the weather cool or concerning?

willing to take the steps to address it.

On Thursday, Shippensburg students took advantage of the sunny skies and warm temperatures by dodging classes, hanging up their hammocks and taking in an early summer feeling. However, a 70-degree day in the middle of February is — and should be — concerning to many.

It’s OK to enjoy the warm weather. We all love spring, and the warmth is getting us in the planting mood. But in a larger sense, it’s existentially horrifying. We should not just be alarmed; we should be freaking out. Our generation is the most aware of (and will be most impacted by) the effects of climate change. Some of us turn toward nihilism and give up. Some in our generation, like Greta Thunberg and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, are taking very active roles in the fight.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that older generations are not doing enough. So, while it is not fair, we need to step up. We need to go to protests. We need to pressure politicians and corporations. We need to run for office. Most importantly, we need to vote. We can’t let people who deny science continue to legislate our future. We need to elect people who not only accept the fact that climate change is happening, but are

Where’s your voice?

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

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

• The Slate may reject letters for any reason.

Letters become property of The Slate.

• Letters without a name and title (affiliation to SU) will not be accepted.

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

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

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

The warm weather can be great for the sports teams to be able to practice outside without freezing and other groups to step out of hibernation, but in the big picture it is not a good thing. It’s hard for our generation to step up and get our voices heard, just because there are so many people in the older generations and most of them don’t care enough. We still shouldn’t give up or lose hope and keep working towards change and getting our voices heard because it is our future and the future of our kids and grandkids. Voting is important because no change can be expected in terms of climate change policies when the leading politicians don’t believe in climate change or don’t work to change anything.

On the other hand, there have been exceptionally warm days in February and exceptionally cold days in May and June for a long time. Are these abnormal conditions becoming more and more frequent? Perhaps. Is it driven by manmade pollution? Partially, and maybe largely. Is the warm weather today something that we should absolutely link to climate change? No. If we experience five days of tempera-

tures above 70 degrees in February, then one could produce a better link to climate change.

However, some may view Thursday’s warm temperatures as simply weather, not climate. Climate concerns a lengthy period of time that we cannot just analyze on singular incidents like this. Let’s consider that, except for a high of 57 on Sunday, the temperature for the past week is relatively onpar for this time of year (high of low-mid 40s, near freezing temperature at night). There will be unseasonably cold days in March, April, May and so on. And there will also be unseasonably warm days during that stretch, as this week has shown.

The weather being like this sure is nice in the short term, but in the long term it is terrifying. Imagine reading a novel like “Parable of the Sower,” a climate-based science fiction novel set in 2024. It was a dystopian future that readers are close to feeling and seeing. The younger generation is stepping up, and that’s incredibly important. Our generation has to be motivated to make a change for the world that we are living in and our children are going to be living in.

Double standards: The lack of male nudity in film needs to change

I recently took three hours out of my busy schedule to check out the re-release of “Titanic” in theaters. Ignore the fact I saw it by myself the day before Valentine’s Day — it is one of my favorite movies, so I put the loneliness aside. Even if you have never seen the film, chances are you are familiar with the iconic scene of Kate Winslet being drawn like “one of those French girls.” It has a surprising amount of nudity for a PG-13 film, and it got me wondering, why are we not seeing anything from Leo? This mundane observation grew into a much larger concern; why is full-frontal male nudity not more common in film?

I’m not saying that there are films or shows that have shied away from letting their male leads show it all, but when you really start to look into the subject, it is clear that more is expected of female stars than their male counterparts. In my incognito-tab based research, I came across a fascinating article by The Michigan Daily entitled “the boob: balls ratio.” This article then led me to a study conducted by the Annenberg Foundation in 2018. The piece explored inequality in film regarding portrayal of gender, race, disabilities and more. In the study, 1,100 films were tested on a variety of factors and some of the key observations noted “Female characters (28.4%) were far more likely than male characters (7.5%) to be shown in tight or alluring apparel, and with some nudity.” When looking at the percentage of sexualization in male and female characters in films from 2007 to 2017, the differ-

ences are just as drastic.

Even without the research, think about the last movie you watched where a female character removed her clothing – consider how much the camera lingers. Now, think about that same movie and if a male character is shown in an equal amount if at all. There’s clearly an argument to be made for the fact that the majority of directors in Hollywood are men, with an even greater argument to be made that most studios are run by men. It’s unfortunate that the most likely reason for these discrepancies is the male gaze, but let’s examine further.

