The Slate 3-30-21

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Reporting truth. Serving our community.

Volume 64 No. 17

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Senator candidates address student body Noel Miller News Editor

The 13 candidates running for student senator positions gave speeches last Thursday over Zoom.

The Student Government Association (SGA) has three groups of senator positions available: class senators, academic senators and student life senators. Voting began Monday and runs until 4 p.m. Thursday.

SGA President-elect Riley Brown opened the meeting and then introduced the first candidate to give a speech, Kevin DelaCruz.

DelaCruz is a criminal justice major is running for one of the two class of 2022 senator positions.

DelaCruz said his participation in on- and off-campus leadership programs allowed him to develop the leadership skills necessary for the position.

“It’s become evident that change is both necessary and inevitable,” he said after speaking with previous and current SGA members.

DelaCruz will prioritize and maintain a personal relationship with students he said. He said his main goal is to help students become leaders who will “not only fit in but standout.”

Jordan Newsome-Little, a junior sociology major and political science minor, is the second candidate for class of 2022 senator. A Building Bridges facilitator

and the current Residence Hall Association (RHA) senator, Newsome-Little said she will advocate for and support every student on campus.

“As one of the class of 2022 senators I will work to ensure we are honest, we communicate and we are transparent throughout our student government and our student body,” Newsome-Little said.

The candidates for the class of 2023, Abigail Birtchet and Austin Correll, spoke next. When Birthchet started her first year at Shippensburg she said she knew it would be her home.

“I was able to find a place that felt like home and now I am passionate about allowing others to feel that same way,” Birtchet said.

As the class of 2023 senator Birtchet said she would make it her responsibility to voice student opinions, frustrations and ideas.

Correll said he is confident in his ability to handle the position.

“My background as a leader and the easy-to-talkto mentality that I have,” Correll said.

Correll feels he can easily advocate for the class of 2023 and other students as he likes to voice and provide opinions and concerns. He said he plans to put all matter first and make student’s lives easier and better the top of his priority.

See “SGA,” A2

Heather Ross/The Slate

Attendees at the Act. Communicate. Teach Tolerance. Committee’s Vigil for the victims of the Atlanta, Georgia, shootings, bow their heads in a moment of reflection.

ACT vigil remembers Atlanta shooting victims Siobhan Sungenis Asst. News Editor

Ask. Communicate. Teach Tolerance. (A.C.T.) assembled a vigil last Monday in remembrance of the victims of the shootings that killed six Asian women in Atlanta, Georgia.

Members of the Shippensburg University faculty and student body gave speeches and offered condolences to the Asian and Asian American community. Around 75 people attended the vigil, which was held outside of the Ezra Lehman Memorial

Student, faculty discuss racism, transphobia Alex Kapres

Guest Contributor

The Shippensburg University Institute for Social Inclusion held a conversation tackling transphobia and racism in higher education on Zoom last Friday.

Alithia Zamantakis, SU LGBTQ+ programs and services and Pride Center director, and R. Babyface Card, the assistant director of campus life for Florida International University, led the program.

The discussion focused on how Shippensburg and other campuses can allow for a sense of better belonging for LGBTQ+ students and students of color.

Card said she came into this work to make sure queer and trans students feel safe

and protected. She wants to lead as an example to LGBTQ+ and students of color to be visible and not hide their identity, she said.

“When universities create policy changes, it is a huge deal,” said Josh Smith, a member of Shippensburg’s Pride Center.

Card said campuses need more students and staff of color and in the LGBTQ+ community. It is the best way to make students and professors feel the most comfortable on campus, she said.

Bringing people of the same identity together is very important for all higher education campuses and creates a better sense of belonging for students.

Other SU students and faculty members joined the

Zoom discussion explaining that the town of Shippensburg is not diverse enough to make new students and faculty feel welcome.

Card said something as simple as having a barber in town that students of color can use, and trust could be a great step to develop a more welcoming relationship between the university and the town.

To join in future discussions and listen to speakers focusing on tackling racism and transphobia on the Institute for Social Inclusion’s website ship.edu/insinc/ social-inclusion-cafe/ or visit the Pride Center website ship.edu/life/resources/ pride/.

Noel Miller/The Slate

The SU Pride Center has information on how to be an LGBTQ+ ally.

Library.

Students and faculty joined together to grieve with the Asian community and to begin finding solutions to the ever-growing racism in the United States. ACT Committee members Brenda Aristy and Abdulomar Tucker gave the opening remarks.

“We stand by our Asian brothers and sisters at this time, while they grieve for their loved ones and those in their community,” Tucker said.

Aristy echoed his statements saying, “An act against one is an act against all. We

will not stand by acts of hate that continue to plague the Asian community. We feel your pain and we stand behind you in a fight that is only won by uniting.”

Tomoko Grabosky, a professor in the counseling department, read the names of the six Atlanta victims as members of the ACT committee lit candles in their memory.

Grabosky felt the tragedy close to home and recalled her life growing up in America as a Japanese immigrant.

“The more I learn about the victims, they remind me

of myself, my family, my friends and my neighbors.”

She explained that she used her counseling career to help those affected by racial trauma, but after hearing of the Atlanta shooting, decided to engage in vocal activism.

“I’m devastated and I’m outraged. I refuse to be quiet, private and invisible. I refuse to be a model minority, a permanent foreigner and a fetishized object,” Grabosky said.

See “VIGIL,” A2

SGA senator election voting open until Friday at 4 p.m.

Check your ship.edu email for a link to the voting website

Pride Center celebrates annual ‘Trans Week of Visibility’ Noel Miller News Editor

The Pride Center is hosting virtual events all week for the Trans Week of Visibility celebration. The celebration is held the week of March 31, which is International Transgender Day of Visibility, according to the center’s website. Transgender activist Rachel Crandall started the day in 2009.

Celebrations started on Monday with a Trans Liberation Panel held over Zoom, where students, faculty and staff discussed Trans lives, rights and justice, according to ship.edu/events.

“Join us each day March 29-April 2 for events centering the experiences of trans/ nonbinary/ gender-nonconforming folx of

color, as well as white trans/nonbinary/gender-nonconforming folx,” the Pride Center website said.

The center hopes to give voice to the experiences of transgender, non-binary and gender-nonconforming students faculty staff and community members Alithia Zamantakis, Pride Center director said.

“The Trans Week of Visibility is situated within the paradox of visibility, meaning that, trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people are continually relegated to the margins of society, forgotten, looked over and made invisible, yet, as trans communities and trans people become more visible in the media, anti-trans violence increases,” she said.

See “PRIDE,” A2

NEWS

A2

State Police Briefs

March 30, 2021

Your World Today

Commentary: Cleary instilled a love

of reading for generations of readers

Shippensburg man arrested for DUI State troopers conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle violation at the corner of North Queen Street and East Burd Street on March 27 at around 3 a.m. The occupant, 35, was driving a 2002 Ford Escape and was arrested for DUI. The investigation is ongoing.

Hannah Pollock Editor-in-Chief

From “VIGIL,” A1

Finding solutions and beginning to heal the wounds left by racism was a common sentiment among the speakers.

Skylar Walder, a freshman and member of the Student Government Association, said, “This is how we change; by talking and learning. This is how we start, by having the raw conversation. We all need to have it.” Many other students and faculty members gave their support and vowed to continue fighting for marginalized groups.

Mounica Kudumulla, a graduate student in the Counseling Department,

said, “The violence and discrimination that is happening against all racial and ethnic groups is not acceptable.

It stops right here and right now.”

Another graduate student, Laura Estavilla, said, “You hypersexualize our women and you castrate our men, yet you neglect our culture, our experiences, our identity and our pain. We are not invisible people with invisible burdens.”

Kathryn Newton, a counseling professor, offered tips to help activists. Shippensburg University President, Laurie Carter, vocalized her support at the vigil, “For my Asian brothers and sisters,

From “PRIDE,” A1

She also said, “The week celebrates the idea that ‘trans existence is resistance’ and transgender elders and ancestors who paved the way.”

The keynote speaker, Estrella Sanchez will speak on Wednesday about the experiences and needs of transgender Latinix and immigrant communities, racism toward Latinix

people and what others can do to help transgender Latinx people, according to Zamantakis.

A full list with dates and times of events can be found on the Pride Center website.

“At Ship, we celebrate our trans, nonbinary, and/or gender-nonconforming students this week and every week of the year,” officials said on the Pride Center website.

