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INDIANA LGBT FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO STOUFFER HALL

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P News Editor: Katie Mest – K.A.Mest@iup.edu

Interactive diversity play premieres Tuesday

By STEPHANIE BACHMAN Staff Writer S.L.Bachman2@iup.edu

The Center for Multicultural Student Leadership and Engagement (MCSLE) is hosting “The Defamation Experience,” an interactive diversity play, from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday in Gorell Recital Hall on the second floor of Sutton Hall.

The play is a courtroom drama that focuses on race, religion, class and gender. While the main actors are part of a professional touring production, the audience is the jury.

This makes each performance of “The Defamation Experience” unique.

The drama focuses on the civil suit of Wade v. Golden, where “a South Side African-American woman sues a Jewish North Shore real estate developer for defamation,” according to the play’s website.

The plaintiff argues that she was falsely accused of stealing the defendant’s watch and that this

(Defamation the Play website) “The Defamation Experience” is a unique performance in which the audience determines the outcome of the court case.

has caused her financial harm.

The play is written by Todd Logan, who said he “wanted to write a play that encourages greater tolerance and understanding by spurring self-examination and promoting compelling civil discourse,” according to the website.

The interactive drama is followed by a group discussion led

by one of the cast members.

“This is an opportunity for students to self-reflect on their thoughts about race, religion, gender and class,” said Leslie Coates, assistant director for Multicultural Affairs and Student Success.

“What students could learn and practice from this production is

not only good for them, but the community at large. Students need to know the true value of diversity and inclusion.

“We want our students to demonstrate and apply critical, reflective and creative thinking. We want students to engage in behaviors that advance the well-being of self and other.”

MCSLE decided to put on the play because it addresses three of the four goals of IUP’s strategic plan relating to diversity and inclusion, Coates said.

These three goals include student success, individual and community well-being and inclusion and engagement.

Coates said that the play is especially important in light of recent events both nationally and at IUP. “We are aware of some of the tensions nationally and know some of the incidents that have occurred here at IUP,” Coates said. “So, naturally this is a great opportunity for self-reflection and open, honest, difficult and sometimes uncomfortable discussion to happen.”

Coates added that “The Defamation Experience” is only the beginning.

She hopes these discussions continue in the class room, in study groups, in clubs and organizations.

Indiana LGBT film festival comes to Stouffer Hall

By DYLAN LYLE Staff Writer D.S.Lyle@iup.edu

The Indiana Cares Campaign to End Homophobia is hosting its 14th annual LGBT Film Festival every Sunday in October at Beard Auditorium in Stouffer Hall.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. There will be select short films shown before each night’s feature. On the final Sunday in October, there will be a double feature, and pizza will be served between the films.

Gwendolyn Torges, an associate professor of political science, teaches a class called Sexuality and the Law. Torges commented on the impact film has on homosexuality in the public eye.

“You win minds and hearts with sympathetic portrayals and normalizing situations,” Torges said.

Although current legislation al-

News

lows people to marry regardless of their sexuality, homophobia is still present today.

“You can only go so far with legislation,” Torges said. “Being exposed to homosexuality on programs like ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ and ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,’ pave the way for society to be more understanding when decisions are made by the courts.”

The first film was “Signature Move” on Sunday. This film is about a Pakistani muslim woman who lives in Chicago, where she takes care of her TV-obsessed mother and eventually falls in love with a bold, bright Mexican woman.

This Sunday, the eve of National Coming Out Week, the festival features “Handsome Devil.”

This film is a coming-of-age drama that follows the experience of a loner and a star athlete who are forced to share a room at a rugby-obsessed boarding school.

The two form an unlikely friendship that is challenged by the authorities.

On Oct. 15, the festival features “This is Everything,” a documentary that follows the struggles of a championship diver who announces he is transitioning from male to female.

On Oct. 22, the festival features the powerful drama “Million Happy Nows.”

This film follows a retired lesbian soap opera star who moves to each house with her partner. The star has early onset Alzheimer’s, which strains her relationship.

On the final Sunday, Oct. 29, the festival will feature two films.

The first feature is “Sebastian.”

This film chronicles the weeklong romance between two very different men.

The second film feature is “Quest,” a tender depiction of an American family whose journey is a profound testament to love, healing and hope.

October 3, 2017

14th annual indiana lgbt film festival Oct. 1 - Signature Move Oct. 8 - Handsome Devil Oct. 15 - This is Everything Oct. 22 - A Million Happy Nows Oct. 29 - Sebastian Oct. 29 - Quest *Beard auditorium, iup stouffer hall* (Indiana Cares Campaign website)

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October 3, 2017

Police Blotter Criminal Mischief

• A motor home was damaged and a flat screen TV was reportedly stolen from inside the motor home sometime between Sept. 1 and Oct. 1 in the 1100 block of Elmer Avenue, according to the Indiana Borough Police Department. Anyone with information about the incident should call borough police at 724-349-2121.

• A person reportedly threw rocks at a residence causing two windows to break at 4:21 a.m. Oct. 1 in the 900 block of Gompers Avenue, according to borough police. Anyone with information about the incident should contact borough police.

• A window was reportedly punched by a white male wearing a black shirt and gray shorts causing the glass to break at 1:05 a.m. Sept. 30 at 577 Philadelphia St., according to borough police. Anyone with information about the incident should contact borough police.

Theft/Burglary

• A 20-foot aluminum extension ladder was reportedly stolen from the rear of a residence sometime between 2 and 7:15 p.m. Oct. 1 in South East Avenue, according to borough police. Anyone with information about the incident should contact borough police.