In an article by The Lily, Clarissa Smith, a professor of sexual cultures at the University of Sunderland, is interviewed on this very subject. In the article, Smith expresses that there are different types of female nudity in film — “sexy and sexist.” She cites Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in “Game of Thrones.” She explained that audiences are not watching her because she is “occasionally naked” but because she is a well-written and strong character.

That can go for nudity in film in general. Most audiences are very self-aware when nudity in any art is used with meaning, and used to be exploitative. The point I’m trying to make is that the depiction of nudity, whether tasteful or not, is greatly unequal between genders. Films will go to great lengths to obscure, hide, and shoot scenes in a way where a male actor’s penis is practically invisible. Most of the actresses in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have bared it all in other films, but the only reason we know what Captain America is packing is because Chris Evans did not look twice before posting.

Adam Beam Asst. Opinion Editor

Adam Beam/ The Slate

“Captain America” actor Chris Evans accidentally leaked a sensitive image when screen recording his camera roll and posting the image to Instagram. The actor took to Twitter with “Now that I have your attention, VOTE Nov. 3RD!”

Ship Life

Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition takes on Match Madness Partnership

Slowly But Shively: Can’t Win ‘Em All

I spent my Monday morning break between classes trying to repair my life and catch up with myself after a busy weekend, which followed yet another chaotic week. During this Monday-repair-time, I listen to “Manic Monday” by The Bangles, though the mania of my average Monday is often sustained throughout the course of the week. College is no joke. Between managing our TV station’s social media and YouTube, promoting and creating setlists for my radio show and being a section editor for The Slate, my life is a daily mad dash from classes to meetings to dinners to broadcasts to (my personal favorite) my bed.

I am extremely grateful for each of these opportunities I have been given, and while I would not have it any other way, they are responsibilities that can often become stressful. Knowing this, I have made a concerted effort to do everything in my power to be at my best: completing assignments ahead of time, making to-do lists on my dorm whiteboard and setting timers and alerts for when tasks need to be completed. (The use of my Apple Calendar has increased exponentially since graduating high school.)

Calling all heroes! Kick off for this unique giving opportunity begins on March 1 and ends March 31. Join the SCRC in Match Madness!

For the fourth year, the Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition (SCRC) has been involved in the Match Madness Partnership. Match Madness is an incentive program that supports non-profit organizations in raising funds to support needs and initiatives.

With a stretch fund gift incentive of $150,000 from the Partnership for Better Health, M&T Bank, Josiah W. and Bessie H. Kline Foundation, and McCormick Family Foundation, people can use this opportunity to give more, give wisely and help advance the SCRC’s mission. SCRC will be engaging with the community to share the importance of giving for the month of March.

The Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition (SCRC) started in 2010 to respond to the need to help the community find and utilize social services. SCRC is an effort to connect residents with resources and create programs that will meet their needs. MSW Intern and Shippensburg University alum Ted Chylack has been very involved with the SCRC, particularly the Grey Matter Program.

“One of the things I love about the SCRC is that they know everything. There’s no stopping them,” Chylack said. It is important for the community to feel safe and have easy access to quality social services to reach their full potential. The programs and services that are provided include youth programs and food insecurity services. Support to the Hound Packs program will help bridge the food gap students in the Shippensburg Area School District (SASD) experience on the weekends. Volunteers get together and

collect donations and bag an average of 160 bags each week. Last year, this program distributed 5,482 bags of food and delivered it personally every Thursday to schools and homes.

Match Madness will stretch the donated funds to enhance the Summer Learning Program and other youth programs. The Summer Learning Program is a free, seven-week initiative for youth entering first through 12th grade. Youth are provided with breakfast, lunch and activities such as lessons on healthy lifestyle choices and educational field trips.

There are three youth school programs:

Healthy Decision-Making Group:

Master of Social Work Intern Jennifer Harfst, and Master of Science in Counseling graduate assistant Neysa Thomas facilitate this group as a safe place for all seventh-grade students at Shippensburg Area Middle School (SAMD) to freely discuss any concerns and challenges in their lives. They are able to process this shared information and help each other make healthy decisions.