Child sex abuse lawsuit ‘window’ amendment clears Pa. House Mark Scolforo

Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvania lawmakers on Wednesday finished a new first round of approvals for a constitutional amendment giving victims of child sexual abuse the power to file what would otherwise be outdated claims, but it will be 2023 at the earliest before it takes effect.

The House voted 188 to 13 to approve the proposed constitutional amendment, which must pass both chambers in two consecutive twoyear legislative sessions before going before voters as a referendum.

Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, said he was hopeful that lawmakers will also pass the window as regular legislation, as a state law would take effect more quickly while the slower constitutional amendment process continues.

He called it the first step in what he hopes will be a dual track process.

Supporters say a two-year “window’’ to file lawsuits over older claims of abuse is needed to give victims a path to justice, taking into account more recent revelations about molestation by Roman Catholic clergy or involving other institutions.

Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, one of those who voted against it, said he was con-

I stand with you, because enough is enough. The time has come for each and every one of us to make a difference in the world, every day.”

Diane Jefferson, director of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), and Kapri Brown, assistant director of MSA, sang a powerful rendition of Ella Baker’s song “We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest” to close the vigil. The crowd joined in the chorus “and the sound of voices raising gave light to a dark tunnel.”

To learn more about MSA, visit its website at www.ship. edu/life/clubs-organizations/msa/

cerned the bill would expose public schools to litigation.

Rozzi said it would apply to public schools.

“We want to make sure that all victims are on the same playing field here,” including institutions that covered up abuse, Rozzi said.

“We’re going to hold you accountable, bottom line.”

Until last month, the expectation had been that the amendment, which passed the state House and Senate in the legislative session that ended in November, would be passed again early this year and then go to voters as a referendum in the May 18 primary.

However, in early February the Department of State under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said it had neglected to advertise the amendment as required last year, so lawmakers had the start the process over. Both chambers now must pass the same amendment in the 2023-24 session before a referendum can be held.

Many victims lost the right to sue when they turned 18 or were young adults, depending on Pennsylvania state law at the time. The proposed amendment would give them two years to sue over child sexual abuse claims, no matter when it occurred.

I was always an avid reader as a child. I loved to read — it did not matter what genre. I read at home, school, the library, on the bus, in the car and just about anywhere else.

I would beg my mother to take me to buy books at Borders or Barnes & Noble.

She would often joke that she wanted to drop me off at the bookstore for a couple hours to read the book I wanted instead of purchasing the book. My constant need to update my book catalogue was not cheap, so we relied on the school and community libraries and the beloved Scholastic book fairs.

Throughout my elemen-

tary school days, I always enjoyed reading about the mischievous Ramona Quimby. Ramona is smart, imaginative and at times loud and annoying (a “pest” as Beezus would say). Ramona felt like someone I knew. She was unapologetically Ramona — a strong girl who knew she wanted to do big things. And while there may have been (comical at times) bumps in the road, Ramona persevered while we both learned a few lessons along the way.

Beverly Cleary, the woman behind Ramona Quimby, was one of my favorite authors. Cleary died March 25 at the age of 104.

Cleary’s impact is immeasurable. She published the first Ramona-centered book in the mid 1950s and the last hit bookshelves in 1999. But how are these books still impacting readers who were not even born when Cleary wrote them?

Whether I knew it then or not, I searched for books as a young reader with characters in whom I could relate. The fantasy and other

fictional genres I read had magic and good characters but what set Ramona apart?

After all, she is just a regular kid.

The magic of Cleary’s writing is that Ramona was just a regular kid. Ramona felt real, had real problems and dealt with the problems through the lens of a young girl.

I learned about real-life issues through Ramona.

Cleary touches on a parent’s loss of job and resulting financial instability, the death of a pet, as well as divorce. These are important and sometimes tough lessons to learn during childhood. Cleary tackled these “big” topics in a way that was not scary to the reader but explained them in a way that made sense to kids.

Cleary leaves a legacy of generations of readers and more to come.

Cleary once said, “If you don’t see the book you want on the shelves, write it.”

I am so glad that she had the courage to tell the story of Ramona Quimby for all of the Ramonas out in our

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From “SGA,” A1

The last class senator candidate to speak was Ian Davis who is running for re-election for the class of 2024 senator. Davis said he is the RHA president and member of the investment club.

“I am running to make improvements from where we left off,” Davis said. The past semester within SGA was not the best Davis said and he thinks it is time to construct a team that will do its best for students.

“As the icon Donald Trump would say, ‘Let’s make Shippensburg great again,’” Davis said.

Senators for the student life positions spoke next. Cody Willoughby, a first-year student and men’s soccer team member, is running to be the male athletes senator. Willoughby currently serves in the position. His passion for working alongside students and athletes gives him a view of the needs of those he will represent he said.

“This position is crucial for hard-working athletes’ voices to be heard,” Willoughby said. “I will explain their thoughts and questions with pride.”

Willoughby said he will have a year of experience listening to his fellow athletes and as the head of student focus groups coordination at the Light House Academy program.

The candidate for the commuter student senator, Ian Thompson followed Willoughby’s speech.

Thompson said the past year has presented tough challenge. “At times like these it is paramount that we as students have the best representation available,” he said.

Thompson promised he would fight to make sure students have the loudest voice at the table as the school looks for a new president. He will also work to make sure commuter students have the same amount of opportunities as residents to get involved on campus. Thompson wrapped up his speech by saying he will work with SUSSI (Shippensburg University Student Services, Inc.) and the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) to lower the price of parking passes for students.

The last student life senator candidate to speak was Shadai Joyner who is running for the transfer student position.

Joyner is a junior who transferred to SU this semester. After seeing injustice against minorities and people of color this past summer, Joyner said, she decided to step out of her comfort zone and become an advocate for others.

Joyner understands the difficulty of transferring schools, especially as an upperclassman. She wants to provide a safe space for transfer students to share their concerns and said that she will advocate for their voices to be heard.

The four academic senate candidates wrapped up the meet-

ing with their speeches. Hunter Cramer, a sophomore political science major, is running for the college of arts and sciences senator position. Cramer said he was motivated to run for this seat to allow representation and reinvigorate the normal college experience that COVID 19 coronavirus has taken away.

Academic aid is also on Cramer’s mind.

“Making sure all students in need can feed themselves and focus on academics is a subject I feel very strongly about,” Cramer said. If elected he will work to create opportunities to make the most of their year.

Newsome-Little asked him how he plans to increase representation as a white male.

Cramer said he wants to offer more than just office hours to talk with students and hear the voice of all people.

“I want to interact with my students, not just when SGA mandates, but to also be a voice and be available at all times,” Cramer said.

Chase Carpenter, the candidate for the college of business senator spoke next. Carpenter is running for re-election and said he is concerned with student experience to provide a good experience and increase student retention.

“College should feel like a second home to students,” Carpenter said. “I want them to be eager to return to Shippensburg and their classes in the college of business.”

The coronavirus has been devastating students and SGA alike and he aims to heal the divide in SGA next year, he said.

The candidate for the college of education and human services senator, Ashley Smith followed Carpenter’s speech.

Smith is running for re-election and has spent two years in SGA. She said the past two years have taught her that kindness and love are the most important things in the world.

“Every single person you meet has something to offer your soul and your growth,” Smith said.

If re-elected she hopes to expand on event opportunities and to make sure her peers do not feel alone.

The last candidate to speak, Andrew Hare, is running to fill the exploratory studies position. Hare said he wants to better the exploratory studies program improve, and get more opportunities for the students in it. He wants to work alongside the department to get resources from the university and improve their recognition on campus.

“It doesn’t seem like people really acknowledge how big a role exploratory studies students play in our campus community,” he said. Hare said they need to uplift their voices so their concerns are heard.

Voting will be open until Thursday, April 1, at 4 p.m. Students will be able to vote online using a link sent to their SU emails.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

B1

Opinion

The Slate Speaks It is everyone’s responsibility to end gun violence Once again America finds itself grappling with not one but two mass shootings in a matter of days. A man killed 10 people at a Boulder, Colorado, grocery store on March 22.

Another man killed eight people in a series of shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 16.

Officials said that the Boulder shooter used an AR-15-style pistol modified with an arm brace.

According to the Washington Post, Boulder officials barred assault weapons in 2018 in efforts to prevent mass shootings like that of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The ban was blocked in court 10 days before the gunman opened fire.

“No other details were released as to when or how the suspect obtained the AR-15-style firearm six days before the shooting, or whether the gun was used at the King Soopers grocery store. Police have yet to say whether the ordinance would have prevented him from buying or possessing the weapon within

city limits,” the Post reported last week.