• A six foot flag pole with the American flag was reportedly stolen from the yard of a resident at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30 in the 600 block of School Street, according to borough police. Anyone with information about the incident should contact borough police.

• Someone reportedly stole cash out of the cash registers at The Funky Brunch sometime between 11 p.m. Sept. 27 and 7 a.m. Sept. 28 at 701 Philadelphia St., according to borough police. Anyone with information about the incident should contact borough police.

• A double-head parking meter was reportedly damaged and stolen by two black males at 2:30 a.m. Sept. 23 in the 00 block of South Taylor Avenue, according to borough police. Anyone with information about the incident should contact borough police.

• A black and silver iPod was reportedly stolen from within a parked vehicle sometime between 8:30 p.m. Sept. 27 and 1:45 p.m. Sept. 28 in the 800 block of Grant Street, according to borough police. Anyone with information about the incident should contact borough police.

Drug Violations

• Joshua McCoy, 19, of Pittsburgh, was charged with possession of marijuana, criminal use of communication, delivery and possession with intent to deliver marijuana at 7:16 p.m. Sept. 28 in Stephenson Hall, according to IUP University Police.

• Shalisa Green, 18, of Baltimore, Md., was charged with possession of marijuana at 7:23 p.m. Sept. 28 under the Stephenson Hall rotunda, according to university police.

Alcohol violations

• Quinton Westerbeck, 18, of Latrobe, was cited with underage drinking, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct at 1:26 a.m. Sept. 29 in the Wallwork center courtyard, according to university police.

• Joshua McCoy, 19, of Pittsburgh, was cited with underage drinking and public drunkenness at 7:48 p.m. Sept. 29 in Stephenson Hall, according to university police.

• Myles Marino, 18, of Canonsburg, was cited with underage drinking at 1:56 a.m. Sept. 30 in Putt Hall, according to university police.

News

Wells Fargo CEO to vow reforms well underway following accounts scandal

By LAURENCE DARMIENTO Los Angeles Times TNS

Wells Fargo Chief Executive Timothy Sloan is expected to tell a Senate committee Tuesday that the San Francisco bank has made substantial progress in reforming itself following its accounts scandal.

Sloan will testify before the Banking Committee following the one-year anniversary of the disclosure that bank employees, trying to meet onerous sales goals, created millions of accounts without customer permission.

“The past year has been a time of great disappointment and transition at Wells Fargo because we recognized, too late, the full scope and seriousness of the problems in our Community Bank,” Sloan says, according to a transcript of his prepared testimony, which was released by Wells Fargo.

“I also want to be clear about another thing: Wells Fargo is a better bank today than it was a year ago. And next year, Wells Fargo will be a better bank than it is today,” the transcript goes on to state.

The committee has asked Sloan to appear before it to give a progress report on what actions the bank has taken since it was announced on Sept. 9, 2016, that Wells Fargo would pay $185 million to regulators after admitting as many as 2.1 million unauthorized checking, savings, credit card and other accounts were created.

Then-CEO John Stumpf appeared before the Senate committee and its House counterpart within a few weeks, during which his leadership and the bank were denounced.

He was ousted shortly thereafter, and Sloan assumed the post on Oct. 13.

The initial estimate of possible unauthorized accounts was based on a review from 2011 to 2015.

Since then, Wells Fargo expanded its review to 2009 through last year and has upped its estimate to 3.5 million.

It also has agreed to settle several class action lawsuits over the scandal for $142 million, and, according to the testimony, is pay-

(TNS) Wells Fargo Chief Executive Timothy Sloan will speak to a Senate committee Tuesday and is expected to say that the bank has reforms well underway.

ing $6.1 million in direct refunds for charges and fees related to the unwanted accounts.

It’s been a year since the Wells Fargo scandal broke – and new problems are still surfacing.

Much of Sloan’s prepared remarks highlight actions and changes at the bank that have been previously reported or disclosed, including the adoption of a new employee incentive program based on customer service performance and the elimination of product sales goals for retail bankers.

Sloan says that the bank is on pace to have its retail branches visited 16,000 times by employees posing as customers – so called “mystery shoppers.”

Sloan added that he and other senior executive have visited more than 100 branch offices as part of the reform effort.

The bank reported last year it fired 5,300 employees over the sales practices, and the bank has since rehired 1,780 employees

“who left the bank during those years,” according to the transcript.

Despite its reform effort, the scandal has taken a toll on the bank’s image.

Wells Fargo has reported a decline in new retail account openings since last year. There also has been a steady stream of new disclosures that have further tarnished it.

In July, the bank said it would pay $80 million in refunds to hundreds of thousands of autoloan borrowers who were forced to pay for bank-purchased auto insurance policies despite having coverage of their own.

Other suits filed over the last year allege a bevvy of additional problems, including improperly changing the terms of mortgage loans for bankrupt borrowers, signing up customers for unauthorized life insurance policies and overcharging small businesses for credit- and debit-card processing services.

October 3, 2017

News

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Las Vegas security officials comment on safety procedures

By EMMA DUMAIN, ANITA

KUMAR and LESLEY CLARK McClatchy Washington Bureau TNS

Hours after a 64-year-old man smashed open his hotel room window and opened fire on an outdoor music festival down below, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said there was no way anyone could have stopped the nation’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history from taking place.

“This is an individual described as a ‘lone wolf,’” Lombardo said at a news conference Monday.

“I don’t know how it could have been prevented if we didn’t have any prior knowledge of this individual.”

All over America, law enforcement officials, politicians and hotel and concert managers offered the same sad lament: There’s very little, they said, that could be done.