“Be Kind.” Campaign:

The SCRC and a middle school counselor, Angie McKee, worked with the students to develop the “be kind.” campaign. A “be kind.” calendar was created for the school and community to encourage them to participate in daily kindness challenges and events. Some of those events are decorating windows with kind words, going to Shippensburg University to paint kindness rocks with the students, along with much more.

Grey Matter:

This is a free, six-week school-based prevention program for Shippensburg Area Senior High School (SASHS) students that are experiencing lack of motivation, challenges, stresses, sadness and irritation. SASHS students have a safe place to come and meet with

others that can relate to their struggles. Building group trust, increasing involvement in fun activities, learning and practicing new ways of thinking, and creating plans or ideas to respond to life stressors are the exercises that take place. Youth take the CES-D, a depression measurement tool before and after the group, and last year’s results showed 63% of students had an improved depressed affect score.

Chylack has co-facilitated these sessions and enjoyed working directly with the students. “I think Grey Matter is a great program because it lets students talk about issues where they may not be able to do so anywhere else,” Chylack said. He has seen extreme mood improvement and positive effects just by implementing this program in school.

Anything a community member needs, the SCRC is there. This coalition has it all. For students at the university, SCRC has provided a bridge for building community-university relationships as well. This center of excellence is a place for students to intern and enhance their experience. Giving back to this amazing non-profit is something worth considering. Match Madness supports the community and celebrates philanthropy and generosity! SCRC is asking for your support, no matter what your giving level. Every gift, large or small, will make a difference and huge impact. Your generosity will directly improve the lives of our community members by ensuring continuing to run these services and programs that support their needs.

If you would like to give toward the SCRC’s Match Madness Partnership, the link will be in their Instagram bio or on their website. Regarding any questions contact SCRC Coordinator Sonja Payne (sp-scrc@shipresources. org) or SCRC Board of Directors Chair Liz Fisher (eafish@ship.edu).

Recipe of the Week: Madi’s Tortellini

Ingredients:

½ an onion

One clove of garlic

As many slices of tomato as desired

1 tube of Italian sausage

¼ cup tomato paste

¼ cup heavy cream

1 package pre-made tortellini

As I double-check the guidelines for a class assignment, my face turns beet-red. My head feels as though it’s been stung by a thousand jellyfish as the shock falls through me: I missed a quiz that was due this weekend. I visit the quiz link, and sure enough, it has been closed. Attempts allowed: one. Completed: zero. I take a deep breath and take responsibility for the loss, knowing there is nothing that can be done except to move forward and work harder in that class. Still, I dolefully dwell on the fact that despite the endless slew of to-do lists and timers and alerts, my best efforts to stay organized simply were not enough.

There are two things that keep me going: I gave it my best, and there will be plenty more opportunities to succeed in the future in the places where I had failed in the past. I analyze where I went wrong and push myself to do better tomorrow, because if there is one thing I have learned, it is that nothing good comes from an immense dose of self-discipline. I used to practice a way of thinking where I would make a mistake, and rather than brush myself off and move forward, I would continually beat myself up over that mistake. I now recognize that the real error was within that mindset: I had confused an overwhelming self-discipline with taking accountability for where I stumbled, when in reality, all I was doing was being mean to myself.

Life is difficult enough without being your own bully. When things don’t go how you had planned, don’t let it ruin your week. Recognize your shortcomings and make tweaks as necessary, but refrain from falling into a pit of despair when you don’t succeed (and there will come a time where you will not succeed!). Just because the efforts you had made were not enough does not mean that you, yourself, are not enough. I believe that our value is not measured by our mishaps, but how we choose to improve from them.

This attitude is applicable in other contexts as well: if I wave at someone on campus and they don’t see me, I let the minor rush of embarrassment wash over me and keep it moving. Far more humiliating things could have happened, and I had good intentions. I shrug it off and tell myself my favorite saying: “you can’t win ‘em all.” I sometimes wonder how mundane and stagnant our lives would be if no one made mistakes. There would be no learning and no growing. Maybe we’re better off being humbled by the occasional loss. In the meantime, I’ll be adding a little more detail into the reminders on my dorm whiteboard.

Instructions:

1.Sauté onion, garlic and tomato.

2. Cook sausage over high heat until browned.

3. Boil tortellini in water for 10 minutes.

4. Add tomato paste and heavy cream to tomato, onions & garlic, stir.

5. Once brown, add sausage to mixture, stir.

6. Add 1/4 cup pasta water to mixture (or more heavy cream if desired!)

7. Add pasta, garnish with spinach, and enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Madison Griffith

SAMD students, Shippensburg University students, Sonja Payne, and Colleen Patterson, SU’s first lady, painted rocks at the “Be Kind.” event last year.

