9/23/2020

NEWS | PAGE 3

W EDNESDAY, SEPTEM BER 2 3 , 2 0 2 0

CULTURE | PAGE 11

VO L . 113 NO. 4

11.

PAGE

The Penn

HOW ART DEPARTMENT IS ADAPTING TO COVID-19

SPORTS | PAGE 18

W W W. T H E P E N N .OR G

Cover Photo By Heather Bair

The Penn // INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

News

Culture

SPORTS

The Penn F A L L

2 0 2 0

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief Steven Langdon Jr. Managing Editors Jake Slebodnick News Editor Heather Bair

03.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS, TO IMPRESS: SEMI-ANNUAL EVENT OFFERS DISCOUNTS ON PROFESSIONAL DRESS FOR STUDENTS

W

E

W E D N E S D A Y

76 HI |51 LO

A

T

12.

H

18.

STATIC PLANS FOR THE REST OF SEPTEMBER

E

R

Culture Editor Katelin Pompa IUP TENNIS COULD PUT UP BIG NUMBERS BEHIND STRALKA-TITLE

F O R E C A S T

T H U R S D A Y

F R I D A Y

S A T U R D A Y

78 HI |55 LO

76 HI |51 LO

78 HI |60 LO

Sports Editor Jeff Hart Copy Editor Alexis Loya Graphic Designer Teddy Jeannette Video Editor Sean Seaman Photo Editor Autumn Dorsey

BUSINESS STAFF

TWITTER.COM/THEPENNIUP

Join at 8:00 PM via Chrome’s Netflix Watch Party.

Must have own account.

Movie, trivia, & prizes!

This issue is brought to you by:

P

The Penn’s SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

The Penn

CHECK OUT ONLINE FOR EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

THEPENN.ORG

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

FACEBOOK.COM/THEPENNIUP

BLAME IT ON ME Post Malone

Secretaries Tessa Matulis Audrey Cameron Advertisement Designers Na’eem Allen-Stills Autumn Dorsey

DIARY OF A DEADMAN Five Finger Death Punch UNSAINTED Slipknot YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME Korn SOUL FOOD II Logic THE ENDS Travis Scott DR. CARTER Lil Wayne NO IDEA Don Toliver POUND CAKE / PARIS MORTON MUSIC 2 Drake, JAY-Z MAN IN THE BOX Alice in Chains

FOLLOW THEPENNIUP ON SPOTIFY FOR ACCESS TO THIS PLAYLIST

BROUGHT TO YOU BY JEFF HART

CONTACT US the-penn@iup.edu penn-ads@iup.edu Phone: 724.357.1306 Fax: 724.357.0127 #IUPSTUDENTVOICE

NEWS

News Editor: Heather Bair – zzzx@iup.edu

JC Penney’s semi-annual Suit-Up Event offers professional dress for students who need to dress to impress future employers and in interviews.

(Karis Cornelius/The Penn)

Dress for success, to impress

Semi-annual event offers discounts on professional dress for students KATE POMPA Culture Editor xzgw@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The JCPenney semi-annual suit-up event offers students a great discount to help build their career wardrobe, and this time, it looked a little different.

Due to COVID-19, the event was held online this fall. To participate, students needed to text “IUP to 67292 to receive a 30 percent discount coupon that was only active from Sept. 16 until 20.

The JCPenney suit-up event offers career dress apparel to all university students and faculty.

This event is very helpful for the all too familiar life as a broke college student.

IUP started participating in the Suit-Up event in January of 2018.

This event first started at the University of Oklahoma several years ago, while IUP was one of the first in Western Pennsylvania, according to Tammy Manko. IUP Center for Professional Career Development was inspired to partake in this event to ensure students have

News

(Karis Cornelius/The Penn) Indiana’s JCPenney’s is located in the Indiana Mall.

to opportunity to find affordable professional clothing.

The website (https://www. jcpenney.com/m/suit-up-view-all) was well formatted to help you find what you need in terms of dress and style.

According to their site, JCPenny has clothing for all events, such as award ceremonies, job interviews, presentations and socials.

They also recommend when shopping during this event to buy “foundation pieces,” as they can be the base to any look. Once you buy the foundation, you can then add things such as ties for men

and some dress jackets or shoes for women.

“During your college career, you’ll find yourself needing many new outfits for showing up and looking your best,” the JCPenney mission statement says. “Dresses are a nice way to feel feminine and dressed up.

Add in some new heels or pumps to give yourself that extra air of confidence for times when you need to be top of the class.

Jewelry, scarves and belts can let you inject your own style. Dress pants for men are good ‘go-to’ for banquets, class presentations

September 23, 2020

or any day you want to wear something besides sweatpants or joggers.

Since college students are usually watching their budgets (and rightly so), JCPenney understands that price is a consideration when purchasing new pieces for a wardrobe. You’ll find the right prices for those quality items you need to suit up and look like the responsible adult you’re fast becoming” “The event is a collaboration with the local JCPenney, though the overall program is driven by the corporate headquarters and we work with both entities to ensure the event is well organized and runs smoothly. “ Manko said.

The savings that were offered proved to be beneficial to a college budget. For example, a $40 Strafford was offered to students at the rate of $18 with the coupon.

In terms of men’s foundation pieces, such as basic dress shirts and pants, there was a possibility to save up to $30 on certain styles and sets. For example, a U.S. Polo originally priced at $55 was offered to students and faculty as

a rate of $20.

For women the deals were just as sweet. A London Style three-quarter sleeve sheath dress was discounted well. The original price was $72, but it was priced at $34 dollars during the event. This deal perfectly suits college students who are short on cash, but want style and quality that lasts.

When going into the professional world, it’s important to dress the part for the job you want. Dressing for the job you want can help you in many ways, and as their mission statement says, build confidence too.

This is a semi-annual event, so if you missed this one, no worries. There will always be more opportunities with the same great discount that will be offered this spring.

“We hold this event each semester – meaning fall and spring. Typically, it's an in-person event, but due to the pandemic, we made the decision to take it virtual this fall and worked with JCPenney to put appropriate processes in place to make it work.”

Manko said.

3

4

September 23, 2020

News

Remembering woman of many faces: Ruth Bader Ginsburg RACHEL FOOR Staff Writer myjv@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Supreme Court Justice and gender equality advocate Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, died Sept. 18 surrounded by her family in her Washington D.C. home following complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Born in Brooklyn, New York on March 15, 1933, Ginsburg was born as Joan Ruth Bader to parents Celia and Nathan Bader. The Baders were an observant Jewish family and Ginsburg regularly attended synagogue and participated in Jewish traditions.

Her mother, who had forgone her own education to help pay her brother’s college expenses, worked in a garment factory during the height of the Great Depression.

This heavily influenced Ginsburg, giving her a deep love and appreciation of education. Her mother was able to watch Ginsburg excel at James Madison High School, but unfortunately died of cancer days before she graduated.

Ginsburg received a full scholarship to Cornell University, where she met her future husband Martin “Marty” Ginsburg. She went on to graduate at the top of her class in June of 1954, and married Marty nine days later.

Following graduation, Ruth paused her education to start a family. The couple’s first child, Jane, was born in 1955 after Marty was drafted for two years of military service.

When her husband’s service ended in 1956, she enrolled at Harvard Law School. She was one of 9 women in a class of about 500 men.

Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School after her husband took a job in New York City. This allowed her to become the first woman to be on two major law reviews: the Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review. In 1959, she finished her law degree at Columbia, tying for first in her class.

Despite her impeccable academic record, Ginsburg struggled to find work as a lawyer because of gender discrimination and the fact that she was a mother. It wasn’t until one of her favorite professors from Columbia refused to recommend any other graduates before U.S. District Judge Edmund L. Palmieri hired Ginsburg as a clerk.

Afterwards, she was offered positions at several law firms, but always at a lower salary than her male colleagues. Rather than settle for less than what she was worth, she decided to focus on her passion of civil procedure.

(Facebook) Ruth Bader Ginsburg (left) was the social voice for many groups. In 2019, she received her own movie, “On the Basis of Sex,” starring Felicity Jones as the Notorious RBG herself (right).

She studied abroad as part of her membership in the Columbia Project on Civil Procedure to do research on Swedish Civil Procedure practices.

