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Two $1 million gifts from alumni to help boost programs

By CODY MINICH Staff Writer C.S.Minich@iup.edu

IUP received two $1 million gifts to improve student experiences.

Terry Serafini, former owner of Computerpeople Inc., and Bill Madia, vice president and chairman of the Board of Overseers for the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University, were the donors. Both Serafini and Madia are IUP alumni.

Serafini earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1961.

Madia earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1969 and got his master’s degree in chemistry

(IUP website) Terry Serafini (left) and Bill Madia (right), two IUP alumni, each gave a $1 million gift that will allow the university to expand its programs.

in 1971.

“Our entire university is grateful

for the level of support we have received from these outstanding

MCSLE celebrates Black History Month

alumni,” IUP President Dr. Michael Driscoll said.

Madia’s gift came at a perfect time now that IUP is developing a new complex that will expand learning and research in the sciences.

This corresponds with IUP’s decision to establish new majors in environmental engineering and public health, as well as the development of another program in digital science and security.

A press release said that Serafini’s gift will go toward funding scholarships for high-achieving business honors students, establishing a visiting mathematician program and enabling the university to provide summer mathemat-

ics learning opportunities for high school students.

In his gift, he also provided a matching gift incentive to inspire current students to invest in a new campus park.

Led by the Student Philanthropy Council (SPC), the Make Your Mark project will aid in the development of Grant Street Park.

The park will take over the stretch of road along Delaney Hall, Putt Hall and the Humanities and Social Sciences Building.

Serafini will donate $10,000 toward the space under the condition that 100 freshmen, 100 sophomores, 100 juniors and 100 seniors contribute toward the project.

US flag bearer ‘dishonorably’ chosen in coin toss, athlete says Dpa

(The Penn/ Aidan Shaw) The Center for Multicultural Student Leadership and Engagement (MCSLE) gathered pieces of African-American history for its display in Stapleton Library last week in honor of Black History Month.

James Watta, MCSLE student programmer, lended some of his personal collection to add to the university’s archives in order to create the display.

The exhibit is showcasing album covers, wooden sculptures, photographs, posters and coins, according to the IUP website. It will also include books by African-American authors.

MSCLE wants students to take a “selfie” in front of the exhibition and post it on Twitter using #MCSLE to be entered for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

News

February 9, 2018

A coin toss that decided which U.S. athlete will carry the American flag at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics prompted a complaint from the disgruntled loser.

Shani Davis, a two-time winner of Olympic gold in speed skating, criticized the coin toss.

“I am an American, and when I won the 1,000-meter in 2010, I became the first American to 2-peat in that event. @TeamUSA dishonorably tossed a coin to decide its 2018 flag bearer,” Davis said on Twitter.

Davis added that it wasn’t a problem for him because he can “wait until 2022,” implying that he will compete again in four years.

Then Davis, who is black, seemed to suggest that race played a role by adding the hashtag for Black History Month, which is marked every February in the U.S. Davis became the first black athlete from any country to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2006.

The winner of the toss was

(TNS) Shani Davis, an Olympic speed skater, criticized the coin toss that determined which athlete would carry the flag.

Erin Hamlin, a white woman and top competitor in the luge.

Hamlin is a former two-time world champion and four-time Olympian, and is competing in the Games for the last time.

Hamlin and Davis were among eight nominees for the flag bearer role.

The method used to select who will carry the flag is a vote by the eight federations representing the individual sports: biathlon, bobsled and skeleton, curling, figure skating, hockey, luge, ski and snowboarding and speed skating. That vote ended with a tie, with four for Hamlin and four for Davis.

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February 9, 2018

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House adopts rules to curb sexual harassment

By KATHERINE TULLYMCMANUS CQ-Roll Call TNS

In the wake of high-profile resignations over sexual harassment claims, the House on Tuesday approved sweeping changes to its internal rules intended to protect staffers, including a prohibition on sexual relationships between members and their aides. Lawmakers also passed a bipartisan bill to overhaul the process for investigating and resolving complaints by congressional employees regarding sexual harassment.

The House by voice vote adopted the rules change, which goes into effect immediately because it only pertains to the chamber. Representatives also passed by voice vote the bill that would revamp the 20-year-old Congressional Accountability Act. That bill now heads to the Senate.

The 1995 accountability law set up workplace protections for Capitol Hill offices and established the Office of Compliance to enforce them, but was seen as in need of new provisions to protect victims of sexual harassment.

“There is no place for any type of harassment – sexual harassment or any type of harassment, period, in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said bill sponsor Gregg Harper, the Mississippi Republican who chairs the House Administration Committee. “We found the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to be outdated and in need of this comprehensive reform.”

Both measures were brought up under suspension of the rules, an expedited procedure used for noncontroversial resolutions and bills that requires a two-thirds majority for passage or adoption. Harper scrapped a planned markup on Monday to allow for quick floor action.

House employees who pursue complaints regarding sexual harassment or other discrimination will receive legal support from a new office created under the resolution, though a timeline on that office being set up is not yet clear.

Members will now be required to certify that employee payroll funds are not being used to pay any settlements or rewards in con-

(TNS) Joni Ernst (R–Iowa), left, led a resolution with Jeanne Shaheen (D–N.H.) to investigate Olympic abuse cases.

Senators call for special committee to investigate Olympic abuse (TNS) Jackie Speier (D–Calif.) told her own experiences of harrassment as a congressional staffer and supports the bill.

nection to prohibited behavior.

Under the bill, the arduous process for reporting complaints of harassment and discrimination would see major changes. Required counseling and mediation periods would be made optional and investigations would be conducted by the general counsel of the new Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, which replaces the Office of Compliance.

“This bill empowers survivors,” said Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of California, who told last year of her experiences of harassment as a former congressional staffer.

The bill requires that “climate surveys” be conducted to determine the true scope of the harassment problem in Congress, and it gives congressional interns and fellows the same protections under the CAA as full-time staff.