Photo courtesy of pexels.com

Photo courtesy of pexels.com

World-Famous Harlem Gospel Choir shakes Luhrs Center

The Luhrs Center hosted the World-Famous Harlem Gospel Choir on Feb. 23 in the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center.

The group has toured the world for over two decades and is one of the most known gospel choirs in the country today. The choir has its roots in the black churches of Harlem. According to the group’s biography, “out of the hardship and trials of slavery, this unique musical tradition came to be, and forever changed music as we know it.” Blues, soul and rock and roll all have roots from black gospel music.

The group truly transformed the Luhrs Center from a group of quiet, composed patrons at the beginning of the show to the room up on their feet, clapping, singing and dancing by the end. The group performed many of its well-known songs including “Let it Rise,” “I’ve been Looking for You” and “Precious Lord.” Their performance was filled with jokes, an “ad-

vertisement” for their partnership with Operation Smile and spotlight performances from each member of the choir.

The nine-member choir also performed “Total Praise” by Richard Smallwood to a large acclaim. Toward the end of the show, the choir shared that they “could not go anywhere and not sing ‘Oh Happy Day!’” The audience was up on its feet, clapping, singing and praising God like nothing I have seen before. After what appeared to be the end of their performance, the choir broke out into “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.

The Harlem Gospel Choir’s performance was truly remarkable and filled about two-thirds of the theater. The transformation from a stoic audience to a very interactive and energetic one by the end of the performance is a testament to their ability to touch each person, lift one’s spirit and bring joy to others. The choir’s high-energy performance included having the audience singing in rounds, dancing in the aisles and reaching their hands toward the ceiling. One member remarked, “I don’t know what you do in churches sitting upright and uptight, but in the Pentecostal and Baptist churches, we

‘The Hate U Give’ and the Voice you Have

I recently watched “The Hate U Give,” directed by George Tillman Jr. and starring Amandla Stenberg, who plays Starr Carter. It is based on a book by Angie Thomas and was released on Sept. 7, 2018. This movie caught my attention because it is about a teenage girl who deals with racism and police brutality. She witnesses her African American friend, Kahlil Harris, played by Algee Smith, being murdered by the police. The movie shows the double life of Starr; she lived in a poor neighborhood, but she went to a fancy prep school. Starr couldn’t be too “hood” in the prep school, but she couldn’t be too “white” at home.

“The Hate U Give” is about a 16-year-old girl, Starr, who is trying to balance her uneasy life, but her world comes crashing down on one particular night. Starr and her childhood best friend Khalil are at a party, and they leave due to a shooting, so Khalil decides to give Starr a ride home. While they are on their way home, they are pulled over by the police. One thing Starr was always taught by her father was whenever the police stop you, always put your hand out so they could see it.

The cop asks Khalil to step out of the car so they could pat him down and check his ID. While the cop does that, Khalil takes his hand off the car to check up on Starr and picks up a brush. The officer thinks he is grabbing a

gun, so he fires off on him and kills him. The shooting scarred Starr so badly that if the news found out she witnessed the shooting of Khalil, she would receive backlash from different people. One of the people who would give Starr backlash is King, the leader of the king lords. Khalil was also a part of the gang; he was only selling drugs to pay off his mother’s debt. That was the only reason why Khalil was even involved.

Stenberg connects so well with Starr’s character because she also grew up in Inglewood and went to a private high school. According to Backstage, in an article written by Ashley Lee, the 19-year-old Stenberg felt like she was born to play that role; she felt like it came naturally to her.

The reason why I watched this movie is because it’s Black History Month and it highlights the Black Lives Matter movement. The movie touches on the way society uses stereotypes of black people to justify violence and racism against them. I connected with it instantly because I am also an African American woman in America, and it shows the way police abuse their power against people of color.

This movie makes me think of the recent events that happened with George Floyd and Tyre Nichols. It saddens me to even think that we still have to go through this. But this movie shows that even though it may be hard to go through something so detrimental, you can still use your voice to help get justice.

stand, sing and praise the Lord regardless of who’s watching.” The show was truly interactive and engaging.