On her return, she was hired as an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Law in 1963 and earned tenure in 1969. She then accepted a similar position at Columbia University in 1972.

During the 1970s, Ginsburg’s career as a gender equality advocate blossomed. She became the first female professor at Columbia to earn tenure, moderated a law student panel discussion on women’s liberation, directed the Women’s Rights Project of the ACLU, co-authored a law school casebook on gender discrimination and successfully argued six landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Thanks to Ginsburg’s work, American women have the right to sign a mortgage without a man, have a bank account without a male co-signer, have a job without being discriminated against based on their gender, to be pregnant and have kids while working and allowed the ability to have pensions equal to their male counterparts.

In true gender equality fashion, she also worked for the rights of men; including widowers being allowed to receive Social Security benefits, being able to be on their wife’s health insurance, and championing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that gave men the right to paternity leave.

“Her legal legacy is sweeping,” said Lynn Botelho, history professor and director of women’s and

gender studies at IUP. “We know of her sweeping and ground-breaking work on behalf of women’s right and of her ‘radical project’ to erase the legal distinctions between the rights of women and men, or sexual equality.

But perhaps people aren’t aware that this ‘radical project’ included arguing for the rights of men, such as widowers staying home to raise their children. Her work to end gender discrimination is fundamental towards the creation of a just and equitable society.

As a woman, my debt to her is immense. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, her work as a Justice of the Supreme Court was admired for its integrity and sheer depth intellect. To paraphrase RBG, she was indeed born under a very bright star.”

In 1980, Ginsburg was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington D.C. by President Jimmy Carter. She served in the court for 13 years, developing a reputation as a logical liberal who paid close attention to detail.

Then in 1993 President Bill Clinton nominated her as a Supreme Court Justice to replace the retiring Justice Byron White. The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed Ginsburg unanimously and the Senate confirmed her on Aug. 3 with a vote of 96-3. She was the first Jewish woman, and second woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court of the U.S. During her time as a Justice, Ginsburg became known for actively participating in oral debates and wearing her iconic white collars

over her judicial robes. Some of the collars have symbolic meaning, with Ginsburg identifying a majority opinion collar and a dissent collar.

She never gave up fighting for gender equality, and in 1996 wrote the majority opinion in United States v. Virginia that stated qualified women could not be denied admission to the Virginia Military Institute.

Ginsburg later dissented after a woman who sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. for being paid significantly less than her equally qualified male counterparts was denied relief under a statute of limitations issue.

When President Obama took office in 2008, Ginsburg worked with him to undo the improper interpretation of the law that she detailed in her dissent. She also worked with him to pass his first piece of legislation in office, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

Although she was the oldest and most senior justice on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg refused to retire, intending to do her job as long as possible. She even went to work on the day after her husband died in 2010 because she said it was what he would have wanted.

Until the 2018 term, she had never missed an oral argument, even while receiving chemotherapy and undergoing surgery. Ginsburg saw a personal trainer in the Supreme Court’s exercise room and notably could lift more than Justices Breyer and Kagan for a number of years.

Ginsburg is considered a feminist folk hero and gender equality icon.

She has had books written about her life and has been portrayed numerous times in TV shows and movies, with the 2018 film “On the

Basis of Sex” starring Felicity Jones highlighting her career struggles fighting for gender equality.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was my idol since I became interested in politics,” said Kira Golub (sophomore, political science). “Before I left for my freshman year, my mom walked into my room with a present.

If you have ever watched ‘This is Us’ there is a scene involving a dad giving his wife an RBG doll for their preemie baby because he ‘needed a strong woman to watch over him.’

My mom walked in with an RBG bobblehead for the same reason.”

After a years-long battle with cancer, Ginsburg passed away on Sept. 18 during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. According to Jewish tradition, truly righteous people die on Rosh Hashanah because they were needed until the very end.

Those who die on the new year are considered “tzaddik,” which is a title given to the righteous and saintly in Jewish communities.

“The notorious RBG was a legal giant, an icon, an inspiration,” said Tedd Cogar, the senior assessment coordinator and LGBTQIA support at IUP. “She was instrumental in giving us the decisions of gender equity. She helped us understand and expand anti-discrimination law. Her death on Rosh Hashanah is significant, indicating her as a person of great righteousness. May her memory be eternal.”

In Ginsburg’s own words, “real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” Throughout her life and career, she took many such steps, ensuring her legacy will live on in all of the people she fought to enfranchise.

September 23, 2020

News

5

(WBBJ-TV)

National Hispanic Heritage Month begins Sept. 15 and ends Oct. 15.

Wake me up when September starts

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month and IUP is here for it CAIO GOMES Contributing Writer hysbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP If you are wondering why you are suddenly seeing multiple ads directed to the Latinx community, it is probably because the National Hispanic Heritage Month (NHHM) started Sept. 15.

Running yearly from Sept. 15 until Oct. 15, the NHHM hopes to celebrate and honor the contribution and cultures of immigrants from Latin America and their descendants.

The celebration started originally as the Hispanic Heritage Week when President Johnson signed into law in 1968. Only 20 years later, it was extended to a month. Sept. 15 was chosen as the start date because it’s when five countries in Latin America - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua - celebrate their Independence Day. Also, Brazil (7), Mexico (16), Chile (17), and Belize (21) all have independence days in September.

Now, in 2020, the NHHM has become a month of significant importance.

To IUP’s Assistant Director of

Admissions for Latino Recruitment, Pamela Guzman, it became a way for people, even those who identify as Hispanics themselves, to learn and get in touch with Hispanic culture.

“Even though we might be from Hispanic ascendance,” Guzman says, “we might not know everything or know every culture in each country [in Latin America]. So [National Hispanic Heritage Month] is also a way for us as Hispanics and Latinos to know about our history here as well as in Latin America.”

To Professor Marjorie Zambrano-Paff, the NHHM is not only important for the cultural aspect, but also for its social aspects.

“This is a month in which you, as a Latina and as a Hispanic, want to make the best possible way to let people know who we are, what we do here in the U.S., what people do in Latin America,” she said. “Not just for the fun aspect of the culture, but also our struggles and our future goals as a race.”

Professor Zambrano-Paff is also responsible for the Hispanic Heritage Council at IUP. The council aims to raise community awareness of Hispanics and/or

diversity via involvement in the sponsored events. Something that, to Kendall Gomez, a political science major at IUP of Cuban and Honduran heritage, is very important.

“We are the fastest-growing minority population [in the U.S.],” Gomez said. “But there’s a lot of culture and uniqueness that isn’t recognized and appreciated.”

Gomez believes our media needs to do a better job promoting NHHM. “I didn’t know about it until the sophomore year of high school because no one talks about it,” she said. “Who knows about Hispanic Heritage Month? I didn’t.”

Despite its importance, it is not to say that the NHHM has not faced any criticism.

Last year, the New York Times released an article claiming that it should be rebranded because “those with African and indigenous roots often feel left out of conversations and celebrations under that [Hispanic] label” because of its connection to Spain and colonization.

This position is shared by many.

Jane Martinez, the founder of “Ain’t I Latina?” explicitly says she refuses to call it “Hispanic,”

choosing the term “Latinx Heritage Month” instead.

It’s important to mention that at a federal level, “Hispanic” and “Latino” are interchangeable. The official U.S. Census designation of Hispanic and Latino is “a person of Central American, Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South American or other Hispanic culture or origin regardless of race.”

This includes those who have African, Indigenous or Portuguese roots. This is most likely why the New York Times’ suggestion to replace “Hispanic” with “Latino” isn’t as controversial as Martinez’s suggestion to adopt the term “Latinx” instead.

“When we talk about the term Latinx, we are truly focusing on the American culture and perspective on latinidad.,” Guzman said, “Understanding and changing the terms ‘Latino’ and ‘Latina’ to ‘Latinx,’ in the American perspective, means understanding that the ‘o’ is sexist and they [Americans] don’t believe it [the term Latino] should be ‘o’ because of the European machismo.

“But when you take that back into Latin America or to older Latinos in this country, they don’t perceive it that way … we already

had a lot of issues with cultural assimilation in this country, where we as Latinos already had to assimilate to the culture, we had to learn the language, and now we have to assimilate the American culture changing our language and making it unofficial to end it with an ‘o’ or an ‘a.’”

Guzman then adds that she believes both terms can exist, as they are not necessarily exclusive of one another.