Currently, congressional employees who file claims must return to work in the office where they faced the sexual harassment or discrimination. The bill would allow employees to work remotely while claims are investigated or litigated. If that is not possible, the employee could receive a paid leave of absence.

The measure answers calls from both sides of the aisle to end the use of taxpayer dollars to pay out harassment settlements against lawmakers.

“For years members of Congress have gotten away with truly egregious behavior,” Speier said.

“Members, yes, members are going to be held responsible for their bad behavior.”

The bill would require members of Congress to personally pay

for any settlements to victims in cases where they are the alleged harasser. Members would have 90 days to repay the Treasury for the amount of the award or settlement before their salary would be withheld.

The bill would require the workplace rights office each year to publish each award or settlement paid the previous year that involves CAA violations in addition to a report on all payments made with taxpayer funds prior to the bill’s enactment. It does not require disclosure of the House or Senate offices involved in past instances, however.

“I still do believe we need to disclose the past names that are still unknown,” said Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia, urging the disclosure of all past sexual harassment settlements and the names of the lawmakers implicated.

The House-passed measure will now head to the Senate, where its fate is not clear. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Monday that “there are some changes we want to see” before moving the House bill, but didn’t provide details on proposed changes. She suggested that antiharassment legislation could hitch a ride on an eventual omnibus spending bill for fiscal 2018.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) has sponsored a wide-ranging bill called the ME TOO Act, after the hashtag #MeToo on social media.

The House version of the proposal served as a starting point and a blueprint for the bill the House passed Tuesday.

By NIELS LESNIEWSKI CQ-Roll Call TNS

Two days ahead of the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics, a bipartisan group of senators is trying to set up a special committee to investigate the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The 18 senators, led by Republican Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, unveiled their resolution on Wednesday.

“We are introducing this bipartisan resolution to establish a special committee entirely focused on investigating how this abuse was allowed to go on for decades, why leaders of the USOC and USA Gymnastics failed to protect these women and the path forward to put an end to this type of outrageous abuse,” Ernst said.

“Now Congress has an opportunity to stand up for the brave survivors who came forward, for

our athletes, for our children. I am proud to stand with Senator Shaheen and our colleagues to fight to stop this abuse once and for all.”

Congress has already acted to clear legislation designed to impose new reporting requirements on organizations under the U.S. Olympic Committee umbrella, but the resolution would promote a broader Senate investigation.

The resolution would set up a panel of four members from each party appointed by leadership, with subpoena power but not legislative authority. The resolution would require at least half the membership be female.

Both the Senate Judiciary and Commerce, Science and Transportation committees have been conducting their own reviews of the U.S. Olympic Committee and related organizations. The Commerce Committee generally has lead jurisdiction with respect to Olympic and amateur sports.

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February 9, 2018

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SpaceX’s rocket flung Tesla car on path beyond Mars

By SAMANTHA MASUNAGA Los Angeles Times TNS

The Tesla Roadster that launched Tuesday on the first test flight of SpaceX’s powerful Falcon Heavy rocket is heading farther into space than expected.

The red car – along with a dummy in the driver’s seat named “Starman” – were targeting an elliptical orbit around the sun that would, at times, get close to Mars.

On Tuesday night, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted that the vehicle’s trajectory had “exceeded Mars orbit and kept going to the Asteroid Belt.”

The car isn’t there yet, though, and won’t be for many months, at least. Musk’s tweet means the car is on a trajectory to go into a much larger, egg-shaped orbit around the sun that will still cross Mars’ orbit from time to time, but push out farther than initially anticipated, said Clifford V. Johnson, a professor in the physics and astronomy department at the University of Southern California.

“Either way, they’ve shown they can get something to Mars or the vicinity of Mars, and that’s great,” he said of SpaceX. “They’ve demonstrated that they can get something that big off the surface of the Earth, into Earth orbit, recover most of the vehicle to make the whole thing really cheap ... and then further extend the (payload’s path) beyond Earth orbit toward Mars.”

The car reached its current trajectory after performing several crucial maneuvers.

About two minutes after liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday afternoon, the Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters separated from the rocket as expected and began to return to Earth, later sticking the landing in a simultaneous touchdown.

About three minutes after launch, as planned, the rocket’s center core separated from the second stage, which continued to carry the Tesla into space.

Inside the Tesla was a stowaway: a little Hot Wheels version

(TNS) The crowd cheered Tuesday at Playalinda Beach, Fla., in the Canaveral National Seashore, just north of the Kennedy Space Center, during the succesful launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Playalinda is one of closest public viewing spots to see the launch, about 3 miles from the SpaceX launchpad 39A.

of the car, containing a tiny replica of the “Starman” dummy.

SpaceX, which is based in Hawthorne, Calif., and whose full name is Space Exploration Technologies Corp., tried to land the center core on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean, but the booster was lost when it hit the water at about 300 mph and about 328 feet from the platform, taking out two of the platform’s thrusters and scattering debris on the deck.

As projected, the secondstage engine shut down and then restarted twice before embarking on an “experimental long coast” in deep space – including through the high-radiation Van Allen belts that surround Earth – for about six hours.

That maneuver was intended to demonstrate to the U.S. Air Force that the Falcon Heavy could meet specific orbit-insertion requirements for the heaviest national security satellites.

Then the second-stage engine successfully restarted one more time to propel the Tesla toward its intended orbit. The final burn likely took place right over Los Angeles around 6:30 p.m. Pacific time and would have been visible to the naked eye, said Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Launches for the National Reconnaissance Office typically require a rocket to coast in space for several hours before restarting its second-stage engine to deliver a satellite to its orbit, so the latter part of SpaceX’s mission was one

of the most significant parts of this demonstration, McDowell said.

Where the car ended up afterward was less important, he added.

“It’s just a proof of, ‘OK, we know how this rocket works, and it works well enough to send a decent payload well beyond the Earth,’” McDowell said. “Mars

comes into it because they were confident they could get it that far, and plus, Elon’s all about Mars.”

One of Musk’s long-standing goals has been to colonize Mars.

He has said his next-generation rocket and spaceship system, known as BFR, will take people to the Red Planet.