As a regular listener to Maverick City Music and having listened to our own on-campus gospel choir, Harmonic Voices of Truth, the style of music was not substantially different from what I had expected. However, looking around the room you could see the surprise, awe and wonder on the faces of individuals who had not heard or experienced black gospel choir music before.

As time went on, these same people started to “loosen up,” clap their hands and dance along. The show was a testament to the importance of diverse entertainment and the work that the Luhrs Center does to provide cultural experiences to south-central Pennsylvania. The show was powerful, transformative and insighted an infectious energy and in the words of many, “you could truly feel the presence of the Lord.” The group continues to travel and spread their joy, soul and praise to God around the world. More information about the choir can be found on their website at harlemgospelchoir.com

SU alum Maria James-Thiaw shares spoken word poetry

On Feb. 22, students and faculty gathered in the CUB MPR to listen to the spoken word of Maria James-Thiaw, a 1996 Shippensburg University alumna. James-Thiaw is the founder of the Reclaim Artist Collective, which promotes art to marginalized groups.

James-Thiaw began by sharing with us that we were sitting in the same room in which she performed her first spoken word piece. She shared the first piece she wrote about her unwavering confidence as a freshman in college as she faced conflict with her peers, whom she later became friends with in her career.

She shared her choreopoem — a play written in poetic form — titled “HairStory,” following the journey of an ambitious black woman who aspires to be a journalist as she interviews women of color about experiences with their hair. She emphasizes that people of color who are marginalized because of their hair is a tool of white supremacy.

She read a few poems from her newest book, “Count Each Breath.” Her first poem was called “Rage,” inspired by a series of chronic illnesses she faced throughout her life. Her presence immediately filled the room as soon as she began to read and mes-

merize listeners. “Firelight dances on the wick, but never ceases to burn.”

She shared with us that all of her poems are aimed to be a commentary on social justice, most of them regarding racial disparities in healthcare. She shared the implicit biases she has witnessed within a prejudiced healthcare system. She shared a poem called “Chronic,” sharing how white illnesses are tended to much more swiftly than that of a black person. “Red means emergency. Red means stop. But red is dull and unassuming on brown skin.”

She later shared a poem titled “Community,” a poem about living across the street from a white supremacist during the BLM movement. “That’s a true story,” she shared with us after reading, “and he’s still bald-headed, by the way.” The audience chuckled.

She shared another poem dedicated to her friends who passed in 2020, titled “Sisters Eulogy” — “Decorate a hearse like a wedding car. ‘Here lies another world-changing woman, gone too soon.’”

She shared one final performance from her book “Reclaiming My Time,” titled “A Fuse Blew,” sharing her outrage with the death of Trayvon Martin. At the end of the presentation, she then signed and gave out copies of her book “Reclaiming my Time.”

Chase Slenker Staff Contributor

Chase Slenker/ The Slate

Dylan Meadows Guest Contributor

Madi Shively Asst. Ship Life Editor

Photo courtesy of Flickr

World-Famous Harlem Gospel Choir took the stage at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on Feb. 23 to bring the audience to its feet during the show.

Men’s basketball wraps up No. 1 seed

On Saturday, the ShippensburgUniversity men’s basketball team played its final game of the regular season after a tough loss to Shepherd on Wednesday night. The Raiders came into Saturday’s match against the Bald Eagles and needed a win to claim the No. 1 seed in the PSAC East tournament, which started Feb. 27.

In Wednesday night’s matchup the Raiders struggled and shot 37.5% from the floor in the second half. The Raiders were up one at the end of the first half. In the second half the Raiders held onto their lead for the majority of the second half. The Rams went on a 9-0 run and won the game 60-55.

In the first half, the Bald Eagles built a double-digit lead on the Raiders. The Raiders fought their way back and went on a 17-4 run in the remainder of the first half. The Raiders led the Bald Eagles 33-29 at the end of the first half.

In the second half, the Raiders poured it on and put the Bald Eagles away. The Raiders’ lead stretched to as many as 14 points in the second half and the Raiders cruised to victory 74-65.

Three Raiders posted double-digit figures in the team

victory on Saturday. Graduate student Luke Nedrow finished with a double-double with a total of 16 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Carlos Carter had 14 points and eight rebounds. Ty Crespo provided an offensive spark from his position on the Raiders bench and scored 12 points in the game.