“I agree with the change in terminology to make more people feel included,” she said. “But I don’t agree with the drop of the history behind. If we were to change it to ‘Latino/Latina/Latinx’ I’m all for it.”

This is a feeling shared by Professor Zambrano-Paff.

“I feel more comfortable with both,” saidshe said. “We should keep both [Latinx and Latino(a)] so we can be only inclusive, without being exclusive to the ones who feel comfortable or uncomfortable.”

Despite the controversies regarding the term, it’s of universal agreement that NHHM is very important, not only to the Hispanic/ Latino community but to the U.S. as a whole.

6

News

Join at 8:00 PM via Zoom. FREE! Open to entire IUP campus community!

STATIC WILL RELEASE ZOOM LINK VIA SOCIAL MEDIA!

Join at 8:00 PM via the Swank Film Portal link.

STATIC WILL RELEASE LINK VIA SOCIAL MEDIA!

September 23, 2020

UPCOMING EVENTS

Join at 9:00 PM via Zoom. Explore our Solar System, Milky Way galaxy, and parts of the universe near and far.

Join at 8:00 PM via Chrome’s Netflix Watch Party.

Must have own account.

Movie, trivia, & prizes!

Join at 8:00 PM via Zoom. FREE! Open to entire IUP campus community!

Submit questions for Issa to answer!

Join at 8:00 PM via the Swank Film Portal link.

Must have IUP network access.

Part of IUP Family Weekend.

Join at 7:00 PM via Zoom. Hosted by STATIC. Prizes for winning family. Preregister on the STATIC website.

Co-sponsored with IUP Campus Recreation and Intramurals.

Register at IMLeagues.com/IUP. Prizes for winning brackets!

Join at 8:00 PM via Chrome’s Netflix Watch Party.

Must have own account.

Movie, trivia, & prizes!

for more info, check out

www.STATICatIUP.com

Join at 8:00 PM via Zoom. FREE! Open to entire IUP campus community!

Official IUP Homecoming Concert!

September 23, 2020

News

7

Media involvment, social opinions, change ways students vote LEVI DONALDSON Staff Writer ypzx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Every election year is heavily impacted by the rising political ideologies and discussions. This year has especially had a lot of life changing events and important conversations being had.

The college student demographic is a rising and pivotal one. There are a couple ways that students research who to cast their vote toward.

“I don’t really go out of my way to research everyone,” Violet Hayes (junior, speech pathology) said. “I kind of just see what comes across my newsfeed on various apps, and I don’t vote based on party affiliation.

I vote based on who I agree with.

I tend to just look at what comes across my news feed, and if I feel I need informed more on something, I ask someone who is more knowledgeable to provide me with resources.”

She said that political campaign ads don’t really sway her at all.

“I hope these campaign advertisements don’t affect me at all,” Tony Bartash (sophomore, chemistry) said. “I don’t really put in much

Voting in 2020 may be different than other years but some students have different ideas on how voting should happen. research into candidates.”

“In this election, the options are so distinct,” Stephen Plowcha (junior, health and environmental applied sciences) said.

“I’ve been following pop politics for years, so I didn’t come to my decision through targeted research,” he said. “At a certain point, I intuitively knew who I would vote for.”

Plowcha said he would only vote if he knew a lot about a candidates’ politics.

“The modern Democratic and Republican parties represent significantly different ways of doing things,” Plowcha said, despite not having a party affiliation.

“I vote straight down the ballot because I don’t think a mixed ballot would be politically coherent right now,” he said. “I have erratically shifted between information sources over the last few years. I hardly read the news anymore, but generally speaking for U.S. politics, I consider anything from mainstream newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post to be reliable, along with secondary magazine-type publications that source their articles from those papers.

“My opinions have been influenced by online communities though, particularly Reddit,

which I’ve been trying to get away from. No one wants to admit that advertising affects them. That being said, I go far out of my way so that I come into as little contact with ads as possible. Advertising honestly won’t impact who I vote for, but if a celebrity, who happens to be someone I admire, endorses a political candidate, that could swing me in that direction.”

Others research before voting, like Matt Hiles (junior, accounting and economics).

“I do not vote based on party affiliation, necessarily,” he said.

“But ideologically, I tend to vote with a preference towards one of

(CNN)

the parties. That being said, I don’t really care for and am heavily critical of the establishment parties. To research candidates, I often attempt to find as neutral a source as possible even preferably a foreign source as The Guardian.

“Furthermore, I read a lot of online databases that store information regarding the candidate’s history. For example, Wikis that accurately and reliably source their information. Advertising and celebrity endorsements don’t really affect me, at least not in a way that is obvious or that I’m consciously aware of…generally, I try to not let other people do my thinking for me.”

IUP’S NAACP chapter fights for equality on, off campus OLIVIA CARBONE Staff Writer ypzx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have worked tirelessly since 1909.

The organization was found in that year and has since grown across campuses throughout the U.S. The executive board of the IUP chapter has five members on it; Stanley Asher Rogers, president; Lassine Dembele, vice president; Kortnei Almon, secretary; Micah Davis, treasurer; and Craig Bickley, advisor.

“The organization focuses on IUP students of color who are coming to the university,” Rogers said.

“A place for people to come to learn about our history, a resource, people are in trouble.”

Their meetings are every Thursday at 6 p.m. There is both a virtual and in-person option to attend the meetings. If you choose to attend in-person you must wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.

“My favorite part of being

The NAACP IUP chapter is devoted to helping students throughout the IUP community. president is talking to incoming freshman.

“I love going to different orientation meetings and talking to them. I let them know to stay motivated, even if they don’t come to IUP. I always encourage them to continue their education. I like to explain to them what college is really about and talk about the many good things I have seen in

the black community.”

Due to past and recent events taking place in our country, it’s important for students to educate themselves and to stand with their fellow students in support of what’s going on.

The official mission statement of the chapter is as follows, “The purpose and aims of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania chapter

(IUP)

of the NAACP shall be to improve the political, educational, social and economic status of minority groups; to eliminate racial prejudice; to keep the public aware of the adverse effects of racial discrimination; and to take all lawful action to secure its elimination, consistent with the efforts of the national organization and in conformity with the Articles of Incorporation of the

association, its constitution, its bylaws and as directed by the national board of directors.

“In addition, its objectives shall be to inform students of the problems affecting black and another minority groups; to advance the economic, educational, political, and social status of black people and other minority groups and their harmonious cooperation with other peoples; to stimulate an appreciation of the black man’s contribution to civilization; and to develop an intelligent and effective leadership that is active in serving a cause or belief. These objectives shall be pursued in accordance with the policies of the association within the framework of university regulations.

“Any person regularly enrolled as a student and who agrees to comply with the principles and policies of the association may become a member of the university chapter with the consent of the association’s board of directors. Membership in the university chapter shall include membership in the national association.”

For more information on this organization, please contact the president at kmsw@iup.edu.

8

September 23, 2020

News

Strike! Strike! Strike!

Idea of strike may be risky but possible at IUP RACHEL FOOR Staff Writer myjv@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Students across the country are striking due to their universities not following through with COVID-19 safety procedures.

After colleges reopened late last month despite climbing case numbers, students and their unions began organizing strikes at the University of Kansas, University of Michigan and the University of South Carolina. Those from the University of Kansas are demanding free exit testing for all students, hazard pay for essential workers, shelter for students in need; while organizers from the University of Michigan want transparent and robust plans for testing and contact tracing, a universal right to work remotely, rent freezes and flexible leases for on-campus housing, among other things.

These actions have called IUP’s handling of the COVID-19 safety procedures into question. As of

(Case Marshall/The Penn) Talks of a strike happening around the IUP campus border between being risky and being probable.

Sept. 22, the university has reported a total of 155 cases, with 88 of those now recovered. Between Sept. 15 and Sept. 17, 68 new cases were confirmed. These are all student cases, with 13 living in on-campus

housing and 36 living off-campus.

Many students believe that IUP should not have brougth students back to campus, even at limited capacity.

“From a public health standpoint, I do not think that we should have returned to campus,” Madelin Kuzneski (junior, public health) said.

“I understand why we did, our country is eager to keep the economy up and running. The majority of schools have returned in some capacity, and universities heavily rely on costs from housing/meal plans etc. What concerns me is that if our cases continue to rise, we may be forced to go completely online (other schools have done this already) which will result in a huge loss for the university and in turn, students.”