Banning outdoor events won’t stop this type of mass violence, they argued. And many rejected suggestions of tighter security at sporting events and concerts, citing high costs and difficult logistics.

“This country has so many public venues, and it’s built on the premise of free assembly for whatever purpose – for political purposes, for religious purposes or even just for amusement, as was the case here,” said Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police.

“It’s hard to say what more could be done that hasn’t been done short of curtailing the American way of life, which I don’t think is a particularly good idea.”

er We off ester m one-se ses! lea

(TNS) U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, led a moment of silence for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting Monday on the South Lawn of the White House with White House staff.

Major league sports already require patrons to go through metal detectors. Security personnel are omnipresent at concerts. Big hotels have sophisticated security systems and well-trained staff members looking out for trouble.

The Las Vegas music festival was fully staffed with security personnel. And law enforcement was well aware of the potential for such incidents, particularly after the mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub last year.

Matt Puckett, executive director of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, which represents about 26,000 police officers, recalled Florida lawmakers discussing steps that could be taken.

Barring big outdoor events was not on the list.

“I don’t think shutting down outdoor venues would be something that would work,” he said, citing manpower and logistical

problems. “Florida is a touristbased, outdoor-based economy.”

Even the simplest solution – “more security personnel “ – is not the answer.

No one anticipated a gunman was waiting for the right moment to shoot Las Vegas concertgoers from above at the nearby Mandalay Hotel and Casino, killing at least 59 people and wounding hundreds more.

Sports events could be a particularly appealing target, with tens of thousands of fans and national television attention.

In recent years, metal detectors have become a regular feature at arenas and stadiums to prevent weapons from being smuggled inside.

Hotels have different challenges, particularly in a city such as Las Vegas, where mega-resorts have thousands of windows, and thus opportunities, for mayhem.

In a statement, the American Hotel & Lodging Association didn’t say how hotels might change their protocol now that a member of its network had been used as a base to launch a violent crime.

“As a business that is centered on serving the public, no issue is more important than safety and security,” AHLA President and CEO Katherine Luga said. “Hotels have safety and security procedures in place that are regularly reviewed, tested and updated as are their emergency response procedures.

“As we better understand the facts in the coming days, we will continue to work with law enforcement to evaluate these measures.”

Could the Mandalay Bay Hotel have done anything differently?

Experts said there were few, if any, ways the staff could have detected the degree of danger the suspected shooter, Stephen Paddock, posed.

He had no criminal record and was somehow able to keep as many as 19 firearms in his room without attracting attention from members of the housekeeping crew.

Sgt. John Krupinsky, who has spent more than three decades at the police department in Danbury, Conn., said aside from momand-pop operations, hotels tend to have good security. Casinos, he said, have particularly strong security.

Hotel workers, he said – primarily people at the front desk – are often the first to call police.

Pasco said that unless hotels were going to start mandating luggage and room searches,

there’s nothing to stop someone from hiding weapons in a bag or closet and going undetected.

Besides, he pointed out, even if Paddock had left his guns out in the open, he would not have been doing anything illegal.

The state does not prohibit an individual from carrying a gun or even limit how many guns he or she might have at any given time.

Nevadans are able to possess automatic assault weapons and machine guns so long as they are registered.

Because Paddock, who was found dead in his hotel room after the shooting, lacked any record with law enforcement, it could be he obtained his weapons legally, background checks and all.

One obvious way of preventing such tragedies would be curbs on guns, but that’s highly unlikely to happen.

Republicans, who control the White House and both chambers of Congress, are not expected to allow any such measure to move through the legislative process.

The party has longstanding relationships with a pro-Second Amendment base and the powerful National Rifle Association.

President Donald Trump also declined to call for Congress to take action on guns on Monday, instead calling for thoughts and prayers. His press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, later said it was not the time to politicize a tragedy.

Tom Ridge, the first secretary for Homeland Security under President George W. Bush following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, suggested in a statement that unspeakable tragedies were simply unavoidable.

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October 3, 2017

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Tax breaks aimed at small businesses may favor wealthy

By ANDREW KHOURI Los Angeles Times TNS

When Republicans rolled out their tax reform proposal last week, President Donald Trump highlighted a provision aimed at the vast majority of small and family-held enterprises.

Under the tax plan, which Republicans say is meant to simplify a Byzantine code and promote business investment, sole proprietors, partnerships and so-called “S corporations” would see their top tax rate drop from 39.6 percent to 25 percent.

The change is meant to help so-called “pass-through businesses,” which include momand-pop shops, restaurants, law firms, hedge funds and other large partnerships that pay taxes based on the individual tax code.

But tax experts said the biggest beneficiaries would be a small minority of wealthy business owners.

And the changes, tax experts said, are likely to complicate matters further by fueling a rush among well-off professionals to reclassify themselves as passthrough firms to shirk a maximum 35 percent personal rate.

(TNS) U.S. President Donald Trump departed the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews Sept. 26.

“There is going to be big shenanigans,” said Gonzalo Freixes, a professor of taxation at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Businesses structured as corporations are taxed at a rate of 35 percent, which the Trump plan would cut to 20 percent.

Dividends those corporations pay to their shareholders are then taxed again.

But about 95 percent of American companies – including some of Trump’s own businesses – are structured as sole proprietors, partnerships and S corporations, according to the Brookings Institution.

For these companies, profits simply “pass through” to owners, and are taxed at individual rates.

The top tax rate for individuals

and such businesses stands at 39.6 percent.

The Republican proposal would drop the personal rate to 35 percent, though it leaves the door open for Congress to add a higher rate.

Trump, in a speech in Indiana on Wednesday, said the passthrough provision would help “millions of small businesses and farms.”