With the win, the Raiders break the tie at the top of PSAC East division with West Chester. The Raiders head into the PSAC Championship tournament as the top-seeded team in the Eastern division and will host the winner of Monday’s first round matchup against Millersville and Lock Haven.

The Raiders were swept by the Marauders in the two times the teams have faced off this year. The Raiders lost in a January nail biter to the Marauders, 56-55. Then, the Raiders dropped the match against the Marauders at home, 67-63.

The Raiders swept their two games with the Bald Eagles, including Saturday’s win at Heiges field house. Wednesday’s tip off for the Raiders’ tournament quarterfinal game is set for 7:30 p.m.

Women’s basketball wins on senior day, Trn gets 400th win against Shepherd

The Shippensburg University women’s basketball team won both of their final regular season games this week against Shepherd University and Lock Haven.

The Raiders beat Shepherd University on Wednesday night.

Wednesday night’s win was win No. 400 for the Raiders’ head coach Krsti Trn. Trn became the 26th coach to reach this milestone in Division II.

Senior Ariel Jones had 46 points in the Raiders Wednesday night win. Jones surpassed Lauren Beckly with 807 career field goals. The Raiders beat the Rams 76-54.

Then, the Raiders went back home to host Lock Haven on senior day. On Saturday, the Raiders hosted the Bald Eagles for senior day and won 67-46.

In the first quarter, the Eagles outshot the Raiders, shooting 72.7% from the field, and were perfect from behind the arc, going four for four.

The Raiders responded with a 11-0 run in the second quarter and held Lock Haven to nine points and a 26.7 shooting percentage. At halftime, the Raiders held onto a one-point lead, 33-32.

In the second half, the Raiders had momentum on their side and went on a 15-4 run and held the Bald Eagles to only eight points.

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders went on a 7-0 run and closed out the Bald Eagles, 67-46.

The Raiders’ defense held the Bald Eagles to only 23 points combined in the second, third and fourth quarter.

Senior Ariel Jones led the Raiders with 25 points and broke her own school record for single season points. Previously scoring 690 points in her sophomore year, Jones’ 706 total points this season places her fourth all time in PSAC single season points, and she is the fourth player to have 700 or more points in a single season. Jones also tied her career high rebounds with 13 and recorded her fourth double-double this season.

Sophomore Abbie Miller had 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Graduate Lauren Pettis was four of five from the field and added nine points, six rebounds and three assists.

Graduate Erin Gibbons had eight points and two rebounds.

The Raiders finished the regular season with a 13-1 record at home. This is the best home record inside Heiges Field House since the 2016-2017 season. Saturday was the Raiders’ first win on Senior Day since 2017.

The Raiders now hold the No 2 seed in the PSAC tournament. The Raiders will have a bye on Monday’s first round and will face the winner of No.3 Kutztown or No.6 Lock Haven in the PSAC Quarterfinals on Wednesday. Wednesday’s tip-off is set for 5:30.

Andrew Miller/SU sports info

Four Raiders seniors were honored prior to Saturday’s win over Lock Haven University.

The Raiders finish the season with a record of 23-5 and won their last five regular season games

Andrew Miller/SU Sports Info

Jack Ansley

Asst. Sports Editor

Jack Ansley

Asst. Sports Editor

Raiders pick up two wins; splits series with Slippery Rock

Shippensburg University men’s baseball won two of four home games this weekend against Slippery Rock University, moving its record to 9-4. It was a close series throughout, with none of the four games being decided by more than two runs.

Slippery Rock took Game 1 of the series on Friday, prevailing in 12 innings by a score of 6-4. The Raiders came back from a 4-1 deficit to force extra innings, tying the game in the eighth thanks to freshman Mike Heckman’s first career home run, but gave up a two-run homer in the 12th that proved to be the difference.

Heckman went three-for-four on the day, scoring two runs as well. Junior Andrew Chronister had a pair of RBIs in the game as well. On the mound, graduate Noah Nabholz went seven innings, giving up four runs (three earned) while picking up six strikeouts. Redshirt freshman Eric Bohenek got the loss after pitching five relief innings of two-run ball.

The Raiders took Saturday’s game by a

score of 3-1, scoring two runs in the first inning before picking up an insurance run in the sixth.

Junior Gabe Stotler was the star of the game, throwing a complete game on the mound, giving up one unearned run on four hits. He struck out five batters while walking two, finishing the complete game with 103 pitches.