“Returning to campus was not a good idea,” Kyle Heide, (sophomore, political science) said. “I was a proponent for returning, but that was also in May when I, and I'm sure many others, genuinely thought there was a chance that Pennsylvania's COVID numbers would return to a safe level. Too much has happened over the summer to change my mind, and yet, the administration acted like nothing happened.”

Students at IUP are also frustrated with the lack of enforcement regarding their COVID-19 policies.

Anyone on campus is required to wear face coverings, limit in-person meetings to ensure social distancing, and avoid all physical contact.

Once campus reopened, students and employees were given safety kits that included hand sanitizer, reusable face coverings, facial tissues and other items intended to keep everyone safe and healthy. However, many believe the university isn’t doing enough.

“This is mostly the fault of the

administration,” Heide said. “As far as I'm aware, there is no real consequences for not social distancing or not wearing masks. We've been getting email warnings, but what is that going to do? If they're unable or unwilling to start enforcing their guidelines, then they should just send everyone home. There's no point in rules that are designed to keep the community safe if you can't enforce.

“By the time of their decision, I already signed a lease which is the only reason I'm still in the area. I think I would have been okay with this, if I wasn't driving home from work one night to see Wayne Avenue filled with mask-less party goers, and I then watched a university police vehicle drive by like nothing was happening. Which I understand that they don't really have jurisdiction outside the university, but they couldn't notify any other authority?”

“Recently on Facebook I saw some people complaining that the IUP health center is not providing tests to those without symptoms, which can be problematic,” Kuzneski said. “I’ve also heard of students on campus who have tested positive and are not self-isolating, so the university needs to take responsibility for that as well in order to keep everyone safe during this on-going pandemic.”

While some students like the idea of organizing a strike at IUP over their concerns, it is unclear if there is enough support amongst the student body to properly hold one.

“I think that a student strike would be a risky proposition,” said Evan Marino (junior, social studies teacher education). “While I am not altogether happy with how IUP has handled the pandemic, I believe that it would not be in the majority

of students' best interest to ignore their classes or otherwise organize a strike. Many people depend on the exact timing of their education so that they can save time and money and get their degree at just the right moment. I would personally never want to participate in such a strike, but I can understand why others would.”

“I do think there are students who can and would organize and participate in a strike,” said Heide, “myself being one of them, and I know some faculty and staff who share our concerns and would stand alongside us. However, I think many students either aren't motivated to take action due to burn out, fear, or other many valid reasons or just deny this is a problem and will continue to not social distance and not wear masks.”

“In order to prevent a strike from happening,” said Kuzneski, “I think that IUP needs to implement more public health measures such as routine testing for students, especially those living on campus and attending in-person classes.”

“I honestly have no idea if an IUP student strike would be effective in this case,” said Michele Papakie, journalism and public relations department chair and APSCUF secretary of state, “but students should understand that no organizations ever WANT TO strike. A strike is a last-ditch effort to achieve fairness.

Strikes only happen when all other means of negotiation have been exhausted and failed. I would first encourage students to communicate openly, honestly and professionally with decision-makers about their health and safety concerns. Students’ health and safety are always important priorities among faculty, and we have communicated these concerns – along with our own – countless times since March to IUP’s administration and the State System leadership.”

Despite their reluctance to organize, many are wary of how the rest of the semester will play out as cases in the community continue to rise.

“I just don't think people will understand how dangerous this virus is,” Heide said, “nor how much it would affect us if we had to do this for another semester, which is growing increasingly likely as the inaction continues. I've been feeling like this semester is just a cash grab from the university. It's bad enough that the Federal and State governments aren't doing anything to help us, but the lack of support from the university has just been so isolating.”

News

September 23, 2020

9

Opinion

Not so cute: Netflix promotes what society tries to stop 2020 has been a year marred by a pandemic, social justice outrage and racial injustices.

One issue that has been going on in the background is the sexualization of our children. Netflix’s controversial film, “Cuties,” is the embodiment of everything wrong with the counterculture movement in America.

The #SaveOurChildren has become very popular on Twitter, and you will find no shortage of people displaying their outrage over the “Cuties” documentary on the platform.

“Cuties” is a French documentary released Sept. 9 on Netflix directed by Maïmouna Doucouré and has quickly become the topic for a political battle in the social media world right now.

“Cuties” is supposedly about “show(ing) that our children should have the time to be children, and we as adults should protect their innocence and keep them innocent as long as possible,” according to Doucouré.

The film’s description on Netflix was originally listed as “Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions.”

Soon after the documentary was released, this description was coincidentally changed after the initial backlash.

“Amy, an 11-year-old girl, joins a group of dancers named ‘the cuties’ at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity - upsetting her mother and her values in the process.”

The description change suggests that Netflix was very aware of the backlash from their audiences and deliberately changed the description to be less suggestive.

From the description alone, one can deduce that this film is geared to be counterculture and defy social norms.

Netflix also changed the initial movie poster after fans were outraged by the image portraying these children. After realizing their blatant error in suggestive content, Netflix apologized saying the poster was “inappropriate.”

10

(Change.org) “Cuties,” a Netflix film, is facing backlash for the sexualization of minors.

This documentary was filmed using actual children and young teens. The main characters of the documentary are Amy (Fath-ia Youssouf), 14; Angelica (Medina El Aidi-Azouni), 12; and Coumba (Esther Gohourou), 14.

After seeing various clips from the documentary, I have found myself in a state of disgust and astonishment at the fact the film is being defended by some critics and fans.

There are scenes that show these children twerking and dancing in suggestive ways that are considered inappropriate by many.

Along with the absurd amount of suggestive dancing, the girls use a variety of vulgar and indecent language, as described by the Parents Television Council.

Mind you, these are children, who are all considered minors, being filmed by grown adults. There is so much content that many, like myself, find utterly ridiculous and

unnecessary for a film that is supposed to be “a social commentary against the sexualization of young children,” as described to Time by a Netflix spokesperson.

There is a scene in the movie where the girls in the crew chat with a boy over the web and talk to him about liking “tits” and if he would “like to touch theirs.”

In another jaw-dropping scene, one of the girls takes a picture of her genitals and uploads it to Instagram to show that “we are not kids.” This is supposedly depicting an 11-year-old child.

Along with the actual scenes, the camera work in the movie is so explicit that many YouTubers are forced to blur the images in order to comply with community guidelines.

Despite the controversy, Netflix has stood firm with their decision to keep this film on their platform to be “woke.”

This movie has been so shocking that it has caused government officials like Ohio Attorney General

September 23, 2020

Dave Yost to speak out.

“In this era where we are fighting a seemingly never-ending battle against human trafficking, this film is counterproductive,” he said.

“It whets the appetites of those who wish to harm our children in the most unimaginable ways.”

He has requested that Netflix voluntarily removes the “award winning film” due to these concerns.

Another government official, Senator Ted Cruz, requested a fullblown investigation of Netflix and those who produced the film to see if it“ violated any laws against the production and distribution of child pornography,” as reported

by The Today Show.

Despite so many people speaking up against the movie, Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 89 percent rating, which is higher than multi-billion-dollar films like “Avengers: Infinity War.” Giving this film such glowing reviews proves that they are trying to push an agenda in an attempt to be “woke” and with the times.

In a time where we have tried to band together to push for change and bring about social justice, we should be doing it here for this film. Where is cancel culture?

Cancel culture successfully managed to push for the name change

of the Washington Football team (formerly the Redskins), and we love that.

We are not against cancel culture, and we support social change, but can we get cancel culture to work harder to get this film removed off Netflix?

While actors, directors and spokespersons have defended the film claiming it is “geared for social change,” you discredit yourself because you are doing the very thing you are fighting against.

If you are trying to discourage against sexualizing children, why would you sexualize children to the extreme degree that you have?

Children today are exposed to so much in our world and have to learn about their sexuality at a younger age. This could be executed in a more couth and effective way.

To create shock value, they chose to use actual children to do this. If they had chosen to use people who were of legal age playing younger girls, the message could have been received better.

As someone who aspires to be a father someday, I hope the day never comes where we acknowledge and accept child sexualization because it is rooted in our society. Times have changed, I acknowledge this, and we must change as well.