These back-to-back mass shootings demonstrate the continuing issue of gun accessibility in America. Our right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. But we must tighten the systems in place that allow easy access to firearms.

The goal is not to take away guns from responsible owners who follow the process and are educated in firearm safety. Instead, the goal is to make sure the guns are not ending up in the hands of people who wish to inflict harm upon innocent people going about their lives — in a grocery store, for example.

We must work toward solutions both in our communities and through legislation.

This means maintaining effort and time spent toward advocacy. We need to support our communities by increasing accessibility to mental health services. We must look out for one another in our own communities. After

these horrific events, there is almost always a family member, friend or neighbor who tells the press that the signs were there and no one said anything.

If you see something, say something.

Our legislators must stop with the tone deaf, performative statements following every mass shooting. They call for change until the next news event takes over the headlines and the attention is turned away. It is not just our legislators; we are very good as a collective society at swiveling our conversations based on the hot topic of the day or week.

We must lobby our legislators to pass reasonable gun control bills removing the loopholes of the background check system. We must also increase education for gun owners and those wishing to become gun owners.

It should not be easier and require less paperwork to get a gun than to vote or adopt an animal.

Heather Ross/The Slate

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were 108 verified mass shootings in 2021 as of March 26.

Alumnus commentary: A student project

benefiting the Shippensburg University community The staff editorial in the March 9th edition of The Slate clearly described the high stakes in the selection of the next president. It also offered a cogent argument against any merger of universities that would render Shippensburg University a junior partner following a shotgun wedding.

State System officials have repeatedly asserted that Shippensburg University is on the bubble for sustainability. That negative assessment stands in sharp contrast to the lofty rating SU receives from U.S. News & World Report. The suspicion is system leaders are looking at a selective set of indices to arrive at their bleak and alarming judgment.

They must not be giving full credit to the emergence of a school of engineering and a retooling of general education requirements to meet employer expectations among other quantum curriculum improvements.

Whatever the reality, the current circumstances materialized with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) in firm control. Granted, not this chancellor, but certainly the rest of the system apparatus carries responsibility. Could it be the directives and limiting decisions coming from the bureaucratic bunker in Harrisburg exacerbated, rather than mitigated, problematic trends?

Speculation continues that SU will be folded into Millersville on the second round of mergers. Sure, the brass gives glib assurances no such step is contemplated. Nonetheless, amazing how plans magically emerge from the chemistry labs where they brew SSHE-label reform.

The selection of a new president is always a crucial decision. It is doubly so this time because of the political uncertainties surrounding SU. By the time a new president is selected and has a chance to establish his or her agenda, the decision-making process may be too far along to reverse.

The orchestrated advocacy from regular channels deployed to date has obviously failed to overcome the reputational deficiency with which SU is being tarred. So who has the persuasive power to turn things around? The first thought is the alumni, who have a strong emotional attachment and a significant financial investment through contributions. After all, we do not want our degrees coming from the Shippensburg Branch of Millersville University, irrespective of how they might gild it.

In this debate, however, the heaviest impact will be on current and incoming students. No one can tell the SU story better, and with a less conflicted perspective, than you can. If you support the university and value the education you are receiving, now is the moment for effective civic engagement.

For your views to matter, they must be intelligently expressed to the right audience.

Forget about form letters, canned emails and online petitions. These are standard avenues for participation, but their utility is next to nil, even in bucolic times.

So here is a recommendation: Be your own lobbyist. Compose an individual message conveying several key points. Describe why you picked SU. Delineate what the university has done to satisfy your educational goals, engage your curiosity to learn and prepare

you for productive life. Talk about professors who inspired you or went above and beyond to prevent you from running off the rails academically. Catalog what steps you believe will further improve the experience at SU. In effective advocacy, first person testimony is the gold standard.

Make no mistake — this exercise is not about preserving the status quo. The question is whether the university will be allowed to continue on the carefully charted reform path, or someone else is going to determine a different path or institutional structure based on a mystery matrix.

Your messages should be directed to the chancellor, the board of governors, the governor, and the majority and minority chairs of the Senate and House education committees.

The alumni association can provide the necessary contact information. That way, those in positions of power cannot suffer any confusion over what students believe. They cannot hide unpopular and unwise decisions behind the contention they did not hear from anyone apart from those on the payroll. Even if the board of governors does not pay much attention to an educated outpouring of concern, the media and the taxpayers will notice.

In life, there is no extra credit awarded those choosing to engage in the arena, rather than contenting themselves with sitting on the sidelines and merely cheering or heckling the players. But informed and energetic involvement is the lifeblood of healthy democracy. You have presumably been instructed so in multiple courses. Now is your chance to practice those lessons.

Where’s your voice?

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

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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.

At the same time, you are free to question others in positions of authority. For example, you may want to ask the members of the SU board why they seem to be suffering group laryngitis at this crucial juncture. You can test whether your professors will get involved individually, rather than relying on the union to do the lifting.

System officials have cast a long shadow over SU’s future by constantly positing ominous outcomes. The concepts they are selling strike many as honestly termed destructive redesign. In raising public doubts about the survival of our university, they have handicapped presidential selection, faculty recruitment, and student enrollment. Whose interest does that serve?

There is a paramount factor missing from the redesign equation. With all the troubles afflicting more expensive private colleges and universities, public universities will be even more indispensable in the years ahead. When that occurs, SU must be a flagship for the fleet of state universities. Your advocacy can help prevent the chancellor from putting his anchor through the bottom of the boat.

David A. Atkinson (BA ’77, MS ’84) akus317@aol.com Editor’s note: This piece refers to “The Slate Speaks: Shippensburg University must hold its own in coming months,” which appeared March 9 in print and on theslateonline.com. Mr. Atkinson is an SU alumnus and serves on the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board.

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OPINION

B2

March 30, 2021

Say It Loud: Student stories of everyday racism

Karon Banks-Bailey Guest Contributor

Forgive me, for I will be speaking from a place of anger. I say anger because I heard just about every horrendous story you can think of, from the brutal bloodshed whippings that killed our ancestors, to our grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts and uncles being sprayed down with frigid sewer water as if they were rats or abnormal beings.

The discomfort and pain I felt after hearing, watching and observing this horrendous behavior against my ancestors is what fueled a power of passion.

The cold truth is melanin will offend anybody who see it as a threat. Well, I suppose that is what happened to me before I transferred to Shippensburg University. I attended Lincoln University, the first degree-granting HBCU (historically Black college and universities), located about an hour southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Amish in the area adored the student body. However, I genuinely feel as though I got too comfortable in that setting which led to reality striking me sooner than expected.

Around the fall semester of my sophomore year at Lincoln, my friend, Asija and I decided to take a ride in her brand new 2016 Audi A3. The intent of cruising was to just show off her new wheels and everybody knows if you want people to be astonished by your ride, go to a crowded Sunoco, or your nearest gas station. As we were pulling into pump two, I felt the stare from the truckers at the gas station. As Asija was talking to me, I felt my ear canals clog up with anxiety and her sentences sounded as if she had a mouth full of food. The worry that something was not quite right is what contributed to my fear.

Asija said she was going into the store for some peach and strawberry “Little Trees” car scents. I decided to wait in the car. Two young white men in a raggedy scraped up 2004 Nissan Frontier pulled up to pump three. Both of the men with bleach-stained overalls and scraped up boots. I saw one of the men walk inside the gas station, and as I glance over, the friend is staring at me with a vindictive look. I instantly feel fear clutter up in my face.

The other friend had returned from inside the store and the man finally focused his attention elsewhere. Meanwhile, my forehead is drowning in panic because I was still waiting in the car at pump two. Asija was not answering any of my texts and I thought this man was about to come to the car to beat me like he saw his worst enemy. Suddenly, I hear, “Wrong area, wrong area,” followed by chuckles.

His friend taking after him as well, “Wrong area, dude.”

I glued my eyes to my phone to pretend as if everybody else, but me, heard.

Now you can imagine concern leaking into my veins after watching films like “Ruby Bridges,” “Hidden Figures” and “Malcolm X.” I remember sincerely asking myself, “Why would this be any different?”

I reached for Asija’s pepper gel spray while holding this tiny knife that my father gave me for protection while still sitting in the passenger seat. Both of them taunted me for entertainment. I could not help but to imagine the worst that can happen being in that “wrong area” as their lungs pumped out that phrase with pride. However, as I looked around, I was an odd number in a pool full of evens.