Offensively for Shippensburg, junior Austin Baal led the way, going two-for-four with a pair of RBI singles. Junior Morgan Wyatt had the other RBI of the game, while sophomore Gio Calamia went two-for-four scoring a pair of runs.

The series concluded with a doubleheader on Sunday, featuring a pair of seven-inning games. Shippensburg took the first of these by a score of 3-2, scoring a comefrom-behind win after going down 2-0 in the first inning.

Baal had the go-ahead RBI single in the third inning, part of a two-for-two performance with a walk. Chronister and graduate Justin Byler each had RBI singles as well.

Freshman J.T. Weaver moved to 3-0 on the season by throwing a complete game,

giving up two earned runs over his seven innings of work. He also allowed two hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.

The final game of the series went to Slippery Rock, who picked up a 6-4 win in a game that was eerily similar to Friday’s.

It had the same score, and also featured a comeback from the Raiders, who were down 4-0 in the third, before giving up a two-run homer in the final inning.

The Raiders scored their four runs on only four hits, with no batter picking up more than one. Chronister had a two-run double in the fifth, with Byler and Baal each picking up an RBI as well. Junior Austen LaBarre struggled in his first start of the season, giving up four earned runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings. Junior Ethan Miller got stuck with the loss, giving up two earned in four innings of relief.

The Raiders have one last weekend series before PSAC play begins, and it is home this weekend against Le Moyne. The series is a pair of doubleheaders, one each on Saturday and Sunday, both starting at noon.

A Mar-stellar Performance

team though, knowing sometimes it is a better option to help the team as a whole win.

With the 2023 softball season well underway, one Raider is making the most of her final season.

Hannah Marsteller, a graduate student from Fredericksburg, Virginia, finished her undergraduate degree in biology last spring before coming back for her master’s degree. Originally coming in as a mathematics major, Marsteller discovered her interest in biology after watching veterinary shows with her mom.

She started playing softball at 4 years old, taking after her older sister who also played. “She kind of has been my idol, I’ve looked up to her, followed her in her footsteps,” Marsteller said.

Joining her school’s volleyball team as well at 8 years old, she played both competitively, until she decided to focus only on softball due to better opportunities.

And those opportunities flourished over her career with the Raiders. Marsteller was ranked second by Extra Inning Softball’s top 100 Division II college players, and it is easy to see how she got that rank.

It might have been her .516 batting average in 2022, her back-to-back National Player of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022, her being named the 2021-22 NCAA Division 2 statistical champion for batting average and on-base percentage. Marsteller has over a dozen more accomplishments — there is simply no room on this page to list them all.

Her reputation as a good player also tends to precede her during games. Many times, Marsteller is forced to walk by the opposing pitcher rather than getting a hit, which she describes as frustrating. This doesn’t stop her from being focused on her

Despite all of these accomplishments though, things almost turned out very differently for Marsteller. “I did not want to come to Shippensburg,” Marsteller said.

According to Marsteller, coach Alison Van Scyoc had seen Marsteller at a tournament and invited her to a softball camp at Shippensburg University. After having previously wanted to go to Christopher Newport University, she took a chance on the small Pennsylvania town, even though she dreaded the experience.

After less than a week, Marsteller fell in love with the camp and the university.

“They tell you that you’ll know when you’re in the right place, where your home is for college. That’s exactly how I felt when the camp was over,” Marsteller said.

With May 6 fast approaching, Marsteller has already applied to veterinary schools in order to advance her degree. She doesn’t intend to leave softball behind though, and has begun trying to connect with professional softball teams overseas. Additionally, she has spoken with coach Van Scyoc about helping coach the Raider softball team.

“I don’t want to put softball in the past. I want to keep it in my life and keep it in the present. It’s something that is always going to be a part of me, and I’m not ready to give that up yet,” Marsteller said.

Until then, you can catch Marstellar and the entire Raider softball team for their next home game at Robb Sports Complex this Friday, March 3, at 1 p.m.

Quehanna Coble /The Slate

Freshman pitcher JT Weaver had eight strikeouts in seven innings and allowed two hits in Sunday’s win against Slippery Rock.

Mason Flowers Staff Contributor

Carmine Scicchitano Multimedia Director

The Raiders have a 3-4 record heading into PSAC Conference play. Carmine Scicchitano/The Slate

Weekend Baseball Gallery

Photos by Quehanna Coble / The Slate