“This will be the lowest top marginal income tax rate for small and mid-size businesses in this country in more than 80 years,” Trump said.

The outline, released Wednesday, said that the plan “contemplates” lawmakers “will adopt measures” to prevent wealthy people from recategorizing personal income as business income to take advantage of the new, low pass-through rate.

For example, experts say lawmakers will have to devise rules to stop engineers who make $200,000 in salary from classifying themselves as a limited liability company that their same employer would then hire.

Rules will also have to lessen the incentive for business owners to pay themselves less of a salary and argue the remainder of their haul comes from the business and not as a reward for their individual labor.

“They are both huge problems and would generate large revenue losses,” said Katie Pratt, a tax professor at Loyola Law School.

Gary Cohn, the top White House economic advisor and former president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs, said Thursday the administration has established “language” to prevent abuses, though it hasn’t been released.

“The last thing we want to see is wealthy individuals or wealthy groups or families move their tax rate down from the 35 percent rate to the 25 percent rate,” Cohn said. “We’re acutely aware of that.

Guys like myself should not be allowed to put their assets into a partnership and reduce their tax liability by 10 percent.”

Crafting rules to prevent abuses is difficult, tax experts said, noting an entire industry is devoted to helping companies and individuals achieve the lowest possible rate.

“All the tax lawyers just laugh,”

Pratt said. “It’s extremely hard to prevent.”

Earlier in September, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that “services companies that are pass-throughs will not get the benefit of the rate.”

“If you are an accountant firm and that’s clearly income, you’ll be taxed at income rates. You won’t be taxed at pass-through rates,” he said. Mnuchin suggested manufacturing companies would be treated differently.

“If you are a business that’s creating manufacturing jobs, you’re going to get the benefit of that rate, because that’s going to be passed through to help create jobs and better wages,” he said.

Pratt, the Loyola law professor, said service businesses at times have been defined to include doctors and lawyers.

But she said it’s unclear whether Mnuchin meant all service businesses would be barred from the lower rate or if they would be subjected to heightened scrutiny.

A Treasury spokeswoman did not return emails seeking clarification, and a White House spokesperson said it will be up to congressional committees to decide specific anti-abuse rules.

One of the stated goals of the Republican plan is to help business owners create jobs by freeing up more money to invest.

That’s exactly what Los Angeles attorney Kenneth Reyes said he’d do if he got a break.

Reyes, who specializes in divorce law and employs three attorneys and a paralegal, structured his firm as an S corporation.

Most recently, he said, he’s paid the top 39.6 percent rate.

He estimated he’d save around $70,000 if the rate dropped to 25 percent.

“I could use it for advertising and to hire more associates,” Reyes said.

Of course, business owners could also choose to pocket that money.

Many businesses may not make enough money to benefit from the pass-through rate.

According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, 86 percent of the 38 million households with pass-through business income already pay a tax rate of 25 percent or lower – meaning they wouldn’t benefit from reducing the cap to 25 percent.

OPINION

This isn’t a political problem, it’s a humanitarian one IT’S LIKE SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL. –JAKE OWEN (COUNRTY SINGER)

(TNS)

A curtain blew out of a broken window from an upper story of Mandalay Bay resort where a gunman opened fire, leaving at least 58 dead and more than 500 injured, during a country music festival across the street on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday night in Las Vegas.

dress how we can avoid loss of life like this.

This isn’t a bipartisan matter. It’s a humanitarian one. And nothing will change until we start acting like it.

This fall, a Republican-controlled Congress will vote on deregulating gun silencers and allowing concealed-carry permits to transfer across state lines. While these two laws certainly aren’t the only ones that contribute to a dangerously easy accessibility for firearms, they do add to an alreadyprecarious legal situation.

Voting against laws like this would be the first step on a path for safer gun control, but it would require a sacrifice for conservative lawmakers who choose to interpret an amendment written about muskets as something that can cover automatic assault

weapons in the same manner.

According to the Washington Post, Democratic members of Congress have “already drawn their political battle lines, and some have [blamed] their colleagues’ inaction for the shooting, accusing the gun rights lobby of making money off this, as well as demanding changes to gun laws — changes they almost certainly won’t get as long as Republicans control Congress.”

It is, however, possible to preserve Second Amendment rights while prioritizing American safety.

Jake Owen, a country singer who was on stage with Aldean during the shooting, likened the massacre to “shooting fish in a barrel” in a CNN interview Monday. Owen said the shooting went on for 10 minutes

without stopping.

Smarter policies that make it more difficult to acquire and use firearms of this scale will protect and save lives. Loopholes in existing laws can be closed without infringing on Americans’ rights to own guns.

Although this has always been a line of contention between the two parties, Republicans have stuck to a script of avoiding politics and offering their “thoughts and prayers to the victims and first responders” when these shootings occur, which has not helped their image nor contributed to the dialogue for change and prevention.

This sequence of events has progressed in this manner in shooting after shooting, and the politics, rightfully, seem to grow more combative with each mass shooting and terroristic attack. But, the cycle of waiting and arguing has fixed nothing.

So, the next time someone tells you to leave the talk about policies for another day, remember that today was that other day. Today was already too late.

Brought to you

By THE PENN STAFF

CARTOONS

EDITORIAL

At least 59 people were killed and more than 500 were injured in Las Vegas Sunday night when a gunman on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino opened fire on a music festival crowd during country singer Jason Aldean’s performance.

This was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, and it was preceded by the previous worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history when a shooter killed 49 people at The Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., just 16 months ago.

While everyone from the country music stars at Sunday night’s concert to the U.S. president has offered prayers for victims and their families, those with the most influence seem to be tiptoeing around a critical topic: What can we do to prevent this?