Asija came back from inside the store.

I hear “ew” yelled from the young man in the passenger seat. You could see the steam blow from her ears like Popeye.

I would classify Asija as a ticking time bomb — anything can make her explode. I told her to ignore not only out of fear, but out of intellect because we already are at a disadvantage with the aggressors in their area. We warmed up the car as they pulled off giggling and laughing like hyenas. I could not stop replaying the scenario that would have ended with me being jumped by these two men, or worse… killed.

Imagine having that much power to just abuse at your will anytime you want, and being able to pass it down to the next generation. It is despicable, inhuman and frightening to a whole demographic.

We should be viewed as the same because the Lord placed us here for the simple fact we were worthy of this glorious thing called life. If one is worthy, one is beautiful.

Say It Loud Transformational tales of everyday racism

Share your story Students, alumni, faculty, staff and administrators are invited to submit pieces Email slate.ship@gmail.com for more information

Ariana Tomb

Guest Contributor

When I was younger, I knew what racism was as a concept. I understood in a vague way from TV and movies that Black was bad, that it represented this other that the good fought against. My parents had informed me of this in their own way. Like anytime the only Black character died before the end of the movie, my mom would say, “Called it. The Black guy always dies.”

And until my family went on vacation in South Carolina when I was 14, I thought I was pretty conscious of it.

We had been there a couple days before we decided that the beach was no longer novel enough to go to again.

Instead, we decided to go to a miniature golf course. My parents had decided to sit out this particular activity under the shaded protection of the eatery just off the course. It was just me and my sister, Salina, my younger brother, Judah, and my older brother, Nathaniel playing together.

The course was pirate themed. Wrecked ships, chests of painted gold and giant black flags with crossed bones, littered the course in a tacky hodgepodge of pirate paraphernalia. In the center of the golf course there was this big, fake rock construct with a crashed ship at its peak. My younger brother, Judah, and another little boy decided to climb on it, ignoring the obvious rope fence, as little boys are inclined to do.

No one saw a problem with it until the heavy-set lady working there told them to get off it.

They did at first, but they were kids and eventually, they started climbing it again.

The worker came back very upset. She came back and yelled, “You get down from there!”

Instead of leaving like before, she grabbed Judah by his upper arm and steered him back to her station. The other little boy was left with his parents with a quick order to, “Keep him on the ground.”

Salina had gone ahead with my other siblings to keep playing the course.

When she came back and found out what happened, she clenched her fists and set her jaw. In that moment she looked strong and angrier than I had ever seen her as she marched up to the woman.

“Why’d you take my brother?” she demanded.

“He broke the rules. I gave him a chance and he didn’t listen,” the woman responded.

“That other boy was doing the same thing,” she said as she pointed vaguely to where the couple and their son were standing and watching.

“Why can he play, but not my brother?”

I remember her answer being dumb and my sister getting angrier by the second. Her voice shook as she rebutted again and again, until finally she said, “We paid to play and he’s going to play.”

Then, she took my younger brother and walked away.

I noticed her hands shaking and her eyes getting glossy, but I did not say anything. None of us really wanted to play anymore, but stubbornly we finished the course.

While we were stood in the parking lot the mother of the other little boy thanked Salina for doing what she did.

Bottom lip trembling with held back tears, Salina nodded.

I did not quite understand what happened. We got into the car to drive back to the hotel and my sister cried as she explained how the white boy was not punished the same as Judah. Everything then made sense. That woman had taken Judah off the course because he was Black.

And because she could.

After this trip, I became more aware of how people treated me and the things they said to me, but not to other kids. Like when they commented on the way I dressed even when I was wearing something that was exactly the same as a white girl. And the way my peers saw me — I called people out when they touched my hair without permission.

Now, years after, I find myself wondering why the mother of that boy never said anything. Why did she just let it happen? She had the power to make it right and she did not take any action. I think that is what still bothers me the most.

Next edition at newsstands April 13

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OPINION

March 30, 2021

B3

That’s what it’s all about: The Electoral College is bad, actually

Ian Thompson Guest Columnist

It is hard to imagine getting rid of a nearly 250-year-old institution that is a fundamental part of our country’s history. Who are we to disparage the hard work and monumental achievement that is the Founding Fathers’ magnum opus, the Constitution? Surely, we are but feeble-minded drones in comparison to such legislative juggernauts.

Yet we did just that. In 1865 the United States ratified the 13th Amendment, formally abolishing

slavery — an institution that existed in North America for 256 years.

After a civil war fought over slavery nearly tore the union in two, some of our nation’s greatest political minds worked to end a grievous wrong of history. They understood that times change — as does what is considered acceptable. In the 1860s, we as a nation decided that slavery was a reprehensible practice. And we ended it.

In 2021, the Electoral College will mark its 233rd birthday. As we mark this anniversary, let us ask ourselves a couple of questions: Is the Electoral College an unjust system? Should we abandon it in favor of a more representative and equitable voting system? The answer to both these questions is a resounding, unequivocal yes.

In the same way that confederate sympathizers have crafted a fantasy world in which the Confederacy fought for anything other than the preservation of chattel slavery, modern-day supporters of the Electoral College have dreamed up

a number of post-hoc rationalizations for maintaining this archaic relic. One of the most prominent examples of these is the idea that the Electoral College protects the rights of smaller, less populous states. That is a solid claim but let us dig a little deeper.

What issue was so important to those smaller, less populous states?

What change in policy by a popular majority could be so drastic that you’d want to protect it in perpetuity? As with many questions about how our systems of government work, the answer is of course slavery. The South — and many of our slave-owning Founding Fathers — fearing the rising calls for abolition, sought to enshrine the institution of slavery in our founding documents.

Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution states: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States… determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons… excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Per-

Commentary: Deepfakes are known for deception, but detecting them is key

Matthew Unger Staff Columnist

A few weeks ago, I came across a funny video on YouTube. It was a TikTok video of Tom Cruise striking a golf ball with his club and joking, “If you like what you’re seeing, just wait ‘till what’s coming next.”

Innocent enough, right? But there is just one thing: The man in the video was not Tom Cruise. Although he had the swagger, the voice and the face of Tom Cruise, Cruise himself was not actually in the video — it was a deepfake.

For those who do not know, a deepfake is a form of manipulated media in which the face of an individual is superimposed onto the body of another in order to create a realistic video seemingly depicting that individual. Some of these videos can be lighthearted — like the one of Tom Cruise — but there are deepfakes that can be created in order to undermine a person’s reputation and deceive the viewer.

Earlier this month, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a high school cheerleader’s mother was accused of making deepfakes of her daughter’s cheer rivals in order to get them kicked off the team. These deepfakes — which showed the rivals smoking

and drinking, among other things — were manipulated from social media photos, investigators of the case said, according to FOX 29 News.

Now, having a deepfake made of you to tarnish your reputation may seem like a scary thing — and it is. But there is some good news out there. According to SciTechDaily.com, computer scientists at the University of Buffalo have created a tool that can identify deepfakes by analyzing how the light reflects in the eye. Officials claim this tool is 94% effective when analyzing portrait photographs, according to the same website. This news can offer us a slight sigh of relief to know that technologies are being developed to combat manipulated media.

Still, there are undoubtedly those out there who will use deepfakes for their own advantage to try and undermine others.

This makes it even more necessary to develop technologies to detect these hoaxes before they become overly realistic and begin to fool even more people. Deepfake detection needs to adapt as quickly as deepfakes themselves. Back in 2017, when the term “deepfake” was coined, it was easier to look at a deepfake and say to yourself, “Huh, something looks off.”

But deepfakes in 2021 — such as the ones of Tom Cruise — have definitely used more sophisticated technology to trick our eyes. It is easy to watch the Tom Cruise deepfakes and believe it is actually him in the video.

If one thing is for certain, it is that more deepfakes will be made and more people will be fooled. Before things get too out of hand, developing detection tools and informing viewers about these manipulated videos are key to ensuring that we do not always have to question what we see.

There will be no print edition of The Slate on April 6

sons.”

That three-fifths of all other persons — were the Black women and men shackled in bondage. The South used their numbers to bolster those states’ representation in Congress, while denying those very same people basic human dignity and their rightful democratic voice.

The Electoral College was a power move by the slave-owning South, plain and simple.

The idea that the Electoral College protects our country from a dangerous populist demagogue is just as ridiculous. The 2016 election is strong evidence for that fact.