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Pelosi immigration speech overshadows Democratic retreat

By SIMONE PATHÉ CQ-Roll Call TNS

This week’s Democratic retreat was supposed to be an opportunity for House Democrats to finetune their message ahead of the November midterm elections.

But House Democrats’ most prominent messenger – and Republicans’ favorite boogeywoman – stole the spotlight, without even attending the major sessions of the opening day of the retreat.

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi took to the House floor Wednesday to tell the stories of “Dreamers,” undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, and didn’t stop for eight hours.

She said she wouldn’t support a two-year budget deal brokered in the Senate without a commitment from Speaker Paul D. Ryan to consider immigration legislation that would address the legal status of Dreamers. She broke the record for the longest-ever floor speech.

With the prospect of another government shutdown looming, House Democrats late on Tuesday moved their annual retreat from Cambridge, Maryland, to the Capitol complex. The party’s top brass leaned into the location change on Wednesday, blaming it on Republicans’ inability to govern and using it to argue that the American people should entrust them with the majority.

“We’re here today because Republicans continue to show they cannot lead this country,” Caucus Vice Chairwoman Linda T. Sanchez said at the retreat’s opening press conference.

It felt more like a regular leadership press event, held in a familiar Capitol Hill location, except that the party’s top two leaders, Pelosi and Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer, weren’t there.

At that point, Pelosi had been holding the floor for nearly four hours. The National Republican Congressional Committee quickly seized on Pelosi’s speech, calling her “the gift that keeps on giving for the NRCC.” “I can only say one thing: go, Nancy, go,” NRCC communications director Matt Gorman said in a statement.

Republicans have pounced

(TNS) Traders worked Tuesday at the New York Stock Exchange.

Tech stocks often bounce around more than others (TNS) House minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) posed for a photo after a town hall meeting Jan. 25 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla.

on Pelosi’s comments about the benefits of the tax law representing “crumbs” to the average American. Footage of the minority leader referring to the tax plan as “crumbs” or “Armageddon” have become ubiquitous in every press release and ad touting the GOP tax plan.

In the special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th District – the first congressional matchup of the midterm election year – Republicans are pounding the Democratic nominee as a Pelosi disciple.

It’s the same message used against Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff last year and most Democratic candidates in last year’s special elections. Republican outside groups, namely the Congressional Leadership Fund – the super PAC backed by House GOP leadership – have committed to spending millions tying House Democrats and their recruits to Pelosi.

Although Pelosi is a prolific fundraiser, there’s long been hunger among some rank-and-file members for a leadership change.

Those calls were especially loud after the 2016 elections, when Democrats netted only six House seats, and after Ossoff lost the most expensive House race in history last June.

Ever since Democrats’ disappointing 2016, party leaders have stressed the importance of returning to an economic message that connects with the working-class voters Trump won. There’s been much agreement about the need for a strong message heading into November, but sometimes conflicting iterations of that message.

Democrats need to gain 24 seats to win the House. To do that, they’re going after wealthier,

suburban districts that 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton carried. Twenty-three Republicans represent districts Clinton carried.

But in an effort to expand the map, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is also targeting seats Trump took by less than 50 percent of the vote, as well as some deep red territory. That includes districts Trump carried by high double-digit margins.

Meanwhile, Democrats are defending a handful of districts Trump carried. Seven of the DCCC’s Frontline members, who represent the party’s most vulnerable, are sitting in Trump districts.

Democrats are also trying to hold on to competitive open seats in districts Trump carried in Nevada, New Hampshire and Minnesota.

Asked whom they wanted to hear from at their retreat, Caucus Chairman Joseph Crowley said most members mentioned someone like former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. And so, he joked, the caucus decided to bring in the real deal.

Pelosi was still talking about immigration when Biden arrived later that afternoon to address the caucus in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Biden delivered a positive message about Democrats’ chances of retaking the House and said he’d do whatever they ask of him to help in that endeavor.

Energy is at the Democrats’ back. Historically, the party out of control of the White House traditionally picks up seats in midterms. This cycle’s Democratic challengers are raising significant money. More than 50 Democratic challengers have outraised GOP incumbents in competitive races.

By TRACEY LIEN Los Angeles Times TNS

In a week of stock market volatility, technology companies such as Apple, Alphabet and Facebook saw some of the sharpest declines over the last few days.

Economists aren’t particularly worried or surprised, though.

That’s because in shaky times, technology stocks often take the first – and hardest – beating.

“Most of their value is based on what they will become in the future,” said Lawrence Harris, an expert in stocks who teaches at at USC’s Marshall School of Business. “And the future, of course, has not yet arrived.”

Stock market volatility is tied to investor confidence, Harris said. When investors are feeling bullish about a company or an industry, they buy stock, which drives up values. When investors feel pessimistic or skittish, they’re more likely to sell.

When it comes to the technology industry, where valuations largely rest on what companies might be able to accomplish in the future, investor pessimism can lead to significant swings in stock price.

Facebook, for example, is a money-making machine. It made $40.6 billion in revenue during its 2017 fiscal year.

Still, its market cap is $523 billion – more than 13 times its annual revenue. To warrant such a valuation, investors must believe that the company is capable of increasing its earnings by orders of magnitude in the coming years.

Or take Tesla, which is not yet profitable and has a market cap of $55 billion. Its competitor, Ford, recorded $2.4 billion in

profit during its last fiscal quarter and has a market cap of $42 billion.

“So you basically have two companies of similar size – one makes lots of and lots of money, and the other doesn’t,” Harris said. “And people are betting that Tesla is going to win.”

It’s common for people to oscillate between optimism and pessimism for any number of reasons, Harris said, and when they do, tech firms are the worst hit “because their values depend on uncertainties.”

Harris and economist and USC instructor Pai-Ling Yin believe it’s what happens in the long run that matters, and the best thing to do is to ride it out. After all, even with recent, wild fluctuations, Apple’s current share price remains 24 percent higher (at $162.48 a share) than it was this time last year. And Alphabet, despite experiencing its sharpest drop in stock price in the last 12 months this week, is still trading at 31 percent higher (at $1,077 a share) than its value a year ago.