There are issues on both sides of the aisle for something of this magnitude. The problem is that Republicans seem to care more about the Second Amendment than people’s lives. The problem with Democrats is that they never seem to win.

The real problem is that both are too busy pointing fingers at each other to ad-

(TNS)

Opinion

October 3, 2017

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Culture

P Culture Editor: Seth Woolcock - S.M.Woolcock@iup.edu

(Facebook) The average temperature in October for Indiana is 59 degrees.

Fall weather offers many scenic attractions

By LAITH ZURAIKAT Staff Writer Laith.Zuraikat@iup.edu

This article contains opinion.

Although the calendar says October, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, it seems as though summer is doing its best to hang on.

With weather this nice, it almost seems wrong to spend too much time indoors, and the warm temperatures provide a great final chance to check out some of Indiana's beautiful natural attractions.

So, if you're looking for somewhere to take advantage of the weather, here are some of the cool nature spots to check out around the area.

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Hoodlebug Trail:

If you’re looking for a scenic bike ride, walk or jog, then the Hoodlebug Trail is for you. The Hoodlebug Trail is a 10-mile recreation and commuter trail running from Black Lick to Indiana. According to the Indiana Country Parks Bureau, the trail is open year-round for non-motorized activities, including bicycling, hiking and cross-country skiing. With an entrance right near campus, the trial is a convenient place to check out.

Blue Spruce Park: Located about 6 miles north of Indiana, Blue Spruce Park is open to everyone and has more than 650 acres of land. The park has more than 5 miles of trails, a public lake stocked with trout for fishing, several pavilion and lodge rent-

als, two playgrounds, a volleyball court, horseshoe court and areas for games and sports.

Buttermilk Falls: Located in New Florence, this park features an impressive 45-foot waterfall and scenic woodland. Beyond the fantastic waterfall, the 48-acre natural area features several hiking trails and a public pavilion.

Ghost Town TrAIl: If the Hoodlebug Trail isn't enough of a challenge for you, then you'll want to check out the Ghost Town Trail. The 36-mile trail stretches across Indiana and Cambria counties.

Reeger’s Farm Pumpkin Festival: Throughout the month of October, Reeger’s farm will be hosting its annual fall pumpkin

October 3, 2017

festival. Beyond the expected pumpkin picking, carving and decorating, the festival also features hay rides, a corn maze, a petting zoo, pony rides and good food.

Yellow Creek State Park: If you’re interested in a chance to get out on the water before the weather becomes too cold, check out Yellow Creek State Park. The park features a 800-foot beach that is ideal for swimming or boating and has a conveniently located outdoor shower and snack bar area right by the beach.

The park also has several hiking trails, picnic areas and rentable cabins, which make the park ideal for a short weekend away from campus.

IUP Co-op park: Last, but certainly not least, if you want an

outdoor experience that is a little closer to home and won’t require too much travel, then you might want to explore the IUP Co-Op Park. Only a couple of miles from campus and downtown, the CoOp Park covers approximately 270 acres of beautiful woodlands and fields and includes 10 miles of hiking and walking trails that connect the Co-op Park with the Whites Woods Nature Center.

There are two entrances to the Co-op Park. The first is on Fulton Run Road, which features two softball fields, a picnic pavilion, fishing pond and archery range.

The second entrance is on College Lodge Road and features the college lodge, a ski hut, disc golf course, 2.5-mile fitness par course, 5k course and various hiking and walking trails.

Culture

October 3, 2017

Culture

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New music Friday features feminist jams in all genres

By ALEXANDRIA MANSFIELD Managing Editor A.M.Mansfield@iup.edu

This article contains opinion.

Although 2016 was supposed to be a woman’s year – sorry, Hillary – 2017 may be shaping up to be just that. At least for music, anyway.

Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” climbed to No. 1 on the charts after nearly three months of slowly rising beyond other summer hits.

This rap song’s ascension displaced Taylor Swift from the top spot after she secured the position for three weeks in a row with the single “Look What You Made Me Do” from her upcoming “Reputation” album, which will be released Nov. 11.

As if this soar to stardom and battle for No. 1 weren’t enough to shove musically talented women back into the spotlight, Friday also came with new albums from three dominant female artists. Demi Lo-

vato, Miley Cyrus and Shania Twain each released new music.

Lovato’s album, “Sorry Not Sorry,” features far more adult themes than her previous songs, as the track “Dirty Sexy Love” may have hinted. While she has always openly talked about her struggles with mental illness and sobriety, which are certainly no juvenile topics, this newest album seems to be more about transitioning into adulthood and accepting the changes that evolution brings. Like many songs in 2017, this entire album seemed to be centered around a theme of sex. While this may be a shock for fans of the artist who got her start on Disney Channel, the singer has often been an advocate for social justice and sexual acceptance, and this new album communicates exactly that.

As Lovato seems to be developing a new style as she matures, another former Disney star, Cyrus, has expressed that she wants to

The Penn

@ThePennIUP

Whose album is/will be the best?

(Facebook)

return to her roots in her future musical pursuits.

“Younger Now” isn’t exactly the easy pop sound of Hannah Montana with audience-friendly lyrics nor does it match the simplicity of her country-style hit “Hoedown Throwdown,” but it has elements of both genres with some rock and acoustic tunes, as well. With songs like “Malibu” and “She’s Not Him,” Cyrus seems to be apologizing for the rebellious phase that

Demi Lovato

40%

Miley Cyrus

32%

Shania Twain

28% (Twitter)

dominated her career for the last several years while also expressing nostalgia for the person she was and life she had just a few albums ago. Cyrus even brings Dolly Parton in on one of her songs, “Rainbowland,” as a show of her new lyrical tone and as a reminiscence of her former popularity in country sounds.