This movie has received a mature rating on Netflix, that in of itself should already suggest something is wrong with the documentary. If the film’s main actors consist of children who are underage, how can you produce a film that they are not even suggested to watch by their own rating?

This film should bring serious question to our values as a society and where we stand. Netflix is a large company that gives customers thousands of various viewing experiences.

“Cuties” should not offered by the platform, and Netflix should voluntarily remove the film before being forced to.

Brought to you by: The Penn Staff

Opinion

Culture

Culture Editor: Katelin Pompa – xzgw@iup.edu Lead Culture Writer: Haley Brown – tbfx@iup.edu

(Heather Bair/The Penn) Black and white mural located in the entrance of Sprowls art building.

Sprowls Hall is the home of the IUP art department.

(Heather Bair/The Penn)

How the IUP Art Department is adapting to COVID-19 EMILY LOOSE Staff Writer e.d.loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Despite there being so much space among students, different departments on the IUP campus are doing all they can to keep up interest.

This includes faculty in the department of art, though details in the upcoming ideas continue to be murky.

The art department at IUP has many plans for the fall semester according to Sean Derry, an associate professor in the department. He is most prominent with sculptures and outdoor projects.

There will be a public project happening at IUP Sunday, Sept. 27. You do not need to be an art student in order to attend.

Though not all details have been made public, Derry and others within the department are still excited for its release.

The art department has done many projects in the past to keep students occupied during the pandemic.

This includes the “Quarantine Companion” project that took place in the spring. Students sent their

Culture

address and receive a kit to create a “buddy.”

After using the materials as well as household items to make a buddy, students were asked to post their creation on Instagram to show it off as well as spread word of the project.

The project had been put together by Derry along with Sharon Massey, an art professor, who specializes with jewelry and metal. They had talked to art students and came to the decision.

It turned out to be very successful for the department. They had sent out over 40 kits within the first few weeks of the quarantine.

Rose Mazey (art) said most projects that the art department does are within the classes themselves.

She said those projects will continue as normal, no matter if the students are on campus or not.

“We don’t do much in the department overall besides exhibitis in the galleries,” said Mazey in regards to Kipp Gallery located at Sprowls Hall.

It is unknown how exhibits will take place during this time because of social distancing measures, but there are galleries coming up.

The Lively Arts calendar on IUP’s website shows an exhibit will be held at Kipp Oct. 13 from 8 a.m. to

8 p.m. It is titled “Eli Kessler, The Thorn, The Side, and The Pleasure Principle.”

The art department also has videos working with different artists.

Sept. 15 via Zoom, a video detailing Brita d’Agostino and her work with visual design took place.

As said on IUP’s website, “Reconstructing Desires” shows how d’Agostino is “deconstructing and recombining surfaces, subverting the original meaning of the images through her own aesthetic investigations.”

Though Derry was asked about more information on the upcoming project Sept. 27, he could not say too much.

“I will share more info once we have compiled our marketing materials,” he said in an email.

New information on the matter should arrive during this coming week. Though it cannot be assumed, since Derry works with sculpting, it may be part of the project at hand.

Because of the pandemic, departments across campus are doing their best to find ways to keep students involved and entertained.

While this may seem easy for the art department, it is still a matter of (IUP Facebook page) making remote learning students feel included.

Sculpture found in Fischer Hall for the fine arts.

September 23, 2020

11

12

September 23, 2020

Culture

(STATIC/Twitter) STATIC works tirelessly to provide engaging activites for students.

STATIC plans for the rest of September JULIA ROBINS Contributing Writer spxbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

College is not all about academics, as some may believe.

Being a part of a community and making friends is also important.

Especially with the coronavirus rising anxiety levels, participating in virtual STATIC (Student Activity Committee) events is a great way to feel more connected at IUP.

Wednesday, Sept 23

Netflix Watch Party: “The Social Network” (8 to10 p.m.)

Ever wonder how Facebook was created? Using Google Chrome’s Netflix Watch Party extension, you can watch “The Social Network” with the IUP community. “The Social Network” explains how Mark Zucherbug went from designing Facebook in his Harvard dorm room to being one of the youngest billionaires ever.

STATIC will also ask Facebook trivia questions with prizes for the winners. Download the Chrome Extension and learn more about how to use Watch Party today at https://www.netflixparty.com/. Be sure to tune in for this event.

Thursday, Sept 24

Live at IUP: An Evening with Issa Rae (8 to 9:30 p.m.)

Issa Rae, actress known for “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” “The Hate You Give,” and “Insecure,” will be speaking to IUP on Zoom. She is also a New York Times Best Seller, appears on Forbes’ 30 Under 30, and is Gold-

Every videogame is unique in it’s own way, offering hours of gameplay.

Game On! IUP Students favorite video games RACHEL FOOR Staff Writer R.G.Foor@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

(STATIC)

en Globe nominated.

To submit a question for Issa Rae to answer live during the event, you can email STATICatIUP@gmail.com or send a direct message on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the username STATICatIUP. The Zoom link is yet to be released, but the waiting room will open at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept 25

Netflix & Chill: “Knives Out” (8 to 10 p.m.)

Using Swank Online Portal (link will be advertised on STATIC’s social media pages), join your friends and watch “Knives Out,” a mystery/comedy movie investigating the mysterious death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey and who in his family is responsible for the death.

Tuesday, Sept 29

Stargazing with STATIC (9 to 11 p.m.)

Do you love stargazing, but don’t have a great view from your window or backyard? Join Zoom (link forthcoming on social media pages) to explore the beautiful galaxy.

For more information on STATIC events, visit their full event calendar at their website www.staticatiup.com/upcoming/ Stay tuned for more events to come in October.

(p2722754/Pixabay)

With the coronavirus pandemic limiting everyone’s options for recreational activity, it is no surprise that people are playing more video games.

From new releases like “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” and “The Last of Us Part II” to old favorites like “Fallout 3” and “League of Legends,” there is plenty of material for gamers to dive into.

One game that has skyrocketed in popularity in recent weeks is “Among Us,” an online multiplayer social deduction game. Taking place in space, players can have one of two roles: crewmates and imposters. The crewmates must determine who are the imposters while the imposters must kill the crewmates without being identified. “‘Among Us’ is currently one of the biggest games out there,” said Randy Chung (junior, culinary dietetics). “It takes the simple game of ‘Mafia’ and gives more layers to its standard gameplay, turning the game into a more live action ‘Mafia’ instead of the standard turn based gameplay. I enjoy the idea of its live-action gameplay, making it more engaging to play with a group of friends. It’s very entertaining seeing all the ‘Among Us’ memes all over the internet.”

Another new release that has gamers talking is the team-based tactical shooter “Valorant.” Players play as a set of agents that are based on different countries and cultures. They are then tasked with

either attacking or defending their team. The game has several different modes, including compeditive, deathmatch, non-ranked and spike rush.

“I enjoy ‘Valorant’ because it takes the fundamental first-person shooter aspects from ‘CounterStrike: Global Offensive’ such as gun skins, sound, and spray combining it with more character and utility-based gameplay from games such as ‘Overwatch,’”Chung said.

“It’s an interesting combination of my favorite aspects from the most popular first-person shooter games. It is an extremely competitive game and has a growing competitive scene, which also interests me.”

However appealing new games may be, they can be expensive.

As college students with limited income, many turn to their old favorites for entertainment. “Fallout 3” is one such example. The third major installment of the Fallout series, it is an open world, post-apocalyptic role-playing game.

“My all-time favorite is ‘Fallout 3,’” Kaleigh Gilmer said, an IUP alumna. “I was hooked. It was like when you are reading a really captivating book and keep saying ‘just one more chapter’ and next thing you know you have been playing for 4 plus hours and sometimes ‘til 4 a.m.”

Horror fans will appreciate “Until Dawn,” a 2015 release for PlayStation 4. This interactive drama, survival horror game features a butterfly affect system in which the player’s choices effect the story.

The players control eight people who must survive on Blackwood

Mountain when their lives are endangered.

“It is the first ‘create your own story’ type of game where the storyline can completely change based on your choices,” Gilmer said. “In the game this is called the butterfly effect, and it was so beautifully well done.”

“It left me questioning if I had made a different choice, what would be different in the game, and forced me to replay the story several times.”

The scare tactics are also really well researched and articulated.