Looking more generally at investor pessimism of the stock market, Harris said the volatility could serve as a warning of the consequences of a growing federal deficit.

Deficits can lead to “crowding out,” which is when the government competes with the private sector for a limited amount of funds to finance its deficit spending. This can then drive up interest rates, which can discourage investments, and lower investments can lead to lower economic growth.

“The president may not care about deficits, and Congress may not care, either, but it’s clear businesspeople and investors care,” Harris said.

OPINION EDITORIAl

Despite changes, Olympics still unify

It’s been four years since the last Winter Olympics. The 2014 Games were held in Sochi, Russia. That year, Russia swept the field, finishing the games ranked No. 1 with 11 gold and 29 total medals.

Norway and Canada finished second and third, respectively, leaving the United States to finish fourth with 9 gold medals and a total medal count of 28.

Four years later, Tony Romo and Jeff Gordon are in a broadcast booth, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles and Donald Trump is the president of the United States.

A lot has changed in four years, but a lot remains the same.

The stability of the region for the Winter Olympics has, unfortunately, not changed, as this year’s games are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

North Korea, bordering hosting nation South Korea, has been at turmoil with the U.S. among other countries for years now.

The latest North Korean stunt included hosting a military parade a day before the Games start.aOne difference

(TNS) Olympic ice skater Bradie Tennell will represent the United States in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

between this year and the last games, however, will be Russia’s success, since Russian athletes will not be allowed to

NRA should disclose Russian connections

By BLOOMBERG VIEW EDITORS TNS

The National Rifle Association has long offered its expertise in politics and public relations to gun groups in Australia, Brazil, Canada and elsewhere.

The question now is whether during the 2016 presidential campaign the NRA embraced a very different sort of international mission: serving as a conduit to Donald Trump’s campaign for Russian interests.

The FBI is reportedly investigating whether the NRA helped funnel money from Russians into the election, which would violate U.S. election law prohibiting the use of foreign money.

In recent years, the NRA has developed relationships with several well-connected Russians, including Alexander Torshin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin who is deputy governor of the Russian central bank.

Torshin, who has been impli-

Opinion

cated in money laundering by Spanish authorities, is also an NRA member.

In 2016, he is reported to have met with Donald Trump Jr. at the NRA’s annual meeting in Kentucky, and in 2015 NRA leaders met with Torshin in Moscow.

The NRA has said that the FBI has not contacted it about Russian funds. However, the gun group has so far failed to take the simple step of denying that it accepted Russian money at all.

The NRA reported spending more than $55 million in the 2016 election, including $30 million on Trump – more than the organization has spent on any candidate in its history.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (D–Ore.), the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, has sent letters to the U.S. Treasury Department and to the NRA requesting information on the group’s ties to Putin allies.

The public has the right to know if the NRA served as a

backdoor for Putin’s sabotage of the election – especially given the NRA’s role in lobbying Congress and state governments, and funding political campaigns.

Did the NRA receive any money from Russia-linked individuals or entities? Did it facilitate meetings between Russians and members of the Trump campaign? To what end?

As a 501(c)(4) organization, the NRA is not required to disclose its donors. Congress should change that law.

Regardless, thorough answers from the NRA to each of these questions could resolve any doubts about its conduct, even if they also show that the group chooses its friends poorly.

Russia’s sabotage of the 2016 election was an attack on American democracy.

It should be easy enough for the NRA to show that it played no role in that assault.

So far, it hasn’t taken the opportunity to do so.

February 9, 2018

participate in the Games under their country’s flag due to the doping scandal that surfaced in 2016.

Although the world nowadays seems to be unstable between the planet’s future regarding climate change and seemingly consistent threats of nuclear war, the Winter Olympics is a time to come together as a nation and a world.

Fearless athletes continue to set the bar and bring competition on a global scale. They serve as role models for children and the perfect form of escapism while still boasting a united front.

Will the next generation of Olympians rise to the task, or will previous gold-winning veterans, like U.S. snowboarder Shaun White, return to their former glory?

No matter the results, it’s a good change of pace to see everyone exhibiting national pride in a divisive time in our country’s history.

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Culture

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

Western Pa. folk artists bring memory, magic to Sutton

(Paul Marchwinski/ The Penn) “Memory and Magic: Folk Artists in Western Pa.” has been located in the University Museum on the first floor of Sutton Hall since Feb. 3.

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February 9, 2018

Culture

February 9, 2018

Culture

CBS kicks off first-ever ‘Celebrity Big Brother’

(Twitter) Julie Chen, left, hosts CBS’s “Celebrity Big Brother.”

By JESSICA TRUBY Staff Writer J.L.Truby@iup.edu

The first episode of “Celebrity Big Brother” aired Wednesday.

“Celebrity Big Brother” is a spin-off series of the American strategybased reality TV series “Big Brother.” This is the first time the series has added celebrities to the mix.

“Big Brother” originally aired in 2000 and has run for 19 seasons.

While competing for the $500,000 grand prize, players are completely cut off from the outside world for the entirety of the game. The game typically lasts more than three months.

The star-studded list of house guests includes singer and television host Mark McGrath; former Lakers star Metta World Peace; actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, known for her role as Rudy Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”; actress Brandi Glanville, known for her role in “The Real Housewives”; Miss Universe model Ariadna Gutiérrez; actress and former Trump administration aide Omarosa Manigault; Tony-winner Marissa Jaret Winokur; former UFC fighter and light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell; actress Shannon Elizabeth; E! host Ross Mathews; and Big Time Rush band member James Maslow.

Even though the contestants are well known, the reactions were similar to those seen by contestants in previous seasons of “Big Brother.” The contestants had background stories and mentioned for what they were most known or how they became

famous.

Mathews and Elizabeth revealed that they had been big fans of “Big Brother” since its beginning.

Elizabeth and Winokur admitted that they are friends but want to keep the knowledge hidden from the rest of the household.