Some argue that the system discourages candidates from focusing on only the large, populous states, and forces them to acknowledge the thoughts of more rural states.

But is that true? When was the last time you saw a presidential candidate holding a rally in Wyoming, Idaho, or the Dakotas, save for those states’ biggest cities? The Electoral College does not encourage candidates to visit less populous

areas, it creates swing states. The 501(c)(3) organization FairVote found that in 2016, 94% of general election campaign events were in 12 states. Two-thirds were in just six states (Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and Michigan). Does that sound like a representative sample?

The Electoral College was designed as an overtly racist, undemocratic and minoritarian institution that stifles the very democratic process which is core to our country’s political character.

How are we supposed to be the shining city on a hill if we are stuck with policies made 250 years ago by slave-owning plutocrats more concerned with maintaining their oppression of Black people and protecting their future profits than the democratic principles our nation was born out of?

If the United States is going to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people — we must do away with the Electoral College.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

C1

Ship Life Your April horoscopes Chaela Williams

Asst. Ship Life Editor

Looking for guidance in your life?

Here are your horoscopes for April. Let us know if we got it right on social media @shipUSlate.

Aries

Do not be so upset if some of your goals do not come true. Go with the natural flow of things and the universe will reward with something better from what you originally wanted. Avoid listening to naysayers who portray themselves as “friends” they are hoping for your downfall.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

The Women’s Center and the Pride Center hosted a Zoom event to spread awareness on eating disorders.

Women’s Center aims to educate students on eating disorders Morgan Barr

Asst. Ship Life Editor

One of the largest affected ages with eating disorders are college-aged people.

With the stress of classes and extracurriculars, some students fall into dangerous and unhealthy eating habits.

The Shippensburg University Women’s Center not only provides resources for those with eating disorders, but aims to educate others on the warning signs of eating disorders.

The Women’s Center and the Pride Center collaborated to host a Zoom workshop called “Eating Disorders: How to help a Friend” on March 23. Lynn Slawsky, a guest speaker from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated

Disorders (ANAD) joined the call to provide professional knowledge and to share her personal experience with eating disorders.

An intern from the women’s center provided an informational presentation on how to help friends who have eating disorders. There were three major ways that someone can support a friend with an eating disorder presented in the presentation.

First, knowing the types of eating disorders and noticing the warning signs such as emotional and behavioral changes or physical changes in a person can be critical with providing a friend with an eating disorder professional help.

The second way to support someone with an eating disorder is to know that there is

no single cause to an eating disorder. The presentation listed that there can be many factors that play into why someone can develop an eating disorder.

The final way listed for a friend to support someone with an eating disorder, is knowing how they can help.

If someone notices a friend displaying behavior that resembles an eating disorder it is important to let them know you are there to help and be supportive of them.

While they may not be ready to take the step to recovery and getting help, it is important to create a friendly environment and let them know you are here to help when they are ready.

Following the presentation from the Women’s Center, Slawsky presented the

group with more statistics from ANAD about eating disorders and reinforcing the ways someone can help someone with an eating disorder.

Slawsky talked about ways to work on shifting society’s focus to more body neutrality and body positive driven content within social media.

One simple way Slawsky suggested friends can help is to share positive social media posts that promote accepting all bodies of all shapes and sizes.

Slawsky then shared about ANAD’s services as well as its volunteer program at ANAD, which allows college students to work with the ANAD help center call line.

To get help for yourself or a friend, call the ANAD helpline at 888-375-7767.

Recipe of the Week:

Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes

Taurus

Self-care is essential for this month. Embrace all the positive energy you will be given this month and do not be hesitant on a new, promising opportunity.

Gemini

Your rebellious persona will take over, which will lead to a few bad mistakes.

Be careful on how you act this month as whatever you do now will affect your personal relationships in the future.

Cancer

Good grades and internship offers are coming your way thanks to your intellectual mind and your great networking skills. Never sell yourself short and continue to be confident in your work.

Leo

Take the time this month to focus on social and political issues. Right now you are not able to hold conversations due to the lack of knowledge making you come off as shallow to others. Take the time to become enlightened by new ideas and issues.

Virgo

Avoid bending over backward for people who do not put enough effort into being your friend. Focus on yourself and what makes you happy. Go back to your old hobbies that kept you occupied and alive.

Libra

Pay attention to your wants and needs.

Ask yourself if you are able to accomplish what you want in life and stop depending on people to fulfill those roles if they are not worthy of your time.

Scorpio

You are always defending others who do you wrong and it is getting you nowhere.

Let things go, it will ruin your spirit if you keep giving ungrateful people your time and energy.

Ingredients: -2 cups of all-purpose flour -3/4 cup of granulated sugar -2 teaspoons of baking powder -1/2 teaspoon of baking soda -1/4 teaspoon of salt -1 large egg -1 teaspoon of vanilla extract -1/4 cup of vegetable oil -1 cup of Greek yogurt -Zest and juice of 1 lemon -1 1/4 cups of fresh strawberries, chopped

Sagittarius

Take things slow this month. You are a workaholic trying to complete 100 things at once. It is okay to give yourself a break and support your mental health.

Capricorn

Loosen up a bit and stop being so uptight.

You are missing out on fun moments due to your closed-off attitude. Be more open to new hobbies and settings that will make you a better person.

Aquarius Recipe and photo by Chaela Williams/The Slate

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

Set aside.

3. Whisk the egg, vanilla, vegetable oil, yogurt, lemon juice and zest together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until even. Gently fold in the strawberries.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin liners, filling them almost to the top, and bake for 18 – 22 minutes.

5. Allow the cupcakes to cool for five minutes on a drying rack then serve.

Stop spending so much money for this month and start planning on ways to save.

Learn the patience of waiting instead of implusvely buying useless things.

Pisces

You will fall into a depressive state this month because you are evolving as a person. Do not fear it, accept what is coming and prepare.

Looking for more Ship Life?

Read more at theslateonline.com

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

D1

A&E

Photo courtesy of Facebook @ShippensburgUniversityRedRaiderMarchingBand

The SU Concert Band will perform on May 2 with the SU Wind Ensemble.

Commentary: SU Band department plans concerts despite COVID-19 Pandemic

Ryan Cleary A&E Editor

The anniversary of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic lockdown can be a traumatizing memory for some on-campus students and clubs at Shippensburg University.

Numerous on-campus clubs were suspended from continuing activities as student life was put on hold for students, where spending a semester online became the new normal.

However, the music ensembles were hit the hardest.

Before the global shut down, the SU Jazz and Wind ensemble traveled to California during spring break to perform at Disneyland and Westlake High school. California already had cases of the virus in the area, but the groups still decided to go.

As a member of the ensemble, I would be lying if I said I was not upset with going home to an extended spring break. I was really looking forward to spending my first year in college performing at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center. However, that excitingly changes this year.

The SU band department recently announced to members of the numerous ensembles that they were given the “OK” for an in-person concert. Spanning from mid-April to the first week of May, the SU band depart-

ment plans to hold concerts ranging from standard concert bands and jazz ensemble concerts, to smaller percussion and woodwind ensembles.

Performances schedule: Woodwind Ensemble Sunday, April 11, 3 p.m.

Jazz Ensemble and Pep Band Monday, April 12, 7 p.m.

Orchestra and String Ensemble Sunday, April 18, 7:30 p.m.

Concert Choir and Madrigals Monday, April 19, 7:30 p.m.

Wind Ensemble and Concert Band Sunday, May 2, 3 p.m.

Percussion Ensemble Tuesday May 4, 7 p.m.

This is a major achievement after last year’s cancellations. All performances will be held at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center. As of now, there is a possibility that the concerts could be opened to the public with the option of live streaming the concerts.

While the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the world, music has brought us together. The concerts could be a way to bring the campus community together after a yearlong battle with the pandemic.

Editor’s note: A&E Editor Ryan Cleary is a percussionist in the following bands: Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble.

Billboard Top 10 1. Up - Cardi B

6. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd

2. Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic

7. Levitating - Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby

Review: ‘Promising Young Woman’ gives students a different view on sexual assault

3. Drivers License - Olivia Rodrigo

8. Mood - 24kGoldn feat. iann dior

4. What’s Next - Drake

9. 34+35 - Ariana Grande

Piper Kull

5. Save Your Tears - The Weeknd

10. Wants And Needs - Drake feat. Lil Baby

Ryan Cleary/ The Slate

The SU Jazz Ensemble, directed by Trever Famulare, will perform on Monday April 12 with the SU Pep Band, directed by Aaron Trumbore.