They have excellent cut scenes and noises designed to elevate the player to the brink of terror, then throw them off the edge with well-placed jump scares and choices you are forced to make within seconds or you could die in the game.”

Other IUP student favorites include “The Witcher 3,” which boasts over 100 hours of gameplay, and “League of Legends.” “‘League of Legends’ has been the most popular game in Esports for the past few years,” Chung said. “It’s the easiest of its genre of multiplayer online battle arena games but still leaves a lot of room for improvement between your typical casual player and a player in the top percentile in the game.

What’s also enjoyable about the game is its competitive scene.

“The World Championships that is held yearly is always entertaining to watch, having only grown in popularity exponentially over the years… It is enjoyable to both be able to enjoy playing a game and watching a game.”

Game on, IUP.

Culture

September 23, 2020

Adorable keychains that Dommel sells for her business.

(Courtesy of Karis Dommel)

13

(Courtesy of Karis Dommel) These are some stickers that Dommel sells for her business.

Supporting local IUP student-run Businesses EMILY LOOSE Staff Writer e.d.loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Every week, The Penn will be spotlighting various student-run businesses. Money can be hard to come by as a college student, and some do not have the time for a regular part-time job. Some students use their own creativity and ambition in order to pave their way out of student debt.

Though her marketing is relatively new, Bethany Bailey (junior, nursing) is proud of her essential oil business thus far.

Though she does not make the oils herself, Bailey uses the oils in order to create other goods.

“I purchase oils from another company, and I make my own items from them so I can make candles, carpet cleaner, cleaners, hair products, mask sprays, soaps and so much more,” she said.

Bailey believes people trying out different oils this way is a preferred method over many other options given.

“A lot of people are more willing to try out oils with a $15 carpet cleaner than a $165 starter kit.”

She said starter kits could come off as

“a big jump,” which To try out some of the products that she made her hesitant is selling, as well as to to start the business learn about the full list at first. Now that she of items available, Bailey bought the oils however, she said she sees all can be reached through Facebook. of the possibilities in For those who want store for her. to add style to their For Bailey, essential school supplies, such as oils have helped her in many areas of life. backpacks and laptops, they can find their “They help my allerneeds through Karis gies, anxiety, studying Dommel (nursing). habits and concenSince April, Dommel tration,” she said. “I sleep better with them has been designing and - I can even cook with making various items, including keychains and them!” stickers.

She said using “I originally started these products were selling my old clothes a great option for anyone who wants on Instagram that I didn’t really wear,” their items 100 percent Dommel said. “Then I natural and healthy for (Courtesy of Karis Dommel) tried this keychain idea their whole family. that I saw, and loved Due to just starting A necklace Dommel sells. making the first few keyout, Bailey’s sales are still small. chains, so I figured why not sell them on my page as well?”

“I’ve made a few small sales to my friends She later added jewelry to her business and family, but I haven’t done a full kick-off when she realized how expensive it could be advertising yet.”

“I thought ‘I could make that,’ so I went and got supplies and started making them.”

Being artistic, Dommel also wanted to try and do some design work, hence why she also now sells stickers. She watched tutorials on how to do so and has been at work ever since.

Art and creativity have always been a part of Dommel’s life, beginning when she used to draw for her family. Starting the business was second nature for her. Though she said she expected a higher number of sales, Dommel is still positive with her business and creations.

“Every time someone purchases something of mine it is a proud moment,” she said.

“It makes me feel accomplished and happy to be satisfying a customer.”

All of Dommel’s creations and items up for sale can be found on her Instagram @kd.closett. At the moment, all items are buy one, get one free.

Have a business and want to get your name out there? Please email e.d.loose@iup.edu or message her on Instagram @emily_deanne98.

Supporting local business helps your communities pockets grow, not greedy corporations that make millions. Especially for college students who are known for being broke. Take your time to check out these local entrepreneurs and help their businesses.

14

September 23, 2020

Culture

September 23, 2020

Culture

The leaves are starting to change on campus.

(The Penn Archives)

15

Now that it’s fall, it’s time to layer on the flannels and cardigans.

(The Penn Archives)

Students dicuss fall 2020 fashion trends MEGAN DONNY Staff Writer M.Donny@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

This article contains opinion.

With fall beginning this week, many students are starting to pull out their fall attire.

The beginning of fall means the abruption of many new fashion trends that adapt to the changing weather.

Social media apps with influencers like Instagram and TikTok have been flooded this past month with new styles and trends in the fashion industry. Trendsetters have been showing off the latest fashions this past month and helping their follow-

ers to stay in style this fall.

One of the biggest trends this fall is going to be leather. Oversized leather jackets have been seen all over Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. Leather skirts as well as trousers are also going to be a huge hit. These styles are already being seen in fast fashion stores like H&M, Pretty Little Thing, and Zara. Students can find these styles online, as well as in local second-hand stores.

Another new trend is sweater vests. This trend has recently appeared in stores, especially Zara. Fashion influencers have been seen in oversized sweater vests with long-sleeve, button-up shirts underneath. This trend isn’t just for women, but has been seen on men recently as well.

While I have heard many mixed opinions on this trend, some people can really pull it off well. I personally have seen students in Indiana strolling the local thrift shops in search of oversized sweater vests for the

upcoming season.

Last year, a huge fall trend was over-the-knee/thigh-high boots.

This fall, knee-high boots have become all the rage. Knee-highed, high-heeled boots made of leather or crocodile material are selling out online.

While over-the-knee boots will definitely still be worn this fall, I believe they will soon be replaced by knee-high boots as the most

popular fall and winter foot wear trend any year.

Oversized is always in style in the fall and winter seasons.

“My favorite fall trend is probably oversized clothing,” Thea McCollough (senior, fashion merchandising) said.

“The style is very comfortable, but also can be made fashionable.”

Oversized flannel has become a big hit this year. Different styles include oversized flannel button-ups, cardigans, zip-up jackets and trousers.

“I always like pairing flannel with a jean jacket or hoodie,” she said.

“It’s a comfortable outfit, but still very cute.”

A new trend that’s been seen all over TikTok is patchwork. This trend includes patchwork denim and tops as well. Many influencers have been seen in Revice Denim and Urban Outfitters patchwork jeans this fall.

A great look for any occasion.

“I would be interested in trying out patchwork looks,” McCollough said, “I feel like it is representative of the 1970s, and I love that time period.”

A trend that has been seen a lot recently is the look of cargo/ utility pants. This trend began in the summer and will definitely continue into the fall. Cargo pants have been seen in stores like Pacsun and Urban Outfitters.

“My new favorite fall trend is definitely the look of cargo pants and utility singlets,” Maran Davis (senior, fashion merchandising) said “I think they’ll last into winter because they can be paired with boots, sweaters and jackets.”

Other trends this fall include chunky knit sweaters, Sherpa and puffer jackets, turtlenecks and slip dresses.

September 23, 2020

16

Some people prefer the Apple iPhone.

(Jeshoots-com/Pixabay)

Culture

While other prefer an Android phone.

(krapalm/Pixabay)

Apple versus Android: Students decide HALEY BROWN

Lead Culture Writer

tbfx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

This article contains opinion.

The debate continues on whether or not Apple iPhones are ‘better’ than Android smartphones, and it seems unlikely that such a debate will ever end despite strong opinions from users on both sides.

While some users swear by their technology and would never part ways with their preferred brand, others have a more open mind and are interested in other options for smart devices.

“I wouldn’t say I have strong opinions, but I would consider myself modestly informed about both operating systems and their devices,” Sean Young, (senior, marketing major) said.

“I have been using Apple devices since 2008 when the iPod Touch was popular. I recognize my bias of having never used an Android phone myself, and I would consider switching if I feel like Apple does not deliver the quality and features it demands for its cost.

“However, I feel like many Apple users face a common dilemma of homogeneous smart devices. Users may have an Apple TV, Apple Watch, iPhone and Mac computers which all connect together seamlessly. If you break the cycle, you disrupt the electronic ecosystem.”

While Apple is known for a wide array of devices that can be simultaneously connected, Android users enjoy a more flexible customization experience, as well as the ability to easily expand their device’s storage.

“I think one of the strongest selling points for Android as an iPhone user is that Android has the capability for users to add considerable amounts of extra storage via micro SD cards, which iPhone does not offer,” Young said.