The decor of the household was upgraded to fit the profile of the celebrity house guests. Glanville was quick to find the house’s bar and began drinking wine.

An alliance began to form between the women, and tensions were created among contestants.

The most prominent tension so far is between Maslow and Glanville. Glanville said Maslow was inexperienced as a singer, and she did not want his advice but would rather listen to McGrath, who has been in the music industry for much longer.

This season had limited house guests and is confined to a three-week period. A head-ofhousehold competition occured soon after the guests settle in. A winner of the competition was announced, and they all receive “Big Brother” gift bags.

One contestant’s bag contained an item that can switch up the current positions of the house.

There was not time for an elimination in the first episode.

If the season continues like the premiere episode, it will be a quicker version of the normal show.

There is a noticeable lack of “showmances,” a fan-coined term where contestants meet and form romantic relationships. But strong alliances are forming without these relationships.

The celebrity factor does not seem to be affecting the competition. The obstacles are similar to the ones in the regular show, and they seem just as physically and mentally challenging.

9

Students get in the swing of the spring semester

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

The third week of the spring semester is coming to a close, and students are still getting adjusted to their new schedules.

Some students have trouble getting used to their new schedules.

Jonathan Chadwick (freshman, pre-engineering) is well prepared for his second semester.

“For about the first week, I had to carry around my schedule,” Chadwick said. “After a while, it’s like a subconscious instinct knowing when to go and where.”

Chadwick said he struggled in chemistry during the fall semester. He said he was not prepared for the four-credit class, which hurt his GPA. But Chadwick said he did well in his other classes and that he is taking liberal studies classes this semester to boost his GPA. “What I took out of that slip-up was to go to the tutoring center more often and to communicate with my professors better,” Chadwick said. “If I’m

(IUP website) Wallwork Hall is found at the intersection of Pratt Drive and Grant Street in Indiana.

not understanding something, then I need to be more proactive to come to that decision in any way that I can.”

IUP offers academic recovery advising to help get students back on track. Students who fall below a 2.0 GPA are required to meet with an academic recovery advisor.

Morgann Paulding (freshman, psychology) had some advice for students who struggled their first semesters.

“Try and go to all of your classes and pay attention in class,” Paulding said. “Don’t allow outside forces to interrupt your grind and success because you pay to be there.”

Even though Paulding’s schedule is more involved, she’s

excited to take on the spring semester.

“I have a bigger workload and more classes than I did last semester, but I understand the material a lot better now,” Paulding said. “I met some of my closest friends my first semester, and we share the same interest and want to persue the same career.”

Paulding said her interest in her major made her first semester a success.

“Moving forward, I’m most excited for my future and what it brings to my plate,” Paulding said.

Students have a variety of experiences their first semesters, and no matter what, it’s important to learn and benefit from those experiences.

10

February 9, 2018

Culture

Kobe Bryant draws the most attention at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon

By AMY KAUFMAN Los Angeles Times TNS

The ballroom was stuffed with Hollywood’s elite: Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan. But it was an athlete who literally at 6’6” stood out in the crowd at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Oscar Nominees Luncheon on Monday: Kobe Bryant.

Why, might you ask, was the former Los Angeles Lakers star mingling with the stars of “Get (TNS) (TNS) Out” and “Lady Bird?” The Kobe Bryant was nominated for a short film he Sam Rockwell, right, nominated for Best 39-year-old produced and wrote wrote and produced titled, “Dear Basketball.” Supporting Actor, and Gary Oldman, left, nominated for Best Actor, with Laura Dern, center, an animated short, “Dear Basare all members of the Board of Governors for ketball,” that’s up for a coveted Oscar. The roll-call took about the 90th Oscars. golden statue next month. As a 30 minutes to complete, leaving nod, the news stirred up some result, Bryant scored an invite to women on the top row such as controversy online, with many the annual gathering that honors Mary J. Blige, Greta Gerwig and on social media calling out the each and every Oscar nominee, Octavia Spencer to teeter in their fact that the athlete had been from the sound mixers on “Baby high heels for longer than most accused of rape in 2003. (The Driver” to veterans such as Streep, would prefer. Bryant, meanwhile, charges against him were later who will be in contention for the scored one of the sought-after dropped.) Not that anyone at the 21st time March 4. seats in the front row, where his Hilton seemed distracted by those The highlight of the luncheon height presented no issue. headlines. tends to be the class photo, dur“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m a After the official class photo ing which Laura Dern, governor of Los Angeles native,” Dern said, was taken, snapped by cameras the Academy’s actors branch, his clearly starstruck as she called on the ceiling, Bryant was asked to year introduced the 170 nomithe basketball player to his spot. pose for a handful of other photos nees who showed up to pose on When it was announced Jan. 23 with selfie-seekers. Timothee Chableachers alongside a life-size that Bryant had received an Oscar

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(TNS) The Nominees Luncheon for the 90th Oscars was held in the Beverly Hilton Grand Ballroom on Monday in Beverly Hills, Calif.

lamet, the 22-year-old star of “Call Me By Your Name,” posted a shot to his Instagram account with his mouth agape as Bryant flashed a peace sign in the background: “KOOOBE !!!!” his excited caption read.

Nearly everyone in the room was wielding an iPhone in an attempt to commemorate the moment. Even Spielberg, whose film “The Post” is up for best picture, wasn’t above a selfie, asking Gerwig and Guillermo del Toro to pose with him for a shot.

The nominees are spread among different tables during the actual eating portion of the event, mixed with Academy Governors and members of the media, whose seating assignments are randomly spit out via a Bingo cage.

While there were certainly a respectable number of movie business stalwarts in attendance, plenty of vets simply skipped the event altogether: Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand and Christopher Plummer were among the major nominees to bypass the luncheon.

That seemed to be of little consequence to millennial nominees such as Daniel Kaluuya, Saoirse Ronan and Chalamet, who huddled together on the bleachers after the class photo like the coolest clique in the room. There was a lot of love in the room for firsttimers, including Rachel Morrison the first woman to be nominated in the cinematography category, for her work on “Mudbound and “Get Out” director Jordan Peele, who both received prolonged applause from the crowd when their names were announced by Dern.