The pop scene is covered with Cyrus and Lovato’s albums, and Twain’s new work appeals to a different audience. It’s been 15 years since Twain released a studio album, and this abrupt end to her hiatus has surprised many country music fans. Twain’s album speaks to themes of heartbreak in the wake of her divorce, but it also seems to be a recovery track in the way she expresses how her experiences have molded her as a person. After such a long time without creating new music, Twain’s voice has changed a little, and she maintains a modern sound, but she hasn’t quite fallen into the country-turned-pop that many artists seem to be thriving in these days.

Talented women are taking the music scene by storm this year.

With so many albums yet to be released, it’s exciting to see what twist artists will put on their genres next.

10

October 3, 2017

Culture

The flat Earth debate continues

By DAVID FORADORI Staff Writer A.D.Foradori@iup.edu

This article contains opinion.

Geometry is confusing and hard. The Pythagorean Theorem rarely helps out anyone in life.

Why then would anyone believe Pythagoras when he said that the Earth was round all the way back in the 6th century B.C.?

Rapper B.o.B, a pioneer in deviant thought and scientific skepticism, launched a campaign called, “Show BoB the Curve,” to fund sending multiple satellites into the stratosphere to disprove the curvature of the Earth.

B.o.B puts forth a shocking theory on his Twitter that continues to baffle many. He is standing on a rock with two cities behind him.

“The cities in the background are approx. 16 miles apart…

Where is the curve? Please explain this,” he said in his tweet.

B.o.B is not alone in his fight for the flat Earth truth. Tila Tequila, a television personality, challenges scientists with a question in her

tweet that she finds unanswerable.

“Why are all the buildings in NYC standing straight up,” Tequila asked in her tweet. “If the Earth was round then some of the buildings would have a slight tilt. #FlatEarth.”

Some IUP students have renounced the flat Earth theory, like Ryan Minniti (senior, journalism and public relations), because it doesn’t make sense to them.

“If you think that the Earth is flat,” Minniti said, “then the wrinkles on your brain must be flat, as well.”

With all these conflicting ideas revolving around whether or not the Earth is flat or has curvature, whose input on the Earth can you really trust?

Dr. Gail Sechrist, a professor of geography at IUP, has been involved with geography since 1977 when she earned her bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University. Afterward, she earned her master’s from Ohio University and her doctorate from Louisiana State University.

“The ancient Greeks decided

(Facebook) B.o.B posted about a flat Earth on Instagram.

the Earth was round before they had any evidence because it was thought to be the perfect shape,” Sechrist said. “Then they found evidence.

“An eclipse was their first bit of evidence. The second was when they observed ships sailing off into the horizon.

“Now, we have pictures from space and pictures from astronauts on the moon that shows the Earth is round. People observe the flatness, but you can see the curvature from planes.”

(Instagram/Facebook) Jason Aldean was performing live when the Las Vegas shootings took place.

Jason Aldean calls for prayer after tradgedy

By LIBBY HILL

Los Angeles Times TNS

Just hours after a gunman opened fire during the Route 91 Harvest festival on Sunday, Jason Aldean turned to Instagram to check in with fans and call for prayers.

Aldean had been in the middle of his set as the first shots were fired, and he and his band were quickly removed from the stage as the panicked crowd dispersed.

"Tonight has been beyond horrific," the singer wrote. "I still don't know what to say but

wanted to let everyone know that me and my crew are safe.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved tonight. It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night.”

Aldean's words echoed those of Ariana Grande in the aftermath of the Manchester, England, bombing in May, which targeted fans as they left Grande's concert. Twenty-two people were killed and more than 250 were injured in that attack.

October 3, 2017

Culture

11

Tom Petty hospitalized, in grave condition after heart attack

By RICHARD WINTON Los Angeles Times TNS

Tom Petty was taken to UCLA Medical Center for a cardiac incident Sunday night, law enforcement has confirmed to the Los Angeles Times, but as of Monday afternoon there was no official confirmation that the 66-year-old rock musician had died.

The Los Angeles Police Department, which had been cited in a report by CBS News and subsequently by other outlets that picked up the CBS story, tweeted Monday afternoon that "initial information was inadvertently provided to some media sources."

CBS updated its report even as the likes of John Mayer, Jake Owen and Peter Frampton not to mention multitudes of noncelebrity fans were sharing their sadness and Tom Petty memories on social media.

Earlier Monday, an LAPD spokesperson told the Times that the department had no role in the matter because no crime had been committed.

At noon Pacific time Monday,

TOM PETTY ALL-TIME HITS 1.

FREE FALLIN’

2. YOU DONT KNOW HOW IT FEELS 3. I WON’T BACK DOWN 4. MARY JANE’S LAST DANCE 5. WILDFLOWERS

(Facebook) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed May 27 in Napa, Calif.

TMZ reported that Petty had been rushed to the hospital. It updated its story a half hour later, saying a decision had been made

to pull life support. An hour after that, it reported Petty was "still clinging to life," though a chaplain had been called in.

S PO R T S Crimson Hawks roll over Seton

P

Sports Editor: Sean Fritz – S.D.Fritz@iup.edu Lead Sports Writer: Jarrod Browne – J.W.Browne@iup.edu

Hill, improve to 5-0 on season

By JARROD BROWNE

YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT...OUR PLAYERS KNOW WHAT’S AT STAKE.