Asst. A&E Editor

On Saturday, The Ceddia Union Building (CUB) showcased, “Promising Young Woman,” a 2020 movie directed by Emerald Fennell, starring Carey Mulligan.

Mulligan stars as the main character, Cassie who, just like the title, is a vengeful, promising young woman.

As soon as I heard about this movie, I knew it was something I had to see. The title depicts a court case in which college student, Brock Turner, received only six months in jail for sexual assault on the premise that he is a “promising young man.”

The movie discusses the idea somewhat indirectly. It showcases the fallout of such an event in which the perpetrator receives no consequence for his actions, with a promising young woman having her life greatly affected by the verdict.

Upon viewing the movie, I was left speech-

less. Mulligan’s performance is striking and raw. Every shot is valuable, and the story does not miss a beat with its powerful message.

“Promising Young Woman,” focuses on Cassie’s attempt to enact revenge on those involved in her best friend’s sexual assault. The plot is gripping, as the viewer follows Cassie through her nights spent at bars, trying to lure men back to her place to teach them a “moral lesson.”

The film also brings a new freshness to what a female heroine can be. Mulligan plays the role beautifully and has the audience both question her choices and fully stand with her as she toes the line between a calculated sociopath and a woman who has been deeply hurt. This movie has made my definitive list of “Must Watch” films and it should certainly be on yours.

The story is impactful, and it is only bolstered by the powerful team behind it.

“Promising Young Woman” is certainly a game-changer and world-shaker.

The Music Corner What has A&E Editor Ryan Cleary been listening to this past week?

Songs

Artists Green Day

1. American Idiot 2. Bob-Omb Battlefield (From “Super Mario 64’)

The 8-Bit Big Band

3. In the Mood

Doc Severinsen

4. Purple Haze

Jimi Hendrix Experience

5. Rise Again

Celtic Thunder

6. What I Needed

Cody Fry

SUTV Preview

Follow SUTV on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all segments throughout the semester and check out its website at SUTVNews.org.

Tuesday: Sports

Wednesday: World News/ Entertainment

Thursday: Ship News/Weather

E1

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Sports

Baseball, E2

Lacrosse, E3

‘Everything happens for a reason’ Marchini’s improbable comeback from grueling injury Christian Eby Sports Editor

In summer 2019, after rigorous training in Colorado for the upcoming season, Shippensburg University senior Isabella Marchini returned to the Shippensburg area for a counselor position in the local high school cross-country summer camp.

On her last run during the summer camp, Marchini felt her leg seize up. She immediately realized something was wrong.

“I had been racking up mileage,” Marchini said. “And on my last run; it was a long run. About 10 miles. I just stopped after the 10 miles and that’s when it just hit me. It just happened.”

That happening Marchini described was an injury to her iliotibial band (IT band). The IT band is a long piece of connective tissue that runs along the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee and shinbone. It is most used to rotate, extend and abduct the hip.

In Marchini’s case, the injury was just the beginning to a long road of visits to the doctor, rehabilitation and multiple rounds of tests and scans. In fact, the entire process stretched seven months (July 2019 to February 2020), forcing her to forgo her junior cross-country and indoor track-and-field season.

Marchini said her journey consisted of five steps: physical therapy, MRI’s, X-rays, a cortisone shot in her knee and an arthrogram (an MRI where dye is injected into a joint). Through all that, the end result yielded no diagnosis.

After the lengths of testing, Marchini eventually had surgery on her leg, with the official diagnosis being IT band syndrome. Marchini said a band of foreign tissue was found wrapped around her patella (kneecap) in addition to other structures. Thankfully, after the surgery was performed, her pain went away.

Marchini placed 34th in last Saturday’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships, just four spots outside of All-PSAC Second Team honors, her

Photos courtesy of Bill Smith/SU Sports Info.

Bella Marchini (front) runs at SU’s 2019 outdoor track-and-field invite. In 2019, she placed fifth at the PSAC Championships in the 5,000-meters (5K).

recovery from the grueling injury coming full circle.

But even after the seemingly never-ending nightmare, Marchini said the previous seven months took a toll on her. Not just physically, but mentally. And she did it with the nagging pressure of coursework, making trips home for testing, all while assuring she was still there for her teammates in some capacity.

It was the ultimate test. It broke her heart knowing she could not compete with her teammates and friends. Marchini wanted to be a leader, but she felt she could not.

She said it was the darkest moment of her life. It was a time when she did not want to be around anyone.

“I was trying so hard to be emotionally there for my teammates because we were such a young team,” Marchini said. “I was the oldest one. We had about two seniors that were part of the track team that ran cross country, but other than that, I was the most experienced. I was supposed to be the leader.”

“I could not lead them physically. I could not run with them. I couldn’t travel with them. And so, being away from my teammates, I felt super isolated. I was pretty much putting on an act in front of everyone that I was doing OK. I was pretty much a disaster.”

The climb back

Marchini in 2017 for SU’s cross-country team.

Marchini refused to give up.

In total, she was unable to run for 10 months. However, through consistent physical therapy, a positive attitude and believing in herself, Marchini saw the light at the end of

the tunnel by defying the odds and returning for her senior season.

For most SU cross-country runners, it had been over a year since they had taken the course in a competitive collegiate meet.

But for Marchini, the highly anticipated wait was significantly longer — 840 days to be exact.

Last fall, the Raiders saw their fall season stripped due to the seemingly ceaseless and unforgiving coronavirus pandemic. However, once the raging storm of COVID-19 ever so slowly began to settle, the PSAC announced a championship cross-country schedule would be held this spring. And it did take place, with the PSAC Championships wrapping up the truncated season March 20.

For Marchini, who had seen a plethora of success at the PSAC Championships in past years — a 2018 All-PSAC First Team nod, followed by a 2018 All-Atlantic Region First Team performance — this year’s championships served as a rollercoaster full of emotions. It was her first cross-country appearance in nearly two and half years, with her last being the 2018 NCAA Championships. It was also likely the last in her lifetime.

“I was honestly just trying to take in every moment,” Marchini said.

“It’s kind of weird. You don’t really experience something new a whole lot, really things just don’t end. And I have been running cross-country since I was 10 or 11 years old, and this was the last cross-country race I’ll ever run. So, I was really trying to take in that day.”

Marchini, who placed 34th last Saturday, said although the impressive finish felt rewarding, it was the

improbable comeback and months upon months of training, rehabbing and growth of mental toughness that got her back to this point. It is what hit home the most.

While the 2020 cross-country season ended just about as fast as it arrived — Marchini did not compete in the two cross-country regular season meets due to foot tendinitis — Marchini has another six-week campaign ahead of her: outdoor track-and-field. She said she is more excited than ever.

“I get so motivated for track.

It’s just so fun. Way more fun than cross-country, honestly,” Marchini said with a laugh. “It can be just as painful, sometimes more painful than cross-country. But there’s just something about the track, I want to do it every single day.”

Similar to her feats in cross-country, Marchini thrives on the outdoor circuit in track-and-field.

Seeing most of her success in the 1,500-meters and 5K — with a concentration in the 5K this year, she said — Marchini’s accolades beat to the drum of personal bests, a 2018 sixth-place finish in the 1,500-meters and a fifth-place tally in 2019 in the 5K. “I honestly feel great and I am really, really excited to end my career on a good note,” she said.

Looking back Despite all the hardships, Marchini said she will never forget how she got here. If anything, she said she is thankful for those unrelenting seven to 10 months.

She also credits the support team she had around her. Specifically, SU cross-country head coach Steve

Spence.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better coach. [Coach] Spence is the most knowledgeable human being I have ever met,” she said. “Him being my coach is one of the reasons being at Ship has been so good. And I love my teammates and Spence is that added bonus.”

Marchini is set to graduate from SU in May with an exercise science degree and said she has fond memories to take with her from her tenure in a Raiders’ uniform. Everything from unforgettable moments on the track and cross-country course, to traveling from meet to meet or even things as simple as preseasons.

One of her most memorable moments was traveling to nationals her freshman year.

“My favorite memory was during my freshman year. I didn’t run at nationals, but I was able to travel with the team to nationals in Indiana,” Marchini said. “I personally love travel days. Not a lot of people do, but that was probably one of the most fun things I’ve ever done because I got to go and watch everyone but not have the stress of actually running at nationals.”

And after everything she endured, she now lives by the mantra, “Everything happens for a reason.”