Even John Bailey, the president of the Academy, acknowledged the young energy in the room.

“I may be a 75-year-old white male, but I’m every bit as gratified as the youngest of you here that the fossilized bedrock of many of Hollywood’s worst abuses are being jackhammered into oblivion,” Bailey

said during his remarks, referring to the #MeToo movement. There was little mention of #OscarsSoWhite inside the ballroom, despite the fact that over three dozen protesters gathered outside the hotel on Santa Monica Boulevard to advocate for more Latino representation in the film business.

It remains to be seen how second-time Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel will address the wave of sexual harassment allegations that has swept through Hollywood in recent months. But at the luncheon Monday, nominees were advised to be mindful of who they thank in their speeches, lest they come to regret a televised shoutout months later.

“Maybe think twice before you mention your agents and managers,” said Patton Oswalt, the comedian who was brought out by telecast producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd to offer speech advice. “I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention to what’s been going on this last year in Hollywood. I’m just saying, cover for yourself. You don’t want to have to explain to your grandkids why you thanked someone who Dateline just did a four-part series on.”

Other words of wisdom from the self-proclaimed “guy who voices the cartoon rat” in “Ratatouille”?

Get up on stage as quickly as possible. You’re given 45 seconds for your speech from the time your name is read not from the moment you get on stage. No “cute” trips or falls “Jennifer owns” that already, Oswalt said, referring to Jennifer Lawrence’s infamous up-the-stairs trip in 2013. And stop acting so shocked when you win, he said after all, most nominees are all dolled up in expensive gowns and tuxedos. “If you go up on stage in like a McDonald’s giveaway T-shirt and cargo shorts,” Oswalt said, “I believe that. I get it.”

February 9, 2018

Culture

11

Kevin Hart explains attempt to get on Super Bowl stage

By PETER SBLENDORIO New York Daily News TNS

Kevin Hart’s brazen attempt to celebrate onstage with the Philadelphia Eagles after their Super Bowl victory was motivated by a little liquid confidence.

The comedian, who was shut down by a security guard as he approached the stage after Sunday’s game, explained in an Instagram video that he’d been drinking but was too excited about the Eagles win to feel bad about getting denied.

“When alcohol is in your system, you do dumb stuff,” Hart began in the video. “Me trying to go on stage with the trophy (is) definitely in the top two stupidest things I’ve ever done, but who cares? The Eagles won the Super Bowl.”

Footage of Hart getting blocked by the security guard on the field as he tried to get onstage went viral Sunday after it aired on the NBC post-game broadcast.

Hart acknowledged in his Instagram post that he was “still a little tipsy” and that his wife, Eniko Parrish, warned him not to go onstage.

“It didn’t work out good,” Hart said of his plan with a laugh.

“That man did his job, didn’t he?”

Hart, a longtime Eagles superfan, summed up his minute-long Instagram post with a series of hashtags such as #iShouldHaveListenedToMyWife and #AtLeastIDidntPunchaHorse along with the caption, “Who gives a s _ t ...

Fllllyyyy EAGLES FLY!!!!!”

After his denial, Hart appeared on NFL Network and dropped an

(Facebook) Comedian and actor Kevin Hart was seen trying to get on the Eagles Super Bowl float after their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

F-bomb on air.

The Eagles defeated the New England Patriots, 41-33, in Minneapolis to clinch the first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

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Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved

S PO R T S IUP finishes with 16 qualifiers P

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

at YSU Mid-Major Invitational

By STEVEN LANGDON Contributing Writer

S.E.Langdon@iup.edu

The IUP track and field team competed in a two-day event Friday and Saturday at the Youngstown State University (YSU) Mid-Major Invitational in Youngstown, Ohio.

The team finished with 16 athletes qualifyTRACK & FIELD ing for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championships Feb. 24.

The men’s team had 11 athletes – including four high jumpers, three 800-meter runners, two longdistance runners, one sprinter and one thrower – who qualified for conference championships.

The high jumpers shined the most in the invitational with four placing in the top seven.

Ricky Fayad (junior, management), Charles Wilson-Adams (redshirt junior, communications media) and Christian Jones (sophomore, hospitality management) all tied for second.

They all cleared the 2-meter bar.

Austin Cooper (senior, geography and regional planning) was the leading 800-meter runner, finishing second overall with a time of 1 minute, 56 seconds.

Dylan Ruefle (redshirt junior, criminology and criminal justice) also qualified in the 800, finishing in 11th with a time of 1:58.

“It was not the time I wanted to

12

hit, but it was enough to qualify for PSAC,” Ruefle said. “I’m hoping to race the 800 again to get a better time and get into a better heat and win the 4x800 relay like last year to score some points.”

The others to qualify were two 5,000-meter runners – Michael Dautlick (junior, safety sciences) in 15th place and Noah Mandel (junior, kinesiology) in 21st place.

Julius Rivera (redshirt senior, human development and interior design) sprinted to fourth place in the 60-meter with a time of 6.99.

Donovan Burris (redshirt senior, kinesiology) threw the shot-put 13.65 meters.

On the women’s side, five more athletes qualified, including three 200-meter runners.

Ykendi Hood (freshman, accounting), Heather Sternby (senior, nursing) and Jada Wilson (senior, hospitality management) finished 13th, 18th and 21st, respectively. Wilson also qualified in the 60-meter with a 9.42. The other two women that qualified were in the 5,000-meter. Makena Felts (senior, nursing) finished 8th, and Sam Christman (junior, MIS) finished 16th, rounding out the qualifiers.

Aside from the qualifiers, Liz Coppella (senior, kinesiology) pole-vaulted her way into the program’s record books with a clearance of 3.76 meters.

The distance was good enough to break her own record of 3.70 meters and earned her a thirdplace finish overall.

The track and field team will be back at it Friday at the Bucknell Tune-up in Lewisburg. On Feb. 17, they will head to the Kent State Tune-up in Kent, Ohio.