Lead Sports Writer

J.W.Browne@iup.edu

The IUP football team remains unbeaten as the Crimson Hawks defeated Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) foe Seton Hill University, 57-14.

Leading the FOOTBALL way for IUP was running back Samir Bullock (sophomore, management) with a PSAC record-tying six touchdowns.

“He’s a big-time running back.

He really is,” head coach Paul Tortorella said.“The last three weeks we haven’t used him a lot. You know he’s only averaging about 10 carries just because of the way the games went. So, we knew we would get him the ball a bunch this week.”

IUP opened the game with a slow start as quarterback Lenny Williams (junior, accounting) threw his second interception of the season on IUP’s opening drive.

Following the interception, Seton Hill used the strong field position to find the end zone for the first score of the game.

IUP remained off the score board until late in the first quarter when Seton Hill snapped a punt out of its own end zone for a safety.

Following the safety, IUP’s offense put together its first scoring drive of the game that went for seven plays and 64 yards.

Bullock ran the ball in from eight yards out for IUP’s first touchdown

12

—HEAD COACH PAUL TORTORELLA, ON IUP’S MATCHUP WITH CAL U

(Ishaaq Muhammad/ The Penn) Samir Bullock (sophomore, management) had his breakout performance of the 2017 season in the team’s blowout victory over Seton Hill University on Saturday afternoon. Bullock was the team’s leading rusher last season, but has been splitting the workload with a committee of running backs in 2017. Bullock had 31 carries for 263 yards and six touchdowns in IUP’s 57-14 win over the Griffins.

of the day.

IUP did not hold onto this lead for long, as the Griffins answered on the next drive with a 13-play, 97-yard drive that ended in a threeyard touchdown run to give Seton Hill its final lead of the day at 14-9.

IUP answered the Seton Hill touchdown with 21 unanswered points, all from Bullock touchdown runs.

Bullock opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown, then followed that drive with a five-yard touchdown.

For the third consecutive drive, Bullock found the end zone on a

15-yard run to close out the first half 30-14.

After some halftime adjustments, the IUP defense shut out Seton Hill for the remainder of the game.

IUP’s defense continued to produce turnovers as Max Redfield (senior, philosophy), Takhi Turner (senior, kinesiology) and Anthony Davis (junior, finance) all had interceptions.

Also, linebacker Nick Amendola (sophomore, safety science) recovered a second quarter fumble.

“Very opportunistic on defense,” Tortorella said. “Our guys

October 3, 2017

are getting takeaways. They’re not giving up big plays. Sure, we are giving up some yards here and there between the 20s, but they’re keeping them out of the red zone and forcing them to turn the ball over, and they seem to not be giving up a lot of points.”

The IUP offense did not rest, adding 27 points in the third quarter. IUP opened the second half with two Bullock touchdowns, the first coming from 20 yards out, then one from 17 yards out.

IUP continued to score as Williams connected with Allen Wright (sophomore, management) from

three yards out for the only passing touchdown of the day.

Justice Evans (freshman, management) closed out the scoring for the day with a 50-yard run to give IUP a 57-14 victory.

Moving forward, IUP will welcome California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U) for “The Coal Bowl” at 2:05 p.m. Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium.

Recently, IUP has struggled with the Vulcans as both losses for IUP last year came from Cal U. “You don’t even have to talk about it. We know, and the players know,” Tortorella said. “Our players are pretty smart, and they know what’s at stake.”

Recently unbeaten Cal U was previously ranked ahead of IUP before suffering its first lost to Slippery Rock University, 47-44, in overtime on Saturday.

The Crimson Hawks have remained at No. 4 in the nation in the most recent polls.

Sports

October 3, 2017

Sports

13

IUP picks up pair of conference wins to stay undefeated in PSAC play

By BRAD O’HARA Staff Writer

B.L.Ohara@iup.edu

IUP’s volleyball team remained undefeated in conference play by picking up wins against Cheyney and West Chester universities this past weekend.

The Crimson Hawks played their first home VOLLEYBALL game in almost a month Friday.

IUP defeated Cheyney, 3-0.

IUP dominated the contest, keeping the Wolves’ scoring down to six points in the last two games.

The Crimson Hawks offense played with power behind a whole new lineup. They recorded 15 aces with six players contributing to the total.

Jessica Ignace (sophomore, criminology) and Olivia Burns (freshman, speech pathology) led the category, each getting four aces in the match.

Assists were another statistic in which IUP reigned supreme, outscoring Cheyney in the category, 35-7. Dominica Niccolai (freshman, business) got 33 of those assists.

IUP’s match Saturday against West Chester was much closer, but it still had the same result.

The Crimson Hawks won, 3-0. The lineup converted back to its normal setup for this match, and the statistics went back to usual.

IUP continued to dominate in kills as it has done all year.

Natalie Cignetti (senior, natural science/pre-med) picked up 13 kills, Gabby Egler (senior, psychology) scored 12 kills and Sami Brown (junior, natural science/premed) and Alexis Anderson (senior,

marketing) both had six kills.

Head coach Scott Pennewill believes that IUP’s success this season comes from its consistency.

“Our current success has been maintaining a consistent level of play on both sides of the ball,” Pennewill said. “Offensively, lowering our hitting errors, and defensively serving the ball tougher, which keeps the opponent out of system, which makes them more predictable.”

Pennewill also attributed IUP’s success to the motivation of the team.

“Elite athletes are constantly motivated to succeed,” Pennewill said. “We set individual and team goals that we look at and work toward every day. I do not have to do anything to motivate them. If I have to do that, I have the wrong kind of athlete.”

The wins boost the team’s record to 13-4 overall with a conference record of 4-0.