“Everything happens for a reason,” she said. “I was not supposed to run my junior year of cross-country for whatever reason, but it’s like that happened, so that I can be here now. It sounds so cheesy, but everything does happen for a reason, and I was not meant to run in my junior year. Maybe something detrimental would have happened, and in a sense this injury saved me.”

Tennis begins condensed 2021 season Jack Ansley Staff Writer

The Shippensburg University tennis team is returning to the court after a shortened 2019-20 season.

Last spring, the tennis team’s season was shortened due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Although the season was shortened, the team was able to play in nine contests of its 20-match schedule. They went winless in that stretch, finishing 0-9.

One big change for the team this year is the addition of first-year head coach Alison Feeney. Feeney was named the head coach of

the team in August 2020. Feeney served as the faculty athletic mentor (FAM) during the 2019-20 season.

Feeney has been a geography and earth science department professor at SU for 23 years.

In terms of tennis experience, Feeney has competed in multiple adult tennis leagues.

She is rated at 4.5 in the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP), which is the rating system used by the United States Tennis Association (UTSA). Feeney also has experience in postseason regional and district tournament competition, spanning across multiple states.

One player that should contribute to the team’s success is junior Jenna Sluymer.

Sluymer joined the team during the short-

ened 2020 spring season. In her first season on the team, Sluymer immediately emerged as one of the team’s top players.

During the truncated season, Sluymer competed in three singles matches and four doubles matches. One of those single matches was against the No. 2 ranked competitor from Immaculata University. Sluymer also was part of a doubles win against the No. 1 duo from Winona State University.

Due to the pandemic, there are a handful of players that are going to be making their collegiate tennis debut this spring. One of those members is junior Sharon Matesun. Matesun joined the team during spring 2020 but did not see any match action.

Another player that is going to make her debut for the Raiders this spring is freshman Skylar Walder. Walder is coming off a very successful high school tennis career. She was named in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) First Team in her junior and senior years at Morris Knolls High School in Denville, New Jersey. She also contributed to a championship her senior year as the team captain.

The final player to watch for the Raiders this season is sophomore Sahar Islam.

Read the full story at theslateonline.com.

SPORTS

March 30, 2021

E2

Baseball sweeps Lock Haven, vaults to .500

Carmine Scicchitano/The Slate Coming off a career week filled with awards, junior Ben Werkheiser kept a hot bat, going 3-for-10 with three walks and three runs.

Christian Eby Sports Editor

Coming into Saturday’s doubleheader, the Shippensburg University baseball team was already riding high after claiming two victories over Lock Haven University Friday.

On Saturday, the Raiders decided that stopping at two was not an option. That included graduate student JuJu Cason, who launched a walk off two-run home run over the right field fence in the bottom of the ninth, propelling the Raiders to the 4-3 Game 3 win. The win would eventually set up SU for the four-game weekend sweep, vaulting the Raiders back to the .500 mark at 7-7.

Cason’s first walk off in an SU uniform was just the cherry on top to a handful of impressive weekend performances from his teammates. In Game 2, redshirt-sophomore Kiernan Higgins took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning. And you cannot leave out junior Chase Zurawski’s barrage of hitting, finishing

his weekend at a 6-for-13 line with seven RBIs and five runs.

In total, SU piled on a 27-11 scoring margin over the Bald Eagles (2-10, 2-10 PSAC East), earning 6-5, 10-0, 4-3, and 7-3 victories across the two-day span.

Zurawski opened the floodgates in Game 1, notching an RBI triple in the top of the first followed by a three-RBI double in the third, pushing the SU lead out to a quick 4-0. Freshman Justin Byler boosted the SU advantage on a sacrifice fly, making it 5-0. Lock Haven responded with a three-run bottom of the third and a two-run bottom of the sixth, evening the score at five.

Byler came in clutch in the seventh, plating Zurawski on a single.

Graduate student Kyle Lysy (1-2) saw his worst outing of the year in 5 2/3 innings of work. Lysy scattered seven hits and four earned runs, while ringing up five. Sophomore Noah Nabholz came in relief, striking out three over the remaining 1 1/3 innings, closing the door on a 6-5 SU opening game win.

Higgins needed no help in Game 2 but received plenty from the batter’s box. Pitching a complete-game shutout — flirting with a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings — Higgins wrung up 10 Bald Eagles and gifted four free passes. The 10 Ks yielded as back-to-back double-digit strikeout performances for Higgins.

Byler remained prominent in the victory, totaling three RBIs thanks to an opening-inning two-run blast to left-center field and a third-inning triple. Cason contributed two RBIs, a sacrifice fly and a triple. Sophomore Justin Darden nuked his second homer of the year in the fifth, which plated two runs and rounded out the Raiders’ scoring.

Game 3 presented a showdown on the rubber with neither starting pitcher giving in. Freshman Kaleb Sophy (1-1) molded together another noteworthy outing, working eight innings, all while dispersing six hits for two earned runs and a career-high 12 strikeouts. As if duplicating Higgins, Sophy’s 12 ring ups also served as his second straight game with double-digit strikeouts.

Nabholz tossed the final inning, allowing one earned run, while striking out two batters. Nabholz completed his weekend with two wins.

Darden tallied the pair of RBIs on a fourth-inning single before Cason’s extra-innings blast. Cason’s Game 3 line ended at 3-5 with the homerun, two RBIs and two stolen bases.

Freshman Gabe Stotler (2-0) received the Game 4 nod, following a three-inning exit in last weekend’s appearance due to injury concerns. He got the job done in 4 1/3 innings Saturday, earning his second win. Stotler gave up nine hits, three earned runs and knee-buckled five.

Freshman Austin Labarre sported a solid appearance out of the bullpen, going 2 2/3 innings. He allowed a single hit and struck out three in the process, while earning the save.

Hitting wise, SU scored six of its seven runs in the first three innings. Zurawski remained hot at the plate, with a first-inning two-run triple and a two RBI single in the second.

Junior Ben Werkheiser, who is coming off a week filled with accolades — he earned National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Hitter of the Week , NCBWA Athlete of the Week and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Athlete of the Week — made sure to build off his busy week by ending the weekend of Raider scoring with an RBI double in the sixth.

With momentum in their favor, the Raiders will take on PSAC powerhouse Millersville University Friday and Saturday for another four-game, home-and-home series. SU travels to the Marauders’ diamond Friday before returning to Fairchild Field Saturday. First pitches for both days are scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m.

Raider of the week: Chase Zurawski

- Went 6-for-13 in four-game series versus Lock Haven -Totaled seven RBIs, four extra-base hits and five runs -Propelled Raiders to four-game sweep of the Bald Eagles Photo courtesy of Bill Smith/SU Sports Info.

Softball makes easy work of Lock Haven in Saturday contests Isaiah Snead

Asst. Sports Editor

Shippensburg University’s softball team enjoyed two blowout victories in a doubleheader sweep of Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division

counterpart, Lock Haven University.

SU (7-9, 6-8 PSAC) belted out 25 hits total, with all nine Raiders collecting two or more knocks in the 8-1 and 9-3 wins.

The Raiders used the two-out rallies to get on the board Saturday,

with 13 of their 17 total runs coming with two outs.

In the first inning of Game 1, SU scored six runs, setting the tone for the rest of the day. Sophomore Hannah Marsteller opened it up with an RBI triple, with junior Courtney Coy plating her soon af-

Heather Ross/The Slate Brianna Small tossed her first career complete game in Game 1 Saturday, scattering five hits and striking out 11.

ter, a line drive single.

With the bases loaded in the same inning, freshman Toni Jones hit a two-run single to left field, followed by a two-run single to the same spot by sophomore Lacey Hunter.

Sophomore Morgan DeFeo and freshman Taylor Radziewicz got SU their last two runs in the fifth off RBI singles.

Freshman Brianna Small pitched a complete game, giving up just one run. She retired the first nine batters she faced, striking out 11.

To start Game 2, SU kept the ball in Small’s hand. However, LHU seemed to figure out her strategy as she gave up two runs in the first inning and was pulled in favor of freshman Maelynn Leber.

Leber went on to finish the game, only allowing one run on five hits in 6.1 innings of work.

Marsteller got a run back for the Raiders in the bottom of the first as a result of an RBI single. Although, the bats really exploded for SU during the third inning.

DeFeo opened the inning with an RBI double, followed by a fielder’s choice and a Marsteller sacrifice fly to make it a 4-2 SU lead.