(IUP Athletics) Ricky Fayad (junior, management) was one of four IUP high jumpers to finish in the top seven at the YSU Mid-Major Invitational last weekend. Charles Wilson-Adams (redshirt junior, communcations media) and Christian Jones (sophomore, hospitality management) tied for second place with Fayad.

(IUP Athletics) Jada Wilson (senior, hospitality management) was one of three Crimson Hawks to qualify in the 200-meter for the women’s division. Wilson also qualified in the 60-meter.

February 9, 2018

Sports

Sports

February 9, 2018

2018 Winter Olympics underway

South Korean police were photographed near the Olympic rings earlier this week as Pyeongchang prepared itself for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

By JOHN FORAN Staff Writer

J.N.Foran@iup.edu

The 2018 Winter Olympics officially kicked off Thursday night in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

This is South Korea’s first time hosting the Winter Olympics, and it is the second time overall after it hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Team USA hopes to once again impress on the world stage in Pyeongchang after receiving the second-most medals during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Starting Friday, viewers from all over the world will tune in to watch their country’s Olympians compete in various sports such as curling, figure skating, luge, skeleton, hockey and skiing among others.

American fans can look forward to performances by their favorite athletes, including snowboarder Shaun White, alpine skier Lindsey Vonn and newcomer to the Olympics, freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy.

Four-time Olympic luger Erin Hamlin was selected to bear the flag during the opening ceremonies.

After hosting and winning the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia will not be allowed to compete under the Russian flag due to multiple doping scandals and stripping of previous medals.

Russian athletes may compete but only under the neutral Olympic flag. With Russia out of the equation, the path to the podium is looking much easier for Team USA. Most projected medal counts

13

(TNS)

have Norway and the United States coming away with the most gold medals.

Norway tied Russia with 11 gold medals during the 2014 Sochi Olympics but achieved only 26 medals overall.

Canada is eager to place highly as well, seeing that, along with Team USA, they are the only two countries sending more than 200 athletes to Pyeongchang.

For the first time in more than 20 years, the National Hockey League will not be allowing its players to travel and compete in the Olympics.

The decision comes after the International Olympic Committee decided to change its policy and not cover insurance costs for the NHL players.

Multiple countries have expressed concern over recent tensions between host country South Korea and bordering aggressor country North Korea.

North Korea’s numerous missile launches and violent rhetoric led many within the IOC to believe they would simply not want to send any athletes. North Korea was also absent in the 2014 games.

The deadline to enter a team came and went Oct. 30 with no word from North Korea, although on Jan. 9, they contacted the IOC with intentions to send a 10-athlete delegation to represent their country.

The IOC made an exemption and will allow their athletes to participate.

Broadcasts of the games will run on NBC and its affiliates until the closing ceremony Feb 25.

(TNS) Team USA cross-country skier Jessie Diggins spoke with the press Thursday in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Diggins is one of 242 athletes who will be representing the U.S. in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

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(IUP Athletics) IUP safety Max Redfield (senior, philosophy) was one of the Crimson Hawks’ top defenders in 2017 while recording 78 tackles, nine pass breakups, 13 passes defended and four interceptions.

Redfield heading to NFL combine

By ELLIOT HICKS Staff Writer

E.Hicks@iup.edu

IUP safety Max Redfield (senior, philosophy) will be one of 336 collegiate players to attend the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, which starts later this month at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Redfield quickly became a key conFOOTBALL tributor and one of the star players on defense for an IUP team that racked up plenty of accolades during an undefeated regular season, leading to a Pennsylvania State Athletic

Conference (PSAC) championship and a national semifinal berth.

Redfield is the only player from the conference to be invited to the combine.

The Cliff Harris Award nominee, awarded to the top defensive player in Division II football, impressed during his lone season with the Crimson Hawks after transferring from the University of Notre Dame, recording 78 tackles, nine pass breakups, 13 passes defended and four interceptions in 13 starts in the defensive backfield. Redfield’s season was cut short, however, due to a hip injury against Assumption College in the Division II playoffs.

This is the second consecutive year in which the Crimson Hawks have had a player invited to Indianapolis, following last year’s invite of of-

(IUP Athletics) Max Redfield (senior, philosophy)

fensive lineman Ethan Cooper, who went undrafted.

Based on his national pedigree, being a four-star recruit out of high school, there is a chance that Redfield could become the first IUP draftee since Akwasi Owusu-Ansah was selected in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2010.

The defensive backs are scheduled to perform drills March 5 in Indianapolis.

February 9, 2018

Sports

15

Cavs crazy deadline draws questions around LeBron’s future

By SEAN FRITZ Sports Editor

S.D.Fritz@iup.edu

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone in a bigger way than usual this year with teams trying to build their best rosters possible in order to make a run at a title.

At the end of January came a mildly surprising move from the Los Angeles Clippers to trade one of the team’s longest-tenured players in forward Blake Griffin.

Many suspected the possibility of Griffin being moved in the past few years, but after inking a fouryear, multi-million-dollar deal in the offseason, many thought Griffin was there for the long haul in Los Angeles.

Shockingly enough, the Clippers elected to send Griffin to the Detroit Pistons in a six-player trade in which L.A. sent Griffin and forwards Brice Johnson and Willie Reed to Detroit, although Reed ended up being traded to Chicago on Thursday.

In return, Detroit sent guard Avery Bradley, forward Tobias Harris, center Boban Marjanovic and a 2018 first-round pick to the Clippers.

On Feb. 1, the Chicago Bulls sent forward Nikola Mirotic and a future second-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans, who are looking to secure a spot in the Western Conference without the help of superstar center DeMarcus Cousins, who is out for the season with an Achilles injury.

In return, Chicago received three players and a first-round pick.

One of the players sent to Chicago was veteran point guard Jameer Nelson, who was flipped to Detroit for Reed on Thursday before the deadline.

Another notable trade from Thursday was a three-team trade that sent former lottery pick and point guard Emmanuel Mudiay from the Denver Nuggets to the

New York Knicks along with a future second-rounder.