While there are countless pros and cons to compare between Apple and Android devices, one of the most evident strong suits for Apple seems to be their options of using their devices for more complex processes for veteran users. The consumer’s ability to choose to stick to the easier routes and use their phones as simple tools to make their lives go more smoothly.

“I think one of the biggest appeals about Apple is how intuitive their phones can be,” Young said.

“It can be used for simple means or complex tasks depending on how knowledgeable the user is, and I think that dynamic is really appealing for both tech savvy and novice users. I’ve seen my uncle, who is a software architect and extremely technology savvy, and his family use Android for years with great success and dedication. However, I have also seen my parents, who are not too tech savvy, struggle with Android, and they prefer Apple.”

Some users prefer the ultimate customization features and complex systems that require a lot of navigation skills tailored specifically to that brand. However, many smartphone users prefer to stick to simple systems and prefer the clean layouts of Apple’s user-friendly dynamics. Many agreed that it is far easier to learn how to use an iPhone than it is an Android device.

“I have an Apple phone, and I have always used their devices,” Sadie Jobe (junior, English) said.

“I don’t really have a strong opinion, but I find Apple far easier to use. I just think they are a lot more user friendly and have cleaner layouts. Everything is laid out really neatly and it is easy to find what you are looking for.

However, you can’t do as much with Apple products as you can with other brands like Androids.

But I do not have a need to do a lot on my phone, so it works perfectly for me.”

While the appeal of the ease of using Apple devices is attractive to certain consumers, such as parents and some less tech-savvy users, for others it proves to be a deterrent. Certain features that Apple is most well-known for however, might always feel like a missed opportunity for Android users, such as Apple’s notoriously easy-to-use and almost universally preferred method of video-chatting, known as FaceTime.

“I strongly believe the Android user interface is more intuitive and has more personalization

options,” Alex Olszewski said, (senior, fashion merchandising major). “iPhones have a very straightforward layout and, while that is a good thing for some, I find it underwhelming. It’s not likely that I’ll switch, but I will admit that it’s a bummer I can’t FaceTime.”

Most smartphone users simply start using whatever brand their family members use when they get their first smart device, but others were able to have experience with both brands beforehand and chose their device according to their own preferences.

“When I was picking my first smartphone, I had limited experience with both operating systems,” Oleszowki said.

“My parents had iPhones and my sister had a galaxy. While spending only a small time formally researching the differences of the brands, I had a generous amount of anecdotal experiences to help me decide.”

While some smart device users are always up for discovering new features and finding different ways to get what they need from a device, others can be easily befuddled by Android’s difficult-to-navigate layouts and can easily become overwhelmed by the complicated system.

“I have always used Apple products, but half of my family uses Android,” Jobe said.

“They feel strongly that they have the superior phones, but I will never switch. If I try to help my mom do something on her

Android, I struggle to find where it is. My brother, who has experience with Androids, is the only one who can really help her.

I think anyone could pick up an Apple product and easily figure it out. [My grandmother] will probably be getting my phone when I upgrade. My family does not really seem to disagree that [an Apple iPhone] will be better for her.”

While users have their reasons for choosing Apple devices, many admit that Android has pretty obvious pros in comparison to Apple, including the oftentimes cheaper price tag, the customizable storage, and Android’s arguably better battery life.

“I fully admit that I think Android offers a lot of pros. Apple is notorious for their low battery life. You also have to worry about storage more with Apples since Androids have removable and replaceable storage options.

Apple also costs a lot more than Androids for arguably less services,” Jobe said.

While the debate between Apple users and Android users might seem endless, many consumers are already admitting that maybe the ‘perfect device’ just doesn’t exist and devices tailored to each tech consumer’s preference is the way to go, ignoring the brand of said device entirely.

Regardless of which side you fall on currently, each brand has its pros and cons making the right choice for you is totally up to personalized needs.

Culture

September 23, 2020

17

Sports

Sports Editor: Jeff Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu

(Case Marshall/The Penn) The IUP tennis courts set the scene for what could be a big 2020 season for the tennis team.

IUP tennis could put up big numbers behind Stralka AUSTIN SMITH

Staff Writer A.S.Smith7@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

It’s not just the swinging of the baseball bats or throwing of the football on the IUP campus that goes on, it’s the swinging of the tennis rackets from the IUP women’s tennis team as well.

The Crimson Hawks would for sure be at an invitational meeting already and probably would have been dominating at this time like last year.

Last season, the Crimson Hawks picked up seven wins on there first day of the Oberlin Invitational in Ohio that started Sept. 6. In that tournament, the Hawks went 5-3 in single matches in the round robin event.

Joanna Stralka (sophomore, biology) picked up a 6-2 and 6-4 win over Slippery Rock’s Lois Page, who is a two-time all-PSAC selection.

Not only did Stralka excel in the stat column, but IUP also split their four double matches,

18

and won each by a score of 8-4 on that day. Now we can mention how good the Hawks did throughout the whole season, but how did they play in the PSAC Championship at Bloomsburg?

On the first day of the championship, both singles and doubles teams advanced in their respective brackets. The doubles team consisted of graduate Katya Minchenkova and Idoia Huerta (junior, biology). They both won two matches to advance to the semifinals. So, both doubles and single teams were buzzing for the Crimson Hawks.

As previously mentioned, the pandemic canceled the remainder of the spring season but now the talk is, what is next for the team? Any individual player that stands out to you?

Seeing the Hawks finished with an overall record of 7-2 last season and having five wins on the road would make you think that there was at least one player to look out for in the next season.

Not to mention that the Hawks

dominate player as a freshman, but she had skill that allowed her to stand out against some of her peers.

Tennis is still a team sport during doubles, but it’s unique in its ability to have singles matches.

She had a finishing record of 19-2, which (Teddy Jeanette/The Penn) included her participation in played great in single matches, the PSAC Singles Championship which is never easy to get wins in the fall.

Let’s not forget her all the time.

13-1 record during tournament Stralka was an absolute force play and had a 14 match win since she was named the Interstreak that carried over in the collegiate Tennis Association spring season. She finished with (ITA) Atlantic Region Rookie a .905 win percentage, which was of the Year. Not only was she a

September 23, 2020

the best in program history.

The number of awards that she won in her freshman season could go on and on, but now COVID-19 halted the team’s hot streak, what will that mean for the team’s future success? To me, it means that it’s more time to get better as an individual player and as a team in whole.

Sure, star players like Minchenkova, who won 15 out of her 20 singles matches, will not be with the team after graduating. It does not stop the fact that the Hawks have a lot of young talent on the team. It’s about what you do with that time that you have.

IUP is represented by a plethora of stellar athletic programs and is known to have players that can break records.

With Coach Larry Peterson in the driver’s seat, the Hawks are keen to put zeros on the other opponents’ scoreboards and are looking strive and grow even more as individual players.

Whenever the next season may be, the Hawks will be a big force to reckon with.

Sports

September 23, 2020

Sports

19

Tampa Bay looking to run away with the cup JAKE TAYLOR

Staff Writer J.M.Taylor8@iup.edu @JakeTaylor8726

FINALLY, THE CUP HAS COME BACK to Tampa. Well, not yet.

The Stanley Cup Final features the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars. The stage is set in the NHL bubble located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. What a journey it has been for these two teams.

Tampa Bay finished their 201819 campaign 62-16-4, making them the best regular season team of all time. They got swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Tampa’s roster had more talent on paper, but if the Blues proved anything it’s that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

As for the Dallas Stars, well, they lost in Game 7 of the second round in double overtime to none other than the St. Louis Blues, eventual Stanley Cup Champions.

Although Dallas was thoroughly outplayed by St. Louis, they hung in there and were one shot away from the Western Conference Finals (WCF).

These two teams have made drastic changes to improve their chances this time around. The Stars quite possibly made the best off-season moves in the league.

They acquired Joe Pavelski from San Jose and Corey Perry from Anaheim. Pavelski added veteran leadership with his background, captaining San Jose for four years and leading them to the cup finals in 2016. Not to mention his stint as captain for Team USA that gave him the nickname Captain America.

Dallas also promoted assistant coach, Rick Bowness to head coach in December. Bowness was dismissed by Tampa Bay after their playoff woes in 2016-18. The business side of sports always adds a little more drama for us common fans. Bowness has become a fan-favorite after hearing how much his players love playing for him. He would also become the oldest head coach to win the Stanley Cup at age 65.