Three straight two-out singles later

played by Jones, Hunter and freshman Cori Ritter, the lead amounted to 7-2.

The bottom of the sixth saw Radziewicz and Leber pad the lead with RBI singles, with Shippensburg going on to win 9-3.

Marsteller has started the season on a 16-game hitting streak, which ties the longest known single-season hitting streak in school history.

Dating back to when the 2020 season ended, Marsteller is on a 21game hitting streak. According to the NCAA Division II record book, only two PSAC players have ever gone on a 25-game or more streak.

SU will play Millersville University Friday and Saturday, another PSAC East four-game home-andhome series. The Raiders will host the Marauders Friday and hit the road Saturday. First pitches Friday are set for 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.

SPORTS

E3

March 30, 2021

Lacrosse ends five-game skid, beats Kutztown 12-5

Sophomore Sydney Costanza (No. 11) goes head-to-head with a Shepherd University defender last Saturday.

Christian Eby Sports Editor

The Shippensburg University women’s lacrosse team found themselves in a five-game skid to start their season.

However, their fortune changed Saturday thanks to an electric performance on the road against Kutztown University, resulting in a 12-5 victory.

Prior to Saturday’s win, the Raiders (1-5, 1-4 PSAC East) struggled to piece together a full 60 minutes in their previous five contests, typically losing the upper hand in the sec-

ond half and being outscored by a 37-22 second frame margin. SU rewrote that script Saturday, garnering control from beginning to end.

After a Golden Bears’ (1-4, 1-3 PSAC East) opening score, the Raiders swung the pendulum in their favor. Junior Alana Cardici netted the first SU goal at the 25:55 mark, fueling a quick 5-0 run.

Sophomores Hannah Seifried and Gabby Savarino added to the cause, before Cardaci spurted off two more of her own, completing the opening frame hat trick.

Later, freshman Bailey Krahl found the net for her fourth goal of the year, building the Raider lead

to 6-2. Freshman Abby Seasock, Seifried, and Cardaci went on a 3-0 run in the remaining five minutes, bolstering the SU lead to 9-3 going into the break, Cardaci ending the day with four goals.

The second half was less eventful as the Raiders took the slim 3-2 advantage in the scoring category.

Junior Maddy Siejk fired a shot into the twine at 19:05, notching her first goal of the season. Savarino returned the favor eight minutes later with her second goal, followed

by Seifried’s score, under one minute remaining. The score was Seifried’s third hat trick of the 2021 campaign.

Carmine Scicchitano/The Slate

The Raider defense held up its end of the bargain, allowing a mere 11 shots on goal. Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper KiKi Brasher completed her afternoon with five goals allowed and six saves.

Krahl had a whopping six assists in the win, an easy career-high for her. Siejk paced the Raiders with four ground balls, with junior defender, Madi Jones totaling three.

Seifried once again led in draw controls, bringing in six.

Despite its victory Saturday, SU did not see the same success earlier in the week when the Raiders squared off against the Bloomsburg University Huskies Tuesday.

Following the same uniform pattern as their first four contests, the Raiders found themselves at the back end of a lopsided contest, with the Huskies coming out on top 17-7.

Bloomsburg (3-2, 3-2 PSAC East) raced out to a 4-0 run before junior Jessica DeMarte snuck one past the goalkeeper, her first of the year. The Huskies countered in fashion, puzzling together another run (5-0).

Seifried and Cardaci stopped the Huskies’ momentum, contributing a goal apiece, chipping away at the deficit and making it 9-3. Bloomsburg rallied for two more goals to close the first frame at 11-3.

The second stanza presented a similar outcome, with Bloomsburg tickling the twine to the tune of a 6-4 advantage.

The Huskies opened the frame with an additional two goals. Sophomore Kasey Schuchardt interrupted the Huskies’ bevy of scoring at 24:52, the first goal of her collegiate career. Savarino, Krahl and Seifried rounded out the Raiders’ scoring, ending the contest at 17-7.

In the net, freshman Ally Weneta earned the start in 43 minutes of action, allowing 14 goals, notching seven saves and was tagged for the loss. Brasher toughed it out for the remaining 17, conceding three goals to go along with four saves.

Sophomore defender, McKenna Keller led SU in ground balls and caused turnovers, totaling three in each category. Sophomore Sydney Costanza tallied the lone assist, and Seifried dominated the center circle, earning four draw controls.

The Raiders return to Robb Sports Complex Saturday to face the Warriors of East Stroudsburg.

The game is set to begin at 1 p.m.

Track & Field makes splash after two-year hiatus Christian Eby Sports Editor

The wait was well worth it.

After their 2020 season fell victim to the unrelenting coronavirus pandemic, the Shippensburg University men’s and women’s outdoor track-and-field teams reached the end of a strenuous and taxing road Saturday, competing in their first outdoor collegiate meet in two years.

The teams were split between the Elliston Earlybird Open at Lock Haven University, and the West Chester Tri-Meet at West Chester University’s home track.

Despite the two-year hiatus, the Raiders showed to be in near midseason form, with an abundance of SU runners having career days, some even breaking records.

Freshman Leah Graybill wasted no time in her outdoor debut at West Chester. The 2020 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women’s Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year added another record-shattering performance to her growing resume of school records.

In the 100-meter dash, Graybill posted a time of 12.32, good enough for the meet record. She followed that up with another firstplace finish in the 200-meter dash, notching a time of 24.93.

Fellow freshman Lieke Black also impressed in her outdoor debut, placing first in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1.06.86.

In the same heat, SU freshman Megan Kendall and redshirt-sophomore Malayna Rowe took home second and third place. Kendall

Photos courtesy of Bill Smith/SU Sports Info.

2019-20 PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Year for basketball, junior Ariel Jones, practices last week in the triple jump at Seth Grove Stadium.

saw first-place success earlier in the day in the 100-meter hurdles.

Junior basketball star Ariel Jones tallied first in the women’s triple jump at 11.38 meters, later capturing second in the women’s high jump only to place behind new meet record holder, Kutztown University’s Rebecca Hemingway.

Senior Zarria Williams hit 5.60 meters in

Redshirt-junior Alec Stimson practices his javelin throw last week at Seth Grove Stadium.

the women’s long jump, earning her the firstplace spot.

For the men’s team, freshman Eric Kirk made quite the splash in his first outdoor appearance, snagging first-place marks in the 100 and 200-meter dash with times of 10.89 and 22.24. He bested graduate student and teammate Charles Bowman Jr. in the 200-meter dash. However, Bowman already claimed a first-place crowning of his own in the 110-meter hurdles at 14.54, .07 seconds off the meet record.

Other notables at the tri-meet included sophomores Nate Reed and Jordan Winslow.

Reed ran away with first place in the men’s long jump and javelin throw, while Winslow claimed the top spot in the men’s high jump.

Junior Shaquille Mitchell also contributed to the Raider first-place marks, finishing first in the men’s triple jump.

Up at Lock Haven, the Raiders throwing group totaled a combined four first-place finishes.

Paving the way was sophomore Patrick Maloney, who claimed the top seedings in both the men’s discus and hammer throw.

Maloney’s best throws measured at 48.32 meters (discus) and 54.76 meters (hammer).

On the women’s side, sophomore Madisen Kling and junior Kate Matrisciano each notched first in their respective events. Kling captured first in the discus throw, while Matrisciano rallied around her teammate in shot

put, placing first there. Matrisciano barely trailed Kling in discus, a mere .59 meters behind.

Senior Cam Strohe, sophomore Joshua Herbster and sophomore Brooks Bear also served as SU’s top throwers, racking up multiple Top 5 placings each.

For the runners, freshman Drew Dailey, who was coming off a ninth-place finish at the PSAC Championships in cross-country, seemed to carry over the momentum from last Saturday. Dailey, who also earned 2020 PSAC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year and 2020 PSAC Indoor Championships Most Valuable Athlete honors, posted first-place times of 1:54.40 and 3:58.13 in the 800 and 1,500-meters.

Freshman Hayden Hunt finished second in the 5,000-meters, hitting a time of 15:18.29, dazzling in his SU outdoor debut.

Sophomore Kyra Gerber, a 2020 All-PSAC First team honoree in cross-country, kicked off her outdoor campaign in style, placing second in the 1,500-meters and fourth in the 800-meters.

The Raiders return to the track Saturday for another split squad. They will travel to Lehigh University for the Lehigh Home Meet, or head to Millersville University for the Millersville Metrics. The Lehigh meet is slated for 10 a.m., while a time at Millersville has yet to be announced.