For Mudiay, forward Doug McDermott was sent from New York to the Dallas Mavericks, and then Mavericks guard Devin Harris went to the Nuggets along with a 2018 second-round pick.

It was a bit of an odd move from the Nuggets, who are currently sitting in a playoff spot, to part with a young player like Mudiay.

Although, Denver does get a solid veteran in Harris to add some depth to its roster in hopes of locking itself into that playoff spot.

Aside from a few other moves, nothing notable seemed to come before the deadline until the Cleveland Cavaliers inserted themselves into headlines everywhere with three of the biggest blockbuster deals in recent years.

After parting ways with All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving in the offseason when he requested a trade, the Cavs looked to incorporate their returns from the deal this season that just didn’t seem to work out for either the players or the organization.

Point guard Isaiah Thomas, the biggest return to the Irving trade who came from the Boston Celtics in the offseason, was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers along with veteran big-man Channing Frye and a 2018 first-rounder for guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Larry Nance Jr. With Thomas sidelined for half the season with a hip injury, the Cavaliers desperately waited his return that just didn’t pay off like they hoped as they eventually decided to move on from the Thomas experiment.

The Cavaliers weren’t done, however, as they sent the second piece of the summer’s blockbuster trade with the Celtics, forward Jae Crowder, and veteran free-agent signee point guard Derrick Rose to the Utah Jazz as a part of a threeteam trade.

In return, Cleveland received forward Rodney Hood from Utah

(TNS) Point guard Isaiah Thomas was one of the biggest pieces returned to the Cavaliers in a trade with the Boston Celtics over the summer that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston. After playing in only 15 games this season, Cleveland traded Thomas to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

and point guard George Hill from the Sacramento Kings, while Utah sent veteran Joe Johnson and Cleveland sent guard Iman Shumpert to the Kings.

Finally, after a hectic day for Cleveland, the organization agreed to send guard and close friend of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, back to the Miami Heat for a second-rounder.

After all the moves from Cleveland, it will surely be a completely different-looking team on the floor in the second half for the threetime defending Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers.

NBA fans and analysts will now wait and see what lies ahead for the Cavs, not just in regards to a potential fourth straight NBA Finals appearance, but with superstar LeBron James’ future with the team as his free agency looms this summer.

The new faces will have a chance to get adjusted with their new teams for about a week until the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend, which will be held Feb. 16-18.

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February 9, 2018

16

OPINION EDITORIAl

Despite changes, Olympics still unify

It’s been four years since the last Winter Olympics. The 2014 Games were held in Sochi, Russia. That year, Russia swept the field, finishing the games ranked No. 1 with 11 gold and 29 total medals.

Norway and Canada finished second and third, respectively, leaving the United States to finish fourth with 9 gold medals and a total medal count of 28.

Four years later, Tony Romo and Jeff Gordon are in a broadcast booth, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles and Donald Trump is the president of the United States.

A lot has changed in four years, but a lot remains the same.

The stability of the region for the Winter Olympics has, unfortunately, not changed, as this year’s games are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

North Korea, bordering hosting nation South Korea, has been at turmoil with the U.S. among other countries for years now.

The latest North Korean stunt included hosting a military parade a day before the Games start.aOne difference

(TNS) Olympic ice skater Bradie Tennell will represent the United States in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongcheng, South Korea.

between this year and the last games, however, will be Russia’s success, since Russian athletes will not be allowed to

NRA should disclose Russian connections

By BLOOMBERG VIEW EDITORS TNS

The National Rifle Association has long offered its expertise in politics and public relations to gun groups in Australia, Brazil, Canada and elsewhere.

The question now is whether during the 2016 presidential campaign the NRA embraced a very different sort of international mission: serving as a conduit to Donald Trump’s campaign for Russian interests.

The FBI is reportedly investigating whether the NRA helped funnel money from Russians into the election, which would violate U.S. election law prohibiting the use of foreign money.

In recent years, the NRA has developed relationships with several well-connected Russians, including Alexander Torshin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin who is deputy governor of the Russian central bank.

Torshin, who has been impli-

Opinion

cated in money laundering by Spanish authorities, is also an NRA member.

In 2016, he is reported to have met with Donald Trump Jr. at the NRA’s annual meeting in Kentucky, and in 2015 NRA leaders met with Torshin in Moscow.

The NRA has said that the FBI has not contacted it about Russian funds. However, the gun group has so far failed to take the simple step of denying that it accepted Russian money at all.

The NRA reported spending more than $55 million in the 2016 election, including $30 million on Trump – more than the organization has spent on any candidate in its history.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (D–Ore.), the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, has sent letters to the U.S. Treasury Department and to the NRA requesting information on the group’s ties to Putin allies.

The public has the right to know if the NRA served as a

backdoor for Putin’s sabotage of the election – especially given the NRA’s role in lobbying Congress and state governments, and funding political campaigns.

Did the NRA receive any money from Russia-linked individuals or entities? Did it facilitate meetings between Russians and members of the Trump campaign? To what end?

As a 501(c)(4) organization, the NRA is not required to disclose its donors. Congress should change that law.

Regardless, thorough answers from the NRA to each of these questions could resolve any doubts about its conduct, even if they also show that the group chooses its friends poorly.

Russia’s sabotage of the 2016 election was an attack on American democracy.

It should be easy enough for the NRA to show that it played no role in that assault.

So far, it hasn’t taken the opportunity to do so.

February 9, 2018

participate in the Games under their country’s flag due to the doping scandal that surfaced in 2016.

Although the world nowadays seems to be unstable between the planet’s future regarding climate change and seemingly consistent threats of nuclear war, the Winter Olympics is a time to come together as a nation and a world.

Fearless athletes continue to set the bar and bring competition on a global scale. They serve as role models for children and the perfect form of escapism while still boasting a united front.

Will the next generation of Olympians rise to the task, or will previous gold-winning veterans, like U.S. snowboarder Shaun White, return to their former glory?

No matter the results, it’s a good change of pace to see everyone exhibiting national pride in a divisive time in our country’s history.

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