As if you thought Tampa Bay could not get any better, you’re wrong. Holy smokes is this team

talented.

Tampa lost a few players like JT Miller and Ryan Callahan, but boy did they add some beauties. The Lightning added Kevin Shattenkirk and Pat Maroon this off-season.

Tampa needed to address their biggest weakness, softness both in the locker room and on the ice.

Shattenkirk is the locker room leader and Maroon the on-ice enforcer. Remember the trade deadline right before the season halted? Maybe you remember Tampa Bay completely buying in and trading a 1st round pick to New Jersey for Blake Coleman and a 1st round pick to San Jose for Barclay Goodrow.

I need to list the players on this team for my readers to fully understand the juggernaut of a roster. Andrei Vasilevskiy (one of the best goalies in the

Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg have been on the ice for 93.5 percent of Stars’ goals. I call that a recipe for disaster. A top-heavy team up against the deepest team in the league. A mismatch of the century.

Tampa Bay came out against the Islanders in Game 1 and missed the net one time in the last minute of the game. The final was 8-2, and the team did not miss the net until the last minute. This is the national league, and teams are competitive, hence how the Islanders pushed it to six games.

I cannot imagine Dallas holding their own against Tampa Bay. However, that is not what Timmy Templin (senior, biochemistry) had to say, “My pick is the Dallas Stars. Playoff hockey is all about getting hot at the right time. Riding the momentum.”

“No one gave them a shot against the Vegas Golden Knights, and I doubt they will be a favorite this series,” he said. Miro Heiskanen is turning into an elite defender and they have timely scoring all throughout (TheFourthPeriod) their lineup. Tampa has been here before, league), Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan but Jon Cooper is notorious for McDonagh, Zach Bogosian, bad coaching in big games and Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Černák, this is the biggest.“ Braydon Coburn, oh yeah and He is not far off considering Victor Hedman (best defenseDallas took game one 4-1. The man in the league.) That is just key however was not Heiskanen, defensively, offense consists of it was goaltending and Conn Nikita Kucherov (last year's MVP), Smyth favorite Anton Khudobin.

Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, He made key save after key save Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde, and the frustration was evident for Alex Killorn, Ondřej Palát, Barclay Tampa.

Goodrow, Blake Coleman, Pat Dallas came out the gate hot Maroon, Cedric Paquette, oh yeah and dominated the Lightning for and their Captain Steven Stamkos the first two periods. Body checkisn’t even playing. ing after every play and scoring on I’m calling an absolute blowthe rebounds was the recipe for out in the finals. Looking at the success in Edmonton. matchup statistically isn’t fair.

Jon Cooper needs to fire up the Dallas Stars enter the Finals with a boys. Tampa assumed they would negative goal differential. Let that wallop Dallas, but again, it is the sink in, they allow more goals than national league. they score. How can a team make Game 2 was a different story. it this far letting in more goals Tampa came out fast in the first than they score? period with a dominating 3-0 performance. The team still needs Their best player is a secto work out some kinks because ond-year defenseman with 22 points a plus 3 rating . To compare Dallas would not go away and hang around until the final buzzer that to Tampa Bay, which has the making it a 3-2 final score. league's top two playoff scorers.

The story is timely scoring for Kucherov has 26 points and plus Dallas. They stay in every game.

15 rating, and Point has 25 points Maybe calling a blowout was a hot and a plus 13 rating. That’s called take but you are going to have to efficiency. Dallas’ leader in plus/ sit down, drink beer and tune in. minus is a plus five.

(ESPN)

September 23, 2020

20

Sports

(mlbdailydish.com) Players and Umpires are all ready and rearing to make a push for MLB postseason

MLB season heats up as playoff race begins BRAD O’HARA

Sports Writer B.L.Ohara@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

Stats are from Sept. 22.

The Major League Baseball season has always been a marathon race to October with teams playing the long game and trying to stay consistent in their hunt for a postseason spot. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made every team switch to sprinting as they attempted to start and stay hot through the 60-game season. Now at what would typically not even be the halfway point of the season, teams are making the final push toward the postseason.

With the shortened season, commissioner Rob Manfred announced an expanded playoff that would automatically have the firstand second-place team from each division qualify with two available wild card spots for third and fourth place teams. This means that topranked teams have little to worry about as we wrap up the last two weeks of the season, but the pressure heavily rides on the second, third and fourth place teams.

Things in the American League (AL) are all but sealed up. All firstplace teams in the AL have already clinched their spot and the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros are not far behind. In fact, the only race in the AL is for the two wild card spots, and it is not very close.

As it sits right now, the Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays would claim the first and second wild card spots respectfully.

The closest teams in the hunt are at least four games back.

The National League (NL) is much more of a toss-up. The two teams to clinch their spots are the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The Chicago Cubs are the only other teams that are close to clinching. This means that there are five other playoff spots that are up for grabs with at least two of them coming from the NL East.

The Atlanta Braves are currently sitting atop the east. With a four game lead over the Miami Marlins and six games left in the season, the Braves are in control of their own fate. However, the Marlins are looking to derail them and take their top spot, and they will have the opportunity. The Braves and the Marlins have four more games against each other to end the season.

“The NL East is my favorite division to watch right now,” said Michael Shuss (senior, English education). “The Braves are looking great and are looking like a real contender to take down the Dodgers. However, the Marlins are a team that really came out of nowhere. I never expected them to put together the season they did.

Now with the addition of Starling Marte from the trade deadline, I think they can make a nice postseason push.“ The Philadelphia Phillies are also still in the hunt in the east. The Phillies currently sit a game and a half behind the Marlins and fiveand-a-half games back from the top spot.

The NL Central is also struggling

to battle things out for second place. The Cubs are currently one of three teams above .500 in the Central with the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. The Milwaukee Brewers are currently a game under .500, and the Pittsburgh Pirates far off in the distance. The Reds, Cardinals and the Brewers all have a real shot at second in the division.

The Cardinals may be in the best position as they have the easiest schedule over their last ten games. After playing two of the worst teams in the MLB in the Pirates and the Kansas City Royals, they wrap up their season in a five-game homestand. The Reds, however, will have to take on two of the best teams in the Twins and White Sox. Whoever does not get second spot in the east and the central will be in a tight race for the wild card.

Currently the Phillies are just a half game behind the Reds. The race will come down to whoever can get hot in the final week and a half of the season.

“The Phillies have been a bit of a streaky team,” said Sarah Kriebel (senior, interior design). “They looked like they were getting hot at the right time and then turned around and lost six of their last 10.

They definitely have the star power, but we’ll see if they can seal the deal.”

The last games of the season will be played on Sunday. As we round the corner in this tight race, we will see who will cross the finish line first and secure their spot in the postseason.

Athletics hires new head of strength and conditioning Jeff Hart

Sports Editor J.R.Hart@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

On Sept. 17, IUP named its first head of strength and conditioning coach in Reggie Overton.

The news was broken by Ryan Rebholz and IUP athletics.

Overton is a Western Pennsylvania native and played football at the collegiate level. He played for Lehigh University. In 2007 then transferred to Mount Union University for the remainder of his collegiate career.

The department has made their strength and conditioning a priority. Overton’s hiring was an integral part of this process.

“Having a strength and conditioning program has been a priority as we continue to improve upon our student-athlete experience,” said athletic director Todd Garzerelli. “Reggie stood out during the interview process, and I believe he has the right mix of energy, experience, and drive to successfully establish this new program.”

Prior to his hiring, Overton was an assistant strength and condi-

tioning coach for the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Overton watched over and helped grow the strength and conditioning program for multiple sport programs during his time there.

Prior to UNC Wilmington, Overton was the strength and conditioning coach for The University of Buffalo football team during their 2018 season. Overton brings a high level of experience as a player, coach, and professional coming into this position, and he is excited to bring his talents to the University.

"The athletic programs at IUP have a history of competitive excellence, and I'm looking forward to contributing to the growth and future success of the department," said Overton in his statement to IUP athletics. "As a native of Western Pennsylvania, I am excited to join the Crimson Hawk family and continue to do what I love just a short drive away from where I grew up!"

The IUP community is happy to have Overton as part of the athletics program. There are big things ahead. Most importantly, once a hawk, always a hawk.