Looking ahead, IUP will hit the road once again as it travels this weekend to take on Gannon and Mercyhurst universities.

Gannon is having a very good season so far with a 13-3 overall record and a 3-1 conference record.

Gannon’s only loss came earlier this season at the hands of Shippensburg University.

The Crimson Hawks will travel to Erie this Friday in hopes of ending Gannon’s three-game winning streak and continuing the twogame win streak of their own.

On the other hand, Mercyhurst is struggling to get going this season as it is 6-9 overall and has only one conference win against Lock Haven University.

Mercyhurst will be looking to turn its season around when it goes up against IUP in Erie this Saturday.

The Crimson Hawks won’t be returning home until Oct. 13 when theyt take on Ediboro University.

IUP is tied for the lead in the PSAC Southwest division.

(Vincent Marino/ The Penn) Gabby Egler (senior, psychology), left, was one of the Crimson Hawks’ top performers in the team’s three-game sweep against West Chester University on Saturday afternoon. Egler recorded 12 kills in the match and now has a total of 107 kills on the season.

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October 3, 2017

IUP puts on strong showing

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The IUP cross country team had another big weekend at the 44th annual Paul Short Run last Friday at Lehigh University.

The Paul Short race had about 450 CROSS schools competing, making it one COUNTRY of the biggest intercollegiate cross country meets in the nation.

In the men’s event, the Crimson Hawks ran an 8k, about 5 miles.

The IUP men’s team had the top two finishers of the meet with Austin Cooper (senior, regional planning and economics) and Greg Beaudette (redshirt senior, exercise science) coming in first and second place, respectively.

Cooper finished with a time of 24:35, and Beaudette finished with a 24:37.

This is another very impressive finish from the duo, who finished right next to each other for the third time this season.

Cooper also unofficially broke IUP’s men’s record for the fastest 8k time ever. Cooper was named one of the two IUP athletes of the week.

Two other IUP men’s finishers were Noah Mandel (junior, pre-physical therapy and exercise science), who finished with a time of 25:45 in 52nd place, and Ryan Louther (redshirt junior, accounting) with a time of 26:27, good for 105th place.

The men’s team competed against 369 total runners, with 152 Division I oppo-

(IUP Athletics) Austin Cooper (senior, regional planning and economics)

nents as well as 217 non-Division I opponents.

The men’s team’s performance was good enough to land them eighth place overall among all non-Division I schools.

The IUP women’s team had a pretty good weekend, finishing in fifth place overall for non-Division I schools.

There was a total of 32 women’s teams competing.

The Crimson Hawks ran against a pack of 271 total opponents.

The women’s team ran a 6k course, about 4 miles.

The IUP women’s team also had back-to-back finishers lead the team across the line.

Makena Felts (senior, nursing) finished first for the Crimson Hawks, ending with a time of 23:30 in 28th place.

Right behind her was Nicole Best (senior, accounting) with a time of 23:32, good for a 29th place.

The third finisher for IUP was Sam Christman (junior, management information systems).

She finished in 35th place with a time of 23:40.

IUP’s last runner in the top 50 was Tricia Varner (freshman, nursing), who finished with a time of 23:54 in 50th place.

The Crimson Hawks cross country team will return to action for both men’s and women’s teams at Carnegie Mellon’s Hampton Inn Pittsburgh Invitational on Saturday.

October 3, 2017

Sports

15

MLB playoffs set to begin with Wild Card games

By SEAN FRITZ Sports Editor

S.D.Fritz@iup.edu

The Major League Baseball regular season has ended after a sixmonth journey leading to just 10 teams battling for baseball’s biggest prize: a world championship.

The postseason will begin Tuesday night with the American League Wild Card game featuring the New York Yankees hosting the Minnesota Twins.

The Yankees are led by rookie phenom slugger Aaron Judge, who is in the MVP discussion.

Luis Severino will get the nod for the Yankees, and Ervin Santana will take the hill for the Twins.

The Yankees won the season series over the Twins, 4-2, and will look to continue their success in this do-or-die, one-game play-in.

The winner of this game will advance to a five-game series in the American League divisional round against the top-seeded and defending American League champion Cleveland Indians.

(TNS) Yankees’ rookie outfielder Aaron Judge is one of the names considered for AL MVP this season. Judge hit 52 home runs with 114 RBIs in his first full season in the big leagues. Judge and the Yankees will host the Minnesota Twins in the AL Wild Card game Tuesday.

The second American League Divisional Series matchup will be the Houston Astros hosting the Boston Red Sox for a five-game series. Cleveland and Houston come in as the hottest teams in the AL playoff picture.

Both posted solid records in

their final games of the regular season. Cleveland will look to build off its recent success, in which it won 33 of its final 37 games.

In the National League, the Wild Card game Wednesday will feature a matchup between two National League West rivals: the Arizona

Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.

The D-Backs were one of the NL’s hottest teams down the stretch and are a team that fans and experts think can make some real noise in the postseason as long as they can get through their

matchup with the Rockies.

Jon Gray will get the start for the Rockies and will be opposed

by Zack Grienke of the Diamondbacks.

Awaiting the winner of this game will be the NL’s top regular season team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers had the potential to make history after the stellar record they posted throughout the season, but a second-half meltdown brought the club back to earth while still allowing the team to capture the top seed in the National League with a major leaguebest 104 wins.

The other National League Divisional Series will feature the Washington Nationals hosting the Chicago Cubs, who will look to defend their World Series championship from last season.

The Cubs, who were shaky at times this season, will have a tough challenge to begin that World Series defense with the Nationals, who were one of baseball’s most consistent teams for the entirety of the season.

October 3, 2017

16